Thymesia

77%
Game Brain Score Based on 2,861 reviews
  • gameplay
  • story
  • graphics
Thymesia Game Cover
A fast-paced soulsborne game for those who enjoyed Bloodborne and wished there was more.
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"Thymesia" is a single-player fantasy hack and slash game with a good plot, stellar mechanics, and impressive graphics. As Corvus, players must restore the fallen Kingdom of Hermes by harnessing the power of the plague and battling infected monsters to uncover lost memories. However, be prepared for lots of grinding, bugs, and uncovering more secrets along the way. The game promises intense combat with gruesome bosses and various plague weapons to collect.

  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Epic Games
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

77%
Audience ScoreBased on 2,861 reviews
gameplay325 positive mentions
grinding74 negative mentions
  • Fast-paced and fluid combat mechanics that encourage aggressive playstyles.
  • Unique plague weapon system adds variety and depth to combat.
  • Challenging and engaging boss fights that require learning enemy patterns.
  • Short game length with limited enemy variety and repetitive level design.
  • Inconsistent parry timing and hitboxes can lead to frustrating combat experiences.
  • Lack of voice acting and minimal storytelling detracts from immersion.
  • gameplay882 mentions

    The gameplay of Thymesia is characterized by its fast-paced, fluid combat mechanics that draw heavily from the Souls-like genre, particularly inspired by titles like Sekiro and Bloodborne. Players engage in a unique wounding system that requires them to inflict temporary damage before dealing permanent damage, promoting aggressive playstyles. While the combat mechanics are generally praised for their responsiveness and depth, some players note issues with enemy variety, repetitive gameplay, and inconsistencies in the parry and dodge mechanics, which can detract from the overall experience.

    • “The gameplay is fun and feels great, the world and characters are a spectacle and the atmosphere, story, and musical backdrop all do it great justice.”
    • “Thymesia is a good souls-like indie game that manages to achieve what many in this genre fail to do; good bosses that meet that really difficult balance of being hard without feeling stupid unfair, and offering a fast, fluid, fun combat with some mechanics that makes it feel unique and innovative in a genre where most games seem eager to deliver a poorly made copy of From Software's winning formula.”
    • “The combat mechanics are excellent, you can play it like Sekiro and just parry your way through the game, or weave your blade and claw together in a more traditional way.”
    • “The gameplay is incredibly boring, the enemy variety is awful, with the vast majority of bosses and regular enemies being humanoids with basic weapons.”
    • “The gameplay devolved into spamming dodge and parry, and once I figured out I could just max both the long dodge invulnerability frames and long time to parry, I could not get hit.”
    • “Unfortunately, Thymesia's core mechanics and gameplay hamstring this rather quickly, giving the feel of an unpolished product.”
  • story636 mentions

    The story in "Thymesia" has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it shallow and poorly conveyed, primarily delivered through scattered notes rather than engaging narrative elements like voice acting or cutscenes. While some appreciate the intriguing premise involving a plague and memory, they feel it lacks depth and character development, often leading to confusion and disinterest. Overall, the game's focus on combat and gameplay mechanics overshadows its narrative shortcomings, making it less appealing for those seeking a rich story experience.

    • “The story is truly what kept me in the game, and if not for it, I would most likely have quit.”
    • “The gameplay is fun and feels great; the world and characters are a spectacle, and the atmosphere, story, and musical backdrop all do it great justice.”
    • “The story was intriguing, unfolding in a captivating world, but I felt that it could have delved deeper into its narrative.”
    • “Thymesia's story is lackluster, being a surface-level 'there's a plague that turns people into monsters, you also have amnesia' type plotline with no voice acting or likable characters at all.”
    • “The main storytelling comes from notes left scattered about the levels of the game which unless you are truly interested in the world and story this game sets out to tell, which would be surprising given how vapid it is to begin with, no one is going to bother to read.”
    • “The story is completely forgettable too.”
  • graphics279 mentions

    The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the art style and atmospheric visuals reminiscent of titles like Bloodborne and Sekiro. While some players find the graphics beautiful and fitting for the game's dark aesthetic, others criticize them as mediocre or lacking detail, noting issues like repetitive environments and dated textures. Overall, the visuals are generally considered good for an indie title, but they may not meet the expectations set by higher-budget games in the genre.

