Mages of Mystralia

75%
Game Brain Score Based on 878 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
Mages of Mystralia Game Cover
How many games have promised that you can make, or at least heavily customise, your own skills? Quite a number, I’d wager.
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In Mages of Mystralia, players control Zia, a young mage with the ability to craft and customize spells. After discovering her magical powers, Zia is sent to a mage sanctuary to learn how to control her abilities and save her kingdom from a looming magical catastrophe. The game features puzzle-filled dungeons, dynamic spell casting, and a richly detailed world to explore.

  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Steam Deck
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

75%
Audience ScoreBased on 878 reviews
story116 positive mentions
replayability6 negative mentions
  • Unique and engaging spellcrafting system that encourages creativity.
  • Charming art style and enjoyable soundtrack that enhance the overall experience.
  • Fun puzzles and combat that provide a satisfying gameplay loop.
  • Story feels rushed and predictable, lacking depth and character development.
  • Combat can become repetitive and lacks challenge as the game progresses.
  • Some controls and mechanics can feel clunky, especially without a controller.
  • story387 mentions

    The story of "Mages of Mystralia" is generally perceived as simple and somewhat predictable, with many reviewers noting its cliched elements and rushed pacing, particularly towards the end. While some players found the narrative engaging and charming, others felt it lacked depth and complexity, often taking a backseat to the gameplay mechanics. Overall, the game presents a decent but unremarkable fantasy plot that leaves room for potential expansion in future installments.

    • “The story is well written and explains the world wonderfully.”
    • “The story and gameplay are so addicting it pulls you right in!”
    • “The story presents a fascinating world, and the art is vibrant.”
    • “The problem is, the story, the feeling and more importantly the gameplay… it’s pretty boring to be honest.”
    • “The whole story ends up feeling very shallow, and you don't even really have to think about it for 95% of the game.”
    • “The only downside is that the story is a pretty generic fantasy story with broadly unremarkable characters.”
  • gameplay277 mentions

    The gameplay of "Mages of Mystralia" is characterized by a unique and innovative spellcrafting system that allows for creative experimentation, though it can feel tedious and lacks fluidity at times. While the game features enjoyable puzzles and exploration reminiscent of classic Zelda titles, many players find the initial gameplay repetitive and the mechanics somewhat unrefined. Overall, the game offers a charming experience with solid mechanics, but it struggles with pacing and engagement, leaving some players wanting more depth and polish.

    • “The spell mechanics are unique and creative; I've not seen another game allow for this type of mechanic, and it was great to play around with!”
    • “Great exploration adventure with an intriguing magic mechanic (build your own spells by linking effect runes in different ways).”
    • “The best feature of the game is its amazing spellcrafting mechanics, but it has some really great puzzles to solve and good character development.”
    • “Sadly, the gameplay in this title is just not good enough to carry it, and the design of the game is... well, bad.”
    • “It is just not engaging at all, which is sad because I feel like the spell system deserves better mechanics than this.”
    • “The gameplay, especially at the beginning of the game, is really holding it back.”
  • graphics141 mentions

    The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the colorful and charming art style, while others criticize it as simplistic or unappealing. Some players find the visuals to be cute and fitting for the gameplay, while others describe them as hideous or reminiscent of low-quality indie titles. Overall, the art style is often noted for its cartoonish charm, though opinions vary widely on its execution and appeal.

    • “The graphics and story are charming, the music is great, the particle effects on the spells glitter as they repeatedly burn and freeze in place all the goblins on and off screen.”
    • “The graphics are a bright, smooth, bold, expressive, and cutesy look.”
    • “Graphics are colorful and pretty and fit the game well.”
    • “It's not that the graphics are poor quality, just that the chosen art style is very unappealing.”
    • “If you can stomach the horrible camera and terrible graphics, there is a good game in there.”
    • “This game ultimately feels like a classic Kickstarter cash grab, where developers rely on flashy graphics and gameplay montages that don't reflect the actual broken mess of the game.”
  • music127 mentions

    The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many praising its enchanting and lovely qualities that enhance the overall experience. While some players find the soundtrack memorable and fitting for various game moments, others describe it as repetitive or forgettable. Overall, the music is generally regarded as a strong aspect of the game, contributing positively to its charm and atmosphere.

    • “Beautiful environments, beautiful music, very cool spellcrafting system.”
    • “The music is delightful and enchanting in every locale, though the recurring use of some leitmotifs will feel repetitive to some, it felt to me rather adhesive, useful to tie themes together.”
    • “You can tell a lot of love went into the score and it's worth picking up if you enjoy video game soundtracks in general.”
    • “The graphics are hideous, the music forgettable, the controls are responsive but don't feel great, and the game's pacing is a bit odd.”
    • “The spells are unimaginative and bland, the puzzles boring and obvious, the art is...okay, the music is repetitive and annoying, and the core difficulty, the only difficulty, is swarm tactics.”
    • “Music lacks punch and atmosphere, controls are a little clunky, and the story is forgettable and unsatisfying.”
  • replayability16 mentions

    Overall, the game has limited replayability, primarily due to unskippable cutscenes and a low difficulty level that may deter players from multiple playthroughs. While some players may find value in exploring different difficulty settings or engaging in treasure hunting, the general consensus is that replaying the game is not strongly encouraged. However, the crafting system adds a layer of depth that could enhance replay value for dedicated players.

