Spirit Mancer review – Gotta seal ’em all

Spirit Mancer is the latest 2D hack-and-slash adventure to come out. Inspired by the likes of Megaman and Pokémon, this indie game is all about slicing through hordes of demons or capturing them and using their abilities to your advantage. Spirit Mancer is a difficult game to discuss because of its potential. In some ways, the game met my expectations, while in others, it fell short.

Story

Long ago, humans created a key that granted them access to Inferno, the mythical land of demons and monsters. At first, humans and demons lived together peacefully before the Demon Queen waged a terrible war. As a result, the human king cut off the connection between Earth and Inferno and founded the Soul Keepers, a secret organization dedicated to protecting humanity from demons. The game follows Sebastian and Mary, two members of this organization. While on a mission, the two come into possession of the Spirit Mancer, a weapon that allows its user to capture demons and call them to their aid. Trapped in Inferno, they must find their friends and defeat the Demon Queen herself.

The art and music do a great job at setting the scene. There was a lot of variety in all the different locations you visit, from sunny beaches to dark Gothic libraries. The game also has a cute 2D pixel art style, making the world feel more inviting. There were also some lively tunes accompanying the art, my favorite being the track that plays during the second mission. The downside is that the audio was a bit quiet, so I had to turn the volume on my Switch all the way up to enjoy the score.

However, although the game has an interesting premise, the world building fell flat. Inferno looks much like our world, just with demon inhabitants instead of humans. In fact, most of the residents of the town you visit are just friendly pig people. I would have liked to see more differences in the world to distinguish Inferno as its own place.

Gameplay

Similar to Yu Gi Oh, the player starts each mission with a deck of cards containing demons that are ready to be summoned. When you call them, they fight off any threat using their unique abilities. Another way to use the deck is by capturing any demons you encounter. To do this, you have to damage them to the point where they are barely standing, then when the game prompts you, you press a button to seal them away. Doing this earns you a small amount of HP. Later, you can summon the demon you captured and use it to face off against other enemies. (Of course, you also have the option of killing the demon anyway and earning coins instead.) Each demon card can only be played once, but with how easy it is to get more cards, this wasn’t an issue. This mechanic was easily the best part of the game because of how simple yet satisfying it was.

Aside from that, the combat is standard. The game has several different types of demons, each with their own fighting style. Some demons like to throw fireballs at you while others prefer barrels of explosives. Dodging attacks comes down to learning their timing and maneuvering around them. Equipped with a sword, you have to get close to the enemies to leave a mark on them. (Alternatively, you could also keep your distance by using a gun.) However, there is a limited number of demon types, meaning that you come across the same enemies over and over. This didn’t bother me too much, but it could be an issue for those who prefer variety.

Unfortunately, there were a few things that held the game back from being great. My biggest gripe is that the boss battles were over-the-top challenging. Bosses follow a similar pattern as common enemies, but they are more difficult to take down because they have a massive amount of HP and attack the player far more often. They also have the ability to summon smaller demons to hold the player off. Due to this, I’m far more familiar with the ‘Game Over’ screen than I’d like to admit. Certain missions were also drawn out so that when I lost all my lives, I had to start from the beginning. Although some may enjoy the challenge, these boss battles were more frustrating than entertaining for me.

Lastly, after the first section of Spirit Mancer, the game tries to do everything at once at the main hub, like farming, fishing, and going on side quests. I thought the side quests were a good idea, but everything else felt tacked on, as if they were features for a different game altogether. The game should have stuck to being a hash-and-slash rather than trying to add in features that didn’t need to be there.

Overall, there is a lot to appreciate about Spirit Mancer. The game has clever and unique mechanics, interesting locations, and nice art and music, but it also has infuriating boss battles and repetitive combat. It’s a mixed bag that fans of hack-and-slash games may enjoy, but it wasn’t for me personally.

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