The Spell Brigade

The Spell Brigade is an action co-op video game that combines the addictive mechanics of survivor games like Vampire Survivors with pure chaos and humor. Those who love wizards, magic, and battles against hordes of monsters will find themselves in this game.

The game was developed and independently published by Bolt Blaster Games, a small independent indie studio from Belgium consisting of just a few members. Besides this, they have only released one other video game called Gazzlers. In The Spell Brigade, they showcased their passion for cooperative games and a specific, cartoonish visual style.

The game spent quite a long time in early access on PC, where the developers actively gathered opinions, critiques, and feedback from players. The official full version (1.0) saw the light of day at the end of April 2026, when it was also launched for PlayStation 5. It is worth noting that in the PlayStation 5 version, the video game comes in its full version with built-in cross-play features, several different worlds, and more than 15 playable wizards. Not to mention the dozens of different spells and elements that can be combined.

The Spell Brigade is distinctive for its graphics. It features an extremely charming, colorful, 3D cartoon style. The sound and music perfectly match the rhythm of the action. The design of characters and monsters is cute and simple, which contrasts with the absolute chaos happening within the game. The visual effects of spells look great and make combat satisfying. However, due to the thousands of enemies and magical projectiles flying across the screen at the same time, the PlayStation 5 version currently experiences frame rate drops during moments of peak player congestion, which is one criticism of the graphical presentation. We are confident this will be fixed with updates.

By its type, this is a so-called auto-shooter or bullet heaven. What does that mean? Our character automatically targets and fires spells at the nearest enemy, and our main task is to move around the map, avoid hordes, and collect mana crystals that enemies drop upon death. By collecting these crystals, we progress through levels within the round and choose new upgrades. What sets this game apart from others in the genre are mini-tasks within a specific map and a deep magic system, where at higher levels we can combine elements for a stronger effect against enemies. Rounds last about 20 to 30 minutes and end with a boss fight.

The heart of this game is multiplayer. An online cooperative mode for 1 to 4 players is supported, with full cross-play support (it is possible to play with players on PC). A key mechanic in multiplayer is 'Friendly Fire'. The magic we shoot can injure or even kill our teammates. This is what elevates this game to another level and sets it apart from others in the genre. Thus, The Spell Brigade becomes a hilarious multiplayer chaos. If a teammate dies, we can use so-called "Revive Cores" to literally explode them back to life. Experience (XP) is shared among all players despite mutual explosions. Of course, the game can also be played solo, in single-player mode, but it quickly becomes very difficult to maneuver among thousands of enemies, and it becomes obvious that the gaming experience is primarily intended for cooperative play.

All in all, this video game brings a positive chaos. It is clear that everything is geared towards playing in cooperative mode, but it is also possible to play solo. However, in single player mode, expect to find it much harder to get through the levels. Auto-shooters are a type of game that may not appeal to everyone. The player is 'only' tasked with avoiding opponents and progressing, while the game handles the shooting itself. If you enjoy that style of play, The Spell Brigade is at the top of that genre. We found the game entertaining, and we recommend it to all genre enthusiasts. However, due to current technical shortcomings, it still receives a mediocre rating from us.

A copy of the PlayStation 5 version of the game for review purposes was provided by the development studio Bolt Blaster Games