WithBaldur’s Gate 3taking the video game industry by storm this year and going on to win the coveted Game of the Year award at the Game Awards 2023, the floodgates have been opened for more RPGs of its kind to see success. Following on the heels of this renewed interest in the CRPG genre is Fool’s Theory’s upcoming title,The Thaumaturge, which is set to release in February 2024. For longtime fans of the genre or those who’ve recently discovered their love forBaldur’s Gate 3,The Thaumaturgehas all the makings of a similarly rich RPG experience that is worth keeping an eye on.
Set in early 20th-century Warsaw,The Thaumaturgecombines historical elements with the fantasticalas players take on the role of protagonist Wiktor Szulski, who comes from a lineage of Thaumaturges. Within the game’s world, there exist supernatural entities known as Salutors, and only those with the gift of Thaumaturgy can tame these creatures and utilize their otherworldly powers for themselves. This background sets the stage for Wiktor’s journey, while battling his own inner demons and giving players the choice to shape the world and its characters however they see fit.
The Thaumaturge Has a Lot in Common with Baldur’s Gate 3
Story Similarities
There are some clear parallels toLarian Studios’Baldur’s Gate 3within the world and the story ofThe Thaumaturge, despite having completely different settings. AlthoughBaldur’s Gate 3takes place in the high fantasy setting of theDungeons and Dragonsuniverse andThe Thaumaturgeis more historically grounded, they both share themes revolving around controlling an unknown yet powerful force that the protagonists find thrust upon themselves. As such, players who found the story ofBaldur’s Gate 3to be compelling might also be interested in the storyThe Thaumaturgehas to offer.
InBaldur’s Gate 3, players find themselves the unwilling host of amind flayer parasite, which normally would transform them into an illithid monstrosity, but instead allows them to utilize psionic powers. From the sound of it, controlling a Salutor as a Thaumaturge grants the wielder similar powers, only with the Salutor acting as a servant rather than an unwanted parasite. In both cases, these plot elements allowBaldur’s Gate 3andThe Thaumaturgeto tell stories wherein the player gets to choose how they use their newfound power, whether that be for the greater good or their own selfish desires.
Gameplay Similarities
At their cores,Baldur’s Gate 3andThe Thaumaturgeare bothstory-focused RPGs with turn-based combat, giving them a similar gameplay loop. However, what setsThe Thaumaturgeapart fromBaldur’s Gate 3is the mechanic of taming Salutors for use in battle, which allows players to use a combination of human abilities as well as those granted by Salutors for a unique mixture of traditional CRPG and creature collecting combat. ForBaldur’s Gate 3players who enjoyed building their character to their liking, it seems likeThe Thaumaturgewill offer a similar level of character build customization.
Outside of combat,The Thaumaturgealso follows a similar path asBaldur’s Gate 3with its role-playing elements to deliver a deep storytelling experience. The game will feature the ability to investigate, influence, and manipulate other characters to act how the player wishes, providing consequences for each choice the player makes and allowing them to shape the story’s outcome. One of the mosthighly praised aspects ofBaldur’s Gate 3was the interconnectedness of its world and characters, and it seems likeThe Thaumaturgecould be in a great position to replicate this level of complexity in its narrative.
The Thaumaturge
WHERE TO PLAY
The Thaumaturge is an isometric, story-rich RPG with a unique take on turn-based combat, character development features, and investigation mechanics, facing you with morally ambiguous choices – set in a world teeming with mysterious powers and strange ethereal beings called salutors.The year is 1905. Warsaw lives under the yoke of imperial Russian tsardom. Its inhabitants constitute a diverse group of different ancestries, views, and beliefs with often conflicting interests: Russian soldiers, Jewish merchants, Polish townspeople, and more. Despite the circumstances, the city is a buzzing metropolis, where one can attend a breathtaking party with the high society, and later get robbed in one of the dark alleys of the Praga district. A city of great hopes and dreams on one hand and dark desires on the other.A thaumaturge bears both a gift and a burden at the same time. This parallel holds true for Wiktor Szulski, the game’s titular protagonist, who is drawn back to the tumultuous streets of 20th-century Warsaw by family matters. The gift of thaumaturgy is intertwined with family legacy, passed down through one’s ancestors. This mystical inheritance significantly shapes Wiktor’s life journey tied around a pursuit of unearthly entities and their hosts. As only a thaumaturge can tame these ethereal entities - known to a select few as salutors - utilizing their mystical abilities to discover secrets hidden within the human soul and speak to the Darkness, no one understands quite like Wiktor how everyone suffers their own demons.
