A magical experience
Love of Magic: Book 1's review
Developer: Droid Productions (published by Flexible Media)
Genre: Visual Novel, Sandbox, Turn-based Combat
Store: Steam, Itch.io, SpicyGaming
Reviewed version: Final
Censored: No
Patch Needed: No
OS: Windows
Language: English
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I saw Love of Magic for the first time. On the one hand, the trailer and the screenshots made it look like its quality was higher than the usual visual novel, but on the other, I was a bit wary of it because I played way too many low-effort VN that used DAZ models. In the end, I gave the game a chance, and it became one of my favorite adult-only games.
Pros
Outstanding story
Great soundtrack
Solid and original gameplay
The 3D renders look good, and they blend with the background.
Cons
Battles are few and far between in the main story.
Story
The game puts the player in the shoes of Owyn, an American guy who enrolls in a magic university in Edinburgh to get a better grasp of his newfound powers. There he stumbles across the princess of Camelot, and later, he finds out he’s a key piece in Merlin’s plans to save the world from the Outsiders. The story is nothing short of a masterpiece. Its lore is a deep and fascinating mix of the Arthurian myth with other mythologies like the Celtic, Norse, and Aztec myths. Moreover, it perfectly balances serious moments and lighthearted ones, allowing the player to take a break after an intense scene or before hell breaks loose without giving them a mood whiplash.
Another thing I liked about the writing is the way they hide spoilers in plain sight. A lot of details seem trivial when you play the game for the first time, but once you replay it, you realize they were foreshadowing future plot twists. I’d get into details, but I don’t want to spoil anything.
As for the characters, they are so well written they feel real. Instead of being just a bunch of walking archetypes, each of them has unique personality traits and a backstory. Furthermore, they are so charismatic you can’t help but like them—save for the antagonists and a wizard we encounter later on, but they are intended to be hated.
Gameplay
The game is mainly a visual novel, but it adds different elements from other genres that make it stand on its own. For starters, it features a map with places you can visit anytime you want, allowing the player to raise their stats by doing different activities or earning money. Furthermore, sometimes you’ll have to pass some stat checks, either during the main story or when you do some activities.
Another aspect that makes it stand out is the combat system. It’s very similar to poker, with the only difference being that you make hands by placing two cards in a 5x5 grid next to the ones in the center. Also, you can equip gems to change the power and attributes of each hand—like increase your shield or your rage, do elemental damage, or cause negative status on the enemy—and use the abilities of your companion to destroy your enemies.
I liked the battle system. It’s simple and solid, though it took me some time to get used to it. Moreover, you can set them in auto-battle in case you’re more interested in the story. On a different note, I feel like the battles are a bit underused in the main story. There are few mandatory battles in the game, even though there are some points where it’d make sense to have a fight or two. On the bright side, there are plenty of optional battles in Elsewhere where you can beat as many monsters as you encounter and level up your character.
Art
The graphics are superb. The characters are prettier than your usual DAZ model, and they blend perfectly with the real-life backgrounds in the game. The sex scenes are pleasing. Most of them consist of still shots, though you start to see more and more animated scenes from the second half of the game. To make them even better, they happen naturally as the story progresses, so they serve a purpose in the story instead of being added for the sake of it.
Sound
The music is fantastic. It features a mix of songs of different genres that give the game a magical vibe, make scenes more emotional, hype up the action scenes, or lighten the mood. It’s no exaggeration to say some scenes wouldn’t have been as impactful if it weren’t for the soundtrack.
Verdict: Masterpiece
Love of Magic is an amazing game I recommend to everyone, whether they are a fan of porn games or not. Not only its overall quality surpasses most adult games out there, but also it’s very cheap when you take its length into account.