Mages of Mystralia

85%
Game Brain Score Based on 426 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

85%
Audience ScoreBased on 426 reviews
story58 positive mentions
grinding6 negative mentions
  • The spell crafting system is incredibly deep and allows for a wide variety of creative combinations.
  • The game features charming graphics and a delightful soundtrack that enhances the overall experience.
  • The puzzles are engaging and require thoughtful use of spells, making for a satisfying gameplay experience.
  • The story is predictable and lacks depth, with a rushed ending that leaves many questions unanswered.
  • Combat can feel repetitive, as many encounters can be solved using the same powerful spells once they are unlocked.
  • The game is relatively short, leaving players wanting more content and exploration opportunities.
  • story190 mentions

    The story in the game is generally perceived as simple and somewhat predictable, often described as cliched or lacking depth, yet it has moments of charm and potential. While some players found it engaging and enjoyable, others felt it was rushed or underdeveloped, with many expressing a desire for a more intricate narrative and character development. Overall, the story serves as a backdrop to the innovative spellcrafting mechanics, which many players found more compelling than the plot itself.

    • “The story presents a fascinating world, and the art is vibrant.”
    • “The story and gameplay are also fun, with a simple puzzle style progress, to unlock many new spell mods.”
    • “The graphics are gorgeous, the story is actually decent if unoriginal (the in-game lore is actually great, though!)”
    • “The story is simple and feels a bit rushed, but isn't awful.”
    • “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 real problem I had is the story felt rushed, especially the last half.”
  • gameplay133 mentions

    The gameplay of the game is characterized by a unique and innovative spellcrafting system that allows for creative experimentation, though it is often hindered by clunky mechanics and a lack of engaging combat. While the puzzles and exploration elements are enjoyable, many players find the initial gameplay repetitive and the overall experience marred by design flaws and insufficient explanations of mechanics. Despite these issues, the game offers a charming aesthetic and a nostalgic feel reminiscent of classic titles, making it appealing to fans of magic-based gameplay.

    • “The game has some interesting mechanics to test around with for its magic system that can make it rewarding to dash around your enemies.”
    • “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 problem is, the story, the feeling and more importantly the gameplay… it’s pretty boring to be honest.”
  • graphics70 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 well-suited to the gameplay, enhancing the overall experience, while others describe them as mediocre or even "hideous." Overall, the art style is often noted for its cartoonish charm, though opinions vary widely on its execution and appeal.

    • “The graphics are gorgeous, the story is actually decent if unoriginal (the in-game lore is actually great, though!).”
    • “The graphics are bright, smooth, bold, expressive, and cutesy.”
    • “The graphics are colorful and pretty and fit the game well.”
    • “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.”
    • “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 ass-tastic graphics there is a good game in there.”
  • music63 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 it repetitive or forgettable, others highlight its ability to seamlessly blend with gameplay and evoke the right atmosphere. Overall, the soundtrack is often described as a standout feature, contributing positively to the game's charm and immersion.

    • “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.”
    • “I actually can't remember a lot about the music.”
  • replayability8 mentions

    Overall, the game's replayability is limited, with many players noting that once completed, there is little incentive to play again due to low difficulty and unskippable cutscenes. While some aspects, like the crafting system and treasure hunting, offer a degree of replay value, the general consensus is that the game is best enjoyed in a single playthrough.

    • “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% completing 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.”
  • atmosphere8 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is generally praised for its magical and nostalgic qualities, reminiscent of classic Zelda and Fable games, with beautiful art and intricate animations enhancing the experience. However, some critiques highlight a lack of impactful music and clunky controls that detract from the overall immersion. Despite these issues, the unique magic system and detailed lore contribute positively to the game's enchanting ambiance.

    • “Very atmospheric and reminiscent of old Zelda games.”
    • “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.”
    • “The music lacks punch and atmosphere, controls are a little clunky, and the story is forgettable and unsatisfying.”
    • “It does not even fit the atmosphere.”
  • grinding7 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious, with repetitive combat and spellcrafting that detracts from the overall experience. While the concept of magic creation is intriguing, its implementation leads to a monotonous cycle of repetitive tasks, particularly in the early game. Overall, the grinding is viewed as a significant flaw, making the gameplay feel more like a chore than an engaging experience.

    • “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 soon as you realize that you are doing repetitive things over and over again.”
    • “Complex and thought-provoking magic creation - mind-numbingly tedious implementation.”
  • humor3 mentions

    The humor in the game is characterized by a mix of lightheartedness and absurdity, with players enjoying the quirky dialogues and character expressions. While some find the comedic elements charming and entertaining, others feel that the humor can be distracting, urging players to focus on more effective gameplay strategies.

    • “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.”
  • character development3 mentions

    Character development in the game is criticized for its lack of depth, with main characters described as dull and poorly designed, resembling caricatures. However, some players appreciate the character development in the context of engaging gameplay elements, such as spellcrafting and puzzles, suggesting a mixed reception overall.

    • “The best feature of the game is its amazing spellcrafting mechanics, but it has some really great puzzles to solve and good character development.”
    • “In particular, I just can't stand the character designs, which all look like caricature portraits.”
    • “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.”
  • stability3 mentions

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

    • “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?”
  • optimization2 mentions

    The game's optimization has been criticized for long load times and subpar performance, especially considering its relatively light graphical demands.

    • “The only negative point is the load times and poor optimization for a game that seems not so heavy.”
    • “The optimization is lacking, leading to frustrating performance issues that detract from the overall experience.”
    • “I encountered frequent frame drops and stuttering, which made the gameplay feel unpolished and unenjoyable.”
  • emotional1 mentions

    Players express frustration with the emotional impact of the game's mechanics, particularly when defeating a boss and collecting rewards only to lose progress due to a lack of checkpoints, leading to feelings of disappointment and helplessness.

  • monetization1 mentions

    The monetization of the game is criticized as a cash grab, with developers relying on flashy marketing rather than delivering a quality product, leading to disappointment among players who feel misled by the initial presentation.

    • “This game is ultimately a classic Kickstarter cash grab, where developers try to impress quality game companies with flashy graphics and gameplay montages that don't reflect the actual broken mess we have here.”
    • “The monetization strategy feels exploitative, as it seems like the developers are more focused on squeezing money out of players than delivering a quality gaming experience.”
    • “I was disappointed to find that many features are locked behind paywalls, making it hard to enjoy the game without spending extra money.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

65% average critic score

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