Near-Mage Review

Just recently, I was gallivanting around Europe and spent some time in Romania, taking in parts of Transylvania and soaking up the beautiful architecture and history. Upon return, I was stoked to return to Transylvania in Near-Mage, the latest adventure from Romanian developer Stuck in Attic since its debut Gibbous: A Cthulhu Adventure, a title I really enjoyed (so much so that I backed Near-Mage during its Kickstarter campaign). On the surface you’d think that Near-Mage is just another point-and-click adventure, but Stuck in Attic has decided to take the narrative parts of adventure games and mix them with some basic RPG elements. It’s an interesting decision that has its benefits, but in doing so loses some of the magick that made Gibbous a standout adventure game.

In Near-Mage, you play as lost teenager Illy, whose parents are pressuring her to have her life figured out – or at least the path she’s going to take. For me, when I was in my late teens I had no idea what I would do for the rest of my life. But unlike Illy, I didn’t have a Romanian Great Aunt to set me on a path of magick academia. After convincing her parents that a few weeks in Romania with Aunty Domnica is the panacea she needs to help find her calling, she arrives in Sighișoara (a real place) ready to make the most of her trip. Of course, Domnica has a few secrets tucked away, and as it turns out, Illy has magic in her blood, which grants her access to a place called Rakus and the chance to enrol at the Transylvanian Institute for Magick. But completing her magical education is half the story, with the other half seeing Illy investigate some strange happenings in Rakus that begins with the theft of an important and mysterious book.

Welcome to Sighișoara

Rakus is a world buzzing with activity and full of Eastern European style, and it’s not just humans that make up the population, with several different races, such as Vampyres and Strigoi (from Romanian folklore), and some that are anthropomorphic, such as Visarion, the talking cat and bookshop owner. You’ll spend most of your time exploring the city and its surroundings, conversing with its inhabitants, attending classes and occasionally visiting Aunty Domnica.

Easily Near-Mage’s biggest drawcard is its stunning classic Disney art style, which is bursting with vibrant colours. But what makes it truly special is that every scene has been hand-painted in astonishing detail, and there’s an incredible amount of variety in NPCs, making the world feel alive rather than simply set dressing.

Near-Mage is at its best when players are able to immerse themselves in the game’s world and narrative, which is heavy on the dialogue but loaded with authenticity thanks to some strong performances from European voice actors. The story is nothing groundbreaking, but Illy is convincing as the lost teen, struggling with the unbearable weight of growing up, but also living her best life as she makes new friends and embraces her magickal heritage. For those who want to give Illy a makeover, you’re able to change her appearance, including clothing and hairstyle.

Rakus is thriving

Attending lessons is part and parcel of becoming a near-mage, and you’re given the options of which class you’d like to do next from the six available: Wind, Water, Fire, Soul, Earth, and Blood. Completing a class is simple, you just need to listen to what the teacher says and then answer three questions that require you to finish the sentence. Do that and you’ve successfully learnt that ‘near-spell’. There’s no right or wrong order to complete them, and having access to different spells may unlock dialogue options, but other than that, the experience is a linear experience.

However, the decision to mix things up a bit has come at a cost when it comes to the puzzles, as Near-Mage has replaced traditional puzzles with Illy’s magickal spells. Rather than finding items to unlock doors or convince characters to talk, Illy can essentially make people do certain things to progress the story by using her newfound abilities. For example, in one mission I was able to revive a character, and in another I was able to convince someone to let go of some memories holding them back. It’s all very straightforward, and I suspect that those who enjoy adventure games because of the challenge may struggle to feel satisfaction here.

My biggest knock on Near-Mage is that for a game all about magick, it doesn’t give you many chances to actually use it. Illy can craft 20 different spells using the six near-spells she’s learnt, but these are only usable in certain situations – Illy’s pendant will illuminate when magick can be used. But what’s even stranger is that you can complete objectives without using your spells, making the whole mechanic feel rather redundant.

Where the magick happens

Another design quirk is that once you complete an objective, the game will often tell you to explore Rakus. Usually this means fast travelling to one location to trigger a Mitzkin (magickal birds that deliver letters) delivery giving you the next objective. In theory, this is fine, you don’t want to waste the player’s time, but towards the end of the game it does this excessively, even sending you back to a character you just spoke to. It’s in these in-between moments that I wish the story gave me something to do – perhaps go eat or catch up with a friend somewhere in Rakus.

Final Thoughts

It’s a shame that Near-Mage’s magickal mechanics weren’t more of a focus because the concept is a neat idea. Sometimes I just want to enjoy a narrative without the hassle of solving difficult puzzles, but the lack of challenge here feels too easy and will put a lot of adventure game fans off. Despite that, I still enjoyed my time playing through Illy’s coming-of-age story, even if it didn’t hit as good as Gibbous or as I was hoping when I backed it on Kickstarter.

Reviewed on PC // Review code supplied by publisher

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