Magic Research 2
- May 21, 2024
- Maticolotto
- 5h median play time
Get on SteamMagic Research 2 is a sequel where you play as a wizard seeking the Philosopher's Stone to cure any illness. With over 120 spells, you can craft resources, improve attacks, and more. Learn to use different Elements and transmute over 250 items, controlling a team of wizards to cast spells for you. Your journey to mastering magic is filled with many distinct adventures.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features a fun and engaging progression system with a variety of builds and strategies, making each playthrough feel fresh.
- Quality of life improvements significantly reduce grind and enhance the overall gameplay experience, making it accessible for both casual and dedicated players.
- The story and mechanics are well-integrated, providing a satisfying narrative that keeps players motivated to continue exploring and unlocking new content.
- The game can become tedious due to excessive micromanagement, especially after resets, which may deter some players from fully enjoying the experience.
- Some players find the combat mechanics overly complicated and not well-suited for an idle game, requiring too much active engagement.
- There are complaints about the writing quality and pacing of the story, with some players feeling that it lacks depth and coherence compared to the first game.
- story125 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 64 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The game's story is generally well-received, featuring a compelling narrative that enhances the gameplay experience, with many players appreciating its engaging text-based format and the variety of storylines. However, some critiques highlight issues with writing quality, including typos and boilerplate elements, which detract from the overall experience. Despite these flaws, the story's integration with gameplay mechanics keeps players motivated and invested throughout their journey.
“The game also features a pretty engaging story that makes it worth playing, and there is even guidance on how to trigger every event so you'll never feel like you're flailing around with no purpose.”
“This is a fun little game with better story writing than so many of the fancier titles out there right now.”
“The numerical + storyline-based progression makes for a really engaging incremental journey.”
“Story has tons of typos and terrible writing; I would be very surprised if the developers are English-speaking, and if they're not, they definitely didn't hire a translator/editor.”
“The story is a bit boilerplate, sometimes resembling some sort of anime, with characters constantly escaping after you defeat them or 'reaching their final form' after being defeated, etc.”
“Considering 99% of the story is told entirely through walls of text, this is particularly egregious.”
- gameplay78 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The gameplay is praised for its engaging mechanics, rewarding progression, and the introduction of innovative systems that keep the experience fresh and active. Players appreciate the balance between idle and active gameplay, as well as the variety of strategies and combinations available, although some find certain mechanics overwhelming or poorly designed. Overall, the game is seen as a significant improvement over its predecessor, offering a fun and addictive experience without the pitfalls of pay-to-win models.
“The best incremental game I've ever played due not only to its stellar mechanics and fun story, but due to how hands-on it is.”
“But overall, there are many interesting gameplay mechanics, a lot of room for experimentation, and it just feels very good to play.”
“The steady inflow of new mechanics keeps the game fresh, and the game is balanced well, which are two exceptionally important things for a genre about numbers going up.”
“Reconfiguring every single mechanic every single reset is incredibly tedious.”
“This arbitrarily long, poorly designed mechanic cripples the game because something that could be done in one step is now four, of which three are completely pointless and provide no value to the game.”
“Maybe I needed to invest another 30 hours, but getting all the new mechanic popups right when I reach the next mechanic, on top of other pop ups and level ups in the background was a bit overwhelming.”
- grinding22 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 9 % neutral mentions
- 91 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious and boring, particularly in the late game where challenges feel more like a chore than an engaging experience. The repetitive nature of reconfiguring mechanics and the lack of clarity on whether grinding is worthwhile contribute to a frustrating gameplay loop, especially in a single-player context where such design choices seem less justified. Overall, while grinding is expected in these types of games, it should be balanced with fun elements to maintain player interest.
“Late game challenges aren't difficult, they're tedious.”
“Reconfiguring every single mechanic every single reset is incredibly tedious.”
“Tedious and boring.”
- replayability6 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The game features high replayability due to its post-ending challenges and an innovative "retirement" system, which offers players multiple ways to advance and encourages repeated playthroughs.
“Highly replayable incremental game with various ways to advance.”
“The 'retirement' system is such an ingenious mechanic and adds a lot of replayability.”
“Post-ending challenges increase replayability.”
- music6 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The game lacks both music and sound effects, which many players feel detracts from the overall experience, especially when compared to its predecessor. Despite this absence, some users still find the game enjoyable, suggesting that the addition of sound elements could enhance their experience.
“Idk how a game with no music or sound effects can be this good, but there you go.”
“The game is generally worse than the first installment, with no obvious improvements in sight; there are still no sound effects and no soundtrack.”
“Perhaps sound effects and some light music could change this for me?”
- monetization4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The monetization model of the game is highly praised, as it features no ads or microtransactions, allowing players to enjoy the gameplay without any distractions or pressure to spend money. Reviewers appreciate the focus on delivering a quality gaming experience that stands on its own merit.
“Most importantly, there are no ads, no microtransactions, and no cheap psychological tricks to make you keep playing or spend more money; just good gameplay that is engaging enough to be addictive on its own.”
“There are no ads or microtransactions that I've seen, just the game.”
“Most importantly, there are no ads, no microtransactions, and no cheap psychological tricks to make you keep playing or spend more money; just good gameplay that is engaging enough to be addictive on its own.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players find the humor in the game particularly effective, with one user noting that a character's actions in the secret ending elicited a strong, laughter-inducing reaction. The blend of gratification and hilarity contributes to a memorable comedic experience.
“The secret secret end had me nearly spit my coffee due to how a certain character acted; it was gratifying and hilarious at the same time.”
- graphics2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 100 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received mixed feedback, with some users praising the vibrant art style and detailed environments, while others feel that the visuals are underwhelming or outdated. Overall, the aesthetic appeal varies significantly among players, impacting their overall experience.
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The stability of the game is generally considered mediocre, with notable issues such as bugs and frustrations related to new systems like perma-casting.
“Overall very mediocre, with the couple of new systems like perma-casting being highly buggy and frustrating.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is praised for its dynamic and engaging combat system, featuring a high volume of attack spells that create an exhilarating experience. However, this abundance can make it challenging for players to monitor their performance during battles.
“The optimization in this game allows for an incredible number of attack spells to be cast simultaneously, creating an exhilarating experience in battle.”
“The ability to manage and optimize multiple spells at once enhances the gameplay, making every encounter feel dynamic and engaging.”
“The game's optimization features enable players to unleash a flurry of attacks, adding a thrilling layer to combat while challenging players to keep track of their performance.”
“Because of permacast, you have 184 attack spells firing off every second, which is cool and feels great, but it's also really hard to track your performance in battle.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere has been criticized for being insufficient, with reviewers expressing a desire for a more immersive and engaging environment.
“I'll be happy to revisit this review later, but for now the game lacks the atmosphere it needs.”
