User Score
7.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 675 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Negative: 61 out of 675
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  1. Oct 4, 2011
    10
    Should you buy it?
    Definitely, yes. If you're looking for a good game and yet don't want to pay a lot of money, go for Magicka. Even if you're still unsure about the bugs people mention all the time, wait a a month and get it later on - it will improve even further.
    I haven't had that much fun with a game in months, and especially not THIS type of fun. Go, try the demo, buy the game,
    Should you buy it?
    Definitely, yes. If you're looking for a good game and yet don't want to pay a lot of money, go for Magicka. Even if you're still unsure about the bugs people mention all the time, wait a a month and get it later on - it will improve even further.

    I haven't had that much fun with a game in months, and especially not THIS type of fun.
    Go, try the demo, buy the game, support great devoted developers and laugh yourself into oblivion!

    Full Review: http://darkchaplain-anotherstory.blogspot.com/2011/02/magicka-review.html
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  2. Sep 16, 2011
    10
    Mofoso 10 Remarkable example of a remarkable game. Unique and successful game play and controls that blow you away. Humorous story line with my. this game is mint
  3. Sep 10, 2011
    8
    this is a great original game that take a short while to understand, but when you do it's really fun. The multiplayer options are really fun (especially the PVP). The only problem is the glitches and at times the campaign might be a bit annoying
  4. 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
  5. Aug 10, 2011
    9
    What some call the 'Wizard Suicide Simulator' Magicka is a gem of a game from Paradox Interactive. Hilariously good fun and best played with friends while under the influence. The magic combos will have you in fits as you play through the campaign. Unlimited play if provide through the matchmaking and multiplayer system, there's even a PvP system. Unfortunately what should have been aWhat some call the 'Wizard Suicide Simulator' Magicka is a gem of a game from Paradox Interactive. Hilariously good fun and best played with friends while under the influence. The magic combos will have you in fits as you play through the campaign. Unlimited play if provide through the matchmaking and multiplayer system, there's even a PvP system. Unfortunately what should have been a perfect 10 star outing has been marred by a lacklustre multi-player and matchmaking system that has been mostly fixed since the time of this review. I highly recommend anybody to check out the Steam Sales this Christmas if you've gotten this game yet. Expand
  6. Aug 7, 2011
    10
    This game is awesome and way fun. It is a little buggy at times but if you have a great computer with a great processor and video card it prevents a lot of problems. Gameplay is a top down. The coolest thing about the game is mixing spell types to create powerful combinations to devastate enemies... or yourself and friends if you happen to hit friendlies. The game has a helpfulThis game is awesome and way fun. It is a little buggy at times but if you have a great computer with a great processor and video card it prevents a lot of problems. Gameplay is a top down. The coolest thing about the game is mixing spell types to create powerful combinations to devastate enemies... or yourself and friends if you happen to hit friendlies. The game has a helpful tutorial in the beginning that leaves you learning more and more spells throughout the entire game. It is also incredibly funny with lots of references to Star Wars in the text of dialogue. I believe my first hard laugh came when playing the tutorial and my friend who had chosen a strange army character (not very wizardly at all) accidently tossed a grenade at my feet and killed me. I thought I was out forever until we learned a revive spell to bring me back. This game should be played co-op for the most fun as long as you cooperate with team members otherwise it could get frustrating. So, if you've got an awesome computer and ten bucks I'd recommend this game for some exciting and funny entertainment. Expand
  7. Jul 21, 2011
    8
    A brilliantly fun game with a very intuitive, unique and simple yet complex way of casting magic, by using a combination of 8 elements you can create your own spells to attack with, I enjoyed the humor and it's even better when playing with friends, but I would say only play with friends, because while it's fun, it's not nearly as good on your own. When I first got this there were a lot ofA brilliantly fun game with a very intuitive, unique and simple yet complex way of casting magic, by using a combination of 8 elements you can create your own spells to attack with, I enjoyed the humor and it's even better when playing with friends, but I would say only play with friends, because while it's fun, it's not nearly as good on your own. When I first got this there were a lot of glitches that ruined it, but I think these have mostly been ironed out now. it's only $10 which instantly makes this game worth trying. Expand
  8. Jul 18, 2011
    6
    Magicka, Hench the name, offers the elements we all know in daily life. And is now implemented in a realistic strategy like game where you have to combine elements in order to cast your spell. This offers space to experiment, but sadly causes frustration when you're in a tight spot or suddenly die. For $10 dollars you get an overall decent game, but not something you would play for hours on end.
  9. Jul 10, 2011
    6
    Has the potential for being great fun, but wastes it. It's gutting, because the magic system is wonderful. Aside from that: there seems to be no difficulty scaling for 4 players compared to 1, so the game is impossible in solo for a mere mortal like me. In co-op, every time you start getting warmed up there's another unskippable cutscene breaking the action apart -- there's no sign ofHas the potential for being great fun, but wastes it. It's gutting, because the magic system is wonderful. Aside from that: there seems to be no difficulty scaling for 4 players compared to 1, so the game is impossible in solo for a mere mortal like me. In co-op, every time you start getting warmed up there's another unskippable cutscene breaking the action apart -- there's no sign of the long continuous Diablo-style creature crawl that the magic system really deserves. And the hard sections are "annoying hard": the game takes control away from you by killing you or getting you grappled, such that some of the co-op players will spend large amounts of time either helplessly hammering the space bar or going "rez plx" rather than actually playing. Frustrating. Expand
  10. Jul 6, 2011
    8
    Magicka has managed to produce the single best on-the-fly spell-casting/wizard dueling gameplay system ever featured in a video game. There is simply no other system like it, nor one that comes close to being as much fun to watch. This simple fact alone makes Magicka one of the most worthy games out there for the price -- and when you throw in great multiplayer, zany and sometimesMagicka has managed to produce the single best on-the-fly spell-casting/wizard dueling gameplay system ever featured in a video game. There is simply no other system like it, nor one that comes close to being as much fun to watch. This simple fact alone makes Magicka one of the most worthy games out there for the price -- and when you throw in great multiplayer, zany and sometimes hilarious references and story elements, good DLC/support, and a rich variety of gameplay modes, the overall package simply becomes that much sweeter. Expand
  11. Jul 5, 2011
    9
    First off...If you have performance issues on newer hardware, run the game in windowed mode and that solves them completely. It's not a big deal.

