Wander Hero
Wander Hero
Game
Game2023
Spells & Secrets
Developer Alchemist Interactive, rokaplay
Spells & Secrets is a roguelike game developed by Alchemist Interactive and published by Rokaplay and Merge Games. It was released on 9 November 2023 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch. From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
204 reactions from 3 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Lemmy) · newest Oct 24, 2026 · last updated Nov 4, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
76
LovedLoved
145 positive · 46 negative
95% range 69–81%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 145 | 46 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 4 | 0 | 7 |
| Lemmy * | 0 | 0 | 2 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Mostly Positive
171 of 219 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
76% recommend · 145 yes, 45 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 190 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Mostly Positive (255 of 335 positive).
Players find the game fun but note it becomes repetitive after several runs. [1][2][3] Some reviewers criticize the lack of developer support and updates since release. [1][4][5] The co-op mode is praised by some but has significant limitations, especially for online play. [6][7][8]
Liked
Representative posts
- [2]
I was so looking forward to an action roguelite in a magic school. In my first run through the castle, everything seemed perfect. Simple, intuitive controls. Vibrant art direction. Plenty of upgrade choices. Every room had new monsters, puzzles, and lore to discover. Then the second run started... and the rooms, monsters, puzzles, and lore were exactly the same, just in a slightly different layout. Third, fourth, …
- [9]
this was exactly the kind of magical chaos i needed!! i loved running around the academy, learning spells and experimenting with them to solve puzzles and deal with all kinds of strange situations. the mix of exploration, magic and roguelite elements makes every run feel a little different and the ability to combine spells in creative ways is definitely my favorite part. its cute, funny and surprisingly addictive …
- [10]
What an enchanting game! I just finished the main story, and I have to say I had a lot of fun. The Pros Wonderful art style - I love it when games are stylised and don't pursue realism at the cost of looking like every other game out there. The art style of both the characters as well as the environment gives this game its own unique atmosphere and it's really wonderful to look at. I love how all the clothing has …
- [1]
After 22 hours, I have to say that I enjoyed this game despite it being "Roguelike". I'm typically not a fan of those types of games; However, the game hasn't been updated or anything in over a year, since its release so it gives me "devs have cashed their checks and abandoned it" vibes. Sad that this happens in games sometimes. Fun to play but becomes repetitive, so I'd give it a 3/5 stars.
- [4]
Fun, but I was shocked to see no Early Access sign. No voice acting, no animations, very limited customization. I was sure this still need more polish and quality of life. Oh well, it's a roguelike. I'll try co-op and keep playing to see if things picks up. Edit: damn, another game with potential, locked out of all further update and development due to funding. It's sad to see.
Summarised from 34 of the 203 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 11, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
76% of the 190 Steam reviewers we collected recommend Spells & Secrets. The complaint that keeps coming up: repetitive gameplay after a few runs. Deal-breaker or nitpick?
Reactions
60 of 204 · most liked firstI was so looking forward to an action roguelite in a magic school. In my first run through the castle, everything seemed perfect. Simple, intuitive controls. Vibrant art direction. Plenty of upgrade choices. Every room had new monsters, puzzles, and lore to discover. Then the second run started... and the rooms, monsters, puzzles, and lore were exactly the same, just in a slightly different layout. Third, fourth, fifth runs? Absolutely nothing new. It got to a point where everything leading up…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If you buy it for the multiplayer mode, don't do it before checking if you're fine with all the limitations. Co-op only works as 'couch co-op' or steam 'remote play together,' NOT online. Remote play together multiplayer is as mess and isn't worth really being called 'multiplayer' imo: There's no way for player 2 to play their own character in your game, you can only import the appearance. Player 2 has NO own progress (fractions etc), is not able to buy skills or atleast USE different skills,…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Tl;DR: This game is NOT a cozy experience, in my opinion. It is roguelike, difficult, and healing is tough to find once you really get into the game. After a run, if you are not successful, you lose items and money found during the run. However, if you like magical Wizarding school games and you like tough roguelikes (Think crypt of the necrodancer, without the rhythmic part), then you may enjoy this game. but this game is advertised as cosy and chill and I do NOT feel either of those apply. I…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I've reported a bug that prevents me from creating new characters. I've provided developers all detail requested, followed their instructions. I've tried even reinstall completly, erase local files, disable cloud saves. After a year, it was not resolved. New bug is occuring for me which prevented me from playing entirely. Fortunately, I knoew from previous sessions how to erase local files and that helped. Development team does no longer exist. No more content ot bugfixes can be expected.