With magic tricks and a flair for the dramatic, these magicians really know how to make an impression.

Magicians and games go together like clubs and spades. The rush of joy and wonder that comes with a really neat card trick is much like the high of gearing up for a game's cinematic final boss, or clearing that last achievement in a months-long uphill climb. Games have magic baked into their code — it's only natural that the whimsy of old-timey, birthday-party magicians fits right into our favorite titles.

Related: Best Games With Wizards And Mages

Whether you like your spell-slingers more Houdini, Zatanna, or David Blaine, there's a magician for everyone in games. This list brings you the most clever, cunning, and stylish of the bunch!

Need a bunny to pop out of your hat? Or perhaps some evidence in a murder trial? Trucy is the Wright person for both jobs! At just 17 years old, Trucy has built an impressive resume as a talent agency secretary, detective, and of course, a plucky magician. Down to the baby-blue top hat, white gloves, and card-suit capelet, Trucy both dresses and acts the part of a glitzy (and maybe a little ditzy) card-trick magician.

Magic runs in Trucy's blood — her mother passed on the uncanny talent for catching subtle, involuntary tells in others, making her an incredibly helpful trial assistant for Apollo Justice. Despite losing her mother after a mysterious accident in her family's circus, the spirit of the stage never left Trucy; she continues bringing smiles to her adoptive father's family and friends, along with a fair share of headaches and heart attacks.

What differentiates a magician from a wizard? It's hard to say; technically, any practitioner of magic is a "magician," though most people tend to associate the word more with trim black suits and magic batons. Nevertheless, Dark Magician is a magician in name, and both he and his apprentice deserve a spot on this list as much as any other. Dating back to their past lives in Ancient Egypt, Mahad (Dark Magician) and Mana (Dark Magician Girl) have been studying the art of sorcery in order to protect their Pharaoh. For their loyalty and self-sacrifice, the two both ascended to immortality in the form of Yu-Gi-Oh! cards — their hearts live on to protect Yugi and his soulmate, tucked safely in their shared decks.

Taking a look at some of the Dark Magicians' supporting cards, you can spot the party-magician stylings: Magic Cylinder in particular evokes a certain bright, poppy, harlequin-esque magic routine. An attack goes in one way, and wham! Right out the other side, back into your face. Magician's Rod and Wonder Rod both call back to the imagery of magic wands, walking the line between folklorish Gandalf-like wizards and more modern parlor magic. Get you a duo who can do both!

Jesters and magicians have a lot in common. When you combine them, watch out — you might get more tricks and japery than you bargained for. While Jackle is definitely not the Nightmaren you'd want to hire for it, he would fit right in at a child's birthday party (both as a clown and a magical prankster). If only he was less inclined to throw razor-sharp tarot cards from under his cape...

In the world of Nights Into Dreams, Jackle was almost a Nightmaren on par with Nights and Reala (a Level One Nightmaren, the most powerful and sapient kind). However, something in Wizeman's experiment went wrong, and he ended up creating a murderous magician with that toothy, crooked grin, who seems to struggle with following directions. It's hard not to feel bad for the guy when you think about it: every time you strike him during his boss fight, he retreats into the safety of his (admittedly stylish) magic cape, as if never wanting to come back out. Maybe he knows that his maker considers him a failure. But don't worry, Jackle; far as magicians go, you're great!

Kirby and the Amazing Mirror is a classic 2D platformer that many a Kirby fan remembers fondly from the Game Boy Advance era. Its metroidvania level design and colorful boss battles still hold up today — who can forget Wiz, everybody's favorite disembodied cape and top hat?

Related: Most Terrifying Kirby Bosses

Well, Kirby certainly can't. Dealing with Wiz's hat-full of footballs, rainclouds, race cars, and Bronto Burts is no walk in the park for either player or pink puffball. It's a wonder how he manages to throw any of these objects, given that he has no visible arms. Or legs, for that matter. Just what is Wiz, exactly? We may never know.

Count Bleck has it all: the crisp white suit with a matching top hat, a crystal-topped magic cane, and a long, voluminous cape perfect for disappearing tricks. He also has a tragic backstory, which, as we all know, is necessary for every magician to reach their maximum potential as characters (and gaming heartthrobs).

