English
4.2
This game has STRICT REGION LOCK! Usually you only need VPN to download an Aniplex game. But Exedra, you NEED to have the VPN active at all time during gameplay. You can try Turbo VPN Lite and just tap connect, it should work. If you're using other VPNs, try using USA server with good ping. As for the region, when asked by the game, just choose any. BUT keep the region you chose in mind! It'll be used for Data Transfer, should you decide to switch devices.
Alright, I think I've played enough to write a review, so let's get to it.
It's a 15 out of 5 just because I can finally play with the lovely Iroha Tamaki again
![[開心]](/cdn/img/transparent.png){kind=spacer}
......
.........Ok, serious this time.
Short Version: A very recommended game with beautiful graphics, flashy ultimates (that can be skipped), voiced story, smooth gameplay with little to no loading, FOR THOSE WHO KNOWS MADOKA MAGICA. Which in my case, Magia Record. BUT for those who doesn't know, I don't recommend this simply because of the Region Lock. It's just not worth the hassle if you don't have any attachment to the characters. You might as well go with FGO.....or you know, GFL 2, which is a much much better option...HSR? ...Sure, I guess? I only played that just because of Asta-chan. If not, Pokemon Emerald is way more fun...
Long version:
Pros:
++++++ The lovely Iroha Tamaki is here, yaaaaay!
+ Incredible 3D graphics. The characters are all well made and very expressive.
+ Great story presentation. A combination of 2D art, 3D model used for dialogues, a first person PoV section, and cinematic cutscenes
+ Super smooth gameplay with flashy attacks
+ Combat is quite engaging. There's a break gauge like HSR, but here, after breaking the enemy, we can break them even further, increasing the damage they received. IMPORTANT: "Mami Head" boss battle is the true first boss that will REALLY test your team.
+ Seamless transition between screens. There's hardly any loading time. Startup is fast as well
+ Simple growth system. Just farm materials and just upgrade the characters. There's a QoL that allows you to quickly use all available materials to upgrade them as far as possible.
+ Affinity system that allows you to get close and know more about the girls. If its like Magia Record, they're stories should all be a great read.
Neutral:
# Free 5* character given, but cannot be rerolled. Rerolling also takes too much time
# A bit annoying exploration part. Especially when there's a hidden sparkle that we need to tap to get quite a decent amount of crystals (or diamonds, jades, pyroxene whatever you want to call it)
# Character level tied to account level. Yeah, one of those games...
Cons:
------ FREAKING REGION LOCK!! Why oh WHY do they HAVE to do THAT!! We can't support the game if we're outside the chosen region!! This game is living on the edge I'm afraid.....Freaking Aniplex.....Poor Iroha and friends, Magia Record NA deserve better....
- Very stingy. It's very difficult to generate enough currencies for a 10 pull. Unlike other games such as GFL2 and even Blue Archive. Magia Record was way better.
- Sub par grand opening rewards and events. You get enough currency for 1 10x pull. I was lucky Iroha-chan answered my call just from 1 multi pull. I got Felicia from the free 10x pull, fyi.
- Red dots! You need to read the Magical Girl stories to clear the red dot. I mean, I'll read them cause I know they'll be good (trust me), but I really want them to just clear the red dot after we open the respective screen. No need to remind us to do it...
- Cinematic cutscenes oddly has buffer? Like a youtube video. Like one second it goes smoothly, then it stopped, then it plays again.....why.....
- Little to no interactive actions on the girls. Unlike Magia Record, where we can tap on the characters and have them talk and move.
Alright. That's about it. There's this thing called tower mode and there should be PVP, but it says "coming soon"? So I'm guessing it's not ready yet
Well that's it, hope this helps. Again, if you are outside of the chosen region AND you do not have any attachment with Madoka Magica and their characters, I do not recommend this. But if you do, I recommend despite the Region Lock.