…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →this was exactly the kind of magical chaos i needed!! i loved running around the academy, learning spells and experimenting with them to solve puzzles and deal with all kinds of strange situations. the mix of exploration, magic and roguelite elements makes every run feel a little different and the ability to combine spells in creative ways is definitely my favorite part. its cute, funny and surprisingly addictive once you start discovering what all your spells can do. a really charming little…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It sadly just didn't grab me. I wasn't a fan of the enemy targeting and everything just feels sluggish, from no dashing to switching and charging spells. The NPCs also feel really lacking and stale. I should have played the demo for more than ten minutes to get a better feel, that was my bad. I suggest giving the demo a full go before you make up your mind. It's not a bad game, just wasn't for me, I guess.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →After 22 hours, I have to say that I enjoyed this game despite it being "Roguelike". I'm typically not a fan of those types of games; However, the game hasn't been updated or anything in over a year, since its release so it gives me "devs have cashed their checks and abandoned it" vibes. Sad that this happens in games sometimes. Fun to play but becomes repetitive, so I'd give it a 3/5 stars.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A cute little wizard game where the you repeatedly bash the bad wizard with a chair until he gives up on world domination. Fun for about 10-20 hours of replay solo, before the game starts to become a grind. Presumably extra fun with friends, but I don't have friends :(
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →[Part 1] I like this game and wanted to give a thumbs up. I played the demo before deciding to buy the game. In the demo, I did 3 runs and fully completed each run. The "final boss" in the demo is unbeatable as the battle is scripted to end after his life is brought down to half. In my opinion, the demo is not a true reflection of the full game as it only covers the first level with limited spells available although you can replay it as many times as you want. But after getting 100% and jotting…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Soooo repetitive, I'm already bored after doing 5 full runs but the game in general has been designed with you doing at least 50-100 to unlock everything. - There are 3 zones with their own typical monsters, 1 boss at the end of each plus 1 main boss. You won't find a lot of surprises after a run or two since you easily get to the main boss on your 2nd or 3rd run. After then, no new monsters, no new biomes. - There are only a few enemy types beside the bosses. They have a different element to…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Fun, but I was shocked to see no Early Access sign. No voice acting, no animations, very limited customization. I was sure this still need more polish and quality of life. Oh well, it's a roguelike. I'll try co-op and keep playing to see if things picks up. Edit: damn, another game with potential, locked out of all further update and development due to funding. It's sad to see.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →At first glance Spells & Secrets looks like a cheap Harry Potter knockoff. And to be honest, it's exactly that but it also is a very fun and creative magic sandbox. You play as a new studet at a spell caster academy which totally isn't Hogwarts. The school however gets attacked by evil spellcasters on your very first night. You manage to get to the safe zone on the school yard but other students and even some of the teachers are still missing. So you decide to go look for them because that's…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →What an enchanting game! I just finished the main story, and I have to say I had a lot of fun. The Pros Wonderful art style - I love it when games are stylised and don't pursue realism at the cost of looking like every other game out there. The art style of both the characters as well as the environment gives this game its own unique atmosphere and it's really wonderful to look at. I love how all the clothing has physics applied to it and how cute all the enemies look. Fun…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Doesn't play nice on Steamdeck at all. Feels like a hassle to go through the spells which makes combat feel choppy. Will give it a go on PC later and perhaps edit the review.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →When evil creatures start roaming the halls of the magic academy of Greifenstein you grab your trusty wand and go forth to defend your school and kick some monster butt. The Story & Gameplay You are a student at the Academy of Greifenstein and your school has come under attack by magical creatures that you must defeat with your magical spells. This game is available in co-op but I played solo so I cannot comment on the co-op experience. It is also, very obviously, a game heavily inspired by…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It really is a cute game and I love anything fantasy-related so it was a great fill for that -- but my GOD is this ♥♥♥♥ repetitive. I want to keep grinding because I achievement hunt, but I'm only 5 hours in and already dreading going back into the dungeons every time rather than enjoying it. A great concept it just needs more range.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →fun rogue like but honestly a little too easy, beat the entire thing in about 32 minutes.