Magicka

 PC
User Score
7.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 675 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 419 out of 675
  2. Mixed: 195 out of 675
  3. Negative: 61 out of 675
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  1. Finraziel
    Aug 14, 2011
    4
    This game seems like it could be a lot of fun, but it's destroyed by terrible technical execution. If you're buying this it's basically a gamble if it will run properly on your system. You might try the demo, but often demos are not technically exactly like the game, so I don't know if the demo running ok would guarantee the game running alright. Personally I just upgraded my system, haveThis game seems like it could be a lot of fun, but it's destroyed by terrible technical execution. If you're buying this it's basically a gamble if it will run properly on your system. You might try the demo, but often demos are not technically exactly like the game, so I don't know if the demo running ok would guarantee the game running alright. Personally I just upgraded my system, have an i5 2500K with 8 GB ram freshly installed windows 7 with all newest drivers and with a 5770 videocard. Framerates at native 1920x1200 started out at 40, then tried to lower the res to 1680x1050, framerate went down to 30?! (all in the same starting classroom where nothing happens)... restarted the game, still at 30, go back to 1920x1200, now the framerate hops up and down between 40 and 12 (the game forces vsync on which is why the framerates are so exact). Before I upgraded my system I tried this game and had similar problems but I did get it to be somewhat stable at 30-40 fps, which should be playable although I would still resent the game for giving me suboptimal framerates on a fast system while it's really not doing anything taxing graphics wise, not even close, but despite framerates staying ok the game would stutter randomly. Now, maybe for some people they can look past this, or maybe other people just don't have these problems, but for me it just kills any enjoyment which is a shame because the start of the game at least promises a challenging and very funny experience (although that speech from Vlad gets REALLY boring after hearing it 20 times, that's right, you can't save within a level and if you try to change graphics settings while in game it just goes to hell so you have to restart every time and listen to the intro EVERY TIME you want to check if your changes fixed anything... ARGH!!). I'm just going to let this game lay in my steam list for half a year or so and then come back and see if they fixed it yet. Since the game has been out for like half a year already though, I'm not holding my breath. Oh, and no, switching to windowed does nothing for me, it stays crap despite having pretty damn awesome hardware.… Expand
  2. MBAustin
    Feb 17, 2011
    3
    This game has a great concept, and it's generally pretty well executed. However, the sheer number of bugs, glitches, and hair-pullingly annoying problems drive it to the point of near-total unplayability. IF the developers fix the many, many issues with the game, it will receive my hearty recommendation. For now, do not buy under any circumstances.
  3. Zenren
    Jun 14, 2012
    4
    I really felt that this game had the potential to be something great, however with the temperamental game play, lack of support for most laptops, and it's quirky casting system, the game just fell flat. Again there are times when this game has the potential to shine, however they're overshadowed by the complete frustration of the numerous bugs, lack of rewards for progression, andI really felt that this game had the potential to be something great, however with the temperamental game play, lack of support for most laptops, and it's quirky casting system, the game just fell flat. Again there are times when this game has the potential to shine, however they're overshadowed by the complete frustration of the numerous bugs, lack of rewards for progression, and repetitive scenes. If you can find it really cheap, try it, but otherwise, steer clear.… Expand
  4. Sorkvir
    Feb 17, 2011
    2
    With its bad control to its bad graphics, this game should have been canceled, it also tries to be funny, only a simple mind would find this dry game funny, its casting system that people brag about will make you want to break your keyboard, in the end this game is bad, if you got a old computer from the 90s, then grab this junk, but at the $10 asking price i would pass, there are greatWith its bad control to its bad graphics, this game should have been canceled, it also tries to be funny, only a simple mind would find this dry game funny, its casting system that people brag about will make you want to break your keyboard, in the end this game is bad, if you got a old computer from the 90s, then grab this junk, but at the $10 asking price i would pass, there are great Indie game out there, and this is not it… Expand
  5. DaftBehemoth
    Apr 20, 2011
    2
