Mini’s Magic World from Magory.net
In a world of magic and cute little foes, a diverse handful of wizards must adventure through various stages in Mini’s Magic World to reach the Tower of Magic and conquer the evil wizard. Throughout the 100 creatively designed levels, Mini and his friends are able to endure an array of challenges. Whether it’s strolling along on a camel or flying through obstacles on a magic carpet, boredom isn’t an emotion that is experienced often.
Developed by Magory.net, Mini’s Magic World is an enjoyable platformer. Well, minus the frequent glitchy moments resulting in inevitable frustration. It’s OK, though. I managed to muster through the tears and recollect my sanity.
Mini Levels and Maximum Control Headaches
The controls were surprisingly the first challenge to tackle. Though Mini’s Magic World claims to be controller-friendly, it spitefully rejected my controller – along with my hopes and dreams. If that wasn’t already a headache and a half, assigning keys to specific actions was also more complicated than it should have been. Eventually, Mini and I found a happy medium and began his journey.
Besides that minor mishap, the overall gameplay is entertaining and spunky. Presented are various colorful environments, each including day and night stages. Most levels are fairly short, but the lack of longevity complies flawlessly with the pace of the gameplay. Sometimes the fellow wizard will be racing against time. On the other hand, playing the cautious card can also be necessary in order to succeed. In a nutshell, feeling out the wizards’ surroundings before diving into the stage’s core can truly save them some avoidable heartache.
Mini Powers, Maximum Coinage
As each level comes to a close, the wizard is essentially judged via one to three stars on how well – or not – they rallied through the chaos. The overall score depends on the amount of coins that were collected, discovered or attained from defeated foes. It isn’t rocket science. The more coins the magical dude gathers, the better the chance of being rewarded with three stars. It isn’t too shabby of a deal, really.
As stars are awarded, diverse wizards become unlocked. Unfortunately, the only difference between the new magicians and Mini are their appearances. Special powers aren’t an unlockable feat, but are rather found scattered amongst specific stages. Dang it, anyway.
Speaking of magic, the wizard of choice is automatically equipped with a pretty lame fire blast. It barely touches an enemy within arm’s length and is kind of a waste of time. Luckily, most foes can be taken out by jumping on top of them until the magical hero acquires a much better feat – the fireball, tornado or double-jump potion.
The only downfall is that these three powers aren’t accessible at all times. The overall stage determines what kind of potion the wizard will be able to use for that duration. Sometimes, one of the three potions won’t be available at all. Do you have any idea how agonizing it is to go through numerous stages before finally being introduced to the world of double-jumping? Let me assure you, it makes all the difference.
Not So Hidden Treasure
Though coins are the wizard’s main source of currency, other hidden treasures are skillfully placed in each area. Well, sometimes. I must admit, what Mini’s Magic World considers a “hidden treasure” is often in plain view to anyone with eyeballs. These valuables can be diamonds, postage stamps or even treasure chests containing mystery items.
Aside from those fun collectables, hearts are also insanely relevant, for they determine the wizard’s lifeline. How many are floating around the magician’s head determines how many hits they can take before meeting their demise. In this case, those fancy glitches I mentioned earlier are not a joy to stumble across when no more hearts remain. Fortunately, failing a level isn’t too awful, especially when they’re already short to begin with.
Minimally Challenging
Mini’s Magic World also presents boss battles – the easiest boss battles in all eternity, anyway. Each opponent has a pattern of attack, and as long as that pattern is recognized, the encounters are an absolute breeze. Sure, the wizard isn’t invincible and will take some damage. Maybe he or she will even be defeated a time or two.
Yet for something considered a “boss battle,” I was a little disappointed with the lack of challenge in a good chunk of them. At one point, a homicidal caterpillar slumps slowly around a platform. Avoiding it is a piece of cake. The only challenge is finding the right time to attack, but that’s literally the entire battle. Sure, I was prosperous, but did I really earn that title?
Overall, Mini’s Magic World is fun and adorable, but 90 percent of the levels are just too dang simple. The biggest challenge is probably reaching the three star objective, which in all honesty isn’t crazy tough to accomplish, depending on the level. Granted, some stages are time-based and do throw in some twists and turns, but with a couple retries and spewed profanities, the flourishing wizard is bound to excel and achieve his or her goal.
Mini’s Magic World is available via Steam.
[xrr rating=”2.5/5″]
Watch the official trailer for Mini’s Magic World below:
