Originally released in 2011, Magicka is a fun action/adventure spell casting game that has actually held up really well. I recently played through the game again on Steam and was surprised at how much fun the game still was. Think of this as a more “magic casting” version of Castle Crashers and you will have an idea of what to expect.
How to Download Magicka
You can get the game from Steam. Click on the Download button below the review.
The Game Review
Magicka has a fantasy setting that as well all know in games has been done to death. However, I feel that the tone and charm of this game not to mention the humor make it great. There are many laugh-out-loud moments here as you graduate wizard school and try to save the king and the land of Midgard. I love how lose the game plays with typical fantasy tropes and Norse lore.
The game is pretty action-packed and you will be surprised at just how difficult it can be. The Adventure mode is the main game mode where you play through the story. Here you will have to traverse levels, defeat enemies, bosses and find secrets too! There really is always something going on and you will feel like you never have a moment to rest.
The combat in Magicka is one of the things (well this and the humor) that I like the best. This is a spell casting game and you have eight different elemental spells such as fire, lightning, ice and so on. These spells are easy to cast and require just the press of a button. What is cool is that as you play, you will find combination and secret spells!
These are much harder to require and there are so many that you will often have to jump into your spellbook to remember how to do a particular spell. When you do know spell combinations off by heart though, it will make you feel like a powerful warrior. Well, until an NPC throws a hilarious insult your way of course and then you will question your skills and yourself as a human being.
The gameplay is something that I really do enjoy. Yet I must admit that the game does show its age in a few places. The most notable one is not being able to move and fire spells at the same. This along with the rather strict and sometimes unfair checkpoint system can make the game feel more unfair than challenging on a few occasions.
While most of your time will be spent with the Adventure Mode. You also have a challenge mode and a multiplayer mode to enjoy. Playing the game with friends is a great deal of fun and in many ways, this is when I feel that it really does resemble the same kind of fun, excitement, and comradery that you get with a game like Castle Crashers.
Despite a few “old school” issues and I really do me just a few. I think that Magicka is a game that holds up really well and is still a lot of fun to play. While it is enjoyable playing through it on your own. It is when you have some buddies to play with that you really see what a fun game this is.
