Cheap Lost Magic (Video Games) (Nintendo DS) Price

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Customer Reviews of Lost Magic

This is one of those games that was absolutely made for the Nintendo DS!
About Lost Magic for the DS... <
>This was one of those games that you either love or hate, and has been getting a lot of mixed reviews. I decided to rent it from GameFly, and liked it so much I bought it outright. I will say this about it, it's slow to get into for about the first hour or so, but if you stick with it, it gets better, and you can even go back and repeat maps for extra experience. If you liked Pokemon, Dragon Warrior Monsters and games of their ilk, I think you should give this one a shot. <
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>The Bad: <
>You will be re-playing certain maps over and over usually due to the strict time limit or your monster's lack-of-pathfinding skills. And if you can't sketch the runes (or, like my hubby, can't draw anything at all) this game will be an exercise in frusteration. <
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>But, if you are willing to overlook these small issues, you'll find a creative rts/rpg hybrid that really does use the touch screen of the ds to great effect without being gimmicky. <
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>Folks, THIS is the sort of thing that simply CAN'T be done on any other system. Pehaps, if they deign to make a sequel they could get rid of the stupid time limit, work on the AI intellegence, and fix the rollercoaster difficulty. Yes, it's hard, but fun, and I find I keep picking it up to play again-and-again when I swore I wouldn't play it anymore.. <
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>The Good: <
>LostMagic is kind of an action RPG, but it's sort of an RTS, with a few puzzle and strategy RPG elements (as well as monster-catching) thrown in the mix. It broke down such genre barriers with the power of the stylus. That's why it's such a great title. <
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>You are primarily in control of Isaac, and you also direct a host of monsters that you capture and then add to your ranks based on a "unit points" system. Both you and the monsters will gain experience points for defeating enemies. How you defeat them is up to you. <
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>Depending on whether you're left or right handed, you will use either the L or R button to call up the rune screen to enter a rune to cast magic. There a total of 18 runes (3 levels of runes for 6 elements) that you learn throughout the game. Mid-way through the game you'll be able to combine any two runes for a unique spell using the Duo Rune feature. And, if you take the "good ending" path, you will even be able to execute a limited number of Trio Runes. Yeah, the magic system is hot. <
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>During battles, the top screen shows all information along with a zoomed out map. The bottom screen is the field where the action takes place. Using the stylus, you can cast magic, move you and your monsters around, and check the stats of enemy units. <
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>Battles may have one of any number of objectives, including the standard "kill your enemies" or "kill the big boss." There are also "escape from the battle" and "purify the crystals" (sort of a "king of the hill" objective). Every single battle (even random encounters) comes with a time limit (usually five minutes, sometimes three or ten minutes). Even if you're an expert at all the genres of gameplay represented, I promise you this game will be a challenge. Plan on losing more often than winning. <
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>The reason for the number of exceedingly high losses (besides the tight time limits) is that you really need to learn and master spells, as well as plan a decent strategy, before taking on any serious battle. I found that area-based explosions were very helpful most of the time, but they alone cannot do the trick when it comes to taking down rival magicians. You'll also need to discover for yourself the various forms of healing magic, enhancing magic, and enfeebling magic. There is no in-game guide; you learn the spells by experimenting and then reading the description for the attempted spell. <
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>HP and MP are also a significant factor in gameplay. MP regenerates when you stand around not casting magic. MP will regenerate faster if you purify crystals and stand near said crystals. This definitely adds to the strategy factor. <
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>Throw in a decent competitive multiplayer option for kicks, and LostMagic is a clear victor for DS RPGs. I had so much fun with this title, and it challenged me in so many ways, I simply have to recommend it for its gameplay if for nothing else.

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One of the Most Innovative RPG's Out There
I was very excited about this game when i rented it a few weeks ago, and boy was I not dissappointed! Awesome gameplay, mixing both RTS and RPG elements into a near flawless blend of w00tness. <
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>That being said, there are SOME flaws to this great game. The monsters you use lack any sort of AI what-so-ever, which means guiding them through maze like levels and trying not to get them caught on walls. The time limit makes it interesting, but it feels like the developers didn't go through the game and test to see if the times were actually do-able, (ie, they're very difficult missions in some places). <
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>Though all in all, the spells make up for it. you draw out the spells on the touch screen, the more acurataly you draw them, the more powerful they are. With over 390 spell combos, its very worthwhile to test all of them out! <
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>Overall, I give this game a four star rating!

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Nice idea, badly executed and painful to play
I like RPGs. And I like a bit of action thrown in too. Your classic Zelda is my favourite kind of game. So I had high hopes for this innovative game that has you defeating evil and saving the world by casting spells with the stylus. Unfortunately, it just doesn't hang together. Two hallmarks of Nintendo's own games are that they are delightfully intuitive and completely immersive, but this contender fails on both counts. The menus and the navigation system reminded me of those found on early mobile phones - clunky and frustrating, you always seem to be pressing the wrong button and you can never get the machine to do what you want. Casting spells is fun at first, but when progression in the game simply requires casting them over and over again at increasing speeds to ward of another horde of identical baddies, it soon becomes a chore. Usually RPG's keep you hooked with a story that builds your empathy for the character. In this case, you are plunged into action without any introduction - I actually wondered if I had a buggy copy that was missing the first section of the game. And when you are given bits of backstory, it doesn't seem to make sense and certainly doesn't encourage you to care about your boy's quest. I've felt more emotional involvement playing Pac-man. Depsite all this, the pretty artwork kept me playing for a few hours, but this game quickly lost its magic for me.