Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree

Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree has minor bugs that go completely unnoticed in the final work. Beautiful graphics, fluid gameplay, and plenty of extra content make Mandragora one of the best soulslike action RPGs out there.

2025 has already been and will undoubtedly be home to countless top-of-the-line releases. Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree has joined that list; a memorable journey for the ages.

Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree delivers, delivering an experience of over 40 hours and enough elements to make most of it fun and rewarding. It's no match for the greats of the genre, that's a given, but it's a few notches below, and that, these days, is saying something. The gloomy and nostalgic feel of its dark fantasy reveals a game with its own essence and identity, even when it resorts to tried-and-tested formulas and established elements.

Whether you are a seasoned souls-like pro or a newcomer to the genre, Mandragora has a lot to offer. An ability to tweak the gameplay to your liking by ramping up/down the challenge gives broad appeal to differing skill levels. With a gorgeously crafted fantasy world full of atmosphere to get engrossed in, deep character progression and a tonne of replayability, this is one certainly not to be missed.

Mandragora is a dark medieval metroidvania RPG with some great ideas and the kind of artisanal quality I've been missing in this genre. It pulls many things off well but doesn't achieve excellence in any of them, and yet I couldn't stop playing it for the 30 hours it took to finish it.

Mandragora is sidescrolling-action combined with Dark Souls with great combat, nice exploring and atmospheric graphics. It's not perfect, but still an indie pearl you should play if you love games like Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown or the classic Castlevania entrances.

There's a lot to love about Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree from its expansive and diverse map to its brutal boss fights that'll thoroughly test your character build. Its combat could definitely benefit from a bit more complexity, though.

Mandragora works as both a soulslike and a metroidvania. A very challenging game ideal for both communities.

Madragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree provides the perfect blend of Souls-like and Metroidvania. An engaging story and satisfying combat will keep you coming back even though there are going to be things that annoy you and force you to step away from time to time. In the end, there is an excellent adventure to be found here and I look forward to more like it from this development team.

Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree doesn’t veer off well-traveled paths, but that doesn’t mean its familiar combination of mechanics isn’t fun. Though it doesn’t necessarily stand out in any one area, Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree is still a substantial, visually impressive and generally engaging experience.

Primal Games delivers a visually stunning dark fantasy metroidvania with solid exploration, meaningful progression and class variety, although repetitive combat, shallow choices and underdeveloped narrative arcs ultimately hold it back.

Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree is an honest soulsvania that respects the genre's conventions and understands what makes the combination of these styles so special, even if it has an uninspired character design. Combat and exploration flow in harmony and are the elements that drive the experience from beginning to end. The story, however, is relegated to a supporting role.

Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree establishes itself as a truly remarkable soulsvania that, without reaching heights of excellence, manages to stand out above many other titles thanks to a solid combination of combat, narrative and visual design.

Mandragora is a grisly feat of world-building. There’s a remarkable sense that the ruined realm of Faelduum, the game’s setting, existed long before your arrival. It feels bracingly alive—molded by the ancient past, wounded and reshaped by recent tragedy, and damned by a cosmic doom set in motion an eternity ago.

Strengthening the genre of games that depart from the metroidvania structure to meet the soulslike style, Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree has more hits than misses. The energy management combat is slow and can be repetitive and somewhat clumsy, but it also has its highlights. The crafting system is bureaucratic and offers few incentives for counting on it, affecting the feeling of reward of finding items. The world is well-built and enjoyable to explore, although its biggest highlight is really the rich 2D visuals, making it one of the most beautiful in the genre and easily recommended to those who enjoy the style.