- Publisher: Dear Villagers , Sunny Syrup Studio
- Release Date: Nov 22, 2024
- Also On: PlayStation 5, Switch
- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
-
Nov 25, 2024Sunny Syrup Studio’s inaugural outing is ambitious, drawing inspiration from a catalog of retro classics. Occasionally, the run-and-gun or melee-based action isn’t balanced, and your summons can mindlessly punch at the air. But the sheer quantity of different mechanics makes up for the intermittent lapse in quality.
-
Dec 4, 2024Spirit Mancer offers a nice variety of cards to build your deck with, both beforehand and on the fly. And the hub has enough to keep you busy for a short while before you jump into the next mission. And though combat does become repetitive not too long into the game’s runtime, Spirit Mancer’s beautiful presentation, co-op mode, and unique take on deckbuilding combat makes it a fun romp within the genre.
-
Nov 25, 2024Spirit Mancer has lots of great ideas and some seriously awesome boss fights, but dull combat against regular enemies really drags it down.
-
Nov 21, 2024I liked Spirit Mancer well enough as an arcadey 2D hack and slasher with a fun monster summoning twist, and you might too. The addition of a monster collection element is a pretty fantastic inclusion, and the simplicity of sealing a weakened monster into my deck and then pulling them out at the opportune moment always felt satisfying. Unfortunately, the boss fights are mostly a bit of a letdown, feeling surprisingly slow-paced and often frustrating, and while the narrative doesn’t take itself too seriously, it doesn’t quite end with the impact that it should. That said, if you just want a fun 2D hack-and-slash game with a unique twist that you can play with a friend, you can do far worse than Spirit Mancer.