Many thanks to MiHoyo for the chance to participate in their closed beta for Tears of Themis!
I recently had a chance to participate in a beta test for MiHoyo’s new title Tears of Themis, currently scheduled for release sometime in 2021. Let’s see how it went!
Tears of Themis is a title in the mystery/relationship genre. The story is currently under wraps, so you’ll have to play to find it out. But let’s take a peak at the gameplay, shall we?
The gameplay components are varied. Possibly a little too varied for some. There are cards to collect that you use to defeat debate opponents, clues to find in point-and-click segments and interrogations that you later figure out how to connect, and cases to build. Additionally, there are relationships you’ll want to explore and develop. Those relationships have their own story segments and minigames as well. There’s a lot going on!
I did enjoy the story that I can’t tell you about. Suffice it to say, it kept my interest throughout and tied all the game elements together nicely.
The most intriguing aspect for me was definitely the card collecting and battles. Although I had a bit of trouble getting a handle on the strategy in the time I had with the beta, what I did see was gameplay with sufficient potential and card levelling/evolving opportunities to keep me interested for quite a while when the full game is released. You acquire the cards through a random draw process that imitates opening a pack of collectible cards, so be aware that it could have the addictive potential of collectible card games. I spent many a dollar back in the day on the Lord of the Rings TCG so I know what I’m talking about here.
Probably my least favorite aspect was the touch-based game activity to build relationships with the NPCs. You sort of patted or tickled the character. It was uncomfortable for me personally, but this also could be age related. I’m closer to middle-aged than not, so the prospect of this mini-game (played with comparatively young NPCs) was not only boring, but weird.
My overall impression was of a game with a good story and intriguing gameplay, that may have too many moving parts for some people. I finished the entire first segment during the beta test, and although the story was excellent and I would really like to go back and play the full-version, I still didn’t feel like I had a good handle on all the game components. To be fair, this may be in part because I was playing it on my iPhone and although I think I might prefer that platform for this game (good to play in short bursts) my device’s small screen didn’t help with my comprehension of everything going on. This is probably a title better played on a full tablet.
I will be interested to see where the company goes with this title. I’ve found myself thinking about the story and characters in the time since the beta closed. I’ll certainly be keeping an eye on the future of this game.