Magus (pronounced “may-jus”), is an action role-playing game for the PlayStation 3, co-developed by Black Tower and Aksys Games.[1] The title has become infamous due to the negative reception it received from critics upon release, and is often considered among the worst games on the console.
| Magus | |
|---|---|
 North American cover art | |
| Developer(s) | Black Tower, Aksys Games |
| Publisher(s) | Aksys Games |
| Programmer(s) | Naoki Saegusa (lead) |
| Writer(s) | Richie Casper Rocco Scandizzo |
| Engine | Unreal Engine 3 |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 3 |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Role-playing, Action Adventure |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Plot
editMagus has been imprisoned in a tower in the Waterfall Kingdom and tortured for years. Magus remains handcuffed, imprisoned, immovable, clueless, and powerless, until a new prisoner, named Kinna, arrives and forces him to escape. Once Magus has escaped, their journey to discover Magus's true identity and abilities begins. Along the way they must face the wrath of the Kingdom Waterfall, and battle them in order to discover Magus's purpose.[2]
Gameplay
editMagus uses divine powers, known as "Chroma Magic", which he can absorb from associated colored stones – red, green and blue. These powers increase over time and players can choose to master just one or all three.[3] The game has a skill tree system with three (red, green and blue) chromatic arcana tiers. Magus can cast basic spells as much as he wants, but strong magic spells have a cooldown period.[4]
Reception
edit| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | 32/100[5] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Hardcore Gamer | 1/5[6] |
| Joystiq |    [7] |
| Push Square |   [8] |
| RPGamer | 1.5/5[9] |
Magus received "unfavorable" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[5] It was criticized for its dated graphics, lackluster gameplay, and poorly written dialogue and voice acting. The dialogue however had been stated as "unintentionally hilarious" and "probably the game's greatest selling point". Geoff Thew of Hardcore Gamer called it "a perfect storm of terrible ideas and botched execution", but found the game "endlessly enjoyable in spite of itself".[6]
With a Metacritic rating of 32, Magus is the 9th lowest rated PlayStation 3 game on the website.[10]
References
edit- ^ "Aksys Games Announces Their First Co-developed Game Magus". Anime News Network. June 12, 2013. Archived from the original on February 25, 2014. Retrieved February 20, 2014.
- ^ Romano, Sal (June 11, 2013). "Aksys Announced First Co-developed Game Magus". Gematsu. Archived from the original on February 23, 2014. Retrieved February 20, 2014.
- ^ Hillier, Brenna (November 21, 2013). "Magus Coming to PS3 in 2014 From Aksys and Black Tower Studios". VG247. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on January 14, 2023. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
- ^ Yip, Spencer (February 6, 2014). "Magus Action Game Aksys Co-developed Comes February 25". Siliconera. Gamurs. Archived from the original on September 2, 2017. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
- ^ a b "Magus for PlayStation 3 Reviews". Metacritic. Fandom. Archived from the original on 2024-06-11. Retrieved 2023-11-01.
- ^ a b Thew, George (March 1, 2014). "Review: Magus". Hardcore Gamer. Archived from the original on January 14, 2023. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
- ^ Cowan, Danny (March 7, 2014). "Magus review: Best worst game". Engadget (Joystiq). Yahoo. Archived from the original on March 8, 2014. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
- ^ Fitzgerald, Simon (March 12, 2014). "Magus Review". Push Square. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on January 14, 2023. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
- ^ Fuller, Alex (March 5, 2014). "Magus - Review". RPGamer. CraveOnline. Archived from the original on January 14, 2023. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
- ^ "What Games to Play on PS3". Metacritic. Fandom. Archived from the original on 2023-12-26. Retrieved 2023-12-26.