Mandragora Steam Charts & Stats

It's a fun game. It has that good old, slightly dark RPG vibe to it with the art, which is a nice nostalgic feeling for me. The talents are not too flashy, the simple points you put in them aside from the main nodes are just more stats, so not really interesting, but there are some pretty nice synergies with the main nodes, that can give sour spells and skills additional effect, witch can get pretty wild after some time (going from channeling a skill into an enemy for 2 seconds to kill it, to channeling it for half that time, and blowing up nearly everything on the screen with a chain-reaction from the combining effect of some talent nodes). The combat is quite simple and basic. You have your basic melee and2 spells/skills, (plus your alternate weapons+spells/skills loadout, which you can swap between), but on higher difficulty settings, you need to feel out the timings, distances, stamina usage, so there's some nuance to it. The story is...okay, nothing really special. I think it's mostly just to give some context to why you are fighting stuff and all. The main points are building and playing with all kinds of talent combinations and the gear that works best with it, and the visuals and overall "feeling" the game gives you are running around, exploring the new areas and killing stuff. The voice acting is also good. It has good potential for replayability, since you can combine the different talent trees, and replay the game with a different fighting style. There were some issues and mess-ups after the launch (which is the main reason for most of the negative reviews), but they have fixed tons of stuff since then, and changed many other things according to the community feedback. The game feels even better to play since then. (They have even added a little bit of extra content as well). My biggest problem was that I died more to traps and falling than to all the bosses and enemies combined, but this has also been mitigated in one of the patches since the release (fall damage reductions, and respawning before some of the traps, for example). Some things you may find frustrating sometimes, but overall, it was very much a fun game to play.

[b]Alright, I finally finished the whole game! What can I say:[/b] 1. I really loved it! Haven’t had this much fun with a metroidvania in a while. For me, it’s right up there with Hollow Knight and Blasphemous. 2. really don’t get the complaints about the game’s difficulty. Personally, it wasn’t easy for me at all. Sure, maybe I’m not a hardcore gamer anymore — I’m an adult with a job — but I did beat Hollow Knight, Blasphemous, and Celeste. And here, the difficulty felt just right. I spent about 5 days just trying to beat that first necromancer (the spider boss) — it was pure hell. Surprisingly, the other bosses weren’t nearly as bad. The final battle took me about three days. Not super hard, but very tense — lots to keep track of. 3. My wife and I were absolutely blown away by how everything is drawn! Everything is hand-crafted, the sea moves, flags wave, there’s not a single copy-paste — every tower, every staircase is slightly different and uniquely detailed! Pure bliss, you can see how much love and effort the devs poured into it. 4.The map is huge! We were constantly amazed at how new things kept opening up — and it just never stopped! Each area looks very distinct and has its own gimmicks. [b]There were a few confusing things though:[/b] 1. The main one — I finished the whole game, the entire map is uncovered, all areas marked 100%, I checked every door — they’re all open. But I didn’t get the achievement for full map completion. What’s worse — it says I discovered only 99 out of 106 enemies in the bestiary! How did I miss seven types of enemies after fully clearing the game and the map? 2. Also, I didn’t get what the “Faelduun Map” was about — I found it, gave it to the merchant, but it did nothing. He said he marked something, but I didn’t see any changes. Maybe I’m just dumb. 3. The upgrade system for merchants wasn’t very balanced either. I managed to max out all of them except Ulfar — got him to level 17, I think. The system’s dumb — you have to buy a ton of useless junk to level them up. And without that junk, you can’t unlock the next upgrade tier with the useful stuff. Didn’t like that. 4. They also overloaded the gear system — too many stats, and every piece of gear barely connects with what you’re currently using. It’s hard to tell if you need something or not. 5. Food was totally pointless. Restoring 1 HP per second for 2 minutes? How is that useful? The devs clearly tried to make it complex and nuanced but went too far. The cook was a total fail — I never used any of his “masterpieces.” 6. And stamina… man, that system’s just broken. Even at level 90, wearing all the best stamina-boosting gear and using stamina runes, I still couldn’t take down some enemies on a full bar. Like, what? I get it if you’re fighting a mob, but a single alchemist (whatever their actual name was)? I start swinging, my screen goes GREEN from exhaustion, and I can’t even dodge away. Again — I had ALL the best stamina stuff, and still couldn’t “breathe through” some enemies. It runs out way too fast — that was super annoying. 7. Also, those giant axes spinning back and forth that instantly kill you — they should go. That’s “difficulty for difficulty’s sake,” and I think it’s overkill. But that’s subjective, of course. Everything else — pure joy! The music, the story, not too much dialogue, amazing visuals, great atmosphere. In some areas, it was genuinely scary to move forward.

