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Mage's Tale: Review (Spoilers)

Zenbane
MVP
MVP

I'm a bit late to the game with Mage's Tale. I beat it this week and enjoyed the experience enough to warrant a Review.

First off, I love the fact that this game so casually transitions from cute things like fairies and dancing Trow's...


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To straight up Lord Satan's house of pain...

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In some areas you can hear beautiful operatic singing, in others you hear howls of torture. Fantastic!

Storyline, combat, and controls are all very well done. Even though the game was made with Teleportation in mind, it supports full locomotion. However, there are specific types of interactions that simply work better with Teleportation. Not many, but few enough to where I would have liked to have seen a better implementation.

For example, walking through traps is very easy using the Teleport joystick. So instead of memorizing a pattern of swinging Hammers, you can just teleport through them and take minimal damage. That needs some work (but there's less than 5 of these encounters the entire game).

I love the Spells, but I was sad that the number of crafting combinations were so limiting. There is a Rack that carries great spellcraft abilities, such as being able to suspend enemies in the air helplessly. However, if you use that craft... then that is the only modification you can make to a Spell. I often faced choices like:
  • Do I want my Lightening spell to do extra damage and have more Arcs, or
  • Do I want my Lightening to turn enemies in to sheep.

There's a lot of missed opportunities for what I feel would be some great spell combinations. I presume that the reason is because it would make battles a bit easier, but that could be remedied by increasing the health, damage, and speed of the enemies.

That being said, there were some really epic battles in the game. I personally enjoyed coming face-to-face with a giant Ogre:


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Another memorable battle takes place in a secret area where you perform an incantation on a corpse (you even get to wear a demon mask), and end up fighting an army of 99 enemies. At least that's what they were called; I didn't actually count them - but I felt like a damn Spartan from 300 by the end of the fight.

The puzzles and secrets are very well done, and easily my favorite part of the game (although I am biased towards puzzlers). They did seem to get easier more towards the end-game, as did the battles. My favorite room - as in most games that offer this type of thing - is the Space Room:


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(click on the image to get the full view)

There are quite a few areas that are a unique and splendid visual treat. In fact there's one room that is just so badass that I didn't even bother taking a screenshot. Because a flat image doesn't do it justice. It's a room beyond that Space Room, and the Player is trying to save an ally from a cage while you appear to be inside a burning Star... as a giant demonic mouth is flying towards you both. I don't think I was breathing throughout that entire sequence.

This Space Room reminded me a lot of the main Space area in the game, Obduction. In fact, so did the "coffin" room. It isn't that visually appealing, but there's a  large room in Mage's Tale full of corpses that are all laid out similar to a corpse room in Obduction.

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Overall, I would give Mage's Tale a 4 out of 5 rating, and highly recommended as a great VR-RPG-Combat-Puzzler. There's just so many great elements and nothing is overly easy. Normally when a game tries to be too many things at once (RPG and Combat and Puzzle Solving), there ends up being a sacrifice somewhere. But with Mage's Tale, I often lost certain battles repeatedly, and some puzzlers had me pulling my hair out. Role Playing the type of magician you want to be is also pretty badass. At one point I went full on "crowd control" with all my spells:

  • Ice Lance with enhanced blast area to freeze groups of enemies.
  • Fireballs that turn people in to Sheep.
  • A Drunken (unpredictable direction) Air Blast spell that knocks enemies down.
  • Lightning that suspends enemies in the air (anti-gravity).

That was a mighty good time!
28 REPLIES 28

Wildt
Consultant
I enjoyed it as well, but felt the combat awas a bit unrefined/crude. Poor AI and too little tactical depth. It's a 3/5 in my book.
One of the less polished games that Oculus Studios has put their name on.

If the combat was on par with The Unspoken it'd be an easy 4/5
PCVR: CV1 || 4 sensors || TPcast wireless adapter || MamutVR Gun stock V3
PSVR: PS4 Pro || Move Controllers || Aim controller
WMR: HP Reverb

Saffieyah
Expert Protege
I looked at lord Satan's house of pain and I found it funny. However, the graphics are amazing if I may add.  I am absolutely stunned by how amazingly well the graphics have come together. 
Be moral, be ethical and live life to the maximum. 

Saffieyah
Expert Protege
Dearest Zenbane,

You write a lot and I am glad you have your badges.  Your posts are are welcomed by me for sure.  I am glad someone likes to write in this forum. 
Be moral, be ethical and live life to the maximum. 

