Near-Mage

About

Near-Mage is a single player action game. It was developed by Stuck In Attic and was released on May 27, 2025. It received very positive reviews from players.

Near-Mage is a story-driven adventure game where curiosity, exploration, and atmosphere take center stage.You play as an aspiring mage arriving in Transylvania, attend a magic school, learn spells, and slowly uncover the hidden stories of the people who live there. Study spell crafting in the Transylvanian Institute for Magick as a Near-Mage Craft your own spell inventory, use it with differ…

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Play Modes

Single-Player

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92%

Audience ScoreBased on 132 reviews

story43 positive mentions

grinding3 negative mentions

The game features stunning hand-drawn visuals and vibrant animations that create an immersive and beautiful world.
The characters are well-developed with distinct personalities, and the voice acting adds depth to the storytelling.
The game offers a unique spell-crafting system that allows for multiple ways to approach quests, enhancing replayability.

The gameplay is more akin to a visual novel than a traditional point-and-click adventure, lacking complex puzzles and inventory mechanics.
Quest progression can feel linear and hand-holdy, often requiring players to follow specific steps without much room for exploration or independent thought.
The spell system, while interesting, is underutilized, with many spells feeling unnecessary or rarely applicable in gameplay.

story
142 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
66%
4%
The story of "Near-Mage" is a whimsical coming-of-age tale steeped in Romanian folklore, featuring charming characters and a vibrant world that captivates players. While the narrative is engaging and offers multiple branching choices, it is often criticized for being linear and lacking depth, with some quests feeling simplistic or repetitive. Overall, the game combines humor and heartfelt moments, making it a delightful experience for those who appreciate story-driven adventures, despite some frustrations with quest navigation and pacing.
- “I experienced an amazing upbeat story, with great, lovable characters.”
- “The story is lighthearted but compelling, and the characters are consistently pleasant to interact with.”
- “Near-mage is a love letter to magical coming-of-age stories bubbling with charm, narrative depth, and gorgeous visual storytelling.”
- “The story is fine, but not especially strong.”
- “It’s not that the story is bad—it’s coherent and self-contained—but it brings up plot points that feel like they should matter more than they do.”
- “Nothing is followed through in a meaningful way, which makes you wonder why those twists were included at all, especially since the main quest only touches on them indirectly.”
graphics
33 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
58%
33%
9%
The graphics in the game are widely praised for their breathtaking hand-painted visuals and vibrant art style, which enhance the overall atmosphere and storytelling. Many reviewers highlight the high-quality animations and attention to detail, creating an immersive experience that brings the whimsical world to life. While some mention mixed graphical quality in certain areas, the overall aesthetic is considered a standout feature that elevates the game.
- “The game’s art style is beautifully stylized, with vibrant visuals and high-quality animations that make every scene feel alive and whimsical.”
- “The hand-painted art style and traditional animations bring the world of Transylvania to life in a way that's both vibrant and immersive.”
- “Graphics: the backgrounds and animations are outstanding, each screen is painted with a lot of love.”
- “A good game, but with a somewhat repetitive gameplay and of mixed graphical quality.”
- “It is a shame the game itself isn't as good as the artwork!”
- “While the art style, animations, and voice acting are all superior to Gibbous, the core gameplay is essentially a linear railroad from which you can't really deviate.”
gameplay
29 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
73%
10%
The gameplay is characterized by a mix of fresh mechanics and repetitive elements, often feeling like a linear experience with limited interactivity. While the spell system and dialogue are praised for their creativity and integration, many players find the overall gameplay lacking depth, with some mechanics feeling unnecessary or tedious. Despite its engaging story and atmosphere, the game struggles with originality and can become monotonous as players navigate through predictable tasks.
- “Fresh game mechanics, questionable choices, but in the end, each must create their own path and follow their instincts.”
- “This gameplay is completely different from Gibbous, but the worlds and characters are just as captivating and memorable.”
- “Great story, gameplay is good, intuitive mostly, and with a lot of choices for the player to create their path.”
- “But the game itself is basically a choose-your-own-adventure game/visual novel with lots of questionable or useless mechanics thrown in.”
- “Lets get it out of the way: there is little gameplay here.”
- “Once you get into the last half of the game, the mechanic of 'go to another screen, receive a message, go to the person that messaged you, rinse and repeat' got real stale, very quickly.”
music
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
47%
37%
16%
The music in the game is widely praised for its enchanting and varied soundtracks that enhance the immersive experience of the vibrant, hand-drawn environments. Reviewers note that the soundtrack complements the game's atmosphere and visual spectacle, contributing to the overall quality and enjoyment of the gameplay. While some feel it occasionally detracts from the intended mood, the consensus is that the music is a standout feature that adds depth to the magical world.
- “Vibrant, hand-drawn environments and enchanting soundtracks will draw you straight into the heart of Transylvania, blending tradition with mystery.”
- “The musical soundtrack also goes a long way to aurally illustrate this extraordinary visual spectacle.”
- “The soundtrack is perfect and goes well with this rich, wonderful, quirky, magical world.”
- “The music is more varied than in Gibbous, although sometimes it feels like it can detract slightly from the atmosphere the game wants to create.”
- “So, I've always wanted to visit Romania (my mother's family is from there, and yes, Transylvania/Arad County specifically :) ) but the art and music in the game is just... I don't know how to say this... I know the art in the game is stylized; it's certainly left an impression.”
