Magician's Quest: Mysterious Times Review for Nintendo DS

Magician's Quest: Mysterious Times box art

System: DS	Review Rating Legend
Dev: Konami	1.0 - 1.9 = Avoid	4.0 - 4.4 = Great
Pub: Konami	2.0 - 2.4 = Poor	4.5 - 4.9 = Must Buy
Release: May 11, 2009	2.5 - 2.9 = Average	5.0 = The Best
Players: 1	3.0 - 3.4 = Fair
ESRB Rating: Everyone 10+	3.5 - 3.9 = Good

In addition to using your magic on classmates, you can also use your magic to solve mysteries. This is the most directed aspect of the gameplay, and although you don’t have to participate in solving the mysteries, it is a fun way to use the spells that you have learned in class. This type of add-on is definitely an asset to the game as a whole, and it definitely is an improvement on the Animal Crossing formula.

Magician's Quest: Mysterious Times screenshot

However, the game does have its issues. My biggest problem with the game was just how slow it was. Of course, this type of game isn’t something you are supposed to burn through, but it took me several days just to get enough magic lessons under my belt to actually start doing things around town. The plodding pace is also compounded by the fact that the game takes way to long to tell you the most basic of actions.

For example, to learn how to sell items, you have to attend a class, sit down while the instructor tells you how to open a menu (which, by this point in the game, you have probably already done several times) and then answer a question about opening the menu. These lessons normally take about two or three minutes, but when you add them up, these seemingly superfluous tutorials (which you MUST undergo if you are hoping to use the magic component) really add up over time, and it is easy to lose interest after a few hours of going through pointless lessons.

In addition to playing by yourself, you can also invite up to three other friends to your town to participate in mystery-solving and running around the town. This feature is very entertaining, and if you have friends with whom you can share friend codes, exploring each other’s towns adds a great new element to the gameplay.

The visual style and sound scheme of the game are both eerily similar to Animal Crossing. The residents even sound like they speak a dialect of Animalese! This is not necessarily a bad thing, as the cutesy style of the music and the visuals translates well with this title. Although the graphics aren’t incredibly detailed, they are bright and cheery, and the world of Magician’s Quest certainly looks appealing.

Magician’s Quest: Mysterious Times is definitely a game targeted at those who enjoy Animal Crossing. Although many of the elements of the game (like fishing, catching bugs, and working) are lifted directly from Animal Crossing, the magic and mystery elements add a great new focused component to the game. If you enjoy open-world real-time gameplay, this title is definitely worth picking up. The gameplay may be a little slow, but it draws you in fast!

By Amanda L. Kondolojy
CCC Staff Contributor

RATING OUT OF 5

RATING DESCRIPTION

3.7

Graphics
Cutesy visuals are charming and functional. There isn't a whole lot of detail, but the world of Magician's Quest still manages to be appealing.

3.8

Control
Moving around and performing basic actions are easy enough, but the spell catalog system as well as some of the menus are a bit cumbersome.

4.0

Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
Music is very cutesy, and the Animalese-like voiceover is fun to listen to.

3.6

Play Value
Although the game is very slow to start, once you get into it there is plenty of fun to be had if you like the Animal Crossing formula.

3.8

Overall Rating - Good
Not an average. See Rating legend above for a final score breakdown.

Game Features:

1,500 customizable features including clothing, characters, spell upgrades, furniture and accessories

52 mysterious adventures for players to solve using their magic abilities

150 in game characters each with unique reactions depending on how players interact

Time based evolution ranging from day to night, week to week over 365 days

Single player story mode, 2 player co-op or 4 player co-operative play

Use the standard alphabet or magic alphabet to chat with any player via Wi-Fi