Celebrate Canada Day with Canadian Game Developers!

July 1st, 2025

It’s Canada Day today and we at Chalgyr thought it’d be a great idea to feature a couple of existing and upcoming Canadian games for today’s press release. There is no specific order to the games mentioned in this post, so without further ado, let’s talk in maple syrup and amazing poutine. We may even throw in some Beavertails, because they’re just soo good.

Over the years we’ve seen some amazing games that have been developed by Canadian companies. Some of my personal favourites are games like Mages of Mystralia which I had the stellar fortune to write a review for a different site; although one of our fantastic colleagues wrote a fabulous review here on CGR. Find that review here: https://www.chalgyr.com/2017/06/mages-of-mystralia-pc-review.html  

For those unfamiliar, Mages of Mystralia is an action RPG that is neat because you can customize your own spells to solve puzzles and take out big bads. It’s also special because the legendary Ed Greenwood (creator of several D&D worlds) wrote several aspects of the story for the game! Interested? Check out the Steam page and grab it for 75% off the normal retail price! It’s only $5.49 Canadian right now until the 14th!

Another favourite Canadian Game that is worth it to grab is none other than Spiritfarer: Farewell Edition. This is a single player story based game that is centered around management. It’s a spectacular game released by Thunder Lotus Games and it kicks you in the gut because it is a story about taking people to the spirit world after they have passed. While that may seem a little tough to stomach, the game allows you to tackle death in a positive way. The Farewell Edition of the game can be purchased for $3.89 Canadian, which is 90% off the retail price! Make sure to pick it up before July 10th to get the deal!

For those of you that enjoy space games, another title took over the Twitch directory for a bit is none other than Hardspace: Shipbreaker. This is a sandbox puzzle game designed around breaking down ships. It is a gorgeous looking game that is on sale for 65% off right now. If you missed out, don’t fear because it’s less than $20 Canadian!

I’ve seen a ton of people embrace the idea of daily management. To help with that, you can pick up Spirit City: Lofi Sessions made by Mooncube Games, a Canadian company. The title is centered around management of your personal tasks for the day or week. Your space is highly customizable so that you can create a space that helps you focus on your real life tasks. It even comes with an amazing lofi soundtrack to help you maintain focus. Honestly, Spirit City: Lofi Sessions is worth it to grab if you need a program to keep track of your daily tasks. Get it now for $10.04! 

In fact, there are tons of Canadian companies that have released fun and interesting games including Lost Records: Rage & Bloom which was developed by Dontnod Montreal, as well as the ever biggest Canadian shooter Warframe by Digital Extremes which is based out of London, Ontario. However, you may be wondering what games are coming out from Canadian companies that you can set your sights on. 

Upcoming Games

I mentioned that one of my favourite games is Mages of Mystralia, so I’m excited to remind readers that a new game in the same world and that is Echoes of Mystralia. It is an Action Adventure game by Borealys Games which builds upon the spell crafting concept that we know and love. The graphics are updated yet familiar, and it looks like it will be a ton of fun to play. I can’t wait for this title to get a release date!

Developer Riyo Games is releasing a title called Threads of Time which is a Turn-based JRPG. The graphics are beautiful and you get to play as couple of different characters and travel through time where you will uncover a plot that may unravel all timelines. It’s a bold concept but also quite interesting, at least it is in my opinion. Feel free to check it out here and perhaps even wishlist it!

Treehouse Games has a beautiful cooperative survival crafting game releasing on August 5th.  It’s called Voyagers of Nera and it requires you to survive in a magical ocean world where deadly monsters and lost spirits linger. When it releases on August 5, it will be in an early access state where players will be able to submit feedback about the game and its features. If you want to sail the high seas and take out various hostile creatures, be sure to check it out. Wishlist it on Steam here:  

Final Remarks

This Canada Day, be sure to check out all sorts of titles released or upcoming on Steam. You can click on the Canadian Game Sale banner until July 8th for fantastic titles, or be sure to follow the Canadian Games Dev group to keep an eye on upcoming games!

Article by: Susan N.

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Mages of Mystralia - PS4 Review

With a core concept such as 'creating magic', Mages of Mystralia gets off to a great start. The visuals ooze charm and the game itself is a lot of fun to play. There are some rough edges here and there, but fans of fantastical adventure games should find a great deal to enjoy here.

