Magicka 2 review – return of the anarchic wizards

(PS4, PC, Paradox Interactive, cert: 16)

Magicka 2 starts out cheerily - all the wizards are dead. Given the chaos the magically inclined caused in the first game, that's not so bad. Then the twist: enter a great evil that just happens to need some colour-coded mages to stop it. Like its predecessor, Magicka 2's greatest strength is its anarchic tendencies, its in-depth spellcasting system often rewarding you for trying unlikely magic combos. Each spell requires tapping in "codes", one element at a time from a selection of 10. The results are far-reaching: "fire + shield" can make you immune to fire damage, or weapons can be elementally charged for greater effect.

Experimentation is half the fun, even when you go wrong. The flipside is that it gets complex, fast. In battle, you need to be incredibly quick-witted (and fleet of finger) to hammer out spells, which soon frustrates. It's also repetitive when played solo, though Magicka 2's flaws are somewhat alleviated when played co-op with friends.