this Spirit Mancer review is played and tested in PC (Steam). The game is also available on Xbox, Playstation en Nintendo Switch for €/$ 29,99.
The publisher OKJOY mentions Mega Man, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, and Pokémon in one breath when describing Spirit Mancer to the gaming press. Quite a line-up to live up to, but after playing the game for 10 hours, I can certainly see where they are coming from. The platformer, developed by Sunny Syrup Studio, surely ticks off all those inspirations in presence, at least. But can Spirit Mance mold something interesting and fun out of all this? Well, let’s find out.
A tale of war and chaos
You play Sebastian, a demon hunter who, together with his rogue band compatriots, is trying to fight the good fight in a hopeless war between the human race and demons. These demons came through an interdimensional portal to destroy ‘our’ civilization. The portal was opened by accident by the ruler of the human world, unleashing chaos upon its own people. While humans initially opted for diplomacy with the demons, the latter broke the deal and waged war. During a mission, Sebastian’s team got trapped in a dimension portal themselves and entered a mysterious world called “Inferno.”
Breaking, catching, and summoning
At first glance, Spirit Mancer seems like a straightforward Mega Man-style platformer. But as soon as you team up with Mary and gain support from the enigmatic Sayan, the game quickly starts to hit its own stride. Both players (a second player can control Mary in co-op) receive Spirit Mancer powers that allow them to break enemies, catch them, and summon them to do their bidding. Every spirit you catch appears as a card in a deck. The player can scroll through the deck and bind cards to either the Y or B button (if using an Xbox layout). Summoning a spirit inflicts upon enemies whatever the spirit was doing to you in the first place. To catch a spirit, you must “Break” it first by hitting it with either your blue physical weapon or green ‘special’ power weapon. Each enemy has a specific weakness, or sequence of weaknesses, to break it. Once broken, you can use RT to catch the creature.
Once unleashed, the JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure reference becomes clear. The larger spirits, in particular, have very JoJo-like designs and attacks. Each spirit has a single attack, and there are more than a hundred spirits to capture throughout the game.
A world of colorful biomes
Inferno is, in contrary to what the name implies, a very colorful demon dimension. This world has a variety of tropical and vibrant settings, which feel very tropical and Caribbean. The in-level pixel art in particular is rich and colorful. The Thai team at Sunny Syrup Studio avoided anime tropes, and the cultural aesthetic feels authentic and distinctly Southeast Asian. In many ways, it reminds me of A Space for the Unbound by the Indonesian Mojiken Studio. Particularly in the cutscenes, although a bit rough around the edges, it evokes a similar concept and style.
Unique and quirky creatures
The inhabitants of Inferno, including fabled creatures ranging from innocent pig civilians to anthropomorphic fishmen and tigers, are generally well-designed. The demons are animated with unique styles and attack patterns, which make capturing them rewarding. The pigs, in particular, bring a charming Ewok-like quality, but in no way as feisty and certainly unfit for a rebellion against their Demon overlords. They see Sebastian as their savior and offer little practical help. Between animation and dialogue Sunny Syrup managed to add quite a bit of comedic charm which made me think of Parodius games or the Time Bokan shonen anime series.
Weaknesses in platforming
Despite the charm and creativity, Spirit Mancer stumbles in its platforming mechanics on some occasions. The requirement to “Break” enemies disrupts the flow of gameplay, especially with more valuable spirits that require lengthy processes to capture. This mechanic frequently halts the action, taking the steam out of the platforming quite quickly.
Furthermore, the spirits themselves feel underutilized. While they boast unique attacks, their utility is limited to combat, missing opportunities for puzzle-solving or environmental interaction. Comparatively, games like Tiny Thor excel at leveraging similar mechanics for core gameplay progression with a tat more Metroidvania elements. Spirit Mancer let all that potential slip through its fingers.
The game’s pacing issues are exacerbated by overly long levels, some lasting 30-40 minutes. These levels often involve repetitive left-to-right traversal, with little variety to break the monotony. Attempting to complete a level within a short play session, such as a lunch break, feels nearly impossible. Having to stop halfway through a level also means you have to start all over next time, as the auto-save only kicks in once you finish the level’s boss.
A functional hub world
Between levels, players return to a hub town that serves as the game’s overworld. Here, you can select missions and side quests, and send your pig allies on gold-collecting expeditions. While you progress through the story and complete missions new houses are added to the town, adding more feats at your disposal. While these elements add a layer of management, they feel shallow and lack meaningful difference, although the ability to powerup will help in downing enemies more quickly of course.
With Spirit Mancer's colorful world and lighthearted humor, the stage is set for an entertaining platforming adventure. However, the game falters under the weight of its own complexities and its ambition to mix mechanics. What could have been a promising platformer is hindered by static enemies designed to be caught rather than defeated, introducing pacing issues and stale gameplay through most of your playtime. The level design seems to be an stage to exhibit its clever gameplay ideas. Despite this, the game's charm and character as well as range of fun Spirit cards may just be enough to pull you through to the end—though not without a struggle.
The Good
- Fun and colourful visual presentation.
- Subtle and lighthearted humour.
- Interesting mix of Spirits.
- Colorful cast.
The Bad
- Generally blend platforming.
- Execution the mechanics introduce serious pacing issues.
- Light RPG elements do not add much.