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I actually really like the core gameplay, in which combat is more like a puzzle instead of a race to do damage. But ultimately I cannot recommend this game. There are too many frustrating choices that keep me from enjoying it: 1. While there are many cool spells to choose from, actually using them is incredibly clunky. Realistically, you can only use three of them at a time, and the process of switching them out is an unnecessary pain. 2. Friendly fire. For a game that sells itself as a…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Huge let down of a game, really railroaded on a very meh rogue-like structure. For a game with so many spells you can really only use 3 at a time and its all done very poorly. There not a lot challenge or a reason to continue playing.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game was fun for a short while but became less engaging over time. It wasn't very challenging, most bosses had very predictable and slow attack patterns and could be easily beaten on the first attempt. After 10 hours of gameplay, I had no motivation to play any more. Probably fun to play with a friend in co-op and maybe worth picking up on a good sale.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Looks fun, graphics are cute, but incredibly boring. You just do whatever is in front of you. No interesting choices or puzzles. Complete waste of money. Played for a half hour and couldn't keep my eyes open.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The best thing about this game is that it's not Harry Potter, so you can play wizards without supporting a TERF in the process! :)
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Spells and Secrets is a unique rogue lite. I really like the idea of a school as a dungeon and the magic theme. It looks cute, but gets hard at some points. I love it :3 Only meh thing is the co-op. It's not online, it's with split screen.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Spells & Secrets seemed like a nearly perfect game for me. I don’t usually play roguelites, but I enlisted my husband to help. :) We had a great time customizing our characters, playing through the storyline, dueling each other, and collecting everything there was to collect. But...I’d love something more to do than just grinding blindly to get all the items and achievements (and I’m usually all in on maxing out games, almost obsessively). It’s a fun co-op game, but playing solo could get…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →there was a rly good idea behind the game, but damn i tried to like it, i tried different play styles but if you wanna try out a lot of stuff you have to grind for it the game just felt bad, every combat was just unsatisfying game felt unpolished most of the time haven't played it coop, maybe that would've been more fun idk if there were updates to this, been a long while since i played it, but i can't recommend it, esp. not at full price
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Slightly off topic, I coined a new term _Potterlike_ which describes a game that features enough wizarding school hallmarks, including character and plot expies from _Harry Potter_ to adequately scratch those itches without supporting a neonazi billionaire that is in turn supporting a hate-driven purge movement. I have recently been playing _Spells & Secrets_ a German potterlike rogue-lite that has good play, if daft localization. There are some decent potterlikes out there. To be fair, I…
neutral · AI labelView post →I do enjoy the game, and think its very fun. However there are some things that make it very frustrating. If you leave a run you can easily return right back to the run no problems. However you cannot bring your co-op partner back into the game from that point. This led to a very sad girlfriend watching me as i fought one of the main bosses. The other thing that is annoying is the levitate ability. If your partner accidentally levitates you, which is very easy to do due to the buggy…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game isn't bad - and fine for the low sale price you can pick it up. It has some small design issues like most spells and artifact pickups being kind of useless, at best only for solving puzzles - clearly the intention is to exploit enemy weaknesses, but often it's better to just kill them. The bosses are extremely dull and in general, enemies are too bullet spongey - but maybe the game is balanced for coop, I played solo. What turns this from "cheap so recommended" to "not recommended"…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I confess I can't really tell the difference between the intro level and the next one. The classrooms look more or less the same, the monsters are more or less the same, and the key thing that I'm lacking is WHY DO I CARE? Obviously, this game appeals to a lot of players. I suppose I was hoping for more of a story and less of a dungeon grind where every level looks pretty much the same. I didn't play it for very long, so I'm not recommending people NOT buy the game. I just can't recommend…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Much better than... that other game. If you're deciding between this game and the game that should not be named, go with this game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Short playtime review, but I found the experience unsatisfying. The mechanics and controls are not tight or responsive enough for the gameplay type, and the trappings around the lackluster mechanical core did not compensate sufficiently to bring me back after my first foray into the game.