Lichdom: Battlemage

About

Lichdom: Battlemage is a single player open world role playing shooter game with fantasy and violence themes. It was developed by Xaviant and was released on August 26, 2014. It received neutral reviews from players.

Lichdom: Battlemage is a first-person caster that gives the Mage the spotlight in a way never before seen in games. With limitless magical power at your disposal and brutal enemies around every corner, victory hinges on a combination of skill and strategy. You must carefully craft a vast array of spells and learn to cast them in the heat of combat.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

+15

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54%

Audience ScoreBased on 2,088 reviews

story190 positive mentions

grinding109 negative mentions

Deep and customizable spell crafting system offers extensive combinations and strategic depth.
Visually impressive with well-designed environments and satisfying spell effects.
Combat is fast-paced and rewarding, especially when mastering spell synergies and tactical use of spells.

Gameplay becomes repetitive due to linear levels and limited enemy variety, causing monotony over time.
The spell crafting system is complex and poorly explained, leading to confusion and a steep learning curve.
The story is generic, poorly delivered, and lacks emotional engagement, detracting from overall immersion.

story
867 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
61%
17%
The story in Lichdom: Battlemage is widely regarded as generic, linear, and uninspiring, centered around a clichéd revenge plot with minimal character development and world-building. While some players appreciate the simple, straightforward narrative and decent voice acting, most find the storytelling disjointed, repetitive, and insufficiently integrated, serving mainly as a backdrop to the spellcrafting and combat rather than a compelling motivator. Overall, the narrative fails to engage or immerse players, often described as forgettable and a weak point compared to the game's mechanics and visuals.
- “And while the story and dialog may be no Fallout: New Vegas, it's certainly more in depth and intriguing than most other first-person shooters.”
- “While the story itself is somewhat conventional, focusing on a lone mage’s journey to save the world from an encroaching darkness, it is bolstered by engaging lore and world-building.”
- “The story is about what you'd expect from an arena shooter: your nameless protagonist (male or female, both fully voiced the entire game - the other becomes your game long partner, with unique dialog! this is impressive production value. also: hi Jennifer Hale! Femshep rides again!) is handed infinite magic power by a mentor, and sent on a quest of revenge after their family is killed by an evil cult threatening to take over the world.”
- “The story is generic and uninspired, revolving around vengeance but with little emotional investment.”
- “The story and game path are linear, but considering the story it is telling, keeping the player focused is probably a good thing.”
- “The plot is paper-thin and the collecting never felt rewarding.”
gameplay
728 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
57%
16%
The gameplay centers on first-person spellcasting with a unique and extensive spellcrafting system that encourages experimentation and strategic combat. While many praise the depth and fun of customizing spells and the fluid, fast-paced combat, the gameplay is also widely criticized for being repetitive, linear, and sometimes clunky with limited enemy and level variety. Overall, the game offers engaging mage mechanics and challenging combat for those who invest time in mastering its systems, but it can become monotonous and frustrating due to poor pacing, insufficient variety, and lack of clear tutorial guidance.
- “Unlike many traditional RPGs that rely heavily on melee combat or weapon-based fighting, Lichdom shifts the focus entirely to spellcasting, offering a unique gameplay experience where mastering a diverse arsenal of magical abilities is key to survival and progression.”
- “The spellcrafting mechanic adds a layer of strategic depth, making combat engaging and dynamic rather than repetitive.”
- “The gameplay is the most exciting element, thanks to the spell creation system that invites experimentation.”
- “The gameplay felt incredibly repetitive, and I really mean repetitive.”
- “The spells that I did have were getting very repetitive to use, only having to move around and spam mouse clicks until the enemy was dead, I had little to no fun with gameplay at all.”
- “It just wasn't the deep gameplay I wanted; the crafting system is too shallow in its basic form and too confusing in its advanced form, and the combat mechanics which are only two spells at a time and a teleport start getting boring fast.”
graphics
527 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
36%
4%
Lichdom: Battlemage’s graphics, powered by CryEngine 3, are widely praised for their stunning spell effects, detailed environments, and strong visual immersion that still hold up well years after release. The visuals offer satisfying and flashy magic combat aesthetics, though some note occasional technical glitches, inconsistent frame rates, and a somewhat dated art style compared to modern titles. Overall, while not flawless, the game’s graphics are considered its standout feature and a key contributor to the atmospheric dark fantasy experience.
- “The CryEngine 3 visuals still hold up beautifully, and landing a perfectly timed parry-nova or watching a necromancy-corruption synergy tear through a crowd is legitimately satisfying.”
- “Graphical presentation is excellent, likely helped along by the prowess of CryEngine.”
- “Running on CryEngine 3, the game delivers lovely, detailed visuals that hold strong today, 6 years after Lichdom’s initial release.”
- “The game is a technical mess; I had glitching graphics with objects popping in and out constantly, and some that didn't show at all, like the stairs you need to go up to move forward in the story.”
- “It's buggy, it has long load times, the graphics are not as good as I was hoping, they don't look very crisp, textures are just dull....it's a performance hog at that.”
- “Attempting to change graphics settings has frozen the game on several occasions as well.”
grinding