There are some questionable design choices, but overall, it's a solid game.

Why the hell do I need to pay another 49 euros to upgrade to the deluxe edition when I already paid 39 euros for the standard edition? I just want to upgrade, not buy the whole game again just for one quest. Who came up with this upgrade concept? Every other game I’ve upgraded on Steam never charged me the full price again if I already owned it.

Initially gave this a not recommended, but I just had to cool down a bit. This game does a lot of things really well, and the team is clearly passionate for it. The game is beautiful, has a ton of enemies and different biomes, a decent story, and long playtime. But things like instant-death pits and blind jumps really harm the experience. Just know that this is a punishing 2D action RPG first, and a metroidvania second. You can get away with clunky movement in an action RPG, but these controls won't fly in a metroidvania.

[h2]Context[/h2] I started and completed my first playthrough during 1.0. I thought overall the game was pretty good. Didn't have any major bugs or issues completing the game, and I enjoyed the experience enough to start a second playthrough and 100% the achievements. I had to wait until 1.5 to be able to do that part though, and I don't recommend it to be honest haha. [h2]The Good[/h2] My first playthrough was about 45 hours. I scoured the map for secrets and looked into every corner. Exploration I would say is pretty satisfying as well as the boss encounters. The most deadly thing in this game is falling though. The enemy and creature designs were wonderful. I think only held back by some repeated encounters with certain boss and sub-boss reskins, but nonetheless engaging. The combat was predominantly solid and probably the best part of the game. I think the dodge roll could be fine tuned a bit more though. You assemble a host of NPCs at your base camp. There are some interesting side stories that spawn out of that and helped breathe a little more depth to the world. I would have liked to have seen more development with these cast of characters but for what was offered it was serviceable. I liked the crafting system and looking for crafting diagrams. Collecting materials felt okay. Just okay. You have to be really deliberate about collecting them as you move along and it kind of slows down the game at times. These materials will respawn at their locations over a certain amount of time. They gave some follower pets for free after 1.5 and while they're purely cosmetic it was a nice little add. Speaking of cosmetics the transmog system was nice. There's a certain level of fashion you can get into with this game to make your character look as cool as possible at all times. [h2]The Bad[/h2] I think the overall story is a little weak. The character you play is a little too bumbling in my opinion. There are moments where you can interact with NPCs and have dialogue choices but from what I could tell from two playthroughs there's not a great impact on the course of the story. There are some hideous character designs as well. Right as you jump into the character customization. It doesn't look like they took any time at all to adjust the body model or animations for the female character, and there is only one choice for each sex's voice options. So if that stuff bothers you just stick with a male character. There's a lot of platforming as well that felt clunky. It hampered exploration sometimes but not tremendously in my experience. I think for the most part it was getting used to fall damage. What would kill you or not. The last notable thing for me were weapon animations. Not a lot of variety at all within each weapon type, and when you're character is running around with their weapon trailing in hand it looks goofy. The weapon shouldn't be drawn at all times. [h2]Final Thoughts[/h2] I think full price after 1.5 is justifiable. I think if I had to distill my overall feelings after two playthroughs I enjoyed what was offered, really liked the world and combat, but would have appreciated better character design and a little more love given in the player character customizations and animations. I would consider this an above average game with some missteps.

