Mind Over Magic

About

"Mind Over Magic" is a simulation game where you build and optimize your own magic school, while also exploring the deadly Underschool and using raised undead servants to your advantage. The game features detailed design options, exotic plants, potion brewing, and a deadly fog to contend with. Respect the dead and use their spirits to further your school's progress.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

89%

Audience ScoreBased on 2,070 reviews

gameplay136 positive mentions

grinding78 negative mentions

Engaging gameplay that combines base building, resource management, and turn-based combat.
Charming art style and whimsical atmosphere that enhances the magical school theme.
Frequent updates and active developer support, showing commitment to improving the game.

Steep learning curve with unclear mechanics and lack of comprehensive tutorials.
Some gameplay elements can feel tedious and grindy, especially in resource gathering.
Limited endgame content and objectives, leading to potential repetitiveness.

gameplay
464 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
65%
6%
The gameplay of "Mind Over Magic" offers a rich blend of mechanics reminiscent of popular colony sims like "Oxygen Not Included," featuring engaging building systems, character management, and turn-based combat. While the game is praised for its innovative mechanics and charming art style, some players find the core gameplay loop repetitive and the fog mechanic frustrating, leading to a mixed reception regarding long-term engagement. Overall, it presents a solid foundation with potential for growth, though it currently lacks depth in late-game content and clarity in its mechanics.
- “The gameplay is well thought out, making it challenging and fun.”
- “This game is just wonderful with loads of intricate mechanics working together to make building your school of magic super fun!!!”
- “The gameplay loop is enough to keep you engaged for hours, as my hour count probably makes quite obvious.”
- “However, once you get a grip with mechanics and learn how to counter events, you find there isn't any endgame.”
- “It's fun in theory, but only in theory; combat is extremely dull and repetitive, and mechanics related to fog are a stupid grind. Even mobile games have better things to offer.”
- “Sadly, the devs are making bad updates, removing gameplay mechanics in favor of a faster and duller experience, and what made the game original and interesting in the beginning is now completely gone.”
graphics
280 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
47%
51%
1%
The graphics of the game have received widespread praise for their charming and unique art style, reminiscent of Klei's signature aesthetic, with smooth animations and a cozy color palette. While many players find the visuals stunning and well-executed, some note that certain graphical details could use more polish, particularly in the context of early access. Overall, the game's visuals contribute significantly to its whimsical atmosphere, making it an enjoyable experience for players.
- “This game has a great color palette and art style.”
- “Great inventive mechanics, gorgeous visuals, extremely polished product.”
- “A fantastically charming colony-type game about building and running a wizarding school filled with wolfmen, frankensteins and adorable slimes with an absolutely beautiful art style that's something like if Tim Burton and Mike Mignola had a baby steeped with delightfully creepy audio that any fan of Harry Potter or the Adams Family will love.”
- “Outdated graphics.”
- “However, some graphical details still need a bit more polish, like rats taking a firebolt to the face without even flinching, which looks a bit odd but is fine for early access.”
- “I love the art style but I wish it looked more polished/graphically better... I feel like with games like this you could really push the visuals.”
grinding
82 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
1%
4%
95%
The grinding aspect of the game has received significant criticism, with many players finding the gameplay loop tedious and repetitive. Combat and resource management are often described as formulaic and lacking depth, leading to a frustrating experience that feels more like a chore than engaging gameplay. While some systems offer automation, the overall reliance on grinding for progression and resource gathering detracts from the enjoyment, making it a long and tiresome endeavor.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “In short, I think that this is a very interesting looking game with a lot of potential, but right now I cannot recommend it, as the gameplay is just too much of a tedious grind to be fun - and the latest update has completely screwed with what little combat/progression balance there was before.”
- “I found the game completely boring, a long grind that isn't fun, engaging, or new.”
- “Furthermore, some of the advanced research and crafting stations are locked behind an enormous amount of resource and research grinding which doesn't get any easier over time.”
story
62 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
5%
85%
10%
The game's story is largely criticized for its lack of depth, with many reviewers noting the absence of an overarching narrative, characters, or lore beyond the introductory phase. While some find nostalgic elements reminiscent of whimsical tales like Harry Potter, the gameplay is described as lacking meaningful quests or objectives, leading to a sense of emptiness and repetitiveness. Overall, players express a desire for a more engaging story to complement the game's mechanics.
- “If you grew up reading Harry Potter or a similar story, this fits that same sense of whimsy as the first couple of books and should be properly nostalgic. Even if you didn't, I would still recommend it.”
- “This game takes the best features from several genres and lets you live through a story of a magic school, where students come and go and only select few become staff members.”
- “Oni is a better game than Spellcaster University, but Spellcaster University is better in story-crafting, which is what The Sims and Dwarf Fortress are famous for.”
- “There isn't any overarching story.”
- “The story is non-existent in my opinion beyond the intro.”
- “There is no story, no characters, no lore, no campaign, no humor.”
optimization
40 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
63%
8%
Overall, the game's optimization is a mixed bag; while many players report smooth performance and no crashes during initial gameplay, issues arise as the game progresses and bases expand, leading to lag and frame rate drops. Some users have experienced significant performance problems even on high-end hardware, suggesting that further optimization is needed, particularly for late-game scenarios. Despite these challenges, the game is still considered polished for an early access title, with potential for improvement in future updates.
- “As of just over 80 hours of play, I have not experienced a single crash or performance issue, and no bugs that I actually noticed.”
- “The game looks very good, it's very optimized, and the turn-based combat is not too bad; it could use some improvement, but maybe that's in the pipeline.”
- “But the game seems very well optimized and runs fluently for me.”
- “The game runs smoothly at the start, but starts to lose performance as you get your base bigger and increase the amount of things happening at the same time.”
