Masters of Anima
By David Chapman,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Lighthearted fantasy game summons fun while saving world.

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What’s It About?
In MASTERS OF ANIMA, players are put in the role of Otto, an apprentice Shaper with a huge task ahead of him. Shapers are skilled magic wielders, gifted with the ability to take "anima" and use it to summon forth armies of creatures known as Guardians. Otto returns home from a recent trial to discover that an evil Shaper named Zahr has begun summoning massive Golems to wreak havoc across the land. Worse still, as part of his dark plans, Zahr has taken Otto's fiancée, the Supreme Shaper Ana, and split her essence into three parts, scattered to the winds. Now it's up to Otto to face his greatest trial yet. He must summon and command his own Guardian army to recover the pieces of Ana's soul, restore her to life, and save the world from Zahr in the process.
Is It Any Good?
This lighthearted fantasy strategy game will bring you back to summon fun along with your troops as you try to save the world. In Masters of Anima, they say there's strength in numbers, but that's only half the story, because it's what you do with those numbers that really tells the tale. From the moment you summon your first group of axe-wielding protectors, you'll need to keep your ever-growing army under tight control. Most threats are too much for Otto to handle alone, and many hazards can only be overcome by Guardians and their magic. Many times, this leads to situations where you have to summon certain units, divvy up troops, and send them to fight raging Golems or clear pesky obstacles from your path (or both), all while trying to keep Otto alive in the midst of chaos.
That intensity doesn't let up just because you get more minions to control, either. In fact, the more Guardians you have, the easier it is to lose control. You might lose a chunk of Guardians in a battle or even accidentally leave some behind and never notice until right before you need them. Since Guardians are fueled by anima, a finite resource scattered around the landscape, it's entirely possible (and likely) that when you need them most, you won't be able to summon the help you need. While all that micromanagement might seem overwhelming, Masters of Anima does a surprisingly good job of balancing things out. Sure, it can get a little frustrating at times, but never so much that you want to give up. Thanks to some generous checkpoints and fluid gameplay, each time you're defeated, you learn a little something and can usually progress a little further. Just as Otto grows from his role as an apprentice Shaper, so do you. Couple that with the game's lighthearted, colorful style, and you'll want to summon up Masters of Anima whenever you're in the mood for some classic fantasy fun.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about violence in video games. Is the violence in Masters of Anima acceptable because there isn't graphic violence shown during battle? Is the combat more problematic because you're constantly fighting, even though it isn't bloody?
Talk about teamwork. How can working together as a team help you overcome obstacles? What are some good ways to work as a part of a team?
Game Details
- Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox One
- Pricing structure: Paid
- Available online?: Available online
- Publisher: Focus Home Interactive
- Release date: April 10, 2018
- Genre: Adventure
- Topics: Magic and Fantasy, Adventures, Monsters, Ghosts, and Vampires
- ESRB rating: E10+ for Fantasy Violence
- Last updated: March 19, 2019
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