Fool's Theory's story-driven CRPG The Thaumaturge sees players take on the titular role as a character named Wiktor, who can see, tame, and summon powerful ethereal entities known as Salutors. Supporting this key gameplay mechanic is a sorting system where Salutors, certain gameplay elements, and roleplay possibilities are essentially profiled. These are known in The Thaumaturge as Word, Heart, Deed, and Mind.
Magical abilities in combat or otherwise are no stranger to The Thaumaturge's developer Fool's Theory, the studio behind the upcoming Witcher 1 remake. In a recent interview with Game ZXC, design director Karolina Kuzia-Rokosz spoke more about Wiktor's abilities and how they are impacted by the concept of Word, Heart, Deed, and Mind.
What Are Word, Heart, Deed, And Mind Mechanics In The Thaumaturge?
The Thaumaturge is a turn-based, story-driven RPG where players wield different powers in and outside combat, including the ability to summon powerful Salutors, each with different characterization and abilities. Word, Heart, Deed, and Mind function as categories or "dimensions" that effectively "form the foundation of Thaumaturgy" in the game and also link closely to its Salutors, which are also divided into these four categories. Once players understand these dimensions, they'll understand how each Salutor is tied to them. Kuzia-Rokosz went on to explain what Word, Heart, Deed, and Mind powers mean in practice.
If you uncover a secret belonging to the set of Mind, you can be sure you've found someone’s secretive thoughts, memories, ideas. The same applies to others: everything associated with the Word was once said, screamed, or whispered over the object of your interest. Heart implies that you’ve discovered remnants of someone’s emotions, desires, and love. And finally, when it comes to Deed, you've stumbled upon the remains of an action - pushing, pulling, smashing, a touch, etc.
How The Thaumaturge's Word, Heart, Deed, And Mind Mechanics Impacts Its Gameplay
Often, video games can have some pretty unique magic systems, but what is especially interesting about The Thaumaturge's Heart, Deed, Mind, and Word mechanics is how they impact different kinds of gameplay, not just combat.
Each Salutor belongs to one of these dimensions, influencing how they respond to various situations, whether in combat or exploration. In combat, enemies use these dimensions to gain an upper hand over you. Outside of combat, Thaumaturges leverage these dimensions to better understand and categorize the emotions, thoughts, or desires of people.
As players explore and interact with the world of early 20th Century Warsaw and its various characters, players can use the powers of Word, Deed, Mind, and Heart in their investigations, enabling powers to reveal secrets or otherwise depending on which ones players utilize. The same seems to apply to turn-based combat, with each Salutor offering a different kind of approach per their specific gameplay abilities and associated with one of the aforementioned dimensions.
The Thaumaturge
The Thaumaturge is a story-driven RPG set in 1905 Warsaw, Poland. Players take on the role of Wiktor, who can see entities called Salutors that normal humans cannot. It features isometric gameplay, turn-based combat, morally ambiguous choices, unique character development features, investigation mechanics, and much, much more.
- Platform(s)
- PC
- Released
- March 4, 2024
- Developer(s)
- Fool's Theory
- Publisher(s)
- 11 Bit Studios
- Genre(s)
- Adventure , RPG
