Spells & Secrets

[Part 1] I like this game and wanted to give a thumbs up. I played the demo before deciding to buy the game. In the demo, I did 3 runs and fully completed each run. The "final boss" in the demo is unbeatable as the battle is scripted to end after his life is brought down to half. In my opinion, the demo is not a true reflection of the full game as it only covers the first level with limited spells available although you can replay it as many times as you want. But after getting 100% and jotting down all points when playing, I find it hard to give it a thumbs up. I usually do a full run once a day until I'm left with the last 4 schoolmates to rescue for 100%. That's when I just quickly start a run, rescue 1 mate and let the bosses knocked out my character. 20 mins spent is better than 2 hours. Good and fun times are during the beginning of the game. After completing the story, the gameplay becomes repetitive. And after exploring everything the game has to offer, you will start to see the flaws in this game. Take note that I always do full runs(if possible); explore every available room, defeat all enemies, solve all puzzles, grab all exp/money. This game could have been better if there are further updates but I read that the dev team behind the game has closed their development department. I will list the pros and cons of this game below: [h1]Pros[/h1] ·Save file from the demo carries over to the fullgame ·Wizard Character Editor. You unlock more cosmetics as you play. There is an in-game achievement to PK a friend in the arena. You can create 2 different characters and control them solo. ·Co-op on the same pc -Beautiful graphics and soothing music ·Any visited rooms shown on the mini map that are gold, blue or red can be teleported to. This saves time backtracking ·Rescued schoolmates offer valuable hints. You can find many hints which are very useful ·Question marks on the minimap indicate that there is a bag, vending machine or puzzle not discovered/solved ·All artefacts discovered during gameplay can be located in Shinehunter Gallery where you can test out different combinations of artefacts and even imprint them. The duration of the artefacts stay with you before the next run.(You cannot bring all artefacts when you start the next run) ·Use of potions restores after each combat ·All potions discovered during gameplay can be located in Dreamdancer Library where you can pick one up before your next run ·All companions converted to ally via Partner spell can be located in Greenguard Park where you can bring one companion along in your next run ·All bosses(except the final boss) defeated under the Rebuke spell can be challenged again in Fireblade Hall. You can bring artefacts from the Shinehunter Gallery and test them out on the bosses ·It is possible to get 100 pts on athlete medal(complete under 15mins per level) via Pursuit Tracker app while visiting all rooms in each level, completing all puzzles, killing all enemies, complete combat challenge, visiting emporium, rescuing schoolmates, opening all bags and defeating 2 bosses while all Wards(Perfected Ward) are active. [h1]Neutral[/h1] ·Majority of the achievements are end game. If you are looking to 100%, prepare to do 44 runs minimum. Each full run may take 45 mins and your mileage may vary depending on the seed. The seed determines the room layout and what type of fixed artefacts you will find. My fastest run clocks at 32:01 with 885 pursuit points while completing everything in a single run(Perfected Ward) screenshot 1: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3556217615 screenshot 2: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3556217678 You can also use PA3S as seed and start the exact same run as mine. ·About 7000 exp gained per full run. Even modified mobs which are stronger than usual gave the same exp than their normal version, though enough to max out everything before 44 runs unless you kept dying. ·There are about 40 different puzzles to solve in all 3 levels(not all 40 will appear in a run). It is interesting to solve them at first and some puzzles have a few ways to solve it. This becomes repetitive and a chore after a while. This is optional and you can choose to skip them, but for enemies you have to clear them before you can proceed. [h1]Cons[/h1] ·There is friendly fire in this game. Cozy games and friendly fire don't go hand in hand ·Poor fixed camera view. Sometimes I opened a door and enter a room only to get hit by something which I can't see ·Exp dropped by bag/book automatically gets collected while you have to manually collect gold ·Defeating a boss nets you 100exp while solving a puzzle nets you the same amount of exp or more ·After buying hearts or artefacts from the emporium, instead of the game automatically collecting for you, you have to collect them manually on the ground ·Auto targeting is poor in this game. Oftentimes the game targets the wrong enemies. Trying to heal a companion in boss battles is hard since the game priortises targeting enemies over friendly units even when your companion is closest to you. This is the same while solving puzzle in the midst of a battle. ·After defeating an enemy, the auto targeting does not switch immediately to another target, so you keep hitting the same dead enemy ·Solving a puzzle while in the vicinity of enemies will slow movement hence the puzzle cannot be completed in time ·One the of puzzles requires you to break all 5 vases in a time limit, and your companion will move in front of you so that your auto aiming changes to targeting the companion instead, hence making you fail the puzzle and having to repeat. (I am stating this to be known as there are also other ways to solve the puzzle) ·After completing a puzzle, the camera pans away to show the reward location while leaving you and enemies fighting out of view ·Telekinsis with the magnetic artefact can hinder your puzzle solving and make you spend more time completing it ·When you step into a magic circle to begin a boss fight or a regular challenge, your companion sometimes will push you out of the circle ·Flying companion sometimes will block the door to a room. So when there is a fire breakout, good luck ·Lotta Plunder appearance in game is way too late, by the time you encountered her, you don't really need the artefacts/gold she rewards you [h1]Bugs[/h1] ·So far there was a case when I had unlimited mana for the entire run. The mana bar does not show and I can keep using spells with no recovery ·One of the boss clones just stood there idling and if this happens, targeting doesn't work during the battle. Alt + tab freezes the game and after reloading the game, the character just doesn't run faster when there is no enemy ·When there are no enemies, you will run faster after a shortwhile. But when running and switching spells, you run slower even when all enemies are cleared in an area. I encountered a bug(different incident from the previous point) where my character could not run fast for the whole duration of the current level until I picked up a artefact that speeds up movement ·Sometimes the run will not start after pressing R1 at the school gate. Pressing multiple times does nothing. I either have to enter the secret room/garden to start the run or relaunch game ·There is a puzzle that requires using the lightning sword. Sometimes using it in front of the panel doesn't do anything ·During a speedrun puzzle, I used the ascend and timestop spells and after I reached the end, I immediately got hit. There is nothing to suggest what I got hit with(all enemies were cleared before attempting puzzle. There are no artefacts associated with those 2 spells which would do self damage. I have no companion also.) Part 2 in comments