    • “Awesome visuals, and a huge fan of the art style.”
    • “The graphics are more than good, even looking stunning at times, and the soundtrack is incredible.”
    • “The graphics in this game are pretty damn nice.”
    • “What brings it down is the visuals, they're only okay and I found myself getting lost in the 1st and 3rd level because everything looked very samey.”
    • “The graphics are also weird; there are parts of the game where it looks great and parts where it looks like a mid-2000s Rockstar game.”
    • “The visuals are uninspired medieval fantasy rendered in muddy textures on generic character designs; everything is flat and grey, and knights and villages. I really hoped we had left this kind of world back on the 360.”
  • music156 mentions

    The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many praising its atmospheric qualities and standout tracks, particularly during boss fights, which are described as energetic and unique. However, some players find the overall soundtrack to be generic or forgettable, with criticisms about its repetitiveness and lack of variety. Overall, while the music enhances the game's ambiance and complements the visuals, opinions vary on its memorability and impact.

    • “The ambient music is dark, gloomy, and atmospheric while the boss music is very energetic and unique.”
    • “The gameplay is fun and feels great, the world and characters are a spectacle and the atmosphere, story, and musical backdrop all do it great justice.”
    • “The music is surprisingly good -- maybe even great.”
    • “Now for the bad: the sound in general is bland, and the OST sounds generic and forgettable.”
    • “My issues are in the music and combat; the music sounds like it was made in Bandcamp - it is super generic and really doesn't fit the aesthetic of the game.”
    • “The music is totally forgettable.”
  • atmosphere123 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its dark, immersive quality, with many reviewers noting its strong visual design and effective use of ambient music that enhances the overall experience. While some players appreciate the unique settings and aesthetic appeal, others criticize the repetitiveness of environments and the lack of depth in storytelling, suggesting that the atmosphere could benefit from more variety and polish. Overall, the game successfully captures a captivating mood reminiscent of titles like Bloodborne and Sekiro, making it a notable entry in the genre despite some shortcomings.

    • “This game has fantastic atmosphere and fluid gameplay, and although there is not much of a story and the game is rather short, it is worth every minute.”
    • “The ambient music is dark, gloomy, and atmospheric while the boss music is very energetic and unique.”
    • “Thymesia is one of the best indie games of 2022; if you crave a good challenge with a nice atmosphere and enjoy games like Dark Souls, Bloodborne, or Sekiro, definitely give this one a shot.”
    • “The atmosphere is rather bland and lacks a certain impact, and the maps feel rather repetitive, getting lost in them is completely normal as they all look way too similar.”
    • “Overall it lacked the heft in the game atmosphere and story that would have made it a superior title or at least have the player feel invested in the fate of the kingdom of Hermes; hence a sedate recommendation.”
    • “Honestly, pretty disappointed with Thymesia.. it's trying to be a poor copy of Bloodborne.. with none of the atmosphere or story.”
  • grinding79 mentions

    The grinding aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it tedious and repetitive, particularly when it comes to farming for achievements and leveling up. Common complaints include the need to repeatedly defeat bosses and enemies, often requiring players to traverse the same levels multiple times, which can detract from the overall enjoyment. While some players appreciate the challenge and find satisfaction in grinding, others feel it becomes a frustrating and unnecessary chore that overshadows the game's strengths.

    • “Two of the seven are gimmick, but they look cool and are not tedious or unfun.”
    • “My only major complaint is that some of the completionist stuff is extremely tedious, such as getting all of the endings where you have to beat the final boss a minimum of 5 times to use all of the combinations of cores for Hermes' answer, breaking 1000 barrels (for an achievement), and getting to max level (also for an achievement).”
    • “It becomes tedious very quickly fighting the same enemy over and over who takes 3 hits to kill and then move on.”
    • “The need to repeat all enemies in an area after a defeat really creates too many tedious fights.”
  • optimization52 mentions

    The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players experiencing significant stuttering and performance issues, particularly during combat, while others report smooth gameplay with stable frame rates. Many users noted that performance can vary widely based on hardware, with some high-end systems running the game flawlessly, while others faced frequent lag and input delays. Overall, there is a consensus that the game requires further optimization to enhance the experience for a broader range of players.

    • “Game has zero performance issues; I never saw framerates drop below what I had it set to (60 fps). The game is very well optimized.”
    • “Performance is flawless; not once has the game crashed or even lagged, and the combat has the most satisfying learning curve out there.”
    • “Graphically, it runs smoothly and looks okay even on my grandfather's laptop, so kudos to the devs for making the game hardware-friendly.”
    • “The game is very poorly optimized.”
    • “Performance suffers from frequent stutters for no discernible reason, GPU usage is excessively high, and there's severe input lag.”
    • “If it gets patched and better optimization, I'll update my review because it could be cool, but until then steer clear unless you're a fan of migraines.”
  • stability30 mentions

    Overall, the stability of the game has received mixed reviews. While some players report minimal technical issues and smooth performance, others experience significant bugs, glitches, and frustrating gameplay mechanics that detract from the experience. The consensus suggests that while the game shows potential, it suffers from a lack of polish and quality control, leading to a janky and sometimes unplayable experience for certain users.

