The Spell Brigade

About

The Spell Brigade is a single player and multiplayer action game with a fantasy theme. It was developed by Bolt Blaster Games and was released on September 16, 2024. It received very positive reviews from players.

"The Spell Brigade" is an online co-op survival game for 1-4 players where you and your wizard friends battle hordes of dark creatures and complete team-based objectives. With a friendly fire bullet hell feature, stepping on each other's toes can either lead to teammate's demise or a powerful revival. Master and upgrade your spells to create overpowered synergies and increase your chances of survival.

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91%

Audience ScoreBased on 3,915 reviews

gameplay128 positive mentions

grinding42 negative mentions

The game is incredibly fun and addictive, especially when played with friends.
The variety of spells and elemental combinations adds depth to the gameplay.
The developers are responsive to community feedback and regularly update the game with new content.

The matchmaking system can be frustrating, often resulting in long wait times to find a game.
There is a lack of enemy and boss variety, which can make the gameplay feel repetitive.
Some spells and upgrades feel underwhelming or poorly balanced, leading to a lack of meaningful choices during runs.

gameplay
315 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
41%
54%
5%
The gameplay of the game is generally described as simple yet addictive, with a fun cooperative experience enhanced by unique mechanics like friendly fire, which adds both challenge and chaos. However, many players express concerns about high latency during multiplayer sessions, repetitive mechanics, and a lack of depth in gameplay variety, particularly in boss encounters and enemy design. While the core gameplay loop is engaging and visually appealing, there is a consensus that it could benefit from more diverse mechanics and content updates to maintain long-term interest.
- “The gameplay loop is engaging, the spells and abilities feel impactful, and the overall design keeps me coming back for 'just one more run.'”
- “Spell Brigade is a magical triumph that blends fast-paced co-op action with clever spellcasting mechanics, creating an experience that's both chaotic and deeply strategic.”
- “The latency is very high if I play with other players; the lag is unbearable, and the FPS will drop during co-op gameplay.”
- “The gameplay quickly becomes stale without a sufficient level of skill expression and enemy variety, essentially boiling down to 'move in the same way as everything else and do x.' Co-op doesn't have any real spell or mechanical synergy beyond healing, and in actuality presents an anti-synergy with friendly fire - you're actively encouraged to go out and do your own thing while ignoring your teammate.”
- “The core gameplay revolves around wizards teaming up to slay relentless waves of dark creatures, with team-based objectives that encourage strategy and cooperation.”
graphics
168 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
55%
43%
2%
The graphics of the game have received widespread praise for their charming and vibrant art style, which enhances the overall gameplay experience. Players appreciate the clean user interface and smooth performance, even on lower-end systems, while the visuals are described as both cute and visually appealing, contributing to a relaxing atmosphere. Despite some concerns about gameplay repetitiveness, the graphics are consistently highlighted as a strong point, making the game visually engaging and enjoyable.
- “The graphics are gorgeous, with a unique, vibrant art style that instantly draws you in.”
- “The visuals are charming, the UI is clean, and the developers seem genuinely responsive to feedback (they roll out improvements regularly).”
- “The combination of creative spell-building, solid gameplay, and charming graphics makes it a must-try for fans of the genre.”
- “Lots of graphical flickering.”
- “Just an example; enemies are not visible under the spells (anime style graphics - a lot of unnecessary huge animations).”
- “No, it's very generic, abilities don't stand out in any way, there's very little variety and the visuals are mediocre.”
music
160 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
57%
10%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players praising its whimsical and catchy nature, while others criticize it for being repetitive and generic. Many users express a desire for more variety in the soundtrack, noting that the limited number of tracks can become monotonous during extended play sessions. Overall, while the music contributes positively to the game's atmosphere, there is a strong call for additional tracks and more fitting compositions to enhance the gameplay experience.
- “The art direction is vibrant and playful, and the soundtrack nails that magical, high-energy vibe that keeps the pace moving.”
- “Even with just two songs on the soundtrack so far, they are bangers and constantly put me in a good mood.”
