Spellsmith Arena

What you do

Spellsmith Arena is a cozy turn based strategy game set at the autumn fair on the village green. Young animal-folk wizards take turns casting playful spells in a roped show ring while Old Hoot the owl judges from his fence post. Every spell is a friendly one: spells tickle, blow soap bubbles, pour calming tea, gather focus or hum a sleepy lullaby. You forge each spell from runes, one element and one or two effects, and the forge shows exactly what it will do before you cast. The element wheel adds a twist: Sun melts Frost, Frost nips Bloom and Bloom drinks up Sun, and each rival hums the tune of their next spell, so you can plan around it. The first wizard whose giggle jar fills to 20 flops onto the hay laughing, and the other wins a ribbon. A fair day is three rounds against rivals of rising skill, the same for everyone each day, and practice rounds are always open.

• Six young wizards with their own spellbooks and habits, from Barley the bubble-loving lamb to Marigold the otter, who learns your habits.
• A rune forge with four elements and five effects that previews every spell's result before you cast it.
• A daily fair of three rounds that is the same for everyone, plus practice rounds against any rival you have met.
• Ribbons you win are kept for good, and a round your rival takes only ever means a friendly rematch.
• Describe your own spell in words while the typing option is on: an AI reader turns it into runes, so a typed spell is never stronger than a forged one.

How to play

1. Press Today's fair or Practice round on the title card. Your rival casts first, then you take turns.
2. Forge a spell: pick one element rune (Sun, Frost, Bloom or Plain) and one or two effect runes. One effect gets all 6 power; two share it, 3 each.
3. Tickle adds giggles to your rival's jar. Bubble is a soap shield that soaks up giggles until your next spell. Tea calms your own jar. Focus stores power for your next spell. Snooze takes power from your rival's next spell.
4. Watch the element wheel: Sun melts Frost, Frost nips Bloom, and Bloom drinks up Sun. When your element beats your rival's last one, your tickle gets +2. The hint over your rival shows the tune of their next spell, so you can stay out of its way.
5. Repeating either of your last two spells is an encore and costs 2 power, so mix your spells up. One spell can add at most 8 giggles.
6. The first jar to reach 20 giggles ends the round. If neither fills, Old Hoot rings the bell after 10 spells each and the wizard who made the more giggles takes the ribbon. Your best fair and your ribbons are saved on this device.
7. While the typing option is on, the Describe rune lets you write a spell in words instead. An AI reader picks its element and effects, and the forge's rules work out what it does, exactly as for runes.

Controls

• Touch or mouse: tap an element rune and one or two effect runes, then tap Cast. Tap a rune again (or its slot) to take it out.
• Keyboard: 1 to 4 pick the element, 5 to 9 pick effects, Enter casts, and Escape or Backspace clears the effects. Tab reaches every rune and button.
• Toolbar: pause, help, restart (a rematch of the round), optional sound and fullscreen.

Tips worth knowing

• Read the forge's preview before you cast: it already counts focus, snooze, encores, bubbles and the element wheel.
• A rune with a +2 badge beats your rival's aura. A rune with a ! badge is the one your rival's next tune beats.
• A bubble and a tickle together is a good habit, but tea at the right moment can save a round.

Accessibility

• Everything can be played with a keyboard: number keys pick runes, Enter casts, and every rune and button is reachable with Tab.
• Runes carry their names as words, and the forge's preview is read out as a sentence, so color is never the only cue.
• Each spell, its result and the rival's next tune are announced to screen readers.
• There is no timer. Reduced motion turns off the bounces and swirls, and sound is optional.

Guides and roundups

• Cozy AI Games: Type a Wish, a Spell or a Question