Nine Parchments

Nine Parchments is a top-down co-operative action RPG from Frozenbyte, the studio behind the Trine series. You play as one of several runaway apprentice wizards who have bolted from their academy and decided to track down nine lost parchments to fill out their spellbooks. The setup is deliberately thin - this is not a story-driven experience, and if you come in expecting meaningful narrative choices or layered worldbuilding, you will leave disappointed. What you get instead is a colorful, chaotic spell-slinging romp that works best as a couch co-op game with two to four players who do not mind burning each other alive by accident. The core loop is simple and satisfying in short bursts. Each apprentice character has a distinct elemental affinity and a growing roster of spells unlocked as you progress through the game's stages. You collect staves, hats, and robes that modify your stats and spell power, and you level up to access new abilities. The build variety is present but shallow - most choices revolve around which elements you want to double down on and which passive bonuses you prioritize. Past the midgame, meaningful build decisions are limited, which is a shame because the spell combinations actually interact in clever ways. Freeze an enemy with one player's ice bolt, then shatter them with another's staff strike, and you feel briefly like an arcane genius. The problem is the game never pushes that system hard enough to make it feel essential. Friendly fire is on by default, and this is both the game's biggest comedy engine and its most consistent source of frustration. In solo play it is a non-issue since you control only one apprentice, but the AI companions are unreliable in ways that range from amusing to actively irritating. Solo runs are noticeably less engaging, and the game's pacing exposes its repetitive level design without friends to distract you. Stages start to blur together around the halfway point, and the absence of meaningful story beats or character dialogue means there is little pulling you forward except completion. The boss encounters add some variety but are not especially inventive. Visually, Nine Parchments leans hard into the same warm storybook aesthetic Frozenbyte used in Trine, and it is genuinely attractive. Environments are lush and detailed, character designs are charming, and spell effects are punchy. The soundtrack holds up well over multiple sessions. Where the game stumbles is in its overall content depth. At around six to eight hours for a first run, it does not overstay its welcome, but replay value depends almost entirely on whether you want to unlock the remaining characters or chase higher difficulty settings with friends. For what it is - a casual co-op spell-caster meant for weekend sessions with friends - Nine Parchments delivers a reasonably fun time. It is not trying to be a deep ARPG, and that honesty is fair enough. But the shallow progression, repetitive stages, and thin solo experience mean it sits firmly in the "fun with the right people, forgettable otherwise" category. If your group wants a breezy alternative to something like Magicka, this fits that niche without demanding much from anyone. Monika, Scout Team