Mages of Mystralia

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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.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Reviews

85%

Audience ScoreBased on 426 reviews

story positive mentions

replayability negative mentions

Innovative and fun spell-crafting system that allows for a wide variety of creative combinations.
Charming art style and engaging soundtrack that enhance the overall experience.
Decent puzzles and exploration elements that encourage players to experiment with spells.

The story is predictable and lacks depth, with a rushed ending that leaves many questions unanswered.
Combat can become repetitive and unchallenging, especially once powerful spells are unlocked.
Some controls and mechanics feel clunky, particularly when using keyboard and mouse instead of a controller.

story
190 mentions
31 % positive mentions
64 % neutral mentions
5 % negative mentions
The story in "Mages of Mystralia" is generally viewed as simple and somewhat predictable, with many players noting its lack of depth and rushed pacing, particularly towards the end. While some appreciate the charming presentation and engaging world-building, others find the narrative clichéd and forgettable, often overshadowed by the game's unique spellcrafting mechanics. Overall, the story serves as a backdrop to the gameplay rather than a driving force, leaving players hoping for more substantial content in potential sequels.
- “The story presents a fascinating world, and the art is vibrant.”
- “The story is really great.”
- “The story and gameplay are also fun, with a simple puzzle style progress, to unlock many new spell mods.”
- “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.”
gameplay
134 mentions
40 % positive mentions
52 % neutral mentions
8 % negative 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 tedious mechanics and a lack of fluidity. While some players appreciate the depth and potential of the spell mechanics, many find the overall gameplay repetitive and unengaging, particularly in the early stages. Despite its charming graphics and intriguing puzzles, the game struggles with pacing and clarity, leaving some players feeling that the mechanics could be better integrated into a more compelling experience.
- “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 game with a very unique gameplay, sweet graphics, and a fabulous soundtrack.”
- “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 feels more like you're fighting against the limitations of the mechanics than you are experimenting or making something cool with your spells.”
- “The gameplay, especially at the beginning of the game, is really holding it back.”
graphics
70 mentions
51 % positive mentions
44 % neutral mentions
4 % negative 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 colorful and pretty and fit the game well.”
- “The graphics are a bright, smooth, bold, expressive, and cutesy look.”
- “The graphics are hideous, the music is 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.”
music
63 mentions
48 % positive mentions
48 % neutral mentions
5 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many praising its enchanting and lovely qualities that enhance the overall experience. Some players find the soundtrack memorable and well-integrated into gameplay, while others describe it as repetitive or forgettable. Overall, it is often highlighted as a strong aspect of the game, contributing positively to the atmosphere and enjoyment.
- “Beautiful environments, beautiful music, very cool spellcrafting system.”
- “The music is delightful and enchanting in every locale; though the recurring use of some leitmotifs may feel repetitive to some, it felt to me rather adhesive, useful to tie themes together.”
- “The music was solid enough that I wouldn't listen to other music on the side while playing, which is an accomplishment when it comes to soundtracks and sound design.”
- “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.”
replayability
8 mentions
13 % positive mentions
50 % neutral mentions
38 % negative 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 experience is best enjoyed in a single playthrough. Players may find the game fun initially, but the lack of engaging content for subsequent runs diminishes its long-term appeal.
- “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.”
atmosphere
8 mentions
63 % positive mentions
25 % neutral mentions
13 % negative 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 sound effects contribute positively to the game's enchanting ambiance.
- “Beautifully magical atmosphere, highly customizable spells that feel powerful and/or 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.”
- “The music lacks punch and atmosphere, the controls are a little clunky, and the story is forgettable and unsatisfying.”
- “It does not even fit the atmosphere.”
- “It reminds me of Fable in terms of the cheerful atmosphere, but it falls short.”
grinding
7 mentions
14 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
86 % negative 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 feels monotonous and lacks depth, leading to frustration during early gameplay. Overall, the grinding is seen as a chore rather than an engaging mechanic.
- “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.”
humor
3 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by a mix of lighthearted and silly elements, with players appreciating the cute and funny character dialogues. However, some feel that the comedic aspects can be distracting, urging players to focus on more effective spells instead of indulging in the humor.
- “The dialogues are fantastic; I loved the way characters express themselves in such a cute and funny manner.”
- “It definitely puts pressure on you to stop messing around with the funny spells and find ones that work at least reasonably well.”
- “Fun, funny, and delightfully absurd!”
character development
3 mentions
33 % positive mentions
67 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is notably inconsistent; while some players appreciate the depth and growth of certain characters, others criticize the main character as dull and lacking in development, with NPCs also failing to leave a significant impact. The character designs have been described as caricature-like, which detracts from the overall experience for some players.
- “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.”
- “In particular, I just can't stand the character designs, which all look like caricature portraits.”
- “The main character is a dull ginger kid who resembles Pixar's Merida's ugly sister, with pretty much zero plot or character development from either the main characters or NPCs.”
stability
3 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative 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 reapplied immediately after breaking free?”
optimization
2 mentions
0 % positive mentions
50 % neutral mentions
50 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has been criticized for long load times and subpar performance, especially considering its relatively light graphical demands. While some aspects of the game, such as storytelling, also received mixed feedback, the primary concern remains its technical efficiency.
- “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.”
emotional
1 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Players express frustration with the emotional impact of the game's mechanics, particularly when defeating a boss and collecting a spell only to lose progress due to dying before reaching a checkpoint. This design choice can lead to feelings of disappointment and helplessness, detracting from the overall experience.
monetization
1 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The monetization of the game is criticized as a cash grab, with developers seemingly prioritizing 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, where developers try to impress quality game companies by showcasing flashy graphics and gameplay montages that don't reflect the actual broken mess we have here.”
- “The monetization strategy feels exploitative, as it prioritizes profit over player experience, making it hard to enjoy the game without spending extra money.”
- “It's frustrating to see a game that could have been great reduced to a series of paywalls and microtransactions, leaving players feeling cheated.”