Thistlemine Review

Have you ever played a game that was so frustrating that you kept dropping it, only to then come back and try again? That’s essentially how I feel about Thistlebro’s latest tactical turn-based videogame, Thistlemine. So, let's look to see if this thistle is okay to be plucked, or if we should leave it in the garden.

Normally, when I do these reviews, I like to start with the plot, but I’ll be honest: there isn’t a lot to go on here at first. Thistlemine does have a plot, but it's hidden behind short conversations, enemy descriptions, and hidden letters. The main thing to know is that you play as Noa, a low-ranking excavator tasked with navigating an area called the Exclusion Zone. You will have to travel through seven different locations fighting the Anomalis, creatures who have taken the form of a mix of plants and people and constantly leak Miasma, the cause of the mutations that have overtaken the entire Exclusion Zone.

As I said, the plot is subtle and hard to find, but it does start to ramp up a bit as you delve into the depths. The issue is that it never really gets engaging, just more so than it was at the start. I never really wanted to know more about the characters I met, nor did I want to engage with the mystery of what I was seeing. Thankfully, none of that matters, and you can simply ignore the plot and focus on the gameplay.  

There are three modes you can choose from when you start a game of Thistlemine, there is Standard, which offers you plenty of checkpoints and minimal consequences for things going wrong. The Regimental mode is essentially a time-attack mode that only offers you two hours to complete the game. Finally, the Temporal Rift functions as a dev room that players can use to experiment and plan their routes.

The actual game is split into two modes: exploration and combat. Calling it exploration might be a bit much, but it is when you run around the areas looking for fights, items, and friends. This is also where you will need to make your choices about what to do in certain situations and with other characters. They can be pretty challenging, but again, it was sometimes just a bit too cryptic for me.

Thistlemine’s combat is, at a very basic level, a turn-based RPG. You have a basic attack, a selection of special and healing moves, and a single action each round to pick which you will use. The big difference here is the Miasma, which essentially limits how many turns you have before you automatically lose the battle. So, for instance, you might have 10 turns to take out five enemies. It is challenging because you have to gauge if it is the right time to strike or heal. I will note that there is no set way to win the fights; the game wants you to experiment. 

For the most part, this system works great, and the slow introduction of new characters and attacks, plus the addition of relics and different enemy types, helps to keep things interesting. However, this is also the feature that kept me more annoyed than any other. The issue is that the attack damage is not always constant, and the game is terrible at explaining anything about what you can do. For instance, the basic shot can vary massively in damage, so you might kill one Anomalis at 1070 health, but not the other. It can get really frustrating, and it made me quit the game on more than one occasion. 

This might seem like a minor issue, but hear me out: difficult games are fun because any mistake feels like we made it… not that the game was unfair. Thistlemine usually feels like you missed something when you run out of turns, but sometimes it feels like the game is stacked against you. That is when it stops being fun. 

Thistlemine uses a chibi art style for its characters, with each having their own personality that shines through, even the monsters. However, it can feel a bit basic and the lack of any animation in battles outside of a few flashes can be a bit dull to watch. Thankfully the music is pretty stellar, at least until you have to repeat a fight that you just aren’t getting over and over again.

Thistlemine is a really hard game to recommend, if only because it made me quit more than once. However, if you like thinking about your next move for hours before you make it and enjoy the concept of an anime world overtaken by strange plant monsters then it will be worth checking out.