Recent reviews by Monthy's Python

For people who have never played or heard of Magicka:
A well-paced action game that borrows elements from the MOBA genre while retaining some parts that made it predecessor so fun. As a mighty wizard who is able to bend the elements to his will, take charge of the battlefield and skewer your opponents with ice, fire, lightning, earth or even pure energy beams. Be wary, however, of the many dangers, like King Erthur's main advisor Code Marlin, and his advisors Only Cash-Shoppe and the unnamed general from the far off land of Payto Winnus. Assisting you on your quest to glory will be the general's mortal enemy, Grindius Maximus and many others, including Death itself (but mostly those two).

[serious note at the time of writing: the game is currently nigh unplayable due to the lag issues that come with mostly any open beta release. It is the #1 reason I don't reccomend this game at all, even though I've had fun with it for the last couple of days (in 1v1 mode mind you, 4v4 ,AKA the main mode cannot even start up a match, let alone make a pleasant experience). That is, of course, not counting the hideous cash shop that sells most "specialization" robes only for money and unobtainable through ANY in-game methods, which is despicable and shameful at the same time]

For people who have already played through Magicka:
A (not so) decent successor to its predecessor, Magicka Wars brings the old (8) elements in a completely new, shiny robe. While the magical combinations have deteriorated when compared to Magicka (3 elements instead of 5, combined elements now take up 2 slots, instead of combining into a single unique element), the useless combinations have been sorted through and rebalanced completely, so you don't have to worry about landing a huge rock on your head anymore if you accidentally press middle click with DDD. Still, the need to simplify the game has only made it poorer, as there are no weapon enchant spells whatsoever [as of the time of writing] and it has severely limited the myriad of possible playstyles that a competitive enviroment can bring. Despite all of its flaws, the game can be quite fun and challenging. IF you want a competitive and simplified Magicka that rewards lightning fast reaction times and player interaction, go for it. However, if you wanted a more in-depth evolution of gameplay that it was supposed to be, get ready to be dissapointed.