Maguss was a

free-to-play Free-to-play (F2P or FtP) video games are games that give players access to a significant portion of their content without paying or do not require paying to continue playing. Free-to-play is distinct from traditional commercial software, which ...

location-based mobile

MMORPG A massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) is a video game that combines aspects of a role-playing video game and a massively multiplayer online game. As in role-playing games (RPGs), the player assumes the role of a character (of ...

with a fantasy theme for

iOS iOS (formerly iPhone OS) is a mobile operating system created and developed by Apple Inc. exclusively for its hardware. It is the operating system that powers many of the company's mobile devices, including the iPhone; the term also include ...

and

Android Android may refer to: Science and technology * Android (robot), a humanoid robot or synthetic organism designed to imitate a human * Android (operating system), Google's mobile operating system ** Bugdroid, a Google mascot sometimes referred to ...

. The game offered players a wizarding experience, allowing them to cast spells by drawing

glyph A glyph () is any kind of purposeful mark. In typography, a glyph is "the specific shape, design, or representation of a character". It is a particular graphical representation, in a particular typeface, of an element of written language. A g ...

s, collect

ingredient An ingredient is a substance that forms part of a mixture (in a general sense). For example, in cooking, recipes specify which ingredients are used to prepare a specific dish. Many commercial products contain secret ingredients that are pur ...

s, brew various

potion A potion () is a liquid "that contains medicine, poison, or something that is supposed to have magic powers.” It derives from the Latin word ''potus'' which referred to a drink or drinking. The term philtre is also used, often specifically ...

s, battle magical creatures, and

duel A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two people, with matched weapons, in accordance with agreed-upon Code duello, rules. During the 17th and 18th centuries (and earlier), duels were mostly single combats fought with swords (the r ...

other

players Players may refer to: Art, entertainment, and media * ''Players'' (1979 film), a film starring Ali MacGraw * ''Players'' (2012 film), a Bollywood film * ''Players'' (Dicks novel), a novel by Terrance Dicks, based on the television series ''Doc ...

for glory and

treasure Treasure (from la, thesaurus from Greek language ''thēsauros'', "treasure store") is a concentration of wealth — often originating from ancient history — that is considered lost and/or forgotten until rediscovered. Some jurisdictions leg ...

. The game's shutdown was announced in April 2020.

Gameplay

Using a mobile device's

GPS The Global Positioning System (GPS), originally Navstar GPS, is a satellite-based radionavigation system owned by the United States government and operated by the United States Space Force. It is one of the global navigation satellite sy ...

function and

augmented reality Augmented reality (AR) is an interactive experience that combines the real world and computer-generated content. The content can span multiple sensory Modality (human–computer interaction), modalities, including visual, Hearing, auditory, hap ...

technology, Maguss brings a wizard's world to life by populating real locations with beasts and magical creatures to fight,

s to gather, and treasure chests to unlock. Players choose from one of four classes (Paladin, Rogue, Druid, or Warden), each with its own blend of starting

attributes Attribute may refer to: * Attribute (philosophy), an extrinsic property of an object * Attribute (research), a characteristic of an object * Grammatical modifier, in natural languages * Attribute (computing), a specification that defines a pro ...

, spells, strengths, and weaknesses. Players also customize an

avatar Avatar (, ; ), is a concept within Hinduism that in Sanskrit literally means "descent". It signifies the material appearance or incarnation of a powerful deity, goddess or spirit on Earth. The relative verb to "alight, to make one's appeara ...

to represent their

character Character or Characters may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''Character'' (novel), a 1936 Dutch novel by Ferdinand Bordewijk * ''Characters'' (Theophrastus), a classical Greek set of character sketches attributed to The ...

Characters Character or Characters may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''Character'' (novel), a 1936 Dutch novel by Ferdinand Bordewijk * ''Characters'' (Theophrastus), a classical Greek set of character sketches attributed to The ...

possess an array of skills (Brewing, Exploration, Herblore, Sorcery, Invocation, Charms, and Dark Arts) that they can raise by accomplishing related activities. For example, collecting and opening a

chest The thorax or chest is a part of the anatomy of humans, mammals, and other tetrapod animals located between the neck and the abdomen. In insects, crustaceans, and the extinct trilobites, the thorax is one of the three main divisions of the crea ...

raises Exploration, while casting Sorcery spells raises the Sorcery skill. By exploring the world

map A map is a symbolic depiction emphasizing relationships between elements of some space, such as objects, regions, or themes. Many maps are static, fixed to paper or some other durable medium, while others are dynamic or interactive. Althoug ...

, players may encounter monsters, harvest ingredients, and discover

. They can also replenish their

health Health, according to the World Health Organization, is "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity".World Health Organization. (2006)''Constitution of the World Health Organiza ...

by walking from one location to another. Players raise their overall Player Level from defeating opponents—monsters or other players. As they advance in

level Level or levels may refer to: Engineering *Level (instrument), a device used to measure true horizontal or relative heights *Spirit level, an instrument designed to indicate whether a surface is horizontal or vertical * Canal pound or level * Re ...

, they can raise their attributes and gain access to various tiered equipment and wandering monster encounters.

