Lord of Magna: Maiden Heaven

Last updated
Lord of Magna: Maiden Heaven
Forbidden Magna boxart.png
Developer(s) Marvelous
Publisher(s) Marvelous
Director(s) Masahide Miyata
Producer(s) Yoshifumi Hashimoto
Composer(s) Tomoko Morita
Platform(s) Nintendo 3DS
Release
Genre(s) Role-playing
Mode(s) Single-player

Lord of Magna: Maiden Heaven [lower-alpha 1] is a simulation role-playing video game [3] developed by Marvelous for the Nintendo 3DS. It was released in Japan in October 2014 before an international release in June 2015. [4]

Contents

Gameplay

Lord of Magna features turn-based battles, with character order based on individual speed. The parties are assembled within a deck and controls in battle have been compared to those of an action game. The special attacks of the characters are unlocked based on their trust in Luchs, the game's protagonist, and by defeating enemies more special moves can be used. [5] [6]

Story

Lord of Magna is set on Étoile Isle, where Luchs, the protagonist, is in charge of the Famille Inn. Despite the inn's lack of customers, the protagonist keeps the hotel clean and fulfills the family motto. One day, on a fateful trip to the crystal-filled caves, he digs up more than usual, uncovering both a horde of angry monsters and a powerful, pink-haired, amnesic girl named Charlotte, who quickly saves his life. Things ramp up very quickly from there as Luchs sets out on an adventure with Charlotte, his childhood friend Amelia, and his best friend Bart. An adventure filled with magic, monsters and many, many maidens such as Charlotte's six sisters each with very different personalities and their own individual charms. The sisters form the basis of the battle party, housekeeping staff, and dating-sim component of the adventure. The endings vary based on the sister Luchs spend the most time with and grow closest to. [7]

Development

The game was first announced in February 2014, [8] and was about half complete at the time of its reveal. [6] The development of the game began internally at Neverland before the closure of the studio. [9] The game development team contains staff from Neverland, the development company responsible for the Rune Factory series of games. [10] After the release of Rune Factory 4 , Neverland had filed for bankruptcy and closed. [11] Despite this, publisher Marvelous retained some key staff in order to finish work on the game. [10] Key staff retained includes producer Yoshifumi Hashimoto, director Masahide Miyata, and composer Tomoko Morita. [6] The game's graphics uses a similar style to that of the Story of Seasons and Rune Factory iterations found on the Nintendo 3DS. [6]

The game was released in Japan on October 2, 2014, [12] in North America on June 2, 2015, and in Europe and Australia on June 4, 2015.

Reception

Lord of Magna: Maiden Heaven holds a rating of 68/100 on review aggregate site Metacritic, indicating "mixed or average reviews". [13]

Chris Carter from Destructoid rated the game a 7/10 saying, "I enjoyed my time with Lord of Magna: Maiden Heaven, despite the fact that it felt a tad unfinished at times" [14] Bradly Storm of Hardcore Gamer gave the game a 3.5 out of 5 saying "Those looking for a unique take on the genre or are wanting an engaging tactical combat system might find Lord of Magna worth the investment." [15]

Notes

  1. Known in Japan as Forbidden Magna (禁忌のマグナ, Kinki no Maguna)

Related Research Articles

Neverland Company Inc. was a Japanese video game developer founded on May 7, 1993. It has developed games for Super NES, Dreamcast, GameCube, PlayStation 2, Game Boy Color, Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS, PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 3 and the Wii. The most notable games this company developed were part of the Lufia and Rune Factory series of video games. By November 2013, the company ceased operations and filed for bankruptcy. The following year, many former members of the studio were hired by Marvelous, who had published many of their previous games.

Rune Factory is a franchise of fantasy role-playing social simulation games created by Yoshifumi Hashimoto and primarily published by Marvelous. The games are developed by Hashimoto's studio Hakama, taking over from Neverland after they ceased operations in 2013. The series began as a spin-off to Marvelous' flagship franchise Story of Seasons. The Story of Seasons references were subsequently dropped starting with the second installment, in order to become its own series. With the first game published in 2006, the property consists of five main-series games, two spin-off titles and numerous manga adaptations.

<i>Rune Factory 3</i> 2009 video game

Rune Factory 3: A Fantasy Harvest Moon is a 2009 simulation role-playing video game developed by Neverland for the Nintendo DS. It was published in Japan by Marvelous Entertainment, in North America by Natsume Inc. in 2010, and in Europe by Rising Star Games in 2011. It is the fourth game in the Rune Factory series.

