Who remembers Magic.ru? The game has been relaunched under the name Magic Quest
On GAMER.ru, the old blog Magic.ru is still preserved.
Here are the news about updates, tales of clan raids, screenshots of loot, discussions about balance, and player posts. In the comments, people argue about classes, the shop, item drop rates, and the new browser version.
Reading all this now feels a bit strange. Many years have passed, Flash has died, most browser MMORPGs have closed, and some of the websites mentioned in old posts have long been non-existent.
Magic itself also disappeared for a while.
The old server did not survive. The database of accounts and characters was lost. It is no longer possible to return under the old nickname, open the old inventory, and continue from where you left off.
But the game itself has received another life.
It is now called Magic Quest.
We have launched a new server and are gradually restoring, redesigning, and adding to the game. This is not a continuation of the old server, but a new start for a familiar project.
What Remains from the Old Magic
The recognizable cartoonish world and turn-based battles on a grid have been preserved.
The game still features four classes: warrior, mage, shaman, and infiltrator. Each has its abilities, attack range, and role in battle.
In battle, you need to choose your position, count action points, navigate obstacles, and keep track of the opponent's movements. Sometimes, one step to the side provides more advantage than the strongest attack.
You can simply stand opposite your enemy and exchange attacks as well. Usually, until you encounter a player who knows how to use the map.
In addition to battles, Magic Quest includes quests, location exploration, equipment gathering, trading, PvE, PvP, and clans.
But the main feature of Magic has always been the people.
On a small server, players quickly stop being random nicknames. Some become partners. Some turn into merchants you constantly return to. Some defeat you multiple times in the arena, becoming your personal rivals.
Clans here are also needed not just for the name above your head. Alliances, rivalries, joint quests, and inevitable debates over who should have received the latest item emerge.
This is the kind of world we are currently trying to rebuild.
What Has Appeared After the Restart
We did not want to limit ourselves to launching the old version without further changes.
The game has introduced PvE challenges with additional conditions. In one battle, you need to finish in a certain number of turns; in another, you must keep the entire group alive; in the third, you must change your regular tactics and team composition.
We’ve added a mirror opponent. It copies the character, their class, attributes, and equipment.
It results in a battle against your own build. Sometimes, after such a battle, it turns out that the character is actually quite strong. It’s just that the opponent somehow used him better.
We are also developing pets, clan activities, tournaments, rewards, and other game systems. Gradually, we are redesigning old interface components and fixing problems that are particularly noticeable to new players.
Work on the game continues. Updates are released, and along with new mechanics, errors occasionally appear; sometimes quite creatively.
How the Game Survived the Death of Flash
Inside the project, a lot of ActionScript, SWF, and Perl is still present.
When the original Magic was created, Flash was a common part of the internet. Then browsers completely dropped support for it, and the old method of launching the game stopped working.
Now, Magic Quest runs through a separate client for Windows. A browser version is also available, but it is currently in testing mode.
There is no need to install old Flash in the browser.
At the same time, it's not possible to completely abandon the old client part and quickly rewrite everything on a modern engine. Over years of development, a large amount of interfaces, animations, and interconnected mechanics have accumulated.
Sometimes, adding a single button results in a completely different system failing.
Usually, it's the trading system.
Why We Brought It Back
We could have created a new game and started with a clean architecture.
But then it wouldn’t be Magic anymore.
We wanted to preserve the familiar battles, classes, visual style, and the atmosphere of a small browser MMORPG. A game in which surrounding characters gradually become familiar people and the story of the world is formed not only from quests but also from the actions of the players themselves.
The old server and previous characters cannot be returned. The current world has started anew.
New heroes, clans, rivals, and their own stories are already emerging within it.
How to Try Magic Quest
The game is free. There is an in-game shop, but no purchases are required for a regular introduction to the game.
You can play through the Windows client or the browser version:
If you ever played on magic.ru, share in the comments about your old character. What was the nickname, class, and clan? It is not possible to recover the account, but it would be interesting to know who among the old players still remembers Magic.
If you are seeing the game for the first time, share your impressions too. Particularly interesting to know if you managed to figure out the first quests, what was unclear, and at what point you wanted to close the game.
Or perhaps continue.