Another great game by frozenbyte y played all of trine games and this one is even fun kinda frustrating at times but deam is it fun GG :)

Summary
While I have some reservations, Nine Parchments is very good at the things it does well, and I'm willing to overlook the problems for the good multiplayer experience.

The Good

• Local co-op gameplay is great, other than some camera issues
  
• Story is weak and feels tacked-on. Almost no plot or motivation for play from story.
  
• Family friendly. It can be a very hard game, but it's usually easy to recover from death when playing cooperatively
  
• Game is stable and bugs are rare
  
• Beautiful level design and artwork, with strong and consistent artistic themes.
  
• Rich spell list combined with interesting character abilities allow for fun experimentation with builds
  
• Characters have personalities that are revealed through random dialogue throughout the game

The Bad

• Can be very difficult solo, with game usually ending due to being unlucky with getting disabled.
  
• Game is clearly designed for multiple playthroughs, but levels and enemy spawns are always (nearly) identical and levels become predictable quickly
  
• In co-op play, it's far too easy to disable your teammates by shocking or freezing them. While friendly damage mechanics add to the game, getting removed from play constantly by teammates is boring and annoying.
  
• For about a dozen playable characters, there seem to be TWO voice actors. When four players are in the game, you can't even tell who is talking most of the time. Characters have personalities but all sound the same.
  
• Spreadsheet-style spell design. For the most part, each spell has a nearly identical counterpart in each spell domain.
  
• Level design is so linear that it's easy to miss extras or unlocks that are off to the sides because the game trains you to expect aggressive railroading.
  
• Camera for local co-op is obnoxious in large-area battles. Players can be caught offscreen through no fault of their own, and automatically die in 5 seconds.
  
• Difficulty is inconsistent. Most bosses are easier than many standard encounters.
  
• Repetition starts early - other than variations and new combinations, you've seen most of what the game has to offer by a quarter of the way through.
  
• Too many unlocks are tied to hardcore mode, which can be very tedious to repeat for a game that is already repetitive.
  
• Spells vary widely in quality, with some being awful or awkward and others being both powerful and versatile
  
• Rigid list of starting spells gets annoying when you find you have to pick the same character variants over and over just to avoid being saddled with garbage spells.

Observations

• Controller-oriented UI: You can play with a mouse and keyboard, but controller was clearly intended. You cycle through UI items (like your spells) rather than being able to assign hotkeys to them.

I have literally no idea what the negative reviews are talking about. Never once were we joined by a random--it was the two of us for literally all of the nearly 30hrs I have on record. Never once were we unable to pick up a game on the chapter that we left off with, or were we "started back at the beginning." We played the entire game from start to finish, multiple times with multiple characters over several sessions by resuming previous sessions, with no issues.

"Can't switch characters mid game" Because you never tried to add a new player slot, pick a new character, and remove the old player slot.

"Can't respec talents unless you're at the very first level" Because somehow the thought never crossed your mind to back to the main menu, start a new game, run 20ft to the orb that lets you reset your talents, and then leave and go back to the session you were just playing.

Honestly a very fun game of countering elements and trying not to kill each other, but probably not an enjoyable experience if you're a huge baby.

it is as if Magika , Torchlight and Gauntlet had a baby !!

• graphics look super beautiful
  
• loved the difficulty system
  
• quest to unlock characters
  
• skill tree (best thing about these kind of games)
  
• the arena is possibly one of my favorite things in the game so far
  
• multiplayer and local coop
  
• MELEE BUILDS (loved them)
  
• different weapons for different builds
  
• HARDCORE run was my favorite thing of the game ever, the hardcore really teaches you how to play the game the right way and get the best spells and skills

I loved the game and i recommend it if you're looking for a mix of Magika, Torchlight , Hero Siege, Gauntlet ...

better than Diablo 4

A game that heavily borrows from Magicka, while being just different enough to have it's own identity.
The gameplay is pretty simple - Kill the enemies with magic spells that you unlock over the course of your gameplay while trying not to, or trying to, kill your friends in the process. Most of the games fun comes from blowing up your mates over and over and over, be it accidental or not >:)

Characters are tied to the achievements, but not in an unfair way. Most are easily obtained through normal gameplay. It adds a bit of replayability to unlock everyone.

The world is beautiful graphically. It's a pretty game to look at, it runs very well too! I have not run into any bugs or glitches anywhere.

