itch-Lit???? is a play journal by Rohil, exploring the ever-expanding collection of brilliantly bizarre indie darlings on itch.io — published exclusively on All Ages of Geek!
Magic Trick is an in-development UCSC Senior Capstone Game, created by the L8r Sk8rs Team. The game is a brilliantly whimsical, warmhearted skateboarding adventure title — think Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater meets Animal Crossing. I’ve sunk many hours into the Tony Hawk series growing up, and even more time into busting my ass trying to land a kick-flip IRL — and despite my formal origins, this is probably one of my favorite pieces of skate-media. It doesn’t aim to be realistic, but the physics feel excellent, and provide a joyful, dynamic, and inquisitive play experience.
You play as Wiz-Kid, a skateboarder who can perform magic through stringing together nasty combos. You’ll explore a vibrant open-world, interact with its quirky anthropomorphic inhabitants, and find collectibles. Magic Trick is rich in personality, with a refreshing sense of humor. The game is mostly removed from contemporary skate-culture editorial, but it makes some fun references and engaging dialogue moments. The writing maintains a positive, reaffirming tone that incentivizes you to interact more with the world. You feel appreciated in the game’s world, and truthfully that is a rarity in most new titles.
Here’s the creepiest possible way I could compliment the game’s aesthetic:
I want to eat everything in this game.
All of the 3D-models are beyond adorable, and the color palette, which includes scintillating swashes of turquoise and hot pink, gives the world a bubbly cotton candy — candy store finish.
The world presents like stories in a house, with slippery slides linking you to each of its levels or platforms. The city’s architectural layout is placed thoughtfully to optimize flow and exploration. The design is tight for ramping up to roof-tops or simply avoiding the frustration of repetitively bumping into things unintentionally. This fine-tuned traversal of the world also means you can see most of its offerings in a reasonably quick time-frame, leaving you wishing there was more. I hope the map grows increasingly abundant, with more areas to hit fantastic otherworldly lines and talk to more townsfolk.
Pulling off combos across the game’s map is intuitive — the controls make sense, with a pace oscillating between a slow-motion calm and thrilling high. The list of tricks in the game isn’t extensive, but for a small indie title, centered more on world-building and mood, a barebones move-set works well. That being said, the game handles jump mechanics and gravity in a fresh and unique way, allowing for visually stunning combos you won’t find in other skate releases — further complimenting the magical setting.
Again, this title is still in development. It shows immense potential and polish, and I had a ton of fun with it. I’m excited to see how this project progresses.
I give Magic Trick 3/5
Play Magic Trick
