Spell Siege Early Access Hands-On: Enchanting Gesture-Based Magic

Releasing in Early Access exclusively on Quest, Spell Siege features waves of fantastical enemies that can only be defeated by your gesture-based magic spells.

Fantasy in virtual reality is a thriving genre. Among the many genres to be adapted, it seems appropriate. Magic, dragons, and castles spark that desire to embark on a journey like the heroes of such tales. The Wizards – Dark Times: Brotherhood asked players to memorize its intricate magical spells to conjure with both hands. Waltz of the Wizard lets aspiring magicians achieve their wildest wizard fantasies. In that same vein, Spell Siege takes this framework to immerse players in a fast-paced, family-friendly wave-defense adventure game.

Guided by a snarky wizard fox called Enzo the Brilliant, you are introduced as its apprentice to defend the Kingdom of Souspire. Under attack by the Elder Dragon Saffrax, this is a cookie-cutter affair that wastes no time to focus on what it does best: its gesture-based magic spells. Drawing shapes with the wand, these charge it to create either a fire, ice, or lightning-based attack. Across its 8 tower defense-style levels, players are asked to defeat any threats before they reach a shiny, floating orb called the Sou Orb to destroy it.

Each level has a normal, hard, and an endless mode, each with its own set of challenges. Requests like defeating 30 mushroom archers, leaving the Sou Orb untouched, or destroying logs in the level earn more currency to buy more spells. You begin with a fireball that causes a decent area of effect damage, but it’s quite slow. As you are in an immovable area on top of a tower on each level, all of this is considered. For example, the Ice Spikes slow down foes, while the Zap attack damages them faster depending on how well you point your wand at them.

As a game released in Early Access, it plays into its strengths well. For example, the various shapes you need to draw are clear enough to remember. The letters Z and S, and the shape of a half arch are easy to learn. No mana bar means every spell can be swiftly repeated to overwhelm enemies. Then again, the fact that you cannot move even a bit in your dedicated space of each map to aim properly can be infuriating.

Smaller mushrooms move fast, “bramblebears” adequately drag on, but then the dragons are difficult to hit. Because every level has trees or pillars that get in the way, being able to maneuver even in this small area could help in a future update. The tower defense layout lends itself to summoning help against the escalating waves, but in this current version, it’s just you as the mage apprentice facing the danger.

Other than the main levels, there are a couple of minigames to blow off some steam. Pastimes akin to bowling, whack-a-mole, and throwing balls to break glasses are offered. Successfully completing each of the challenges posed gives a ticket to play a marble drop game. The only customizable items for now are the hands, with up to 40 different colors to mix and match the gloves, sleeves, bracelets, and sockets. May they allow more exotic wands to personalize down the line.

Spell Siege does what it says on the tin. Earning every spell and spamming them relentlessly at the ever-increasing onslaught of enemies is a reward of its own. The variety in challenges encourages replayability. Its story being as paper-thin as it is, holding on to the sarcastic remarks of the wizard fox ends up being amusing enough. Only time will tell if this fair try at a magic school graduates with flying colors or ends up flunking the test.

Spell Siege is out now in Early Access for Quest.