Magicka The Stars Are Left DLC Impressions

With the release of their previous DLC expansion, Magicka Vietnam, Arrowhead Games got plenty of feedback that players wanted more Magicka styled campaign missions. Vietnam was deemed too short as it featured only 2 levels(which were challenge missions, you raced against a clock with minimal story). They've heard the fans loud and clear... and for The Stars Are Left, they were determined to make a proper Magicka DLC campaign.

The Stars Are Left is heavily influenced by Lovecraftian lore. It is steeped in things that don't make sense and lots of dialogue that seek to confuse... and repeat... and repeat... and repeat... and repeat... and repeat... and repeat... and repeat... and repeat... oh hell.. snap out of it! If you were disappointed that the previous DLC had very little brand new voice acting, you'd be glad to know that they've upped the voice acting in The Stars Are Left, they've upped it to 11. There is a tonne of dialogue and Vampir is back to putting you in peril(I suspect on purpose).

And in peril you shall be as The Stars Are Left is an incredibly challenging campaign. The boss battles(no spoilers here) will be your most difficult battle in Magicka to date. There are multiple boss battles, maybe the first one or two may not be baby punchers(if you figure it out), but the last one will test your patience. It is extremely frustrating if you can't get your act together, and the final boss will do things that will stop you from getting your act together. One word... 'CONFUSION'. Good luck.

The DLC consists of two reworked early levels, which might seems like cheating(since they are calling it a campaign with a few chapters, it's still not incredibly long... it's a DLC). The final level is the only brand new level which is a bit of a change of pace for Magicka. I don't quite like it though, Arrowhead Games has made it a bit more of a puzzle game. You'll have to use your wits(and your beam magic) to use reflective surfaces to hit certain switches to open a door, move platforms, activate something etc. As you can probably guess, lots of standing around idly trying to figure out just what the heck we are even supposed to do... not a Magicka type experience at all.

While The Stars Are Left is a longer experience which offers a lot more challenge to budding wizards, I did not like the addition of puzzles in my Magicka. It slows the pace down and I didn't have fun going through them(the puzzle are all in the final level only though). It also makes it a DLC that would not be played more than once. Would you rather play through the entire puzzle sequence? I don't think so. New enemies, new bosses, voice overs, and a plot that won't make sense(Magicka never made much sense in the first place) rounds off this rather mixed DLC.