    • “Performance-wise, the game runs great. Using a medium-range PC, it ran on ultra settings at a stable 100 fps without any crashes or stuttering issues.”
    • “Runs great on my 3070, smoothly hovering around 120 fps on ultra (fans kick up a bit, but that's what they're there for).”
    • “I found no major bugs during my time with it; it's just a bit lazy.”
    • “This game had a lot of potential, and I really enjoy the theme, but the gameplay is beyond buggy and ruined my interest in attempting to finish the game.”
    • “I do not recommend this game if you don't have the patience to deal with buggy and unpolished game design.”
    • “Buggy like an early access game several months after release.”
  • replayability27 mentions

    Overall, the game's replayability is a mixed bag; while many players appreciate the ability to revisit bosses and explore multiple endings, others note that the short length and limited content reduce long-term engagement. The presence of skill trees and build diversity adds some replay value, but frustrations with certain gameplay elements may deter players from multiple playthroughs. Ultimately, it offers a fun experience for those seeking quick, action-packed gameplay, but may not satisfy those looking for extensive replayability.

    • “The price is unmatched and the experience is short and sweet and very replayable.”
    • “Multiple endings make this game replayable as hell.”
    • “The game boasts a fair amount of replayability thanks to its skill trees and multiple endings.”
    • “The game is very short though and there's not much replay value, but this is a very small indie studio and this is their first game. I'm excited to see what they come up with next.”
    • “Until we get DLCs adding more content, there is just not much replayability to these levels.”
    • “Great for a single playthrough and worth the price, but not a whole lot of replayability built into it as it stands.”
  • character development13 mentions

    Character development in the game has received mixed reviews, with some praising the strong character designs and art direction, while others criticize the lack of engaging story and character depth. The main character's design is polarizing, and although the visuals are generally well-received, the absence of voice acting and immersive storytelling detracts from the overall experience. Additionally, enemy variety is noted as lacking, which can lead to predictable encounters despite the appealing boss designs.

    • “Overall fluent gameplay, top-notch action, cool world and character designs for a very short game like this.”
    • “The character design of this game is really strong, but the lack of voices is quite an immersion-breaking hurdle.”
    • “[Great combat and skill system, great music especially during boss fights, plays very smoothly with no input delays present, amazing character designs.]”
    • “The main character is a twink and a bird, so if you don't like projecting onto that character design, that's another detraction.”
    • “The visuals are uninspired medieval fantasy rendered in muddy textures on generic character designs; everything is flat and grey with knights and villages. I really hoped we had left this kind of world back on the 360.”
    • “- No voiceover; the character design of this game is really strong, but the lack of voices is quite an immersion-breaking hurdle. Also, most of the boss dialogue is written as subtitles while you fight them, and to be honest, it's hard to find the time to read what they are saying during the battle.”
  • humor9 mentions

    The humor in the game is characterized by its absurd and unexpected moments, such as the comical struggles with the tutorial boss and the amusing glitches in combat. Players find the lack of voice acting and the AI's reactions to invulnerability to be particularly funny, adding a lighthearted touch to the overall experience despite some gameplay shortcomings. Overall, the humor enhances the enjoyment of the game, making it a memorable experience.

    • “The tutorial end boss just made me laugh because after struggling through the tutorial for almost an hour, watching the main character get his butt handed to him just made me lose it, which was needed because the combat system sucks.”
    • “The combat system is fast, funny, and customizable; I loved it.”
    • “There's no voice acting, which is pretty funny actually.”
  • monetization7 mentions

    The monetization aspect of the game has been criticized for feeling like a cash grab, with some players noting a lack of originality and balance compared to established titles in the "souls-like" genre. While there are no overt monetization tactics mentioned, the repetitive gameplay and lack of promotion suggest a rushed development aimed at quick profits rather than delivering a quality experience.

    • “Everything feels like this was a quickly made cash grab. I never even heard of this game at all, anywhere, period, until about over a month ago, and I have a long list of souls fans who keep me appraised of any new souls/sekiro/bloodborne game coming out.”
    • “I'm sure there are reasons as to why it happened, because nothing in this game screams to me that this is a cash grab.”
    • “This game adds nothing to the soulslike genre.”
  • emotional5 mentions

    The game is praised for its emotionally resonant story, with players reporting moments of genuine connection and even tears during their experience. While some minor frustrations were noted, the overall emotional journey, particularly the satisfaction of overcoming challenges, contributed to a fulfilling gameplay experience.

    • “A touching story about a man finding himself... literally.”
    • “I cried a few times, but it was a great experience.”
    • “Fighting the first boss felt amazing and refreshing; it really made me feel good inside when I finally beat the first boss.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

70% average critic score

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Play time

10hMedian play time
9hAverage play time
5-12hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 35 analyzed playthroughs

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