10 Games Where You Can Create Your Own Spells

A quick way to identify if a game belongs to the fantasy genre is by asking: “Does it involve magic?” Not all fantasy games focus solely on magical activities; some might prefer physical combat like wielding large weapons, but many incorporate magic, often in simple, stationary form such as spells. Games like Final Fantasy are good examples of this.

In numerous fantasy games, using magic is a crucial aspect for delving into and engaging with the game world. At times, you’re also given the opportunity to create your unique magical abilities.

Regardless if you’re improvising enchantments during battle or meticulously designing them in a secluded sanctum, crafting spells is an incredible aspect of fantasy video games. Let’s explore some of the most potent, unique, and downright amusing types that the genre has to offer.

10.
Fictorum

Creative Destruction

The game we’re discussing primarily focuses on creative magic casting through the blending of runes. Here, you’ll be employing spells to cause destruction, such as making people and structures implode. Since mana isn’t a limiting factor, the only true restriction on your choices is the variety of spell runes you’ve found during each rogue-like adventure.

Though Fictorum may seem somewhat limited in its gameplay, it’s an incredibly enjoyable single trick it offers. The completely destructible surroundings and numerous enemies to annihilate make it an exceptional choice for anyone seeking a high-powered wizard immersed in combat.

As a devoted player, I can’t help but appreciate the game’s genuine zeal for devastation. It certainly satisfies an unusual craving I have.

9.
Two Worlds II

Customize With Care

While it shares some similarities with the Elder Scrolls series, it stands out by introducing a unique spell creation feature. In this game, you craft spells by blending cards inside a magical amulet.

Using effects, you can modify simple spells to summon creatures, boost allies, weaken enemies, among other things. The array of spells you can craft in this manner is quite intriguing, however, the limitation lies in the fact that you can wear only three amulets simultaneously.

Ultimately, this setup may limit some aspects of the magical system, but it remains robust enough to foster a significant amount of creative freedom.

8.
Outward

Meaningful Sacrifice

The fundamental idea here is that your health remains constant; it’s set from the beginning and never increases. You advance by acquiring and enhancing equipment, as well as honing both your character’s and your own skills, rather than by leveling up.

In Outward, mastering magic comes at a permanent cost: you must forfeit either your health or stamina to increase your mana. This unique system lets you experience the game’s intricate real-time spell casting mechanics.

Increasing your sacrifices leads to having a larger mana reserve for powerful spells, but your resilience decreases in the process. Is the trade-off of mastering these spell sequences to consume an opponent’s essence and restore your mana store worthwhile?

Yeah, probably.

7.
LostMagic

Draw Runes, Do Magic

This game might be considered a lesser-known gem. It’s a Real-Time Strategy (RTS) title that mainly relies on the Nintendo DS’s touchscreen for summoning creatures, issuing orders, and performing spells by drawing specific symbols or runes.

This game is somewhat obscure. It’s a Real-Time Strategy (RTS) that primarily uses the Nintendo DS’s touchscreen to call forth units, give commands, and cast spells by sketching various runes.

As a seasoned gamer, I craft my magical abilities by tracing runic symbols, anywhere from one to three of them. Each rune I master comes in three levels, with each level enhancing the potency of my spells while demanding more mana for their execution. Weaving these runes together seamlessly allows me to create an array of diverse and powerful spells.

The final outcome is a congested, disorderly mess, with you hastily and precisely scribbling symbols, known as runes, to avoid being overrun by adversaries in a frenzied attack known as a zerg rush.

As you hurriedly and accurately carve runic symbols, the outcome is a chaotic tangle of confusion. This haste is necessary to prevent an onslaught from enemies, which we call a zerg rush.

6.
Treasure Of The Rudras

Wizard Spelling Bee

The second oldest game on our list is a hidden gem, SquareSoft’s final creation from the SNES era, which is themed around Indian mythology. In this game, you can write mantras using letters to perform spells. Yes, this even includes some four-letter words that we cannot include here.

In contrast to other spellmaking systems that involve combinations, the Treasure of the Rudras necessitates crafting your mantras during combat rather than spontaneously. This adds a tactical aspect to the decision-making process when it comes to selecting which mantras to engrave and carry.

The Treasure of the Rudras stands out due to its unique feature: You can write any mantra during gameplay. Fancy some powerful damage spells? If you’ve got the mantra, go ahead and inscribe them! However, keep in mind that at lower levels, you might not have enough MP to actually perform these spells… yet.

