Every developer and publisher of significant scope needs to have a Soulslike in its portfolio these days. It’s easy to understand why. Not only are these games incredibly popular, but the format does allow for an uncompromising creative vision, rich and evocative fantasy, and a chance to indulge the darker side of adventure.
Team17 has one on the way. No, it’s not Worms Souls. That would be hilarious and I would love it, but that’s not what Thymesia is. Thymesia looks very Victorian England-like horror – you know, Jekyll & Hyde, Jack the Ripper, and a significant chunk of Bloodborne (before the cosmic horror stuff sets in). That might not be the most original concept, but there is a lot to like about what the game offers, with the biggest feature – the ability to seize diseases from enemies and wield them as weapons – a genuinely unique touch.
Disease, pestilence, and the horrors that came with that are very fitting to this setting, and it’ll be interesting to see if the Taiwanese development team in OverBorder are able to deliver on the promise. We won’t need to wait that long for it, either. The game will release on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC on August 9.
And for those desperate to give it a whirl right now, there is a demo available right now, until May 9. The press release doesn’t make it clear whether you’ve got until May 9 to download the demo or the demo is timed to May 9, but assume the latter and make sure that you’ve got some time this weekend free so you can sit down for a good session if this game is of interest.
Naturally, I’m sure the developers would have taken one look at Elden Ring and wished they had released their game before it, but then again it’s hard to imagine that people have tired of this genre just yet. If Thymesia can find itself a niche, then fans of this genre’s various B-tier titles tend to be very passionate about it, and this game may well achieve similar prominence.
