Magician Lord[a] is a side-scrolling action-platform arcade video game developed by Alpha Denshi and originally published by SNK on April 26, 1990.

[2] When the evil sorcerer Gal Agiese breaks free from his imprisonment and steals the magic tomes that were used against him centuries ago, the magician Elta embarks on a journey to recover the stolen magic tomes from the hands of Gal and his followers before the god of destruction, Az Atorse, is revived and destroys both the land of Cadacis and the world.

Upon its original release, Magician Lord received praise for its colorful and detailed graphics, sound department, gameplay and for being a showcase of the capabilities of the Neo Geo, though critics felt divided in regards to the difficulty and was considered a financial flop in arcades,[3] despite the positive reception it garnered.

One of the main features of the game is the ability to transform into powerful beings by picking up combinations of colored orbs found throughout the stages inside treasure chests, granting the player new forms to attack enemies and bosses.

Elta, the last descendant of the "Magician Lord", goes on a journey to retrieve the eight magical tomes from Gal and his henchmen, before Az is completely resurrected.

[13] Development and planning of Magician Lord started in the first quarter of 1989,[14] a year before the Neo Geo was announced and released to the public in Japan.

[31] The game has received multiple re-releases in recent years on various digital distribution platforms such as the Virtual Console, PlayStation Network, Nintendo eShop and Xbox Live.

GamePro gave the Neo Geo version ratings of 5 out of 5 in all five categories of Graphics, Sound, Gameplay, Fun Factor and Challenge, and called it the best action game for the system.

[59] IGN gave the Virtual Console release of Magician Lord a rating of 6.5 out of 10 stating that fans of Capcom's Ghouls 'N Ghosts and Castlevania series will appreciate this title.

[61] Nintendo Life gave it 7 out of 10 saying that "Magician Lord is still a classic game and the fact that people still regard it as a decent platform romp speaks volumes for the quality of this appealing title".

[5][6][7] It was eventually moved to the Neo Geo CD as a non-linear, free exploration platform game, serving the same purpose as Crossed Swords II did when it came for the system, but was cancelled during development along with a sequel to Crystalis.

If the darkness outweighed the light of the land, Gal Agiese and Az Atorse would be resurrected for the third time, and wreak havoc upon Cadacis once more.