PAX EAST 2023 | "The Mageseeker: A League of Legends Story"
Riot Games’s League of Legends has a vast world, with many characters with stories to tell. With spinoff games like Ruined King and the Emmy-winning animated series Arcane, these narratives have a chance to expand on lore and the world it resides in. Digital Sun’s The Mageseeker, the latest LoL spinoff title, focuses on Sylas’s story, presenting it in a retro-like action RPG that feels both new and nostalgic. At PAX East, I had the chance to see what sort of magic The Mageseeker was cooking up.
Its demo began with the intro, where Sylas has been imprisoned for 15 years for a crime that was purely accidental. He breaks out with the aid of his former mentor, and plans to seek revenge for those who wrongfully threw him in jail. But the cries of revolution are loud within the kingdom, and as the story goes on, new allies will join you in the fight. With many strong people on your side, Sylas will have the power to keep things…let’s call it “chaotically neutrally, with a hint of good”.
In the intro, a proper tutorial presents the ways Sylas can fight and defend. Stealing enemies’ powers and throwing them back at them is our anti-hero’s forte, but sometimes one might have to use one enemy’s power on someone else. There’s a solid strategy aspect to this, with The Mageseeker keeping players on their toes at almost every step of the way. Using dash and your chain pull to reach further areas also comes in handy, but there are times when one needs to be quick when using them. Otherwise, they’ll be caught in enemy fire.
After the intro, the demo for The Mageseeker jumped a few chapters into the game, where Sylas now has various fire, lightning, and healing powers at his disposal. While stealing spells are still the go-to, these new skills are great to use during fast-paced boss (and even mid-boss) battles. In this case, while trying to break an ally out of jail, a familiar face in Sylas’s life arrives to keep him from reaching his goal. That’s when the mayhem begins, as fireballs and giant fists erupt from the ground while you try to destroy the prison cell. It’s a boss battle that forces you to keep an eye on every corner of your screen, yet at the same time never forgets to allow players to have fun.
Although I’m not as familiar with League of Legends as others, The Mageseeker made me want to know more about Sylas and this world of his. On top of it being a solid action RPG game, the story it tells is filled with a lot of depth and development that’ll make players feel something for the characters onscreen. Since the world isn’t black & white, you might even find yourself understanding the attitude and mentality of those Sylas antagonizes. This leads me to hope that certain characters might have that epiphany moment on their journey, where they realize the importance of being responsible with the skills they’ve acquired.
Even if this is your first time traversing into anything League of Legends-related, The Mageseeker looks to be a great step into its massive world. The gameplay is fun, the enemies offer great challenges, and the narrative is thus far well-written. Although I may not find myself jumping into the original MOBA anytime soon, Sylas’s adventure is one that certain entices me enough to want to care about its universe. Thankfully, the wait for The Mageseeker: A League of Legends Story is relatively short, as it arrives on April 18.
Just one final question: will you join the revolution?
