Developer Fool’s Theory is nearing the February 20th launch of its isometric RPG The Thaumaturge, which will first release on PC and later this year on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. Published by 11 Bit Studios, this supernatural tale is set in 1905 Warsaw, Poland, where you play as the titular thaumaturge named Wiktor Szulski as he goes toe-to-toe with the Russian Okhrana – a secret police force. Players will use Wiktor’s supernatural abilities to influence citizens, fight enemies, and explore Warsaw, while also engaging in choice-based dialogue.
One of the selling points that stuck out to me the most is the development team’s approach to quest design, with Rufus Kubica, Product Management Lead at 11 Bit Studios stating:
“By bypassing traditional elements that could weigh down the experience—an overloaded inventory or excess of inconsequential loot—we've crafted a meaningful, personal narrative-driven adventure with various features such as Wiktor's thaumaturgical perception, character manipulations, and our spin on a Combat system - to name a few. The Thaumaturge is a story of Wiktor’s struggles and heritage. That was the focus and that's why we and the devs at Fool's Theory decided to reshape the usual RPG quest design slightly. In many RPGs, you can tell the qualitative difference between the main storyline and side quests or fetch quests. Our goal was to ensure that the side content seamlessly integrates with the main narrative, offering players an immersive experience within the myriad of smaller stories, allowing them to get lost in the rich tapestry of 1905 Warsaw.”
You can check out a new quest trailer below. I've had my eye on The Thaumaturge for a while, though I am holding out for the console release coming later in the year.
