Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree is a 2.5D action RPG set in the shadowed realm of Faelduum, where humanity has surrendered hope to lurking monsters and joy is a distant memory. It’s a challenging adventure that seamlessly combines punishing Souls-like combat with expansive, non-linear exploration. It’s a barrage of challenging battles embroidered with extensive character customization. The game features six distinct classes, each featuring detailed talent trees and overactive skill upgrades.
Featuring a narrative crafted by Brian Mitsoda of Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines fame and elevated by a haunting soundtrack composed by Christos Antoniou and performed by the FILMharmonic Orchestra of Prague, the game invites you to journey through a world slowly succumbing to the ravages of Entropy. The game was released on April 17, 2025, for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.
Up for a Challenge?
From its inception, Mandragora of the Witch Tree isn’t your run‐of‐the‐mill hack-and-slash adventure. It delves deep into the heart of strategic combat in the treacherous realm of Faelduum. Unlike conventional brawlers that reward mindless button-mashing, every encounter here is a deliberate puzzle.
The game makes it clear immediately: “No Hacking And Slashing Here!” You must study enemy movements, manage your stamina meticulously, and choose your moments with the precision of a seasoned duelist. This emphasis on tactical engagements means that every swing, spell, and dodge carries weight—it’s not just about dealing damage, but about being patient and waiting for the perfect opening.
Overall, even though it has a steep learning curve, the challenges it presents feel fair. It may not be as nuanced or fast-paced as titles like Katano: Zero or Shovel Knight, but it is more responsive and polished than most hack-and-slash titles of today. In terms of challenge, I would probably put it closer to something like ‘Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown’.
Patience, Precision, and Resourcefulness
The game puts a strong emphasis on observation and smart resource management. The players not only have to be strategic, but they also have to respect the natural cadence of combat. With heavy weapons that require significant stamina commitment, it becomes essential to understand when to press the attack and when a retreat might be more prudent. This isn’t simply a trial of your combat reflexes; it’s a mental game. Learning each enemy’s pattern and timing your abilities transforms every skirmish into a carefully choreographed dance of offense and defense.
This also extends to the game’s layered combat strategies that force players to mix and match their approaches. Whether you’re blocking with a trusty shield, dodging enemy attacks with agile precision, or choosing to run to conserve your consumables, every move is critical. This layered approach to defense not only enhances the immediate thrill of combat but also teaches you the subtleties of risk management.
But combat isn’t the only arena demanding your attention. The game teases out the importance of consumables. A full backpack brimming with food and potions becomes your lifeline in a world where every mistake can be fatal. Here, your inventory isn’t just a store of assumed extras—it’s an extension of your survival strategy. Each snack and potion can mean the difference between victory and a disastrous demise, encouraging players to prepare thoroughly before even venturing into dangerous territories.
NPC Interaction and Camp Upgrades
The journey in Faelduum isn’t merely fought on the battlefield. When you return to your camp—a decidedly dynamic hub integrated into the narrative—you’re met with the opportunity to upgrade your situation. NPCs aren’t just side characters; they’re essential to your survival. Through them, you can secure better maps, enhanced armor, potent enchantments, and even schematics for more formidable defenses.
This investment in your camp isn’t merely about cosmetic or minor upgrades; it’s a core component of your progress. It adds an extra layer of strategy, as you must judiciously decide what resources to invest in crafting gear that will help you survive those relentless monster-infested zones.
Essence, Unlockables, and Specialization
In a typical soulslike fashion, the game introduces a similar leveling system with its “Essence” mechanic. Essentially, ‘Essence’ is your ‘souls’—a resource that fuels a character’s growth. It gets lost when you die in combat and later needs to be retrieved from the same location. Every bit of Essence must be quickly put to use, a design decision that forces you to grow in real time while maintaining a delicate balance between risk and reward. Missing out on Essence is not just a temporary setback—it can have long-lasting consequences on your character’s efficiency in battle.
Just like any typical soulslike, you need to ‘git gud’ and commit your attribute to a certain build, be it strength, dexterity, or magic. Rather than splitting your attention across multiple skill trees, specializing in one approach—be it with a particular weapon or magic style—not only streamlines your gameplay but also enables you to master the intricacies of combat. For those who prefer a taste of versatility, the game does allow hybrid styles, but smartly suggests that a closely aligned combination of two adjacent skill trees is the way to get the best of both worlds.
Missing Depth and Data Privacy Issues
Exploration in Faelduum also comes with its strategic checkpoints. When you encounter locked doors, impassable pits, or mysteriously sealed walls, the game isn’t halting your progress—it’s inviting you to adapt and return later with new abilities like Double Jump or Glide. These unlockable traversal mechanics encourage a nonlinear exploration style, where revisiting earlier areas becomes crucial to your progression.
As for the levels, while the game is technically a 2.5D, its levels and visuals largely feel 2D. It also does not do anything out of the box like the interconnected levels of Dark Souls and Bloodborne. In comparison, if you look at titles like “Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown”, its visuals are far more nuanced, and its camera perspective greatly highlights the depths of its levels that expand beyond a typical 2D experience. This can also be seen in titles like Little Nightmares that employ a similar camera perspective to create immersion and establish their atmosphere.
Besides this, the game was accused of selling user data to many organizations based on their EULA. As of 21st April 2025, he game has updated its terms, and that’s no longer the case. The telemetry features of the game have been disabled as well, so if you are thinking of picking it up but have concerns because of such issues, you can breathe easy or reach out to the devs on Steam.
Real Talk
Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree isn’t just another entry in the action RPG genre—it’s a living, breathing world that challenges you to be smarter, faster, and more resourceful with everything at your disposal. It’s highly polished with responsive controls that make every encounter challenging yet fair.
Final Score: 80/100