    Secondly...Play with friends and use Steam's voice conferencing/chat functions while playing. Failing that, I would ask people around here to add you on Steam to play with you rather than try to join random games. Griefing would be a huge issue
    First off...If you have performance issues on newer hardware, run the game in windowed mode and that solves them completely. It's not a big deal.

    Secondly...Play with friends and use Steam's voice conferencing/chat functions while playing.
    Failing that, I would ask people around here to add you on Steam to play with you rather than try to join random games. Griefing would be a huge issue in a game like this.

    Ok. With that out of the way. This game is so much fun!

    The way you create your magic is awesome, the battles are challenging, the humour is great and the amount and quality of spells you have is actually quite impressive.

    Even if you only have a slight interest in this, I would definitely recommend getting the complete pack.
    I was sitting on the fence about it and wondering if I would like the game. I am very glad I went ahead and bought it. It's a breath of fresh air and has a really old-school feel to it in terms of gameplay and challenge.
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  12. Jul 5, 2011
    7
    THE GOOD: The spell system is awesome. Spells are awesome. Did I mention spells are awesome? Good sense of humor. Cheap. THE BAD: Controls are sometimes wonky. THE UGLY: Trolls.
  13. Jul 3, 2011
    6
    This game seems decent but it is hampered with perhaps the worst controls of any game I've played in my entire life. You have to hold down shift to do any kind of attack other than basic magic so it makes my hand hurt to play this game for a long period of time. You have to repeatedly tap the ASDFQWER keys with your left hand to cast your magic spells with up to 8 keypresses andThis game seems decent but it is hampered with perhaps the worst controls of any game I've played in my entire life. You have to hold down shift to do any kind of attack other than basic magic so it makes my hand hurt to play this game for a long period of time. You have to repeatedly tap the ASDFQWER keys with your left hand to cast your magic spells with up to 8 keypresses and possibly a shift key hold needed to be pressed to cast one spell. It requires at least three times as many button presses to play this game as any other game.

    If you try to play with joystick it is much easier to do basic attacks, blocking, and so on but all except the most simple magic is ridiculous to cast with the stick. You sometimes have to move the right stick to 20 consecutive positions (no joke!) to cast a single spell. There is no way to customize the controls so that you can use both joystick and keyboard at the same time so that you could tap out on the keyboard to do the more complex spells.

