The Spell Brigade Review — Chaotic Co-op Wizardry with Big Potential
A lively survivors-like co-op where friends become walking spell combos. Charming art, addictive loops and hilarious friendly-fire chaos — but it still needs more content and polish.
I jumped into The Spell Brigade expecting a cute Vampire Survivors-ish time with friends — and I left grinning, frustrated and oddly hopeful. Bolt Blaster Games nailed a silly, explosive core: stacking spells, infusions and revives creates moments of pure mayhem. It’s at its best when your team barely survives a hail of friendly spells and collapses into laughter. But beneath the charm there’s clear Early Access work left: balance, task RNG and more variety are the parts that’ll decide if this becomes a long-term go-to.
Dancing on the Edge of Friendly Fire
The Spell Brigade’s day-to-day loop is gloriously simple: pick a wizard, run around a colorful arena, smash objectives and watch spells multiply into glorious nonsense. Most of my time was spent juggling spell upgrades, elemental infusions and augments while trying not to accidentally vaporize my teammates — which, full disclosure, rarely happened. Movement is snappy enough, spell projectiles have satisfying impacts, and the friendly-fire mechanic turns standard co-op into a strategic riot: sometimes you heal a pal and sometimes you chain-explode them back into existence. Matches lean into the survivors-like loop of incrementally getting stronger until your single spell or combo becomes a screen-cleaning machine.
When Spells Meet Chaos (and Synergy)
The real hook is experimentation. Combining elements, relics and enchantments leads to broken, hilarious or surprisingly graceful outcomes. I’ve had Orb-splitting fire builds that melted bosses and other runs where I relied on crowd-control ice and utility augments to babysit objectives. Playing with friends amplifies this — one person’s massive beam paired with another’s area fire can make for emergent effects that feel custom-built. That said, the current infusion system sometimes feels basic; a lot of power comes from stacking multiplicative buffs rather than novel spell transformations. Still, the potential for intentional and accidental synergies is a core joy.
Objectives, Maps and the RNG Toothache
Objectives give structure beyond pure survival: herd beasts, clean goo, activate cores. I’ve loved the tension when an objective spawns and the team has to split focus, but RNG placement can be cruel — tasks spawning in lava or behind impassable terrain kills momentum. Some maps (Astral Riftlands gets singled out by the community) punish bad spawns with rivers, portals and bouncers that feel more annoying than inventive. More objective types and smarter spawn logic would dramatically improve the experience.
Presentation: Cute, Loud and Occasionally Frustrating
Visually it’s charming: whimsical wizards, bright effects and readable spell FX that sell each hit. Sound and music do a lot of heavy lifting for the game’s energy, though some players reported the soundtrack and SFX needing polish (I sometimes muttered the same complaint). Performance is generally solid on PC and Steam Deck—matches run smoothly unless Endless mode piles on so many effects that framerate dips appear on weaker machines. Accessibility options are basic but functional; a future focus on clearer stat descriptions and mid-run UI for augments would help new players a lot.
Progression: Fun but Shallow Right Now
Unlocks — new wizards, relics, enchantments — keep you coming back, but many players feel the long-term goals need spicing up. Achievements and unlockables exist, yet some are grind-heavy or RNG-locked, which can turn completion into a chore. If Bolt Blaster expands maps, bosses and meaningful post-run rewards, the loop will age far better.
The Spell Brigade is an endearing, chaotic co-op with a brilliantly fun core loop that already shines in short bursts and with friends. It’s not flawless — RNG, limited content and polish issues hold it back — but Bolt Blaster’s responsiveness and the foundation here mean it could become a modern coop classic with the right updates. Try it for co-op sessions or when you want a silly, experimental spell-slinging night with pals.
Pros
- Wild, satisfying co-op chaos with meaningful emergent moments
- Simple pick-up-and-play loop that's surprisingly addictive
- Lots of spell combinations and build creativity
- Runs well on a range of hardware, including Steam Deck
Cons
- Task RNG and some map mechanics can feel unfair
- Content depth — maps, bosses and rewards — needs expansion
- Occasional bugs and polish issues remain in places
Player Opinion
Players consistently praise the co-op loop and the joy of experimenting with spells. Many reviewers say matchmaking and friendly-fire interactions create hilarious moments and clutch saves; the hitbox feel and progression loop get repeated kudos. On the flip side, recurring criticism points at RNG-heavy objective placement, a lack of late-game content (more maps and bosses), and some grindy, RNG-locked achievements that frustrate completionists. Several users also reported occasional bugs and performance hits in endless mode, though others noted good Steam Deck support. If you enjoy Vampire Survivors-style loops but want team chaos, most players find this worth trying.