The Thaumaturge is the Official Name of Fool's Theory's New Isometric RPG
Feb. 27, 2023The Thaumaturge, previouslyProject Vitriol, is the newest isometric RPG from the developers working on The Witcher 1 Remake. It leans on the darker, more esoteric side of humanity.
At the start of the 20th century, Warsaw, Poland was a melting pot of various cultures. Being situated in literally the center of Europe made it so that people from all walks of life have started gathering here, going about their business and trade.
However, with the influx of people, comes both good and bad. Both crime and luxury are mixed up here in equal measure. This is the setting of Fool’s Theory’s newest game, The Thaumaturge.
Under all of the glamorous parties and dark underbellies of Warsaw lie something even more sinister than a simple pickpocket or cutthroat. You see, the land is infested with supernatural creatures known only as Salutors. These demonic entities live amongst us, though are invisible to the eye. They influence humans and events behind the scenes, ever-present yet unseen.
Thaumaturges are specially trained humans that can sniff out the Salutors and bring them into our reality. The strongest Thaumaturges can even take command of the Salutors, binding them to their wills. Thus, these demonic entities can be used for our own ends in combat and possibly to affect the world and story in some way.
The word “Thaumaturge” literally translates to someone who performs magical or miraculous feats, often on the supernatural side of things. So it makes sense that they tap into the occult and esoteric side of early Poland.
As an isometricturn-based RPG, we can expect The Thaumaturge to have the usual features we’ve come to love about the genre. Developer Fool’s Theory has confirmed that they intend to build The Thaumaturge’s story to be branching, deep, and mature.
Just as expected, the player’s choices will be paramount in how the overall narrative plays out. The company’s CEO Jakub Rokos previously stated that The Thaumaturge will be a “morally ambiguous narrative-driven RPG” and that it leans on the “dark part of the world that most of us don’t see“.
Players will also be able to manipulate and influence the minds of lesser mortals, possibly even putting them under your complete control. Since you’ve bound the magical Salutors to your will as well, you can use their powerful psychic abilities in exploring the world.
Yesterday’s teaser trailer was only a CGI video that showed off the world’s tone and atmosphere. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see any gameplay at all. However, the newly available steam page gave us two very important screenshots: one of the game’s combat, and the other a look at a Salutor management screen.
First, onto the combat screen. We see that the top section holds the number of rounds as well as some horizontal bars. It seems that these bars may correspond to the duration of some status effects, as there are a couple that overlaps in the second round. We also see a super stylish action selection that looks like a few cards that indicate different moves, such as the highlighted “Liberum Veto”.
More importantly, we see that both of the human combatants in this scene have otherworldly companions, such as the ghost and the hulking “Bukavac” in the background.
The next screenshot shows a “Progress” menu as well as a couple of portraits which we can only assume are the unlocked Salutors. Our friendly neighborhood Bukavac makes its appearance yet again, this time with a full list of skills and other properties such as Health and Focus.
Developer Fool’s Theory is no stranger to RPGs. In the past, they also worked on a stealth-based RPG, Seven: The Days Long Gone. Some of the staff have even worked on some AAA titles, such asThe Witcher 3,Baldur’s Gate 3, and evenOutriders. At the moment, the developers are also working on TheWitcher I Remake. Just like the remake, The Thaumaturge is being built upon Unreal Engine 5.
For more news, check outBaldur’s Gate 3 Xbox Version Faces “Technical Issues”andWayfinder Finds Its Way to a PC Beta Test on February 28.
Auberon
Writer at Fextralife. I really like vanilla ice cream.
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