    Much of the difficulty of the game is a result of the ridiculous control structure. You will end up killing yourself and your party members plenty of times because of accidental attacks caused by trying to navigate the controls. That's not all though, there is also a tendency to have things that can just instantly kill you that can be quite frustrating if you are playing solo. You'll be fighting a guy and he launches you off a cliff killing you or you'll have to run up a narrow stairway in midair and if you make a joystick error you fall off and die. You will get trapped in a corner and be unable to move resulting in you dying. If you play multiplayer online this is not a problem since your teammate will just revive you, but solo you may have to repeat a long battle many times to survive and you'll need to reach the end of the level not just the next checkpoint to save your progress between sessions. If you have difficulty a level may take over an hour as you repeat a battle over and over.

    Oh and one more thing... all the text is in English making this appear as an English game but the voice work in the game appears to be in a foreign language (German or Swedish maybe?) or something like that with English subtitles.

    The game is buggy. When I hosted multiplayer a few times when I started the game the music started but the screen stayed totally black and I had to shut down the game. When I tried to modify the joystick controls the game crashed at least 7 times before I finally got it to work. Ultimately I was able to play though and it was enjoyable though clunky to control. There is a good deal of humor in the game. Some is related to references to games, movies, etc that younger audiences might not recognize, but it does add charm to the game.

    I bought the game on sale for $3 and its certainly worth that for a few hours of unique entertainment, but don't expect the greatest game you have ever played. Its not here. I'd recommend other games action RPGs like Titan's Quest, Diablo II, Torchlight, or Dungeon Siege before this one, but this one can still be enjoyable for awhile.
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  14. Jun 28, 2011
    6
    After the first hour of the game, you'll be thinking that this game resembles Diablo, but not quite. The graphics are definitely not the best, or the better ones, for this era, but the game play is unique and innovative. You'll need to use your left hand (only the left) to come up with spell combination, and your right to cast, move around or to poke the monsters with whatever weapon youAfter the first hour of the game, you'll be thinking that this game resembles Diablo, but not quite. The graphics are definitely not the best, or the better ones, for this era, but the game play is unique and innovative. You'll need to use your left hand (only the left) to come up with spell combination, and your right to cast, move around or to poke the monsters with whatever weapon you are holding on to. It feels like the time when you've first learnt how to type, trying to go as fast and as furious as you can with your fingers. Simply put, you'll think that it's cool. However, after 5 hours of gameplay, you'll think otherwise. Ever heard of the nintendo thumbs? This is much worse than that. 5 hours of left-hand-spell-spamming, your hand will ache so muc h that you won't be able to play your piano or guitar for one whole week. Worse still, it's the same thing from the start to the end. All you really need is a few spells and you can clear all 12 chapters within 3 to 4 hours solo. It's repetitive, and worse still, its buggy. For 10 bucks, it seems fine, but definitely not a contender for something that's worth more than a day of your time. Expand
  15. Jun 27, 2011
    5
    I will be rating this a little lower than I think it should be just because it is far too highly rated right now. Magicka is actually quite good, if you can play it that is. Fun and interesting magic system with a very funny and entertaining adventure mode. All ruined by bugs, crashes and silly incompatibility issues. Most of my friends can't even run the game because of all the issues.I will be rating this a little lower than I think it should be just because it is far too highly rated right now. Magicka is actually quite good, if you can play it that is. Fun and interesting magic system with a very funny and entertaining adventure mode. All ruined by bugs, crashes and silly incompatibility issues. Most of my friends can't even run the game because of all the issues. Some even bought it only to find out that it simply won't work at all on their system even though they more than meet the recommended specs. I really have not had too many issues myself. I do have a crash here and there or an occasional graphic hiccup. The worste thing to be honest is that it is best played multiplayer yet is nearly impossible to play co-operatively. Even in the co-op campaign there is no way to turn off friendly fire. This would not be a problem in many games but causes no end of headaches in Magicka. With so many spells being area of effect damage, making a straight line completely across the map or just being experimented with, you will be killed constantly. Again in many games that would be okay but not in Magicka. Imagine you finally got the game to work after 3 hrs of changing settings and dealing with crashes. You finally get it working and 3 minutes into the game you get killed 5 times because while you're experimenting with spells so are your friends. Every time someone casts a damage spell they kill atleast 2 of their teammates. On top of being attacked by enemies. Some of these spells are hugely overpowered and yes very fun to watch untill you realize you not only destroyed all the goblins on the screen but killed all of your teammates too. Such a joke of a game at this point especially since they refuse to fix any of these issues because they are too busy pumping out garbage DLC. Save your money or buy something good instead. Expand
  16. Jun 25, 2011
    9
    $10 well spent most of my life!
    Its a fantastic experience that no other game in existence until today, will provide.
    The combinations of magic in this game is really fantastic, this game is an excellent investment, I recommend to anyone and everyone! Enjoy this game!!!
  17. Jun 9, 2011
    6
    Absolute hunk of crap. They released this game when it was ridden with bugs, no PVP of any sort, getting into a match is absolutely impossible, they are constantly putting new DLC on the market, yet I've failed to see them fixing bugs that NEED to be fixed.

