MAGE’S INITIATION
DEVELOPERHIMALAYA STUDIOS•PRICETBA
http://www.himalayastudios.com/games/mages/#about-the-gameQHow do you know it’s a great classic
adventure? Players ask questions like, “How
do I collect sweat from the blacksmith?”
Another test is how annoyed it makes my
husband. “So we have to get sap from the
tree but the tree won’t help us until we get
its fruit back, but the person who has the
fruit wants a different fruit?” It’s probably
not for Ken but, if you’re still reading, you’ve
passed your first trial; Mage’s Initiation is
for you. Creative Director, Chris Warren,
calls it, “an homage to Quest for Glory,” and
it’s a surprisingly faithful representation of
Sierra’s late 80s titles.
D’Arc, after being taken from the family
home as a child, must now complete trials
before being initiated as a mage. By way of
an intimidating interview, he is assigned to
one of four classes; fire, earth, air or water.
As in Quest for Glory, where a paladin
approaches a puzzle differently to a thief,
unique spells distinguish each mage’s
journey. Warren also mentions that this will
be highly replayable, because side quests
and solutions are also tied to class. He says,
“We really liked Quest for Glory’s class-based
concept. Four classes seemed like a
natural fit.”
So,as an earth mage (because I’m a goody-
two-shoes), I can talk to animals, manipulate
features of the environment and cast pebbles,
both in combat and to solve puzzles. How
does a fire mage get the apple from the tree? I
have no idea. If they have an equivalent spell
to the one I used, they would have retrieved
a baked apple and burned down the tree.
The fact that I don’t even know how the other
mages approach real-time, action combat is
intriguing, too. I mean, I cast earthquakes
and pebbles. Perhaps the water mage can cast
healing spells.Yes, I could rush through the beginning
again and learn more about the other classes
pretty quickly, but it’s fun to speculate. And
I’ve become surprisingly attached to my
version of D’Arc. Every character is voiced
and there is a glut of dialogue options,
which give puzzle hints as well as flesh
out a detailed world, with its unknowable
relics from a time long forgotten. Warren
says, “Sierra fans appreciate game lore and
attention to detail; the ability to play through
a game quickly, while also being able to
question NPC characters on a much
deeper level.”
Healso mentions some more “outdated”
features of classic adventures that Mage’s
Initiation leaves firmly in the past including,
“moon logic, dead ends, stat-grinding and
monotonous repetition.” This is probably
for the best. What they haven’t left out,
however, are large, desolate woodlands and
wastelands. Not that they’re bad, but doexpect to draw maps. I was also punished for
not taking notes, with long trips back to the
mage tower’s library to reread a clue. Or, of
course, saving everywhere you might need to
be is like a teleportation spell. Do that.
Mage’s Initiation (of which I played only
the demo; the first of three trials) is more
faithful to classic adventures than I was
expecting it to be. Warren mentions a desire
to, “bring more interest to this unique niche
of gaming,” and I suspect that (despite
that this game will never be for the world’s
Kens) the care taken to craft art, music and
dialogue just might be appealing enough
to draw people in. I hope so. This team is
known for their Sierra remakes and Mage’s
Initiation was Kickstarted for a decent sum.
I’d love to see what comes next for D’Arc.EARLY
2019W INDIES