[Review] – Magicka

In Magicka you play as a mage from the Order of Magic and are sent by a man named Vlad, who is by no means a vampire, on an ever cliche quest to save the world of Midgard from the evil wizard Grimnir. Things get crazy as you progress through the story, chock full of awesome references ranging from Monty Python and the Holy Grail, to Castlevania, and even Ski Free of all things. The game is fully voice acted, if you can consider Simlish proper voice acting. This just adds more to the wacky humor of the game. From beginning to end the story is just hilarious and awesome.

There are 8 different spell effects which are mapped to the Q, W, E, R, A, S, D, and F keys. You can make a spell with up to 5 effects in it, and some of the effects can be combined into one (such as fire and water becoming steam), while others don't combine at all (like water and lightning). This leads to an insane amount of spell possibilities, not all of them beneficial. In addition, every possible spell combination can be cast four different ways: outwards (this can be a projectile/beam/barrier/etc.), casted on self, casted as an area of effect spell (radial damage or barriers/mines to surround you), or used to enchant your weapon for a single spell infused swing. In addition to the normal spell combinations you can find spell books that produce much more specific effects when you cast the elements in the right order.

There is just a ridiculous amount of possible spell combinations in the game. What's really nice about it is that you get all of the elements by completing the tutorial, so you have access to every spell combination apart from the unique spell book ones from the very beginning. There is no leveling system aside from finding spell books and weapons or staffs with different enchantments. It's all about trial and error, learning what combinations are effective in each situation, and finding out the hard way what to avoid so as not to die horrifically.

In addition to the standard Adventure mode, there is a Challenge mode where you enter an arena and face waves of oncoming enemies. This is a great way to test the effectiveness of different spells you've devised. You don't keep any of your spell book magics or your weapon/staff, but can find them as you play through it.

The game features 4 player co-op in both Adventure and Challenge modes, which can be very fun - when it works right. At launch the multiplayer was practically unplayable with all of the lag, synchronization errors, and general inability for players to connect to each other. As of this writing several patches have been released which improve the functionality of multiplayer greatly, but it's still not perfect as there are still occasional disconnections and off-synced matches. The game is a great experience in single player alone though, and Paradox and Arrowhead are hard at work rolling out patches to get the multiplayer working right. From what I've played, co-op mode can be a blast, especially in the arena. Hopefully in the coming weeks it will be much more stable. LAN and local co-op don't really have any of the connection issues though, only online multiplayer. Aside from the multiplayer issues, if there was one thing I would want added to the game it would be some sort of level select.

In summation, Magicka is a very innovative, very fun game that is simply a joy to play. Though the multiplayer may be buggy at the moment, the single player campaign is a great experience. Even during the most difficult parts of the game it never really gets frustrating. Rather it gets you to stop and think of new ways you could counter your enemies and get through difficult areas with all of the potential spells at your disposal.

Magicka is an excellent game that is held back by a few bugs. But with patches released for it almost daily, it won't be long before the game is almost perfect for what it is: a fun, innovative, and hilarious experience that can be played with friends and should not be missed.