- Simulator, Strategy, Adventure, Indie
You are the protagonist of an unfinished 1st person fantasy game, trapped in development hell. The designers (played by James Urbaniak, Ashly Burch, and Karen Dyer) are god-like, but so indecisive that they've given you no powers whatsoever. With the help of a mysterious disembodied voice (Stephen Russell) you must seize the tools of game development from these unworthy 'gods', uncovering more of the darkly comic story as you go.
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Character
Ironic, cool, comic and intimate.
- earnestironic
- cooloverwhelming
- gravecomic
- intimateepic
- classical in formformally daring
Who loves it, who doesn't
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A yes-or-no question, answered from what people wrote here, on TMDB and on Wikipedia. Never made up.
Reviews
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From the critics
A few lines from each review; the whole review is on the critic's site. Not part of Tastebuds's numbers.
TechRaptorAlex Santa MariaJul 20159.5/10A memorable trip into game design and development hell, The Magic Circle's only sin is that there isn't more of it to play around in. What is here is storytelling and gameplay intermingled with expert care, bringing the player on an intellectual thrill ride that should be seen by all.
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The EscapistMarshall LemonJul 20154.5/5 starsThe Magic Circle is the best "broken" game you've ever played - and a rich satire of the industry to boot.
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DestructoidNic RowenJul 20158.5/10The message is a little muddled, with so many accusing fingers thrust in so many directions that I'm sure different people will come to radically different conclusions of what it all means. But it's a message worth hearing, and a world worth exploring, if you care about video games and the people that make them.
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Rock, Paper, ShotgunAlec MeerJul 2015The Magic Circle has a very clear understanding of how games can be laid low, especially when high-minded ambition rather than practicality is in charge, but whether because of budgetary limitations or because it's too determined to convey its message first and foremost, it seems to then make some of those same mistakes.
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GameGrinJun 20166.5/10Although its mechanics are not upbeat enough to have you engaged for hours at a time, the story is interesting enough to say something, however niche this message is.
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Snippets via OpenCritic, where 56% of critics recommend it.
About the game
- Platforms
- PlayStation 4, Linux, PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac, Xbox One
- Developer
- Question
- Publisher
- Question
- Released
- June 4, 2015
- Modes
- Single player
- Perspective
- First person
- Engine
- Unity
- Time to beat
- 4 h main story
IGDB rating 7.9/10 from 14 ratings.
Screenshots
Similar in taste
Closest on the same fourteen dimensions, from everything scored on Tastebuds Other media included when they land close.
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To Be or Not To Be 201366% alikeBook · Both ironic, cool, comic.
Book · Both cool, comic.
Often played with
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