More Reviews of This Game More
ChiiRumii
4.0I preregistered over on Google Play, and for that, I've been able to log on and play for a couple hours now. Here's a full review :) Graphics: Good, but very anime-esque - not how you think! I'm a longtime fan of the franchise, and through that I've seen many different iterations of the way the runners choose to portray things. In the anime, the whole point of the witches' labyrinths is that they clash so heavily with the traditional anime style the rest of the show is in. This works very well with 2d animations, where things can be checked over and refined frame by frame. It does not translate very well into 3d models, which the game utilizes. It's not bad by any means, but I'd like to see some lighting fixes. Sound: Very good! The voice acting is very clear, and it avoids one of my biggest pet peeves - the hard S. The VA's have a proper sound muffler, which is more than can be said for most games nowadays! The audio can get a bit crunchy, but this is easily prevented by lowering volume and going into the game menu to adjust the bg music volume! No matter how tempting it is, don't just turn up your device's volume. Gameplay: Very good! It's a standard turn-based game, but the way it presents the movesets for each character card (called Kiokus) is interesting! If you like games like Honkai Star Rail, you'll like the battle layout! As for outside of the battles, it has some bumps here and there, but that's to be expected from a game that's just launched. Wait a bit for bugfixes to be launched if that bothers you too much! Storyline: No notes. It tells the Madoka Magica storylines, and adds on with game-exclusive event storylines! As I said, I'm a longtime fan, and I've always loved the storytelling. The weird retrospective nature of the main series, and the dark tones being wrapped in such cutesy magical girl outfits, signature PMMM. Love it! Value: At the current moment, I'd say a 4/5 is a good placement! Overall, read the above (and below) for yourself and see if there's anything that would impact the value of the game for yourself. Notes: Unfortunately, there are issues, as to be expected from an AniPlex game. If you have any experience with their previous games, you'll know what I'm talking about. Mainly, there are region locks. Many Magica fans have been unable to download or play the game due to region locks. These region locks will be resolved soon, but for a game that's been in the making for literal years now, it's still a bit disappointing. Additionally, the Steam release hasn't come out yet - which has led some non-mobile gamers to try to download and play with an emulator. The emulators do not work for most players. If you're used to modern game optimization, this game's systems may feel a bit asinine - you can't log onto the same account on multiple devices, which may impact some players. Overall, it's definitely a work-in-progress game. Would I recommend: Yes, for prestanding Magica fans! Probably not, for people who are looking at getting into the franchise. Start somewhere else, see if you like the characters and stories, then come back and download if you really want to!
anthony
2.2It's not bad, but it's not really that good either. First off, there's the issue of it being "global," but most places around the world can't access it. It annoys me having to use a VPN just to play it. The tutorial feels too long, and you can't even skip cutscenes and stuff. The animation feels kinda off to me. The models feel kinda weird, too. They're not BAD, but I feel like they could be better. The music is OK, there's not much to say about it, and the story is basically just the anime story. Sometimes they use screenshots from the anime which look very low quality and that really annoys me personally. There's also a "What if" type of event story currently, but I haven't done it yet. Maybe I will update this part after going through it. The gameplay is similar to that of Honkai: Star Rail, which I really enjoy. You kinda repeat the same things over and over again, which does get a little boring, but there is an AUTO option, too. Something that disappointed me was that you can't actually explore the witch labyrinths. Even though they look pretty big, your character can only move forward. Like there isn't even a point to the joystick because you can't actually move around. Something else that annoys me is how the characters have different art styles. It's because some of the spin-off mangas have different art styles from the original, but it really annoys me, I would have preferred if they kept a consistent art style. The gacha rates are 3% for the characters, iirc. Something I think is pretty cool is that basically the weapons you can equip to the characters. which are similar to Light Cones from Honkai: Star Rail, are not obtained through gacha but rather through simply playing the game. I think that's great for F2P players. This rating was done kinda quickly and not thought out a lot, so I might update it in the future. But for now, this is my rating. I am not sure whether I want to continue playing or not. Anyways, MadoHomu yuri ON TOP