After the first 5 hours I was delighted with Lichdom, shocked by its awesomeness even. Then repetitiveness reared its ugly head and my enthusiasm started fading, especially when around the 12 hour mark (when the game should have ended for its own sake) I realized that the story is far from over. Anyhow, Lichdom has a spark that makes you want to come back to it and the spell crafting system is truly amazing. It’s just better to enjoy it in small doses. [Nov 2014, p.68]

If a fast and brutal magic melee is what you’re after, Lichdom fits the bill nicely.

Lichdom: Battlemage makes being a magic user feel properly badass, and if there’s a little bit of homework involved in creating the spells necessary for badass-dom? That’s just the price of being a mage.

With a great crafting system, some intense boss battles and the unique concept of a "First Person Caster", Lichdom is one of the most pleasant surprises we've had in a long time.

Lichdom: Battlemage is a clever and exciting arcade style action-RPG, which can be a lot more fun than one might expect.

With an remarkably robust spell crafting system and spectacularly entertaining combat, Lichdom: Battlemage finally brings the glory to the magic user that it has long deserved.

Lichdom: Battlemage is an interesting and enjoyable take on first-person fantasy with lots of customization to dive into. I’m hoping this initial effort leads to an even more polished sequel for Xaviant down the line.

A fireball on the verge of a meltdown.

A beautiful and difficult action-RPG that rewards risk-taking—the complex magic system makes up for the bits that just aren’t worth playing over and over.

Intense combat and deep crafting system fight against rising boredom.

The debut project of the independent studio Xaviant turned viable, albeit boring due to rudimentary plot and rather empty world. Locations turned to be beautiful but no one is found there with exception of few enemies and even in the city you’ll not see a living soul. [Oct 2014, p.89]

Lichdom: Battlemage is a fun, if shortsighted RPG with some fantastic upsides. Is it worth the asking price of $40? I’d say no at this point, and hold out for a Steam sale. It’s definitely something fans of the old Hexen will enjoy, but fans of open ended RPGs will find Xaviant’s game lacking. A solid effort, but not quite what I’d hoped for after seeing the game at PAX East this year.

Lichdom: Battlemage’s magic system is second to none, and it carries the game. It does one thing exceptionally well, while the rest of the game languishes a bit.

But even if the spell creation had been perfect and as pretty as much of the graphics are, the adventure is just too scripted and too predictably paced, and the combat is too backpeddally to recommend highly.

Only the fleet magic system, although it has its flaws, is a real highlight for me.

The combat-system is working nicely and intuitively. Creating thousands of spells is quite fun – for a while. The levels often seem to be just never ending corridors, filled with hundreds of the same type of monsters. Boss-fights are challenging but can be very frustrating as well because of the complex mechanics the game uses for damage and control.

Lichdom: Battlemage suffers from an over-reliance on linear level design and samey enemy types, but few other games deliver such a memorable brand of action-packed magic combat.

The graphics are really, really good, but all those shiny things end up clashing with a lacking gameplay, and that's a true shame.

While Lichdom makes a strong case for a shorter game, it also makes the case for another Lichdom game. If there is any game this year deserving of a sequel, it’s this one.

At first, the fights are exciting and fresh, only to grind you down in endless repetition in overlong and boring levels.

Lichdom: Battlemage is a hymn to frustrated hopes. It had all the markings of something exciting: an experienced team, cool idea to use combat spells instead of traditional weapons, top-notch graphics engine, several years of development and a long gestation period in Steam Early Access… And it was all for naught.

Editing in game design is as important as it is in writing or filmmaking. Get to the point. Respect both the time and financial investment of your audience. Above all else, don't send me chasing after the goddamn lorry.