Thanks for the
Rift Wizard recommendation, I think I just beat the game, I got a victory screen but the ending was weird, I seem to be dead and I'm not completely certain if I am really dead or if it's how the game ends, I was frozen, it seems, so it's possible that a couple of turns actually happened, while the boss does not appear on the map either so I'm not 100% sure, maybe we really just both died, every enemy had the Berserk status and it was his last life and his current hps were low so it's possible, I just had the impression from my last check that he was a couple of turns rather than only one from dying but maybe he got damaged by many crazy enemies, this last fight took me several hours so if I really just ended dying in the same moment or during the same turn as he did then it's quite funny.
This last fight was boring, not lacking tension anyway but very long, longer than the full game before it, maybe with other builds it can be more cool but as is I would have bad things to say about it, especially I'm not certain how it's doable without the Teleport spell to hunt for mana potions.
However, this last fight apart and it may only be my present experience, I think the game is very fun. You get exactly what's advertised and that you can see in any screenshot, no more, no less, don't expect a P&P-like character sheet or gameplay, the gameplay loop consists in choosing the next single screen map you're going to explore from several ones, knowing exactly what's there, you also choose where you start on the map. The goal is to clear the map of all the enemies. This while learning new spells, upgrades for each spell and general upgrades linked to spells using the 3 experience points you get in each levels. There are some, strong consumables, your build is directed just enough from a couple of pentacles which reduce by exactly 1 the xp cost of every spell and every upgrade from one school of spells if you spend the points here (and of course the discount is more relevant for an upgrade costing 1 instead of 2 than a spell you'll buy 5 instead of 6) and shrines which allow to add one special upgrade to some spells (it's single use but does not cost any XP).
Each spell comes with a set of charges, stronger spells, with less charges, and using a mana potion recharges all your spells to the max. The set of spells is huge and the upgrades (some banal but adding interesting choices anyway, and also many other less banal and very specific to one spell like this Soul Battery upgrade above for the Death Bolt) makes for an even bigger set of character building possibilites. Maybe there's a more clear pattern but I think some upgrades scale, like +50% charges, while other don't, like +2 charges, so some are more relevant either to a weaker or to a stronger spell while others not really, which is good.
The roster of enemies is good, all levels have some spawning points you need to break which is good because it forces you to be at least slightly agressive and the layout of a level may be very important depending on your spells, for example you can set balls which target every enemy in range, so the less walls the better.
The guy worked on Gears of war or some similar game before this one, I think, I really thought there was a web page dedicated to the game stating that but I can't find it anymore, anyway I am pretty glad he switched to this because it's a really competent work even with my little caveat about the last fight, the full formula feels fresh enough and the build feast is real. The scope of the game is clear and the game is nicely built around it, it's polished and well executed, if you're not interested by the premise of the game then you should probably pass your way because there's nothing else to find here but if you're interested in it then I think you'll like the game.
