Mago
- June 21, 2022
- Dream Potion Games
Get on Steam"Mago is a single-player Fantasy Platformer game with great graphics and music. Explore a vast world with unique levels, mini-games, and collectibles, each with its own challenges and mechanics. Use your magic wand and mecha robot to purify evil and defeat a variety of bosses and enemies."
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features amazing pixel art and a charming aesthetic that pays homage to classic 16-bit platformers.
- Gameplay is fun and varied, with unique level designs and mechanics that keep the experience fresh and engaging.
- The soundtrack is excellent, with catchy tunes that enhance the overall enjoyment of the game.
- Checkpoint placement can be inconsistent, leading to frustrating moments where players must replay long sections after dying.
- Boss fights can feel tedious and poorly designed, often requiring players to wait for long attack cycles before being able to deal damage.
- The game lacks clear explanations for its mechanics and collectibles, which can lead to confusion and a lack of direction for players.
- music49 mentions
- 53 % positive mentions
- 41 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers praising its catchy and nostalgic qualities that evoke classic SNES titles. The soundtrack is described as phenomenal, upbeat, and memorable, enhancing the overall gaming experience. However, some players noted issues with volume balance, which can detract from the enjoyment of both the music and in-game cues.
“The music in this game is phenomenal.”
“All of it is catchy and I have even listened to some of the songs in my free time because of how good it is.”
“Music is near perfect and it captures the SNES feel perfectly.”
“Well, you'd want to lower the music volume a bit to hear them better, right?”
“If you do that, you run into a bug that's present at this time: lowering the music volume also lowers the volume of these secret cues.”
“Problem is, the music is so loud you can barely hear it.”
- gameplay36 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 61 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by its engaging mechanics, simple controls reminiscent of classic platformers, and a variety of level designs that introduce unique challenges and themes. While many players appreciate the nostalgic pixel art and the fun, intuitive gameplay, some criticize the knockback mechanics and lack of clear instructions, which can lead to frustration. Overall, the game offers a satisfying blend of complexity and accessibility, making it enjoyable for both casual and dedicated players.
“It has very simple controls which remind you of Super Mario World, and every now and then you will encounter some gimmicks in the levels that keep the gameplay fresh. Most of them are 'mini-levels' which help reduce stress and provide relief from the actual platforming levels.”
“Every world is its own special thing, with new gameplay mechanics, enemies, and unique challenges to confound the player. The platformer genre is old, but this game avoids falling into the same old patterns, introducing wacky themes all the way to the finish.”
“At its base, the gameplay is pretty solid, and there's a lot of fun to be had in this game. The level design has changing and scaling mechanics that make it feel fun and never repetitive up to the end.”
“The knockback mechanics in this game are pretty bad and are often just annoying.”
“Unfair mechanics and bad level design made it hard to enjoy this game.”
“What matters is the gameplay which is unacceptably bad.”
- graphics21 mentions
- 62 % positive mentions
- 24 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their outstanding quality, charming pixel art style, and nostalgic retro feel reminiscent of classic SNES platformers. Players appreciate the vibrant colors and smooth animations, which complement the engaging gameplay and music, creating an overall delightful experience. While some note that the graphics may not be the absolute best in the genre, they effectively capture the intended aesthetic and enhance the game's appeal.
“Graphically, the game is outstanding; the music is a great companion to the game overall.”
“A charming platformer with nostalgic graphics, engaging mechanics, and a nice challenge!”
“While the graphics are more retro, they capture exactly what the game was going for: an old school SNES platformer.”
“The smooth pixel graphic animations are decent, the soundtrack is chiptuney, and the gameplay, though simple, varies quite a bit.”
“Graphics: very charming pixel art style.”
- story10 mentions
- 10 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The game's story is straightforward and reminiscent of classic platformers, centering on the quest to rescue a princess from an evil overlord. While the narrative lacks complexity, it is described as quaint and fitting for the game's style, with a lighthearted premise involving a sorcerer and a culinary villain. Overall, the simplicity of the story aligns well with the gameplay experience.
“Think of it as a Mario-style story: save the princess, that's your story.”
“The story is pretty simple; you take control of Mago, the sorcerer, and try to rescue the princess who is captured by the notorious evil gourmet overlord.”
“The story is simple but quaint; you’re trying to save your girlfriend/princess from an alien who wants to use her as the main ingredient in a burger.”
“It's safe to say that there isn't a very complex story.”
- grinding6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience; while some challenges are intentionally difficult and require multiple attempts, the lack of clear communication can make the process feel tedious. Additionally, grinding for resources like money is necessary, though some players have discovered efficient methods to expedite this process. Overall, the grinding can be frustrating but is often seen as a necessary part of the gameplay.
“The game attempts to communicate most of its information without text, but this just makes trying to figure out what you're doing unnecessarily tedious.”
“Now let's get into what's genuinely frustrating and tedious:”
“They're tedious (you have to beat them at least 4 times, but you'll end up having to do them 6 times anyways).”
- optimization1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -500 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Users report that the game's optimization is lacking, with some experiencing framerate issues, particularly when switching between windows. This has led to the need to toggle fullscreen mode to restore smooth performance, suggesting that the game may not be well-optimized for all systems.
“The game runs smoothly most of the time, but I occasionally experience optimization issues, especially when switching between windows. I find that toggling fullscreen mode helps restore a smooth framerate.”
“While I enjoy the gameplay, I feel the optimization could be improved. Sometimes, I have to adjust the fullscreen settings to maintain a consistent framerate.”
“Overall, the game is enjoyable, but I've noticed some optimization hiccups that require me to reset the fullscreen mode for better performance.”
“The game feels poorly optimized; I experience issues that I don't encounter with other 2D games. Sometimes I have to toggle fullscreen mode to regain a smooth framerate, especially after switching to another window and returning to the game.”
“Optimization is lacking; the game struggles to maintain a stable framerate, which is frustrating. I often find myself having to reset fullscreen mode to improve performance.”
“I believe the game is not well-optimized. My laptop's CPU shouldn't be the issue, as I run other 2D games without any problems. The framerate drops significantly when I switch between windows.”
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game has received mixed feedback, with some users expressing a lack of enthusiasm for it; however, this sentiment does not significantly deter them from recommending the game overall.
“I am not digging the atmosphere much, but that's not really a reason to not buy the game.”
- stability1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game demonstrates excellent stability, particularly on the Steam Deck, where users report smooth performance.
“Runs great on my Steam Deck.”
“The game maintains a steady frame rate, even during intense action sequences.”
“I haven't experienced any crashes or bugs, which makes for a smooth gaming experience.”