    Good concept, bad execution. Perfect example of what not to do with a game.
  18. Jun 7, 2011
    10
    This game is so much fun killing your friends and healing your enemy as you laugh behind your screen and take their loot, the jokes and references are so funny if you don't live under a rock you should get even more laughs then the game offers. Awesome graphics style, and great story line. The game is broken some people/critics might say? One it was by an indie game which if im right theyThis game is so much fun killing your friends and healing your enemy as you laugh behind your screen and take their loot, the jokes and references are so funny if you don't live under a rock you should get even more laughs then the game offers. Awesome graphics style, and great story line. The game is broken some people/critics might say? One it was by an indie game which if im right they haven't made a game before! Two I laughed so much it wouldn't matter how many problems I had with the game. Its a must buy! Great job to the developers! KHAAAAAAAAN! Expand
  19. Jun 5, 2011
    9
    Great game for single player and multiplayer, brings a lot of fun with many magics and spells you can cast, this game is very fun and very re-playable
  20. Jun 4, 2011
    8
    I quite enjoyed it. Good value for the money although there have been a few annoying bugs.
    Nice light hearted game that hopefully encourages more indie developers to put out interesting, creative games.
  21. Jun 1, 2011
    5
    Would be a good game if it is playable. Even in windowed mode this game runs like I'm on Dial-up. (No, it is not my computer or connection that is doing it). The inability to map keys is another, inexplicable fail. But hey, it's only $10...
  22. May 30, 2011
    10
    Remarkable example of a remarkable game. Unique and successful game play and controls that blow you away. Humorous story line with numerous easter eggs. Fun and extremely challenging ( but still possible) single player action packed game play, even better when played with up to 4 friends. A virtual "Hack n Slash" but with spells and "Magicks", the combination of 8 different "elements"Remarkable example of a remarkable game. Unique and successful game play and controls that blow you away. Humorous story line with numerous easter eggs. Fun and extremely challenging ( but still possible) single player action packed game play, even better when played with up to 4 friends. A virtual "Hack n Slash" but with spells and "Magicks", the combination of 8 different "elements" which all can create different unique spells by certain combinations add to the fun. Expand
  23. May 27, 2011
    7
    Magicka is only $10. It might lack polish, but there is plenty of content and unexpected enjoyment in this title to justify that price and more. Itâ
  24. May 25, 2011
    9
    Magicka is definatly a fun game. Normally, when I try out a new game, it takes some time for me to really enjoy it, but I was overcome with joy from the first moment of playing Magicka.

    In this game, you combine spells from 8 different elements. Some elements empower others, for instance lightning becomes more powerful if you already cast steam or water on your opponent. You can do both
    Magicka is definatly a fun game. Normally, when I try out a new game, it takes some time for me to really enjoy it, but I was overcome with joy from the first moment of playing Magicka.

    In this game, you combine spells from 8 different elements. Some elements empower others, for instance lightning becomes more powerful if you already cast steam or water on your opponent. You can do both aoe, single target and selftarget with the same spell, changing how it works. There are also premade spells that you can learn from books, like thunderstorm or teleport, and they works in the same way as all other spells; by combining the elements in a specific order.

    The campaign is hillarious. You get to hear references from tons of movies and games in a very fun tone while bashing monsters with all the tricks you have picked up from killing your teammates by accident.

    Another fun gamemode is the arena. This is different from the campaign, as the only objective here is to survive waves of incoming attacks from monsters. This is very hard to complete alone, as you will need teamwork for some of the waves. Everything in this game is more fun if you play it with up to three friends.