- “I think even without my few family photos, the art and music would be in a league of its own anyway, to be honest.”
humor
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
93%
7%
The humor in the game is characterized by well-written dialogue that balances wit and sincerity, with memorable lines and funny character interactions. While many players appreciate the comedic elements and voice acting, some feel that the humor can be inconsistent or overshadowed by more serious themes, leading to moments that feel awkward or unfinished. Overall, the game features a mix of genuine humor and emotional moments, though some reviewers note a dilution of comedic impact compared to previous titles.
- “The dialogue is well-written and believable, striking a great balance between humor and sincerity.”
- “This game is full of great characters, funny writing, and an interesting world.”
- “Great voice acting, hand-drawn everything, lovely animations, you can customize the character, and funny dialogues.”
- “Not funny enough; it went from a breezy LucasArts-style adventure in 'Gibbous' to a melodrama filled with obvious moral choices in this one.”
atmosphere
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
71%
15%
14%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive and unique qualities, enhanced by heartfelt writing, captivating characters, and well-integrated music. Reviewers highlight the authenticity and creativity of the world-building, noting that the hand-drawn art and varied game mechanics contribute significantly to the overall experience. Overall, the game is described as a beautiful visual novel that successfully creates a distinct and engaging mood.
- “Overall, Near-Mage is a heartfelt and creative experience that stands out for its atmosphere, writing, and world-building.”
- “The atmosphere is brilliant — immersive, mysterious, and full of personality.”
- “A beautiful game that oozes with atmosphere, great art, and lovely characters.”
- “The music is more varied than in Gibbous, although sometimes I feel it can detract slightly from the atmosphere the game wants to create.”
- “There are only a few things I really pay attention to in adventure games: the story, the atmosphere (not necessarily tied to graphics), voice acting, and how the gameplay ties into puzzles and storytelling.”
emotional
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of "near-mage" is characterized by its heartfelt storytelling, strong world-building, and relatable character arcs, particularly that of Illy. While the plot may become predictable and gameplay simplistic, the game effectively conveys genuine passion and authenticity, with moments of humor and emotional depth that resonate with players. Overall, it presents a polished and engaging narrative experience, despite some shortcomings in character development and voice direction.
- “Overall, Near-Mage is a heartfelt and creative experience that stands out for its atmosphere, writing, and world-building.”
- “The story, while pretty predictable, kept me hooked till the very end, thanks, at least in part, to Illy and her heartfelt and relatable character arc.”
- “A streamlined take on narrative adventure games, carried through by an incredible sense of authenticity, strong world-building, a simple yet often emotionally effective script, mostly great vocal performances, and genuine passion and heart.”
replayability
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
14%
43%
The game's replayability is enhanced by its new mechanics and the impact of player choices on the story, encouraging players to explore different outcomes. However, it is not infinitely replayable, as it features a linear narrative with a single ending and limited variations based on quest completion. While there are interesting choices and multiple ways to approach challenges, the overall experience may feel constrained for those seeking extensive replay value.
- “I really enjoy Near Mage, and I recommend it for anyone who enjoys a good story. Due to the nature of the action-driven narrative, it has good replayability to see what effects the other choices may cause.”
- “It’s not an infinitely replayable sandbox or anything, nor does it have a coterie of possible endings, but the choices that present themselves are interesting, and the solutions to various challenges are logical and satisfying with no moon logic in sight.”
- “Game does not play like your normal point-and-click game (lacks the usual inventory), but the magic system brings a nice twist along the normal adventure. Although the game has a single ending with a bit of variation based on how you proceeded on some quests, the multiple ways you can finish the early games with the magic spells helps with the replayability of the game.”
- “Honestly speaking, the new mechanism has given this game a higher replayability compared to old Gibbous, but that's just the only thing it's better than Gibbous.”
- “You unlock spells by visiting classes, but there is no replayability because you have to visit all of them anyway.”
- “Replay value: I can't tell yet if there are real differences in the outcome of the game if you choose different solutions or paths.”
character development
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviewers praise the character development for its unique designs and smooth animations, highlighting the wonderful world that enhances the overall experience. The combination of artistic creativity and character depth contributes significantly to the game's appeal.
- “Fantastic art and character development.”
- “The character designs are unique and they're animated so smoothly.”
- “Wonderful world and character designs.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious due to clunky movement and non-intuitive interaction points, which complicate navigation. The ultra-linear quest design often requires excessive back-and-forth travel, contributing to a frustrating experience.
- “Moving around is clunky; the way interaction points are placed is not intuitive and should always be visible. It's very tedious to search for them all the time.”
- “Is the ultra-linear fashion sometimes a bit tedious?”
- “The amount of back-and-forth traveling for the quests is just way too much and tedious.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The optimization of the game is praised for its streamlined approach to narrative adventure, enhanced by strong world-building and emotionally resonant writing. The voice acting, particularly that of Visarion, contributes significantly to the overall authenticity and passion of the experience.
- “A streamlined take on narrative adventure games, carried through by an incredible sense of authenticity, strong world-building, a simple yet often emotionally effective script, mostly great vocal performances, and more than anything else, genuine passion and heart.”