Incantation

Developer:
  • Titus France
Publisher:
  • Titus France
Platform:
  • Super Nes
Release:
PAL:
  • 1996
Genre:
  • Platformer
Modes:
  • Single-player
Check Pricing here:
https://www.pricecharting.com/game/pal-super-nintendo/incantation

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Box Synopsis

You live in a place of peace and harmony called the Magic Kingdom. The Magic Kingdom consists of seven worlds, the enchanted forest, mountains, swamps, cursed cliffs and the palace  of the evil wizard, Necroman. From the dawn of time, the peace  within the seven worlds of the kingdom was controlled by a line of very good and very powerful magicians. It was one of the magicians who was chosen to inherit the power  of the ancestors and thus became the guardian of the strange Book of Sorcery, which enables him to hold absolute power in his hands Alas, the peace of the kingdom was not to last as in the shadows, dark forces under the control of Necroman stole the Book of Sorcery and kidnapped the guardian magician. The Kingdom fell under control of the evil Necroman and from that day forward, green devils, wicked genies, and other demons have haunted the once beautiful and peaceful kingdom.

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Gameplay

Incantation is a platformer game that allows the player to take control of a powerful Magician who is trying to make his way through each world with an aim to defeat Necroman and return peace to the land.

The player is armed with magic spells that are cast at a button press and can be modified by collecting and mixing other spell elements. There are numerous combinations to find and this allows you to pick your play style.

The game has seven worlds which are made up of several small areas that you must complete. Each level has three golden wheat symbols that must be collected to pay the toll for each level. The levels vary from horizontal to vertical scrolling and each have a unique look and play style.

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Controls
Default layout:

D-Pad: Move
L: Free look (hold)
R: Free look (hold)
X: N/A
Y: Fire spell
B: Jump
A: Hold to run
Select: N/A
Start: Pause

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Game Videos

Incantation Gameplay Sample

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Shanwow's Review

Story and Gameplay - 1

Incantation is a fantasy platformer game that was released to the SNES in 1996. The game concept has a rich story about a world full of magic that has been taken over by dark forces and the player is the only Magician that can stop the evil Necroman. The story however is only told on the box and has no in game narrative elements, which leaves you guessing if you buy this game as a loose cart.

The players task is quite simple and that is to collect enough golden wheat to pass the toll gate at each level and then defeat the boss to move to the next level. The playstyle is similar to other platformers and doesn't really have anything big to hook the player. 

Each level may look different but essentially you are just repeating the task of finding the wheat and beating bosses until you reach the final boss Necroman and defeat him. There is no real story ending to this game which really sucks because it is actually really short and I finished it within an hour. 

Controls and Features - 1 point

Incantation is a super simple game to play and has really basic controls for a SNES game. It mainly focuses on jumping and shooting which uses two buttons which isn't great for the fact it was released so late on the consoles lifeline. The other buttons do have functions but they aren't really used much  because you don't really need them to succeed.

The game features an interesting spell selection feature which allows the player to choose their favorite spell projectile by collecting and mixing two spell elements. I found about 6 different combos and they varied the projectile by changing its speed, trajectory, aiming and damage. Spells are hidden through each level and usually found in chests that you can bust open.

This game only features a single player mode that is rather similar to other games on the console. Like other platformers this game also features a collectible system that rewards that player at the end of each level based on their performance. I found that each level has enough coins to collect and reward you with bonus lives. Each level had atleast 100 coins which is the cost of one life.


Design and Difficulty - 2 points

Incantation  looks pretty good on screen and has nice  bright colors that portray a beautiful and fun landscape. The sprites are all reasonably well designed and look nice and tidy. Each on screen character, friendly or bad, have a variety of animations which also brings the  game to life a little better.

This game does have a nice  flowing soundtrack that offers different experiences for the worlds you visit. The music tracks themselves suit the on screen action however  they are rather simple and repetitive. The sounds for this game aren't bad, however constant spamming of the shoot button does drown out other sounds and detracts from  the overall experience. 

The overall game length is not good and it does lack pretty much anything that would give this replay value. It's not a hard game and is actually quite generous with an offering of unlimited continues. So if you can't  be bothered collecting coins you can just restart the world after losing all your lives, however you will  lose  your current equipped spell. 

The boss battles are much easier than the levels themselves. Each boss kind clones another boss apart from the color pallet. The bosses  are slow  and just repeat the same pattern over and over which makes them so easy to dispose of. Necroman does offer a little more of a challenge but to be honest, it was harder  to get there than it was to defeat him.

Fun and Summary - 👍 + 1

Incantation is a game that has fun and color but lacks anything that creates good depth and emotional connection. The game is to short and really lacks anything to separate itself from other platformers, which is really bad since it came  out so late in the Super Nintendo's life.

The game does provide an hour or so of enjoyment but may not suit everyone as each level has a repetitive goal which is quite easy to obtain. I enjoyed playing it when I got it but I don't honestly think there is any reason to revisit it after this review.

It's worth looking into if you want to enjoy a short burst platformer however it does hold it's value due to it's release date. 


RetroRating: 5 out of 10

Comments

  1. I've not seen this one before. Nice one mate

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's not bad for a short game. It has enough charm for one enjoyable playthrough :) Thanks for the support my friend

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