- “There are slight issues with the performance of the game at the time of writing, as a lot of players are running into issues of achieving more than 60 frames per second (fps) and more times than not, receiving stutters and fps drops even with moderate or superior PCs.”
- “In example to the performance issues addressed, one user on the official game Discord server reported that they receive lag spikes and fps caps at 20-40 on hardware consisting of a 7900X3D (CPU) and an RTX 4090 (GPU), both of which are top-of-the-shelf computer components.”
music
34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
35%
56%
9%
The music in the game is generally well-received, providing a chill and atmospheric backdrop that enhances the gameplay experience. While some players find it pleasant and fitting, others feel it lacks depth and could use improvement, particularly in sound design and UI. Overall, the soundtrack is described as cute and easygoing, with moments of more engaging music when appropriate, contributing positively to the game's aesthetic.
- “A lot of care has been put into the music; it’s not going to win any awards, but it does what it needs to without getting in the way.”
- “Audio: the music is great, and in general the audio is very atmospheric, and gives your school a slightly Lovecraftian feel.”
- “The art style combined with the music and good sound effects makes a great ambience that feels awesome!”
- “Soundtrack is very weak.”
- “As of March 2024, it needs a ton of work on the UI, sound design, and music.”
- “I have misophonia and all music is hard for me to listen to, but I imagine it's pleasant for those who don't suffer with my ailment.”
humor
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is often described as whimsical and entertaining, with players enjoying funny character interactions and amusing scenarios, such as a student spawning ooze creatures. While some comparisons are made to the humor found in "Oxygen Not Included," opinions vary on the overall comedic impact, with some finding it lacking in depth and content. Despite mixed feelings, many appreciate the game's lighthearted moments and charming animations.
- “This makes building the school a really funny element of the game.”
- “One of the students got sick and he literally started spawning ooze creatures everywhere; it was funny for a second until he died.”
- “This game has some of the same humor and whimsy as 'Oxygen Not Included', but has much more compelling gameplay.”
atmosphere
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
54%
35%
12%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its charming graphics and unique art style, blending elements of cuteness and creepiness that enhance the overall experience. Players appreciate the immersive audio, including great music that contributes to a slightly Lovecraftian feel, although some sound effects can disrupt immersion. Overall, the atmosphere is considered a standout feature, adding depth to the gameplay and inviting players to engage in various activities like base building and character development.
- “It has a unique atmosphere, and if you always wanted to build your own Hogwarts, now you can.”
- “A great art style and atmosphere, with a ton of stuff to do, including resource gathering, base building, character development, random events, and even turn-based combat.”
- “The music is great, and in general, the audio is very atmospheric, giving your school a slightly Lovecraftian feel.”
- “Mind over magic kind of reminds me of Fallout Shelter, but I absolutely love its artwork and overall atmosphere.”
- “I am also a fan of the artwork and the atmosphere. On the one hand, it's very creepy and on the other hand, it's also very cute. I mean, look at the wolf wearing a magic cloak!”
- “Graphics are really nice and unique and, in my opinion, add a lot to the slightly strange atmosphere of the game.”
replayability
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
35%
15%
The game's replayability is a mixed bag; while many players appreciate the extensive customization options and multiple strategies that encourage exploration, others feel it lacks sufficient goals and content to sustain long-term engagement. Some users highlight the randomness in room tags as a potential for replayability, but note that it is not always activated by default. Overall, the game offers a solid foundation for replayability, but may require additional content and balancing to fully realize its potential.
- “Lots of options for customizing runs and looks during runs makes it very replayable.”
- “If you want to play optimally, you need to balance a multitude of different priorities and mechanics, which provides it with excellent replayability.”
- “Better yet, there isn't just one perfect strategy, but rather, many different approaches one might take, giving the game a lot more to explore and a huge amount of replayability.”
- “While I like the idea and graphics, the game lacks goals and replayability.”
- “The only 'replayable' element here is a randomness in room tags (which is off by default), but there are build strategies already that would allow you to easily make rooms with any tags you like.”
- “Not much of a replay value until new content drops.”
stability
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
80%
Overall, the game demonstrates impressive stability for an early release title, with minimal glitches, bugs, or crashes reported by users. While gameplay is generally smooth, some players have encountered minor issues, such as characters getting stuck after battles, which could impact gameplay on higher difficulty levels. Nonetheless, the experience remains largely bug-free, contributing to a solid and enjoyable gaming experience.
- “The gameplay has been smooth and not buggy at all.”
- “If I could start over, I would do that for sure - conviction is a pain to maintain. It's a fairly bug-free experience, but a few little things happen that I hope will be fixed. The biggest issue is that sometimes rooms in your school get invaded by enemies, creating a fog that is impassable until you clear the battle. After these battles, always make sure all your characters are moving around. Several times, one of my wizards will 'respawn' after the fight stuck behind stairs or other objects, preventing them from getting to food or bed. On relentless difficulty, missing one night in bed or skipping one meal leads to death.”
- “For being an early release title, it feels well fleshed out, with a solid amount of content, but there are minimal glitches, bugs, and crashes.”
- “So far, I can't find any bugs, glitches, or anything that sticks out.”
character development
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
Character development is praised for its integration with various gameplay elements, including resource gathering and base building, enhancing the overall experience. Players appreciate the character design and the depth it adds to the turn-based combat system, contributing to a rich and engaging atmosphere.
- “A great art style and atmosphere, with a ton of stuff to do, including character development, resource gathering, base building, random events, and even turn-based combat.”
- “I like everything from the character design to the building system and the turn-based fighting in the underschool.”
- “The character development is engaging and adds depth to the overall gameplay experience.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players report that the game evokes a sense of emotional ease, suggesting that it provides a comforting and accessible experience rather than intense challenges.