Mana Spark

About

"Mana Spark" is a 2D pixel art dungeon crawler game with rogue-like elements. Fight enemies, bosses, and collect loot to upgrade your character and equipment. Your goal is to free your village from the oppressive Mana Spark corporation by infiltrating their facilities and shutting them down. */ Steam Summary: «Explore a dangerous dungeon, fight challenging enemies, and gather powerful equipment in this 2D rogue-lite adventure!

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

76%

Audience ScoreBased on 474 reviews

gameplay48 positive mentions

stability10 negative mentions

The combat feels great and is rewarding, with a focus on skill and timing.
The pixel art and sound design create a charming atmosphere that enhances the gameplay experience.
The enemy AI is interesting, as they work together and have unique behaviors that challenge the player.

The game lacks content, with only a few bosses and a limited variety of items and enemies, leading to repetitive gameplay.
Some mechanics, such as the dash and aiming, can feel clunky and unresponsive, detracting from the overall experience.
The progression system can be frustrating, as players often find themselves starting over with little to show for their efforts.

gameplay
134 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
54%
10%
The gameplay is characterized by tight and responsive mechanics, offering a challenging yet rewarding experience typical of rogue-likes, with a variety of combat styles and unique character abilities. However, many players note that the game suffers from a lack of depth and content, particularly in boss battles and overall progression, leading to a somewhat repetitive experience. While the core gameplay loop is polished and enjoyable, it ultimately feels limited in scope, leaving players wanting more variety and unlockable content.
- “The mechanics are really good and fluid; the characters are unique, and every run is different.”
- “Not only is the gameplay very smooth and precise, but the progression is well thought out and balanced.”
- “The gameplay is challenging but rewarding.”
- “Wanted to like it more, but it seems a little basic and the mechanics aren't really tight enough for what it's trying to do.”
- “The persistent progression is quite limited, and the boss fights are underdeveloped both mechanically and visually.”
- “The boss battles are shallow and the gameplay becomes monotonous due to relatively unrewarding boss battles that don't change from playthrough to playthrough.”
graphics
56 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
66%
5%
The graphics of the game are a mix of charming pixel art and inconsistent design choices, leading to a varied reception among players. While some appreciate the retro aesthetic and smooth animations, others criticize the lack of cohesion between text and visuals, as well as occasional performance issues. Overall, the graphics are seen as modestly appealing but lacking in unique elements that would help the game stand out.
- “The pixel graphics and art are charming while also doing a good job of communicating/telegraphing enemy behavior and attacks.”
- “On top of that, the graphics are beautiful without obscuring the action, and the sound design is excellent.”
- “Great combat mechanics and gameplay, along with very cool retro graphics.”
- “This game is very inconsistent with the transition between text and the overall graphics. I wish that this game stuck to the same graphics scheme for the text and graphics that the rest of the game does. It's not the best in the ways that people say it is; the combat is a little sloppy and the movement is odd.”
- “This is just bad graphics.”
- “Not even a unique visual aesthetic to help it stand out in the ever-growing heap of a genre.”
story
46 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
67%
7%
The game's story is generally perceived as thin and lacking depth, with many reviewers noting it feels rushed or basic, often overshadowed by the gameplay. While some find the lore intriguing and the ambiance effective, others feel that the minimal narrative detracts from the overall experience, suggesting that more chapters or character development could enhance the game significantly. Overall, the story serves more as a backdrop to the gameplay rather than a central focus.
- “The music is eerie and tense, which does a great job of creating an appropriate ambiance for the story and setting.”
- “It's very short, but the story is enticing and the gameplay is addicting.”
- “The game is really well made with satisfying combat, beautiful pixel art, and just enough story and lore elements to be enjoyed at an individual pace.”
- “The story is also somehow strange and basic at the same time.”
- “It makes me wonder why they bother having any dialogue at all, since there's not really any story that means anything.”
- “The pixel art is okay enough, but everything from the opening story, to the menus, to the placeholder-looking loading screens, to the character portraits, it all just seems either rushed or like stuff put together from three different games, which ultimately leaves this game with no style.”