Spellcasting

Spellcasting in Maguss allows players to engage monsters (and each other) in arcane combat. Casting spells involves unlocking them, assigning them to

s, practicing their use, and applying them in

s. Spells fall under four categories: Sorcery (direct damage), Charms (healing and buffs), Invocations (defense), and Dark Arts (damage while also debuffing enemies). Players unlock additional spells as they gain

experience Experience refers to conscious events in general, more specifically to perceptions, or to the practical knowledge and familiarity that is produced by these conscious processes. Understood as a conscious event in the widest sense, experience invol ...

in a particular spell category. Players have access to a set of

s which function as slots for spells. To ready a spell, the player must first assign it to a specific

. In

combat Combat (French for ''fight'') is a purposeful violent conflict meant to physically harm or kill the opposition. Combat may be armed (using weapons) or unarmed ( not using weapons). Combat is sometimes resorted to as a method of self-defense, o ...

, they have to draw the corresponding

within a given time limit to cast the spell it contains. This adds an element of skill to casting, as one needs to trace

s both quickly and correctly to unleash their effects.

Dueling

In Maguss, players may challenge monsters or other players in a

Duel A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two people, with matched weapons, in accordance with agreed-upon Code duello, rules. During the 17th and 18th centuries (and earlier), duels were mostly single combats fought with swords (the r ...

s are semi-turned based: each combat cycle, both participants cast spells during the allotted time, after which the spell effects are resolved one at a time, in a sequence alternating between the player and the enemy. The winner is awarded

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile ...

and

experience point An experience point (often abbreviated as exp or XP) is a unit of measurement used in some tabletop role-playing games (RPGs) and role-playing video games to quantify a player character's life experience and progression through the game. Exper ...

s. Another

game mechanic In tabletop games and video games, game mechanics are the rules or ludemes that govern and guide the player's actions, as well as the game's response to them. A rule is an instruction on how to play, a ludeme is an element of play like the L-shap ...

to duels is Heat, indicated by a meter and representing a wizard's stamina for spellcasting. The more powerful a spell, the more Heat it generates when used. Once a player overheats, they cannot cast a spell until they cool off again. The game offers 2 PvP modes: Proximity Mode, where players may duel nearby wizards, or a Ranked League through a global matchmaking system. Ranked Leagues run for 30-day long seasons, each with their own unique theme. For each Ranked League win, players earn Competitive

Points Point or points may refer to: Places * Point, Lewis, a peninsula in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland * Point, Texas, a city in Rains County, Texas, United States * Point, the NE tip and a ferry terminal of Lismore, Inner Hebrides, Scotland * Points ...

which they can exchange for that season's unique

armour Armour (British English British English (BrE, en-GB, or BE) is, according to Lexico, Oxford Dictionaries, "English language, English as used in Great Britain, as distinct from that used elsewhere". More narrowly, it can refer specificall ...

illusions. Based on their final rank at the end of the season, players gain various rewards consisting of Competitive Points, League Badges, and Season icons.

Brewing

Another activity players may partake in is potion-making. By using recipes, player may collect the

s to use in a

brewing

mini-game A minigame (also spelled mini game and mini-game, sometimes called a subgame or microgame) is a short game often contained within another video game. A minigame contains different gameplay elements, and is often smaller or more simplistic, than th ...

, the results of which determines the drink's effectiveness.

Potion A potion () is a liquid "that contains medicine, poison, or something that is supposed to have magic powers.” It derives from the Latin word ''potus'' which referred to a drink or drinking. The term philtre is also used, often specifically ...

s may have a multitude of effects, ranging from healing to

buffing Polishing and buffing are finishing processes for smoothing a workpiece's surface using an abrasive and a work wheel or a leather strop. Technically, ''polishing'' refers to processes that uses an abrasive that is glued to the work wheel, while ...

stats STATS may refer to: * Statistical Assessment Service * STATS LLC, a former name of Stats Perform Stats Perform (formerly STATS, LLC and STATS, Inc.) is a sports data and analytics company formed through the combination of Stats and Perform. T ...

. More advanced recipes become available as the player improves their Brewing Skill.

Equipment

Players may collect a variety of equipment:

wands A wand is a thin, straight, hand-held stick of wood, ivory, or metal. Wand or magic wand may also refer to: People *Günter Wand, a German orchestra conductor and composer *Hart Wand, an early white American blues musician and composer from Okla ...

headgear Headgear, headwear, or headdress is the name given to any element of clothing which is worn on one's head, including hats, helmets, turbans and many other types. Headgear is worn for many purposes, including protection against the elemen ...

, tops, bottoms, rings,

amulet An amulet, also known as a good luck charm or phylactery, is an object believed to confer protection upon its possessor. The word "amulet" comes from the Latin word amuletum, which Pliny's ''Natural History'' describes as "an object that protect ...

s, and books. Each piece of gear can boost

or provide a unique benefit, such as giving bonus

or experience points upon winning duels. These boosts depend on the item's tier as well as its quality (Poor, Good, Mint, Excellent, Legendary). Besides regular equipment, players can also wear

illusions. These can be worn over equipment, allowing players to alter their look while maintaining their current gear.

