Magicolors Review

Game: Magicolors
Genre: Puzzle, Strategy
System: Steam (also available for Switch)
Developers | Publishers: Virtual Arts Studio
Controller Support: None
Price: US $1.99 | UK £1.69 | EU € 1,59
Release Date: December 14th, 2019

Review code used, with many thanks to Virtual Arts Studio.

Magicolors is a deceptively simple puzzle game that rewards the user for taking as few turns as possible. This short little game has the feel of a mobile title but is available for both Switch and Steam.

The Story and Gameplay

The story of Magicolors is that you are a wizard, collecting crystals in order to earn new magical powers and strengthen old ones. Each added power is used to solve progressively more challenging puzzles with more moving parts. Players will be challenged with trying to line up each hit as quickly as possible, using fewer and fewer moves each time the level is replayed.

With each new room, players are presented with a line of crystals. You have to position your wizard in such a way that he can hit each of the three same-colored crystals with one basic spell. Later, other spells are added to increase the difficulty of puzzles far past the beginning puzzles.

Players can control the angle of the room using the WASD keys. Spells can be fired with the right-click, and the middle-click allows for a top-down look at the puzzle. This gives players the ability to really get a good look at a puzzle before beginning to try to solve it.

The Pros of Magicolors

This game is easy to pick up and put down whenever players have a few spare moments. The levels each have a lot of replayability as you try to bring down the number of moves used to bring up your score. Each level presents new challenges that build on the ones before it.

Magicolors is colorful and attractive, the controls are fairly simple, and the music sits very well in the background without being too loud or repetitive. The puzzles utilize each of the new magic spells with progressively more difficulty, allowing players to learn all the new spells slowly.

Also, the Lego-like graphics are charming; it looks like the creators of this game could recreate some of the levels with building blocks. This look really fits with the whole theming of Magicolors, which makes it even easier to love.

The Cons of Magicolors

I have a tendency to strongly dislike games with front-heavy lore and tutorializing, and the tutorial of this game is basically a bunch of text. It makes it difficult for me to grasp exactly what I’m supposed to be doing. I know this isn’t a negative for everyone, but it makes these games significantly more difficult for a lot of people who have a hard time translating written directions into action. While a moving tutorial would have been more work for the devs, it would have made for a much better play experience for me.

While I like the overall concept for the game, it’s just a little plain. While colorful, the game has the same look for every level and a lot of repetition in its music, objects, and map. I do know that this game is only $1.99 and players shouldn’t be expecting a lot, the look of the rooms and the music does get repetitive.

Conclusion

This is a cute and fun puzzle game with a fun aesthetic. The puzzles are challenging and combining the spells gets delightfully complex before the end of the game. Overall, it’s a fun game, but I wish the tutorial was much better. The game didn’t pull me in, but it was interesting, and I didn’t dislike the time I spent playing it.

Final Verdict: I Like it.