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →tl;dr - this feels like an ezpz game for non-gamers had a lot of fun with this game, but would i recommend? it depends. if you're looking for a hardcore ARPG and a challenge, absolutely not. but if you're looking for something simple that you can turn your brain off with, or that you can play with your SO (or children maybe? people still have those right?), or maybe a gift for a pair of youngsters in your life, this is a solid game. there is a learning curve (albeit not very steep), but it is…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Let's do the usual "should be neutral, leaning positive (because co-op)" routine. Spells & Secrets is a very generic action-roguelike. The major upside is its co-op capability. The downsides are numerous execution problems. Let's start with the action core: you get a variety of spells, most of them being useful. You get a variety of enemies, each disabled in a (mostly) different way. Combining spells and using them in appropriate situations creates decent tactical richness. In-run progression…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Check out our [url=store.steampowered.com/curator/36364102-Horny-Hentai-Festival/]Steam curator , [url=www.youtube.com/curatorhhf/]YouTube channel and [url=twitter.com/hhfcurator]Twitter! "Spells & Secrets" is an action game by rokaplay / Alchemist Interactive. If you are interested in Hogwarts Legacy around, this could be your fav! Defeat evil foes to save your magical academy with your friend or alone. The fun and deep roguelite element let you enjoy the game more!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is a really great Hades-like. Go through the randomized levels, beat the slightly varied boss at the end of each level, then fight the big bad boss. Repeat a few times to get the true ending. It controls well, plays well, runs on the steam deck well and is just a bunch of fun. This one shakes it up by making you a wizard, and putting secrets everywhere. It's actually really smart - some of the puzzles are hard to figure out and require you to use your spells in fun ways. And speaking…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Awesome art, really cool idea. Super fun at first, but then it gets pretty ♥♥♥♥♥♥. Entertaining for juuuuust long enough to not get a refund.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →[Prime/GOG] Spells & Secrets. Indie ~~Harry Potter~~ *unbranded wizard school* adventure for Windows, free on GOG for Amazon Prime subscribers until 23rd October >In Spells & Secrets, you are a first-year student of the magic arts, arriving at the Academy of Greifenstein. Set in a world and time like ours, you are excited to live and learn together with your fellow students and professors at the impressive magical castle. A strange incident on your first day throws the school into turmoil.…
neutral · AI labelView post →Honestly I'm so sad. I was so hyped for this game and had been following it for so long. Finally got around to buy it and it was just so disappointing... The dialog is bad, like real bad, you don't feel any connection at all with the characters and the game-play is just so meh. The story starts out of nowhere, you don't even experience the school without you being thrown to the wolves on your own. It's a shame, I was really looking forward to this game but its just so boring and not up to any…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Cute and cozy roguelike with interesting mechanics. A lot of spells and combinations of them. Artifacts can change gameplay drastically. Huge amount of riddles. Pretty nice feeling of progression. Haven't tried co-op but from what I've seen I assume its pretty fun too. To complete storyline you need 8-10 hours. It could've been amazing game but there are some critical drawbacks. Its pretty easy and it would be nice if there was some ng+ or hard mode. Its getting harder during storyline but not…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →nobody reads the reviews so i'm gay
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →advertising your game as a cosy roguelite but making progression impossibly slow, the dungeons repetitive and boring to run through, and drip feeding a very basic story is not a good look </3 maybe play this if you're looking for a hard roguelike but there are waaay better options for that too.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Think of it like Hades. You do a run and gather a load of stuff until you die and then lose it all, start again, but being able to upgrade your spells and stuff and get stronger each go. It's a fun game solo, however I specifically purchased 2 copies of this game because a) I wanted my husband to play with me because b) the reviews hyped that co op was so much more fun. Scrap that. You can't play co op on PC. My husband was only able to watch me play. That being said, this is a really cute…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Game is fun but feels quite repetitive when playing as a single player. It is probably more fun as a co-op game, as soon as you lose your health you start again, although you do get to keep your experience, which is the main way to buy new spells.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game could be good but there's just too much off about it. It seems like the best spell is the first spell because of how fast it charges and the damage. It just feels like a really bad dodging simulator.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Update after 9 hours (initial review below). I have 3 achievements left, all are based on finding one last artifact which, as other players have the same issue, is bugged and therefore the game can't be fully completed at the moment. It wasn't fun to grind with no challenge. It is horrible that you prolong playthrough just to find out that you actually can't get all collectibles. Speaking of bugs, main three from the top of my head (ignoring that one of the artifacts is not attainable): can't…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Fantastic, brilliant game. First time playing a rogue lite and I am completely enchanted *wink wink*. IMPORTANT: they advertise this as a COOP, but it really is not that simple. Unfortunately, coop is only available through Stream Remote Play *womp womp* and even then both players need a controller... Quite disappointing.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Hey there's this Wizard Game that I'm interested in... ...and it wasn't created by a Transphobe. Imagine that? Playing Spells & Secrets today for comfy times! #furry #furrylive #TransRightsAreHumanRights
