I love a sci-fi or fantasy game as much as the next turn-based RPG fan, but I love something original even more. Welcome to The Thaumaturge—a dark and grim tale set in 19th century Warsaw, where magic and demons exist.

While not strictly a horror game, The Thaumaturge certainly leans on the exciting yet dangerous city life of the time. In the poorer neighborhoods, you can see mud seeping through the streets and danger lurking around every corner, while in the richer suburbs it is replaced by arrogance and excess, which are just as dangerous in their own way.

Weather effects and the ability to wait in each area at different times of day help to bring Warsaw to life, as areas feel truly different at different times of day. Cheerful rivalry turns into desperate drunken stumbling, all in the quiet of the morning. It’s all topped off with a lilting oriental folk-enthusiast score that I found quite beautiful, but can turn sinister at a moment’s notice.

You’ll find yourself in a lot of fights in The Thaumaturge, but it’s the story that drives the game. Fortunately, it’s excellent. Wiktor, the game’s protagonist, is a flawed and complex individual. Flaws themselves are a key element of the game, as Wiktor feeds on his greatest flaw, pride, and that of others in order to tame the salutors (think demons) he controls.