FINALLY a JRPG on Quest 2 is HERE but… (Ruins Magus Review)

Is RUINSMAGUS the VR JRPG we’ve been missing? It certainly has the art style and the music. You play a magician in a renowned guild called RUINSMAGUS, and your job is to make it stronger with magic, resources and wisdom. You get those by taking quests into the ruins below the town, where powerful guardians wait, so you grow stronger, collect equipment, learn spells and solve the puzzles of a bright fantasy world. This RUINSMAGUS review covers early gameplay on Quest 2 and what I thought of it.

When we made this video, the game came from a small indie studio in Japan and was due out on Thursday, 7 July 2022, for $34.99 on Quest and SteamVR. WidmoVR sponsored the video, which pays for our time and not for the verdict.

A day as a magus

The loop is simple and suits the genre:

1. Pick a quest from the board in town and listen to the cute dialogue.
2. Buy items in the shop and choose the equipment and magic you want to take.
3. Head into the ruins, fight the guardians and sometimes a big boss.

There are over 25 quests, so it should be a good amount of play time for the price. After each run you see your clear time and your death count, and you can save.

The story is very scripted and linear, which I think works well for a JRPG. The developers nailed the characters, art style, voice acting and music. The soundtrack is on point and I got JRPG vibes all over, with a little Zelda: Breath of the Wild in there too.

Spells, shields and combat

This is where RUINSMAGUS feels like VR:

• Spells. There are 16 to learn. Early on I had a fireball, a thunder spell, an area-of-effect fire spell on the grip button, and Blink. Each one is cast with a button combination plus hand and arm gestures. You have to memorise them, and that makes you feel skilful in a way you only get in VR.
• Charging. You can charge a spell to do more damage, and you have to recharge your mana when it runs out.
• Shield. Your shield blocks attacks, and if you time it right as a shot hits, you deflect it back. It’s a bit like a lot of quick-time events.
• Gear on your body. A grenade sits on your chest and you carry potions too.

I died early on (thankfully I didn’t have to redo much), and the first guardian boss came quickly and hit hard. Combat was fun throughout my session.

What could be better

• The town. Instead of walking around the city and through doorways or gates to different areas, you use poster-like portals. Free walking would make it more immersive.
• Repetition. Combat can get a bit repetitive after a while.
• Animations. The character animations could use some work.
• Bugs. My version, one week before release, had some missing textures. Not game-breaking, but it makes the release feel rushed.

Comfort

There aren’t many comfort settings, and with this many movements I don’t find it very accessible, so keep that in mind. There is a seated mode, though, and you rarely have to bend all the way down.

RUINSMAGUS review verdict

It’s an interesting VR take on JRPGs. The anime-style story and the old-school dialogue screens make up for the rough edges, because that’s clearly where the developers spent their time. If you like that part, you’ll enjoy this game. For such a small indie team, I’m impressed with how far they’ve come, and I’d love to see them keep updating it.

I enjoyed my time and was still playing when we made this, as I hadn’t finished it yet. I wanted to post about it because I’d love to see it get more attention. You can find it on Steam and on the Quest store.