Sunny Syrup Studio’s Spirit Mancer ambitiously combines hack-and-slash, shooter action with deck building mechanics. Clearly inspired by games like Mega Man X, this 2D side scroller is jam-packed with features and systems.
However, its attempt to juggle many systems results in a game that spreads itself thin, often failing to master any aspect. Even outside of combat, it features a variety of random mechanics that feel like a child in a candy store, picking the best parts from their favourite games without considering their coherence.
Full transparency, I couldn’t get to the end of the game. The tedious, shallow systems and generic story just sapped my energy to the point I had to stop.
Narrative A Disjointed
Spirit Mancer’s story follows Mary and Sebastian, who, along with friends, are drawn into the demon world of Inferno. After a long-ago betrayal, trust between humans and demons is scarce. To return home, they must find a key to open a portal, but the Queen of Inferno has sent her generals to stop the humans.
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Despite constantly stating how much they don’t trust demons, our duo is quick to trust many demons as the characters rapidly form their own demon band of merrymen to save their friends. From here you jump from realm to realm defeating each of the Queens generals one by one.
At one point you retrieve the key, to only have it snatched away immediately by a demon. You then get the key back in the next mission, to again have it snatched away in the exact same manner by a different demon. This style of story telling is unfortunately at the basis of Spirit Mancer, leaving the game feeling drawn out for the sake of play time.
Too Many Ideas, Not Enough Depth
At its core, Spirit Mancer is a hack-and-slash adventure, bolstered by a Spirit Card system where you capture enemies to summon them in battle. While innovative, the deck building feels underdeveloped. More often than not I found myself just spamming out the demons without much thought.
Building a deck was also a frustrating experience. During missions when you ‘break’ an enemy and seal them, you are given a temporary one use version of their card. To earn cards permanently you need to engage in one of several side activities. These activities consist of fishing, research, farming and crafting, all requiring a different currency to perform. It all results in a ton of grinding to earn new cards permanently.
Then, to level up said cards takes three separate resources, which are also used to level your character. The investment wasn’t worth the time, especially when it seemed you can just buff your character and face tank everything.
Removing the card mechanic and refining the combat systems would create a more cohesive experience.
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It’s also never really made clear why you are sealing demons into cards. At one point I earned a powerful boss card, yet that boss character was still yet to be beaten in the story, so how was he also sealed in my cards?!
It’s all about the pacing
Spirit Mancer’s tale also suffers from uninspired dialogue and clunky cutscene pacing. Conversations drag, with text boxes that linger for far too long before auto advancing the conversation. Worse, the “next” button skips not just text but animations, leaving scenes feeling abrupt and unpolished. It’s a shame, as the game does feature a vibrant colourful world design, with truly unique, if not sometimes baffling, character design.
As mentioned, missions often feel artificially stretched, with repetitive scenarios that undermine momentum. A prime example is the back-to-back repetition of objectives, which can make the game feel bloated. Side missions fare no better, offering dull “kill X” or “find Y” tasks that fail to engage.
That said, there is one attempt to break the mould. It comes in the form of a standout quiz mission, but it’s a standout for all the wrong reasons…
Requiring complex maths on the spot, even with multiple choice, is as confusing a game design choice as it was attempting complex maths back in my highschool days. Failing the mission entirely and having to restart due to a wrong answer feels frustrating rather than challenging, especially when the game practically forces you to resort to external help, unless you are a maths genius.
Or maybe I’m just really stupid! If I am, all my colleagues are too, so at least I’m not alone.
Time to burn the sage
Spirit Mancer has an ambitious framework and creative potential, but its execution often left me feeling frustrated and annoyed. The deckbuilding, while intriguing when I first heard about it, feels like an unnecessary distraction from what could have been a tighter, more rewarding hack-and-slash experience. Add in pacing missteps and lacklustre storytelling, and the game struggles to maintain its appeal over time.
Fans of hybrid genres might still enjoy what Spirit Mancer has to offer, but those seeking a polished, focused experience might feel frustrated by its jack-of-all-trades approach.
Spirit Mancer will set you back roughly $30 AUD. It’s coming to PC via Steam, PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch on November 22nd.