Combat is how you expect it to be, fast paced and manic.

Enemies could be a bit more varied. You do come across the same guys a lot, the only difference normally being their elemental type. But the enemies who are in the game do a good job of being different from each other at least.

Do I recommend it?
Well yes, but only if you have friends who are willing to tag along honestly. I couldn't see myself getting much enjoyment out of the game on my own, it's faaaaaar better with buddies.

You can kill your friends and heal your enemies. Not that I am doing it on purpose.

Do you like Trine ? Magicka ? Magic ? Fantasy adventures ? Casting spells ? Having fun alone or with friends (if you have any) ? Chaotic mayhem ? If so, Nine Parchments is a game for you.

Nine Parchments is a spell-casting blast'em up adventure to play alone or preferably in co-op up to 4 players that offers 4 difficulty levels : easy, normal, hard and hardcore (in which it's game over if every party member dies). Starting easy, it gets quite challenging even if you're familiar with that kind of game.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1223524391

The gameplay is rather intuitive : movement, melee attack on right click, cast spell on left click, spell slots and spell selection (key binding can be personalized of course). The game is divided into several diversified levels ; in a Trine spirit, there are hidden chests and enchanted quills to find. By progressing, you'll be able to unlock new spells for your character and use your skills points wisely, as in an RPG. There are also staves with unique stats and hats to collect. The combats are funnily chaotic : you can kill your entire team because you misplaced a skill or even die by falling off the cliff by misjudging the blink distance. Basically you aim with your cursor and cast one of your learned spells, each one having its own mana gauge, which makes the combats interesting and dynamic.

There are 8 characters (9 since the last big update), each possessing 4 different skins and 3 starting spells. In the beginning, you can choose between two unlocked characters : Cornelius Crownsteed (starting with Ice Beam, Small Fireball and Death Circle) and Gislan of Alcyon (starting with Small Life Circle, Lightning Spray and Death Beam). Up to you to unlock the rest of the characters with quests and achievements. You can have up to 10 saved games at the same time, no matter if it's solo or online games, so you can try a new character at any time.

The story itself is quite simple but sufficient, because you play that kind of game mostly for its gameplay and the fun : after the attack on the Astral Academy, some students will seize the opportunity to go after the Nine Parchments and learn more spells illicitly. Gather your party and embark on a magical adventure to confront hundreds of various enemies and to discover 49 spells.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1364009423

Nine Parchments feels like the gift Frozenbyte's fans deserve : a great and challenging co-op game reminding of the Trine series, with a beautiful and astonishing art style, a fantastic soundtrack, lots of spells and hours of fun, for it doesn't get boring to replay the campaign with a new character once or twice.

Nine Parchments is a magical twin-stick shooter which can be played alone or in up to four-person co-op. The game is set in the same universe as the Trine puzzle platformer series and shares the same vibrant surroundings and enchanting atmosphere. Nine Parchments is, however, very different from Trine.

🎮🖱 The game can be played with a controller or keyboard/mouse depending on your preference. 🖱🎮

The story of Nine Parchments left me rather disappointed, especially since Trine is such a story-rich series. You play as a wizard apprentice who decides to take matters in their own hands after an explosion at the Astral Academy causes nine spell parchments to get scattered in the wind. There is enough substance to the story to justify a trek to collect these parchments, but nothing beyond that. The story is told by a disembodied voice and through conversation snippets between the characters. I liked this mechanic, although I feel like it was not implemented to its full potential. A story element that I did enjoy a lot, although minor, was the fact that you can select your character’s mood and thus how they convey these conversation snippets.

The story is linear and always the same, which I found a bit disappointing for a game that encourages multiple playthroughs. Although this was not a big problem, it would have been nice if there were subtle changes in the story. Nine Parchments is a game focused on gameplay rather than story, which I found rather unfortunate, but not a severe drawback.

Nine Parchments encourages players to play multiple times to unlock new characters, level them up and discover new spell combinations. These spells, which you unlock throughout your playthrough, are governed by chance. No single game is the same! There is a huge variety of spells of six different elements which you strategically use to combat numerous enemies, each with their specific weaknesses.

There are two game modes: Adventure and Astral arena. Adventure mode follows the main story and has a range of difficulty settings, which allow the player to switch things up. The arena is a series of challenge rooms consisting of pure combat. I’ve primarily played the game in co-op mode and found it enjoyable; however, the game is also great for playing alone.

