MageQuit is an indie multiplayer title that will likely have slipped under most Steam users’ radars. The freshman effort of the whimsical development team, Bowlcut studios, MageQuit is evocative of couch co-op and PvP focused titles like Screencheat and Starwhal in both aesthetic and intent. Yet, after languishing in Early Access for something like two and a half years, and competing against a torrent of similar titles, does MageQuit have what it takes to stand out?
A charming, colorful, brazenly polygonal game, MageQuit features a very distinct retro art style that seemingly pays homage to early PS1 and Nintendo 64 titles. Though it’s bound to be lost amidst the swarm of other nostalgia-fodder games on Steam hoping to harken back to an earlier age of gaming, this title definitely has its own distinctive, appealing flair which is enjoyable despite its simplicity.
Grab A Friend (Or Two)
An entirely multiplayer endeavor that features both online and local modes—the latter being a definite rarity on PC—players take control of slow-moving mages and fling a variety of spells at each other in a match hosting anywhere from two to ten players in a bid to rack up the highest amount of kills over nine rounds of combat. New spells are awarded at the end of each round (sans the final two) according to performance. The last-place player will have a chance to grab anything they want, and the spell list will deplete until the first-place player is stuck with whatever is left.
By the end of the series, players will have four elemental spells, a defensive maneuver, dash, and melee at their disposal, and it makes for some extremely frantic action. In fact, things get a little too chaotic toward the end, and it’s easy to forget what spell is assigned to what button in the heat of the moment, culminating in some button-mashing madness.
In a way, MageQuit’s gameplay feels quite a bit like a more robust version of a Mario Party mini-game with players desperate to get a leg up on each other through a series of bite-sized PvP encounters. Individual matches will rarely last longer than thirty seconds, and crafty players can choose to either jump directly into the fray or stick to the sidelines and pick off the more aggressive players from a distance. It’s fun and surprisingly strategic, though the schizophrenic nature of the ever-remapped controls and slow, clunky, almost awkward movement of the wizards makes it tough to get used to.
More, Please
One definite complaint is that, in the game’s current build, there simply aren’t enough arenas. There seems to be something like twelve to fifteen or so of them, and, given that every online match consists of nine separate encounters, these will be repeated very quickly. Most are pretty inventive, to say the least; some are enclosed in a pit of lava, others are set on an island patrolled by a massive, wizard-eating fish, while others are set entirely on ice. It’s dynamic enough for the first few matches, but you’ll definitely get sick of some of these areas should you invest a good amount of time in the game.
There’s also a leveling system that awards gems that can be used to purchase cosmetic items. While it’s a neat inclusion, the super-simplistic style of the game isn’t really conducive to such mechanics, and it’s almost impossible to tell the difference between to sets of shoes, robes, or hats in-game.
Simple Fun
Though it’s a little too simple and unlikely to hold most player’s attention for long periods, MageQuit is a solid enough little experience that could fit well into anyone’s PC local co-op compendium. There aren’t too many games on Steam allowing for local play, so, on that merit alone, MageQuit is worthy of a purchase. Again, it’s nothing that’ll particularly knock your socks off, but with an asking price of ten dollars, it’s a well-realized little title set to land firmly on both feet following its run in Early Access.
