Simulation
Mind Over Magic
Give it 2 hours
Gets good by 2h almost every game dips in hours 2–3
Fully opens up by 35h rated like by long-time players
Reach the ending 4% of players who started
Started playing 61% of owners
Steam reviews 87% positive of 4,509
What the data shows
- In the first 2 hours almost 1 in 2 reviews are negative (44%); after 35h it's 1 in 12 (8%).
- Fully opens up by hour 35.
- 4% of players who start reach the ending.
- Most players drop off before “Larva Slayer” (Defeat the Burrower Larva): only 21% of starters get there.
- Only 61% of owners have even the first achievement — the rest barely played.
When it gets good
Share of positive reviews by how many hours the reviewer had played when writing the review.
before it gets good opening up fully opened up
Based on all 4,531 Steam reviews in every language. Median playtime in a sample of 299 reviews: 54.6h for positive, 11.6h for negative. Almost every game is rated lower in the first 2–3 hours: that window includes refunds and quick first impressions. What matters is how deep the dip is and how fast the game recovers.
Where players quit
Share of players who started the game and reached each story milestone. 100% is the most common achievement (61.1% of owners), so people who bought the game and never launched it don't count.
- Started playing 100%
- Larva Slayer Defeat the Burrower Larva Most players quit here 21% −79
- Spitter Slayer Defeat the Burrower Spitter 10% −11
- Corrupted Slayer Defeat the Corrupted 4% −6
- Cursebreaker Lift the Curse and banish the Fog. 4%
story milestone ending biggest drop-off
Story milestones were labeled by AI from achievement names and descriptions; mistakes are possible.
All achievements (82)
story milestone ending side
- To the Surface Perform a Repel Fog Ritual at the Mana Font. 100%
- Combat Adept Win a battle. 79%
- Arcane Secretary Analyst Research a new tech at the Arcane Secretary. 75%
- Your Very First Student Summon a Student. 70%
- Gruel Pot Gourmet Cook a meal at a Gruel Pot. 65%
- Ghostbuster Close a Spectral Rift before it spawns a Poltergeist. 58%
- Walking Ancient Halls Open the Stone Ruins. 54%
- Life Finds a Way Open the Fungal Caverns. 52%
- Your Very First Graduate Graduate a Student. 48%
- Gainful Employment Perform a Hire Staff Ritual at a Ritual Sigil. 48%
- Workplace Hazards Open the Lava Mines. 47%
- Quick Study Fully Train a Student less than 2 days after they enter your school. 42%
- From Death's Door Perform a Revive Ritual at a Medical Bed. 40%
- Alchemist's Station Artisan Use Alchemy to make a Potion at the Alchemist's Station. 40%
- Relic Attuner Attune a Relic to a Mage. 39%
- Quilted Quickstitcher Use Quilting to make a Quilted helper at a Spindle. 38%
- Open Sesame Open the Nexus Gateway. 37%
- Combat Savant Win 25 battles. 36%
- Power, At a Cost Perform a Tier II Wand Upgrade Ritual at a Wand Transfigurator in the Underschool. 34%
- Unbinder Rescue a Cursebound Mage. 32%
- Trials and Tribulations Pass 30 different Student Trials. 29%
- Apprenticeship Promote an Initiate to an Apprentice. 27%
- Dragon Wok Diner Cook a meal at a Dragon Wok. 24%
- Larva Slayer Defeat the Burrower Larva 21%
- Golden Years Perform a Retire Ritual at a Ritual Sigil. 19%
- A Proactive Solution Hunt a Fog Incarnation and kill it before it reaches the school. 17%
- Edge of the World Repel the Fog all the way to the end of the world. 16%
- In Memorium Perform a Hold Funeral Ritual at a Modest Grave. 16%
- Combat Master Win 100 battles. 15%
- New Look Change a Mage’s appearance at the Magic Mirror. 15%