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Week in Review - June 5th - 9th

Welcome back to the weekend and this Week's in Review!

Monday Nick lead off the week with Pox Nora which brought some retro RPG strategy to the PS4.

"What personally makes Pox Nora addicting for me is the collectable card game element. Anyone who has read my reviews over the years likely knows that this genre has long been a favorite of mine, both in physical and video game formats."

- Nick

Later that day Nick broke back out the VR headset for Age of Heroes VR. He just keeps giving me reasons to get one!

" Age of Heroes VR wears some pretty familiar inspirations on its sleeve. It really tries to harness the feeling of major boss fights from MMOs, all while delivering it in an immersive virtual reality experience. Some aspects of this title work better than others, but the potential here is pretty hard to deny."

- Nick

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Starting Tuesday morning off Nick took to the killing fields with Crossout for some multiplayer action. The experience seems to be solid enough and worth looking into!

"Crossout is a pretty solid game, but one that is angled to hit you pretty hard on the microtransactions unless you spend a ton of time with it."

- Nick

Now for something we haven't had in a while, an Anime Review! Robert got to sit down with the latest season of RWBY in which multiple staff members are fans of the series such as Breanna and Richard. Worth watching? Sounds like it! <- Aka I still need to catch up...

"With a voice cast that puts larger productions to shame, an audio engineering department that movie studios should envy, and a knack for nailing openings that few other anime can, RWBY Volume 4 is a welcome addition to any fan's library."

- Robert

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Kicking the mid week off is Dark Rose Valkyrie in which Nick took Compile Hearts and Idea Factory's newest entry for a spin.

"There is a nice mix of new and shiny that works nicely with established JRPG norms to create an experience that I enjoyed the majority of the time - but probably won't be for everyone."

- Nick

The afternoon saw my review of Cladun Returns: This Is Sengoku! I don't need many words for this one. It was awesome!

"Cladun Returns is exactly what the series needed in order to make a successful comeback. Originally for the PSP, this newest entry is releasing for both the newer PlayStation handheld as well as the big box that sits in your living room."

- Pierre-Yves

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Kicking off thursday morning like royalty I shared my time with Regalia: Of Men and Monarchs which blends multiple styles very well for a good comedic tactical experience.

" Regalia: Of Men and Monarchs is an amazing experience and it's definitely more than the sum of its parts. From the RPG elements to the town and relationship building each piece fits right in beside the other making for a very memorable experience."

- Pierre-Yves

Only adding to the day is another great experience with Mages of Mystralia.

"On a whole Mages of Mystralia is very well build and enjoyable for hours at a time."

- Pierre-Yves

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Yesterday started off with a bang with Robert's Review of Victor Vran for the PS4. Having gotten to play it once again was awesome as we both got to dive back into Zagoravia coop styled!

"All in all Victor Vran: Overkill Edition is a spectacular port of a stunning game. Though much of the initial "first experience" is past, revisiting it again after two years is still a thrilling ride."

- Robert

Finishing off the week is my first look at Black the Fall. Nick had already taken a look at it years ago and it was interesting to see how it had evolved since.

"Careful calculated maneuvers even when running are paramount to survival otherwise you won't be guiding him very far."

- Pierre-Yves

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Article by Pierre-Yves

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Mages of Mystralia - PC Review

If Nox and Magicka had a baby, Mages of Mystralia would be it. Fun, easy to get into, it won’t take long before you are swinging magic like a pro as you guide Zia on her adventure, crafted by Ed Greenwood and the team from Borealys Games from Montreal.

There are a few taglines that we just love to groan about every time that we hear them. “Custom Crafted Spells” had me intrigued but I wasn’t holding my breath. Maybe I should have because the magic system alone is awesome.

Like all good things, Magic and being a Mage / Wizard / Insert any other moniker here was ruined by a madman now known as the Mad King. Now that those left are in hiding instead of revered, Zia unfortunately comes into her power as she unintentionally burns her Uncle’s home to the ground and is now on the run from her village. Found a short while later by a man calling himself her mentor, it’s time to learn how to manipulate the arcane.

Ok let’s be honest for a moment that Zia’s teacher is involved with her learning as much as a random quest giver. Actually some of them have been more involved, but beside the point. The true learning comes at the hand of a sentient spellbook and while he sounds super evil (audibly), he’s actually quite useful and nicer than half the people you meet on your adventure. Can’t judge a… sorry. Almost cannot help it.