109 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Grinding in the game is widely criticized as tedious, repetitive, and overly time-consuming, with many players finding combat and spellcrafting unvaried and dull. While spell customization offers potential, frequent grinding for upgrades and loot often feels unrewarding and artificially inflates gameplay length. Overall, the heavy emphasis on grinding detracts significantly from the fun and pacing, making progression feel like a chore rather than an enjoyable challenge.
- “The acquisition of more spell shapes and augments is grindy as hell too, which wouldn't be a problem if the combat had more variety.”
- “You'll end up grinding the same levels over and over again to get something with the stats you want and find that it's lost its usefulness in 1 or 2 levels/zones or you'll just end up playing the game with whatever cobbled spells you can craft with random stats.”
- “Leveling each sigil requires using each sigil, mostly to get kills but not always, which quickly becomes very grindy and combined with the fact that spells are set to a sigil when crafted means that you're punished for trying new combos after the first few levels.”
optimization
68 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
53%
34%
Reviews indicate the game suffers from inconsistent and generally poor optimization, with frequent frame drops, stuttering, and high system demands even on mid-to-high-end rigs. While some users report stable performance on modern setups, many experience significant slowdowns and overheating issues, suggesting the game is better suited for powerful hardware—particularly AMD systems. Recent patches have improved performance somewhat, but optimization remains a notable weakness.
- “Performance: with every setting on max, you'll have a constant 60 fps (if you framelock/use vsync like I do) with almost no stuttering, so long as you're not playing it on a potato.”
- “But the performance on PC at least in my config is great GTX1070 = 1080p max settings with a stable 144fps.”
- “No fps issues, a few instances of frame timing issues that cause a stutter effect, folks this is an AMD optimized game and I am running Nvidia (EVGA 760 SC ACX 4GB) and even unoptimized it doesn't make a dent at max settings 1080p Tress FX on, typically it stays completely even in the most complex scenes between 50-60 FPS with little variance.”
- “Bad game performance, even with a GTX 1060 and a top Ryzen plus DDR4 RAM, it still runs slow on max settings, requiring lowering shaders and shadows.”
- “There is something seriously wrong with the game - frame measuring software shows 60fps all the time, but the game itself sometimes feels like 20fps, indicating terrible optimization.”
- “Unfortunately, there isn't a computer on the planet capable of handling how poorly the game is optimized; playing on maximum graphics results in framerates measured in decimal numbers.”
stability
59 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
3%
97%
The game shows notable stability issues, including occasional freezes, frame rate drops, and various graphical and gameplay glitches that disrupt immersion. Many bugs, such as AI oddities, clipping, and UI problems, are present but somewhat expected given its pre-alpha/early access status. While some players report a mostly smooth experience, the overall performance remains inconsistent and in need of optimization.
- “Graphics are good and seems generally bug free although as it's still in beta you will get the occasional floating wig or spawning with your head in the snow.”
- “Has lots of glitches and despite running the game on a PC designed and made years after the game's release, the game suffers from framerate issues at odd times (for example, it begins to chug in quiet moments rather than in the heat of battle).”
- “Worst of all though, occasionally the game freezes even though I'm running a pretty decent gaming PC.”
- “Unoptimized, boring gameplay, confusing story, slow as hell combat, buggy controls, buggy levels, random phasing and blinking, stuttering floor graphics, teleporting enemies, stuff hitting when you definitely dodged it, unbalanced boss fights, basically throwing tons of stuff at you; fail to dodge 1 thing and you're dead.”
music
51 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
41%
51%
8%
The music in the game is generally seen as adequate but unremarkable, often described as generic, repetitive, or forgettable, with some players appreciating its atmospheric role while others find it lacking a memorable or epic soundtrack. Sound effects and ambient audio are frequently praised for enhancing immersion and fitting the game's mood, though occasional technical issues with audio playback have been reported. Overall, the soundtrack supports the gameplay and environment well but does not stand out as a strong highlight.
- “Now, is Lichdom Battlemage a good game? Yes, it is honestly an amazing game. I loved every minute of my 20-hour playthrough. The story, effects, music, and spell combat are absolutely unreal, so good and fluid.”
- “I have been playing this for some time now and can easily say that it's an outstanding game. Graphics are one of the best, gameplay is crazy, sounds, music background give it atmosphere.”
- “Sound = 10/10 environmental, music and ambient are well put together, fit very well and although they aren't completely distinguishable in their own right, they don't come off as substandard either.”
- “The music is generic and somewhat grating.”
- “The music is bland, generic, so are the 'arenas'.”
- “Sound and background music actually gives me a migraine.”
emotional
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The emotional aspect of the game is largely criticized for its generic, boring, and predictable story that fails to engage players meaningfully. While some found moments of genuine emotional impact, such instances are rare and overshadowed by repetitive gameplay and uninspired narrative. Overall, the game struggles to evoke consistent emotional investment despite decent voice acting and concept.
- “The story seems pretty corny, but I ended up getting so invested that I cried near the end.”
- “I'm not going to lie, this game made me cry deep inside and externally.”
- “Good graphics and fantastic concept, but long and not really touching story as well as low action and complicated inventory and items system.”
- “An interesting concept severely hampered by linear gameplay, a boring story, and an overly complex mechanical system.”
