The Mageseeker: A League of Legends Story
MSRP $30.00
“The Mageseeker: A League of Legends Story is an exhilarating action title that you don’t need to be a League fan to enjoy.”
Pros
Compelling protagonist
Nuanced narrative
Dynamic fight
Rewarding development
Cons
Slow begin
Weak side-missions
I don’t actively play League of Legends, however I like exploring the world of Runeterra by means of ancillary video games and media like Legends of Runeterra, Hextech Mayhem, Arcane, and even books like Realms of Runeterra. The quantity of lore packed into the sequence rivals that of universes like Warhammer 40Ok, Marvel, or DC. This all went comparatively untapped till the final couple of years, although, when Riot Games made a concerted effort to ascertain the Riot Forge publishing label centered on indie video games set in its universe, which has simply yielded its greatest outcome but with The Mageseeker: A League of Legends Story.
The small-scale challenge, developed by Moonlighter studio Digital Sun Games, is a retro-style motion sport following the journey of Sylas. He’s a League of Legends champion that was imprisoned for years within the mage-hating Kingdom of Demacia however finally breaks free and begins a pro-mage revolution. That journey performs out throughout an intense motion sport the place Sylas makes use of the chains that when held him to steal magic from his enemies, traverse the atmosphere round him, and construct up a revolt by means of its narrative and gameplay.
While it’s sluggish to start out, The Mageseeker is a superb motion sport I’d extremely suggest to those that loved titles like Hades. What’s extra thrilling, although, is the way it permits newcomers to study Runeterra with out committing to studying a aggressive MOBA.
Break the chains
The story of Sylas is a tragic one. He was a baby separated from his household as a consequence of his capacity to sense different folks’s magic and was recruited to the Mageseeker group. There, traitor mages beneath orders from the Demacian Royal Family seek out different mages, all of whom are wrongly outlawed inside the Kingdom. Sylas was locked up for 15 years after an accident however broke free after stealing the magic of considered one of his closest buddies. After breaking free, he’s finally recruited to a revolt by a spunky mage named Leilani.
The Mageseeker affirms that many extra champions may gain advantage from an in-depth remedy by means of avenues like Riot Forge.
The Mageseeker transforms all this backstory — as soon as simply lore that hardcore League followers must go digging to seek out — into an emotionally compelling narrative. Sylas is a superb anti-hero character, not solely as a result of he has a memorable design and charmingly gruff persona, however as a result of he grows over the course of the journey. He’s imply, merciless, and vengeful when he breaks out of jail. That one-mindedness does assist give him the facility and drive to finish his journey, nevertheless it’s additionally a weak point that will get him in unfavorable conditions.
Over the course of the story, Sylas learns to speak in confidence to these round him and learns that whereas emotions of rage and vengeance can begin a revolt, hope is what sustains it. The lore could be a little overwhelming at first, however because the writing hones in on sure characters and the allegorical disdain for real-world bigotry, The Mageseeker’s narrative solely will get extra participating.
As this can be a linear, story-based motion sport, a whole lot of strain is positioned on the writing and characters in order that the journey maintains significant stakes. Fortunately, Digital Sun Games succeeded and had nice materials to work with to take action. Arcane succeeded in humanizing Jinx, considered one of League of Legends’ wackier characters, and now The Mageseeker affirms that many extra champions may gain advantage from an in-depth remedy by means of avenues like Riot Forge.
Getting exponentially higher
While the narrative is a significant factor of The Mageseeker, most of its playtime is spent taking over hordes of enemy creatures and Mageseekers as Sylas. You don’t must know learn how to play as Sylas in League of Legends to choose up this sport, although. Every title from Riot Forge has been completely different, drawing on completely different genres to go well with its characters’ kinds. Hextech Mayhem is a rhythm sport and Ruined King is a turn-based RPG. The Mageseeker is an isometric motion sport with fight harking back to Supermassive Games’ improbable Hades, which is sensible for the character.
The Mageseeker isn’t a roguelike, although: It’s a linear level-based motion journey that pulls on traditional The Legend of Zelda video games. Sylas explores colourful locales round Demacia, utilizing his chains to clear massive gaps, discover hidden collectibles strewn about, and finally use them in fight to steal spells from enemies.