- More Power, At a Cost Perform a Tier III Wand Upgrade Ritual at a Greater Wand Transfigurator in the Underschool. 14%
- Begone! Perform an Expel or Dismiss Ritual at a Ritual Sigil. 13%
- Ultimate Magic Cast an Ultimate Spell in battle. 12%
- Group Project Perform a Group Project Ritual at a Chalkboard 12%
- Relic Master Attune 50 total relics to Mages. 12%
- Decoction Apparatus Deviser Use Alchemy to make a Potion at the Decoction Apparatus. 12%
- Mortal Snail Hunt a Breathstealer and kill it before it kills any Mages. 12%
- Adventure Awaits! Send a Mage away from the school on a Quest. 11%
- A Magical Realm Open the Nexus. 11%
- Dragon Chainbreaker Rescue the Ember Dragon. 10%
- Spitter Slayer Defeat the Burrower Spitter 9.8%
- Headmaster Reach Level 18 with a Mage. 9.7%
- Seeker of Knowledge Complete the tech tree at the Arcane Secretary. 9.5%
- Feasting Time Perform any Feast Ritual at a Dining Table. 9.5%
- Dancing the Night Away Perform a Dance Party Ritual at an Enchantophone. 9.3%
- Magic University Summon 100 total Students. 9.3%
- Dragon Tamer Raise an Adult Jade Dragon. 8.5%
- Diploma Mill Graduate 100 total Students. 7.0%
- Apex of Nature Create the Nature Seal Key. 4.7%
- Apex of Fire Create the Fire Seal Key. 4.6%
- Apex of Lightning Create the Lightning Seal Key. 4.4%
- Apex of Earth Create the Earth Seal Key. 4.3%
- Corrupted Slayer Defeat the Corrupted 4.3%
- Nice Save Revive an Unconcious Mage with a Revival Flask in battle. 4.1%
- Apex of Water Create the Water Seal Key. 4.1%
- Apex of Air Create the Air Seal Key. 4.1%
- Apex of Dark Create the Dark Seal Key. 4.1%
- Archmage Lift the ancient curse. 3.9%
- Cursebreaker Lift the Curse and banish the Fog. 3.9%
- Infinite Halls Adept Battle to the end of the first Infinite Halls. 3.8%
- Overprepared Perform both Scouting and Abjuration while preparing for a battle. 3.6%
- Cram Session Have a Mage reach Level 18 less than 14 days after they enter your school. 3.6%
- Dragon Mother Raise an Adult Jade Dragon with 100% Care. 3.4%
- Garden of Oblivion Have a single room with 25 or more Voidshrooms in it. 2.5%
- A Powerful Artifact Obtain a Level 25 Relic. 2.0%
- Mountaineer Complete the Shattered Main Quest and recover the Shattered Seal Key. 1.8%
- The Mage Foretold Complete the Raven Cultist Main Quest and recover the Cultist Seal Key. 1.6%
- Ostentatious Display Have a Relic of each Affinity on display in Archives in your school. 1.5%
- Research Assistant Complete the Vivified Main Quest and recover the Vivified Seal Key. 1.5%
- Infinite Halls Savant Battle to the end of the second Infinite Halls. 1.5%
- Time Trial: Edge of the World Push the fog all the way to the end of the world by Day 35. 1.3%
- Chief Engineer Complete the Human Main Quest and recover the Human Seal Key. 1.3%
- Moonspeaker Complete the Wolfkin Main Quest and recover the Wolfkin Seal Key. 1.3%
- Double Major Reach 8 in two different Skills on one Mage. 1.1%
- Time Trial: Burrower Larva Defeat the Burrower Larva by Day 14. 1.0%
- Living in Luxury Have a room with at least 100 Basic, Scholarly, Creepy, Impressive, and Peaceful Luxury 0.8%
- Keymaster Collect all 12 Seal Keys. 0.8%
- Iron Archmage Lift the ancient curse with Iron Mage enabled. 0.7%
- How Does It All Fit? Have every single Room Type present in your school at once. 0.7%
- Time Trial: Burrower Spitter Defeat the Burrower Spitter by Day 28. 0.7%
- Shiny Objects Have one Mage be Attuned to five Relics at Level 25. 0.5%
- Time Trial: Lift the Curse Lift the ancient curse by Day 80. 0.5%
Steam page Updated: 2026-10-19.