- “Boring story, linear and repetitive gameplay.”
- “The story has been quite lame so far, but not much worse than any other game with a predictable boring story.”
replayability
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
70%
15%
Replayability in this game is primarily driven by experimenting with different spell combinations, character gender choices, and builds, appealing to players who enjoy mastering magic systems. However, its linear progression, limited character variety, and some post-game balance issues reduce long-term motivation for many, resulting in mixed views on replay value. Overall, it offers moderate replayability for fans of spellcasting RPGs but may feel shallow or repetitive to others.
- “There's some replay value, as you'll need multiple playthroughs to fully use all the available spells and combinations, plus killing enemies in this game is pretty enjoyable, especially with a broken build.”
- “As a spellcaster the possibilities of the game offer great replayability.”
- “There is a lot of replayability due to the fact that there are spells you must commit to in order to get them leveled enough to finish off the bosses.”
- “The post-game had some issues with gear not scaling past level 13, so replayability was kind of destroyed, but definitely hoping for a sequel or similar games from this studio.”
- “No replay value, no character relation or development, and the most cheesy revenge story ever.”
- “There are some cons: the game is extremely linear and has very little replay value, and runs at very low framerates due to poor optimization.”
humor
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
95%
5%
The game's humor is characterized by playful, over-the-top magic antics, witty voice acting, and sarcastic companion banter that many find entertaining and badass. While some appreciate the lighthearted, goofy tone and spell-crafting fun, others feel the humor can be hit-or-miss, with occasional awkward dialogue and tonal inconsistencies that detract from the overall experience. Overall, the humor adds charm for many players but may not appeal to those expecting a darker or more polished narrative.
- “Depending on your choice, the opposite gender joins you as a companion who pops up now and then to be sarcastic, which I actually found hilarious.”
- “- The voice acting is great, and quite funny :p”
- “Certain people fail to understand that, and it's rather funny to see them complaining that enemies are too strong, spells are too weak, and they can't just come through the whole game with one set of spells they created at the very beginning.”
atmosphere
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
35%
47%
18%
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its detailed, dark fantasy environments, atmospheric lighting, and varied level themes that effectively convey mood through weather and color schemes. Enhanced by impressive graphics, spell effects, and immersive sound design, the setting creates a tense, engaging experience. However, some critiques note that modern, humorous voice acting occasionally undermines the otherwise serious and immersive dark atmosphere.
- “The environments range from desolate wastelands to dark fortresses, with detailed textures and atmospheric lighting that effectively convey the game’s dark fantasy setting.”
- “Also, the different level themes (like harbour city, ice world or swamp) implement the corresponding atmosphere very well by using different weather schemes, color saturation and so on.”
- “I have been playing this for some time now and can easily say that it's an outstanding game, graphics are one of the best, gameplay is crazy, sounds, music background give it atmosphere.”
- “Voice acting is done well enough with a dash of humor, but the immersion is broken, making the game feel like one big joke. Slapstick misplaced humor doesn't belong in a dark atmosphere, and the dread of the situation is lost.”
- “It's clear the intent was to make the characters relatable by their voice acting, but placing actors, phrases, and terminology from this day and age in a game principally designed to provide a fantasy atmosphere is borderline stupid.”
- “The story is forgettable and a simple excuse to allow the player to incinerate, freeze, and devastate hordes of enemies, despite the good level design, excellent graphics, and charming dark fantasy atmosphere.”
character development
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
14%
43%
Reviews highlight that while the game features a unique and praised character development journey, particularly the protagonist's transformation from jeweler to ultimate warlock, it lacks depth in side character encounters and meaningful dialogue. Some players appreciate the cool character design reminiscent of the 'Dishonored' series, but others criticize the absence of strong storylines and engaging development, leading to a lack of emotional investment. Overall, character development is a mixed aspect, with strengths in the main arc but weaknesses in supporting roles and narrative depth.
- “Its unique character development is its trump card and no other game is known to me to be close to this.”
- “It had some really great character development.”
- “Cool character design similar to the 'Dishonored' series.”
- “The game could have used deeper encounters with side characters, more meaningful dialogues and more fruitful character development outside of turning from jewelry blacksmith to ultimate warlock.”
- “They have zero worthwhile character development that gets me to care about anyone.”
- “There is no strong story line, no character development, no sensible balance between physical-magical abilities and no items.”
monetization
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
15%
71%
Users criticize the game's monetization for being aggressive and reminiscent of cash grabs, contrasting it with a preference for one-time purchases without paywalls or microtransactions. They also express disappointment that the game does not live up to its advertised experience, contributing to a frustrating grind.
- “This studio is in for hard times... 'The Culling', their 2017 debut game, was dead on arrival and a cash grab too.”
- “Pay the price once, own the game and all the content forever, no paywall, no artificial grind to sell microtransactions, no BS ... just a game.”
- “If these changes were made, Lichdom would live up to its advertising, but right now it's just a slog.”