If you don’t have four friends, you can play Magicka alone. The 13 level campaign has a somewhat branching story, so it’s not a straight line from one location to the next. This means some replayability for your lonely souls. But the team co-op is really the heart and soul of this design. Magicka’s success will eventually depend on how popular it becomes with groups of people, not solo adventurers.

But of all the games on display at the Paradox Interactive Convention last week, Magicka was the one that generated the most buzz. Its color and accessibility certainly set it apart from the rest of the super serious calendar, but its core design conceits give Arrowhead a chance at a hit if people can get past the generic name and setting.