After what seems like a considerable amount of delays, the upcoming action-RPG Thymesia, maiden title from developer OverBorder Studio, is set to release on August 18. Set in a world full of plague and disease, players take on the role of Corvus, who is attempting to unravel his own memories by fighting his way through the twisted kingdom of Hermes.
The Soulslike genre has become relatively overcrowded due to the sheer volume of games that have looked to capitalize on the success of the Dark Souls series. Many of them try, yet fail to capture the magic of what makes the Souls series so special. Whether Thymesia is able to carve out its own identity and succeed among fierce competition is not yet known, but it could certainly give itself a fighting chance by adopting a similar level of build variety to Bloodborne.
What Thymesia Could Learn From Bloodborne
Pound-for-pound, Bloodborne is every bit as good as the Dark Souls series, with many considering it to be among best games FromSoft has ever created - if not one of the best games ever made. It blends aggressive, fast combat with solid world design in a way that is not easy to replicate. Even without all of those elements, the sheer depth of its build variety makes it a unique experience for each player. This build depth has kept Bloodborne near the top of the list of games with the most replayability, and Thymesia should take note.
Having such varied build depth provides several benefits, namely allowing gamers to approach combat encounters in a multitude of different ways. If they get stuck, they can rethink their strategy and completely change their play style if need be. Players who use the short-ranged, heavy hitting Saw Cleaver weapon at the start of their game may hit a wall facing the agile, fast-moving Father Gascoigne. In this case they can swap to the Threaded Cane, a much more reactive and far-reaching weapon, to overcome him.
Bloodborne's Incredible Blueprint on Builds
This variety means that players will have different experiences from one another. The Dark Souls series laid the foundation by offering players a choice between close-quarters melee combat and ranged weapons or magic. It wasn't long before fans found ways to mix and match the two together, and this creativity has been a staple of FromSoftware's games ever since.
Bloodborne's combat is universally praised due to the variety it offers, catering to all preferences. For players who simply want to hit things with a sword, the standard melee/strength build offers a straightforward way to experience the adventure. However, the variety of weapon and stat combinations on offer has seen some incredibly unique builds. Players are still learning about Bloodborne's Quality Builds, and more obscure stats such as Bloodtinge and Arcane, several years after the game's release.
How much variety Thymesia will offer is unclear at this point, and gamers don't know exactly how Corvus will compare to a hunter from Bloodborne. Corvus leads with a katana, but is able to wield a variety of "plague weapons" in order to compliment his attacking arsenal. Gameplay footage has also shown Corvus sprouting feather-like blades from his hands and launching them at enemies, as well as conjuring some hefty-looking axes and hammers out of thin air.
While there seems to be a variety of plague weapons, players only being able to wield the katana as their main tool seems restrictive. Thymesia has certainly piqued the interest of Soulslike fans thanks to its eerie setting and premise, but OverBorder Studios revealed changes were being made after a demo that resulted in some negative criticism of the combat. Players will have to wait a little longer to see if they were successful, and how much variety the game offers.
Thymesia releases on August 18 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
