Developer: Ultimate Starmine
Publisher: Phoenixx Inc.
Platform: PC
Tested on: PC
MAGIC CHAOS – Review
Published 8 March 2024 by Super Starmine, MAGIC CHAOS is a party game that brings a gimmick mostly used for roguelikes to the party game setting. MAGIC CHAOS is a magical girl bullet hell party game for up to four players. The great fun about party games is that they are a collection of short, intensive games. So let’s take a look to see if they succeeded in combining the two genres.
Story
Being a party game, MAGIC CHAOS doesn’t present itself as a game that contains a story. There aren’t even flavor texts for the various characters and attacks. The only story we could see, although it is a bit of a stretch, is the story the player makes for themselves by leveling up and getting new abilities. So there is no real story, but for a party game that makes sense and is completely acceptable.
Graphics
MAGIC CHAOS is first and foremost a game about magical girls, and what says ‘magical girl’ more than anime? Nothing, that’s what. The game manages to fabulously recreate that classic anime-drawing aesthetic in 3D with the character models. In the character select screen there is some clipping with long hair & sleeves that pass through each other, but it is the only bad thing we could find.
While navigating the menu there is a nice, clear indicator of which button you are currently selecting and visual reminders of which buttons to use. While playing the game, you can choose to have red or blue bullets. The battlefields are stylized but instead of clashing with the character designs it actually allows them to pop more.
Sound
Sound is where the game really shines. When you start the game, the first thing you hear is a stereotypical Japanese voice saying MAGIC CHAOS. This immediately sets the tone for the game having the anime theme that it has. After this, the title screen has a glorious and funky theme. The menu sadly has a less energetic theme but your movements have sound blips which help navigate the menu. While playing the game, the music becomes more active but takes a backseat to the sounds of firing abilities and the voice lines of the characters. There are currently only four characters and they all have unique voices and voice lines. While playing, the characters also have reactions and call-outs that add to the feeling of being in a magical girl fight.
Gameplay
MAGIC CHAOS is a bullet hell party game, which means the main challenge is dodging enemy projectiles. Besides movement, which is fluid in all directions in 2D, you have four important buttons, two of which are dedicated to shooting bullets. These buttons denote your main and sub-skill. You can choose any unlocked skill for either button but only the main skill can be charged before release which increases its power. Skills come in all shapes and sizes: straight-line beams, boomeranging swords, omnidirectional barrages, and so on. No matter what strategy you choose, however, it will always boil down to ‘filling the field with your own bullets and avoiding the opponent’s bullets.
That evasion/survival part is where the other two buttons come in. These buttons are linked to one personal skill tied to your character and a communal ‘Step’ skill. Step is a skill with two charges which allows you to sprint a short distance to avoid incoming bullets. The unique skills of the characters allow you to customize your own playstyle and are the only difference between the characters besides looks. Currently, there are only four different playable characters but it is clear that they intend to add more. The four unique abilities that are available right now are a shield, a teleport, a solid barrier ,and a barrier that strengthens your own bullets and weakens the opponent’s when they pass through.
The game is meant to be played with a controller and supports various types of controllers but can also be played without any real issues with mouse and keyboard. When using a controller, there is a slight freedom in assigning key binds while mouse and keyboard are restricted in their key binds.
The game currently features three game modes: one single-player mode and two ways to play with friends. Single player only has Score Attack, a game mode where the player has to try to survive until the timer runs out and gather as many points as possible. These points can be gained through hitting and killing enemies while also avoiding being hit during the timer. This is also as close to a practice game mode as you can get. For multiplayer, there are two game modes available: Stock and Timed. Timed functions the same as the Score Attack but with only the other players as enemies. Stock doesn’t have a time limit but instead gives players a set amount of lives. However, all three of these game modes function the same when it comes to the actual gameplay.
Conclusion
Party games are a nice way to relax, but the bullet hell of MAGIC CHAOS does the opposite. Trying to stay alive can actually become a very intense activity very easily depending on your opponent’s abilities. Despite this, however, the game can be quite fun to play, especially for fans of the magical girl genre of anime. Because all the game modes function essentially the same, the game is probably best for short bursts as the monotone game style can easily drain the fun out of the game. So if you like bullet hell mini-games, this game is definitely worth picking up, especially with its small price tag. If you’re looking for something more substantial, we suggest waiting for a sale or to look elsewhere.
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