5.
Magicka

Teamkilling Is Inevitable

A new addition to our collection is an amusing Action Role-Playing Game (ARPG) that, at first sight, appears somewhat like Diablo, but offers a more intricate gameplay experience centered around casting spells.

As soon as you dive into playing Magicka, it becomes apparent that its unpredictable spellcasting often leads to unexpected outcomes. In the original version, there are no limitations on how fast you can cast spells or when, allowing you to rapidly press combinations of Q, W, E, R, A, S, D, F keys to summon any of the game’s eight elements.

Magicka is fantastic when played with others, though it does offer a single-player mode. In my gaming journey, I found that the boundaries between cooperative play and player versus player almost disappear, leaving only intense teamwork against formidable game bosses that turn out to be quite challenging.

Or, y’know, because you keep blowing your friends up with ARSE mines.

4.
Mages Of Mystralia

Growing Up, Growing Magic

As a passionate gamer, I’d say that this enchanting “coming-of-age” title offers a profoundly intricate spellcasting mechanism that took me by surprise. Just like many other games, the creation of spells involves meticulously arranging runes to construct unique magic formulations.

Instead of the typical games, Mages of Mystralia showcases an intricate network of interconnected spell outcomes, rather than just simple cause-and-effect. Remarkably, these results span from your usual “explosion” to constructing bridges, rebounding fireballs around obstacles, and pushing opponents (or teleporting yourself).

The game’s spell creation process seems to infuse an element of “enchanted coding,” as if you’re weaving spells rather than lines of code. Manipulating the various symbols feels instinctive, yet the outcomes sometimes offer unexpected twists.

3.
Dungeon Master

Antique Influencer

Platforms Atari ST, PC (MS-DOS)
Rating 8/10 (MobyGames)
Developer FTL Games
Year 1987

The combination of spells in many games on this list was originally developed by the game Dungeon Master in 1987. Even though it was released over three decades ago, Dungeon Master remains a game whose magic system continues to impress with its innovative and diverse design.

The Dungeon Master’s spell creation system is geared towards dungeon exploration, but it offers a wide range of support and utility spells nonetheless. You could potentially cast invisibility charms, brew healing potions, or even see through walls with the help of this game’s runic system.

For enthusiasts of spellcraft, Dungeon Master, though rooted in its era, remains an intriguing game to explore, but only if you manage to run it on a simulated DOS environment like DOSBox.

2.
Noita

Pixel-Physics Power

The rogue-like title offers an eerie and captivating mix of a pixel-precise physics simulation and wildly imaginative spell crafting. Every single pixel within the game behaves according to its own rules, leading to… surprising outcomes when casting spells.

During every playthrough, you’ll be casting numerous spells as this is the fundamental gameplay aspect. In your replica of a wand, you can merge different effects encountered on each journey, which allows for the creation of unique spells.

Since it functions as a physics simulator, there’s a high chance of inadvertently failing your mission if you cast overly potent spells. For example, firing a bouncing projectile through a corridor might not be such a good idea, as it could potentially knock down a support beam and cause the ceiling to cave in.

As a gamer, I can’t get enough of Noita. The physics in this game are just too enticing! They allow me to not only obliterate enemies in unpredictable and amusing manners but also to conquer puzzles and explore new realms. And let’s face it, the challenge is SoulsBorne level intense, but the thrill of the creative chaos keeps me coming back for more after each run.

1.
The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind

Ridiculous And OP

The games within this series showcased crafting abilities prior to many RPGs incorporating crafting and survival elements. Despite differing strengths, aspects like enchanting, alchemy, and spell creation set this franchise apart.

But oh boy,

Among all the games in the series, I particularly enjoy the spellcrafting in Morrowind due to its wide range of effects and its freedom-encouraging attitude, allowing you to experiment with unique spells like one that has a 4% chance to cast and drains your magicka entirely. Give it a try if you’re up for it!

As a gamer, I’ve discovered an array of abilities that vary from basic boosts and attack magic to some extraordinary ones, such as flying and manipulating objects with my mind – powers not typically seen in later editions of the game. The beauty lies in the fact that these effects can be seamlessly blended within a single spell, and fine-tuned using intricate adjustment knobs for maximum impact.

The opportunity to perform the spell depends on both the spell’s intricacy and your proficiency; there are no fixed levels or categories needed to wield your impressive new tools!

Would you like to unleash a blazing fireball, thirty feet high, for five minutes right in the heart of a bustling city? Or perhaps enhance your Agility to leap across the entire globe as depicted on a map? Then, explore the realm of Morrowind!

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2025-05-04 17:10