Magicka 2
- May 25, 2015
- Pieces Interactive
- 6h median play time
Magicka 2 is a great fantasy romp featuring some brilliant spells, vibrant visuals and great co-op action. Its minor issues aren't enough to stop you from having a blast.
In "Magicka 2" , players become overpowered wizards in a co-op action adventure, traversing a nearly wizard-free Midgård to rid the world of evil. The game features the return of the dynamic spellcasting system, with new spells and elements like Poison, as well as improved graphics. The Digital Deluxe Edition includes exclusive robe sets and soundtrack.
Reviews
- gameplay772 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The gameplay of Magicka 2 is characterized by its chaotic and humorous spellcasting mechanics, which can lead to both fun and frustration, especially in co-op play where friendly fire is a constant risk. While the game introduces new mechanics and improvements over its predecessor, many players feel it lacks the depth and variety of the original, resulting in a mixed reception regarding its overall enjoyment and replayability. The game is best experienced with friends, as the cooperative elements enhance the chaotic fun, but solo play can be challenging and less engaging.
“Half of the fun for this gameplay loop is 'accidentally' killing your teammate or bystanders with your wonky spellcraft, with hilarious results.”
“In addition to being funny and chaotic, the mechanics of spellcasting genuinely make you feel like a powerful wizard.”
“Great gameplay, which is the main thing carrying this game; the spellcasting system has so much variety between the 8 elements, 5 casting slots, and 4 casting methods, plus some unique combo spells.”
“The gameplay becomes stale.”
“Sadly gameplay is not fun and difficult.”
“Mediocre gameplay and frankly less fun than the first one.”
- story699 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 67 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The story of Magicka 2 has received mixed reviews, with many players noting its brevity and lack of depth compared to its predecessor. While some appreciate the humor and whimsical elements, others find the narrative unengaging and filled with clichés, leading to a feeling of disappointment. Overall, the game is seen as more focused on multiplayer fun and spellcasting mechanics rather than delivering a compelling story experience.
“Despite this, the lore story is still multi-faceted and interesting.”
“I highly suggest you buy this game with a friend and enjoy the gameplay and humor till its story's end.”
“The story is that special blend of whimsical and reasoned that makes the game fun and enjoyable to experience.”
“The story is short & bland, humor is really really dry, even children will find it hard to laugh.”
“The story sucks and there's no sense of humor in it at all.”
“The story ends before the game kind of even starts.”
- humor654 mentions
- 99 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 1 % negative mentions
The humor in "Magicka 2" is a mix of chaotic gameplay and witty dialogue, often enhanced by the friendly fire mechanics that lead to hilarious accidental team kills. While many players find the humor engaging and reminiscent of the original, some feel it falls short, relying on dated references and less impactful jokes. Overall, the game is best enjoyed with friends, where the comedic elements shine through the chaotic spellcasting and absurd situations.
“Magicka 2 is a hilarious, addictive gem that perfectly balances challenge and comedy.”
“The humor actually lands and made my friend and I chuckle many times.”
“Awesome game to play with your friends, I literally spent 1 hour in the tutorial because me and my friend couldn't stop laughing on how funny the friendly fire mechanics work.”
“The original game was great; I played this one immediately after, and it was far less fun and entirely unfunny compared to the first.”
“It's filled with small references to everything, but in a way that's just not funny.”
“The wands are not creative, and the cutscenes are so boring and not funny.”
- graphics371 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The graphics in Magicka 2 have received mixed reviews, with many players praising the vibrant and colorful art style as a significant improvement over the first game. While some appreciate the enhanced visuals and spell effects, others feel that the overall aesthetic has suffered, describing it as cartoonish or less visually appealing than its predecessor. Overall, the game is noted for its beautiful graphics, though opinions vary on whether these enhancements justify the changes in gameplay and art direction.
“Retinal pleasure or art: the game's visuals are very vibrant, and the effects of various spells are also quite impressive.”
“The graphics are simply beautiful!”
“Magicka 2 is a great fantasy romp featuring some brilliant spells, vibrant visuals and great co-op action.”
“The graphical 'upgrade' is absolutely not worth the art style downgrade.”
“It's uglier, the art is made of plastic, the animations look bad and even the graphics are worse than the first game in my opinion.”
“The gameplay felt rough, the graphics worse than in the first game, the level design sloppy and the overall experience highly unsatisfying.”
- stability116 mentions
- 5 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 95 % negative mentions
The game's stability has been widely criticized, with many users reporting frequent crashes, bugs, and glitches that significantly hinder gameplay. While some players note improvements over the original game, such as reduced overall bugginess, issues like unresponsive controls and game-breaking glitches remain prevalent. Overall, the game is described as a "buggy mess," leading to frustration and a recommendation to wait for patches before playing.
“Magicka 2 runs great, dropping some old elements from the previous game but introducing new ones.”
“The game runs great on PC, although it has unusually high CPU usage.”
“Co-op is easier and not buggy, including local co-op.”
“Even after managing to navigate through the maze of bugs, I was faced with incessant crashes and graphical glitches that made the game simply unplayable.”
“I can't even rate the game itself because it was so buggy... it was impossible to play.”
“It's a huge buggy mess, you'd be better off not buying it or wait for them to patch the bugs.”
