Magic systems go hand and hand with most RPGs, or at least the ones that are based on fantasy adventures. For example, it can make all the difference in unlocking a new spell in classic games like Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest. For the most part, spells are just spells and don’t differ too much in how they are implemented into RPGs.
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That is, except for the following RPG examples. These magic systems go beyond caring about getting stronger spells for attack purposes. They may be able to boost stats, be combined with other elements to create new attacks, and so on. For anyone who wants an interesting magic system to obsess over, these games offer plenty.
Final Fantasy 7
Trusting In Materia
Final Fantasy 7 allows characters to use magic if they possess crystalline orbs called Materia, which come in different colored varieties. By equipping Materia to armor or weapons, characters can cast spells like Ice or Fire, but the other types are more supportive.
For example, blue Materia essentially changes how green Materia works, like combining Fire with All will make the attack hit all enemies. Pink Materia can affect stats, like HP; red Materia can summon monsters, and yellow Materia can add new attack commands. The variety lets players customize their characters more than in other RPGs.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Building Upon Skills
Every character in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 behaves differently in combat. Some characters can use magic while others rely on skills, but either way, most spells and skills react to each other. Lune is perhaps the best example, as her elemental magic requires Stains to use, which are elemental orbs that generate from other attacks.
Another character, Sciel, uses dark magic and tarot cards, with each attack or supportive skill adding to her max potential. Every character has a skill tree that players can reverse and experiment with to find the best build to nuke the competition.
Avowed
Infecting The Environment
Avowed has a great magic system, as players don’t have to build their character into a mage to use spells. Instead, they can find Grimoires to cast spells, which are limited, but still an interesting way to get players interested in magic.
Those who do invest heavily in spells can find that the elements can affect the environment in cool ways, going beyond combat practices. For example, players can use ice magic to freeze paths on water, thus creating shortcuts, which is very useful for the first area.
Castlevania: Dawn Of Sorrow
Monster Mash
When players attack monsters in Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow, they have a chance to absorb a monster’s skill. Some skills are active and can be used like attacks, including a skeleton’s spear. Some skills allow players to traverse the environment differently, like getting a glide.
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And then there are skills that can affect stats. There aren’t many strict spells in the game, but skills are essentially the magic here. It can become addicting fighting the same foes on repeat just to see what skill can be unlocked next.
Chrono Trigger
By Your Powers Combined
Chrono Trigger’s characters start with basic physical attacks, but once they reach the end of time, each character can learn an element to master. For example, Crono can gain lightning attacks while Marle can gain ice attacks.
Learning spells also unlocks double and even triple attacks. For example, Lucca and Marle can combine fire and ice magic to form an explosive bomb. It may not be the deepest spell system, but the combo attacks definitely elevate this time-traveling RPG.
Persona 5
Demon Fusion
Persona 5, and most of the other Shin Megami Tensei games, rely on characters befriending monsters, or Persona in this case. In Persona 5, every party member is assigned a Persona that will level up and gain skills and spells.
The protagonist, known mostly as Ren in canon, can befriend more than one Persona, and with a fusion ability, players can mix and match magic to create the ultimate beings. With a diverse set of spells, players can take advantage of enemy weaknesses more easily, thus gaining extra turns in battle.
Hogwarts Legacy
Flick And Swish
Hogwarts Legacy lets Harry Potter fans live out their dreams as a student at Hogwarts. As they attend classes, they will learn new spells and alchemy techniques that will help them as they explore the school grounds.
Spells go beyond typical RPG spells like simple fire and ice attacks, as Hogwarts Legacy’s spells have more practical uses. Players can create light, levitate objects, stun enemies, disarm enemies, and so much more. Battles are more engaging thanks to trick commands, and the puzzle elements add zest to exploration.
Immortals Of Aveum
Turning Guns Into Magic
Immortals of Aveum takes place in a world enveloped in a magic war. Instead of getting magically enhanced guns, players equip different armaments and sigils to recreate classic gun types from sniper rifles to rocket launchers.
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Each sigil players find can be enhanced, and there is a rarity to the loot they find. Beyond offensive spell-like gun attacks, players can also create shields to block attacks and a whip to distract enemies, making Immortals of Aveum one of the most unique first-person shooters of all time with a bona fide magic system.
Dark Cloud 2
Monica’s Turn
Dark Cloud 2 has two playable characters, Monica and Max, and each has a variety of distinct skills and weapons. Monica can equip armbands of several varieties to cast spells like fireballs, swords to do melee damage, and leveling up her gear can lead to new attacks.
More curious, though, is her special, which allows her to collect medals from monsters. Once collected, she can then turn into that monster to perform its attacks, including magic. Of the two, Monica is the more magically gifted hero, as Max relies heavily on tech.
Final Fantasy 8
Draw!
Final Fantasy has too many good magic systems that limiting the list to just one would be criminal. Final Fantasy 8 is beyond weird when it comes to every mechanic in the game, including magic. Instead of characters learning spells through leveling up or items, they have to Draw them from monsters, which means absorbing spells.
If a character Draws five Cure spells and uses one, that means they can only use Cure four more times unless they Draw more resources. More importantly, Drawn spells can be equipped to stats to raise them in battle, but to do that, the right GFs also have to be unlocked, which are this game’s version of Summons. These systems are complex, but easy enough after practice.
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