- “Honestly worth it for the music alone, but in all seriousness this game does a lot of things really well, when you start the level the music is slow but it picks up like crazy as you progress.”
- “The music is the most generic I've ever heard.”
- “Music does not fit the game at all and given the map length, it's a very short track that becomes annoyingly repetitive.”
- “The soundtrack is very limited and is extremely sleepy feeling.”
story
98 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
78%
5%
The game's story aspect is largely absent, with many players noting a lack of overarching narrative and repetitive quest design across the limited maps and missions. While some quests provide engaging challenges and opportunities for cooperative play, they often feel grindy and lack variety, leading to a sense of tedium over time. Despite the absence of a traditional story, players appreciate the quest system for offering direction and objectives, though many express a desire for more diverse missions and a deeper narrative experience.
- “Blending elemental magic, clever banter, and political intrigue, this story follows a ragtag group of misfit mages conscripted into a last-resort military unit.”
- “For fans of character-driven magic, morally gray missions, and found-family dynamics, this is a must-read.”
- “The quests are really fun to work towards most of the time.”
- “The game does get updates every month right now, so maybe with a few more updates new things will be added, but for now there is no variety in the game, no missions, no story, no objective.”
- “The quests to add more characters, costumes, and play areas keep it interesting, but the amount of quests is fairly low currently.”
- “While there's no overarching story, I didn't find it to be an issue, but the missions and quests are the same on the only three levels available.”
replayability
61 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
34%
58%
8%
The game's replayability is a mixed bag, with many players enjoying the fun mechanics and variety in spell combinations, while others find it lacking depth and variety over time. Some reviews highlight the engaging gameplay and frequent updates that enhance replay value, but others express concerns about repetitive runs and limited character options. Overall, it offers decent replayability, especially in multiplayer settings, but may feel stale after extended play.
- “If you love games that balance challenge with replayability — and don’t mind a little magical madness — this one’s absolutely worth adding to your library.”
- “Fun mechanics, plenty of replayability between the different combinations of spells, buffs, and perks all wrapped together in a charming and visually appealing art style.”
- “Each run feels unique due to randomized spell builds, which adds to the replayability.”
- “But the main issue I have is the game’s replay value; there isn’t a lot separating it from any other roguelike game, and it feels bland after a while.”
- “The levels are fun, but some of the spells are clearly better than others, which removes a lot of the enjoyment of making different builds. Since the game is in early access, it leaves very little replayability, making it stale after 2 or 3 runs.”
- “The game gets boring after a while, and there's no replay value since it is pretty much static after a certain point.”
humor
46 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is a standout feature, with players enjoying the chaotic and often hilarious interactions that arise from friendly fire and character abilities. The combination of funny character designs, amusing spell effects, and the unpredictability of co-op gameplay leads to memorable moments of laughter, especially when playing with friends. Overall, the game successfully blends humor with engaging mechanics, making it a delightful experience for players seeking both fun and challenge.
- “Combining spells and abilities to create devastating (and sometimes hilariously broken) combos is where the game truly comes alive.”
- “Even when I hit a wall, I still find myself enjoying the process, experimenting with different approaches, and laughing at the chaos that unfolds.”
- “The co-op ranges from frustrating to hilarious, and while the game is still in its early stages and has a ways to go, there is quite some polish!”
grinding
44 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
2%
3%
95%
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessive and tedious, often requiring significant time investment for achievements and upgrades, which can detract from the overall enjoyment. While some appreciate the cooperative gameplay and the challenge it brings, many express frustration over the repetitive nature of grinding, lack of enemy variety, and reliance on RNG for unlocks. Overall, the grinding is seen as a major design flaw that could benefit from adjustments to improve the gameplay experience.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “It feels more like grinding than the pleasure of defeating mobs.”
- “Grinding 25+ hours for just three achievements isn't hard; it’s lazy design.”
- “You're essentially enduring 20 minutes of grinding for a fleeting 5 minutes of gratification.”
