Dawn of Magic

Dawn of Magic is an action role-playing computer game developed by Russian studio SkyFallen Entertainment and was originally released under the name of Blood Magic by 1C Company on December 16, 2005. The game was released under its western title by Deep Silver in April, 2007 in Europe, and Atari SA in North America on October 16, 2007.

Dawn of Magic
Developer(s)SkyFallen Entertainment
Publisher(s)
EngineTheEngine
Platform(s)Windows
Release
  • RU: December 16, 2005
  • EU: April 27, 2007
  • NA: October 16, 2007
Genre(s)Action role-playing game
Mode(s)Single player, multiplayer

A sequel titled Dawn of Magic 2 was released by Kalypso Media in the summer of 2009.[1]

Story

Dawn of Magic is set in a fantasy world. In the Absolute, the setting's afterlife, a being called Modo endangered his companions in pursuit of power. The inhabitants of the Absolute called a tribunal and sentenced Modo to be reborn on earth, live a mortal life (retaining his memories but none of his power) and die after 100 years.

The game begins 40 years after Modo was sentenced. He has gained knowledge of mortal magic and seeks to enlist the player character's aid in his plan to destroy the earth, escape his prison and live forever in the Absolute.

Gameplay

Dawn of Magic features a 3D third person perspective game engine. The game world consists of area maps interlinked by portals. The player can choose from four starting characters, the Awkward Scholar, the Baker's Wife, the Weird Gypsy, and the Fat Friar. As the player character gains experience and levels, he or she improves basic attributes, skills in areas such as mêlée combat, trading, and crafting, and prowess in the game's twelve schools of magic. Each school of magic consists of eight spells; as the player gains prowess in a school of magic, his or her body morphs to take on characteristics reminiscent of the school.

Release history

1C Company released the single-player action role-playing game Blood Magic (Russian: Магия Крови) in Russia on December 16, 2005.[2] A stand-alone expansion pack, Blood Magic: Time of Shadows (Магия Крови: Время Теней), followed on November 24, 2006.[3] The expansion featured a new story, upgraded interface, and multiplayer support via LAN or internet. On April 27, 2007, Deep Silver released English, French, German and Italian localizations of Blood Magic for the European market. The Deep Silver release was renamed Dawn of Magic and featured upgraded gameplay including multiplayer support.[4]

The Blood Magic game engine was licensed to KranX Productions for the action role-playing game A Farewell to Dragons.[5]

Reception

The game received "mixed" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[6] GameSpot criticized the game's derivativeness, limited choices and numerous bugs.[9] Martin Korda of IGN said that "despite its bold proclamations of reinventing the tried and tested Diablo template, Dawn of Magic remains an RPG with more than a whiff of the past hanging around it",[11] while Emily Balistrieri of the same site criticized its multiplayer, which, according to her, lacked variety.[12]

In Russia, the game won the Best Debut award at the Russian game developers conference KRI 2006.[18]

References
  1. "Time of Shadows". GameSpy. IGN Entertainment. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
  2. "2005 news archive". Blood Magic (in Russian). 1C Company. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved August 23, 2007.
  3. "2006 news archive". Blood Magic (in Russian). 1C Company. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved August 23, 2007.
  4. Koch Media (November 9, 2006). "Koch Media UK Signs Dawn of Magic". GamersHell. Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved May 20, 2018.
  5. ""Not a Time for Dragons" in development". Kranx Productions (Press release). May 6, 2005. Archived from the original on September 2, 2007. Retrieved August 23, 2007.
  6. "Dawn of Magic for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Fandom. Retrieved May 20, 2018.
  7. Bodo Naser (May 3, 2007). "Test: Dawn of Magic". 4Players (in German). 4Players GmbH. Retrieved June 19, 2023.
  8. Darren Allen (April 30, 2007). "PC Game Roundup (Page 5)". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on October 2, 2015. Retrieved June 19, 2023.
  9. Brett Todd (December 4, 2007). "Dawn of Magic Review". GameSpot. Fandom. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
  10. Michael Lafferty (November 1, 2007). "Dawn of Magic - PC - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on October 5, 2008. Retrieved June 19, 2023.
  11. Martin Korda (April 25, 2007). "Dawn of Magic UK Review". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
  12. Emily Balistrieri (November 30, 2007). "Dawn of Magic Review". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
  13. Superpanda (April 27, 2007). "Test: Dawn of Magic". Jeuxvideo.com (in French). Webedia. Retrieved June 19, 2023.
  14. "Dawn of Magic". PC Format. No. 205. Future plc. October 2007. p. 64.
  15. "Dawn of Magic". PC Gamer. Vol. 15, no. 4. Future US. April 2008. p. 68.
  16. Felix Schütz (April 25, 2007). "Dawn of Magic". PC Games (in German). Computec. Archived from the original on August 11, 2007. Retrieved June 19, 2023.
  17. Jon Blyth (July 2007). "Dawn of Magic". PC Zone. Future plc. p. 83. Archived from the original on November 21, 2007. Retrieved June 19, 2023.
  18. "ЛАУРЕАТЫ КРИ 2006". KRI (in Russian). Archived from the original on September 28, 2007. Retrieved August 23, 2007.
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