Mages of Mystralia is a fantasy adventure developed by Borealys Games, with the participation of Ed Greenwood. Borealys is an indie title developer created only in 2014: one of the founding fathers, Louis-Felix, was co-founder ofArtifice Studio, while Patric J. Mondou was Senior Designer there Gameloft.
Not bad, huh? What about Ed Greenwood? He is only the author of Forgotten Realms. A trio that could really change the face of the fantasy genre in video games!
Once upon a time…
Mages of Mystralia is an indie game set in a mysterious and magical world, where wizards are feared by all and are forced to live on the fringes of society or hidden in a city that cannot be found by ordinary humans.
Even the protagonist, Zia, is forced to flee her native village because, unable to control her power, she had set fire to her house (and her uncle). She will soon be taken under the wing of a wizard, who will become her mentor and teach her to control magic. As in any fantasy that she respects herself, Zia will have to take her destiny and save her kingdom.
The plot of Mages of Mystralia it is not very different from hundreds of other similar fantasy stories: we have the chosen one, the magic, an enemy to face and a kingdom to save. Its simplicity is certainly due to the duration.
The game can be completed in about ten hours: in this limited time frame, you cannot expect to have psychological implications or twists. Some moments, usually very emotional and touching, didn't make me feel anything. This is because the interactions between the characters are very cold and mechanical. The protagonist has no charisma, she almost seems to be thrown here and there by the course of events.
Everyone will tell her what to do and she won't blink. The surrounding characters and enemies are really bland, they do not have their own characterization and do not remain impressed.
Hocus PocusThe magic in Mages of Mystralia they are the most interesting and complex part of the game. Unlike many other titles of the genre, in which spells are taught to us every number of levels, here the protagonist will start with a large baggage of spells that will be enhanced during the protagonist's journey. During the game we will run into different puzzles, more or less complicated, which will reward us with some purple pearls (with four being we can increase the bars of life and mana, a little to the Legend of Zelda, if we want) or spell upgrades.
As can be seen from the image above, any spell can be empowered thanks to runes.
For example, if usually the path of the spell when it is cast follows a straight line, thanks to the rune called "right" we will be able to project the magic to the right. "Detonate", combined with the "immendi" element (ie the earth element), will unleash a great explosion.
These tricks will be of great help against monsters, to overcome puzzles and challenges and to move forward with the story. The more runes you insert into the hex grid, the more destructive and powerful the spells will be, but, of course, that means you'll be spending a lot more mana! Magic wands will also come to your aid: each of them has a power bonus on a certain element, plus another benefit.
The “Igni wand” will increase the fire-type damage and will allow you to be able to hit enemies who have an indestructible defense against that element.
A large part of the game revolves around puzzles and challenges. In the first case it will be a question of making all the buttons light up by placing them in the right order. The challenges and the progress of the game, on the other hand, will go in tandem with the spells: you will have to light torches in a certain way to be able to get the prize.
Sometimes it will be enough for the spell to travel a certain path, all oriented to the right, sometimes you will have to create residual images of yourself to press a button while the real character walks through a door and so on. The puzzles have a medium difficulty, but they will keep you busy and will be able to make you think.
The art of the worldThe first thing I noticed and was struck by the game was the graphics. Simple, comic but detailed, the chromatic tints are saturated, well defined and full of life. The difference between light and dark is clear and each screen, taken on its own, could be considered a single table of a graphic novel.
The dialogues between the characters are represented through the balloon typical of comics, so the sense of being reading one becomes very preponderant. The villages, areas and cities are very "medieval" and give an extra touch to the fantasy element.
The bosses are grandiose, immense, they almost give a sense of helplessness. A biblical story comes to mind: David versus Goliath. Yes, especially when I faced the first boss I felt overwhelmed by the size of him and how small the main character looked in comparison. Not only that, standing out very clearly in the background, the player's eyes focus only on the monster to be killed.
La colonna sonora has medieval reminiscences and will accompany you, gently, for the duration of the game. She will never be too strong or too soft. It won't turn out to be boring or pedantic. If listened carefully, it will immerse you completely in the adventure, and the hours will pass all too quickly.
Each story has its conclusionI was really thrilled by Mages of Mystralia. After the disappointment with Sorgina, I didn't think I would find such a title! If the plot had had any psychological depth, I would have raised the vote a lot.
I would have expected a lot more from the author of Forgotten Realms, but, as I have already said, the short duration certainly did not facilitate the writer's task. Interesting note is the open ending: let's hope they develop a noteworthy following, which makes me forget the emotional flatness! I would be happy even if the collaboration between Ed Greenwood and Borealys Games continued for a long time and they managed to churn out other fantastic titles to enrich the fictional world of Mystralia!
In short: buy it! You will not be disappointed! The gameplay is really rich and the crazy colorful graphics will captivate you! Fantasy lovers will appreciate the references to their favorite genre but even the detractors will be delighted by Mages of Mystralia
A heartfelt thanks to Borealys Games for providing us with a review copy of the title.
