Master of Magic
-
Golden Collection 1
(1996)
-
Master of Magic
(1985 on
Commodore 64, 1986 on
ZX Spectrum)
-
Master of Magic
(2022 on
Windows)
Description official descriptions
The plot of Master of Magic is to become the dominant wizard on two 'planes' of existence, the normal Earth-like one and the fantasy based plane "Myrror". You can do this by destroying your competing wizards (up to 4 computer players) or by casting the Spell of Mastery.
Game play is carried out in a 2D top down perspective. You move your armies around the board, fighting monsters to get treasure, and more importantly 'nodes'. Once you control a node you can summon a spirit to meld with the node and gain mana from it. You also must build up your cities so you can support and train your army. City management is very much like Civilization. You also must allocate your mana for use, or research. You must research to learn new spells. You can do battle with the enemy in a quasi-isometric perspective or you can have the game simulate the battles.
The game ends when your home tower is destroyed; you banish all the other wizards (by destroying their home tower) or someone casts the Spell of Mastery.
Spellings
- シヴィザード 魔術の系譜 - Japanese PlayStation release (Japanese spelling)
Groups +
- Console Generation Exclusives: PlayStation
- Fantasy creatures: Dwarves
- Fantasy creatures: Elves
- Fantasy creatures: Halflings / Hobbits
- Fantasy creatures: Orcs
- Fantasy creatures: Trolls
- Games with randomly generated environments
- Master of Magic series
- Powerplus releases
- Protagonist: Female (option)
- Sound engine: AIL/Miles Sound System
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Credits (DOS version)
48 People (46 developers, 2 thanks) · View all
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| Manuals - Writer | |
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| Manuals - Design & Layout | |
| [ full credits ] | |
Reviews
Critics
Average score: 79% (based on 19 ratings)
Players
Average score: 3.9 out of 5 (based on 119 ratings with 11 reviews)
The best of the Civ-like games
The Good
While some say it ripped off Magic: the Gathering with its game style (it did), the combination of the spell research and the civ-style play is the best I've ever played (much better then Master of Orion, IMHO).
Also, unlike other games that break down when it goes into tactical combat, this one really shines, even when you let the computer fight for you (well, when the odds are in your favor.)
The Bad
The Win98 update/sequel was never completed!
The Bottom Line
Civ meets Magic: the Gathering!
DOS · by Tony Van (2797) · 1999
The immortal manifestation of perfection (and some bugs :( in computer strategy games!!!
The Good
Everything! From the excellent never-seem-outdated graphics to the moody atmospheric music to the extremely diverse magic and summoning system to the unlimited gameplay and replayability, this game is going to be eternal! The only strategy game that is so close to perfection on itself, except some very nasty bugs... This is the game that really trascended Civ series and mixed RPG and strategy element just right, and I just cannot stop playing it again and again!
The Bad
Some VERY nasty bugs! From the disruption of music to nasty crashes to system lock-ups... And the game can appear to be a little bit too easy when you completed it the 100th time (but then it really doesn't matter alreay :)
The Bottom Line
The must-have for every gamer, the really instant classic from Microprose with extremely fun gameplay and replayability. This game will be eternally remembered for its closeness to perfection and a horde of nasty bugs...
DOS · by DarkTalon (156) · 2000
Fantastic, fun Civ clone set in a fantasy world.
The Good
It had everything that made the original Civilization so much fun (except that you didn't have settlers to irrigate or mine the terrain), plus it had a lot of neat Fantasy touches, like lairs that could be raided, etc.
The Bad
The AI was a bit simple-minded, and a surefire way to win on any level was to select the Dragonman picture for your character and pick the "Start game in alternate universe" option as one of your skills. Since the Dragonman was the only pre-built wizard to start in the alternate universe, and since the game wouldn't select him if you picked his picture for your wizard, you could be assured that you would have the ability to develop your civilization in peace and quiet for many, many turns.
The Bottom Line
Civilization, with Magic.
DOS · by Afterburner (486) · 2001
Discussion
| Subject | By | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Dragonsword has moved to Realms Beyond | Hans Noe | Oct 23, 2010 |
| MoM unofficial patch v1.40 | kyr ub (1) | May 16, 2010 |
| Active fan site at dragonsword.com | Hans Noe | Apr 24, 2010 |
Trivia
References
One of the merchants may try to sell an item called "idspispopd". This is a cheat for Doom.
Release history
The original game had an onslaught of bugs that almost prevented playing. Microprose released a patch and later a completely new version of the game (which had a different manual and disc). The original disc and manual can be considered a collector's item.
Unofficial patch
There is an fan-made, unofficial patch (v1.40) that focuses on the correction of many bugs still left in the 1.31 version and tries to improve the game's AI performance. The download link can be found in the related links section.
Awards
- Computer Gaming World
- November 1996 (15th anniversary issue) – #141 in the "150 Best Games of All Time" list
- November 1996 (15th anniversary issue) – #13 Most Rewarding Ending of All Time
- May 1997 (Issue #154) - Introduced into the Hall of Fame
Information also contributed by Andrew Grasmeder El-ad Amir, and kyr ub.
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Related Sites +
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Help Site for Master Of Magic
This is an interactive guide on Master of Magic. For those who do not have the manual paper because they download abandonware version of this video game. -
Master of Magic: Hero Page
A site dedicated to everything about heroes in Master of Magic, including cheats, oddities and descriptions. -
Sector 5, Ratai's Realm
Master of Magic Online Guide. Has other things like chat rooms and custom wizard submission.
Identifiers +
Contribute
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Contributors to this Entry
Game added by Tomer Gabel.
Windows added by Picard. PC-98 added by Trypticon. Linux added by Lugamo. PlayStation added by Yanis Lukes.
Additional contributors: Andrew Grasmeder, Kalirion, Laey'zur Tiberius Hawke, Thibault Droulers, 6⅞ of Nine, Cantillon, Patrick Bregger, Plok, Yanis Lukes.
Game added August 10, 1999. Last modified February 13, 2024.