Lost Magic

 DS
  • Publisher: Ubisoft
  • Release Date: Apr 25, 2006
Metascore
68

Mixed or average reviews - based on 44 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 44
  2. Mixed: 27 out of 44
  3. Negative: 3 out of 44
Buy Now
Buy on
  1. Game Revolution
    42
    If it weren’t for the terrible plot, awful A.I., frustrating missions, and rampant slowdown, it might boil down to some magic worth finding. In the end, this weird hybrid is a mage of many schools, but a master of none.
  2. Yahoo!
    40
    While the symbol-drawing controls and cunning elemental system are deep and enjoyable, the rest of the game drags it down to a level of tedium from which even the competent multiplayer can't rescue it.
  3. G4 TV
    40
    Lost Magic for the Nintendo DS combines all the fun of drawing letters, trying to remember arcane symbols, dying repeatedly, cursing like a sailor at having died repeatedly, and getting carpal tunnel syndrome repeatedly tapping a stylus against a touch screen in order to fast-forward through a series of conversations that manage to be simultaneously inane and overlong.

Awards & Rankings

39
#39 Best DS Game of 2006
27
#27 Most Discussed DS Game of 2006
30
#30 Most Shared DS Game of 2006

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
8.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 41 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 31 out of 41
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 41
  3. Negative: 4 out of 41
  1. Tuvix
    Nov 5, 2020
    10
    This game has never been replicated. It is a singular experience that is just so much fun and desperately needs a sequel!
  2. HyrulianHero
    Apr 27, 2019
    0
    Lost Magic is itself an ironic name as the game contains a magic that most will never experience. Played somewhat like a real-time RTS minusLost Magic is itself an ironic name as the game contains a magic that most will never experience. Played somewhat like a real-time RTS minus resource management (mostly) and building, you control Isaac, an aspiring magician who collects monsters throughout his adventure and uses them and his magic runes to battle other monsters and magicians. If I recall correctly, there are 296 different magic spells Isaac can learn from a combination of six different runes, drawn on the DS touch screen. Isaac can choose up to two groups of monsters to take with him into any given battle. Battles are accessed via an overworld screen as the narrative plays on in a mostly linear fashion.

    The artwork for this game is wonderful. It never feels forced, designs are original and brilliant. Even the sprite-work has a unique charm to it, tiny DS screen notwithstanding.

    The story is simple but not quite as straight-forward as one might at first expect. A couple of "twists" keep the tale interesting and characters have at least a bit of personality. The most engaging aspect of the story is the world as it feels consistent, believable. By keeping the world simple, the developers were able to keep every facet of the world feeling cohesive and sequitur.

    There music is nothing to write home about and the sound design in general is lacking. A couple of the themes are catchy but for the most part, the music falls flat and the effects are...well, it's a DS game.

    The gameplay is quite simple but managing your magic gives the game enough substance that even the somewhat repetitive battles can be played differently every time. The monsters you take into battle don't honestly change the gameplay much but they're not carbon copies either; each monster group has its own strengths and weaknesses.

    The real star here is Isaac's lost magic. With six runes and 296 combinations, you'll constantly be considering which effects best fit the situation, how fast they are to draw, their range, power, effects, and magic consumption. This is where Lost Magic truly shines. Expect to find new effects on your third and fourth play-though.

    This is a fantastic budget game, definitely one to pick up if you are looking to fill out your backlog of DS games.    … Full Review »
  3. vahn
    May 1, 2017
    5
    I remember getting this game in 2006 and me and my sister were quite curious about this game: Nintendo ds was at its beginnings and most ofI remember getting this game in 2006 and me and my sister were quite curious about this game: Nintendo ds was at its beginnings and most of their games were still gimmicky but not bad (nothing like the **** 3ds and it's messed up design in most games). However when I took this game in and played it for about 2-3 hours I just stopped: this game is unforgiving and has 3 fatal flaws, 3 unforgivable mistakes that basically ruins what could be a magnificent game.

    1) Clunky Controls: as I said the DS was at its start and the gimmick of the touch screen was used very heavily during that time. However, while some games were great in this regard (Elite Beat Agents, Professor Layton, Phoenix Wright), this one is the in the "not so great" category: you can easily mess up the rune if you're slightly off the right path and that uses mana...which means you must not mess it up. The game also controls like an RTS but sadly it's so crippled since you will always have to highlight the units and click and do it EVERY-SINGLE-TIME for moving around. Oh and I wouldn't want to forget to mention that your units move incredibly slow, so if you mess up something you might have to wait a lot of time in order to have them returning in position. It's just beyond bad and it's so bad that the second point is related to control, and that is...

    2) No Pathfinding: in most RTS when you click somewhere, your units will reach it by finding the best route possible - hence the name pathfinding. Sadly this game has none and it's very common that your units will go to a wall and be stuck forever until you make them move on the right track. And how did you move again? Of course, highlight+clickposition EVERY-SINGLE-TIME. What's worse of all this and the biggest flaw that basically makes this game from a rather clunky rts-rpg game to a chore is, unfortunately, the most common one...

    3) Time limit: I don't know who was the retard that thought this was a good idea but - shock - it isn't: not only it adds an element of rush in most battles because of the time limit, but you'll have to deal with the clunky interface AND the clunky controls AND the lack of pathfinding AND make sure you don't make mistakes AND do it within the super strict time limit AND with the slowest units ever created in an RTS. And you might wonder. how much time do you have in these battles? Surely it can't be too bad-

    You have 5 minutes in basically 50-60% of the battles. The highest time available is 10.
    Oh oh and guess what? There are battles that only have 3 minutes!
    Seriously whoever thought this was a good idea clearly had no idea how to make a fun game. I mean it's like putting time limit in a dungeon and without any chance of replacing your group without waiting hours and ....Oh right that game is Final Fantasy XIV....

    Case in point, this game had potential to be great, but instead feels like a chore and a "challenge-fest" for those who don't have enough challenges in their games. It might become easier, later on, I admit (I only reached level 19, 10 years ago, but that's as far as I could go) but I simply cannot play any longer than this. It's just a shame really but alas, the fact that it remained unplayed for nearly 10 years it's proof that this game wasn't meant to be popular and perhaps just niche.

    ...meanwhile I still play Elite Beat Agents, Phoenix Wright and many other valuable games that at least are playable from the start.    … Full Review »
See all user reviews »