Video game demos may seem like a thing of the past, but that doesn’t mean they are completely gone. Sometimes, it can even introduce new and interesting things to the world of gaming, as is the case with the recently released PS Store demo for an upcoming RPG.
What is the intriguing new PS Store demo?
Developed by Fool’s Theory and published by 11 Bit Studios, The Thaumaturge just received a demo today. It is an isometric story-driven RPG that features turn-based combat, morally ambiguous dialogue choices, and investigation mechanics set in 1905 Warsaw. The game’s protagonist, Wiktor Szulski, attempts to tame the ethereal entities known as salutors.
Check out the Thaumaturge trailer below:
“The year is 1905. Warsaw lives under the yoke of imperial Russian tsardom. Its inhabitants constitute a diverse group of different ancestries, views, and beliefs with often conflicting interests: Russian soldiers, Jewish merchants, Polish townspeople, and more,” reads the game’s description. “Despite the circumstances, the city is a buzzing metropolis, where one can attend a breathtaking party with the high society, and later get robbed in one of the dark alleys of the Praga district. A city of great hopes and dreams on one hand and dark desires on the other.”
“A thaumaturge bears both a gift and a burden at the same time. This parallel holds true for Wiktor Szulski, the game’s titular protagonist, who is drawn back to the tumultuous streets of 20th-century Warsaw by family matters,” continues the description. “The gift of thaumaturgy is intertwined with family legacy, passed down through one’s ancestors. This mystical inheritance significantly shapes Wiktor’s life journey tied around a pursuit of unearthly entities and their hosts. As only a thaumaturge can tame these ethereal entities — known to a select few as salutors — utilizing their mystical abilities to discover secrets hidden within the human soul and speak to the Darkness, no one understands quite like Wiktor how everyone suffers their own demons.”
Fool’s Theory may sound familiar to some gamers out there. The studio is currently working on The Witcher 1 remake. They’ve also been a support studio for games like Baldur’s Gate and Divinity Original Sin 2.
The Thaumaturge releases for PS5 on December 4, 2024.