I really like magic-related games since I think that our imagination is the most powerful magic there is. Thanks to the imagination of many, we are able to enjoy worlds that we never dreamed possible, be it in books or videogames. Now with Mages of Mystralia, we are entering a wonderful world of magic, and the consequences of it. This game feels like a certain legend of game, but instead of using a master sword, you use magic and your imagination, and the result is a game in which is a lot of fun to experiment with the mechanics it offers.
Mages of Mystralia puts us in the role of Zia. She is a denzien of the town of Greyleaf, a small town in the outskirts of the Castle Mystralia. Now, Mystralia is a land in which the mage kings of old brought peace and prosperity. However, there was one king who became mad for indulging in the benefits of magic power. He became corrupted by magic and had to be stopped. After the mad king was defeated, the Marquis era began, banning the use of magic and persecuting mages who had to leave the kingdom–or did they? Since the ban on magic, the townspeople are wary of magicians since they are portrayed as evil. One day when Zia awakens her magic powers, she ends up burning her house. After the people of Greyleaf see what she can do, they have her expelled. Afraid and with nowhere to run, she is in a dire situation until she finds a man who would become her mentor: a fellow magician. He tells her to go to Haven, a settlement in which the mages have taken refuge. On her way to Haven, she encounters a strange talking book, which sets the wheels in motion for an epic and magical adventure.
Mages of Mystralia is not your typical adventure game because, for starters, until you find the magic book, the only thing you can do is move. Once you find the magic book, you start to see the depth of the mechanics of the game itself. In the beginning, you have four types of magic. Each one is assigned to specific button. With Y, you can do a melee attack using Electric type magic (Aura). With X, you use Fire magic (Igni). It’s just a small still flame. With B, you create an Ice platform (Aqua) that you can use to move in the water. ZR creates a Earth Shield (Gaia) to defend against enemy attacks. I know it might sound like an scarce magic arsenal for a mage, but first Zia is a mage in training and second, this is where Magic Runes come into play.
Magic Runes are especial aggregates that boost and change the behavior of the spell they are added to. Remember the still and lonely flame? With the “Move” rune, that flame becomes a fireball to attack enemies from afar. When you add the rune “Move” to the Ice platform, you create an “Ice way” to make it easier to move on water (really useful since the ice platform dispels fast). Adding move to the Shield allows you to do a dash-like move that gives you invincibility while on use.
Move is not the only rune you can use. There are several more for each type of spell, and these are all hidden through Mystralia. To get them, you need to solve some magic puzzles that requires you to think of the best way possible to solve them. Some require specific types of runes, so if you don’t have it, you can return later to try your hand at each one. Once you have several runes on hand, here comes the fun part: adding runes to each spell. This is by far the most fun I ever had in the game, since I was eager to see how each rune affected the chosen spell. I got really crazy combinations like a triple exploding fireball that froze enemies, a triple rock spell that homes in on enemies dealing damage constantly, or even a thunder storm that was dealing damage while allowing me to deal more with other spells. I feel here that the possibilities are limitles,s and these were possible with but a few of the runes I had at the moment. There are even more crazy ones like a Ice Clone throwing fireballs, so your curiosity has its rewards in Mages of Mystralia.
I like how the game looks. Everything screams Legend of Zelda! Honestly, I am in love with the game. The puzzles made me cry sometimes, but after a well rested mind, I solved them. Then, I was like “snap that was so simple.” Each area is gorgeous to look at from the Mystralian Forests to the Sky Temple, to the Sunken Quarry. Each area has its own peculiar enemies and puzzles which made the game such a joy. The different side quests that you take from the townspeople give the game a fresh coat of pain, although I had more fun crafting and naming my spells than doing them.
The music is good. I never felt that it was overstaying its welcome, and I definitely liked the boss fights, especially the last one.
One thing that I noticed and didn’t like as much is the loading times. Each time you move to an area like Haven to the forest you need to wait until it finishes loading then press A to continue. It’s cumbersome, but I understand that when games get ported to Nintendo Switch some sacrifices must be made. At least I like that in the loading screen, you are greeted by a nice picture of the area you are “travelling” to and a brief description of it. So, it’s nice since it helps understand the lore of the game. Besides that, the game has a lot to do before getting to the last boss so for those who like to 100% everything you have your work cut out for you.
Bottom Line: Mages of Mystralia is a magical experience. I applaud the developer’s effort to bring it to Nintendo Switch. I had so much fun with the spellcraft system that I still continue to experiment with it. I definitely recommend it. This is an adventure that needs to be on your Switch, The Legend of Zia must be told…..
A Review code was provided for this Review.