Soooo repetitive, I'm already bored after doing 5 full runs but the game in general has been designed with you doing at least 50-100 to unlock everything. - There are 3 zones with their own typical monsters, 1 boss at the end of each plus 1 main boss. You won't find a lot of surprises after a run or two since you easily get to the main boss on your 2nd or 3rd run. After then, no new monsters, no new biomes. - There are only a few enemy types beside the bosses. They have a different element to their attacks, but have the same weakness so getting rid of them becomes a chore rather than a challenge. - You don't get more XP as you progress in the game, so when you get to upgrading spells you need to do a full ~45 mins run to get a single one. - The puzzles have a fix layout. Eg. All the objects, walls, the mousehole you need to find is always in the exact same location. After figuring them out once, it again becomes more of a chore than a challenge. - But they did put up a pretty challenging boss (Considering the cozy difficulty leading up to it) so it becomes frustrating how you easily run through everything then get a challenge that feels unfair.

Doesn't play nice on Steamdeck at all. Feels like a hassle to go through the spells which makes combat feel choppy. Will give it a go on PC later and perhaps edit the review.

Huge let down of a game, really railroaded on a very meh rogue-like structure. For a game with so many spells you can really only use 3 at a time and its all done very poorly. There not a lot challenge or a reason to continue playing.

This is a really great Hades-like. Go through the randomized levels, beat the slightly varied boss at the end of each level, then fight the big bad boss. Repeat a few times to get the true ending. It controls well, plays well, runs on the steam deck well and is just a bunch of fun. This one shakes it up by making you a wizard, and putting secrets everywhere. It's actually really smart - some of the puzzles are hard to figure out and require you to use your spells in fun ways. And speaking of using spells in fun ways, thats what the game is all about, in and out of combat. Like getting a modifier to a spell which then allows you to more easily line up a haymaker spell is really fun. The game is also on the slower-paced side. That is not a negative, in my mind. I appreciate a game like this that isn't about Actions-per-minute or whatever. This isn't hades or diablo. It's similar gameplay wise, but literally a little bit more chill. I only have two issues with the game, and they're pretty much subjective. I wish it was a little longer form. I wanted to explore the castle more but instead I only get one level in which that happens. I was hoping to get to experience a full castle that changes each run. And, I wish there was more level and enemy variety. It can get a little repetitive, even if that's how this style of game is by design. Really great game though. It's worth the full price, but I would recommend maybe trying to find it on sale.

Game is fun but feels quite repetitive when playing as a single player. It is probably more fun as a co-op game, as soon as you lose your health you start again, although you do get to keep your experience, which is the main way to buy new spells.