    A very clever concept completely destroyed by releasing in what resembled a beta form of the game. Developers shouldn't be allowed to get away with garbage like this. The game was completely unplayable for a week after the release for myself and four of my friends who got it with me. The game crashed regularly and to this day still appears to run choppy despite a steady 60fps running on myA very clever concept completely destroyed by releasing in what resembled a beta form of the game. Developers shouldn't be allowed to get away with garbage like this. The game was completely unplayable for a week after the release for myself and four of my friends who got it with me. The game crashed regularly and to this day still appears to run choppy despite a steady 60fps running on my 3.7Ghz Phenom II x4 and 6970 (this issue is known by the developers and still isn't fixed months after its release). I truly regret getting this game. Developers, please play test your games. Don't use your consumers as beta testers, you'll end up losing income in the long run. I won't get another game from Paradox.… Expand
  6. DungnCurmudgeon
    Jun 9, 2012
    2
    The game is fun, once you get the control scheme down but it is amazing that this game is still a buggy piece of sh*t! Very disappointing, although it was cheap on Steam, the random crashes and lock-ups caused me more irritation than my $7 was worth. Avoid.
  7. shonen_red
    Nov 14, 2011
    3
    One of the most abjectly horrible games I've played in a very long time. To play Magicka is to undergo a case study in great concepts ruined by thoughtless game design. An overly-complicated, cumbersome, and clunky control system compounds the fact that the singleplayer campaign is literally impossible to complete on one's own. Bugs and slowdown are plentiful, even after assurances thatOne of the most abjectly horrible games I've played in a very long time. To play Magicka is to undergo a case study in great concepts ruined by thoughtless game design. An overly-complicated, cumbersome, and clunky control system compounds the fact that the singleplayer campaign is literally impossible to complete on one's own. Bugs and slowdown are plentiful, even after assurances that the game has been "fixed." A little more time and effort in development could have brought about bug fixes and enemy scaling by number of players. That small amount of additional effort could have made this a fun, if not particularly memorable little game. As it stands now, though, Magicka is not worth a second of your time or one cent of your money unless you have someone to play it with.… Expand
  8. zahpp
    Jul 8, 2012
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. worst game i have seen ever,cant belive this crap score high at game sites,what the h... is going on ?
    i do not what else to say or tell it is crap again,no no this is not good.    … Expand
  9. mckw
    May 4, 2013
    4
    It is not a serious game and the game must not be taken very seriously. Mixing all these elements makes for some very interesting combinations and spells. However, the game executes this very poorly, I always struggle playing this game properly as it is stiff and sometimes I am fighting to control the character. Multiplayer lags out a lot for me and I can never seem to have a good timeIt is not a serious game and the game must not be taken very seriously. Mixing all these elements makes for some very interesting combinations and spells. However, the game executes this very poorly, I always struggle playing this game properly as it is stiff and sometimes I am fighting to control the character. Multiplayer lags out a lot for me and I can never seem to have a good time with my friends with it. There is a lot of potential in this game, I just feel it is wasted with all the bugs and clunky-ness. I wouldn't recommend this game.… Expand
  10. MTR
    Mar 12, 2011
    1
    Una historia graciosa y unos buenos gráficos son los que hacen que empieces a jugar, pero toda la ilusión se acaba en el mismo tutorial, donde el te encuentras con un interface horrible y un control peor.
    Lanzar hielo y cruzar un río NO puede ser una combinación de varias teclas a repetir 5+ veces de forma rápida.    Una historia graciosa y unos buenos gráficos son los que hacen que empieces a jugar, pero toda la ilusión se acaba en el mismo tutorial, donde el te encuentras con un interface horrible y un control peor.
    Lanzar hielo y cruzar un río NO puede ser una combinación de varias teclas a repetir 5+ veces de forma rápida.
    Sólo graba al terminar un capítulo, el 1ero tardaremos mas de 30min.
    Sin posibilidad de definir macros o un sistema de accesos directos a skills (magias en este caso).    … Expand
  11. Jotto999
    Nov 19, 2011
    4
    I should point out that this review will be tainted by the fact that I happen to be unlucky enough to be using one of the graphic cards where the game has a very obnoxious bug (the purple flashing anytime I talk to an NPC and even during some boss battles). As a result I will be rating this much lower, and I otherwise would certainly give this interesting game an 8 or so.

