As with many projects funded via Kickstarter, Mage’s Initiation: Reign of the Elements, a spiritual successor to Sierra’s Kings Quest and Quest for Glory franchises, took slightly longer to be released than was initially projected. Although it was initially funded in March 2013, the game has taken ten years to be fully developed. The only question that remains, like many projects which go through prolonged development, have Himalaya Studios have proven that their point and click adventure project was worth waiting for? In this case, the answer is one that is unequivocally positive.

The story of Mage’s Initiation focuses on a young mage in training by the name of D’arq, who is reaching the end of his education in the magical arts. In order to graduate and receive the title of Mage, he must complete three tasks and collect a specific magical item from each of them. This game mechanic is used in practically every adventure game, so it is no surprise to see it reappear in a spiritual successor. Thankfully, Himalaya Studios have learned from the shortcomings of this approach, providing three strong quests with several side objectives, such as brain bending puzzles that have logical answers, rather than the comical absurdity of the custard pie and yeti logic seen in King’s Quest V.