positive · AI labelView post →Not bad, just Meh.... The art is pretty and the overall esthetic is charming as hell, music wise, graphic wise, story and gameplay wise. It basically a cozy action roguelite, and I really loved the idea and props for character creation with a roguelike game. However, the combat just feels too slow and non engaging for me, its all walking, no dodging, charging, waiting, not enough chill to be "cozy combat", but not enough action to keep me engaged, I didnt kept me interested longer than I did,…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'm not much enjoy the game. The controls for targeting can be wonky at times. And you do much better in co-op than solo.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Breakdown of my emotions during playtime: First hour: What are those controls???? Eventually, I got used to it (keyboard controls at least, I don't think this is playable with gamepads. More info in co-op section), but the first hour was frustrating. Hour 2-5: Actually quite fun. However you beat the game fairly early (took me 5 hours) and afterwards the fun disappears quite fast. Hour 5-31: Trying to 100% this game (I wanted to unlock all clothing options and the rest is not very far off…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Killed everything in the classroom including myself by casting fireball. 10/10
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →First of all, this game is so cute I am in love with it. I would go as far as to say that if you want a good entry level to the Rogue lite/like genre this is it. This is a delightful and guilt-free wizard school experience!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great game! I played it with my partner and its been fun so far! This isn't an RPG or some large open world game if you were looking for that. It is a fun puzzle game with procedurally generated runs of the same-ish school setting. I liked that the developers let you back out and backtrack in the runs so if you happened on the boss room too quickly you could just zone backwards and follow a different path. I like the central-hub area that you get to be in when you aren't doing run-through. I…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Not a bad game but slow and simple. Like, this is for young children simple. Not for anyone over the age of 10 in my opinion.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A very fun game, especially in co-op. There are a lot of creative ways to combine spells. Unfortunately, there are also a lot of bugs. I had to restart the game frequently and abandon runs when it was impossible to progress due to bugs. Despite this, it is still fun to play.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game really feels like the perfect fit, and it's exactly what I'm looking for in terms of genre, art style, and progression. Spells & Secrets is a cute and wholesome roguelike with simple mechanics and a forgiving design that's not much affected by a bad roll or your own mistakes. I really wish there were more games out there like it! I have a lot of roguelikes in my library that I just don't touch anymore because the art is too violent or spooky, or the time I put into a run seems wasted…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Wow. This game really subverted my expectations. I thought it was going to be childish fun with fireballs and whatnot, but it's a pretty comprehensive rogue game. Aesthetically its a gem. A decent starting lot for customizing your wizard with added achievements to unlock more outfits. The world design is gorgeous with unique and challenging mobs and puzzles. And ahooo the spells! They're so fun to play around with. Upgradable with multiple combinations. You really feel like you can strategize…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is a fairly well put together wizard rogue-lite. There are many aspects of progress to your adventures that are not immediately apparent to the player, but once the hub is fully open, the way forward becomes much easier. Items, spells and potions are all available in excess. This game features puzzles and strategies that require a bit of thought and creativity, and it's somewhat rare to see magic games attempt puzzles at all, let alone feel rewarding. Though the "Secrets" aspect is a bit…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →We're branching off from our scheduled game today to try out a new game that came out recently: Spells & Secrets!! PLUS there will be a chance for you to win your own key to the game! Come vibe!~ Twitch.tv/GothiccValkerie #ENVtuber #Vtuber #ValkLIVE
neutral · AI labelView post →Many reviewers talked about roguelite and balance, but I wanna discuss the story part of this game. "Oh, but it's not meant to be a story-rich game!" Alright, and yet the devs try to incorporate the story by: - leaving notes in each room (they do not get saved btw, if you want to connect the dots, i guess you gotta remember all of them individually) - saving schoolmates and like A LOT of them. and all they do is take up place in the hub, give you a single piece of advice and some exp - having…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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