Mages of Mystralia is a classic, old-school, adventure game that is energetic, but also modest in its gameplay. The story is one where the player can somehow expect certain events to come along, but it also has a degree of mystery in a whimsical, but the vibrant universe.
The new adventure game may need a bit of getting used to before it can soar to heights enjoyed by other games in this genre, but that is something that players are looking forward to.
Publisher information
- Publisher: Borealys Games
- Platform(s): Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
- Release date(s): May 18th, 2017 (Microsoft Windows), August 22nd, 2017 (PlayStation 4), August 25th, 2017 (Xbox One)
Game design
Mages of Mystralia is a high-fantasy adventure game. It is set in a world that is filled with dungeons and monsters, which you must conquer as you go ahead with your quest. The plot is rather a forefront and has very little of mystery attached to it.
The story revolves around the life of a Mage called Zia, who is persecuted for the gifts that she possesses. The building of the interconnected worlds in the game is steady, but in the end, it fizzles out and leaves the player with very little regarding payoff.
The story behind Mages of Mystralia
Zia, who lives in the land of Mystralia, finds out that she possesses the ability to train and become a mage. This ability has been believed to be owned by people coming from a forgotten bloodline. One day, she inadvertently uses her powers and destroys most of her village. Ridden with guilt, she exiles herself and starts her journey to a sanctuary for ages to learn how to control her abilities.
There is a long-standing war between the Mystralia Kingdom and a marauding army of trolls. Zia is tasked with preventing the trolls from overrunning her Kingdom as she goes on her quest. The story unveils as she goes on with her journey and she comes to realise that a higher power is feeding the seeds of discord that threatens her kingdom.
Game elements
A lot of creativity goes into the production of Mages of Mystralia. The game has a lot of colour and a quirky atmosphere. The presentation is excellent given the high definition graphics used. Zia can blend natural elements, and this adds a lot of excitement to the game as she uses her ability to defeat the troll army.
In the beginning, she only can bend fire, lightning and wind, but as the game progresses, she collects runes which allow her to modify her abilities and turn more elements. An example is the building of a three-bolt lightning track that builds ice paddles and results in double damage capabilities.
The runes are mainly used for solving puzzles in the game, but they can also be used to enhance spell crafting abilities. The game allows players to customise the spell options regarding trajectory alteration, accuracy and other secondary features.
It is particularly satisfying when you craft your spells which allow you to defeat a horde of trolls in an instant. The game has a lot of unexplored possibilities, and this leaves the player wishing for more in the end.
Oddities of the Mages of Mystralia
The game has a lot of essential features that are found in past games of this genre. The complex nature of spell crafting is one of them. Mages of Mystralia has a lot of backtracking in search of new runes and spells.
The game also does not go much into the development of new ways of dropping stronger foes as the quest progresses. The game relies too much on dungeons, where all Zia does is fight monsters and solve puzzles. She also collects items that are needed back at her village.
There is a minimal exploration of the landscape and the full kingdom of Mystralia, and this is rather odd and disappointing.
Mages of Mystralia leaves out opportunities to expand the game in incredible ways, in favour of the mundane. There are moments that a player expects to be filled with exciting developments, but this does not happen, leaving very little regarding a payoff.
The rising expectations and subsequent flops can go a player feeling a bit let down. Taking the high degree of attention given to the development of graphics, animations and other game elements, more effort should have been put into developing the story.
In conclusion
The game takes about 6 hours to complete in a first attempt. There is a lot that is added for extra explorations such as optional puzzles, hidden chests, and a special mage trial combat event. These additional options do not have anything to do with collecting items that will be needed to complete the main quest and can be left out altogether, depending on each player. Mages of Mystralia will give players the old-school feel they were used to in the past. It is an exciting journey of triumph over trials that Zia must complete to get full control of all her abilities, as she travels to the sanctuary.
