Magic Twins is a great concept that I enjoyed more with my oldest daughter. When I tackled this arcade title alone, I quickly became frustrated with the next-to-useless AI companion. However, when tackled with another human in an old-school couch co-op test, it was extremely fun.
This fast-paced and often challenging arcade title was developed by Flying Beast Labs and published by Artax Games. It is a single-player or couch co-op experience. Sadly, there is no cross-play or online action. This would have improved things massively, but this wasn’t to be. If you love plenty of levels to tackle and an almost ball-breaking difficulty curve, then this will be the game for you. 7 distinct areas comprise 39 levels of patience and skill testing action.
Playing with magic in Magic Twins is no joke.
The School of Witchcraft in Mallorca has strict rules. Many would argue that these ruin the fun, but they are there for the protection of every pupil. Sadly, the heroes, Abra and Cadabra, feel that the rules do not apply to them. Accordingly, they decide that they should use their magic to dye their clothes. This is a forbidden spell and something that causes bedlam. Unfortunately, the magic goes wrong, and 4 different colour elements are unleashed upon the island.
The story is ridiculous, but the developer keeps things going with a nice array of levels. The colour elements form a key component for every puzzle you face. Furthermore, the twins must work together as they prowl along opposite edges of a gameboard. This is where the single-player action becomes quite challenging. Unfortunately, you must swap characters at lightning speed if you wish to succeed. Alternatively, you must rely on the ridiculously poor CPU teammate as you try to complete an array of challenges.
Challenges.
Magic Twins is relatively simple at heart. Effectively, each of the stages asks you to shoot matching-coloured spells at each monster on a gameboard. If you do this correctly, they will not reach your magic shield, and you’ll complete the stage. However, things become more complicated as you try to maximise your score on each level.
3 stars is the maximum you can achieve, and this requires you to destroy your foes in a certain order, kill more of one colour than another, or collect certain elements per stage. On top of this, you are assisted by a wacky cauldron that collects colour elements and helps you to create spells. This was great fun, but reasonably tough to master. Therefore, getting a 100% positive score isn’t for the faint of heart.
Magic Twins looks nice.
Magic Twins isn’t a visual masterpiece, but I like the vibrant colours, the simple yet varied game boards, and the easy-to-follow action. Furthermore, the animation is smooth, and I never struggled with glitches or bugs. However, keeping on top of every spell wasn’t easy, and controlling 2 characters at once was quite distracting.
If you love a spooky and high-energy soundtrack, then you’ll adore what’s on offer. With minor adaptive elements, the game evolves nicely to the zone you compete in. The sound effects add drama to each task. With short, sharp noises and satisfying bursts, this delivers a clean, albeit repetitive audio.
Simple controls.
Despite my annoyance with the single-player action, Magic Twins is easy to play. The stripped-back UI supports the simple controls. Moreover, the task of shooting magic and swapping between characters was a walk in the park. It’s just a shame that the combos were a little tricky and hectic when things went crazy.
If you don’t wish to score 3 stars, you’ll finish this in around 5 hours. However, completionists must invest 3 times this playtime to complete the game. I wasn’t that bothered, so I invested around 10 hours into this spooky arcade title.
Magic Twins is fun but limited.
I enjoyed Magic Twins when I played with someone else. However, when I played it alone, I found it to have limited appeal. Sadly, the AI is terrible, and this holds it back. Yet, if you have someone who is willing to play it with you, you’ll have a great time. Accordingly, it’s good, and I recommend buying it here! Can you stop the colourtastrophy? Work as a team, grab every element, and become a magical hero.
