SUBSIM Radio Room Forums

Right, time to shamelessly promote this.

First off: the multiplayer over internet is aparently buggy, to the point of show-stoppers. Arrowhead is hard at work to correct it though, releasing a new patch every day (ya rly). I think some people have trouble with the game in general, but you get those complaints with any game, not sure they are really related. Personally I've had non of it. Still, buyer beware. Give the demo a shot first, it's being updated as well so it should give you the proper picture. With that out of the way...

It's a really nice action RPG, though very light on the RPG. There's a storyline, and exactly 1 side-quest that takes about 30secs. And character progression is limited to picking up swords and staffs you find along the way, as well as tomes containing new Magicks to cast.

The novelty here is in the casting system, where you stack up to 5 of 8 possible elements. 10, actually: some can be combined into new elements. The effect of casting combinations vary wildly. For example, simply casting fire gives a spray that does a little damage and sets targets on fire, doing damage over time. Stacking more fire increases the range and intensity, increasing damage. You can also cast on yourself, drying you when you're wet... or simply setting yourself on fire if you're not. You can also cast it as area of effect, hitting everything nearby except yourself (thankfully). It's also possible to cast on your weapon, giving you a flaming sword.

So that's the basics, but it goes far beyond that. Combining fire with arcane gives a beam, doing damage and setting targets on fire. Combining it with shield lets you create a wall of fire. With earth, you cast a fiery projectile. You can even combine it with heal to both dry and heal yourself at the same time (drying yourself still does a little damage otherwise).

But you know what? It's even deeper. Arcane with shield creates mines, to which you can add elements for added effect beyond just blowing something up. AoE cast creates a ring around you. Casting on target creates a quarter circle in front. Casting on weapon and then attacking with it creates a string along your path. This works the same for shield, with or without elements combined, creating a boostable defence (you can keep boosting. Shield takes damage from attacks though; lot of button mashing) or damaging defensive line.

And there's interaction between elements. Lightning not doing enough damage? Wet your enemy first for a considerable boost. Or maybe use cold instead, so enemies become frozen solid instead of just slowed. You know what? Do it all at once. Summon some steam (water + fire, steam wets like water), add lightning and arcane for a truly terrifying beam of destruction.

And that's not even all: earth + shield and area cast summons a ring or rocks around you. Casting on self encases you in a stone. Can't move, but it soakes up damage while you prepare something to strike with. And then you might add elements to this ring of stone. Arcane ends up blowing enemies away when the rock wears out, or fire to get miniature volcanoes. Oh, and ice; that fires multiple projectiles, which can be charged to focus the spread and increase range, like with earth+fire projectile. Add some arcane to really boost the damage. Trouble aiming? Let them come to you and release it as AoE. Rock too boring? Summon an icewall instead.

It truly is overwhelming. I think I tried just about everything, but when confronted with enemies, my mind goes blank because I can't decide what to unleash on these poor souls.

There's also specific combinations that let you cast Magicks, such as "haste" or "lightning bolt". These require a bit more finesse though, since you not only need to nail the elements but also the proper order.

Oh, and it's filled to the brim with dry, silly humour.

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http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...5-14-48-59.jpg
Target cast fire
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...5-14-59-62.jpg
Area of effect fire
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...5-15-11-58.jpg
Target cast fire shield
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...5-15-18-85.jpg
Area cast fire shield
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...5-15-25-35.jpg
Fire shield cast on weapon and attack
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...5-15-51-32.jpg
Fire + earth=fireball
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...5-16-04-96.jpg
Mines, with some flamy goodness added for good measure
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...5-16-39-47.jpg
And fire after hitting the wrong button...
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I've played through the adventure mode once without significant technical difficulty. Had exactly 1 crash, and 1 occasion where I needed to restart a level because I couldn't progress, no other bugs to report. If you get bored of it, there's also challenge mode, sending waves of enemies at you, all for your amusement! You won't quickly run out of new ways to dispatch them, and yourself.

That said, the real heart of this game is it's coöp mode, which as stated is a little wonky (haven't tried yet). Though aparently it works fine over LAN, so it's an issue with the netcode, rather than core-mechanics. I think it's just a matter of time before they get this sorted, the devs certainly are dedicated. They're keeping a close eye on the Steam boards and, as mentioned, are releasing patches on a daily schedule.

Also, DLC is free till the 31st. Not much there, haven't really bothered with it, but it's something to note.

* Riiight, have a rumage through here to read more and ogle some trailers: http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/tag/magicka/