[h1]Einstieg[/h1] „Spells & Secrets“ ist ein Rogue-lite-Action-Adventure vom deutschen Indie-Studio Alchemist Interactive. Gespielt wird aus einer leicht isometrischen Perspektive, solo oder im Koop, angesiedelt in einer magischen Akademie. Kern des Games: Zauber lernen, Chaos anrichten und sich Run für Run durch eine verzauberte Schule kämpfen. Release war 2023, spielbar auf PC und Konsole. [h1]Handlung / Story[/h1] Die Story ist sehr simpel gehalten: Eine Zauberschule gerät außer Kontrolle, Magie spielt verrückt und man versucht, dem Chaos Herr*in zu werden. Narrative Tiefe sollte man hier nicht erwarten, aber das Setting trägt gut. Ich mochte die Idee, dass sich die Geschichte Stück für Stück über Dialoge und kleine Events entfaltet. Es geht mehr um Atmosphäre als um große Twists. Erwartet hier keine epischen Plot-Twists; die Story ist hier Beiwerk. [h1]Gameplay[/h1] Gameplay ist ganz klar das Herzstück. Man kombiniert Zauber, Relikte und passive Effekte und erzeugt teils absurdes Spell-Chaos auf dem Bildschirm. Besonders cool fand ich, dass Zauber physikalisch mit der Umgebung interagieren - Feuer brennt, Eis friert ein, Explosionen räumen Möbel weg. Jeder Run fühlt sich ein wenig anders an, auch wenn sich die Grundstruktur wirklich oft wiederholt und man schnell seine Lieblingszauber gefunden hat. Die Rätsel sind ebenfalls stets die gleichen. Nach ein paar runs hat man alle gesehen. [h1]Steuerung[/h1] Die Steuerung ist insgesamt solide, fühlt sich mit Controller am rundesten an. Maus & Tastatur gehen auch klar, brauchen aber etwas Eingewöhnung. In hektischen Situationen kann es schon mal unübersichtlich werden, vor allem wenn der Screen komplett eskaliert. Die Zielerfassung kann auch schon mal das falsche Ziel ins Visier nehmen; ist aber nicht schnell korrigiert. Nach ein paar Runs hat man den Flow aber drin. [h1]Schwierigkeit[/h1] Der Schwierigkeitsgrad ist fair, aber nicht geschenkt. Wer sich vorsichtig von Areal zu Areal herantastet, wird nicht böse überrascht. Mit steigenden Herzen und mehr Mana(regeneration) wird’s einfacher. Fortschritt fühlt sich trotzdem motivierend an, weil man dauerhaft neue Inhalte freischaltet. Rogue-lite-Fans kommen hier gut auf ihre Kosten, Frust bleibt meist im Rahmen. [h1]Grafik[/h1] Optisch ist das Spiel ein echtes Wohlfühlpaket. Bunter, stilisierter Look mit vielen liebevollen Details in der Akademie. Zerstörbare Umgebung sorgt nicht nur für Gameplay, sondern auch für visuelles Chaos - im positiven Sinne. Technisch kein Grafikbrett, aber charmant. [h1]Sound[/h1] Der Soundtrack ist verspielt und passt perfekt zur magischen Stimmung. Soundeffekte der Zauber sind wuchtig und geben gutes Feedback. Sprachausgabe gibt es nur begrenzt, was aber nicht stört. Insgesamt sehr stimmig, ohne sich aufzudrängen. [h1]Technik / Bugs[/h1] Technisch lief bei mir alles weitgehend stabil. Ab und zu gab es kleinere Clipping-Probleme oder kurze Framerate-Drops bei extrem viel Action. Nichts Gamebreaking, aber man merkt stellenweise noch den Indie-Charakter. Patches haben hier bereits einiges verbessert. [h1]Grind[/h1] Ein gewisser Grind ist da, vor allem wenn man bestimmte Outfits, Zauber oder Artefakte freischalten will. Für Completionists zieht sich das auf jeden Fall ewig. Ich habe zahlreiche runs abgeschlossen, um alles freizuschalten - das hat sich schon sehr nach „Arbeit“ angefühlt. Positiv ist, dass das Ende in Sicht ist, weil die runs nicht besonders schwer sind und man nicht alles verliert, wenn man scheitert (außer Gold, wenn man es nicht „absichert“). Wer Rogue-lites mag, vermag es zu akzeptieren. [h1]Spielzeit / Umfang[/h1] Ein kompletter Durchlauf kann binnen 45 Minuten absolviert werden; auch in 30 Minuten ist machbar. Ein Wiederspielwert ist da, aber fühlt sich bei Weitem nicht so gut und motivierend an wie bei „Hades“ oder „Slay the Spire“. Neue Zauber, Artefakte und Updates können aber zeitweise für Motivation sorgen. Leider wird der tatsächliche Mehrwert für Zauber-Verbesserungen nicht klar und deutlich erklärt. Während bei offensiven Zaubern mit einem höheren Schadenswert zu rechnen ist, bleiben die Updates für die anderen Zauber unklar. Ich konnte nicht feststellen, dass diese eine längere Dauer hatten oder weniger Mana verbrauchen. Für 100 % sollte man sehr viel Zeit einplanen. Solo wie auch im Koop gut spielbar. [h1]Errungenschaften / Achievements[/h1] Die Achievements sind alle machbar, verlangen aber sehr viele Runs, etwas Experimentierfreude und ein bisschen Glück (bezüglich der noch fehlenden Artefakte). Nichts ist verpassbar, nichts Unfaires, aber definitiv ein Zeitfresser. Etwas „frech“ fand ich, dass einer der letzten Zauber für die letzte Verbesserung 12.000 blaue Kugeln brauchte; normalerweise benötigt die letzte Verbesserungsstufe bei offensiven Zaubern 6.000 blaue Kugeln. Ich habe für 100 % 56 Stunden gebraucht. Ok für Leute, die gerne alles ausreizen. [h1]Preis[/h1] Ich habe „Spells & Secrets“ am 07.07.2025 für 4,24 € gekauft. [h1]Fazit[/h1] „Spells & Secrets“ ist ein charmantes, chaotisches Rogue-lite mit Fokus auf Kreativität und Spielspaß. Story ist eher Beiwerk, aber Gameplay, Stil und Magie-System tragen das Spiel locker. Kein perfektes Game, aber eines mit viel Herz und Persönlichkeit. Achievements fressen viel Zeit. Für Fans von Magie, Indie-Games und Rogue-lites definitiv einen Blick wert✨🔥. [hr]Die Rezension spiegelt [u]meine ganz persönliche Meinung[/u] zu „Spells & Secrets“ wider. Habt ihr inhaltliche, grammatikalische oder Rechtschreibfehler bemerkt oder habe ich etwas übersehen, bin ich euch für einen Hinweis dankbar.[/hr]

