Mana Spark

76%
Game Brain Score Based on 237 reviews
  • gameplay
  • graphics
  • story
Mana Spark Game Cover
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"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!

  • Mac OS
  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Windows
  • Linux
  • Play​Station
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

76%
Audience ScoreBased on 237 reviews
gameplay24 positive mentions
stability5 negative mentions
  • The combat feels great and is very satisfying, with a focus on skill and timing.
  • The enemy AI is interesting, as they work together and have unique behaviors that add depth to encounters.
  • The pixel art and soundtrack create a charming atmosphere that enhances the overall experience.
  • The game lacks content, with only a few biomes, enemies, and bosses, leading to repetitive gameplay.
  • Some mechanics, like the character's movement and attack delays, can feel clunky and frustrating.
  • The item variety is limited, making runs feel similar and reducing the replayability factor.
  • gameplay67 mentions

    The gameplay is generally praised for its tight and responsive mechanics, offering a fun and challenging experience reminiscent of popular roguelikes. However, many players note a lack of depth and content, with limited progression and underwhelming boss battles detracting from the overall experience. While the combat is engaging and the controls intuitive, the game suffers from bugs and a short playtime, leaving some players wanting more variety and polish.

    • “The mechanics, while simplistic, feel tight and responsive.”
    • “Not only is the gameplay very smooth and precise, but the progression is well thought out and balanced.”
    • “The gameplay is fun, there's power-ups and upgrades to unlock and use.”
    • “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.”
    • “Unfortunately, Mana Spark is lacking both polish in gameplay and depth of content.”
    • “The boss battles are shallow and the gameplay becomes monotonous due to relatively unrewarding boss battles that don't change from playthrough to playthrough.”
  • graphics28 mentions

    The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the charming pixel art and smooth animations, while others criticize inconsistencies between the text and graphics, as well as occasional performance issues. While the visuals are generally described as aesthetically pleasing and well-crafted, there are calls for improvements in clarity and uniqueness, particularly in boss designs. Overall, the graphics contribute positively to the gameplay experience, but they are not without their flaws.

    • “The pixel graphics and art are charming while also doing a good job of communicating/telegraphing enemy behavior and attacks.”
    • “Overall the game is incredibly fun with different strategies to clear floors and different mechanics to use, and a big plus for me is that the game is really aesthetically pleasing.”
    • “The graphics are sharp and professionally designed.”
    • “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 just has bad graphics.”
    • “Not even a unique visual aesthetic to help it stand out in the ever-growing heap of a genre.”
  • story23 mentions

    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 setting atmospheric, others feel that the narrative fails to engage meaningfully, leaving players wanting more substance and variety. Overall, the story serves more as a backdrop to the gameplay rather than a central focus, with potential for improvement through additional chapters or character development.

    • “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 story is very intriguing, dealing with a fantasy world in which everyone else but humans have been given talent with magic.”
    • “Game is a lot of fun right from the start; I was hooked and enjoyed the simple-to-understand combat system and hard mechanics. There is basically no storyline, just jump in and try to survive. Totally worth the money.”
    • “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.”
  • music19 mentions

    The music in the game is widely praised for its quality and ability to enhance the overall atmosphere, with many reviewers noting its eerie, tense, and ambient qualities that complement the gameplay. The soundtrack is described as phenomenal, beautiful, and diverse, with distinct tracks for different environments that contribute to immersion and focus. Overall, the music stands out as a significant positive aspect, elevating the gaming experience.

    • “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.”
    • “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.”
    • “A fantastic OST mixed with combat that is extremely satisfying.”
  • replayability12 mentions

    The game's replayability is a mixed bag, with some players praising its high replay value due to diverse monsters and bonuses, while others criticize it for lacking content and variety, leading to repetitive experiences. Overall, many agree that it falls short of the expectations typically associated with roguelites, suggesting that it needs further expansion to enhance its replayability.

    • “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.”
    • “I enjoyed myself more or less for the 4 hours of playing, but it doesn't have the replayability you expect in a roguelite.”
    • “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.”
  • stability5 mentions

    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 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).”
  • atmosphere5 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive dungeon crawling feel, complemented by well-crafted graphics and effective music. Reviewers highlight its unique and comfortable ambiance, making it a standout title in the roguelike genre despite some competition from more renowned games. Overall, the atmosphere contributes significantly to the game's appeal, earning high marks from players.

    • “The dungeon crawling feel is quite good, and the atmosphere and music are nice, too.”
    • “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.”
  • grinding5 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, with slow combat and limited variety leading to a quick loss of initial enjoyment. The lack of impactful power-ups and minimal character damage contribute to a frustrating experience, making encounters feel repetitive and drawn out. Overall, while the game starts off engaging, it quickly becomes a grind.

    • “The combat can sometimes get tedious.”
    • “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.”
  • character development2 mentions

    While the character design is praised for its distinctiveness among the four characters, reviewers feel that the overall character development could be improved.

    • “On the character design side, each of the four characters feels very distinct.”
    • “Character development could be better.”
  • optimization1 mentions

    The game experiences occasional performance issues, and the graphics lack clarity in indicating shootable areas, which can hinder gameplay.

    • “Sometimes the game has small performance issues, and the graphics are sometimes not clear enough in showing where you can shoot and where you can't.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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Play time

4hMedian play time
4hAverage play time
3-4hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs

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