MAGICALxSPIRAL (PC) Review

The Phantasm Tower is more than just one long staircase. It's a series of trials, a proving ground for aspiring magicians. Dozens of bizarre creatures stalk the halls, lightning and boulders obliterate unsuspecting examinees, and powerful spirits dispose of any who fail their tests. This might sound horrifying, but Medi is more than equipped to handle whatever accosts her. She can run, double-jump, and swing a mean staff. Oh, and thanks to Salamander, the spirit of fire, this student now knows a thing or two about magic.

At the beginning of the game, Medi can only chuck a few fireballs or fly around in a fiery blaze. As she scales the tower, she encounters other spirits that will aid her quest, provided she slaps them around first. She can also improve her abilities by spending coins on new spells and stat boosts. Having a large spell book to play around with is amusing for a short while, but not really necessary. On average, problems are solved simply by clubbing them to death. A couple bosses have weak points or require specific spells, but that's about the extent of the magic system's depth.

Even with all of the obstacles facing the student, none of them can be considered credible threats. At best, all they do is delay their inevitable success. Enemies and traps do very little damage while healing items are cheap and plentiful. Granted, there are bonuses awarded to anyone who succeeds at special objectives, such as not using items, but they can just replay levels to grind for extra coins. There is a bit more of a challenge in running through the tower as quickly as possible, but that's mostly because bosses can take quite a while to defeat. Also, certain boss attacks can hit the student even if they're well out of the way. This likely would be game-breaking if the game itself wasn't so easy.

However, the story doesn't end when Medianne reaches the top. At this point, Sobel is unlocked. He has his own reasons for entering the tower. Sobel's ascension is roughly the same, aside from having a fire-themed level instead of a water-themed one. Completing his storyline unlocks the true ending paths for both characters. They're interesting in the sense that they explain more of the story, but they still involve playing through the game again, only this time the bosses have massively inflated pools of HP. It's hard to appreciate the additional content, such as the extra level and new final boss, because it's mostly about going through the motions over and over again.