Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree Review – Beauty, Battles, and Bonfires

Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree Review

Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree is a 2D action RPG slash Metroidvania side-scroller slash Soulslike, which is about as common a description as you can imagine in 2025. But let’s face it, mechanics like stamina management, dodging, rolling, amped up difficulty and healing bonfires are now the norm. Which, to be clear, is not a bad thing for fans of the genre. Knowing what we’re in for means we can focus on important questions, like is it fun? Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch tree checks all the boxes, does so in a stylish way, and is indeed a pretty good time.

Painting a Picture

There are gamers who like to claim that art design and graphics don’t matter much. They’re just wrong. If you’re going to spend dozens of hours or more in a game world, it had better be visually appealing. In this regard, Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree makes a good first impression and sustains it throughout. Starting with a decent character creator, the art style is somewhat stylized, often colorful and detailed. Happily, it’s also not another grim dark fantasy entirely drenched in moody shadows. That’s not to say there aren’t ancient ruins, haunted villages, dank dungeons and sewers aplenty. 

You don’t necessarily associate 2D action games with epic musical scores, but Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree certainly has one. Composed by Christos Antoniou, the game’s music has dramatic orchestral cues that often include choral textures or solo voice, contrasted by intimate acoustic textures. All in all, Antoniou’s music really elevates the experience.

A Tale as Old as…Most Fantasy RPGs

Mandragora is set in the fantasy kingdom of Faeldumm, and you play as an Inquisitor whose task is to root out monsters, heretics and evil, all of which seem to be everywhere. Once a loyal acolyte of the King Priest, your character goes off the rails a bit devotion-wise, adding a few layers of narrative nuance. There’s a MacGuffin called Entropy which plays an important role in moving the story forward.

Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree boasts an impressively large cast of NPCs and voiced characters. It’s not all deadly serious, and there is a fair amount of wit. However, the game’s writing and performances are inconsistent. In the end, the narrative takes second seat to the action, as it often does in the genre.

Fight the Good Fight

Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree is a catalogue of Soulslike and Metroidvania mechanics, with very few new ideas. Combat is focused on stamina management, dodge rolls, precise timing and the wise use of weapons, spells, consumables and special abilities. Overall, combat — both ranged and melee — feels pretty responsive if not incredibly impactful. Leveled-up offensive spells are incredibly powerful. Heavy weapons are ponderously slow and equally devastating. If you’re a fan of the genre, you know the drill. You won’t be surprised.

Mandragora has six starting classes and a leveling system for basic stats and an upgrade path for weapons and skills. The skill tree is more focused on improving abilities and skills, versus inundating the player with new moves. There’s crafting and resource collection, too. While the game doesn’t innovate in any of these areas, neither does it seriously misstep. A few minor tweaks to the formula pop up now and then. For example, you can buy skill points by making an offering at shrines.

There are the expected healing checkpoints which you can fast-travel between and a hub area called the Witch Tree, home to NPC vendors and upgradeable services. One area where Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree excels is in its level design, which features a dizzying array of environments to explore and lots of hidden paths and shortcuts. Just like any self-respecting Metroidvania, many areas are locked until players acquire certain abilities or tools like the grappling hook. As a gamer with an Achilles Heel called platforming, I was rarely frustrated.

A Familiar Taste but a Good One

Imagine the best pizza you ever had, and the worst. Chances are, they shared some common ingredients: crust, sauce, cheese, toppings. With pizza, quality choices and skillful preparation make more difference than innovation. It’s true with Soulslikes, too.

Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree doesn’t veer off well-traveled paths, but that doesn’t mean its familiar combination of mechanics isn’t fun. Though it doesn’t necessarily stand out in any one area, Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree is still a substantial, visually impressive and generally engaging experience.

PS5 code provided by the publisher for review