Image via Digital Sun \/ Riot Forge<\/figcaption><\/figure> What’s nice about this is that, despite very little knowledge of Sylas’ backstory, it was pretty easy to follow. Granted, I know some of the big cultural touchstones here. Demacia is a big part of\u00a0League\u00a0<\/em>lore, and the story teases appearances from the likes of Garen and Lux. The focus, however, is on Sylas and the magical rebellion he seeks to incite after his escape from wizard jail.<\/p> What’s yours is mine<\/h2> In gameplay, though, is where Sylas shines. He’s a bit interesting, as both a mage and warrior, and that shines through in how he handles. Sylas’ chains can be whipped out to latch onto enemies, letting Sylas leap forward toward them for a light-and-heavy attack combo. He’s not squishy like the average magician, and it shows.<\/p>
Still, he can copy magic, and that’s where his chains come back into play. Targeting a magic user will let Sylas copy their magical powers, which can then be cast once. These spells, metered out by a mana-like resource under Sylas’ health bar, work on a full-blown magical system with corresponding weaknesses. Steal a fireball spell and use it on an ice mage for extra damage, or vice versa. Spotting the type of magic an enemy uses is key to tackling some encounters.<\/p>
“We wanted to translate this feel when you play Sylas in League of Legends<\/em>,” Ba\u00f1o said. “He has this magic stuff, but also he’s very [physical], and very fast movement, and his melee is very\u2014how do you say\u2014good-feeling when you play it.”<\/p> Image via Digital Sun \/ Riot Forge<\/figcaption><\/figure> This was emphasized in a later section I played during the demo, where I could only really damage an enemy with magic. While Sylas will build up a repertoire of his own spells that can always be cast, there’s still the option to copy and unleash the enemy’s magic too. The visual indicators are thankfully easy to follow, and it didn’t take much time to figure out how to master the elements.<\/p>
What results is a top-down combat system that feels like Kratos went to magic school<\/strong>. At times I went flying around the arena, pummeling foes with my fists, only to rip out a spell and toss it at another enemy. The arenas allow for plenty of ways for Sylas to get around, and Sylas has as many options available as he does foes.<\/p> We are the champions<\/h2> This all comes to a head in boss fights, which can get intense. I didn’t get to tussle with any of\u00a0League<\/em>‘s greats, though I did fight a mage that seems tied into Sylas’ backstory. In an interesting twist, my focus wasn’t on defeating the mage\u2014who was a bit too powerful for Sylas to take on\u2014but to bust open a door and hold another friend captive.<\/p> Through this fight, I found myself fighting against swarms of additional enemies, all with different types and skills that could throw curveballs at me as I beat down the door. Lasers, giant warriors, and swift assassins who could silence my magic all pestered me. It was a neat twist that really made me appreciate Digital Sun’s approach to\u00a0Mageseeker<\/em>. This system already allows for excellent combat, but the highlight I saw focused on the tension of that combat without just putting a big, high-HP enemy to pummel in front of me.<\/p> Image via Digital Sun \/ Riot Forge<\/figcaption><\/figure> Combine all of that with Digital Sun’s incredible pixel art, and\u00a0Mageseeker<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>is looking like another solid entry in Riot’s third-party lineup. It’s got great action, a great look, and a compelling story that works even if you’re not familiar with\u00a0League of Legends<\/em>. I’m curious to see how the whole thing slots together into one full game, and if each level can keep up the momentum of the few I saw. But\u00a0Mageseeker\u00a0<\/em>certainly has my attention.<\/p> The Mageseeker: A League of Legends Story <\/em>arrives on April 18 for PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":808,"featured_media":371712,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"article_type":"","gamurs_wordpress_blocks_hide_tags":false,"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"footnotes":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false},"categories":[634],"tags":[242,22416,19112,217,20553,244,100,22275,19124],"internal-label":[],"invoiceable_action":[],"article_type":[],"coauthors":[{"id":808,"display_name":"Eric Van Allen","user_login":"EricVanAllen","user_nicename":"ericvanallen"}],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nPAX: The Mageseeker brings magical action to the fore<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n \n