Bringing you another soulslike review through the power of the internets.
This one is very short, about 12 hours for a complete run. A relatively budget, cheap looking Chink clang-a-looza, a crossbreed between Sekiro (no-stamina, parry-based combat) and Nioh (mission structure). After the initial delight I tempered my verdict. Game clearly wants to be Sekiro, problem is if you're doing a parry-based combat you have to lean into it fully and subject everything else to it.
So whereas Sekiro is perfectly tuned with optimal tells, clear windups and appropriate enemy swing speeds, in Thymesia there are often no tells at all, some swings or jabs are almost instantaneous, sometimes lighting fast flurries. I mean it's not the hardest soulslike ever (not the easiest either) so you can usually manage, sadly most of this managing is achieved by furiously mashing of the parry button which is obviously not ideal. In Sekiro braindead mashing of the parry button would get you skewered very quickly.
As for other cons, levels are relatively simple and short, enemy variety is not amazing and there are only 3 different environments.
On to the pros.
Yes combat is flawed but still fun. Game gives you just one weapon, just like in Sekiro, but unlike Sekiro the additional arsenal is way more entertaining and engaging. Instead of boring prosthetic tools you can yoink weapons from enemies, take them for yourself and upgrade them with all sorts of interesting features. There are only 3 basic attributes (Strength, Vitality and Energy) but a truckload of interesting perks and abilities you can freely slot in and out. All in all the game is way too short for the amount of tools and options you have so many of them go completely unused (Feathers, other healing flasks, recipes).
The biggest highlight are the bosses. There are 8 in total and 3 of them are among the most fun (and difficult) bosses I've ever fought, including FromSoft games. The others are okay too although two of them are gimmic/spectacle bosses so you mileage may vary.
TLDR: 7/10, better than Steelrising but worse than Mortal Shell or Ashen (both 8/10).
