Near-Mage

Near-Mage is a story-driven adventure about Illy Vraja, a teenager invited to Transylvania by her mysterious Great-Aunt, Domnica. Illy discovers that she comes from a long line of witches and can enroll at the Transylvanian Institute for Magick, where she attends a summer preparatory school and studies to become a full-fledged spell caster. As she learns different kinds of Magick, her choices and growing powers can affect the people around her for better or worse.

Transylvania and its stories

You can travel freely between three main hubs: the real-life town of Sighișoara, the mythical town of Rakus, hidden beyond a Magickal veil and unseen by most, and the Transylvanian Institute for Magick. The three realms draw on Transylvanian architecture, myths and landscapes, while the world incorporates the region’s lore, legends and superstitions. You meet a cast of quirky characters, each with their own secrets, and uncover the hidden stories of the people who live there as well as ancient mysteries.

Classes and spellcraft

You choose which classes to take and which spells to learn. You can pick classes freely or consult recipes in a spellbook to plan your spell inventory and build. The spells can produce different results in each play-through, and you choose how and when to cast them as you approach situations at the Institute and its surroundings.

These choices can shape the world, change the outcomes of some quest lines and affect certain NPCs’ fates. For example, you might erase an NPC’s memory in one play-through, then use a different spell—or no spell at all—in another. The game follows a structured story journey while leaving room to decide how you develop Illy’s powers and handle the situations she encounters.

Controls and movement

You can play using point-and-click controls or control Illy directly. Walk or run to objectives, or fly there.