music
38 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
63%
29%
8%
The music in the game is widely praised for its quality, with many reviewers highlighting its ability to create an immersive atmosphere that enhances the gameplay experience. Descriptions range from eerie and tense to beautiful and soothing, with a diverse soundtrack that varies across different environments, contributing to the overall ambiance. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a standout feature, elevating the game's appeal despite criticisms of other aspects.
- “The music is eerie and tense, which does a great job of creating an appropriate ambiance for the 'story' and setting.”
- “The soundtrack is beautiful, soothing, and fits the game like a glove.”
- “A fantastic OST mixed with combat that is extremely satisfying.”
- “The only saving aspect is the music.”
- “The music is more like an ambient soundtrack, which helps your hand-eye coordination and focus.”
- “There is not much of a repetitive music going on; every floor has a distinct sound difference with the enemies and the background music.”
replayability
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
63%
13%
The game's replayability is a mixed bag, with some players finding it high due to interesting monsters and bonuses, while others criticize it for lacking variety and content, leading to repetitive experiences. Many agree that the game feels unpolished and does not meet the expectations typically associated with roguelites. Overall, while some enjoy the challenge and charm, the consensus is that the game currently falls short in replay value compared to similar titles.
- “Lots of different interesting monsters and a vast variety of different bonuses you can pick up make this game last longer and add to the replayability.”
- “A really enjoyable and challenging game with high replay value.”
- “I find the replayability to be very high.”
- “Unpolished game with unintuitive combat, lazy dungeon design with little to no replayability value.”
- “If the game were expanded, I would easily recommend it, but in its current state it simply lacks the content it would need to make it replayable.”
- “Every run you will absolutely see some of the same items again and again, and the lifeblood of any roguelike is the variety of its items to bump up that replay value.”
stability
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is frequently described as "buggy," with numerous glitches affecting gameplay, such as empty rooms, stuck objects, and AI issues. While players find the core gameplay enjoyable, the stability problems detract significantly from the overall experience.
- “A bit buggy and the achievements are not very friendly, but still fun once you get the basics.”
- “This game has some interesting points, and the gameplay can be fun, but it's too buggy.”
- “Ok game, lots of glitches (empty rooms, getting stuck on objects, AI breaking and unable to kill them, menu glitches).”
atmosphere
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised, characterized by a strong dungeon crawling feel, impressive music, and well-crafted graphics that enhance the experience. Many reviewers highlight it as one of the best roguelikes, noting its incredible ambiance and comfortable vibe, making it a solid addition to the genre despite some competition from more renowned titles.
- “One of the best roguelikes I've ever played, the atmosphere is incredible, and the game has such a great pace, 10/10.”
- “Modest but well-crafted graphics with good special effects which add a lot of atmosphere to the game.”
- “A couple more famous roguelikes have more value than this, but it is still a solid addition to the genre, especially with the uniquely comfortable atmosphere it has.”
grinding
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a significant drawback, noting that combat becomes tedious and slow, especially with limited character damage and insufficient variety in gameplay. While the game offers initial enjoyment, it quickly turns grindy, diminishing the overall experience.
- “4 classes, 3 bosses/zones, I enjoyed it for a few hours, but it gets grindy pretty quick.”
- “Combat is very slow and tedious, especially if you get bad power-ups, and overall there is just not nearly enough variety to justify the 'roguelike' design.”
- “So in short, this game is great at face value, and tedious once the initial charm has worn off.”
character development
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
25%
50%
While the character design is praised for its distinctiveness among the four characters, reviewers feel that the character development itself could be improved.
- “On the character design side, each of the 4 characters feels very distinct.”
- “Character development could be better.”
- “Character development could be better.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game experiences occasional performance issues, and the graphics can lack clarity, particularly in indicating shootable areas.
- “Sometimes the game has small performance issues, and the graphics are not always clear enough in showing where you can shoot and where you can't.”