Throughout his boss fight in Super Paper Mario, Count Bleck pulls out some classic magician tricks. He loves to create geometric structures that serve as both platforms and optical illusions, deceiving players about his current position on the screen. With a swish of his cape, he appears and disappears, shooting magic projectiles to keep you on your toes. Now you see him, now you don't — stay focused, or he'll sneak up when you least expect it.

Sonic Mania is host to a whole menagerie of colorful boss fights, including the Heavy Magician. His silly top hat, bow tie, and raspberry-red curtain call might be charming, but don't be fooled — wIth its powerful illusory abilities, the Heavy Magician transforms into past characters in the Sonic series, inheriting their fighting prowess. Fans of Sonic Fighters might recognize Bark the Polar Bear, for one, who has not appeared in another Sonic title since. Wanted posters of other characters, including Bean the Dynamite and Fang the Sniper, are scattered throughout the area leading up to the fight for some clever foreshadowing.

In addition to wearing some familiar faces, the Heavy Magician also poofs out clouds of sparkling shadow dust, meant to confuse its opponents and obscure its transformation sequences. Try not to breathe it in, or you'll get a mouthful of sequins.

Straight from the circus and onto the racetrack, Spade is quite the character. To him, racing is more than just a game of speed — it's an opportunity to provide entertainment for audiences worldwide, flaunting his magical prowess and bringing smiles to the faces of his fans.

Related: The Weirdest Backstories From F-Zero Racers

In the ultimate disappearing act, rumor has it that none of Spade's circus colleagues know what he actually looks like. He's gone on the record to say that at birth, he was placed inside a globe; it's implied that his soul may be contained in the tiny electric orb that spins in his metallic abdomen. While rocking that ace-of-spades top and serving up diabolical dishes in the kitchen, he's been doing wild and inspired maneuvers in the F-Zero Grand Prix for years, all in hopes of winning enough money to save his circus from financial peril. Perhaps he and Trucy Wright would have a lot to discuss!

While he can't saw himself in half or turn your game upside-down, Wataru Hibiki does have an "ah-MAY-zing" talent for magic tricks... and idol performance! Ensemble Stars is host to a variety of colorful vocalists and bands, but Wataru's romantic, rose-bearing tomfoolery has earned him in a spot in everyone's hearts. While outwardly whimsical, however, Wataru struggles with his identity beyond the stage: how much does being a performer define him? Is it easier to play the bright-eyed jester for those around him than to be his true self?

All the world's a stage, but even its best players need time to take off their masks. With the help of his friends and bandmates, Wataru learns to accept himself for who he is without abandoning his magic wand.

Bomberman experiences one of the most explosive performances of his life in the battle against Spellmaker, a wily magician with a distinctive cackle and rainbow getup.

Depending upon which card Spellmaker pulls from his deck at a given time, different types of projectiles and jagged shadows will spread across the floor — you'll need to be quick on your feet to win the day. Those shadow-beasts can bite! With an iconic array of crescent-shaped, multicolored frisbee attacks and an unsettling, smiley white mask, Spellmaker is hard to forget. He's probably thrilled to haunt you, too.

Harvey Moiseiwitsch Volodarskii leaves a strong impression, to say the least. He and his favorite "nasty little boy," Travis Touchdown, have a spectacular, blood-fountain bout on the big stage, and only one can walk away when the curtain falls. Unlike other assassins in the world rankings of No More Heroes, Harvey puts his heart and soul into delivering a thrilling performance for his audience, even if that audience is just two people. Between summoning funhouse-mirror duplicates of himself, flipping the screen upside-down, and fighting with sparkling twin swizzle sticks, Harvey serves up his slaughter in style.

For what it's worth, Travis seems like he has a great time, too — even while getting stabbed and beaten half to death, his good sportsmanship and appreciation for Harvey's craft is evident, speaking to the magician's captivating, ultraviolent skill.

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After critical radioactive exposure to Sonic Adventure 2 on his cousin's Dreamcast, Luca Fisher has become a passionate gamer and writer focused on story-driven titles. His articles have been published on multiple gaming news outlets, including Fanbyte, Gayming Magazine, SUPERJUMP Magazine, and more. Ask him about his favorite sad dads and liminal spaces in games anytime @lucanfisher on Twitter!