Average Playtime: 4 hours

The Magic Circle

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About

You are the protagonist of an unfinished 1st person fantasy game, trapped in development hell. The designers (played by James Urbaniak, Ashly Burch, and Karen Dyer) are god-like, but so indecisive that they've given you no powers whatsoever. With the help of a mysterious disembodied voice (Stephen Russell) you must seize the tools of game development from these unworthy 'gods', uncovering more of the darkly comic story as you go. Rather than traditional puzzles with a single solution, the incomplete state of each environment is a question that you answer in your own way. Trap the designers' creations, steal their behaviors, and re-mix them to explore and master this world-in-progress. Can you out-think the game gods? Can you ship The Magic Circle from inside it?

Warning: Some strong language and references to adult subject matter.
Platforms
Metascore
79
Release date
Developer
Question
Publisher
Question
Age rating
Not rated
Website
http://www.magiccirclegame.com/

System requirements for PC

Minimum:
  • OS: Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8
  • Processor: AMD Athlon 64 Processor 3800+ 2.4Ghz or better, Intel Pentium 4 530 3.0Ghz Processor or better
  • Memory: 2 GB RAM
  • Graphics: NVIDIA 7800GT 256MB graphics card or better, ATI Radeon X1900 256MB graphics card or better that supports Shader Model 3 and has at least 256 MB of VRAM
  • DirectX: Version 9.0c
  • Storage: 2 GB available space
  • Sound Card: 100% DirectX 9.0C compliant sound card or onboard sound
  • Additional Notes: NOTICE: Intel HD 4000 chipset is not supported
Recommended:
  • OS: Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8
  • Processor: AMD Athlon 64 X2 5200+ Dual Core 2.60Ghz, Intel Core 2 Duo E6420 Dual Core 2.13Ghz
  • Memory: 4 GB RAM
  • Graphics: NVIDIA 8800GT 512MB graphics card or better, ATI Radeon HD4830 512MB graphics card or better
  • DirectX: Version 9.0c
  • Storage: 2 GB available space
  • Sound Card: 100% DirectX 9.0C compliant sound card or onboard sound

System requirements for Linux

Minimum:
  • Processor: AMD Athlon 64 Processor 3800+ 2.4Ghz or better, Intel Pentium 4 530 3.0Ghz Processor or better
  • Memory: 2 GB RAM
  • Graphics: NVIDIA 7800GT 256MB graphics card or better, ATI Radeon X1900 256MB graphics card or better that supports Shader Model 3 and has at least 256 MB of VRAM
  • Storage: 2 GB available space
  • Additional Notes: Some users have reported issues with Intel HD 4000 series cards. Also, users using open source graphics drivers such as Mesa have had problems. We recommend installing the manufacturers drivers for the most robust compatibility.
Recommended:
  • Processor: AMD Athlon 64 Processor 3800+ 2.4Ghz or better, Intel Pentium 4 530 3.0Ghz Processor or better
  • Memory: 4 GB RAM
  • Graphics: NVIDIA 8800GT 512MB graphics card or better, ATI Radeon HD4830 512MB graphics card or better
  • Storage: 2 GB available space

System requirements for macOS

Minimum:
  • OS: OS X v10.7 Lion or higher
  • Processor: 1.80GHz Processor
  • Memory: 2 GB RAM
  • Graphics: ATI Radeon HD 3870 / NVidia Geforce 640M
  • Storage: 2 GB available space
  • Additional Notes: NOTICE: Intel HD 4000 chipset is not supported
Recommended:
  • OS: OS X v10.7 Lion or higher
  • Processor: 1.80GHz Processor
  • Memory: 4 GB RAM
  • Graphics: ATI Radeon HD 5870 / NVidia Geforce GTX 775M
  • Storage: 2 GB available space
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Edit the game info
Last Modified: Nov 28, 2023

Where to buy

Steam

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The Magic Circle reviews and comments

Translated by
Microsoft from French
Between a metaconceptual narrative exploration/adventure game and a pamphlet against the video game industry, the magic circle is not made for everyone, far from it. Without appetence for programming (progression relies on the ability to reconfigure some elements of the environment) or for militant speeches from developers (who have to undergo one or more Studio closures If one reads between lines), it is difficult to find his account. On the other hand, lovers of intellectual masturbation, a rich, open and varied game stretches your arms. Without real scripted elements or clear objectives, the game is rather little linear and open to experimentation of its mechanics, which is quite refreshing. So if you are not allergic to the "indie" side a little caricatural, you can go there with your eyes closed for a few hours of fun.
Translated by
Microsoft from French
Game has the first person, the player is innofensive but can control and modify the creatures that surrounds him, allowing him to win bodyguards changeable to wills. You play as a player testing an unfinished video game, and who discovers little by little in what trouble the dev have been cramed because of their crisis of ego, three devs in particular (each having a color), the blue, man way Peter Molyneux who has an ego surdimensio born and a desperate life, La Rouge, a former PvP player who has become a dev and who tries everything possible to stop by being fired, and the yellow, fan of the game, so fan, that she thinks she knows better than the others how to make the game. The scenario is rich, with some reversal of situations, the graphics are correct but may put the followers of HD textures:) In short a dozen hours of play to finish it probably has 100%
Translated by
Microsoft from French
A "meta" game a little experimental-to the Stanley stoppable-where one embodies a hero stuck in an RPG that is not finished and seems far from being since the designers do not even get to agree on the color of the sky. So we are there, without powers, the developers even remove our sword at the beginning of the game lest we rampage their game. But a gamer stuck in an old beta intervenes and teaches us to make changes in the code neither seen nor known, he teaches us to "hack" enemies to make them allies that we can then modify at will by injecting them with code retrieved on di enemies. A 4-5h adventure that I rather enjoyed. I will not necessarily recommend it to everyone, it is necessary to have the courage to venture into the territories a little extreme, but it will have been an interesting experience, funny and that allows to explore the other side of the scenery. it can help to have a Publisher level once in his life, and again, it is far from obligatory, the interface being very user-friendly.
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