Dark Souls rival Mandragora just got way tougher with an essential new feature

If you're on the hunt for a new soulslike to push you to your limits, you need to check out Mandragora. It's got the build variety and challenge that Fromsoftware is known for, but expands on it in some truly surprising ways. In fact, the RPG just got a New Game Plus mode, which means you can repeatedly bash your head into a wall with the toughest challenges yet. At least you've got some new weapons to help you through the pain.

Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree wears its influences on its sleeve. Just like Dark Souls, it's set in a grim fantasy world infused with hellish opponents. You've got six classes to pick from that offer blades, magic, and all manner of attacks. There's even the tried-and-true dodge, parry, and strike system present in all of the best soulslike games on PC today. With myriad skills, combat upgrades, and plenty of gear to craft, the onus is on you to create a truly overpowered build.

From here, though, Mandragora steps out of the mold set by Fromsoftware. This is a 2D game, and that means it's perfect if you're as big a fan of Dead Cells and Blasphemous as I am. Suddenly, dodges are more important than ever, because you've got much less screen real estate to work with as you play. Mandragora is a proper challenge, so being prepared is key.

Now, developer Primal Game Studio is releasing update 1.6. The headline feature of this patch is New Game Plus, which will make the soulslike even harder than before. Your enemies will grow stronger with every cycle, with difficulty scaling the first ten times you manage to complete the game. As you explore in New Game Plus you'll also find new versions of weapons, off-hands, and rings to upgrade your builds, so the world won't completely grind you down. If you're after a challenge, however, random enemies will be empowered with auras and effects, which will make them even more intimidating, but they'll drop greater rewards if you can slay them.

You'll also have a slate of all-new weapons, which are sure to help no matter what run you're on. There's the Aurora daggers, Crimson Slicer daggers, and Reignbreaker two-handed mace at your disposal.

That's not all, as Primal Game Studio also has a few quality-of-life updates it's introduced. You can now remove skill upgrades and refund their cost at the Witch Alter, alongside individual talents and nodes. Vendor items you're yet to unlock will also have a small new icon letting you know, so you can add them to your collection. There's also a quick buy and sell option, which will making clearing out what you have easier.

Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree update 1.6 is available right now. You can also grab the game at 25% off on Steam until Thursday July 10, so expect to pay $29.99 / £26.24 until then. Just head here.

We've also got all the best fantasy games and RPGs currently available on PC, which are sure to keep you entertained.

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