Zia’s spellbook teaches her the basics of craft with the four elements that she has access to. Fire, Ice, Electricity and Air create the foundations of Zia’s repertoire and alone these don’t do much. Make a bit of Ice on water to walk over it. Light a campsite with a small Fire. Stand your ground with an Air shield against heavy currents. Smack Goblins that try to ambush you with some Electricity. All very useful in specific circumstances but outside of that? They are kind of lame powers for a Mage. This is where crafting your own custom spells comes into play.

While the book provides the basics, the rest will be picked up throughout the lands either through story progression or by completing challenges and puzzles that will reward you with Runes. Each spell that Zia can cast sits on a board that Runes can be slotted into in order to make modifications. Fire and Air for example can add movement runes in which one of them will create fireballs while the other will allow Zia to dash quickly instead of having to walk everywhere.

Many other Runes exist which can add effects such as burning for fire or paralysis through Electricity. These are fun to have in your repertoire and useful in combat but where things get really good is when you can start chaining Runes together for some really cool effects.

The “Right” Rune for example will make the spell turn right. Fire + Move + Right will have a Fireball soaring to the right instead of straight ahead. It’s these little details that add up as you really can have your spells your way. More than this, you’re also not always stuck modifying these said spells for each situation. Multiple spells can be created and swapped between on the fly allowing for a fair amount of versatility in the field.

Gameplay is based around these concepts for both exploration and combat. Often if it looks like you can’t get by a passageways or there’s a block in the road it’s because you either haven’t looked around enough or you don’t have the proper Rune yet. Sometimes there’ll be a hint font near a challenge that can tell you if you are even close to being able to succeed before offering a paid hint with Zia’s hard earned currency but at least you didn’t have to pay first and then find out that you couldn’t even pull it off in the first place.

Exploration is well designed and gave off a bit of that old school retro adventure vibe. Roads can lead to caves or villages and everything is more interconnected that you realize as you start gaining more Runes that let you go further past a block in the road. That or you use your head and the living creatures in the environment to your advantage. Hey, it’s not your fault they go boom and can remove that giant boulder in Zia’s path. Everything works though and blends well together leaving you to your imagination as to how exactly that you’re going to pull things off.

Combat relies direction on your spell usage as Zia does not fight with her own hands. Everything is done with magic and creativity is key to winning easily. After a certain point Zia gains the ability to chain spells together through the Rune system. This means that a Fireball an end in a patch of Ice. Electricity attacks can end with a bit of Fire or an actual Fireball. Dashing into an enemy with Air can lead to that previously mentioned Fire or Ice spell for more damage. These are all the tiny examples as the spell system as your basic Electricity attack and chain in the large explosive version of it that can remove obstacles and enemy shielding. Two attack, one swing, all the Mana that would otherwise be used however is used.

This is about the only issue that can come around as if Zia runs out of Mana then you my friends are a bit screwed until she starts to regenerate her Mana pool. There are ways in order to replenish it but the stock is both limited and relies on your exploration in order to hold more than one of these items through almost its own overarching side quest.

Even with this little issue (or you just need to learn to get better <- I’ll let you know when I get there and stop exhausting my damned Mana Pool all the time), Combat is fun. Up close and personal or far back where the enemy can’t touch you, both are solid and required for the Boss fights which can be quite epic in both design and size.

One final point that I want to make is that Mages of Mystralia is designed for a controller and it’s not the first to do so of late. Playable with a keyboard and mouse there is a notification stating that it is best experienced with a controller and they aren’t wrong. There are plans for a console release on both the PS4 and the XB1 and from what I’ve already seen it should be a pretty smooth transition.

On a whole Mages of Mystralia is very well build and enjoyable for hours at a time. Starting off I was a bit skeptical with the idea of being able to craft your own spells and how it would work out but the systems in place are solid while also nudging the player to go out and explore a bit more because you can only craft with what you know and sometimes? What you need to know is found quite a distance off of the beaten path.

Game Information

Platform:
PC
Developer(s):
Borealys Games
Publisher(s):
Borealys Games
Genre(s):
Action
Adventure
Mode(s):
Single Player
Other Platform(s):
(Soon)
Sony PlayStation 4
Microsoft Xbox One

Source:
Provided by Publisher

Article by Pierre-Yves

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