Magic always has, and likely always will, be one of the most immediately attractive features in a game. Whether its the deep magical systems in various elemental schools from the Elder Scrolls series, or the fast paced swish and flick of Hogwarts Legacy, doing things that aren’t possible in real life is usually pretty great.
If you then decided that you wanted to add the old school Legend of Zelda games to that already heady concoction and you’re almost certainly on to a winner.
Step forward Magicraft, an exciting roguelike from developer Wave Games that puts magic right at the front of its gameplay (hence the name).
The really exciting part here is that there are literally hundreds of spells to take advantage of. That system is then furthered by a complex mechanic in which more than 100 of those spells can be used in conjunction with one another to create additional effects.
As well as changing what the spells look like on the screen, it also greatly alters their output and could be the difference between life and death in the game’s toughest boss battles.
This already intriguing pseudo-buildcrafting is deepened even further by over 100 unique attribute boosting staffs, 80 powerful relics and nine initial character sets.
To keep things interesting outside of the linear path to the game’s final boss, there are also quite a few secret bonus levels and mini-games that serve as a nice aside for when the main game kills you too many times.
While the 2D art design might not be for absolutely everyone, the quality of the finished product is pretty spectacular and it’s head and shoulders above many of the immediate competitors in the genre.
The game has a free demo available to download to try before you buy, with the full version available £13.49/$14.99.
Featured Image Credit: Wave Games
Topics: Indie Games, Steam