The Spell Brigade
Top Critic Average
Critics Recommend
The Spell Brigade Trailers
The Spell Brigade - Release Date Trailer | PS5 Games
The Spell Brigade - Official Animated Release Date Trailer
The Spell Brigade - Official Early Access Launch Trailer
Critic Reviews for The Spell Brigade
The Spell Brigade separates itself from the pack of Vampire Survivors-adjacent games by letting up to four players engage in unruly, wave-based chaos. However, the power climb is locked behind a steep grind that takes too long to feel rewarding.
The Spell Brigade doesn't do anything wrong, but it also doesn't do anything to make itself stand out in a sea of survivors-like games. Its gameplay isn't all that exciting, its art and sound design is ho-hum, and any meaningful upgrades take far too long to unlock. There are plenty of other games in the genre that are far more rewarding to play.
Fun Survivors-like experience with a varied group of wizards to choose from
If you have a few chums to play with, The Spell Brigade will quickly become your go-to multiplayer Survivors-like funfest for sure. 🧙♀️
The Spell Brigade has delivered a 1.0 release that really does shine! Wizards and spells are abundant, and co-op play is a lot of fun. Though the core gameplay loop is a little too familiar at times, there’s no denying that this is still one of the best recent entries in a now crowded genre.
The Spell Brigade offers an interesting twist on the survivor-like genre. The more intricate map design combined with the quest system adds more strategy to runs, but the slow unlocking of these systems and the lack of enemy variety make the game sometimes feel repetitive. The safe choice to not deviate too much from genre staples also adds to this feeling. Multiplayer is fun, but the lack of synergy between players makes it feel like you are just playing next to each other instead of working together. The game can be used as a social experience when you and your friends love to play survivor-like games, but don’t expect any big changes to an already existing formula.
The Spell Brigade offers a chaotic and enjoyable co-op experience, with creative spell combinations and strong teamwork moments being its biggest strengths. However, its excessive grinding just to unlock the next thing, small handful of maps, and general repetition, leaves this initially fun experience feeling exhausting. It’s better in short bursts rather than extended play sessions.
There’s a fair amount down to chance in this game other than your starting weapon since that’s intrinsic to your wizard. Upgrades to your spells can be rerolled a few times once you progress far enough. Being able to gamble a reroll on the choice of augmentations and relics at the expense of health is a cool mechanic. This is incredibly valuable at higher levels when you know the playstyle of the wizard you like and what spells you need to make it work. That said, the only thing you can’t reroll are the spells. As frustrating as this is it does encourage players to try out new combinations. Plus, you won’t get stuck in ruts too often. This is a big part of what keeps this game feeling fresh every time. Embrace it!
