''VideoGame/{{Magicka}}'' is a {{Deconstruction}} of the usual SwordAndSorcerer style of fantasy, especially ones where the MagicallyIneptFighter BadassNormal characters hog the glory while the wizards stay back, [[SandersonsFirstLaw keeping their magical powers vague and, therefore, useless to help save the day]]. Many stories either put the focus on the non-magical folk, like ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' and ''Literature/ConanTheBarbarian'', or work to make sure that the two can both pull their weight in CompetitiveBalance, like ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'', the ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' games, or ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' ([[LinearWarriorsQuadraticWizards allegedly]]).

However, ''VideoGame/{{Magicka}}'' seems to have a theme of rejection of these principles. Constantly.

* All of the background characters in the game are either {{Muggles}} or other wizards who either [[InformedAbility claim to be great and powerful]], like the Headmaster, OldMaster types who [[BystanderSyndrome lounge around outside the school, grumbling about being bored]] while they send the inexperienced CannonFodder PlayerCharacter to do their work for them, or an IneptMage, like Propp. They are all complete and utter morons.
* The {{Muggles}} are frequently TooDumbToLive. The commoners either [[SuicidalOverconfidence try to fight hopeless battles]] or [[DirtyCoward run and hide]] from TheGoomba, all while [[BullyingADragon scoffing at you for being a wizard]]. All of the soldiers have aspirations of being a BadassNormal, running into literal meat-grinders while screaming references to ''Film/BraveHeart''. The King is constantly StealingTheCredit for your work, finishing off enemies you already defeated, [[FakeUltimateHero pretending to be wise and powerful before the people]], and flat-out manipulating you into doing more work for him before walking off-screen so you can't blast him to smithereens.
* Vlad, the MentorArchetype, only occasionally helps you. He mostly just [[AllPowerfulBystander stays on the side-lines]], offering advice, and when he ''does'' try to help you, he often winds up [[TheLoad making the situation worse]].
* Despite all of this, however, TheMainCharactersDoEverything, and that's frequently because they're the only ones who can. In fact, this game provides the page quote for ItsUpToYou.

The most obvious examples of this is the [[WarmupBoss first boss]], a [[AllTrollsAreDifferent troll]].
* A single troll has invaded the barracks, and twenty-something RedShirts are all trying to take it down.
* If the player just stands there and watches the battle unfold, they'll get treated to the sad sight of a massive group of normal people trying and failing to do anything to the regenerating monster. This creature can continue to take this abuse until the end of time. They NEED a wizard to do this, because without magic, they just don't have the firepower.
* However, unlike the usual set-up of SwordAndSorcerer set-up where the melee characters act as a StoneWall so that the SquishyWizard can obliterate the target, not only are the soldiers doing such little damage as to be no help, but they are actually a ''[[UnwantedAssistance hindrance]]'', as they are standing between the wizard, who can do this by himself so easily that the [[ExaggeratedTrope very next level]] features [[DegradedBoss several trolls as standard enemies]], and his target, resulting in lots of FriendlyFire, causing more fatalities than the troll ever could.

Another instance of this is at Havindr, when the soldiers are trying to blow up the doors to get inside the castle, and the easiest way to circumvent the timer is to simply [[JustEatGilligan cast a fire spell]] instead of [[HoldTheLine waiting on the stupidly long fuse]], or when right afterwards, the heroes are asked to cut a path through the enemy's defenses and wind up [[OneManArmy routing the entire army by themselves]], annihilating hordes of goblins and orcs with [[BoltOfDivineRetribution bolts of divine retribution]] and [[PlayingWithFire waves of fire]] and [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot giant, icy tesla-coils that explode with arcane energy]].

And the monsters only get stronger from there.

This game is all about what happens when wizards have the CompetitiveBalance taken off and are given a game that's [[WorldOfBadass their size]] instead of [[PowerCreepPowerSeep scaling down]] so that the MagicallyIneptFighter [[StoryBreakerTeamUp can keep up]].
[[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome And it is glorious]].