The Life of a Magical Circle? Bor-ing! Yeah? You’re an idiot for making a quick assumption, as this indie rogue-lite is more profound than you can imagine. Beyond the visuals and the philosophy – this is pretty damn addictive and of the fun variety, not the problem one.
Developed by Soldieo, a.k.a Matt Bogdanovski, with some superb musical composition from Alex Di Francesco. This couldn’t be simpler on the surface, but it’s a double-edged sword as the game can be as complex as you want it to be, starting with the gameplay. What am I supposed to do exactly?
The Magical Life Of A Circle Review (PC)
Art imitating life, you soon find that after the first few runs or so, a voice starts to narrate. God? No, it’s Matt, but he can be god here, alright? Using some select words, they’ll guide you through your journey and comment on it, too. You might not necessarily find the answers that you’re looking for, but The Life of a Magical Circle may highlight some areas you’re already aware of and possibly in denial of.
The setup is this: you’re a green circle, flying through the void and collecting other circles. Initially, there are a few, then a little more, then some purple circles, pink, angry triangles, blocks, angry blocks… Taking a hit results in starting the cycle once more, and depending on how many circles you collect and the depth of your journey, you’ll start the next run a little more resilient and closer to the end goal. Whatever that may be (no spoilers given).
Progression reveals additional dialogue from the narrator, giving a little insight to help you on your quest and perhaps take away with you to use in real life. If you’re anything like me and paid attention in assembly, or listened to the morals at the end of He-Man, then the narrative will resonate with you.
Around The Block
The Life of a Magical Circle reminded me of several times I’ve spoken to a clairvoyant or shaman where a stranger has told me something about me I already know about myself. No, it’s not that baloney where someone tells you what will happen in your future, but identifying some truths about you is up to you what you’ll do about it. The game is like that. It won’t tell you the meaning of life, but it might remind you that you might want to consider your life of procrastination.
As a game, The Life of a Magical Circle is addictive for the right reasons. Despite getting stronger, some stupid little mistake would mean I’d restart the process again but wouldn’t for one second complain about it or feel the game is too difficult. It’s spot on. So, in the words of Elton John: I’m a rocket man. Bollocks. I meant to refer to the Circle of Life.
Verdict
The Life of a Magical Circle is a simple yet effective rogue-lite that is thoughtful and entertaining without being condescending. Even without the narration, it’s a fun little experience, but the monologues make it all the more worthy of your time.
