Software:LostMagic

LostMagic
US box art for DS version
Developer(s)	Garakuta Studio
Publisher(s)	JP: Taito Ubisoft
Director(s)	FANG
Producer(s)	Naoto Tominaga Osamu Inoue
Designer(s)	Kōjirō Modeki Yuichi Tanzawa
Programmer(s)	Takashi Seguchi Yu Okano Kazunori Yamamoto
Artist(s)	Hisaya Souda Yoshiharu Satō Takafumi Funamoto
Writer(s)	Yuichi Tanzawa
Platform(s)	Nintendo DS
Release	JP: January 19, 2006 NA: April 25, 2006 EU: April 27, 2006 AU: April 28, 2006
Genre(s)	Role-playing, real-time strategy
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer

LostMagic (ロストマジック, Rosuto Majikku) is a real-time strategy role-playing video game developed by Taito for the Nintendo DS system. It supported the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.

Gameplay

There are two primary elements to this game: the magic system, and the use of captured monsters as soldiers. Since mages, such as the one the player controls, cannot physically attack, the player must rely on magic. The player can launch a wide variety of magical spells by drawing runes on the DS's touch screen. Runes drawn more accurately result in more powerful spells. Some runes are easier to draw than others, and drawing runes slowly may leave the player open to attacks. There are 18 different runes. The elements of magic that the player can use in LostMagic are as follows: fire, water, earth, light, dark, and wind. Not too far into the game the player will be able to fuse runes, with one example being fusing Fire 2 (explosion) and water 1 (ice shot) to make an explosion of ice. However, the combination of Ice 1 followed by Fire 2 is a completely different spell. Around the end of the game the player can fuse 3 runes together, creating 5832 new combination possibilities, but most of these fail to work. In all there are 396 different spells. When used in combination, typically the first rune determines the effect of the spell, and the other(s) determine its elemental type. For example, any Duo Rune (a Combo of two runes) starting with Fire 2 will be an explosion of some type. The variety of spells in LostMagic leads to a greater depth of gameplay.

Most enemies can be captured with certain spells, and then brought out to fight for the player in later battles. There are a total of 62 monsters that the player can collect. Player-controlled monsters fight with the same artificial intelligence as computer-controlled enemies. The player can give movement commands by selecting one or a group of monsters with the stylus, but more specific controls are not possible. Ultimately, the monsters control themselves, since if they get too close to a monster they will automatically run towards it and attack. The monsters can be leveled up to a maximum of level 50. Their stats slowly increase as they level up. In addition, their stats can be further boosted by "buff-up" spells, as well as items.

In addition to the stat-boosting spells, there are a set of items the player can equip them with. The items work by boosting a stat by a percentage, rather than a fixed value. The player can also collect higher-level versions of the items he already has. Lower-level items tend to be found at the beginning of the game while higher-level items tend to be found near the end of the game and are rarer than other items.

Multiplayer

Using multiplayer, players could fight against a friend or foe a short distance away. The battle options included "Free Duel" using preset character settings, and "Duel" using the saved character data. The players could save the duels, which were a fun way for players to gain experience points while learning new spells from others.

In Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, the player had the opportunity to fight using a preset character of Lvl 40, or their character and monsters from the Story Mode. Using the Story Mode, the character yielded experience to level up the player's party for Story Mode. Many reviews complained of lag in the online modes. The WiFi battles consisted of epic duels between two mages and each of the monsters that were selected before the match began.

Online gaming groups, sometimes known as clans, were popular in the Wi-Fi mode of LostMagic during its early months. Most gamers belonging in a clan could be recognized by an underscore and the initials of a clan after their name. However, because of a drop in LostMagic's popularity, most clans for the game died off and are no longer existent.

With single-card play, in which case only 1 person needed to own the game, the second player could only download a demo of the game. With multi-card Play, players took their Story Mode teams and fought each other for experience to level up. People fought in local multi-card play were automatically added to each other's Wi-Fi Friend lists.

Plot

The game's storyline centers on a young mage named Isaac, whose father Russell has left him in the possession of the Wand of Light, one of seven powerful wands which allows him to cast damaging, healing, and other spells, and also capture and control opposing monsters. Isaac got separated from his parents when he was little, and was raised by a forest witch in the arts of magic.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score Aggregator Score Metacritic 68/100 Review scores Publication Score Edge 5/10 EGM 5/10 Eurogamer 6/10 Famitsu 30/40 (C+A) 26/40 Game Informer 6/10 GameRevolution C GameSpot 7.9/10 GameSpy GameZone 8.2/10 IGN 6.5/10 Nintendo Power 8/10 Nintendo World Report 6.5/10 RPGamer 3/5

The game received "average" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of 30 out of 40 (individual reviews: 9/7/8/6), while Famitsu Cube + Advance gave it a score of 26 out of 40 (individual reviews: 7/7/6/6). GamePro said that the game "strives to accomplish something innovative and enjoyable, [but] it falls short in its implementation, resulting in a game that frustrates and disappoints."

Sequels

A spiritual successor, Takt of Magic (タクトオブマジック, Takuto obu Majikku), also developed by Taito but published by Nintendo, was released for the Wii in Japan on May 21, 2009. A sequel titled Lost Magic: Concerto for the Fallen (ロストマジック ～精霊の協奏曲～, Rosuto Majikku Seirei no Kyōsōkyoku) was made by Taito for mobile phones.

External links

• LostMagic at MobyGames