    Anyway, the    I should point out that this review will be tainted by the fact that I happen to be unlucky enough to be using one of the graphic cards where the game has a very obnoxious bug (the purple flashing anytime I talk to an NPC and even during some boss battles). As a result I will be rating this much lower, and I otherwise would certainly give this interesting game an 8 or so.

    Anyway, the game mechanics are excellent, and the storyline is silly and humorous. If you can play it with minimal bugs then the game is delightful, it's that interesting to explore the spell combinations.

    My recommendation: if you try the game out and if the bugs aren't too bad, then feel free to buy it. If you get the purple flashing, forget it, it'll ruin the game for you, or maybe you could try it on a different machine. 4 is what the game deserves if you do have the purple flashing, so that's what I will give it, hopefully you won't have this issue.    … Expand
  12. Dosbilliam
    Nov 18, 2011
    4
    The game itself is actually well done, at least, up until the Jormungardr fight. It was difficult to finish that fight, and all fights beforehand, due to the extremely low framerate I was having. After starting the game the first time, the start of the tutorial had a graphical failure so terrible I needed to reset the game. Due to buying this game on Steam due to their -75% off sale, IThe game itself is actually well done, at least, up until the Jormungardr fight. It was difficult to finish that fight, and all fights beforehand, due to the extremely low framerate I was having. After starting the game the first time, the start of the tutorial had a graphical failure so terrible I needed to reset the game. Due to buying this game on Steam due to their -75% off sale, I ended up checking the Steam forums directly after that first major malfunction, but before starting the game again. After I started it again, I was having fun except for said framerate issue. From what I could gather from the game's creator company's posting about the graphical issues MANY others were having, they opted to add features into the game instead of optimizing it for a great number of systems. Considering the low staff level they have, I can't say that I blame them for making that choice, but I still believe that their staff needs to work on fixing those graphical issues before I believe most people should buy this game. With what that same post said about the bugs getting fixed, that'll be VERY soon.… Expand
  13. lexe
    Dec 17, 2011
    4
    Magica is a fun combo based hack-and-slash game. Because you can't save your progression through the game you rely on the system saving the game for you when you manage to beat the level. On some levels I've spend 3 hours trying to beat them. Because bugs make the game crash randomly or on zoning moments, you have to start all over again. After 21 hours of magica i made it about halfwayMagica is a fun combo based hack-and-slash game. Because you can't save your progression through the game you rely on the system saving the game for you when you manage to beat the level. On some levels I've spend 3 hours trying to beat them. Because bugs make the game crash randomly or on zoning moments, you have to start all over again. After 21 hours of magica i made it about halfway the game. Basically bugs make it unplayable.… Expand
  14. JonesR
    Dec 1, 2011
    3
    Complete gibberish. I like the qewrasdf keyboard smashing, but I just can't connect with this game. Too many DLCs make it seem like a game that was pieced together.
  15. InstantStreet
    Dec 28, 2012
    0
    Interesting concept, quite funny, enjoyable multiplayer. But this game is broken, very broken. I experience bugs (no, it isn't because of my PC) about every 15 min of online play. Either my screen turns black or i disconnect... Since yesterday I even can't join a game no more... Almost 2 years after release this game still is just one big bug with some fun parts in between it...
  16. DrGulag
    Jul 20, 2012
    4
    The idea behind the game is quite good and the basic magic mechanic can be entertaining (provided you find the best combinations). The game has some serious flaws though since the single player experience is simply too random and too difficult. You will find yourself waiting a long time after every single death while staring at the "defeated" message on your screen. I enjoy a goodThe idea behind the game is quite good and the basic magic mechanic can be entertaining (provided you find the best combinations). The game has some serious flaws though since the single player experience is simply too random and too difficult. You will find yourself waiting a long time after every single death while staring at the "defeated" message on your screen. I enjoy a good challenge (Demons Souls and what not) but Magicka is just frustrating. NOT WORTH A BUY if you are going for the single player - unless you are prepared to spend hours upon hours perfecting your skills.… Expand
  17. s7r83dg3
    May 5, 2011
    2
    I quit playing this game after level 5 because it was repetitive, not funny at all and far to easy. If you are older than 12, don't play this game. There is no AI in this game. Playing this game feels like squishing ants.
  18. choppy
    Oct 12, 2011
    4
    Still a buggy mess. A friend bought a two-pack and gave me this for free. We had so many problems trying to create a multi-player game, we just gave up. I don't care for the cramped play style either, where you're stuck on one screen, arena-like, with no possibility of retreat, while enemies pummel you.