Great game! I played it with my partner and its been fun so far! This isn't an RPG or some large open world game if you were looking for that. It is a fun puzzle game with procedurally generated runs of the same-ish school setting. I liked that the developers let you back out and backtrack in the runs so if you happened on the boss room too quickly you could just zone backwards and follow a different path. I like the central-hub area that you get to be in when you aren't doing run-through. I love using experience points/etc to unlock new spells or make them tougher to handle the harder monsters and obstacles. Yes you have to give up your run (runs are continuous) and start back from the first level but you do keep the experience points to go upgrade your stuff, thus giving purpose to doing the runs multiple times. The mobs can be challenging, especially bosses if you do not have a real buddy to play with. If you keep most of the enemies and boss suspended in air while your partner concretes on attacking and dodging then you can / should be able to beat at least the beginning bosses (we are on level 3 at the moment). I hope there are more mouse holes to explore as thats a fun concept to us. Overall I think its a decent game with fun mechanics and good graphics. I also really enjoy figuring out the puzzles.

The game isn't bad - and fine for the low sale price you can pick it up. It has some small design issues like most spells and artifact pickups being kind of useless, at best only for solving puzzles - clearly the intention is to exploit enemy weaknesses, but often it's better to just kill them. The bosses are extremely dull and in general, enemies are too bullet spongey - but maybe the game is balanced for coop, I played solo. What turns this from "cheap so recommended" to "not recommended" is the slow progression. Look indie devs, you have to have some self-awareness that you are not making the next Hollow Knight. Don't expect players to spend a ton of time playing your game, even if it's a roguelike. This game could have used the progression being at least twice as fast, so you can actually mess around with all the spells and their upgraded versions much earlier and easier. I got the true ending so not like I just bailed early either - but you can see from achievements that people stop after Act 1.

Think of it like Hades. You do a run and gather a load of stuff until you die and then lose it all, start again, but being able to upgrade your spells and stuff and get stronger each go. It's a fun game solo, however I specifically purchased 2 copies of this game because a) I wanted my husband to play with me because b) the reviews hyped that co op was so much more fun. Scrap that. You can't play co op on PC. My husband was only able to watch me play. That being said, this is a really cute fun game and for the sale price it's currently on is definitely worth it!