Genre: VN.
I'll admit the game did start out a bit randomly with Lucia entering the student council
I'd recommend Trouble Magia to those that like their otome mostly lighthearted and don't mind
VNDB: https://vndb.org/v47011
Release date: 12-9-2024.
I wasn't originally going to get this but while on my second route of Hanakare I did crave
something with a little bit of story to it as Hanakare wasn't able to give that itch.
Either that or I would be playing the kaito files... but I wanted a break from RGG studios
so I decided to get otomate's newest game, the decision was mostly based on the fact
Trouble Magia seemed funny and not as heavy which is what I wanted anyways.
Trouble Magia also has a long subtitle which I am not even going to bother typing itout
i'll just be referring to it as trouble magia, I mean no disrespect but its simply too long.
I kinda felt bad for the seiyuu's having to say it aloud cuz aside the first time starting
up the game I never waiting for them to finish whenever I booted it up again.
Pro's
- Interesting & fun story & characters.
- Enough volume that there's enough time for plot,shenanigans & romance.
- Art, doesn't have a unique style but its good.
Grey area
- Final route is significantly longer due to reasons but it did make sense of everything.
Con's
- Can seem a bit cliche.
- The length of this game can be a bit of a double edged sword as well.
- The long arse subtitle.
Honestly I don't think a lot of people got this game? I won't lie my first impressions
when I looked it up weren't positive... but that did change as I played it
and it was actually quite fun & interesting albeit very cliche at times.
I didn't really watch the OP a lot either like maybe a handful its not one of those
that I watch religiously everytime I boot it up.
Basic plot be like: Lucia wants to be a magic knight and gets to attend a school
however she also has a curse which makes her transform into a random animal
and it causes all sorts of problems in her life. She seeks to break it...
but also can't just tell anyone about it due to it happening abruptly.
Eir was the one who suggested attending the academy because there might be a way
there plus she could get some experience to pursue her own dreams. Two birds with one stone!
Speaking of stones Eir gave Lucia one since she can't go with her it could protect her if need be.
Due to a minor incident Lucia gets placed under supervision of the student council
and it gets even harder to hide the fact she's cursed. Luckily onii-chan lends a hand as well.
The game really follows Lucia's everyday life, it was quite entertaining.
She didn't get along with everyone at first but I really liked to see her fit into her new life
and grow closer to certain characters. Lucia is the type of heroine you wanna cheer on.
The writing was for the most part pretty good, it may not look it in the common route
but its a good setup for everything that happens after.
I liked how in individual routes certain things that happen earlier
are still relevant chapters later. I really liked this, Matsurika did this as well.😄
On another note while it was not as repetitive as Mistonia, with each route you do
the more you will know of the overall plot which is introduced in small bits
hinting at something more, every route was interesting even if some
focused more on the characters individual problem.
I'd say each route still was relevant in some way but there naturally are ones that explained more.
I played in the order of: Lars > Rick > Alexei > Isaiah > Sion and this flowed pretty well
that I can recommend the same, Isaiah is locked and there's not much choice but to do Shion last.
Certain things will become obvious over time. This is neither good nor bad IMObut even then it still managed me to surprise me in routes 4 and 5.
As for the heroine, I liked Lucia's optimistic attitude she didn't seem the type to let things get to her.
I also liked how proactive Lucia was, there was mutual trust and she was being relied upon.
Her design, specifically her hairstyle made her stand out, I liked it. She also had multiple outfits
as did most of the other cast so this game did seem like it had a bit of a budget.
At a glance it reminded me of Wand of Fortune except that the curse felt like they took
Lagi's problem and gave it to the heroine as she turns into an animal.😂
Art was decent, it wasn't amazing but its not awful or anything, I liked the colouring.
I got used to the style & the sprites were all great, what I really liked is that at times
the POV would switch to the guys and Lucia would have her own sprite too.
Music fits the setting and mood, definitely feels like you're attending some royal acadamy
and Ricardo's theme was pretty good, I banged my head to it.
System is standard stuff and nothing to write home about, its plain and simple
imagine wand of fortune but without the scheduling or rng stuff. Bless.
only for us to go back to the very beginning before she enrolled and getting the how's & why.
Granted they did point out her own forgetfulness so something must have happened.
