Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree (Xbox Series X) Review
Fans of the Metroidvania and Souls-like genres are well fed heading into 2025. This action-adventure genre offshoot, as it stands, can be understood by playing Castlevania and Elden Ring (any FromSoftware 'Souls' title fits this bill) — just not at the same time. The popular Metroidvania gameplay style — earning a power-up from a boss fight and backtracking to previously inaccessible paths — has developed a cult-like following. And fans of Dark Souls have come out of the woodwork since Elden Ring won Game of the year.
This is where Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree fits in — a cross between the downtrodden Lordran and Dracula's Castle (also known as 'Demon Castle' or Castlevania) that offers intense combat encounters, tight platforming sequences and the Souls fan's all-too-familiar experience of dying many, many times. 'Getting good' is more popular than ever.
Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree begins by placing your cookie-cutter protagonist in a dark fantasy world ruled by a character resembling the bishop from the Castlevania anime — the so-called Priest King of Targoviste. You play as an Inquisitor, and your mission is to carry out the King's judgment. However, you're introduced to the King as he tortures a witch on the verge of death. Your character ends the witch's life in an act of mercy before the Priest King can fully indulge in the torment. He then sends you on a mission to find a replacement, but as you leave, you can feel the eerie metaphorical knife of the King slowly slipping into your back.
Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree starts as a basic Metroidvania, but with much more nuance. Small encounters with poison-spewing and web-slinging spiders are as dangerous, if not more so, than their boss or mini-boss counterparts. This design choice allows the adventure to take centre stage without relying solely on massive boss monsters to evoke awe. As with every Dark Souls entry, you will die in Mandragora. You will die a lot. Even the death screen recalls FromSoftware's iconic 'YOU DIED' message — except here, the phrase 'Perished' appears in a near-identical red font.
Each encounter must be approached with finesse. The dodge roll is your bread and butter. Managing a dwindling stamina gauge while fending off multiple enemies can feel suffocating and intense. That's the point — Mandragora favours throwing players against seemingly insurmountable odds in the hope they either triumph or learn from defeat. Inquisitors can also level up at a bonfire-equivalent Witch Stone, which automatically allows for fast travel between discovered locations. Primal Game Studio does a great job positioning these far enough apart so that level shortcuts — like a knocked-down ladder — never feel wasteful.
Mandragora features a variety of biomes for players to explore, and each one is a treat to discover. A dark cemetery awaits, along with a towering cathedral and the traditional catacombs or sewer level. The game's art style draws heavily from Gothic and Victorian inspirations — I could almost hear the bells from the 1400s tolling. The atmosphere suits the title well, and the sound design is spot on. Whacking an enemy with a mace is satisfying from the sound effect alone, and defeating enemies is genuinely fun.
Level design and enemy placement can sometimes test a player's patience, so it's worth noting that Mandragora isn't for everyone, especially more casual players. Primal Game Studio understands this and smartly carves out space for its core fan base rather than trying to appeal to a broader audience.
Enemies are varied, and they're a true crucible to overcome in the early stages of Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree. Rotting skeletons deal a heinous amount of damage early on, and falling off ledges quickly became my worst enemy. Mandragora features serious fall damage and will send you back to the nearest Witch Stone if you're not vigilant.
Normally, in Soulslike or Castlevania titles, dog enemies are the bane of my existence. I'm happy to report the wolves in Mandragora might as well be puppies — they're that irrelevant. Spiders, however, are a whole different story. These things have 100 per cent accuracy and inflict poison worse than my last relationship. They're toxic, in every sense of the word.
Boss fights can be a little frustrating. A massive Caretaker swings his mighty shovel and delivers a solid Spartan kick to your Inquisitor. If he grabs hold of you, he'll bite and rip your head off with his teeth, causing instant death. Smartly telegraphing enemy movesets is the key to achieving victory in Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree. While some bosses can be 'cheesed,' most will demand deft hands and a sweaty brow. You'll have to lock in.
In later stages, Mandragora reuses enemy designs from earlier in the game, though they may move faster or sport a new colour scheme. Normally, this would be a gripe. But considering Mandragora features such tight, well-balanced gameplay, and given that it's Primal Game Studio's debut title, recycling assets to stay within budget while keeping things fresh is a smart move.
I do have a few gripes with Mandragora, particularly with the save system. Unlike the Souls or Castlevania games before it, Mandragora doesn't save when you perform in-game actions, and there are no designated save points. Instead, you're left to trust that Mandragora will track your progress, as in Dark Souls or Elden Ring. But when exiting your file, you're almost certain to lose progress — how much, exactly, is unclear. It's happened every time I've exited the game properly. There's also no warning when losing data — it just happens.
The crafting system in Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree could also use some work. To advance each crafter, you must find diagram fragments and bring them to craftsmen near your home hub by the Witch Tree. After finding a new diagram for bronze armour, I rushed back to home base to secure the new suit of metal. But the craftsman needed to be level six to create that armour, even though I had all the required materials. Diagrams are often hidden off the beaten path in Mandragora, so finding one and not being able to use it right away dampens the excitement of the discovery.
Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree brings enough nuance to escape the 'just another Metroidvania' label. Novel ideas encapsulate the experience, and each triumph feels like a momentous capstone on a journey that leaves players weary from adventure. The art and sound design are a true treat, and Primal Game Studio has done an excellent job building an interconnected world with smart level design.
However, shortcomings such as lost progress and a heavily limited, occasionally confusing crafting system do sour the experience. Still, Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree is a great adventure that will leave players wanting to give it 'one more try,' like all great Soulslike games before it.
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