The game starts with a choice between two playable characters, each with their own starting spells, strengths and weaknesses. As you progress through the game, you unlock more characters, skills and gear which you can use in following playthroughs. Each character starts with one available skill tree and two additional ones which can be unlocked by completing specific tasks/prerequisites. This allows you to build each character according to your own playstyle. I enjoyed playing a supporting role with a combination of lightning and healing spells, although the dangerous death spray also captured my interest.

Unlocking some of the characters and skills involves the solving of puzzles. I found this to be an exciting addition, which fits surprisingly well with the gameplay. I also appreciated how the game menu tells you how to unlock each character/skill tree instead of leaving you to figure it out yourself. This is especially helpful with the characters that are more difficult to obtain.

Co-op in the game requires some strategy, something I found a bit difficult initially, but which became one of the most enjoyable parts of the game later on. The inclusion of friendly fire is a significant component of this strategy. It can be toggled to be more forgiving in the game settings but cannot be disabled. Constant accidental death at the hand of my teammates or myself was rather frustrating when getting into the game, however, it eventually became an important part of the strategy and made the game more entertaining. We had great laughs working together to defeat our enemies while trying not to stun, freeze or kill each other in the process. I also feel that the friendly fire mechanic fits nicely with the story of runaway wizard apprentices who are still learning to control their powers. Co-op partners are able to combine their spells to strengthen them or create new elements. In a four-player lobby the game is a chaotic, hysterical experience.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2232095319

The game also emphasises the selection of balanced spell elements by spawning enemies which are resistant or immune to the elements most prevalent within your group’s arsenal. This was enjoyable when playing with a group with different spells, but a bit frustrating when attempting to do a run with a single element character, something which the skill trees of various characters seem to encourage.

The Astral Arena is a series of combat challenges where the player can select up to five spells to face timed waves consisting of the most challenging creatures the game has to offer.
The game recommends that your character be level 40 or above before attempting the arena, and I agree. These challenges are difficult and require fast thinking and forward planning to try to keep the number of enemies low before waves start piling up, and you get overwhelmed.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2232096531

PC Specifications:

• AMD Ryzen 5 1600X (3.60 GHz)
  
• 16GB DDR4 RAM
  
• Radeon RX 570 8GB (OC)
  
• 1920x1080 Resolution
  
• Windows 10

The visuals are stunning with vibrant colours that change between the different areas and environments. I especially liked the creativity employed in the visual designs of the various character models and how well they fit alongside their magical surroundings. The audio in the game is also superb with events that trigger certain sounds, beautiful music to compliment the visuals and excellent voice acting. I came to love the happy tune, which plays at the end of each level, providing a moment of peace after some of the most intense, gruelling battles.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2232098724

The game mostly ran above 60fps with the abovementioned PC specifications (on the highest visual settings and medium anti-aliasing) but had negligible frame drops when things were very chaotic.

There are minor technical issues with the game. A random player joined our private co-op game at some point because it irreversibly changed to public after exiting the game and returning later. This was only a problem once during my playthrough but is worth noting. There is also some difficulty with re-joining the game if you lose connection. The progress between the host and other players can become desynced, forcing the other player to reroll their spells. This was especially annoying when I was having a good round with a decent, complimentary collection of parchments and had to reroll, ending on a less optimal build.


Nine Parchments is a gorgeous and enjoyable game to play alone or with friends. Some game mechanics require getting used to but become part of the satisfaction once you grow accustomed to them. The chaotic gameplay, variety in build options, customizable difficulty levels, gorgeous visuals and beautiful soundtrack more than make up for the bland story.

🌟 I would recommend Nine Parchments to anyone who is searching for a game which provides you with a set of tools with which to write your own story. 🌟

Fun game with friends with tons of opportunities to use the different spells and positionings to help out each other and get past the trickier fights.
Gameplay is nice and controls are tight with keyboard and mouse. Graphics and sound-design are great (as expected by the creators of Trine.)
(EDIT: I was previously complaining about a few bugs/weird design choices. Those are mostly fixed by now, so I gotta give the developers credit for listening to the community and reacting within days)

Overall it's a fun experience and I don't know what's up with the barrage of negative chinese reviews, but this game deserves more love, because you can really tell the developers put a lot of love into the game while making it and the campaign has a decently sized length and good replay value.