Spirit Mancer Review (PS5, Switch, & PC)

Merge Mega Man and Slay the Spire, and you get Spirit Mancer, well, at least in the sense of combining 2D platforming action and deck-building in one package. Furthermore, you’ll engage in gunplay and hack-and-slash combat that is both fast-paced and fun to indulge in. However, there are a few rough edges to consider that might deter you from playing the game. It’s certainly imperfect, with certain areas that could have used a little more tender loving care. Still, playing the game isn’t a complete waste of time, as there are genuinely blissful moments you’ll enjoy. Find below our full thoughts on the game in our Spirit Mancer review.

Hades is Calling

When humans discover a way to Hades, chaos doesn’t immediately ensue. Folks on Earth continue to live in harmony, at least for a while, before all hell breaks loose. Demons and humans rage war, only brought to an end when the divide between Earth and Hades is cut off. However, during a classified military operation, secret agents Sebastian and Mary get lost in Hades. While you’re trying to find your way back home, the folks in Hades look up to you to fight their battles against the evil Demon Queen. So, now, you’re stuck fighting waves of demons, clearing a path to the queen, and hoping to run into the mystical key you need to unlock a way back to Earth. 

Spirit Mancer doesn’t particularly have the most profound story. It’s a pretty straightforward premise that doesn’t take too long to set the stage. However, the game does a great job of inducing humor and incorporating fun retro-style aesthetics to pull you into its missions. Moreover, you also run into lots of twists and turns, some genuinely surprising. Overall, though, Spirit Mancer’s story won’t likely be your favorite thing to unravel. And that’s fine. The characters here do a good enough job to trudge the main mission along. They have quirky personalities that spice up the darkness of navigating hell. You constantly have cutscenes further opening up the world’s lore. Plus, the bosses also receive considerable plots, outlining their backstories and spicing up the fights to take them down. 

Eyes on Target

Most of your time in Spirit Mancer will be spent shooting down enemies and hacking and slashing your way through waves of foes. On the one hand, you have your melee weapons that thwart foes within your vicinity. They range from chain whips to greatswords and pistols whose functionalities will extend beyond weaker enemies into boss fights. On the other hand, you’ll pick up several ranged weapons as the enemy drops. These are wide-ranging, from rocket launchers to shotguns. They can be upgraded, too, between missions, as well as unlocking new ones. Besides gunplay, though, you can also stun enemies, draining their defenses and sealing them into your collection of monsters.

This is the monster-collection part of the game that allows you to build up a diverse range of demons to fight for you. And when the right situation calls for it during combat, you can summon the demons you feel inclined to and have them fight on your behalf. Spirit Mancer has done a great job of color-coding your next action. When enemies have a green glow, for instance, it calls for attacking them using your melee weapon. Blue is for ranged and projectiles, while purple is for summoning demons. While you can ignore the color signals, using the right attack will break enemies’ shields more easily and even inflict more damage. Attacks using weapons are pretty straightforward, and the controls work as they should. You can also resort to evading and dodge-rolling out of the way of incoming attacks, with precision and perfect timing playing key roles in victory. 

Happy to Help

Monsters introduce perhaps the most unique aspect of the combat system. Otherwise, everything else is a walk in the park. For the monsters, you collect them as you defeat enemies. You can then choose the creatures you want to fight on your next mission by slotting them into your deck. This is the deck-building side of Spirit Mancer, where some level of strategy goes into your next play. Ideally, it’s all about finding the best combination of demons to take into battle, keeping in mind that different monsters cost different points. More powerful monsters cost the greatest points. So, ultimately, it becomes a matter of choosing between many weaker demons or fewer stronger ones. 

Furthermore, each demon has its own distinct perk. Some demons can have brutal AoE attacks, while others are great for buffing your health. Choosing the right demon cards to add to your deck is pretty essential as enemies grow stronger and more resourceful down the line. The boss fights, in particular, can be pretty brutal. Spirit Mancer tactfully features bosses with distinct attack patterns. Moreover, bosses tend to have multiple fights, where they can become invisible to attack, change their attack patterns, or even change into stronger beings. This is arguably the most fun part of the game as you tackle formidable bosses and really push your skills to the limits. 

Treasure Hunt

Besides combat and deck-building, you also can head out on side quests in search of treasure. Okay, so this isn’t particularly exploration-focused. There’s very little exploration in Spirit Mancer, with often linear paths to follow. Also, you can have some light puzzles and platforming, but that’s pretty much it. Instead, the game focuses on treasure chests that you can find along your mission routes. These award you gold and resources to buy new weapons and upgrade your abilities. If not during the main quest, you can take on side missions at the “Village.” These are more diverse, ranging from chasing down a specific demon to rescuing kidnapped villagers. And, in turn, you receive rewards for your troubles. 

There are also other minigames, like the one that lets you send villagers on quests to collect resources for you. While they’re out in the underworld, you can complete other missions and return to find your resource stash piled up. But Spirit Mancer doesn’t stop there. It also lets you engage in optional but fun activities like fishing and gardening. These are all ways to earn even more resources, which you can spend on better weapons and gear to breeze through boss fights like a champ. 

Minor Hiccups

As a complete package, Spirit Mancer has checked plenty of boxes on the pros' side. It’s a fun game to shoot down enemies and slice your way through Hades. However, combat is the main focus of the gameplay. So, gamers looking to dive into more complex puzzles and platforming may find better luck elsewhere. The deck-building part of the game is a nice addition, yet it still feels lacking in depth and strategy. For instance, you find very little incentive to chase down more demons to add to your collection. After a while, the risk of engaging in tricky fights isn’t worth the reward, and you’d much rather spend your time hunting for treasure chests and completing side quests.

Also, there’s very little incentive for multiple playthroughs. Once you’ve finished your first run, returning for more isn’t nearly as exciting as you’d hope. Part of the reason is that the combat, which is the main gameplay element, wears thin after a while. Simply shooting down enemies doesn’t give you much reward. You can receive a few points for an upgrade, which barely scratches the surface of the amount you can get on treasure hunts. In fact, the incentive for chasing down more combat encounters is capturing new demons to add to your collection. But at some point, you’ll have built a powerful enough deck to take on any challenge the game throws at you, making chasing down more demons pointless.

Retro Style

At the very least, the visuals look inviting. They’re colorful and pull you into the cutscenes and gameplay. The characters are expressive, and even though the game is 2D, its pixel art is a sight to behold. The same goes for the soundtrack, which is retro and perfectly energetic for intense fights. The only gripe is some bugs, where in some sections, the music stopped. Pacing can be slow at times, especially since you cannot fast-forward or skip cutscenes. Meanwhile, you may find easy ways to cheat the system, where you pile up on resources via chasing down side quests rather than putting in the work in combat. And, in turn, combat becomes a breeze.

Verdict

Spirit Mancer isn’t entirely terrible enough to throw it in the trash bin. It genuinely implements some exciting combat encounters. There is also quite a decent chunk of variations in enemy attack patterns and the tools at your disposal. You do enjoy a decent amount of meat to sink your teeth into. However, it’s not without its fault. You may find issues with pacing and balancing of the level of challenge. Also, you may wish that the puzzles and platforming sections were a little more strategic. The same goes for the deck-building part, which can use a little more tactful.