Magicka 2 (PlayStation 4) Review

Four friends and a bowl of potato chips; what can be better than that? This is something Magicka 2 knows all too well, and capitalises on this feeling in its hectic and fun co-op experience in which up to four players can either help or kill each other. That a hilarious experience is going to be delivered is a safe bet in this sequel to the, for many, favourite co-op experience Magicka.

The gameplay in Magicka 2 is simple, but deep. Up to four players run around on the map trying to kill off enemies by creating and combining different elemental based spells into greater spells of mass-destruction. When four players are active at the same time, chaos ensues and spells fly all over the screen, but watch up! Magicka 2 has friendly fire to ensure that true mayhem starts inside the group.

Magicka 2 is very well crafted around this co-op multiplayer. Sadly, this comes at the cost of its single-player. The gameplay mechanics and difficulty are clearly tuned towards having at least two, but preferably four, wizards running around on the screen. This does make the single-player mode extremely unforgiving, especially the boss battles, which can sometimes be very unfairly balanced for one player. Some of the trials shine with their inability to be won if playing solo, too, which is horrible design.

That Magicka 2 in itself is a repetitive experience does not help that aspect to shine any brighter. While it is fun and forgivable in multiplayer, where friends ensure that enjoyable things happen within the world, there are no such things in single-player, and from that perspective, it grows extremely dull extremely fast.

It is clear that Magicka 2 is a game to be enjoyed with friends, and its hectic, yet fun, multiplayer is sure to keep players occupied for hours to come. However, the repetitive nature is soon going to catch in on someone going in on their own, and the difficulty is going to be extremely unforgiving. All in all, Magicka 2 is a great game for four brave wizard friends to join in on, but not that fun if being a lone wizard.