Developer: BeautiFun Games
Publisher: BeautiFun Games
Platforms: PC, Mac
Tested on: PC
Megamagic: Wizards of the Neon Age – Review
A lot of games turn to fantasy-based elements for their story and magic is probably one of the most common subjects to use. As the title might say, Megamagic: Wizards of the Neon Age is also one of these titles, although the usage of this theme might a bit different than we’re used to. If you’re looking for some retro-looking magic fun, definitely read on.
Story
The world changed after a meteor has struck the Earth. Magic flowed on the planet and neon users were growing like Brussels sprouts. Next to this uprising, technology was blooming as well. After so many years, we start our adventure with a family on the run. Mars, Phoban and Deimon are trying to get to a relative, while fighting off monsters. After a while, they reach their safehaven, but Mars leaves the scene and trusts the care of his children to Avery. Certain events take place and ten years pass in a jiffy.
This newly-formed family had an unexpected visitor as well, which was a blue cloudy substance. Fum stayed on the scene and lived inside a staff that their father had left behind. How everything will unfold for the two brothers is something that you can’t imagine. The story has some unexpected turns that will keep you interested, spiced up by some fun quotes, witty comments and references that will make you smile.
Graphics
This PC game chose to return to a more futuristic but retro-look with this game, although it is filled with loads of neon color. Even more, there is a combination of two styles, whereas the first is when you’re running around and taking down baddies, while the other one is visible in several conversations.
Your adventures will always be from a diagonal top-down view, here you can always only see a part of the area. Overall, the quality of these images are quite alright but it lacks a bit of details since it is zoomed out. When you start a conversation with certain important characters, a 2D overlay will pop up that shows the bust of the participants. Their facial expressions are replaced when the mood of the talk changes, and although there aren’t really any animations, it still fits the entire setting. The combination of the different elements make it a refreshing game to play.
Sound
What else can be expected from a futuristic neon game than some ultramodern beats? Don’t worry though, as these are mixed some more tranquil parts as well. Fights on the other hand, and especially boss battles, might get your heartrate up with the up-tempo decibels that are thrown at you. When you play the game for a longer period of time, you’ll notice that some of the tracks tend to be reused a lot.
Something that you might miss when you’re playing Megamagic: Wizards of the Neon Age, are the voices. There isn’t really any voice acting, except the starting cutscene. Every other conversation will be guided by some technical tones, which fits the setting of the game but will leave you with a hunger for more. The sound effects are something fun as well and will add something extra to the ambience. It is a small snack for the missing voice acting.
Gameplay
Megamagic is a strategic action RPG that will take you on a journey with Phoban, Deimon and Fum against the powers of the Order. Phoban’s staff is precious and they want it back, but they probably didn’t expect to be up against such a stubborn and talented kid. The two fugitives, our protagonist and Fum, ran and need to solve puzzles and quests to find the bottom of this matter. Don’t worry though, as these riddles aren’t too hard but tend to give a change of pace.
One of Phoban’s biggest assets is that he can use neon magic and can summon Grims to help him fight off his enemies. During your travels, you can find spell scrolls that will give you the opportunity to learn new spells. Fighting against vicious opponents will make it possible to learn more about them and eventually you’ll be able to summon new pets. Before you can actually learn these new things, you need to gather orbs which are obtained by killing enemies. During boss battles, it seems that a reaction takes place and you’re transformed into Phoborn. It seems that our protagonist and Fum merge into one superbeing that still has features of Phoban, but seems to be someone different. Why this is happening is not clear (yet), but you gain some unearthly strength, which is always nice of course.
If you want to smack the life out of your enemies, you’ll need to use your learned spells and Grims. You can run around with WASD, while casting everything with the right mouse button. The combination of both moving and shooting is quite important, as it will otherwise mean that you’ll be dead for sure. Start practicing those shots, as using your magic will deplete your mana meter as well so you have to make every spell count.
There aren’t any real levels or experience in this game, although you can find flasks that increase your health and magic meter or the amounts of Grims you can summon. Also, there are several chests scattered all over the place, which might contain new spell scrolls. Don’t worry about armor or other gear, as this is not available. The only difficulty you can really access is when you start a new game, as you can choose the difficulty level. If you’re not into real-time strategic games, you might want to stick to the easiest mode.
Conclusion
If you’re looking for something refreshingly new, Megamagic: Wizards of the Neon Age will take you on a futuristic journey. The neon colors will lift your mood ant the technical beats will certainly get you rocking, although it would have been nice of there was some voice acting. At any case, the jokes of Fum and Phoban will get you smiling in no time.
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