Apart from being a sidescroller, it sounds like you might really like Noita.
Divinity: Original Sin 2 also has incredible magic co.bat, but that’s top-down, turnbased tactics.
Or maybe Psychonauts? Not a wizard, but an assortment of ESP powers gained at a summer camp like boy scout badges as you go through the game. 3d platformer. But the powers and their variety are really fun.
And there’s Witcher 3, which is 3rd person. But it’s close 3rd person at least? Might not run on your machine though. Maybe the 1st game might? Though it has its flaws.
For first person… Hmm. A surprisingly tough call. Most of the 1st person games I know have really straightforward battle magic, the wizard game included. Which is kinda weird now I think about it.
The Dishonored games? If you’re okay with steampunk setting (very well done steampunk though!) 1st person immersive sims. Stealth or kill everyone however you like with a nice assortment of magic powers. I’d put this on top of the list honestly. It’s old and stylized enough it might run alright.
Prey, like dishonored, also allows you to learn (optional) magic powers and use them in a variety of situations, but it’s also set in space, if that’s a dealbreaker. 1st person though!
Or the Persona games? It’s not strictly speaking classic wizardry, but it’s definitely magic of a sort, and I think it should run on most anything, especially Persona 4 Golden. But the fights are turn-based strategy. And 3rd person. Goddamn.
Legend of Grimrock? It’s an odd duck, and you learn magic slowly, but maybe it’s the right odd duck for you? First person, real time but you and enemies only move along a grid, old-style dungeon crawler.
It’s still buggy as all heck, and requires lots of troubleshooting even in the regular SteamOS mode. If you’ve used linux, especially if you’ve tried to game on it: it’s like that. Even the “verified” steam games often don’t work immediately without at least first fiddling with community controller profiles.
So from what you say I’d 1000% recommend going for the laptop.
I very strongly second this recommendation, especially for those who know they like space horror in general. Or for people who like FMV. Or AI stories - you play as an AI in this.
The one caveat is: this game relies on point-and-click type interaction, and it does a TERRIBLE job of indicating which items in any scene are interactable/important. There will inevitably be some time spent clicking around to see f x y or z is something you can interact with. This is super annoying.
BUT the rest of the game is amazing so it’s very worth putting up with UI issue, imo.
That is a good game, agree. My one complaint is that there’re a few moments of drive-by transphobia in it. And some puzzles are obtuse or require items that can be missed, but a quick google solves that frustration easily if need be.
I like them sometimes, but there should ALWAYS be a way to turn them off, for people who don’t have fast reflexes or have problems with their hands, etc.
Ravenlok is dope. It’s easy, and button-mashy, but my god the visuals and music make up for all of it. It swept me away. I think it would be especially fantastic for kids, but definitely enjoyable for adults to.
Valheim is great in single-player, to my surprise.
I like Redfall. ducks But seriously, I do. I like the big open world, the over-the-top vampire thing, the feeling of finding the best way to sneak up on the enemy and take them down. The guns feel satisfying to me. I get excited every time I find a better one. I’m curious where the story is going. Some of the set pieces and environmental storytelling moments are really cool.
I haven’t encountered many bugs at all. One time some enemies appeared out of nowhere, but honestly that just fit in with the vibe of the game anyway.
The AI is dumb, but… I’m finding I don’t care. They’re numerous and still manage to kill me sometimes. I’m ignoring it entirely the same way I ignore it in the original Deus Ex.
It’s not a Dishonored or a Prey, but it’s not trying to be, either. It’s great if you just want to explore an interesting map and do some sneaking and shooting and looting.
I’m obviously the minority in this opinion, but also, it’s on gamepass, so it doesn’t cost anything to try if you haven’t. I almost didn’t because of the reviews and I’m very glad I gave it a chance anyway.