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PC | RPG | Mage Knight Apocalypse

Boxart for Mage Knight Apocalypse
Mage Knight Apocalypse 34 screen shots
  • GRAPHICS: 2.50
  • SOUND: 2.50
  • CONTROL: 2.75
  • FUN FACTOR 2.00
  • AVG USER SCORE n/a
  • AVG CRITIC SCORE 1.8

Review: Mage Knight: Apocalypse

Review by Flasherman | 09/27/2006 | 17:47:17 PM PST

Mage Knight: Apocalypse's feature list reminds us of a late night informercial: No level grind! Effortless customization! Free camera system! No monthly fee! It all sounds great until you actually get the thing home and you realize that looks can be terribly deceiving.

PROTIP: Find a sturdy object to barricade yourself behind then safely hurl spells at mobs who'll powerless to attack you because of pathfinding issues.

PROTIP: Find a sturdy object to barricade yourself behind then safely hurl spells at mobs who'll powerless to attack you because of pathfinding issues.

The game starts with you entering the Mage Knight universe, which bears more than a passing similarity to World of Warcraft's Azeroth. The dwarves of Silverholt have entreated you to locate their missing brothers whom they suspect have been captured by slave traders. From there, you become embroiled in a bitter struggle to defend Silverholt from the invading hordes of Atlanteans, who betray popular mythology by posing as robotic ghouls rather than sopping wet fishmen. As if that wasn't enough, an extra-dimensional elemental named Sythvalis sends you on an adventure to uncover an age old mystery.

The Daily Grind

It's pretty standard RPG fare but we had high hopes that Mage Knight would deliver on some of its promises. But like a politician who quickly changes his tune after getting elected, Mage Knight left us disappointed. For example, the game proudly promises that there is no level grinding and at first glance, this appears to be true. Levels and experience points have been completely done away with in favor of a system where every action defines your character. If you want to be a better fighter, then get out there and swing your sword around. You want to be a better spellcaster? Then toss off spells left and right.

PROTIP: Try to avoid mazes and windy paths. Your allies will become stuck if you stray too far away from them.

PROTIP: Try to avoid mazes and windy paths. Your allies will become stuck if you stray too far away from them.

All this is will presumably lead to you gaining experience through practice. In reality, however, all that clicking really amounts to little more than arbitrary skill increases that are minimally associated with your play style. For instance, we once received a wisdom increase for smashing open a wine barrel, an experience that was hardly educational or thought-provoking in any way.

And as far as the plot goes, Mage Knight is linear like water is wet. The game's single player campaign follows a series of loosely connected skirmishes with the common themes of attack, rescue and invasion. In an RPG like Oblivion, one has the option of exploring a huge world complete with side quests and bonus missions. Mage Knight, however, offers only rigid quests that end with dry, uninspired cut scenes. The ability to lose yourself in the world is almost non-existent.

Looking For Group!

Also problematic is Mage Knight's attempts to replicate the multiplayer party experience in a single-player game, an experiment that's derailed by your party members' uniformly generic personalities. For example, when you meet up with Janos Freeborn, you may choose either Janos the Warrior (axe), Janos the Marksman (rifle), or Janos the Gadgeteer (bombs). The only difference between the three iterations is the weapons they carry. So anyone hoping for a little character in their characters will be disappointed by the rigid system imposed on your allies' behavior.

Even worse are the pathing issues associated with this faux-party system. Allies constantly become stuck behind walls and pillars, enemies lose track of you when you walk out of their line of sight, and glitches allow you to hurl spells at blissfully unaware boss mobs. On occasion, we were forced to complete an entire level solo when our two computerized comrades became stuck in a maze somewhere. And people thought Everquest had pathing issues.

PROTIP: During lengthy invasions, battle till you drop; even if you die, you can revive at the closest save point and all the enemies you've vanquished will be gone.

PROTIP: During lengthy invasions, battle till you drop; even if you die, you can revive at the closest save point and all the enemies you've vanquished will be gone.


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