Monetization

The monetization model consists of

in-app purchases Microtransactions, often abbreviated as mtx, are a business model where users can purchase virtual goods with micropayments. Microtransactions are often used in free-to-play games to provide a revenue source for the developers. While microtransact ...

and optional rewarded ads. The game includes 2

currencies A currency, "in circulation", from la, currens, -entis, literally meaning "running" or "traversing" is a standardization of money in any form, in use or circulation as a medium of exchange, for example banknotes and coins. A more general defi ...

: Gold (

soft currency In macroeconomics, hard currency, safe-haven currency, or strong currency is any Foreign exchange market, globally traded currency that serves as a reliable and stable store of value. Factors contributing to a currency's ''hard'' status might inc ...

) and Magic Dust (

premium currency A virtual economy (or sometimes synthetic economy) is an emergent economy existing in a virtual world, usually exchanging virtual goods in the context of an online game, particularly in massively multiplayer online games (MMOs). People enter the ...

). While some items (potions and recipes) can be purchased for both

others (equipment, spells) are only available for

. Luxuries, such as cosmetics (armor illusions, alternate spell effects),

and magical creature packs and boosters are only available for

. All

ads" \n\nads.txt (Authorized Digital Sellers) is an initiative from IAB Technology Laboratory. It specifies a text file that companies can host on their web servers, listing the other companies authorized to sell their products or services. This is des ...

are optional and rewarding. Watching an ad can speed up brewing time, prolong booster for a little bit more or earn Bazaar tokens. In Bazaar (a special shop category) players can exchange Bazaar tokens earned from watching

for premium items such as

armor Armour (British English) or armor (American English; see spelling differences) is a covering used to protect an object, individual, or vehicle from physical injury or damage, especially direct contact weapons or projectiles during combat, or ...

illusions, boosters or even Magic Dust.

Development

History

Ondrej Tokar first conceived of Maguss in July 2014, and later formed the

Software Company A software company is a company whose primary products are various forms of software, software technology, distribution, and software product development. They make up the software industry. Types There are a number of different types of soft ...

Mawa s.r.o., a remote indie team based in Central Europe. By June 2015, the team had a prototype of a Maguss Wand ready for a

kickstarter Kickstarter is an American public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative projects to life". As of July 2021, K ...

campaign, which launched a month later. On October 10, 2017, Maguss launched on Indiegogo, eventually reaching 214% of targeted funding within 30 days. Game testing followed until November 10. December 2017 saw the end of the IndieGogo campaign and the launch of the closed alpha iteration. Maguss was set for a soft beta launch in February 2018, to last until December 2018.

Maguss Wand

Part of Maguss's development was plans for the creation of a device that mimicked a

magic wand A wand is a thin, light-weight rod that is held with one hand, and is traditionally made of wood, but may also be made of other materials, such as metal or plastic. Long versions of wands are often styled in forms of staves or sceptres, which c ...

. The Maguss Wand was to provide an immersive approach to

spellcasting An incantation, a spell, a charm, an enchantment or a bewitchery, is a magical formula intended to trigger a magical effect on a person or objects. The formula can be spoken, sung or chanted. An incantation can also be performed during cerem ...

—instead of drawing

s on their mobile device, players would be able to trace them in the air instead. The prototype designs of the Maguss

Wand A wand is a thin, light-weight rod that is held with one hand, and is traditionally made of wood, but may also be made of other materials, such as metal or plastic. Long versions of wands are often styled in forms of staves or sceptres, which ...

showed a 350mm long plastic body with a single button and

micro USB The initial versions of the USB standard specified connectors that were easy to use and that would have acceptable life spans; revisions of the standard added smaller connectors useful for compact portable devices. Higher-speed development of ...

port for charging, compatible with

(version 4.1

Jellybean Jelly beans are small bean shaped sugar candies with soft candy shells and thick gel interiors (see gelatin and jelly). The confection is primarily made of sugar and sold in a wide variety of colors and flavors. History It has been clai ...

and newer) and

(version 7), and tethering to mobile devices using BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy). The wand would offer customization by replacing the grip, tip, and metal rings. However, the wand was never produced beyond prototypes that were not distributed to users, nor were crowdfunding contributions ever directly refunded, though compensation was offered in the form of in-game credit.

Shutdown

The game's developers announced on Facebook on April 6, 2020, that they would be permanently shutting down the game down due to insufficient income.

Awards

In December 2016, Maguss won the Slovak Startup Awards in the Art and Design category. In March 2017, Maguss also received the Slovak Forbes 30 under 30 Award. It has also received mentions in CNET,

Engadget ''Engadget'' ( ) is a multilingual technology blog network with daily coverage of gadgets and consumer electronics. ''Engadget'' manages ten blogs four of which are written in English and six have international versions with independent editor ...

, Nerdmuch, and other media.

References

{{reflist 2018 video games Massively multiplayer online games Role-playing video games Multiplayer and single-player video games Augmented reality games Fitness games Android (operating system) games IOS games Video games developed in Slovakia Geolocation-based video games Defunct social networking services