Gameplay Today - Because You're Always Gaming

Let’s face it… wizards are pretty damn cool. Whether it may be Gandalf, Dumbledore, or Elminster, wizards are always some of the coolest characters in any fantasy setting. I personally think it’s because of the beards. Although the wizards of Magicka lack the beards of renowned wizards of the past (at least I think so), they make up for it with the satisfying pain they can dish out. Magicka is a goofy and addictive top down adventure title created by Arrowhead studios and published by Paradox software. The game puts you in control of a wizard who by himself (or more likely in a group of four similarly gifted magicians) unleashes eldritch punishment to all enemies through mixing the primal elements of Earth.

In Magicka you guide a wizard who has been given the arduous task of defeating an evil magic-user who has screwed up everything. This is some pretty standard fantasy stuff, but the game is not a serious game but rather a unapologetic parody of pretty much every video game, internet, and traditional RPG story element you can think of. Another comical element is the character voices which are a mix of gibberish and Eastern European languages as far as I can tell. Your mentor at the beginning of the game is a vam… I mean wizard by the name of Vlad whom is constantly in the game explaining to you what is going on or just offering some humorous or useful advice. The story mode of the title lasts for 12 main levels and is very satisfying and challenging alone or in a group.

Because wizards lack key fitness skills such as swimming, you will need to be using magic for most of the game. Magic is cast using a mixture of the game’s eight major elements and a few minor ones. Along with these spells, there are also summon type spells which usually give buffs, change the weather or do some kind of key game feature such as resurrect. I never get tired of trying new mixes of spells. I have heard that there are some more powerful than others, but this is understandable and wont stop me from trying all the combinations. Controls are standard top down style and I have had no problems controlling my wizard through his rampages.

Multiplayer is where this game turns from a shiny diamond in a rough to polished bar of gaming gold. The online multiplayer allows up to four players to either play through story modes or challenge mode which is like a survival mode. All of these are truly a blast and the wizards can do some special things when working together that one simply cannot do alone such as crossing your beams. (Despite the warnings from Ghost Busters) In just the few weeks that I have experienced this game, I have been having a ball playing with random people online and look forward to joining up with pals soon to play a more serious (or silly but productive) play through of the game online. Magicka also boasts a Steam leader board for score and a ton of achievements for people who are into that kind of thing.

Graphics are pretty standard and nice looking 3D. Enemies defeated will explode in a variety of ways like blowing up into bits. The stages are semi-dynamic and sometimes catch on fire or can be frozen. Nice touches like this make the graphics although simple very satisfying to look at.  Although there are occasional graphics glitches, nothing is really out of place or terribly done. The game features a variety of staves and weapons for the wizard to use with special abilities which are fun to switch and mix and match. Each of these has some cool graphics and more can be unlocked via DLC. (Which I have yet to try out) The sound, as stated before, is goofy and fun. The music is nice and fits the tone of the game as does the sound effects.

If you enjoy fantasy adventure and wizards you will probably love Magicka. Although beware if you cannot handle silly stories. Magicka is a definite contender for my favorite PC game this year.