A little under a decade ago, Ska Studios released a little 2D side-scrolling homage to the Dark Souls genre called Salt & Sanctuary. It was a game that perfectly encapsulated the trappings of the Soulslike genre but in a Metroidvania-style world. It wasn’t long before the entire genre began to subtly change, with more and more side-scrollers taking on Soulslike or roguelike features. Case in point is Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree from Primal Game Studio, which uses elements of both Metroidvanias and Soulslikes, but maintains just enough of its own core to remain unique.
If anything, there’s a slight touch of No Rest for the Wicked about Mandragora, which was recently renamed to include its new subtitle – hinting at a larger universe in the making. I recently attended a virtual preview with the developers, and have been playing through the second preview build of Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree and, while I was fairly impressed when I played the original preview build, I’m genuinely hooked now.
At present, there are three of an eventual six classes to choose from. Vanguard is a sword and board fighter, Nightshade is a poison-wielding rogue class, and Spellbinder combines swordplay with magical attacks. There’s some light character customisation in this build, and three main areas with a total of 4 bosses and 10 minibosses to play through. It’s around 8 hours of what the developers claim will be a 40 – 60-hour game, so it’s very much a small portion of what will be in the full game.
That being said, though, it feels all but finished. Despite some placeholder cutscenes and a general sense of imbalance in some of the classes (the Spellbinder is by far the strongest of the three), Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree is incredibly playable. It comes with all the 2D adventure game trappings, such as an unlockable grappling hook, secrets behind breakable walls, a dodge roll with i-frames, and enemies that respawn when you rest at fast travel points. But while the mechanics feel familiar at times, the look and feel elevate Mandragora above a lot of its contemporaries.
My comparison to No Rest for the Wicked is largely skin-deep, as it doesn’t feel nearly as punishing as Moon Studios’ game, yet shares visual elements that evoke it. Thematically there are other similarities, such as its dark fantasy world being in the grip of corruption – in this case known as Entropy. As an Inquisitor of the King-Priest, your job is to fight the evil that the common man cannot, and you’re sent out in the prologue to find and slay a terrifying witch in Graveseep Swamp.
Along the way you’ll face giant wolves, rats, bandits, and brigands, levelling up at special altars and making your way along the extensive talent trees. At level 25 you can branch out into one of the other classes, allowing you to mix up your build and utilise other skills and gear. Loot drops from enemies or can be found in chests and vendor inventories, and there are even diagrams you can take to craftspeople to make new items.
Early on you meet Ulfar, a blacksmith who will set up shop in some ruins. This becomes your base of operations, and soon you’ll recruit other NPCs to your little settlement such as a tailor who can make cloaks and leather goods from resources you scavenge in the world. Thanks to a decent fast travel system, getting to and from the ruins is easy.
Each class feels very different, with each dealing out a unique damage over time element. The Nightshade applies poison, the Vanguard has an attack that causes enemies to bleed, and the Spellbinder inflicts Weakness. The emphasis then is on hitting and dodging, either hopping back or rolling through enemies, while the Vanguard has a block or parry that feels tricky but is satisfying when you nail it.
If anything, right now, Mandragora needs a better map. It’s hard to tell exactly where you are in the world and because it’s in low detail you won’t always know how to get to where you need to be, a problem exacerbated by Mandragora’s fondness for dropping dead ends and locked doors everywhere. Exploration is rewarded though, with items and gear, or NPCs you could easily miss.
There’s around six weeks until the full release of Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree, and I can’t wait. The preview build I’ve been playing has such an addictive feel, with fluid platforming and satisfying combat, that I’m really looking forward to seeing what the other classes do, and finding out how the story will play out.
Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree is coming to PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series S/X on April 17, 2025.
