[HANDS-ON PREVIEW] Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree – Dark and Captivating Action RPG

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Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree is emerging as one of the most intriguing indie titles this year. The game looks fantastic, is quite fun, and delivers plenty of content. Personally, I can’t wait to try the full version. This 2.5D Action RPG combines Metroidvania exploration with Soulslike combat in a beautifully painted, dark fantasy world.

Even at first glance at Faelduum, a decaying medieval kingdom, it’s clear that Mandragora places a special emphasis on atmosphere. The hand-painted visuals evoke a gothic fairytale aesthetic, infused with muted greens, grays, and blood-red tones. It is a world where humanity hides behind walls, subdued by monstrous forces and a menacing plague called Entropy.

Soulslike Difficulty Meets Side-Scroller Grace

Combat is the area where Mandragora aims to make its mark. The game blends thoughtful, stamina-driven mechanics with the fluidity of 2.5D movement, reminiscent of Salt and Sanctuary, where dodging, parrying, and precisely timed strikes are crucial for survival. Six different classes: Vanguard, Nightshade, Flameweaver, Spellbinder, Wyldwarden, and Vindicator offer diverse playstyles, from brutal close-quarters combat to chaotic spell-casting.

During the playtest, we only had the opportunity to try out two classes, each bringing unique skills that significantly change the flow of combat. The game is filled with platforming elements, staying true to its Metroidvania roots, expect lots of jumping, climbing, and descending ladders. It also abounds with hidden items, collectible treasures, and resources you can use for crafting and equipment upgrades. The Talent system offers over 200 active skill upgrades, allowing you to customize classes with each other.

However, the hitbox precision is somewhat inconsistent, as it often depends on your positioning. You cannot attack up or down, forcing you to align yourself with the enemy on the same level. The biggest problem comes in encounters with multiple enemies simultaneously. Although there is a visual warning when enemies attack, stamina depletes quickly in the early stage of the game, often leading to frustrating moments. For example, we faced a large rat boss who constantly summoned smaller rats. His powerful attacks, combined with the constant swarms of smaller enemies, made the fight tedious and exhausting.

When you die, you lose all gathered Essence and must return to retrieve it. I particularly liked the fast travel system, which allows quick and efficient movement between locations. Mandragora also offers an impressive selection of over 350 wearable items, consumables, and crafting ingredients, along with 114 weapons and auxiliary items. You can equip one-handed swords, two-handed greatswords, maces, hammers, daggers, shields, and magical relics.

Story of Choice and Consequence

You will explore crumbling castles, marshlands, and detailed villages, encouraging exploration in the true Metroidvania spirit. Every location is filled with secrets, loot, and challenging enemies, motivating you to investigate every corner. Mandragora also brings 10 main quests, 35 optional missions, and 15 bounty missions, providing an abundance of content to explore.

Honestly, the game offers very good progression. What I particularly liked is the way Mandragora allows for gradual upgrading and obtaining better gear. This is largely because you can rest, return to areas with enemies, fight them again (since they always reappear), get stronger, and progress before continuing your journey. In fact, I think this is a good strategy, as some enemies are extremely powerful, and you will quickly realize how weak you are compared to them.

The narrative, crafted by Brian Mitsoda (Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines), is rich with lore, featuring alternative endings that depend on your decisions. It is surprising how much you can influence the story’s development, whether by choosing which missions to take or by the decisions made during conversations with different characters. Unfortunately, this aspect of the game was not highlighted during the testing, as the emphasis was on combat.

The development team at Primal Game Studio promises 40-50 hours of gameplay for a complete exploration of the game, and potentially double that with a New Game Plus mode and detailed investigation. However, there is a risk that the game might be stretched too thin or that choices might lose their significance. I hope this doesn’t happen, as it’s a common trap for similar games. Given that Mandragora heavily emphasizes the story, I am optimistic that the narrative will offer a satisfying and meaningful conclusion.

First Impressions – A Seed Worth Noticing

One aspect worth highlighting is the crafting system, which is extremely well-implemented in this game. The fact that various resources like ores, plant ingredients, food, and fabrics often drop during exploration makes the entire process very fluid. However, it is surprising how expensive some basic items can be, which somewhat detracts from the overall impression. Crafting is done through different “Traders” that you can summon to your base. Once they are there, you can interact with them to craft, buy, and sell items.

With a price tag of €39.99, Mandragora sits above the standard price for Metroidvania games, which might deter some buyers, especially considering how Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown struggled with sales despite excellent reviews. Additionally, the competition in April will be fierce, with titles like South of Midnight and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 also vying for players’ attention. The game is scheduled to be released on April 17, 2025, for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch, and is currently still in the pre-release phase. But, based on what we’ve seen in the playtest, Mandragora has the potential to become a standout title.

In conclusion, Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree feels like a project born out of great passion, with ambitious goals. Its artistic and sound execution are already excellent, the combat holds a lot of promise, and the story could become a true dark fantasy gem. If you are a fan of action RPGs or Soulslike games, Mandragora is definitely worthy of your attention.