Developed by Thistlebro and published by Fruitbat Factory, ThistleMine is an atmospheric RPG adventure game, set in a dream-like world, poisoned by a mysterious substance known as “Miasma”. With it’s magical setting and macabre atmosphere, the game sets the tone perfectly and with just about every aspect. However, there’s a lot more to making a game than just creating an almost tangible atmosphere and ThistleMine sadly didn’t press all the right buttons, for me.
ThistleMine – Storyline
ThistleMine is set in lands long since poisoned by a mysterious substance called Miasma. With this deadly substance (which sounds suspiciously like “my Asthma”) came sentiment lifeforms, created by the Miasma to maintain its own existence. Known as “Anomalis”, the murderous beings will stop at nothing to protect the growth of the toxic material and the relentless poisoning of the lands.
The game takes place in an Anomalis Exclusion Zone. A place where Miasma grows in abundance, bending the very fabric of time and space. Here reside the native Anomalis, hostile stalkers and mutated monstrosities.
Its the sole job and goal of the ThistleMine Excavation Corps to enter these deadly areas, known as exclusion zones, to rid them of Anomalis and restore order to the lands, area by area.
Playing the part of a new recruit to the corps by the name of Noa, you must venture into this hostile environment, rid it of the nefarious Anomalis that dwell within and collect vital artifacts. Have you got what it takes to survive?
The Repetition of ThistleMine
Navigating the toxic lands of ThistleMine predominantly involves stepping through portals to reach the next areas. While this was tolerable for the first five minutes or so, it soon became the bane of my very existence. What started as a fun quirk, soon became a soul-destroying guessing game that very nearly had me hitting the quit button and trying to salvage what I had left of my sanity.
After quite some time (how much, I won’t admit publicly), I eventually figured out that there were markers next to each of the portals. In the first case, it’s tiny twigs sticking out of the ground and, as I walked further into the repetitively scrolling scene, I noticed that the markers grew in numbers and eventually figured that they meant something.
After a little toing and froing through these portals, I eventually met the end of the scene; only to be thrown into the exact same pattern after a short boss fight. Where I found the first scene the portals were in a pattern, the second scene just presented the same kind of puzzle but with no discernible order whatsoever. It takes a lot of patience to progress in ThistleMine, be sure to bring a bucket load.
ThistleMine – Combat
The combat in ThistleMine is definitely the game’s saving grace. The enemies are the product of a creative mind and eye for detail, with each seamlessly slipping into the foreboding and dark air of the game. It’s worked on a turn-based system, as seen in classic RPG games such as the Final Fantasy franchise and many others.
To beat the bosses requires some out-of-the-box thinking. Surveying the enemies using the “Glass Eye” skill gives you an insight into their strengths and weaknesses and paying attention to and acting upon the information is vital to survival.
ThistleMine – Summary
As much as I enjoyed the combat in this game and appreciated the dark and mystical vibes it exudes, I can’t look past the irritating portal system. This would have been a nice way to break the traveling segments up but certainly not throughout the entirety of the game.
RATING
OUR SCORE - 5
5
SCORE
As much as I enjoyed the combat in this game and appreciated the dark and mystical vibes it exudes, I can't look past the irritating portal system.
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