    • “Definitely worth full price just due to the overall quality, and due to the crafting system this game has plenty of replayability.”
    • “The game has some replay value if you're the kind of person who enjoys treasure hunting and 100% a game.”
    • “The second difficulty is there for replay value, I guess.”
    • “Game offers no replayability after completing.”
    • “No replayability value though.”
    • “The game is in no way too short, but replayability is not very encouraged, and by the end of the game, players might miss the pleasant pace of progression this game offered.”
  • atmosphere16 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its magical and nostalgic qualities, reminiscent of classic Zelda games and featuring a charming art style with intricate animations. While the sound effects contribute positively, some reviewers noted that the music lacks impact and the overall story feels forgettable. Despite minor criticisms, the atmosphere is generally considered a standout aspect, enhanced by a unique magic system and customizable spells.

    • “Beautifully magical atmosphere, highly customizable spells that feel powerful and ingenious.”
    • “It has a wonderful atmosphere and lore, and a magic system that is quite unique.”
    • “Cute and highly polished art style, remarkably intricate and detailed animations, cool magic and puzzle mechanics, nice overall atmosphere - on most levels this is really a gem.”
    • “Music lacks punch and atmosphere, controls are a little clunky, and the story is forgettable and unsatisfying.”
    • “It does not even fit the atmosphere.”
    • “Plus it reminds me of Fable as far as the cheerful atmosphere is concerned.”
  • grinding15 mentions

    Reviews highlight that the grinding aspect of the game is largely viewed as tedious and repetitive, with combat often feeling like a chore rather than an engaging experience. While the concept of spellcrafting is intriguing, its implementation leads to mind-numbing repetition, particularly in the early game. However, some players appreciate the lack of excessive grinding, noting that the game rewards strategic thinking over mindless repetition.

    • “Combat cycles between a tedious chore and a tedious bloodbath as you get attacked from every angle.”
    • “The concept of spellcraft in this game is seemingly interesting, but it gets tedious as you realize that you are doing repetitive things over and over again.”
    • “Complex and thought-provoking magic creation - mind-numbingly tedious implementation.”
  • character development7 mentions

    Character development in the game has received mixed reviews, with some players criticizing the designs and lack of depth in the main characters and NPCs, describing them as dull and caricature-like. However, others have noted that despite these shortcomings, there are moments of good character development intertwined with engaging gameplay elements like spellcrafting and puzzles. Overall, the consensus suggests that while the game excels in certain mechanics, character development is a notable weakness.

    • “The best feature of the game is its amazing spellcrafting mechanics (I have yet to find all runes, maybe in my second playthrough), but it has some really great puzzles to solve and good character development.”
    • “The puzzles are varied and fair in terms of difficulty, but weak character development and jumpy pacing will surely throw you off.”
    • “The main character is a dull ginger kid that looks like Pixar's Merida's ugly sister, with pretty much zero plot or character development from characters or NPCs.”
    • “Either way, the puzzles are varied and fair in terms of difficulty, but weak character development and jumpy pacing will surely throw you off.”
    • “In particular, I just can't stand the character designs, who all look like caricature portraits.”
  • humor6 mentions

    The humor in the game is described as fun and cute, particularly in the character dialogues, which are noted for their indistinct yet amusing expressions. However, some players feel that the humor can be overshadowed by the need to focus on effective gameplay rather than just entertaining spells. Overall, the humor is a mixed bag, with moments of charm and silliness, but also a sense of frustration.

    • “I loved the way characters express themselves indistinguishably; that was cute and funny.”
    • “It definitely puts pressure on you to stop messing around with funny spells and find ones that work at least reasonably well.”
    • “Fun, funny, and stupid; better just leave.”
  • stability6 mentions

    Overall, the game's stability is generally solid, with only minor glitches and dialogue errors that do not significantly impact gameplay. However, players have noted some confusing mechanics, such as the need to mash an uncommon button to escape freezing effects, which can be frustrating.

    • “In terms of weirdness, there are some errors in the dialogue, a few glitches (none that are game breaking), and some dangling/confusing story threads at the end.”
    • “Having to mash a button normally unused in combat to break free from an effect that freezes you in place and, worse, can be re-applied immediately after breaking free?”
  • optimization4 mentions

    The game's optimization has been criticized for long load times and performance issues, especially considering its relatively light graphical demands. Overall, players feel that the optimization detracts from the experience.

    • “The only negative point is load times and poor optimization for a game that seems not so heavy.”
  • emotional2 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by the frustration players feel when they achieve significant milestones, such as defeating a boss, only to lose progress due to a lack of checkpoints. This creates a sense of tension and disappointment, impacting the overall emotional experience.

  • monetization2 mentions

    The monetization strategy of the game is criticized as a typical Kickstarter cash grab, where developers prioritize flashy marketing over delivering a quality product, resulting in a broken game that fails to meet player expectations.

    • “This game is ultimately a classic Kickstarter cash grab in which developers beg their way onto the Steam store by wowing us with flashy graphics and gameplay montages that don't really reflect the actual broken mess of a game we have here.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

65% average critic score

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