Listen "54: The Magic Circle"
Episode Synopsis
The Magic Circle is something really unique. In this thoughtful, darkly comic first person puzzle game, you play as the hero of an unfinished video game. The developers have failed you, and it’s your task to break the game and use the powers of the “gods” against them in freeform sandbox puzzles. It’s full of surprises at every turn and packed with commentary on the video game industry, gamers, and what it means to create art.
This game has gotten a criminally small amount of coverage in the press, but it may be our favorite game of 2015 so far. Don’t miss it! The Magic Circle is available on Steam for Mac and PC for $19.99. A free demo is also available. Expect it to take 3 to 4 hours to complete.
We have the Spoiler Break at about 30 minutes in. This game is full of surprises you won’t want to spoil for yourself, so if you haven’t played it do yourself a favor and stop at the spoiler break and give this game a try.
Links for this episode:
The Magic Circle official website – very meta!
The Magic Circle on Steam
Failbetter Suggests: The Magic Circle
Bob Mackey’s review at USGamer.net
Hack ‘n’ Slash
The Unfinished Swan – The Short Game episode 43
Dungeon Keeper
Played on Mac OS X using review copies courtesy of the developer.
You can follow our show on Twitter at @_shortgame
See our list of upcoming games, and make suggestions..
Like the show? Support us by writing a review on iTunes!
Your hosts this week were:
Raygan Kelly – @raygank
Nate Heininger – @natestl
Laura Nash – @laurajnash
More episodes of the podcast The Short Game
IFComp 2025
29/12/2025
Short Game Game of the Year 2025
22/12/2025
444: Deltarune Chapter 4
15/09/2025
443: Fan Games on Steam Deck
15/07/2025
442: Deltarune Chapter 3
26/06/2025
441: ENA: Dream BBQ
11/06/2025
440: Skin Deep
30/05/2025
439: Despelote
17/05/2025
438: Many Nights a Whisper
05/05/2025
437: Expelled! Spoilers!
10/04/2025
ZARZA We are Zarza, the prestigious firm behind major projects in information technology.