Jorgen was anxious to show off the combat in the game, the showpiece of this particular event. Combat is in real time forcing you to choose each move. There's no auto-attack, no whack-a-mole. Watching melee, in particular, gave you a feel for how combat in this game is different. You don't aim at a target, you aim for an area. This means you can miss completely, or cut a wide swath through several opponents at once. You'll also need to duck, roll, jump backwards and do whatever is necessary to keep out of the way of harm's reach.
Technically, there's no "magic" as is known in fantasy games in the Conan universe. When magic is used, the mystic is tapping into the dark forces of the universe. Magic can be stacked, leading to powerful abilities. Of course, being that you're tapping into the dark forces it can also well, backfire. And umm, kill you. This will take you straight to hell. *smiles* Nothing like fighting your way out of hell! Use the powers too often and you'll end up on the side of darkness... Jorgen wasn't particularly clear what the implications of this "journey into darkness" meant for game play, but he seemed excited by the idea. Cryptic developers are the worst.