I’ve had a hard time deciphering what exactly is ruining Magus is in recent months.
The first trailers from 2021 suggested that this magnificent adventure could be a text-heavy visual novel experience similar to Tokyo Chronos. So, at the Upload VR Showcase last December, we saw the first signs of combat and wondered if the game could have some sort of Japanese RPG combat system. Now that I’ve played it, I can actually tell you what Ruins Magus is: it’s a VR dungeon crawler. And a very good one for that.
Perhaps the best thing I can say about Ruins Magus right now is that right from its striking art direction all the way down to its fantasy premises, feels as if you are inside an anime. You play as the newest member of the titular guild, a group of warriors, magicians and engineers exploring a deep set of ancient caves carved into the belly of a huge mountain. Located just outside the entrance is Grand Amnis, a prosperous gold rush town that lives off the results of your expeditions. This is also where you get new missions, shop for items, and talk to NPCs to learn more about the world.
Here is everything from the traditional character and scenography to the exciting Japanese voice acting. Merchants sit in jewelry-filled tents and guards patrol the streets with exotic weapons in clothes that could fit right into a classic Final Fantasy game. Specifically on Quest, none of the ugly texture mask tells you that you’re playing a drastically scaled-down PC VR port. Admittedly, it may not have the technical complexity like some of the headset’s more realistic titles, but it’s not an exaggeration to say that this is one of the coolest games on the system.
If there’s one thing that’s daunting, it’s the strangely eyeless NPCs who either mask their gaze with armor or, more alarmingly, long fringes. It gives some characters an unintentionally creepy look, as if you’re in a town populated by the extended family of the vengeful spirit in The Ring.
When not exploring the city, take on one of the game’s 25+ missions, facing enemies in the ruins. This is where Ruins Magus reveals itself as a surprisingly robust action game. Initially, players have access to a simple fireball form summoned with the right trigger, as well as two switchable special skills used with the right grip. One is another fireball that creates damage to the power range, while the other is a charged lightning strike that covers a wider space the longer you hold it down. On your left hand, meanwhile, there is a shield used to block incoming projectiles and, with the right timing, even parry them with a squeeze on the left trigger.
Smooth movement mixes with a blink-style dash mechanic, and you can also grab grenades and health drinks purchased at the department store out of your chest. In other words, there is quite a lot to consider here, and balancing the different types of attacks with the fast movement can be overwhelming at first. Ruins Magus’ button-heavy control scheme made me tie my fingers in knots as I tried to remember which combination of input did what, though that learning curve can hopefully be tamed throughout the game.
I certainly hope that is the case, as this in its moments of clarity is a really exciting and physical combat system. Enemy attacks are large, bright projectiles that are easy to spot but difficult to time, which means you must be ready to throw up your shield or rush forward with a moment’s notice. I especially like how some attacks even hurl at you in zig-zags, making it hard to judge when they arrive and from what angle.
I played the first few introductory missions, which took at least ten minutes or so each, when you include the story sequences, etc. There is definitely a lot of potential for the fight to become even deeper and more demanding as you travel further into the ruins – I unlocked more attacks towards the end of the second mission, and new types of enemies threatened to both hit harder and become harder to hit. If the game can keep that pace up throughout its campaign, it should be a truly dynamic and engaging experience.
So color me surprised. Ruins Magus is not the game I thought it would be, but based on what I’ve been playing, it’s a lot better than I expected. I wait until I have played the whole game through, closer to the launch later in the year to deliver the final impression. For now, Ruins Magus is set to launch sometime this summer, with a demo hitting Steam Next Fest in June.