For a book series, there is no more magical children's series Harry Potter. The magic system is relatively simple in that universe, and it works like this: if a person has magical blood in them, then they can learn practically any spell as long as they get to learn the spell, with the occasional mental visualization for the more powerful spells. It is the equivalent of learning Calculus in the real world.
People can turn others into rats, make objects float, create walls of fire, and so on. It looks cool in the movies, but it's technically limiting, and the video game adaptations have only had a breakout hit via The legacy of Hogwarts. For fans of magic of all kinds, there certainly is better spell system in games than Harry Potter, so let's take a look at some more different offers.
Dual-Wielding Magic
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim is a legendary RPG and one of the best, if not the best, i The Elder Scrolls series. Players can customize their character and then start exploring the world. Everything they do matters, like the spell system. Players will start with a few spells on hand, but they can learn a lot more by reading books or scrolls they find or buy. Players can equip a spell in each hand and dual wield to diversify their loadout, such as casting a healing spell with the left hand while the right shoots lightning.
The more players use their spells, the stronger the spells will become, and there are also skill trees to strengthen the core discipline behind spells. Finally, equipping the same spell in both hands will create a stronger version, allowing players to pretend they are Goku in Dragon Ballthrows a Kamehameha Wave with his fireballs. That's a specific example, but the point is that magic is available to everyone in the world of Tamriel as long as the players practice.
Avowed
From spells to wands
Avowed
7/10
- Released
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February 18, 2025
Avowed has one of the best magic systems in recent RPG games. Players can create their character and customize them however they want with skills or spells. Creating a mage is easy because there are multiple skill trees that each flow down into specific spell-based rabbit roles. There are various fire and ice spells, for example, and many of them have environmental effects. Players can freeze water to walk on it, opening up new paths.
Players can also use wands Avowedas in Harry Potterbut they are a little more deadly when they shoot streams of magic like bullets at enemies. There are also spell books, which are packed with a variety of spells. The nice thing is that high level spells can be used by low level characters, depending on a few factors, making magic usable by any character type. Best of all, if players have learned a spell, such as cast a stream of fire, and their equipped book has the same spell, then they can combine those spells into a stronger attack.
Get to know your archetype
Metaphor: ReFantazio is a turn-based fantasy RPG from Atlus, sort of like a spiritual spinoff to Persona series. It has a class system, called “Archetypes”, that all playable characters can use. Some archetypes are exclusive, but only against end-level character builds. Each archetype is equipped with certain stats, skills, and spells that players can learn. A knight, for example, focuses mostly on protection and physical attacks, while a mage has traditional elemental spells, from fire to ice attacks.
Like characters, Archetypes will level up and evolve, usually offering players different paths to follow. In battle, certain archetypes will bond with others and offer players new skills or spells to summon as double attacks, which is a dynamic system. It should be noted that the game is primarily a turn-based RPG, but players can attack and kill weaker enemies in real-time combat as well, or at least weaken enemies before the turn-based combat begins. The Archetype system is exclusive to the heroes of the game, but magic, overall, is something that easily remains for those skilled enough in Metaphor: ReFantazio's world.
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7
The magic of fusion
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 is a prequel to Final Fantasy 7 and the stars Zack, an old SOLDIER friend of Cloud's. The Final Fantasy 7 the universe's magical system relies on orbs called Materia, which contain purified magic from the Sacred Age. In this prequel, they work almost the same way as the main game. Zack is the only playable character, and he can equip different materials to his gear to give his blade an edge in battle.
Cure can heal him, while Fire will throw a fireball at his enemies. New to Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 is the fusion system, with which players can take almost any piece of Materia and fuse it with another to create something new. Players can create dark versions of spells, for example, that can add status effects, making it a fun system to experiment with. Overall, Materia is accessible to all i Final Fantasy 7's world and does not require the slightest inherent magical gifts.
Bravely Default: Flying Fairy
À La Carte spells
Bravely Default: Flying Fairy is basically a reboot of Final Fantasy franchise in all but name. The game features four unlikely heroes trying to protect the world's elemental crystals from dark forces. When players defeat large bosses, they will receive an Asterisk, which allows them to transform into a new class called a job. Players can become healing white mages or offensive black mages, to give some magical examples of jobs. Instead of learning spells by leveling up, players can simply buy spells from vendors, essentially allowing the entire party to tap into the magical knowledge.
Once a level is unlocked through a job's leveling process, that character can use the purchased skill. There is also a cross-class system in the game, so even if players take the role of a more melee-focused job like a monk, they can still use Black Mage spells if they have the skill equipped. As for in-game job systems, Bravely Default: Flying Fairy has a great one, and it's wonderful that probably anyone with a will in this world can buy and learn magic.
