MAGLAM LORD is an action RPG with heavy visual novel elements, beautiful character designs, and a number-heavy battle system. The game involves testing out hundreds of weapons, dating party members, and plowing your way through enemies. Your ultimate goal: regain power and find love.
The game places you into the shoes of a Demon Lord who has awoken into a seemingly utopic world where Demon Lords are considered endangered. Here you must take on requests and get to know your new party members through dialogue-heavy cutscenes to both grow your power and save your species from extinction.
Weapon Centric Adventuring
The combat and weapon crafting are really at the front and center of MAGLAM LORD. There are hundreds of weapons to build in the game. These are forged using materials you collect on quests and further enhance using Deco Items. Deco Items can increase their stats, give them a different appearance, or even change the effect they display when hitting an enemy.
Weapons have different ratings that start at A and progress to legendary. Once you hit SS, you can equip two charms to a single weapon, allowing for even more power in your hits. It's also worth mentioning that Deco Items can transform your weapon into some silly-looking items like mallets.
One of the most satisfying parts of the game was going into dungeons with my creations and bonking the nearest enemy to see how high my damage numbers would tick up. The only downside to this system, however, is the grind required to farm materials.
Number Heavy Gameplay
Outside of the satisfaction of hitting high numbers, the game felt bland. The dungeons were limited in design, and requests would take you through the same few areas over and over again. Enemy variation also boiled down to color changes, something that honestly isn't that common in smaller JRPGs.
At times, quests felt repetitive after fighting the same types of enemies. There was also the fact that I would pass by the tree dozens of times If I was completing every extra request on the board.
No part of the game felt particularly hard, but the magic system could have included stronger implementation. My weapon's high damage output made most types of magic feel useless at points unless I was buffing my stats or using a healing spell.
The only other time magic felt necessary was when using it to group enemies together. The demon gauge also felt overpowered, and I could hoard gauge-increasing items until I challenged a boss. Using these items back-to-back to decimated my enemy in a matter of seconds.
A Humorous Predicament
The plot is simple without that many major twists and turns. You spend time getting to know each party member as they are introduced, and you can date them all. Fans of Disgaea will likely be drawn to the story's humor, but it's not going to hit home with gamers who like deeper storytelling found in Persona 5.
The dating system is also shallow. You simply play with a character, eat their favorite foods while using them, and select the dialogue they like best. Even navigating dialogue options is quite easy since a picture of their face is literally shown next to the box.
Once you have enough hearts, you head to the Love Dojo and go on short dates with them. Who you choose to romance will impact the ending of the story, providing the game with more replayability.
Pros and Cons of MAGLAM LORD
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Humorous Plot | Bland Dungeons |
| Satisfying Damage Scaling | Boring Magic System |
| Colorful Weapon Creation and Customization | No Real Challenge |
| Interesting Dating Tie-in |
Verdict - With a bit more polishing it could be great!
MAGLAM LORD is bound to be fun for JRPG players who love to see big numbers when fighting a foe. This isn't a game with a deep story, and it doesn't bring anything new to the genre. If you're a player who's looking for a game to mindlessly hack away at enemies with fun weapons though, then MAGLAM LORD may be for you.
While it could improve in several areas, if the game got a sequel, I would be more than willing to buy it as MAGLAM LORD really does have a great base set-up.
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I start my day by exploring Teyvat in Genshin Impact and end it after reorganizing my apartment in Final Fantasy XIV. I am a diehard fan of N64 era games and will forever feel betrayed that Megaman Legends didn't finish. Outside of gaming, I have spend my time collecting manga, collecting anime figures, and watching anime with my naked cat.