Magicka 2 Review

Magicka 2 is an adventure game where you have to find and protect the chosen child from imminent danger. With a unique conjure and cast spell combination system, you will strike fear at anyone in your way, even if they are your friends...

Casting magic.

Conjuring magic.

Gameplay is very "simple", you have eight magic elements to conjure: water, life, shield, ice, thunder, death, earth and fire. You can conjure them in any order to a maximum of five, and then your choice of four different ways to cast it: on yourself, in area around you, in front of you or in your sword. After you make your choice, disintegrate your enemies promptly. That is all... Oh, one more thing, depending on the combination of elements, you will get different effects, and this is where the "" of our "simple" comes from. To help a bit you can also have up to four  fast  access Magickas, which are pre-determined combinations that have special powerful effects. You can totally throw them on your own if you remember their conjuring sequence, but some are quite a handful when you are running for your life. Worry not though, as this confusion will only add to the chaotic, fast paced fun that this game is! And that would be the key word about the gameplay of this game, entertainingly chaotic.

Artifacts.

The progression is very straight forward, you go through the short story defeating the challenges and earning new weapons, robes and artifacts. Some are hidden, so the game tells you if you missed something. Weapons and robes will both change your appearance and how strong/weak an element is. While most artifacts have similar effects (by strengthening or weakening an element), there are some that will do subtle changes, like transforming your game into a comedy show. They are only usable by making a custom game, which took us a while to figure out, so remember this if you get an interesting artifact after a chapter. Although it is a cheap trick to increase replayability, bare in mind that they can help you get through a difficult spot if you boost some elements, or make the game extra, extra challenging if you so desire.

The game is definitely best played in local "co-op", as the fast paced action is great for a couch session with friends, but the game is perfectly enjoyable as a single-player experience. If you play online with friends make sure to use voice chat all the way, you want to hear those screams! The whole game is designed around a chaotic satirical feeling, making fun of many popular references beyond games. Topped with some hilarious voice over, simple but polished graphics, and amazing spell effects, this game has its flaws, but it will entertain anyone with a sense of humor. Damn, killing your friends over and over is pretty much already entertaining enough! MUAHUAHUAHUA...

Final Score: 10 out of 10.