The Indy Gaming League’s upcoming Spring Circuit is looking to be its biggest — and best — ever.

Not only have the Rocket League divisions expanded to include all competitive game modes in all three of IGL’s regions, the league even added two brand new games to its lineup: Halo: Reach and MageQuit.

You’ve surely heard of Halo, one of the most popular FPS series of all time, but might be unfamiliar with MageQuit, an indie brawler from Bowlcut Studios released in October 2019.

The developers put together a very helpful video to introduce players to the game, which shows off its high skill ceiling while still being approachable and fun to the average player.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpaIxiwpUEY

I was enchanted by the chaotic yet precise gameplay, so I reached out to MageQuit developer Brett Pennings at Bowlcut Studios to learn more about the game, its potential as an esport, and how Indy Gaming League is helping bring to life Brett’s vision for the game.

Max Thielmeyer: How would you describe MageQuit to someone who hasn’t heard of it before?

Brett Pennings: MageQuit is a top-down wizard brawler for up to ten players. You draft a new spell before each round. Every kill you get makes your beard longer: longest beard at the end of nine rounds wins!

Players draft new spells after every round, which adds depth and a unique dynamic to every match.

MT: What do you think makes a great competitive video game, and how does MageQuit fit into that?

BP: The best competitive titles are ones that have a very simple premise and allow people to easily play casually, but offer boatloads of depth and a huge skill cap. With esports growing rapidly, ease of understanding is crucial to netting viewers, and being able to play casually allows the viewers to know just how ridiculously good the top players are.

MageQuit fits this mold because “getting kills to grow your beard” is easy to understand and you learn your spells one at a time throughout the game, serving to teach new players as they go. However, this same one-at-a-time system offers a lot of depth in spell drafting, and being able to optionally curve your spells offers depth in the sense of information hiding, mind games, and skill in aiming.

Another important factor that isn’t talked about much is having a game camera that’s conducive to watching ALL the action at once. Most of the top competitive titles at the moment are sorely lacking here.

Players compete to hit each other with spells or knock their opponents into stage hazards. The player or team with the most kills wins!

MT: What do you hope to see from IGL’s first season of MageQuit?

BP: I hope to see a lot of highlight plays, but more importantly I’m hoping to see more and more people experience what MageQuit has to offer as a competitive title, pushing it further into the esports realm.

MT: How does working with IGL help bring the vision for your game alive?

BP: MageQuit toes the line between party game and intense competitive title; IGL toes the line between casual and competitive the same way an intramural sports league does. Everyone is here to have fun, but also have some sweaty games.

IGL is also helping to fill a void for MageQuit: the lack of a “ranked” mode. Having a regular season gives players a reason besides our monthly tournaments to practice.

MT: How important is creating a community around your game to a small developer?

BP: It’s funny; when we started, I had no idea how important community building was going to be, but it’s become the backbone of the game itself. From semi-weekly community nights, to online or in-person tournaments, to ridiculous conversations in our Discord server, I’m actually more proud of the community we’ve built than I am of the game itself. Without a community of people passionate about MageQuit, I would’ve given up years ago.

MT: Can players expect updates to the game over the next few months? What will they bring?

BP: In the next few months, players can expect some new stages, another new element, and an official ranked mode, in game. We will be working on the Nintendo Switch port in parallel with these updates.

Big thanks to Brett for speaking with me about MageQuit!

If the chance to be the IGL’s first MageQuit champion isn’t enough already, Bowlcut Studios has even created an exclusive in-game character skin for the league’s inaugural champion.

Winners of the Inaugural Circuit can win an exclusive set of shades.

If you’d like to get involved, don’t walk — teleport! — to Steam to purchase the game for you and your friends. Registration for the Indy Gaming League’s first-ever MageQuit circuit is open until March 27.