Best Games For Experimenting With Magic Systems

Magic is something that video game developers toy around with in their titles all the time. Players love the idea of controlling the elements and using these spells to either destroy their enemies or help them outside of combat.

The best video games with magic know that this system should encourage experimentation instead of just being a different type of attack that players can unleash. Players who want to see magic systems being used in creative ways have a wealth of video games to choose from.

8 Divinity: Original Sin 2

Magic Can Interact With The Environment In Meaningful Ways

Larian Entertainment was lauded for the immersive sim-esque design it implemented in its video games that was apparent in Divinity: Original Sin and its sequel. Players who have access to certain magic spells can use them in logical situations to take advantage of their environment.

Players could trigger an oil spill and set it ablaze, cast fire into a poison cloud to detonate it, shock enemies collectively in a pool, or freeze vulnerable enemies in their tracks. The number of ways magic can combine with other gameplay elements to let players take out their enemies with style is a huge part of what makes Divinity: Original Sin 2 one of the best CRPGs fans can get their hands on.

7 Arx Fatalis

Players Can Combine Runes To Cast A Whole Host Of Spells

Arx Fatalis is one of the most ambitious first-person RPGs players can get their hands on. The main focus of this title was to be as immersive as they come, implementing a unique magic system where players had to physically form runes using their mouse to cast magic.

Players could learn numerous runes and combine them with others to create unique spells, with the possibilities being endless. While casting magic in combat could be a clumsy affair, the power that players could wield after successfully combining runes more than made up for it.

6 Hogwarts Legacy

Different Spells Can Be Combined For Unique Results

For a first attempt at an open-world Harry Potter game, Hogwarts Legacy got a ton of things right. While the lack of immersion and a poor story took away from the game’s quality, fans didn’t mind as long as they interacted with an amazing combat system that let them chain spells for devastating effects.

The synergy of the combat mechanics was enhanced by the many spell combinations players could use to humiliate their opponents. If WB learned the right lessons from the reception to Hogwarts Legacy, then players will be treated to a perfect sequel that improves the experimentation afforded by this magic system.

5 Wildermyth

Mystics Can Possess Objects And Channel Their Energy To Cast Spells

An indie RPG that more people need to check out, Wildermyth‘s procedural story content and fun battles make it a game with near-endless replayability. It helps that players can go through several adventures with scripted events that make the story more coherent in these campaigns.

One of Wildermyth‘s strengths is a magic system does things differently and succeeds. Players will love controlling mystics in this game as they possess objects on the battle grid and manipulate them to hurt opponents in style. It takes little to no time for players to come to grips with this magic combat that promotes experimentation.

4 Dark Messiah Of Might & Magic

A Simple Array Of Spells With Meaningful Environmental Interactions

The fact that magic is an optional part of the game that players can ignore shows that Dark Messiah of Might & Magic succeeded in making classes feel unique and interesting. If players decide to turn Sareth into a mage, then they should use the environment to take their foes by surprise.

Setting fire to oil spills, casting ice near chasms to make enemies slip & fall to their doom, and using Telekenisis to turn every object in the environment into a potential weapon goes a long way in making the moment-to-moment gameplay of this title feel exciting and varied as a mage every single time.

3 Tyranny

Players Can Create Spells By Studying Runes

Tyranny is one of the most underrated CRPGs of all time. It boasts a unique story, excellent writing, and a combat system that seems simple but allows players to engage with its complexities if they want. If players want to sling magical spells in battle, then uncovering as many runes as possible during their adventure is a must.

This allows players to mix and match runes to check out a dazzling array of spells that vary in usage and potency. It’s one of the most involved systems players can use if they want to role-play as a mage who must put some work into creating the best spells in any given situation.

2 Persona 5

Joker Can Keep A Stock Of Powerful Personas To Target Weaknesses And Exploit Technical Damage

From the third mainline title onwards, each Persona game allows the protagonist to house an array of Personas that bring their strengths and weaknesses to the table. Persona 5 is no exception here, and Joker must cover all his bases to ensure that a boss fight doesn’t come out of nowhere to wipe the party out.

This means that players will spend a lot of time fusing Personas until they get a set worth bringing into battle. This experimentation endures throughout the game, and players should make the most of Joker’s level-ups to let him fuse more powerful Personas and clear a Palace with ease. Along with this, Persona 5 introduces Technical damage that rewards players for hitting enemies with certain elements when they’re suffering from a status affliction, further adding to the experimentative nature of the magic system.

Players Can Engage With A Robust Spell Creation System

It’s a shame that later Elder Scrolls games dropped one of the most unique gameplay mechanics in Morrowind. Being a mage was hard work, but players who leveled up and invested in relevant stats could use the game’s spell-creation system to make OP magic that could destroy anything and everything players wanted.

With high enough Magicka, anything is possible for the Nerevarine as they create potent destruction spells, healing magic, tricky illusions, helpful summons, and everything else along the same lines. It’s a system that players can get lost in for hours if they want to experiment to their heart’s content and then some.