The Mageseeker: A League of Legends Story

I really like what Riot Games is doing with their Riot Forge imprint. The world and characters of LoL they are too interesting to be trapped inside a MOBA and through these games developed by smaller companies we can learn more about their striking history. We already saw the potential of this idea in Ruined King and in this review it is the turn of The Mageseeker: A League of Legends Story.

This adventure takes us to Demacia to embody what we have always considered the greatest enemy of the city: Sylas the unchained. But perhaps the story we know is not entirely correct. Maybe this man is more than just a big city fall obsessed fan.

The fans of League of Legends You are well acquainted with the stories of Demacia, a kingdom with a strong fear of magic that used its fearsome Mage Hunters to imprison all those capable of using it and who refused to join them. Sylas was one of them, he was recruited from a young age for his ability to sense magic until he got out of control. Since then he spent his days in prison, with a growing hatred that finally broke out with great violence.

The Mageseeker: A League of Legends Story is an action game ‘hack n’ slash’ in the style of the first God of War and with retro-style pixel graphics. It was developed by Digital Sun, the independent Spanish studio responsible for Moonlighter. What initially seemed like a traditional and somewhat repetitive action game ended up surprising me with its RPG-inspired combat system and a great story that not only makes the most of the ‘lore’ of LoLbut it improves it.

¿The Mageseeker may like those who do not play League of Legends?

I’m glad to answer with a yes. I do not play LoL and my knowledge of their lore was limited to what I learned by watching the excellent Netflix series Arcane. At first I was a bit confused by not knowing the concepts and characters they mention in this game, but that was quickly fixed and I even started to warm towards them.

In fact, this title encouraged me to learn more about the world of Runeterra. I did not become a gamer LoL and I have no interest in going back to that MOBA, but I’m definitely more interested in all of its mythology.

Fans are going to find a lot to enjoy. A handful of champions League of Legends They are an important part of the story or bosses we face. Most of the characters are original, but their designs and personalities are right up there with the champions and I wouldn’t be surprised if we see some of them on The Rift in the future. There are also mentions of other Champions in dialogues and collectible documents.

It’s also cool to see how Sylas’s attacks in LoL translated into this style of play and the pixelated graphics, as well as those of the other Champions featured, especially their ‘Ultimates’.

There is no peaceful revolution

Although the levels have a few detours that lead to secret documents, chests, or collectible silverwing chicks, this is not a game of exploration. The scenarios are completely linear and that’s good because the star of the gameplay of The Mageseeker it is combat.

We can win out of matchups with Mage Hunters with Sylas’ powerful chain attacks and the occasional spell, but that would be wasting the options he offers. When we steal an enemy magic and return to the revolution hideout we can buy that spell and equip it. We can also recruit some magicians specialized in each element that accompany us on missions to give us special combos.

The items work on the familiar and well-tested system of opposites where one deals more damage to enemies using the other. We have Fire – Ice, Earth – Air, and Light – Dark. We must choose well which spells and companions we take to each mission according to the enemies we are going to find. So far everything is normal, but The genius of the combat is in the different formations of rivals that we find in each confrontation.

Spells spend mana and we won’t always be able to use them, but at any time we can steal an enemy’s magic and use it. This makes us keep our full attention on the battlefield, thinking about which enemies to prioritize and what type of attack to use against them. The ice mage can be very dangerous, but if we eliminate it we will not be able to steal the attack that is so useful against the fire toads that surround it. We have to make decisions like that all the time.

To finish seasoning the action we are learning new ‘Ultimate’ skills as we progress through the story. We can also improve the effects of each element and find enemies with new spells to steal. The difficulty curve is very well adjusted and the fights against the main bosses are simply excellent.

The cry of the oppressed

The game’s heavy focus on combat makes it feel repetitive to some, but overall it’s entertaining and trying out different spell builds and companions kept it fresh. However, it was the narrative that really kept me interested in the game.

The core of the plot is the transformation of an oppressed man seeking revenge into a revolutionary leader capable of overcoming his selfishness for the good of his people. He’s an obnoxious character at first, but the story arc of him is excellent. His transformation does not happen from one moment to the next and we see how he changes little by little to be a better person.

The story of the revolution against the Mage Hunters is also extremely satisfying and has a political charge that I did not expect. The suffering of the oppressed wizards is presented bluntly. The manipulation of the masses by the powerful of Demacia is painfully realistic and the indolence of the regents is shown as complicit. The Mageseeker: A League of Legends Story it is a clear anti-fascist story. He warns us that a revolution may not be easy, but it is always necessary..

Through this story, many details of the plot that LoL has developed in supplementary material such as soap operas, videos y comics. What I read while playing this title showed Sylas as a threat or even a monster.

It is the typical “deep down he is right but he is using the wrong methods” narrative that is also used in real life against groups that are forced to defend themselves with violence or to express that “both sides are bad”. The Mageseeker understands that violence is sometimes necessary to claim rights. Even at the end, when the Mage Hunters are disbanded, it shows that the revolution continues. It doesn’t matter that there is now a “good king” because the monarchy is a corrupt institution that has no place in a world where everyone can be equal.

The dark side of the revolution The Mageseeker

But not everything in this game is as good as its story and combat system. The most notable defect of The Mageseeker are their repetitive scenarios. Even with some differences, It seems that we are always walking through the same forests, laboratories and streets. We also found a fair amount of bugs: enemies getting stuck, menus getting stuck, and actions not responding. We were surprised to find so many errors in the texts in Spanish, taking into account the origin of the developer studio.

The most serious problem is in control because aiming at enemies with the right stick is inaccurate. There were many times when I ended up attacking the air when the enemies were behind me. This is a problem against the more difficult bosses that require you to move very carefully around the battle arena.

I loved this game and Sylas is now one of my favorite characters. The story, the combat system and the boss fights dictate that I give a much higher rating to The Mageseeker: A League of Legends Story in this review. But the problems with the control, ‘bugs’ and repetitive scenarios do not let me do it. Anyway, the game achieved its goal of getting me interested in the world of LoL even more than he had achieved Arcane. Something tells me that’s Riot Games’ main goal with these games. Mission accomplished and come Convergence.

Review made with a digital copy of The Mageseeker: A League of Legends Story for PS5 provided by Riot Games.