Vincent3779
Honored Guest
Zenbane, do you know how to get the last cage in the chasm, in the trophy room its the 1st table, 3rd one on the bottom left, I believe its a talking wall in a cage

Zenbane
MVP
MVP


Zenbane, do you know how to get the last cage in the chasm, in the trophy room its the 1st table, 3rd one on the bottom left, I believe its a talking wall in a cage


I had missed this one, actually! But I went and retrieved it.

When you enter the final room, there is a bridge over water. Just stand at the edge (don't cross the bridge), and turn right. It's there on the floor.

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There are 50 cages total. I am missing 11 so far. I may go back to find them all; casually.

ploog
Protege

Zenbane said:



Zenbane, do you know how to get the last cage in the chasm, in the trophy room its the 1st table, 3rd one on the bottom left, I believe its a talking wall in a cage


I had missed this one, actually! But I went and retrieved it.

When you enter the final room, there is a bridge over water. Just stand at the edge (don't cross the bridge), and turn right. It's there on the floor.

bua8pfus2tzu.jpg


hnkzzwdfihcz.jpg



There are 50 cages total. I am missing 11 so far. I may go back to find them all; casually.



Yep, that's where it is. Here's a screenshot from another perspective, with both the cage and another Fergus-able object highlighted:
When you enter the final room, there is a bridge over water. 
Note that this is the bridge that floats up when you melt the ice covering the two pipe openings, the last puzzle in the dungeon.

The pictured view was taken standing on the far side of the bridge, near the final chest.

7rprqy59pt99.png


cybernettr
Superstar
I was liking the game until I got to the big room with the four pedestals and you’re supposed to shoot lightning bolts out to the pedestals, but for me it didn’t work because I do not have one of the gems or spells or whatever that is necessary, even though I proceeded through the dungeon in the prescribed fashion and I should have what I need. So, I wasn’t able to unlock the door. It seems like the game should ensure that you have what you need by the time you reach a certain point in order to progress. Obduction is the same way, and one of the portals will not open till you do something specific, and if you overlook it, you will not be able to progress in the game.  Also, the Mage’s Tale had horrific loading times although I think that has been fixed in a patch. 

Zenbane
MVP
MVP
@cybernettr Are you saying that you did not have the Lightening spell? I can load up a new game to try to see what you are talking about, but there are only 4 elements in the game (Fire, Lightening, Ice, Wind) and if memory serves, it is a bit impossible to miss acquiring these.

I'm not sure what you think you missed, but the solution is probably in the same area and you just didn't see it. I say that because after completing the game and discovering nearly 90% of all secrets, I can say with certainty that all puzzle solving happens in a relatively small area. Most of it is in the same room. Probably the only exception is when you have to retrieve an Orb or a Torch, but the game leads you along those paths in a very linear fashion save for maybe 3 or 4 secrets. And those extra hard secrets have nothing to do with progressing in the game (they simply unlock stronger spell enhancers).

ploog
Protege


I was liking the game until I got to the big room with the four pedestals and you’re supposed to shoot lightning bolts out to the pedestals, but for me it didn’t work because I do not have one of the gems or spells or whatever that is necessary, even though I proceeded through the dungeon in the prescribed fashion and I should have what I need. So, I wasn’t able to unlock the door. 

The game pretty much does ensure that you have what you need to proceed. The side spurs just give you better stuff, at times, or collectibles plus mage stones (level-up points).

I can't picture the puzzle to which you're referring, as I don't recall any situation where 4 pedestals required lightning to open/unlock a door. (I recall a couple spots where other effects were achieved; just not unlocking a door.)  Can you provide more details on the particular location, in which dungeon it exists, how far in, or after what other puzzle?

One thing... you get the Lightning reagent pretty early on ... but you do need to return to the workshop to add the associated spell to your palette. Crux instructs you how to return to the workshop as soon as you feed the reagent decanter to Fergus, so that you can get about customizing your spells. You did that bit, right?  I'm fairly certain that you must have because the game pretty much requires you have the lightning spell equipped to advance beyond the room where it was found ...
... and that location doesn't involve pedestals, but energy orbs hanging from the ceiling:
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As for a big room with 4 pedestals...

... there's this room: 

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... but:
... there's no door to unlock, and this room is a side quest ... so failing to solve it wouldn't impede continuing on


Zenbane
MVP
MVP
I remember the area in the Chasm that requires you to light the orbs. But yes, you have to listen to your Goblin companion and return to the Workshop to use the Lightening Element to craft a spell!

Backtracking in the game is really fun and easy as well. In fact, you will need to backtrack to the early stages once you get the Wind spell; since it is a requirement to get through those "cracked rock walls" that tend to hide valuable secrets.