After 35 hours of gameplay, completing every main quest, side quest, bounty, and exploring all areas, including hidden ones, and defeating every boss, I can confidently say this game is one of the best metroidvania/souls-like games I’ve ever played. Despite a few flaws, its strengths make it a must-play, and I highly recommend it, even though New Game+ (NG+) is not yet implemented (the developers are working on it). [h3]The Negatives[/h3] Let’s address the shortcomings first to clear the way for the game’s brilliance: [b]Timed Doors:[/b] Early in the game, you encounter timed doors activated by levers, requiring a quick dash to pass through. These are overly simplistic and only appear early on, feeling like a pointless inclusion. [b]Entropy Rift Levels:[/b] While I understand their narrative purpose, the entropy rifts introduce awkward platforming, vanishing platforms, and one particularly grueling rift with tough enemies. These sections feel jarring and more like a chore than an engaging adventure. [b]Mana Flask System:[/b] As a spellcaster, the absence of refillable mana flasks (like the healing flasks) is frustrating. Relying on purchased or crafted mana flasks, especially when low on gold or resources, forces unnecessary grinding to maintain spell usage. [b]Crafting System:[/b] The crafting mechanics, inspired by MMO-style resource gathering, feel clunky and out of place in a metroidvania game like this one. [b]Final Boss Phase 2:[/b] The second phase of the final boss is excessively punishing, bordering on unfair. I personally think it is PURE BS. Perhaps get rid of the platforming, or the need to sustain Mandragora. Getting rid of either, not both, would make the second phase actually challenging and enjoyable. [h3]The Positives[/h3] Despite these issues, Mandragora shines brightly in nearly every other aspect: [b]Stunning Art Direction:[/b] The game’s 2.5D world is breathtaking, blending 2D visuals with subtle 3D depth to create a captivating atmosphere. [b]Exceptional Level Design:[/b] The non-linear level design is well crafted, with clear pathways, logical shortcuts, and rewarding exploration. [b]Diverse Enemy Variety:[/b] Claims of repetitive enemies are unfounded. Each major and sub-area introduces unique foes, and the bestiary showcases an impressive range of designs. [b]Engaging Boss Fights:[/b] Most bosses are a delight, offering varied difficulty and creative mechanics. While some are reused, the unique bosses are well designed (except for the final boss’ second phase). [b]Outstanding Soundtrack:[/b] The OST, particularly the choral Prelude theme, is phenomenal and worthy of any music playlist. [b]Robust Skill Tree:[/b] The expansive skill tree offers countless build options. While newcomers should focus on a single path to avoid diluting their abilities, the spells and skills are diverse, fun, and feel impactful. [b]Seamless Fast Travel:[/b] The ability to teleport to any checkpoint directly from the map, anytime, not just at checkpoints, is a game changer. Unlike games like Blasphemous, which suffer from tedious backtracking, Mandragora respects your time, akin to Elden Ring’s fast-travel system. [h3]Final Verdict[/h3] [b]Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree[/b] is a top-tier metroidvania/souls-like that excels in art, level design, and gameplay depth. With planned updates like NG+ and potential quality-of-life improvements, it’s already a standout title. Despite minor missteps, this game is absolutely worth your time and investment. Highly recommended!

With the selling of user data controversy aside (I believe that has been resolved), I honestly could not understand why this game would get a negative review. It is an incredibly solid metroidvania. The map is huge and fun to explore, and the player expression through the many skill trees make combat great. I was actually playing a build that was using things from four different trees at one time before settling into a vindicator build that was pretty effective. The one complaint I have is that respecing should also refund all your entropic essence as well. Since I invested heavily into my astral skills, all the other skills pretty much go completely unused. The story is generally better than most of it's peers. And honestly, a metroidvania doesn't really require an amazing story, but it's always nice when it has one. But seriously, don't let the mixed reception scare you away from this. It's a legitimately good game and worth the price tag.

I'm an old dude. old school gamer. I've been looking for a game for many years that gave me that sense of wonder, exploration and fun that the games back in the 80s gave me. Mandragora is it. I absolutely love this game. It definitely gives off Castlevania vibes, one of my favorite series of all time, but it also gave me the nostalgic feel of playing one of my favorite games of all time on the NES. Some may or may not agree, but I have hoped for many years that they would create a new version of Wizards and Warriors and to me Mandragora would be that remake if I had it my way. Honestly, I have enjoyed playing this game more than anything else that has come along in several years. The art style is gorgeous and atmospheric and I adore it. The characters have personality, the music and sound is on point, the level of challenge is good and overall its just pure joy to play for me. Sincere Thanks to the creators for making this game. I just slayed a dragon and am having an absolute blast! I sure hope there will be a sequel or add ons. Highly recommended!

Bought Madragora day one because the art style appealed to me and I love both soulslikes and metroidvanias. Beginning of the game was super fun too, but later in some design flaws reared their ugly head - I was particularly annoyed by lengthy boss runbacks including swarms of annoying enemies and instant death traps. Looking at you, Tome Mistress. Now I'm happy to say, the latest patch fixed most of my problems with the game. It's much more pleasent to play now, with more robust diffculty options, some balancing changes, new shortcuts and additional warp stations. Yes, even for Tome Mistress. Thanks for listening, devs! It's an easy thumbs up now.