- music114 mentions
- 53 % positive mentions
- 45 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising its charm and catchy themes, particularly highlighting the orchestral soundtrack and humorous references throughout. However, some players feel it lacks the memorable quality of the original game's music, describing it as forgettable or overly goofy at times. Overall, while the soundtrack is generally considered enjoyable and fitting for the game's atmosphere, opinions vary on its impact compared to its predecessor.
“Awesome music, gameplay, design, humor.”
“The soundtrack is amazing, better than the first one.”
“Erm, the music is excellent and it will get stuck in your head.”
“The music is soulless and does not have any of the charm of the original game.”
“Where this game truly pales in comparison to its predecessor is its soundtrack.”
“The background music in this game is instantly forgettable save for the few encounters where a remixed 'dunka dunka' is playing from a radio in-game.”
- replayability88 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 61 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The game's replayability is a mixed bag, with some players finding it highly enjoyable, especially in multiplayer settings, while others criticize it for being short and lacking depth. Many reviews highlight the presence of various difficulty levels, unlockable modifiers, and challenge modes that can enhance replay value, particularly when played with friends. However, some users feel that the game does not offer enough content or incentives for solo play, leading to a perception of limited replayability compared to its predecessor.
“Plus you can definitely replay it with some friends for maximum chaos and replayability, and it's guaranteed to give you a lot of fun or to cause you to lose your friends, or both.”
“The story is witty and fun and has great replayability with its multitude of unlocks and combinations.”
“It's a great game, with tons of replayability and hidden treats, and is definitely worth the price.”
“1/5 no replay value!”
“This game was hyped up for its replayability but the only form of this is little modifiers you unlock to make enemies have more health, your spells do less damage, etc.”
“I finished the campaign in a short 4 hours with a friend, and there's little replay value due to the very samey gameplay.”
- optimization36 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players praising its improved performance and control layout compared to Magicka 1, particularly on lower-end systems. However, many users report significant performance issues, especially during intense gameplay, leading to sluggishness and bugs. While some have found the game to run smoothly after initial patches, others still experience severe optimization problems that hinder their overall experience.
“Performance is great, and the control layout is much better than with Magicka 1.”
“Yes, the game sucked when released, but now it runs smoothly.”
“The gameplay is tight, the performance solid even on my 5-year-old clunker, and the co-op is tremendously fun.”
“If you hope for better stability and performance than Magicka 1 had, you are in the wrong place.”
“The game is horribly optimized, sluggish, unresponsive, buggy, and on top of everything, they changed the well-known controls from Magicka 1 for no apparent reason.”
“It is poorly optimized and in intense fights, this is fatal.”
- grinding30 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 7 % neutral mentions
- 93 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious and frustrating, particularly in single-player mode, where encounters can feel repetitive and overly challenging due to poor health management and enemy damage. Many reviews highlight that boss fights are particularly poorly designed, contributing to a sense of monotony and boredom, making the overall experience less enjoyable. While some mechanics have improved, the lack of balance and power progression leads to a grind that detracts from the fun.
“This, however, was incredibly tedious - we died every few seconds due to not having enough health and enemies dealing way too much damage.”
“There is one repeating sequence of events that makes playing it a tedious chore.”
“It is a good game but I am disappointed that they nerfed many of the tools at our disposal and made the solo difficulty kind of grindy and repetitive due to the lack of any kind of serious power creep or balancing.”
- atmosphere14 mentions
- 71 % positive mentions
- 29 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of *Magicka 2* is characterized by its whimsical absurdity, enhanced by witty dialogues, self-referential humor, and a vibrant art style. Players appreciate the enjoyable music and graphics that complement the game's quirky gameplay, creating a fun and engaging environment that fosters camaraderie among friends. Overall, the sequel successfully retains the charm of its predecessor while improving on its mechanics.
“The witty dialogues and self-referential jokes are back, creating an atmosphere of whimsical absurdity that's bound to bring a smile to your face.”
“All the things with friends killing, spells learning, 'not a vampire' jokes, and so on made this game feel atmospheric for me; it made me fall in love with it.”
“The music was enjoyable and fit the atmosphere.”
- emotional14 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players report a wide range of emotional experiences while engaging with the game, from laughter and feelings of achievement to frustration and rage. The absurdity of certain elements elicits tears of joy, while moments of empowerment evoke a sense of mastery. Overall, the game seems to provoke a rollercoaster of emotions, leaving players both entertained and emotionally invested.
“It made me rage, it made me laugh, it made me feel powerful.”
“I want to state that writing this review makes me want to cry.”
“[b][i]I[/i][/b] have gone through several emotional stages by spending my time with that horrendous creation.”
- monetization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy has been criticized for being akin to incorporating ads into a paid game, suggesting that it detracts from the overall experience and value for players.
“This to me is almost as bad as putting ads into a paid game.”
Critic Reviews
Magicka 2 Review
"Ultimately, Magicka 2 fails to adequately build on its first outing. It feels more like an expansion to the original Magicka, or an unusually faithful remake."
50%Review: Magicka 2
An Exercise in apathy, neither solid nor liquid. Not exactly bad, but not very good either. Just a bit 'meh,' really.
55%Magicka 2 Review – Missing The Magic
The game has some rather fun elements but there isn’t enough game to really deserve a higher grade. Being able to play alongside your friends is fun enough, but even that doesn’t seem like a big enough perk.
65%