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The Magic Circle

Question Games · Jul 9, 2015

PC

Mature

About

You are the protagonist of an unfinished 1st person fantasy game, trapped in development hell. The designers (played by James Urbaniak, Ashly Burch, and Karen Dyer) are god-like, but so indecisive that they've given you no powers whatsoever. With the help of a mysterious disembodied voice (Stephen Russell) you must seize the tools of game development from these unworthy 'gods', uncovering more of the darkly comic story as you go. Rather than traditional puzzles with a single solution, the incomplete state of each environment is a question that you answer in your own way. Trap the designers' creations, steal their behaviors, and re-mix them to explore and master this world-in-progress. 

Trailers & screenshots

Scores by platform

PC

Critic 7.9 (7 critics) · Gamer 9.0

8.1

Critic reviews

  • GameSpot

    Justin Clark · May 11, 2016

    7.0
    The essence of The Magic Circle is somewhere in between. As a piece of work meant to comment on modern game design, it’s wholly successful at creating a scenario perfectly illustrating just how Herculean a task it is for developers trying to create a game with a perfect balance.
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  • COGconnected

    Tyler Treese · May 05, 2016

    8.5
    Everything from the concept to the way The Magic Circle tackles puzzle solving is unique. Question has pulled off quite the feat in making a game that is inspirational on several levels, one that rewards, and fosters, creativity. This is an adventure that needs to be played.
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  • PS Lifestyle

    Paulmichael Contreras · Apr 29, 2016

    7.5
    The story told here forces you to get a little introspective, especially if you’ve ever backed a game and then felt betrayed by the developer when their finished product is nothing like what you expected. This is also a game for anyone who thought they could’ve made a better Duke Nukem Forever (hint: that was a train wreck from the first delay). But with such a short, occasionally preachy story, this doesn’t appeal to everyone.
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  • Destructoid

    Nic Rowen · Jul 20, 2015

    8.5
    The message is a little muddled, with so many accusing fingers thrust in so many directions that I'm sure different people will come to radically different conclusions of what it all means. But it's a message worth hearing, and a world worth exploring, if you care about video games and the people that make them.
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  • TechRaptor

    Alex Santa Maria · Jul 15, 2015

    9.5
    A memorable trip into game design and development hell, The Magic Circle's only sin is that there isn't more of it to play around in. What is here is storytelling and gameplay intermingled with expert care, bringing the player on an intellectual thrill ride that should be seen by all.
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  • The Escapist

    Marshall Lemon · Jul 14, 2015

    9.0
    Criticisms aside, I still lost several hours to The Magic Circle, looking up to notice it was well past dinnertime. And that's counting the endgame sections which felt out of place with everything that came before. Players looking for something more casual to pass the time may not be the mood to stretch their creative muscles, but The Magic Circle is one of the most wonderfully unique games we've seen this year.
    Read review from The Escapist (opens in a new tab)

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