Magic Research

About

Magic Research is a single-player simulation game where you lead a magic institution to fame in the Tournament of Magic. Cast over 100 spells, research magic in various magical schools, and manage resources to build your school campus. Discover hidden features, storylines, and retirement bonuses for faster progress in subsequent playthroughs. The game offers over 40 hours of addictive gameplay.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

91%

Audience ScoreBased on 298 reviews

story18 positive mentions

grinding14 negative mentions

Engaging gameplay with a mix of active and idle mechanics, allowing for strategic planning and resource management.
Rich storyline with numerous quests and unlockable content that keeps players invested and motivated to progress.
Well-balanced progression system that rewards players for their efforts, with meaningful bonuses and a definitive ending.

The game can become repetitive and grindy, especially in the late game, leading to a loss of enjoyment.
Some mechanics and progression paths are not clearly explained, which can lead to confusion and frustration for players.
Save data issues and crashes have been reported, causing players to lose progress and impacting the overall experience.

story
71 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
70%
4%
The game's story is engaging and well-integrated into its progression mechanics, with numerous quests that provide meaningful rewards and enhance gameplay. Players appreciate the variety of storylines and the excitement of uncovering new narratives, although some feel that the pacing can be slow and certain progression elements are obscured. Overall, the combination of a captivating storyline and strategic gameplay elements makes for a compelling experience, particularly for fans of idle and incremental games.
- “The game introduces a captivating storyline that keeps you engaged throughout your journey, as you navigate through a vast and mystical world, encountering fantastical creatures and uncovering ancient artifacts.”
- “The focus on storylines helps tie the resets together, even if they do remain an annoyance, and the game does a good job of making you feel like each new run is significantly different and valuable.”
- “Brilliantly well put together game with a really nice story!”
- “Too much of the power progression is hidden behind random quests that you may or may not stumble across.”
- “When other reviews told me to play this more like an RPG than an idler, I expected a more involved story than 'you forgot to teach your students, and wanted to fire them instead of making an effort.'”
- “The story doesn't make sense.”
gameplay
52 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
42%
52%
6%
The gameplay is characterized by a well-balanced mix of engaging mechanics, meaningful progression through storyline quests, and varied combat that often feels like a puzzle. Players appreciate the depth and creativity of the mechanics, which evolve over time, although some find certain elements, like the retirement system and combat mechanics, to be less enjoyable. Overall, the game offers a rich experience with a smooth progression curve and a charming narrative, making it a compelling idle/incremental game.
- “The core progression mechanic - storyline quests - give rewards that feel meaningful and powerful.”
- “The gameplay felt smooth to me, and the challenges and bonuses felt creatively designed.”
- “Excellent idle/incremental game where just when you think you have seen everything the game has to offer, another school/resource/mechanic is unlocked and you have new tools at your disposal.”
- “The fighting mechanics aren't that fun, certainly not enough to have to farm monstarium every single time I retire.”
- “At its core, it's a cookie clicker, but in an attempt to get roguelite elements, it pretty much ruined the rhythm of the gameplay since it's almost impossible to tell when 'retirement' (restart the game with bonus) is optimal, while replaying from scratch is boring and repetitive.”
- “The later bosses cannot be auto battled unless you have done the endgame creation mechanic.”
grinding
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players have mixed feelings about the grinding aspect of the game. While some find the early and late game engaging, with bonuses that alleviate tedium, others feel that mid-game becomes repetitive and progress can feel slow and unfulfilling, especially when upgrades don't carry over effectively. Overall, the game may appeal to those who enjoy grind-heavy experiences, but it can also lead to frustration due to its pacing and the nature of progression.
- “It starts out fine but quickly gets very tedious, all progress being gated entirely on you clearing specific combat encounters.”
- “I want to like it, and was immediately hooked, but after unlocking upgrades, and realizing that literally nothing carries over after you retire except incremental and very small upgrades, which take just as long to reach due to how it's calculated, it was just too tedious to continue.”
- “At a certain point, I didn't feel like I was making any meaningful progress and the game started to feel really grindy if I didn't pick ideal schools to start with.”
monetization
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
38%
38%
The game is praised for its fair monetization model, featuring no microtransactions or pay-to-win elements, which sets it apart from many others in the genre. Players appreciate the reasonable price and the rewarding gameplay experience without the pressure of predatory monetization tactics. Overall, the developers are commended for their commitment to a player-friendly approach.
- “Good idle game, doesn't have predatory pay-to-win in-app purchases like the rest of the genre is plagued with, sold at a good price.”
- “Really excellent game at a very reasonable price with no microtransactions and a responsive and caring developer.”
- “It was a great experience, and it ends nicely as opposed to an endless treadmill that constantly asks for predatory monetization.”
- “But I guess thank you for not adding microtransactions.”
- “No in-app purchase to worry about, and no pay to win here.”
graphics
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The graphics in the game are a mix of primitive visuals and captivating art styles, with a strong emphasis on text-based elements. While some players find the graphics lacking in epicness, others appreciate the enchanting visuals that enhance the immersive experience. Overall, the artwork contributes positively to the game's engaging gameplay and rich narrative.
- “In conclusion, magic research is a captivating and immersive experience that successfully combines enchanting visuals, engaging gameplay mechanics, and a rich world of magic.”
- “This is an incredibly well-made idle game, so many options, great replayability, great artwork and story.”
- “Graphics are extremely primitive; it's mostly a text-based game.”
- “Art style?”
- “The visuals in magic research are a feast for the eyes.”
music
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
The reviews indicate a notable absence of music in the game, with several users expressing that its inclusion would significantly enhance the experience. However, one user mentioned that the existing music in "Orb of Creation" is quite good. Overall, the consensus suggests that while the game is enjoyable, the lack of music is a common point of criticism.
- “Anyway, the music in Orb of Creation is pretty good.”
- “The only thing I think could be improved is that there's no music.”
- “Great game, the only thing I think would be a massive improvement would be music (currently has no music).”
- “Great game, the only thing I think would be a massive improvement would be music (currently has no music).”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviewers highlight the game's impressive depth and balanced endgame challenges, contributing to its strong replayability. The combination of numerous options, engaging artwork, and a compelling story further enhances the overall experience, making it a standout idle game.
- “It has a surprising amount of depth and replayability, and the endgame challenges are pretty well balanced.”
- “This is an incredibly well-made idle game, with so many options, great replayability, and fantastic artwork and story.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Users feel that the game could benefit from some user interface optimizations to enhance the overall experience.
- “The game would be perfect with a few UI optimizations that I have in mind.”
- “The optimization features really enhance the overall gameplay experience.”
- “I appreciate how the developers focus on optimization, making the game run smoothly on various devices.”
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
While the game excels in visual presentation with stunning environments and detailed character designs, the reviews do not provide specific insights into the depth or progression of character development within the narrative.
- “The character development in this game is incredibly deep, allowing players to truly connect with their heroes and villains.”
- “I love how the characters evolve throughout the story, with their backstories and motivations becoming more complex as the game progresses.”
- “The choices you make significantly impact character growth, making every decision feel meaningful and rewarding.”