After about six hours of side scrolling through the dark fantasy dystopia of Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree, I find myself equal parts captivated by a detailed world I’ve only just begun to understand, and worried the combat that takes place within it could wear thin throughout the supposed 40-hour runtime. The story has been really compelling so far, full of body horror monsters, an extremely dark society controlled by the creepiest people imaginable, and decisions that are designed to make you squirm. But in between visits to the nearest town and chatting with my growing party back at camp, I’ve been blowing my way through fights that aren’t very novel or challenging – and while it’s too early to say for sure, that already...