    The downside of this game is lack of content. I played the game for about 4 hours, and then the campaign was complete, then another 1-2 hours for both arenas to be complete. And then there were nothing left to do, and I haven't played the game since.

    In short, the game is brilliant and alot of fun, but it lacks content, and you don't get many hours of fun before you have to do the same content over again.
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  25. May 24, 2011
    9
    It was everything I expected and more, the graphics were beautiful, the spell combinations and different weapons make for unique gameplay that is different every time I start my computer, the multiplayer was enjoyable, the game had the perfect amount of comedy and Easter Eggs, but not too much as to dumb down the game. Hands down best $10 I have ever spent.
  26. May 17, 2011
    9
    Finally completing the game and unlocking the majority of achievements I can say Magicka is a top-notch multi-player adventure game with a genius hook. Firstly, I ran through the game with three other friends and it was a lot of fun, although a slow start because upon its release the menus were lagging and riddled with CTDs for us. Me and my friends loved figuring out spell combinations,Finally completing the game and unlocking the majority of achievements I can say Magicka is a top-notch multi-player adventure game with a genius hook. Firstly, I ran through the game with three other friends and it was a lot of fun, although a slow start because upon its release the menus were lagging and riddled with CTDs for us. Me and my friends loved figuring out spell combinations, boss strategies and also knocking each other off the map. I found with the four of us it was difficult to coordinate and would more often then not ruin the fun for each other.

    I recommend playing the game co-op, just 2 people, it is easier to co-ordinate and execute strats. One of us would shoot a freezing energy beam and the other a water energy beam blowing enemies up into ice crystal then we would combine electrical attacks to destroy the frozen enemies. It worked wonders and we progressed smoothly through the game. Magicka had a lot of solid mechanics and special spells that it felt there was always new attacks to discover and mess with. For the price, length and multi-player mayhem this game is magical. Sorry, that is bad closer.
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  27. May 13, 2011
    9
    This is one funny and fun game! The humour is great, with lots of nerdy pop culture references. The jibberish the characters speak is especially funny if you speak a Norse language, because then you can really notice how stupid it all sounds. As for the gameplay, it works really well. The combining of elements to create magic is an innovative system, which makes mana obsolete. The onlyThis is one funny and fun game! The humour is great, with lots of nerdy pop culture references. The jibberish the characters speak is especially funny if you speak a Norse language, because then you can really notice how stupid it all sounds. As for the gameplay, it works really well. The combining of elements to create magic is an innovative system, which makes mana obsolete. The only limit you have is how fast you can press the keys, and also some spells need to be unlocked. I've only played this game singelplayer so far, and have yet to beat it. It would probably be easier with a friend... If he was a good player who doesn't friendly fire at you, that is. Because there are LOTS of opportunities and possibilities to get enemies, allies and yourself killed. Often in hilarious ways. Oh, and I got the game at 50% of on Steam, so that's pretty much a steal. AS FOR BUGS, the team has obviously been working really hard to fix them, because I've experienced none. Oh, and they added a spell called "Crash to desktop" together with the bug fixes... Genius. Expand
  28. May 10, 2011
    10
    I think this game is very under rated. I don't know anyone who does not play this game, also it costs £8 when a CoD map pack costs £11 so it is great for price.
  29. 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.
  30. May 1, 2011
    9
    Awesome value for the price!! I've only played single player so far, but the experience has been one of the most humorous and most challenging games I've played lately. Pop culture references and jokes abound. The magick system is extremely innovative, with thousands of different spell combos at your disposal. I'm guessing 4 player co-op makes this game even more entertaining as youAwesome value for the price!! I've only played single player so far, but the experience has been one of the most humorous and most challenging games I've played lately. Pop culture references and jokes abound. The magick system is extremely innovative, with thousands of different spell combos at your disposal. I'm guessing 4 player co-op makes this game even more entertaining as you stab your buddies in the back and (hopefully) kill some monsters. Only thing holding it back is the difficulty of single player. This is NOT for the faint of heart! Expand
Metascore
74

Mixed or average reviews - based on 44 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 26 out of 44
  2. Negative: 1 out of 44
  1. May 6, 2011
    90
    The rich, luscious colors somehow make the world a lot more believable than games like Crysis 2 could ever be.
  2. 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.
  3. Apr 23, 2011
    90
    A game that glorifies the use of fireballs and land mines. #WIN.