I did really like the setting in this game and the backgrounds really added to it!
the vibes were pretty great too but as you're introduced to Lucia's new life at the school
I was never really were sure what would happen or if the curse would go off
so I suppose there was an element of excitement so the common route didn't bore me
but there were a few boring moments but I think any VN or game has that really.
Some parts were actually kind of funny! I didn't really have any problems with the
pacing of the story due to this but it did slow down a little to focus on teamwork
because the teamspirit of the student council members was not the best...
especially Lars who just sleeps whenever he wants and tends to be like whatever
and then there's Ricardo with this cocky arse the comedy writes itself.
At times the interactions could also feel very down-to-earth which imo was a plus.
The common route was on the long side, a total of 12 chapters including individual route.
I wasn't really sure what they were trying to do, there's a heavy focus on school life and
character interaction. I mostly enjoyed it. There was so much time they spend with eachother
you could see how they grew etc. There were enough hints dropped and by chapter 3 I already
was like some of seems related to the curse. So it wasn't half bad and it kept my attention.
With the way it was written it felt like an anime, it had a structure to focus on
the characters and problems that ensued. You slowly get to find out what the curse is as well
as figure out some deeper plot while getting to know the chosen love interest.
Also god bless there's a skip to the next choice option, you use it by swiping the screen!
The length of the chapters varied but it was a good common route simply for the fact
I was actually able to remember events that happened in it. Really the length is no joke
there's enough time for introduction, character development, fun and romance.
Its actually refreshing for it to be so well rounded but real talk I think the final chapter
especially Sion's was a little too long? maybe its just me...
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I suppose part of trouble magia can seem like its very cliche but I think this
was a part that made it fun, its like the writers didn't care about that and just went with it.Trouble magia made me realize writers can make a story as cliche as they want
its how you use those cliche's is what makes an otherwise boring story interesting.
The first route I did Lars was very interesting but then I moved to Ricardo
and realized I am unable to look at certain side characters the same way again.
Certain things just caught my attention more quickly than before as well... still each route
was unique in the way it did things and brought new things to the table so I can't complain.
---
My take-away is basically even if something seems cliche and overdone
it can still turn out pretty good! I mostly looked back fondly on the routes so all in all
it was a pleasant experience! I can't gaurantee you'll the same level of enjoyment as I did .
Most of the routes were unique, you got the obvious not as relevant to the bigger picture routes
and then there's some which go into it deeper, mostly the last two routes.
Like XYZ isn't as relevant as A & B but they're still a treat, you don't want every route
to be much of the same, I have sat through games like that and it gets old fast & that sucks.
After a dozen or so VN the way Trouble Magia does it obviously feels better to me
and I quite enjoyed the more character focused routes as well as the more involved ones.
I'm glad there was no secret route in this game and for that I am glad sinceI did feel a lil tired by route 5. Also I only did the best ends and merry bad ends, I ignored the other
bad ends except for the onein Sion's route due to Mistona PTSD, Sion's was kinda cute
but it felt like a joke end....... merry bad could range from sad to funny as well.
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| No fullcomp CG but the title screen is nice for a groupshot. |
school settings or potential cliche's. This was honestly a fun otome if you let it be!
If you expect the most stellar writing and be blown away by it, or prefer it to be short&Sweet
then this game may not be for you. Let's be real; the plot was still pretty decent
and the writer really tried. Trouble Magia also felt similar to wand of fortune to me except
without the RNG bs. TBH while it won't replace WoF, trouble magia is like its little sister!
8/10
Its easy to follow the story, characters interact a lot and not a lot of monologues
which adds to the fun factor to me. The japanese didn't seem to be of high level
nor did the dialogue ever felt like it was dry so that makes this game perfect as something
to test your japanese on but honestly I hope trouble magia gets localized. Its easy to overlook
due to a number of things but never judge a book by its cover you may just enjoy it anyway.
More rambles after the jump but I will be talking about the characters+digest the plot
so if you don't want spoilers don't read further. TBH its more like I am narrating some
of the events here and there with some commentary+share my fav CG's.
Not sure who would enjoy any of it because this game is pretty long and its a text dump
and I didn't write everything down either... why did I bother lmao. Enjoy that wall O text.
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