In contrast to the role-playing games that traditionally dominate the magic and high-fantasy genres, Magicka has no character class structure.

Similarly, there is no "mana bar" or energy meter that limits the use of special abilities, and players are able to access a majority of the most powerful spells from the beginning of the game.

The game is also exceptionally scant in its utilization of powerup items, as one of the developers' goals was to shift focus away from the acquisition of material goods, or "loot", as player motivation.

The game contains eight base elements (water, life, shield, cold, lightning, arcane, earth and fire) which can be mixed and combined to cast spells.

A physics system is included within the game; explosions can send players and monsters flying across the screen, and wizards can use spray spells to push or knock back targets.

Weapons vary from regular swords with no special effects, to a magical mace that sets enemies ablaze with fire, to an M60 machine gun.

One to four wizards from Castle Aldrheim (the players) are sent by their teacher, Vlad, to protect the city of Havindir from an increasing number of orc attacks who have all united under the leadership of a warlord named Khan.

The Order throw the departing wizards a good bye party but during it they are accidentally dropped into the dungeon and have to find their way out, this acts as the game tutorial.

Vlad hangs back to act as a rear guard as the wizards go on to face Grimnir only to find out that he is being manipulated by a powerful deamon called Assatur who resides in the ethereal realm.

Future Vlad now acts as a ghostly guide as he sends the wizards to find someone called the Count in the Myrkur Swamps who will know of Fafnirs whereabouts.

Once the goblins are defeated and the mines cleared the wizards enter the swamp to find it full of undead creatures.

The wizards lack social skills and so cannot explain the situation and the fact they have been sent back in time and are forced to fight Vlad until they lose and are sent to Niflheim, the home of the dead.

Fafnir believes the wizards have come to steal his treasure and fights them until Future Vlad arrives to tell him they are here to learn the magick to defeat Assatur.

The game's first expansion is Magicka: Vietnam,[4] a short themed co-op campaign and a single challenge map which was released on April 12 on Steam, GamersGate and other digital distribution channels.

[5] The expansion takes its artistic liberty further by setting the background in the Vietnam War and fighting Vietcong-themed enemies, with weapons in that era.

The expansion pack adds a new challenge location; a haunted marsh involving waves of undead.

On October 27, 2011, Magicka: The Stars are Left was announced as the game's second expansion—this time much larger and including an all new story/adventure mode.

The expansion has a Lovecraftian, Cthulhu theme and includes two robes, two bosses, seven enemies and more items and magicks.

It adds three new robes (based on various fictional Doctors) to the game, as well at the titular laboratory as an Arena map.

[12] In October 2018, the game was pulled from sale and support for it ceased in December due to it being incompatible with the General Data Protection Regulation.

A novel written by Dan McGirt and published by Paradox Interactive called Magicka: The Ninth Element was released on November 7, 2013.

It was closed July 21, 2016 due to a small player base and the large cost of running the servers.