Lord of Magna: Maiden Heaven is a special little game. Not only because of the gameplay but also because of the story behind it. Maiden Heaven was in creations at the moment the developer went bankrupt. If it wasn’t for Marvelous, who continued the development with the team, the game would never have existed. We’re really glad Marvelous took the shot because this game is really enjoyable.
Running a humble Inn
You start the adventure as a nameless hero and owner of a nameless Inn. The first job is to name both owner and Inn and start the adventure. It isn’t much of an adventure at first sight. You run an empty Inn and together with your friend you try to keep your head above the water. Everything changes when a daily run to a cave nearby got a little complicated.
You went to the cave to gather some crystals, the most precious resource of the world, but encounter a group of monsters instead. When everything seems lost, a fairy-like girl named Charlotte or Lottie saves you. Lottie pledges her loyalty towards you since you appear to be the ‘one’. The story really takes of from that point and it gets a lot goofier the more it develops. The story is goofy and full of clichés but it really works.
Meet Charlotte’s sisters
Soon after your first adventure you’ll get to meet the six other sisters of Charlotte. The sisters are introduced with the help of a gorgeous short anime scene to really make them come alive. Those anime scenes are completely voiced and look amazing. The game also flirts with sexual content during those moments. Don’t be surprised to see typical, short-skirted anime girls while playing this game. The sexual tension gets even higher in the bathroom. Washing improves your stats for the next round of combat. Of course all of these scenes are optional and can be switched off for the younger gamer. Don’t be afraid, this is a very child friendly game when it comes to nudity.
A very enjoyable adventure!
Meeting all sisters isn’t only fun it’s also crucial for the game. The game is all about bonding. By talking to them and accepting quests, you’ll get a stronger bond. A stronger bond results in better trust and improved skills for combat. It isn’t possible to ‘please’ all sisters so you really need to pick the one you like most. Some of their missions will force the story to continue while others will just make your bond stronger, think about side-quests such as picking flowers. Choosing your Maiden of choice is a great mechanism and introduces a deeper layer of strategy in the game. Since every sister has her own style in combat you really want to please the one with the best style (according to you) most.
Unique combat
The best part of the game is without a doubt the combat. Outside of the combat it really is just about talking to other characters. This can become rather boring fast but the combat takes away the frustration of waiting. It’s a turned based strategy game like Fire Emblem or Massive Chalice but without the fixed grid. This means you can move your party members in any direction as you please. You can’t move on the entire map but the blue circle indicates where you can go. You can turn around, go back, go front… Any direction you want really! It’s way better than the grids we find in other strategy games.
Aside of this, the combat is also innovating thanks to the ability to topple enemies. The field is mostly filled with a bunch of enemies surrounding their ‘leader’. When you attack an enemy, he’ll smash into other enemies surrounding him, resulting in a lot of deaths. Toppling as many enemies as possible is crucial in combat. If you manage to topple ten or more, you’ll even gain an extra turn. Killing the leader should be your main focus, since he’s the only one able to spawn new enemies on the field.
It really is a great mechanism and fun to do, it’s like bowling with your enemies. To make things even more interesting, the field is sometimes covered with useful items. Dangerous barrels that explode or bottles to heal your health can all appear on the field. Are you going for the health or massive damage? It really is up to you. The inclusion of items offers more variation to the already unique way of fighting.
No room for exploration
As unique and fun the combat feels, it doesn’t change the fact that the game lacks exploration. Since it’s a rather traditional JRPG it’s weird there isn’t much room for exploring the world. Every place you go to is introduced with a short overview instead of an epic introduction. Even your world map functions as a cut scene. You’re not able to move around on your own, the game will also place you where you need to be for your next mission.
This feels strange since some of the places you discover look like big central HUBs. We think the developers ran out of money or time before they could include an open world to explore. The game is very straightforward now and this clashes with the typical JRPG vibe. It’s perfect for short sessions however but we’re sure a lot of you expected something else from the game, be warned!
Great design compensates lack of exploration
To make up the lack of exploration we can see that the game looks great on the Nintendo 3DS. It’s a very colorful chibi/manga style filled with fun little details. All characters looks cute while the environments are colorful and detailed. From small moving objects in the background to enemies, everything is created with a lot of love for detail. It looks great in 2D and even better in 3D. The cut scenes and battles really pop out of your screen when the 3D is turned on. Some might find it too cute or too colorful but it really fits the game if you ask us.
We also want to mention that the voice acting is great and it’s a shame the entire game isn’t voice acted. During anime scenes you’ll get a complete voice over but during battles or other important moments you’ll only be able to hear the first sentence of the dialogue. Once again, we think it’s a money issue that ‘killed’ some of the game’s features so we understand why certain choices were made.
Conclusion:
Lord of Magna: Maiden Heaven turns out to be a very enjoyable adventure. It isn’t as lengthy or open as you might expect of a JPRG but it remains fun to play nevertheless. The game features seven different endings, based your decisions in the game, but we think that one will be enough for now. It’s at its best when played in short sessions and offers innovating on-the-go battles in a colorful world. If you’re looking for an accessible role playing game, this is the one you need in your collection.