character development
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
40%
The character development in the game is highly praised for its unique and adorable designs, which are complemented by a cohesive art style and engaging lore. Players appreciate the stylish aesthetics and the variety of outfits and skins available, enhancing the overall experience and enjoyment of the gameplay. The character designs not only attract players but also contribute significantly to the game's charm and replayability.
- “The general aesthetic of the game is reasonably polished, but the character designs in particular stand out as being distinctly stylish and thematically consistent.”
- “The character designs are so unique and adorable, and I love their little lore, personalities, and outfits!”
- “The character designs are fun, the art style is slick, and everything comes together into a cohesive, polished experience.”
optimization
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
46%
23%
Overall, the game's optimization is generally praised for smooth performance, especially on lower-end systems, with many players noting its solid graphics and readability during gameplay. However, some recent patches have introduced performance issues, such as hitching and FPS locks, particularly in multiplayer scenarios. While the matchmaking system and certain spells could benefit from further optimization, the game remains enjoyable and well-optimized for most users.
- “Game runs smoothly.”
- “Great optimization!”
- “The performance is great and the art design is pretty and unique.”
- “Most recent patches have degraded performance significantly, causing hitching even on normal games where only endless with numerous projectile upgrades caused problems before.”
- “Fps cap or optimization fix is needed to prevent such issues, since game defaults to 'unlimited' fps initially.”
- “Performance issue – fps lock (not a huge issue but still, needs to be addressed)”
stability
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
70%
Overall, the stability of the game is mixed; while some players report a smooth experience with minimal bugs and good optimization, others experience frequent disconnects, glitches, and occasional freezing. A few users noted that certain skills are buggy, but many found the game enjoyable despite these issues.
- “No bugs, no glitches, just pure fun and that's it.”
- “Lots of content, good optimization, almost bug free, and most importantly - fun.”
- “Had high hopes but disconnects and glitches galore.”
- “Buggy game with lots of bugs.”
- “The screen flashes once and then freezes.”
monetization
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
86%
The monetization aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the absence of ads and the multiplayer experience, while others criticize it as a cash grab due to misleading offers and hard limits on gameplay. Overall, the game is seen as capitalizing on popular trends without delivering a fully transparent or rewarding experience.
- “My favorite type of mobile game came to PC, with no ads, and co-op.”
- “The monetization model is fair and doesn't pressure you to spend money to enjoy the game.”
- “I appreciate that the game offers plenty of free content without forcing in-app purchases.”
- “Why the hell are you advertising spells and endless modification when you set hard limits, don't tell the players, and don't even have the decency to detect when they are hard capped and stop offering it?”
- “Cash grab.”
- “Played for 15 minutes with my friend and that's all it took to see this is a cash grab running on the coattails of similar games.”
atmosphere
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
17%
50%
The game's atmosphere is characterized by bright and colorful graphics that enhance its magical feel, complemented by high-quality music and sound design. While some players suggest that a more invigorating soundtrack could improve the experience, many appreciate the overall vibe and technical execution, highlighting the strong visual and auditory elements.
- “The game offers bright and colorful graphics that emphasize the magical atmosphere.”
- “Amazing game, really enjoyed its vibe and atmosphere.”
- “I think a bullet hell electronic or fast-paced rock music would be much more invigorating for the game's atmosphere.”
- “This game does a great job on technical merit, so it feels bad to dismiss it because of the art direction and atmosphere.”
- “The music, atmosphere, and color palette are all top-notch.”
emotional
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for its wholesome nature and effective emotional moments that avoid typical fantasy clichés, with snappy dialogue enhancing the experience. However, reviewers suggest that adding more emotional depth to the characters and their narratives could further enhance player immersion.
- “Wholesome game.”
- “Dialogue is snappy, and the emotional beats land without resorting to fantasy clichés.”
- “However, giving characters more emotional depth and connecting them to a narrative could add an extra layer of immersion.”