- Publisher: Idea Factory International
- Release Date: Jul 29, 2025
- Also On: PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5
- Summary:
Buy Now
| Buy on |
|
- Developer: Sting, Compile Heart
- Genre(s): Role-Playing, General
- # of players: No Online Multiplayer
- Cheats: On GameFAQs
- More Details and Credits »
Score distribution:
-
Positive: 1 out of 3
-
Mixed: 2 out of 3
-
Negative: 0 out of 3
-
Jul 22, 2025Mado Monogatari: Fia and the Wondrous Academy isn’t going to light the world on fire and turn millions of gamers on to a lost RPG franchise of gold, but it is neat that it exists and hasn’t gone through any weird legal filters. Sega heads finally don’t have to be a savvy enough person to be aware of niche-within-a-niche fan translations to get a little slice of history of their favorite puzzle game. Mystery Dungeon sickos may be disappointed with a game that looks like one of those but thoroughly isn’t, but the combat mechanics feel distinct and fun to play with even if their busyness doesn’t always translate to a challenge. Sometimes a dungeon-crawler can just be cute, and that’s okay.
-
Jul 24, 2025Light on challenge but with plenty of charm, Fia’s magical (mis)adventures are more cozy nostalgia than gripping innovation. But if you’re in the mood for breezy dungeon crawling and quirky school life, MADO MONOGATARI might just summon a bit of sparkle.
-
Aug 6, 2025I enjoyed Mado Monogatari: Fia and the Wondrous Academy in spite of itself. I think the characters can be cute and fun, and I’m a sucker for any Mystery Dungeon style roguelike. The problem is that it really moves at a plodding pace, the combat system’s AOE and range systems get in the way of themselves, and the dungeon exploration feels more boring than challenging. I do think that, if there’s a sequel, a lot of this could be used as a foundation for something better. Trim some of the fat, like gameplay elements that didn’t work, tighten up the story, and adjust things to play more like Sorcery Saga (which was great) or the original first-person dungeon crawlers. I feel like the issue is that what’s here is too easy of a game with too cumbersome of a combat system for folks looking for a new Mystery Dungeon type of roguelike, but perhaps too slow-moving and awkward for those unfamiliar with the genre.