Magicka 2 Review
 CHEATfactor Game Review by:  Joe Sinicki Reviewed on: PC 
 

Welcome to our CHEATfactor Game Review of Magicka 2. We review the game and then factor in how the available cheats affect the overall game experience. For better or worse, our reviews will help you decide whether or not to use cheats when playing the game.

Magicka 2 is exactly what you make of it. It's a deceptively deep game that hides that under a pretty humorous outer shell. It also never really requires you to learn anymore of the mechanics than you want to, but you'll be far better off trying to learn as much as you can. It's a game that's as frustrating as it is fun and instantly becomes a better game when playing with other people. More importantly, if this is your first foray into the Magicka universe you'll find it thrilling and a lot of fun but if you're a returning adventurer it's more like business as usual.

 
... full of slapstick humor...
Magicka 2 Review Screenshot
 

The story of Magicka 2 starts off as a grim one, all of the wizards are dead given the chaotic events of the first game, and then the game's big, bad evil appears and it's up to the wizards to return and defeat them. Don't be fooled by the seemingly serious tone of the plot, Magicka 2 is full of slapstick humor that pokes fun both at itself and pretty much everything else around it. It's sort of like what you would get if someone made a Scary Movie style parody of the Lord of the Rings (come to think of it, I think someone already has). I don;t think that Magicka 2 or it's predecessor would have been half as enjoyable as it was if it tried to be serious, I mean come on - one of the game's trailers was done in the style of Karaoke.

That's not to say that the gameplay of Magicka 2 isn't worthwhile, in fact it's a lot of fun especially if you never played the original. The basic idea behind Magicka is simple - craft a series of ever changing and expanding spells together to create some truly chaotic moments. Everything is cumulative here and what elements you use to cast yours spells have a huge effect on what you can do soon after. If you get water on you for instance you have find a way to get it off of you before you can safely cast lighting and you'll have to douse yourself in something water based to put out the fire that's causing your character pain. If done right Magicka 2 is a series of spell-casts that turns into a chaotic brand of top-down action. It's that chaos though that makes Magicka a great experience but also tends to be it's most frustrating element.

Much like the original Magicka 2, the game is infinitely better if you're playing with other people, and most fun if you've filled it's ranks with human players completely. It's the type of game you'll be able to play through in one afternoon if you've got the time to devote to it but it's also a game that believes that the journey is worth more than the destination. Having as many as four human players running through and casting spells furiously is a great time and can make for some pretty funny moments. Friendly fire is always on and you're going to be blowing up your friends more times than you can count but that's half the fun and you'll always be able to revive a teammate. The other night some friends and I played some late night Magicka 2 and it was filled with a ton of great moments, some accidental and some built on revenge.

 
There are some unpredictable and unfair difficulty spikes...
Magicka 2 Review Screenshot
 

There are some unpredictable and unfair difficulty spikes in Magicka 2 though most are easily beaten by adding more people. I can't even begin to tell you the amount of frustration that came from trying to get past some of the later sections of the game with only myself. The worst was when I was knocked off screen and unable to recover from something that kills me. Another issue was how the game required you to memorize lengthy button combinations for some of the spells you'll be casting. It may seem like an easy thing to do for those who have played the Magicka series at length but it can be daunting for those new to the franchise. For those of you who are new, expect to have to learn new combinations frequently , much like a fighting game to be successful.

You'll be able to finish Magicka 2's main story in an afternoon if you really try and it becomes a lot easier if you've got friends you're playing with; but it's also a game with a lot of reason to come back. There are quite a few hidden objects and other character modifiers hidden inside the game world, more than enough to warrant another play through. I played through the game twice for this review, and my main problem with the first time was just how much cool down time it took between spells but shortly into my second time through, I found a relic that drastically reduced this. Exploration is more than key in Magicka 2 - it's crucial.

I enjoyed Magicka 2 a lot more than I thought I would. Going in I thought it was going to be just a rehash of the original - and it sort of was, but that turned out to be more ok than I thought it would. It's a fun and engaging experience that's made even better with more people. Magicka 2's chaos is a remarkably fun time - just don't play it by yourself.

 
Overall:  7/10 Presentation: 7 Gameplay: 7 
Lasting Appeal: 8 CHEATfactor: 1 
 
 
CHEATfactor
 
CHEATS USED: Super Health
 

The Magicka 2 trainer doesn't feature a ton of options - in fact there's only one, unlimited health, but that cheat does go a long way. I had a lot more success playing single player with the trainer turned on than I did without it and was able to avoid the uneven difficulty spikes as a result.

Stick with Cheat Happens for more cheats and trainers for Magicka 2 as they become available.

 
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