<i>Luigis Mansion: Dark Moon</i> 2013 video game

Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon is a 2013 action-adventure video game developed by Next Level Games and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS. It is the sequel to the 2001 GameCube game Luigi's Mansion, and the third Mario franchise game where Luigi plays the lead role instead of the usual protagonist, Mario. The story follows Luigi as he explores a series of mansions in Evershade Valley, capturing ghosts using a specialized vacuum cleaner invented by Professor E. Gadd. In order to restore peace to Evershade Valley, Luigi must collect the pieces of the Dark Moon and recapture the main antagonist, King Boo.

<i>Rune Factory 4</i> 2012 video game

Rune Factory 4 is a role-playing video game developed by Neverland and published by Marvelous AQL for the Nintendo 3DS. It is the sixth game in the Rune Factory series, and the first to be released on the 3DS. It was released in Japan in July 2012, in North America in October 2013, and in PAL regions in December 2014. An enhanced version, Rune Factory 4 Special, was released for the Nintendo Switch in Japan in July 2019 and worldwide in February 2020. It was also released for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows in 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marvelous (company)</span> Japanese anime producer and video game company

Marvelous Inc. is a Japanese video game developer and publisher, and anime producer. The company was founded in 1997 but formed in its current state on October 2011 by the merger of the original Marvelous Entertainment with AQ Interactive, and Liveware.

<i>Digimon World Re:Digitize</i> 2012 video game

Digimon World Re:Digitize is a 2012 video game for the PlayStation Portable developed by tri-Crescendo and published by Bandai Namco Games on July 19, 2012. The fifth entry in the Digimon World series, itself part of the Digimon franchise, the game features a return to the gameplay mechanics introduced in the original game. An enhanced port was released for the Nintendo 3DS on June 27, 2013 under the title Digimon World Re:Digitize Decode.

<i>Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion</i> 2012 video game

Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion is a 2012 platform game developed by DreamRift and published by Disney Interactive Studios for the Nintendo 3DS. It is a third part of the Epic Mickey series, released alongside Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two, and is touted as a tribute to Sega's Illusion series of Mickey Mouse games, particularly Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse.

<i>Project X Zone</i> 2012 video game

Project X Zone is a crossover tactical role-playing video game for the Nintendo 3DS developed by Monolith Soft with assistance from Capcom and Red Entertainment and published by Namco Bandai Games. It is a follow-up to Namco × Capcom and features characters from Namco Bandai, Capcom, and Sega. The game was released on October 11, 2012 in Japan; June 25, 2013 in North America; and July 5, 2013 in Europe. Project X Zone received mixed to positive reviews upon release; praise went towards the game's cast, combat system, and presentation, but criticism was directed at its repetitive gameplay and confusing storyline.

<i>Mario Golf: World Tour</i> 2014 video game

Mario Golf: World Tour is a 2014 golf video game developed by Camelot Software Planning and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS. The game was first announced on February 14, 2013, in a Nintendo Direct presentation. It is the fifth game in the series, and is the first one in a decade, since 2004's Mario Golf: Advance Tour for the Game Boy Advance. The game was initially scheduled for the second half of 2013, but was eventually delayed to May 2014.

<i>Exstetra</i> 2013 video game

Exstetra is a Japanese role-playing video game developed by Studio Saizensen and published by FuRyu, developer of Unchained Blades and Last Bullet. It was released in Japan on November 7, 2013, for the Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Vita. Due to the expiration of ClariS's music license, the game can no longer be purchased digitally on Nintendo 3DS since May 30, 2018.

<i>Bravely Second: End Layer</i> 2015 video game

Bravely Second: End Layer is a role-playing video game developed by Silicon Studio for the Nintendo 3DS handheld console and is the direct sequel to Bravely Default. It was published by Square Enix in Japan on April 23, 2015, and by Nintendo in North America, Europe, and Australia in 2016.

<i>Final Fantasy Explorers</i> Video game for the Nintendo 3DS

Final Fantasy Explorers is an action role-playing video game for the Nintendo 3DS. It features character job-oriented combat against classic Final Fantasy monsters and summons. It was released in Japan in December 2014, and in North America and Europe in January 2016.