    I've completely stopped playing. Be careful buying this.
  19. BlackSails
    Mar 10, 2012
    2
    Even for the price, this game is not worth the time and frustration. I spent the majority of the 10, meaningless hours I sunk into this game yelling at the computer and being furious at the cheap, one hit deaths. Most boss fights required no strategy and only required you to exploit a certain loophole. Moreover, don't expect the controls to save you. Your character is sluggish and theEven for the price, this game is not worth the time and frustration. I spent the majority of the 10, meaningless hours I sunk into this game yelling at the computer and being furious at the cheap, one hit deaths. Most boss fights required no strategy and only required you to exploit a certain loophole. Moreover, don't expect the controls to save you. Your character is sluggish and the spell combos are buggy. This game is broken in so many ways. It should have never been shipped. Arrowhead studios should be ashamed of itself.… Expand
  20. RuedR5566
    Sep 2, 2013
    0
    this game is hard cuz the screen is stack in some place and you just can't see your character and about that u can combine element is a joke, they all was designed by the developers, and in many level u must use them or u can't go forward, and some times u can't key in the right element, and u can't cancel that. and ur enemy kick u like a ball all a round the screen WTF is that.

    yet    this game is hard cuz the screen is stack in some place and you just can't see your character and about that u can combine element is a joke, they all was designed by the developers, and in many level u must use them or u can't go forward, and some times u can't key in the right element, and u can't cancel that. and ur enemy kick u like a ball all a round the screen WTF is that.

    yet it's playable but suck in every single part, control is so bad cuz the combine element and camera is so bad.

    even it gives a 75% discount it's not worth ur time in this    … Expand
  21. fondu321
    May 24, 2013
    2
    UI for movement seemed really clunky to me. It looks and plays like an arcade game from the 70's. I like the concept of so many spell combinations but I only seemed to use a few of the combos to get the bosses down. The fighting is rather boring and repetitive and I do not recommend this game even at a low price.
  22. MusicCream
    Sep 5, 2013
    4
    This game is very innovative, brings a fun magic mechanic. But this game have countless gliches, and the controls don't give you the best experience. There's better games to waste your money.
  23. renatov
    Jun 10, 2015
    0
    This game is a **** it sucks completly. You will spend the whole game listening to people speaking something in a non-sense "language" that means nothing. It's so annoying I couldn't play for more than 30 min.
  24. KurtisStryker
    Apr 23, 2016
    0
    Incredible hard and frustrating game. Never play it, if you don't want to go insane.
    The worst game I've ever played. Wish I never purchased it.
    -1,000,000,000,000/10
  25. Oshiri_Maeda
    Jul 9, 2022
    1
    Very fun co-op game. However, it is unplayable in 2022: constant crashes and connection issues.

Awards & Rankings

92
#92 Best PC Game of 2011
36
#36 Most Discussed PC Game of 2011
57
#57 Most Shared PC Game of 2011

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
74

Mixed or average reviews - based on 44 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 26 out of 44
  2. Mixed: 17 out of 44
  3. Negative: 1 out of 44
  1. CPUGamer
    May 6, 2011
    90
    The rich, luscious colors somehow make the world a lot more believable than games like Crysis 2 could ever be.
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  2. GRYOnline.pl
    May 6, 2011
    80
    Magicka is a game that works especially well in cooperation. Single player experience is a good one but this game shows its true potential only when you play with friends, allowing for some great fun. A patched-up Magicka is most certainly worth getting to know. Even more, because it is a solid candidate for 2011's best game in its category.
    Read full review
  3. MEGamers
    Apr 23, 2011
    90
    A game that glorifies the use of fireballs and land mines. #WIN.
    Read full review
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