Mahou Shounen Wan-Wan! [DEMO]

Hello! Is it okay with you if I stream this demo on my twitch channel, batthew_bites? I would love to hear back soon as the game has a really neat concept!

Google翻訳がこれを台無しにしないことを心から願っています。このゲームは本当に楽しくてクリエイティブで、続きが気になって仕方ありませんでした！ :D

(SPOILERS)

i love how this game either takes shonen tropes and flips them on its head, or does something completely unique that you haven't seen before. it feels like both a love letter and an evolution of "magical girl shonen" tropes, if that makes sense? (i mean the fact that the main character is a guy is already a tell that this isn't a typical magical girl shonen lol) but subversion isn't the plot's only strength, and there's so many unique and compelling elements that when the credits rolled i didn't want the demo to end.

the plot is super interesting, at both surface and deeper levels. there's definitely stuff you've seen before in similar stories but they're presented in a way that made me really intrigued in finding answers! where does this gem come from, why has it only been passed on to girls, what's the origin of this "poison" that makes items turn into monsters... and there's also stuff i haven't seen in any other magical girl show! like the concept of getting miracles with each monster you defeat, that's just really creative (it's also a really bold choice to make the main character have a somewhat "selfish" reason to want to keep defeating them, so something good happens to him every time he does). and both the opening and final pieces of dialogue were PERFECTLY foreboding and mysterious, really reminded me that you also made burn the red eta haha. overall the plot and magical elements are really unique and intriguing, and it really helps with making this game stand out :>

shiro is a really great protagonist! his narration was always interesting and fun (not only is it really well written, but i love how profane it can get haha), and what he says never felt forced or like it was going on for too long. his resolve to save as many people as possible and to help his grandma were really compelling and made him instantly endearing, and his reactions to everything (both quiet acceptance at the everyday shit he can't do anything about, and utter bewilderment at the supernatural shit that happens out of nowhere) were always entertaining. he's really memorable in general, and it's easy to tell he's a character you've put a lot of thought and care into. and inu... well i can see why he's a fan favorite haha. everything from his expressions to the way he speaks to the extreme emotional responses he has to everything were amazing lol. i honestly can't wait to see more of him XD (tbh i didn't love his more risqué jokes, but tbf i just don't like that kind of humor in general).

this is a visual novel, so of course i have to talk about the incredible presentation! the character design on its own is really great, and it captures a really good balance between looking manga-esque and having its own style. and this game has some of the most expressive emotion changes i've seen in a while (any conversation with inu is fun as shit partly because of all his wonderful expressions lmao). and the tainted one's design was really cool as well! definitely felt unique compared to a lot of typical monster designs. i kind of feel like the abscence of pictures for characters that are present in scenes (like kero's "henchmen" or ma) make those sequences feel a bit empty, but i'm guessing that's due to time constraints and this being a demo so it's not really a problem. oh, and there's so many cool visual details!! the characters moving when their expression changes, the screen showing geometric forms when the gem starts glowing, the brief red flash of a character at the very end... and of course, the best visual sequence in any game ever... THE GAME OVER SCREEN. laughed out loud when i saw it haha. and the music was used extremely well used too!! felt very seamless with how it moves from one track to another, and it always fit the scene perfectly. the presentation was top notch, and it's absolutely one of the highlights of the game!

though the plot uses tropes in clever ways, until inu shows up the story does feel a bit by the numbers, and while kero and mei are fun, during their interactions i was kind of waiting for the fun supernatural stuff to begin. i don't think these scenes should've been cut but i think if they were shorter they wouldn't have felt as monotonous. though again, it's excusable due to this game being both a demo and pretty short, so it's not a big deal.

this was a really creative and fun time!! no pressure in making this into a full game ofc, but if you do i'll definitely check it out cuz this has a TON of potential!! :D

失礼ですが、おばあちゃんがまた歩けるように紙コップを殺さなければなりません, wan.