<i>Puzzle & Dragons Z + Super Mario Bros. Edition</i> 2015 video game

Puzzle & Dragons Z + Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition is a 2015 role-playing puzzle video game for Nintendo 3DS developed by GungHo Online Entertainment. It is a compilation of Puzzle & Dragons Z (2013) and Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition (2015) from the Puzzle & Dragons series for North America and Europe. Before the bundled game was announced, the first game Puzzle & Dragons Z was released in Japan on December 12, 2013, and Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition was released in Japan on April 29, 2015. The bundled game was released in May 2015 for North America, Europe, Australia and South Korea.

<i>Miitopia</i> 2016 video game

Miitopia is a 2016 role-playing video game by Nintendo originally released for the Nintendo 3DS in Japan in 2016 and worldwide in 2017, with a remastered version released for the Nintendo Switch in May 21, 2021. The game features customizable Mii characters in a turn-based battle system and follows the story of a group of heroes battling the Dark Lord, who is stealing the faces of Miitopia's inhabitants. The game received mixed reviews, with critics praising its creative life simulation elements and humor while criticizing its combat system and repetitiveness.

<i>Rune Factory 5</i> 2021 video game

Rune Factory 5 is a role-playing simulation video game by Marvelous. The first entry in the Rune Factory series since 2012's Rune Factory 4, it was released for the Nintendo Switch in Japan in May 2021 and in North America and Europe in March 2022, including a Windows port.

<i>Bomberman</i> (Nintendo 3DS game) Video game

Bomberman is the working title of a cancelled action-adventure video game that was in development by Hudson Soft and planned to be published by Konami for the Nintendo 3DS. Intended to be a unique entry in the Bomberman franchise, it was going to feature its own dedicated single-player campaign and multiplayer mode with support for up to four local players and eight players via online support.

References

  1. Romano, Sal (April 22, 2015). "Lord of Magna dated in North America, Europe". Gematsu. Archived from the original on April 24, 2015. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
  2. Nunnely-Jackson, Stephany (April 22, 2015). "Lord of Magna: Maiden Heaven will release in the west this June". VG247 . Retrieved July 26, 2024.
  3. Nunneley, Stephany (2014-02-11). "Forbidden Magna is a simulation RPG in the works with Rune Factory team". VG247. Archived from the original on 2014-07-14. Retrieved 2014-06-26.
  4. "Release Date Confirmed for Lord of Magna: Maiden Heaven". April 22, 2015. Archived from the original on August 8, 2015. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
  5. Luster, Joseph. "VIDEO: "Forbidden Magna" Trailers Show Off the Inn and Battles". Crunchyroll. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 18 September 2016.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Forbidden Magna Sounds Like Valkyria Chronicles Meets Life Sim". Siliconera. 2014-02-12. Archived from the original on 2014-06-27. Retrieved 2014-06-26.
  7. Sleeper, Morgan. "Lord Of Magna: Maiden Heaven Review". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on 30 August 2023. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
  8. "Rune Factory Team Making A 3DS Strategy RPG, Forbidden Magna". Siliconera. 2014-02-11. Archived from the original on 2014-07-03. Retrieved 2014-06-26.
  9. "Origins of Forbidden Magna and Its "Action SRPG" Battle System - Siliconera". Archived from the original on 2014-10-03. Retrieved 2014-10-04.
  10. 1 2 "XSEED Considering Publishing Forbidden Magna in North America". Nintendo Life. 7 May 2014. Archived from the original on 2014-07-03. Retrieved 2014-06-26.
  11. Josh Engen (30 November 2013). "Rune Factory Developer Declares Bankruptcy". The Escapist. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 2014-06-26.
  12. "The four points of Forbidden Magna". Gematsu. 2013-09-12. Archived from the original on 2014-06-12. Retrieved 2014-06-26.
  13. 1 2 "Lord of Magna: Maiden Heaven Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 2024-01-31. Retrieved 2016-04-14.
  14. 1 2 Chris Carter (2015-06-02). "Review: Lord of Magna: Maiden Heaven". Destructoid . Archived from the original on 2015-07-05. Retrieved 2015-07-05.
  15. 1 2 Hale, Bradly (29 June 2015). "Review: Lord of Magna: Maiden Heaven". Hardcore Gamer. Archived from the original on 2015-07-03. Retrieved 2015-07-05.