Regulars here already know that both Kieran and I love a bit of Vampire Survivors and Brotato. These so-called bullet heaven roguelites are a great blend of intuitive gameplay and interesting decision-making via constantly evolving theory-crafting.
The formula is so good that it has spawned a myriad of contenders, and the latest to step into the arena comes with a really good hook. The Spell Brigade takes the essence of a survivors-like, and adorns it with all of the accoutrements that one might expect to find, and then it injects friendly fire into the mix.
It’s a kind of Magicka
The game that inspired this clever little twist is, of course, Helldiver 2 dev Arrowhead’s fantasy ARPG, Magicka. This cute-but-vicious co-op adventure was ruining friendships back before game devs decided that was something they wanted to do en masse. In this genre-defining co-op classic, the friendly fire was switched back on when games like Diablo were playing it safe and keeping it off, and in this one design choice, a whole new type of pain was born.
The Spell Brigade takes this simple premise and runs with it in the now familiar direction of the roguelite bullet heaven, and the results are pleasantly engaging for co-op fans, and the solo game is pretty good, too. This is not least because there’s a decent variety across the different biomes, and that genuinely mixes things up, with new challenges and enemies popping up as you play further into the game.
In terms of gameplay, just like Vampire Survivors and all the rest, you kill enemies to earn XP to spend on levelling. TSB does a good job of differentiating itself from many of its contemporaries by throwing in lots of mini objectives to focus on. These wrinkles, when shot through with friendly fire, feel different and even distinct within the auto-shooter space.
A PlayStation release and leaving EA
Developed by Bolt Blaster Games, The Spell Brigade has been working through Early Access on PC Steam for many months now. As such, the game’s overall quality isn’t a surprise to me. However, if you’ve been waiting for it to be finished before jumping in, a polished and engaging action roguelite awaits.
If you’re on PlayStation 5, you’ll also be able to join wizard school for the first time, and thanks to cross-platform play, you can jump into the action with PC-based chums. The crossplay worked very well, although the PS5 version didn’t seem as well optimised as the PC build, and I noticed slowdown on console during busy moments, when my laptop was handling things just fine.
There have been some tweaks and changes to the progression systems since the last time I played, but the biggest addition for 1.0 is the new music by Austin Wintory and Dallas Crane, which is nice – I’m sure our Kieran will be eager to hear more of it after his recent article about the best video game soundtracks (which includes a mention for another Wintory score).
The Spell Brigade is a tactile game thanks to the broad array of magic powers you can unlock via your ever-growing roster of wizards. Things get even more fun when you can start to mix up your attacks and even imbue them with fire and lightning. That said, more magic isn’t always easier to manage in co-op, and a powerful spell is a double-edged sword when played with friends. Hell, even when enjoyed alone, it’s not unusual to cause yourself problems with careless spell casting.
Solo play is fine, but it doesn’t quite stack up to the experience you’ll get in Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor. Instead, The Spell Brigade is at its best when you jump into the action with a buddy, and the friendly fire ignites the experience with an added dimension. The game supports up to four players, so if you’ve got three whole friends and you’re willing to risk losing them to some misplaced magic, you can’t really go wrong with this one. It’s not the deepest game in the niche, maybe, but it’s got more than a few tricks up its proverbial sleeve.
