Fans of dark fantasy would be remiss to check out Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree, a new action RPG with over 40 hours of single-player story written by the former narrative lead of Vampire: The Masquerade — Bloodlines 2. The new RPG just launched on Steam with a free demo, combining elements of the Metroidvania and Soulslike genres, all with plenty of moody RPG energy.
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After being axed from his role as lead narrative writer on Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2, Brian Mitsoda went on to work on his next project —Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree — at an independent game studio dedicated to putting new spins on hardcore gaming genres. Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree recently launched on Steam with a free demo that offers a chance to try the game's Soulslike combat, 2.5D Metroidvania gameplay, and extensive customisation.
Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree plot and gameplay
Mandragora centres on an inquisitor, an executor of the King Priest's will whose job is to hunt down heretics and monsters that infiltrate the world. After a lapse of faith and an act of defiance, your fate becomes intertwined with the downfall of the fantasy world of Faelduum. As you follow the story, you will dive deeper into the cause of the rot of Faelduum through nan epic 40-hour long quest that will see you face off against myriad foes as you hone your character and playstyle through various weapons and upgrades. Whispers of the Witch Tree delivers 10 main story quests, 35 optional quests, and 15 bounty quests, and the character customisation happens via unique talent trees, passive skills, and "200+ active skill upgrades."
Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree features six character classes to choose from, each of which has its own unique play style and abilities which can be further tuned and adjusted via weapons, abilities, and character skills upgrades. The story takes place across 75 different handcrafted locations and sees players face off against challenging boss battles with 15 bosses and 19 mini bosses. All of the characters are fully voiced in English, and the world has a number of secret hidden locations that players can seek out throughout their time with the game.
Being that Mandragora combines the Soulslike and Metroidvania genres, combat relies heavily on player skill and timing, with attack and dodge timing being vital to success. It also borrows heavily from the likes of Castlevania and Dark Souls when it comes to visuals, delivering a moody, dramatic look featuring all manner of ghoul and eldritch horror for players to face off against.
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Julian van der Merwe - Senior News Writer - 1108 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2022
A lifelong techie with a love for open-source and an irresistible urge for tinkering and cracking stuff open to see how it ticks. Julian covers anything tech-related but has a particular fascination with mechanical keyboards, gaming, and quirky camera gear. With background in industrial design, Julian is familiar with the ins and outs of ergonomics, manufacturing, and materials, and he firmly believes that any tech not designed for people shouldn't exist.
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Julian van der Merwe,2025-04-19(Update:2025-04-21)
