From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action


Another freebie, and while I won't claim this one is great, it isn't
quite as bad as yesterdays. Talk about a low bar to clear, though! ;-)


* Magellania
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1511950/Magellania/
A tactical-strategy game with RPG elements and a color
scheme that is only slightly more advanced than four-color
CGA. While I can't imagine that I'd ever start this game,
I'm not entirely sure I'd dislike it were I to actually
do so. It's combat -primitive as it is- has a sort of
nostalgic appeal to it, the concept is pretty tongue-
in-cheek, and the soundtrack (at least the bit I heard
in the trailer) is nice. I'm in no rush to play this
one, but neither am I unhappy that I added it to
my library.


I wrote in an earlier post that "I tend to give a lot of games more
credit than they probably deserve" and this may be another case of
that. I think "Magellania" probably falls into the 'developer doesn't
have the skill/resources to fully realize their vision' category, and
because of that I can appreciate the heart and effort put into the
game even if the end result isn't that terrific. But who knows, maybe
this is a hidden gem that I'd love if only I gave it a chance.

Which I probably won't, so I'll never know for sure. But I like to
hope it is. ;-)



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From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

On Sat, 07 Feb 2026 13:49:06 -0500, Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:

Another freebie, and while I won't claim this one is great, it isn't
quite as bad as yesterdays. Talk about a low bar to clear, though! ;-)

* Magellania
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1511950/Magellania/
A tactical-strategy game with RPG elements and a color
scheme that is only slightly more advanced than four-color
CGA.

You managed to get my attention and then lose it in the span of just
one sentence. I like tactical-strategy games with RPG elements (Jagged Alliance!) but the graphics in this freebie are ugly.

I took it. I may play it. Thank you.
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From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

On Sat, 07 Feb 2026 14:06:41 -0500, Mike S. <Mike_S@nowhere.com>
wrote:

On Sat, 07 Feb 2026 13:49:06 -0500, Spalls Hurgenson ><spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:

* Magellania
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1511950/Magellania/
A tactical-strategy game with RPG elements and a color
scheme that is only slightly more advanced than four-color
CGA.

You managed to get my attention and then lose it in the span of just
one sentence. I like tactical-strategy games with RPG elements (Jagged >Alliance!) but the graphics in this freebie are ugly.
I took it. I may play it. Thank you.

Yeah, the threat of a CGA color scheme is quite terrible.

That said, it's not really quite as bad as all that. The color scheme
is quite basic and retain some of the distinctive garishness of CGA,
with its clashing contrasts. It's obviously playing on the 'nostalgia'
factor of old games. But its actual color depth is significantly
higher than just four, and the simple visuals do make it much easier
to see what's going on in the battle. Having just played a similar
game ("SKALD: Against the Dark Priory", which utilized a 'sorta-EGA'
color scheme), in many ways I prefer "Magellania's" take. It was often
hard to see what was happening in "Skald's" more colorful battles.

Which isn't really me praising the game's visuals so much as saying,
"it's not as terrible as it first appears." But then, the game is all
about clearing the lowest of bars, apparently ;-)


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From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> looked up from reading the entrails of the porn spammer to utter "The Augury is good, the signs
say:

Another freebie, and while I won't claim this one is great, it isn't
quite as bad as yesterdays. Talk about a low bar to clear, though! ;-)

* Magellania
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1511950/Magellania/
A tactical-strategy game with RPG elements and a color
scheme that is only slightly more advanced than four-color
CGA. While I can't imagine that I'd ever start this game,
I'm not entirely sure I'd dislike it were I to actually
do so. It's combat -primitive as it is- has a sort of
nostalgic appeal to it, the concept is pretty tongue-
in-cheek, and the soundtrack (at least the bit I heard
in the trailer) is nice. I'm in no rush to play this
one, but neither am I unhappy that I added it to
my library.

I wrote in an earlier post that "I tend to give a lot of games more
credit than they probably deserve" and this may be another case of
that. I think "Magellania" probably falls into the 'developer doesn't
have the skill/resources to fully realize their vision' category, and
because of that I can appreciate the heart and effort put into the
game even if the end result isn't that terrific. But who knows, maybe
this is a hidden gem that I'd love if only I gave it a chance.

Which I probably won't, so I'll never know for sure. But I like to
hope it is. ;-)

About the only good thing about this is the description;
"Defeat your enemies with the power of love, friendship, and violent
military aggression in Magellania, a hardcore tactics-RPG set in outer
space."

"love, friendship, and violent military aggression"

I guess we now have a new meaning for "Love Bombing".

Xocyll
--
I don't particularly want you to FOAD, myself. You'll be more of
a cautionary example if you'll FO And Get Chronically, Incurably,
Painfully, Progressively, Expensively, Debilitatingly Ill. So
FOAGCIPPEDI. -- Mike Andrews responding to an idiot in asr
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