A first gameplay trailer and details about the upcoming online game Magic: Legends from Cryptic Studios show that we can expect more of an action RPG in the style of Diablo rather than a classic MMORPG.
Update: There is already initial criticism from the community about the video.
What was shown? The gameplay video of Magic: Legends presents us scenes from the game. These immediately remind one of Diablo 3. You explore a colorful landscape from an isometric perspective and fight against numerous enemies. In doing so, you use your hero’s abilities in the action-packed battles and work strategically with your allies.
Why is this surprising? Magic: Legends was originally announced as a new Western MMORPG. Now seeing a kind of Diablo where players are in missions with a maximum of three players has basically nothing much to do anymore with a MMORPG.
An action RPG with interesting ideas
Where does the video come from? Game Informer magazine visited the development studio and got an exclusive report on the online game. But there is not only gameplay to see; the developers have also revealed a lot of details about the game.
What information is there about the action RPG? Cryptic Studios will release Magic: Legends as a free-to-play game. However, it is still unclear which items will be sold to further finance the development.
- You can experience adventures alone or team up with up to two friends
- You explore hand-designed game areas where you fight against hordes of monsters and boss enemies like in a hack ‘n’ slash
- You assemble your skills from a card deck before each mission
- You can find new cards and upgrade those you already have over time using shards
- You have 12 cards that rotate regularly, four of which you can activate at the same time
- In battles, you normally attack with your skills using one mouse button, while the other button triggers class-specific abilities
- It is possible to freely mix magic colors and the associated spells
- Summoning creatures is important. To keep this organized, the isometric perspective was chosen
- PvP takes place in duels, while quests are co-op PvE content
No loot but an adaptive difficulty
What other details are there? The developers have revealed some more details, including about the story, classes, and difficulty level.
- The story takes place in the lore of Magic: The Gathering before the War of the Spark
- The quests are very story-driven and the story can change somewhat during the game based on your decisions
- You can switch your class in the cities – depending on which class you need for the next quest
- The classes mentioned so far include the Mind Mage (ranged attacker) and the Geomancer (melee fighter)
- In addition to quests, there are “Ordeals” that are less story-focused and can be completed faster
- There is an AI called “The Director” that continuously adjusts the difficulty level. If you have trouble in a quest, the enemies will become easier to defeat. Conversely, if you are progressing easily, the difficulty will increase somewhat
- There is no loot to be found, but there are orbs that refresh life and mana, as well as shards to upgrade your cards
Players have mixed opinions
What do players think about this? The fact that Magic: Legends, originally announced as a AAA MMORPG, is now becoming a kind of Diablo surprises some. There are discussions on Reddit and also in the comments on the gameplay video on Youtube. Opinions are somewhat divided.
- Tnecniw comments on Reddit: “Grab me by the hair and throw me out the window, it’s another damn MMO ARPG. I’m sure it can be fun… but to be honest – this kind of MMO just tires me out.”
- RegretNothing1 writes: “Hell yes, I’m looking forward to this.”
- Doran Noir comments as a comment on the video: “Maybe it’s my own fault for setting expectations based on the announcement. But I would have never thought this is what the developers meant when they said they were working on an MMO. It looks like Diablo mixed with a mobile game. That’s… not an MMO.”
- Biofan813 writes: “Magic is going for Diablo. Why did it take so long?”
What do you think about the fact that Magic: Legends, originally announced as an MMORPG, is now becoming an action RPG in the style of Diablo?
