Lost Magic Review

[Macawmoses]

Release Date: April 25, 2006
Platform: Nintendo DS
Publisher: Taito/Ubisoft
Players: One
Genre: RTS/RPG
Rated: E for Everyone

Back in 2004, the Nintendo DS was met with some mixed results. Generally positive, many, such as myself, were skeptical of how the touch screen, and later online, would be implemented. Flash forward two years, and the DS is well on in its life, and has claimed fair amount of success. Looking to capitalize on that success, an interesting title named Lost Magic emerged. But would it be met with rave reviews like the DS? Or would the spell it chose to cast fall flat?

The story starts off with a young boy named Isaac, and his development of magic. His father has mysteriously disappeared, leaving him in the possession of a magical wand, in an ever darkening world. As the title progresses, monsters and magic try consuming the world, and with only the aid of a weird little girl named Trista, and even odder bird named Parakeru, Isaac will embark on a journey to save the world.

It's an overabused premise, on so many levels, but the branching story lines make things a little more interesting. You'll have the option to give different answers to the several NPC's found throughout the overworld map, and based on what your response is, the story may take several turns. This element makes for a more interesting story, as Isaac may fall down the path of darkness, or become a pure, honest mage.

While the story is weak, Lost Magic redeems itself in other regards. The gameplay is broken up in a few ways. In order to fight the approaching foes, whether they are "wild" or part of an army, you need to utilize magic. By holding down a shoulder button, a new screen will pop up, granting you the ability to draw runes, magical characters, on the screen. Upon success, a spell will be unleashed, which may heal, damage, ail, or build walls. This system is brilliant. Drawing on the DS screen is not only fun, but rewarding. Of all of the DS titles, even up to today, very few make such spectacular use of the touch screen.

As the title progresses, you will have the ability to draw two runes, and then three, showcasing an even greater array of spells, and truly diversifying the spells. This adds to an already great system. It should be noted that each rune has a different elemental value, helping you ward off certain enemies easier, and having little to no effect on others. Once again, this gives the game a challenge that is worthwhile, unlike other titles. On the contrary, some shapes are terribly hard to draw, and at times, the screen becomes unresponsive, a challenge no one wants to face. These issues are frequent, and it takes a vet to avoid them entirely. In the end, the magic system is still a great one.

However, your mage, Isaac, can not attack physically, and while he is busy crafting spells, monsters may strike him, this is, after all, a Real Time Strategy title, as well as an RPG. One spell, though, allows you to capture monsters. Upon weakening them, and then capturing them, you may use them any time throughout the game, however, only three on any map. An important fact is that many of the monsters come in increments of three, some two, and some one, so, you aren't truly left alone. They, too, have an elemental attribute, adding to the strategy, and making Lost Magic more enjoyable.

Another fun tidbit, with the monsters, is that you may level them up, as well as give them items that may add a certain flair to them. Each of them has a different worth, though, as flying monsters can travel easier, and some may capture mana crystals. These crystals are the root of all magic, and your magical abilities will deplete without a crystal near by. Sending monsters to capture these crystals, as you can send them all over the current map you are on, and dividing your forces is a truly brilliant element. A map can be won without an ally remotely near Isaac, while others require Isaac to be close by. Ultimately, though, those crystals play an important role in healing, rejuvenating your spellcasting, and the range of spells.

Simply put, the gameplay is extremely diverse, and refreshing. Finally a title makes use of the DS in the right ways, not just using gimmicks. This, though, is not the only great part, the artistic design is fantastic. The sprites look very clean, as do the mini cut-scene characters. In fact, most of the title is crisp and clean, using bright colors, while maintaining the theme of the elements. For the time, it was among the best graphics on the DS, and even today, two years later, I find the look charming. However, these are GBA type graphics in many regards, and with the DS being out for some time, this isn't exactly excusable, however, they are better than the GBA, just not by much.

All in all, though, the graphical appeal is there, and titles using sprites rarely have this aspect, especially on the DS. Another aspect the DS seems to have trouble with is sound. Lost Magic is no exception, as the music is repetitive, and at times seems not to fit properly. Don't get me wrong, some of the music is memorable, and by no means is it bad, it just has issues. The sound of the magic and monsters (and their movement) is passable, but not fantastic. If you're after a title that is musical, and only about the music, then Lost Magic is not for you. However, if you are like me, and at times play with the music off, you won't mind the sound at all.

However, the meat and potatoes to Lost Magic is the online, a simply fantastic diversion. As you progress through the story mode, you'll defeat bosses, obviously. These bosses, though, are playable on Wifi, at a standard level 40, and they bring with them their monsters. For those of you that are a little lazy, you'll find this a great way to square off against your online foe. On the other hand, you have the ability to bring the character you've developed, Isaac and Co., into wifi, and utilize wifi as a way to level up. The online itself is just like a normal level, except instead of a set number of foes, you square off against a human. This takes the gameplay, and makes it something "magical", culminating in the best part of Lost Magic. Facing tacticians is down right fun, and adding that with the great control scheme, decent graphics and sound, and the backing of an average story, the online really shines, adding replay value. Not without its faults, though, it is a very laggy server at times, compared to titles like Mario Kart DS, and that can add more frustration that none of us need.

The Nintendo DS has many quality titles to date; Mario Kart DS, Advance Wars: Days of Ruin, Final Fantasy IV, Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin, and many others. Sadly, third parties rarely make great hits. Lost Magic never had a great deal of commercial success, and is often a bargain bin title, which adds a bit of value to it. The graphics, sound, and story are above average, but none of them are stellar. Lost Magic succeeds in making great use of the touch screen AND Nintendo Wifi Connection, something few titles will be able to claim, and because of that, it is a truly fantastic title, one any DS owner should not overlook.

Scores:

Gameplay: 9.0 Touching is good, elemental system adds nice flair, some AI issues
Graphics: 7.0 Crisp, but dated
Sound: 6.0 Decent mixes, repetitive, bland, best left off
Story: 7.5 Overused, branching story, great characters
Online: 9.0 Fantastic, but bad server
Value: 8.0 New franchise, cheap, good title, doesn't stand out
Overall: 8.2* Great Buy


Authors Notes:

Exclusive Property of MACKORMOSES, and the shadowshr network.

This is a Round 2 Entry to the NS2 Review Tournament.

Images are not mine, sources left in tact.

*Not an average

[HTA!]

Hmm...
Well done, it felt more like you were talking to the reader, not just copy-pasting into some kind of review template,


Enjoyed it, keep up the good work.

[Eizweir]

Reminds of that really bad Eragon game for the DS.
The drawing runes for spells are very similar.