[Review] Magical Diary: Horse Hall

Again, a super spontaneous review which you guys probably weren't expecting. In all honesty, then I've skipped over this game many, many times (since Hanoko Games is rather popular) but it never truly caught my eye. I'm an otome gamer at heart, and I felt like this was more of a fantasy/friendship kind of Visual Novel. But after watching the trailer, it captured my interest. It seemed very promising and I was curious as to how they executed such a complicated setting. Technologically it would've been a pain to program, to set up and there would have been so many loopholes. However since I've never played a Visual Novel of this type I thought, why not? A first for everything never hurt anybody. Overall, I had a mixed opinion about it.

Storyline

"You have been invited to attend a magical school. Here you can make new friends, learn dozens of spells, face exams in the school dungeons, run for class office, or try to find a date for the May Day Ball. But be careful! You might end up in detention, be lured into a secret society, be forced to marry your professor, or even be expelled! Every puzzle has multiple solutions, and the path you choose is up to you. Are you a good witch or a bad witch?"

You play as a completely customisable character from name, design and looks to attend a magical school similar to a Harry Potter-esque setting. You're a wild seed, meaning you were born to non-magical parents yet you've developed an affinity for magic yourself. 

Although the setting and concept of it was rather impressive, the story telling was not. It more so focuses on the raising of stats, and the consequences of your choices to progress. The text itself is merely recounts of what is happening and day to day activities. Think of it as recaps of what happens within a normal school week. I found that although the text amount is rather daunting (100k words) it is truly misleading.

The story admittedly is cute, lively and fun, but extremely uninteresting to follow. I found myself already bored with the concept after completing my first run through, as most of the events are repetitive and tedious.The game at the same time is rather lengthy, so you'll find yourself repeating tasks over and over, with a few different events thrown in just to unlock your particular ending.

Character Development

If you're the type of Visual Novelist who adores character development and interaction, this really isn't the game for you. From playing this it made me realise that although the concept of it was interesting, that's the only focus. Not the story, not the characters. They're more like a 'side plot' for you achieve, rather than the main picture. Although it is incredibly difficult to achieve their affections due to the sheer length and possibilities of the game; their interactions are rather short, brisk and unemotional.

There isn't a solid build up to their ending, nor anything particularly heart wrenching or believable. It's just various dialogue strewn within the game at random points if you're at the right place and the right time and needing you to make a decision. It's completely robotic and stiff. If I had to describe their relationships then it'd be 'I like you... but I don't really know why'. There's no real justification of their feelings.

The characters themselves didn't really have any interesting personalities that would reach out to the audience, or would be particularly memorable. The only character who demonstrated some emotional attachment was Damien, when he passionately confesses his feelings to her. I found the dialogue there very well written, expressing his inner most desires to the protagonist. His path was the only one I found remotely interesting, and was of course the first one I went after. His story was bitter-sweet, mysterious and captivating and I really did like the twist near the end of his path.

It created the utmost, perfect illusion and I fell for it completely. However at the same time I found each of the obtainable character endings incredibly disappointing. There's no 'true resolution' or an insight to what happens next. After playing hours of this game, it led me to thinking 'wait, that was it?' for things just simply ended right there. I found that so much of the focus had been placed on everyday activities and stat raising, that this aspect of it was completely neglected.

Namely, the characters themselves. I found that the endings didn't truly tie up the build up of the game, and it just left things hanging. Perhaps, there could've been an epilogue into the future, depicting what would have happened to their lives onwards? I wanted to know more, and felt thoroughly unsatisfied.

Design

I found the art in itself mediocre since it didn't really suit my taste but I did like the character designs. Damien's especially, suited his character. I enjoyed the vast amount of background CGs incorporated, and one redeeming factor was of course the customisation. I felt like a lot of effort had been placed within that, and even I was surprised at the sheer amount of options themselves. There's at least 10 + choices regarding the hair/eyes of the protagonist. I also found the customisable dress for the May Ball a cute touch, and I loved the design of the wedding dress for the Professor's romance path. However, one aspect that I was greatly disappointed in was the lack of CGs. 

Usually this would only be a minor detail, as CGs don't determine everything about a Visual Novel. However, when it is literally the same image for all the characters then we have a problem. The kiss scenes themselves were the exact same pose (excluding hair/minor details) and overused for all the characters. I found that for a game of this size and length, a more expansive CG gallery would've added miles onto the quality of the Visual Novel. For any future sequels, I sincerely wish that this will be addressed. 

Music and Voice Acting

I enjoyed the music selection and found each one to complement its setting quite well. It incorporates quite a large amount seeing as how each different area has its own 'theme music'. The introductory music itself, suited the game perfectly and added that extra magical touch to it. I had no complaints about the music, and found it rather soothing to listen to during the long hours which I played. I found it to be well chosen, and a job well done.

System

Now, everything up until this point has literally been mediocre, for a Visual Novel of this price ($24.99 USD) and length. However, this aspect of Magical Diary was without a doubt the most positive and what made it stand out from the rest. In a technological aspect, then it was fantastic. I loved how the creators placed in the extra effort to implement original spells of 5 different category types but that's not all of it. They're not just for show, but each have special qualities to help you overcome the dungeon exams at Horse Hall. These unique dungeons (there's around 6 in total) are definite brain testers and aren't as easy as they may seem. It's up to you to know your spells and what will get you out of tough situations.

I immensely enjoyed solving these, as my knowledge of the game was truly put to the test. To earn the affections of your bachelors themselves, you'll need to play this game over and over. Some events only appear at certain times and specific areas so it is up to you to discover them. Who knows, you may be rolling over tons of special events and would never know.

It incorporates an item mall to assist in boosting your stats, and there's just such an incredible amount of content to discover. I found that the calendar option to plan out your days was a rather neat quirk, and you will without a doubt need a rather daunting number of save slots. However at the same time there have been a lot of reported technological problems with many users. For example: dungeon crashes, the need to update to various versions, roll track backs etc. 

I found that for a commercial release, these should have been addressed before officially releasing it to the public. Overall, then I was very impressed with the work placed within Magical Diary system wise. 

Personal Opinion

Despite the many setbacks, Magical Diary is still a solid work. I feel that it is aimed more towards a wider audience scope which is why it really isn't to my taste. If you're one of those people who aren't interested in relationship builds, but rather the setting itself and mini games then you should definitely try this out. If you're like me, and an otome gamer you probably wouldn't enjoy this as much since it does incorporate GxG romances as well. In the end though, I did enjoy the game as I did spend a couple hours playing it, but I wouldn't play it again or consider repurchase of the same genre in future.

I felt that it lacked in too many other important aspects, and concentrated solely on only one part whilst neglecting the other. If these were addressed, it would truly make a magnificent game. But of course, these can always be improved in future. There have been rumours of a sequel (set in Wolf Hall) and if it interests me just maybe I'll give it a try.

All in all, if you feel burdened by the price then I don't recommend purchasing Magical Diary. 

Overall Rating: ★★