Overview
Trials of the Archmage is a single-player puzzle game building off the basic principles of Rock-Paper-Scissors. In the game you must control your Mage’s powers as four to eight other mages test your mettle to see if you’re truly worthy of the title of Archmage. The Mage stands at the center of the testing chamber and around them floats a powerful Arcane Weave Circle which supports a Rune Shield, Spell Orb, and Mage Blade. The circle is incomplete though and a gap remains open in one direction of the Circle. The open side of the Weave Circle allows the Mage to Summon or use beneficial items which cannot be held on the arcane tethers of the circle. The mage will have to rotate their Weave Circle to ensure the right tool is being used against the other mages’ attacks.
Occasionally, the Mage may notice one of the Testers drop an item of use. Adjusting the Weave Circle to open a clear path between the Mage and the Tester in question will allow them to summon the item. A Mage can only hold so much, however, so they must make sure to use what they take. In later levels of testing the Mage may notice a Tester summoning a new Spell Orb or better quality Shield or Blade. If the Mage is quick enough they may summon away the upgrade before the Tester can make use of it. Stealing an upgrade will not only increase your chances of successfully completing the level, but your discarded Orb, Shield, or Blade will be flung toward the unlucky tester to stun them briefly.
On Easy Mode there are four mages to battle against, one in each of the cardinal directions. Increasing the difficulty to medium will add two mages at opposing corners (North East & South West), while Hard will place mages on all four sides and in each of the four corners.
The first level of testing utilizes simple spells and armaments: Mage Bolts, and Wooden Rune Shields and Blades. Each level after the first will begin to increase the complexity as higher quality Shields and Blades become available along with newer, more powerful, spells. The Mage will have to keep a close eye on what spells and armaments they are wielding in comparison to their testers.
The Mage must be careful to properly counter each attack quickly. Being hit by an attack to the exposed flank of their Weave Circle will result in a fair amount of injury (loss of health) and distraction (loss of concentration). Should a Mage become too injured (Health = 0) or unable to focus (Concentration = 0) they will fail their test. In some cases the Mage will not be able to properly counter an attack in time due to an attack from another direction. When possible, rather than simply taking the full hit on their exposed flank, the Mage can counter an attack with an identical attack (i.e. – a Shield against a Shield, or Blade against Blade). This will result in a slight amount of Impact Shock, but is typically less damaging and distracting than a full hit.
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Design History | Original Concept Notes | Combat Tables v1.0
