Today I’m going to review Typomagia! The magic typing game! By Sol aka Jari Komppa.
Typomagia is a game of typing and magic! Okay, okay, it’s just a typing game (like word invaders if you remember typing tutor). There are two modes of play a “quick” game with the computer, or story mode. In both modes you have several categories of word lists. Chemistry, cities, colors, common, lands, orchids, programming. I chose common, simply because I wanted to play the general case. If you start the quick game first, it sort of gives you an idea of what you’re in for on story mode.
In the quick game, you have a choice of characters per second for the AI. The higher the cps, the harder it is. You’re presented with a screen divided by two colors, brown, and purple, with a marker dividing them. On each side is a circle, where yours and your enemies monsters will spawn. Words start appearing and you need to type them fast. As you type in words a meter is filled in the left side of the screen. To the right of the meter are different ‘spells’ you can use. You can only use the spells as high as the meter is filled. There are three creature spells, and four enhancement spells, they go in order from troll, regenerating, orc, tougher, imp, stronger and faster. The goal is to get your monsters to the enemies summoning circle. You do this by typing words, watching the meter fill, and then typing words on the meter. In order to apply the enhancement spells you must do them before unleashing your creature, otherwise they’ll only work on the next creature you summon. The creatures battle the enemy creatures as the march along the screen. If you hit the marker, it moves with you to the other side. This decreases the chance of your enemy completing words, and likewise if reversed, you won’t get to type in as many words. Play ends when one of the creatures gets to the other’s summoning circle. Got that? Good!
Story Mode is similar except (SHOCK!) it has a story. There are 20 chapters in all. You are presented with a map, and you start at the first marker on the map. When you hit enter the map provides cross hairs to some spot on the map, and then shows the story over the top. After finishing a Chapter, a little epilogue text is displayed, and you may hit Start from the menu to play the next chapter. In story mode, sometimes there isn’t a divided play field, you simply have to destroy all the creatures in that chapter, and sometimes it’s divided like quick game mode.
It’s really not as complicated as it sounds or looks. When I first looked at it, I was like “Wha-huh?!” But after I played a quick game once I got the hang of it quite quickly. Simply type, fill the meter, type in and release the creatures. Once you have destroyed all the enemies on one level, you go to the next one. Also in story mode, you don’t get all spells right away. You simply start with imp, but as the story progresses, you get more spells until all six as named above are in your arsenal. Personally I like to type up a lot until my meter is full, then pile on as many enhancements as possible (up to 3) before releasing the biggest creature (the troll). If I’m short on time I may release a faster and stronger imp, or any other combination. So far on quick game I’m up to 2.0 cps, and on story mode I got all the way up to level 17.
As far as graphics and sound goes. Graphics are pretty poor, to be honest. They’re what is affectionately known as ‘programmer art’. Meaning it’s not that pretty. Of course I think this was meant as a diversion, not some all-inclusive super-game. There are some OK sounds, like the enhancements being spoken, and some swooshing sounds when you complete words, nothing spectacular, but it’s better than no sound. There’s also no music to be spoken of. In fact none at all.
Let me emphasize that this is not a program that teaches you how to type. But I do believe it will improve your words per minute. But still it is a game, and I don’t think necesserily intended as an educational tool. To me this game was pretty fun an addicting, to you it may or may not. Maybe it wll bore you. For my part, I need to improve my typing skills, and this seems to have the right balance of fun and function to help me enhance my skills.
Name: Typomagia!
Final Analysis: If you want to have fun while improving your typing skills, this game is for you!
Price: Free
Where you can get it: Sol’s Typomagia! page
