The Magic Circle: Gold Edition
Top Critic Average
Critics Recommend
The Magic Circle: Gold Edition Media
Critic Reviews for The Magic Circle: Gold Edition
The Magic Circle is a fascinating, satirical look at life beyond the polygon curtain.
The Magic Circle: Gold Edition is a humourous and satirical look at the complexity of game development. At the same time, it’s a fun game that encourages you to experiment with different combinations to reach your goal, leading to a number of bizarre creations, but The Magic Circle: Gold Edition is brought to life by its comedy.
The Magic Circle will appeal to anyone who can laugh at themselves. The story told here forces you to get a little introspective, especially if you’ve ever backed a game and then felt betrayed by the developer when their finished product is nothing like what you expected. This is also a game for anyone who thought they could’ve made a better Duke Nukem Forever (hint: that was a train wreck from the first delay). But with such a short, occasionally preachy story, this doesn’t appeal to everyone.
There’s a ton of replayability, however, and the game’s trophies reward multiple playthroughs.
Providing a unique look at a studio unable to get over its developers' egos to finish a highly anticipated project, The Magic Circle introduces interesting development tool mechanics that aren't as fun to manipulate as they should be.
The presentation of The Magic Circle is simple but striking… I would be lying if I said it wasn’t one of the cleverest uses of a retro aesthetic I’ve ever seen
The game has a very funny narrative, and is well written, with perfect comedy timing. There are audio logs scattered around the game that serves as collectibles, and they’re all about games development. Not only that but you can also find some secret areas if you explore every corner. I hope you will enjoy the game as much as I have enjoyed doing this The Magic Circle: Gold Edition review. It is a very unique experience that will keep you coming back for more with its weird setting and open potential.
Ultimately, The Magic Circle relies on its pure intrigue to sustain the player throughout. It draws on decades of gaming history, offering a short, but poignant, commentary on the state of games today, whilst still managing to deliver something altogether quite different. Occasionally, the game requires your willing patience, but once a couple of hours have been sunk into this fantastic abstract meta game, you'll likely revel in its charm and inventiveness.
