Mages of Mystralia

 PlayStation 4
Metascore
73

Mixed or average reviews - based on 7 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 7
  3. Negative: 0 out of 7
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  1. PlayStation Country
    Aug 22, 2017
    70
    Mages of Mystralia is a decent action role playing game with an excellent spell crafting mechanic. The presentation and story set this apart from a lot of other indie stuff and make the game feel grander than it actually is. Unfortunately samey combat and plenty of backtracking stop this from being a truly great game.
  2. Everyeye.it
    Oct 16, 2017
    65
    Far from a masterpiece, but that's fine.
  3. Digitally Downloaded
    Aug 23, 2017
    60
    I would define this game as a nice game that was very well cooked and served. No, it wasn’t one of those rare breed that practically forced me to sit and play. Mystralia's is a more down to earth experience, gaining most of its credit through its adorably vivid presentation. It also does very well in the puzzle department.

User Reviews

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User Score
7.2

Mixed or average reviews- based on 6 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 6
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 6
  3. Negative: 1 out of 6
  1. SnappyGR
    Sep 2, 2019
    8
    Snappy Game Reviews - MagiCrafting (abridged version)

    Borealys Games, a new studio based in Montreal, composed of industry veterans and    Snappy Game Reviews - MagiCrafting (abridged version)

    Borealys Games, a new studio based in Montreal, composed of industry veterans and passionate young developers came together to pitch their very first project on Kickstarter, Mages of Mystralia. Best described as The Legend of Zelda meets Harry Potter, this promising concept captivated a lot of people’s attention and became a rousing success which led to the full development of the title.

    The game starts off by setting up a little bit of the backstory of the world and some of its characters through the form of a little cut scene, I do suggest checking out the webcomic to get a better grasp of some of the events as it adds some details to the story written by the bestselling author Ed Greenwood, creator of the Forgotten Realms fantasy setting.
    The world of Mystralia was once one of magic and wonder until the events that led to the troll plague when a young mage was named king of the realm but was consumed by his studies of spell crafting. This ushered in the era of the Marquis, where magic is forbidden but despite this, there are still remnants of magic in the world, such as the main character Zia. Zia is a young girl that sees herself forced to learn how to put her powers to good use after accidentally burning down part of her village. This is the starting point to an enchanting, yet typical, fantasy tale.

    The magical world of Mystralia is brimming with colour and looks charming, almost as if you were playing an animated movie. There are a few instances of objects popping in, clipping and for some reason, the shadows go haywire during some of the cut-scenes which can be a bit distracting but for the most part, this is a very technically impressive game considering that it’s been built using Unity. The lovely visuals are accentuated by the fantastical orchestral soundtrack, composed by Antoine Vachon, which helps to elevate the experience to a whole other level.

    The real selling point of the game though is the unique spell crafting system and how the world is built around it. For you see, Zia gets a hold of a Spell Book very early in her adventure which allows her to cast electrical, fire, water and wind magic. Each of these serves a different purpose, for example, electrical attacks are your go-to close-range attacks, fire and water are good for ranged and area of effect attacks respectively and finally, the wind is reserved for more defensive skills such as shields and magic barriers.

    Each of these can be further customized through the use of runes with different effects, which can be obtained through story events and can also be found in the wild while exploring. Eventually, you’ll be able to change elements, add additional effects, chain spells to create combinations or even name your own spells. All of these gameplay elements come together to build an action-adventure game quite reminiscent of The Legend of Zelda but that’s very much its own thing. It strikes the perfect balance between combat and puzzle-solving with a bunch of bosses sprinkled in but it’s not without its shortcomings.

    For as much praise as I gave just now regarding the spell crafting system I think that the enemies could’ve used a little more depth, as most of them can be brute-forced by simply using the first couple of runes given in the game. Speaking of brute-forcing, I was also able to overcome a couple of puzzles using this very same method, or at least it felt like brute force to me. It’s really not a big deal in the grand scheme of things but I think it’s something worth noting.

    The journey in Mages of Mystralia is considerably compact with my first playthrough clocking just less than 10 hours total, it’s paced is quite nice though as it keeps pointing the player to the next main objective without really forcing you to go in that direction. With that said there are some instances where you’re forced to backtrack to a specific point that you’ve come across before with a new rune or spell so that you can advance in the game. Being this brief also cuts down short the potential of the spell crafting system, you can explore the world at your own leisure after beating the game but you probably won’t come across many new ways in which to use your spellbook other than solving the puzzles that you've might have missed your first time through.

    Mages of Mystralia is a fabulous action-adventure set in a lively fantasy world that is a joy to discover. The story and characters might not be the most original but the deep spell crafting system works more than makes up for it, it works wonderfully and really kept us experimenting both in combat and while trying to solve the game's inventive puzzles. I wish there was more of it to keep me messing around with my spellbook but what is there is still a very meaty and overall enjoyable experience, so grab your wizard hat and start practising.    … Full Review »
  2. MikeEgelman
    Aug 22, 2017
    10
    Quite simply one of the funnest games to have come out this year. Everything from the soundtrack to the magic system are all really wellQuite simply one of the funnest games to have come out this year. Everything from the soundtrack to the magic system are all really well built. The storyline is fun and though the game isn't that long it leaves you wanting more. Great game and even better with the new update!… Full Review »
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