MAGLA

TL;DR: Of all the demos I played at next fest, this one was the one that charmed me the most. Try it and you'll find out very quickly if it clicks for you or not. It's an admirable effort for a first time solo developer. MAGLA is a retro-inspired wave defense/survival, with an elemental magic theme. What you see if what you get here- you have the ability to cycle through elements, whose combinations have different strengths and weaknesses. With the exception of the default configuration of one of each element, all of your 'combos' are viable, and depending on your build, you can swap between elemental configurations at any point (though your items may make that inadvisable). It's very clearly a passion project for the developer, and it does make you feel like a wizard of sorts once you get a build rolling. I'd like to see more accessibility and customization features, as the game's a bit bare-bones, but the bones are good and the overall aesthetic is charming. The developer is al...

--First Review, Congratulations!-- I've only played this for a short while but I can tell it's very bare bones, game play wise. It could really do with an option for different resolutions, as it sticks you in video format that feels like I'm confined in a 640x640 box. There's potential, don't get me wrong, it's a great start for a solo dev, and worth the initial cost, if only to try it out.