At first, The Mageseeker can really feel a little bit fundamental to a fault. Fighting enemies with mild and heavy assaults whereas exploring pretty linear ranges feels generic at first. Coupled with the start-of-the-game lore drop, it won’t instantly seize gamers — particularly these unfamiliar with the world of Runeterra. But give it a couple of hours and its mechanics will exponentially compound into one thing approachable as Sylas’ revolt grows.
My private abilities naturally sharpened over time, however the magic system deepens alongside that curve. At a base stage, Sylas can use his chains to repeat the skills of any magical enemy he encounters. The magic he obtains falls into considered one of six elemental sorts, every of which is powerful in opposition to an opposing form of magic and weak in opposition to itself. For instance, fireplace is powerful in opposition to ice, and ice is powerful in opposition to fireplace. Embracing this technique is a crucial a part of what makes The Mageseeker’s fights dynamic, whether or not preventing a gaggle of fundamental enemies or one of many sport’s many spectacular boss fights in opposition to a recognizable Demacian League of Legends character.
Anytime I efficiently created an advantageous magic loadout based mostly on enemy outlook, I felt highly effective and intelligent.
The extra different the enemy encounter, the extra forms of elemental magic Sylas will in the end have at his disposal. Once he copies a magical capacity, he can study it completely on the revolt’s Hideout and finally carry 4 spells into battle after some upgrades. Sylas will even meet Outlaws tied to every ingredient throughout his journey and may carry two of them right into a stage with him for further combos of their ingredient sort. Eventually, Sylas additionally positive aspects entry to highly effective Unchained assaults that he can use as soon as after an extended cost for a robust assault.
Anytime I efficiently created an advantageous magic loadout based mostly on enemy outlook, I felt highly effective and intelligent. It provides a stage of replay worth to the expertise too and pairs effectively with that rewarding narrative arc that comes with watching Leilani and Sylas’ revolt develop.
The Rebellion grows
Sylas’ efforts to develop the revolt not solely turn into extra narratively participating over time, but additionally create satisfying gameplay development in a manner that feels prefer it’s tied to the participant’s actions. The Hideout turns into extra bustling, and extra retailers open up. In flip, gamers should purchase new spells so as to add to their loadout, improve the facility and variety of therapeutic potions at their disposal, and improve Sylas’ stats. In ranges and assignments that Outlaws may be despatched on, gamers will often come throughout Mages who wish to be a part of the revolt.
The Mageseeker scratches a well-known Hades itch.
When this occurs, they be a part of an Outlaw’s set of forces. As every Outlaw is assigned increasingly mages, there are worthwhile rewards, like visible and inventory upgrades to Vendors in addition to energy boosts to the Outlaw’s corresponding ingredient and the particular combos they offer Sylas when tagging alongside on a mission. That means there are each visible and gameplay-changing rewards for efficiently progressing by means of The Mageseeker, so the sport can seize that feeling of being in a revolt that’s solely getting stronger as extra folks consider in its message and struggle for the trigger.
The Mageseeker doesn’t radically reinvent the motion sport style, nevertheless it shines because of satisfying development. That’s why together with a Perk system in a few aspect missions, the place Sylas can discover a level-specific spell with an unique buff, feels a bit misplaced and complicated. In basic, the aspect missions didn’t really feel price finishing except I needed to realize extra provides to spend at distributors.
Despite these out-of-place options and its sluggish begin, The Mageseeker scratches a well-known Hades itch. It allowed me to benefit from the major marketing campaign and the uniquely satisfying sense of development that comes with it. It does that whereas capturing the exponential development of a fiery revolt effectively and compellingly tells of the robust tribulations that may come alongside that journey.
The indisputable fact that it pulls all that off whereas using a notable franchise’s characters and tales with out dropping that bold indie sport feeling is spectacular. Whether you’ve put 1000’s of hours in League of Legends, solely interact with ancillary materials like me, or have by no means skilled something set in Runeterra earlier than, there’s probability you’ll discover one thing satisfying in The Mageseeker. It units an ordinary I hope future video games from Riot Forge can meet.
The Mageseeker: A League of Legends Story was reviewed on Xbox Series X.
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