Magical Diary: Horse Hall
- May 30, 2012
- Hanako Games
- 11h median play time
Get on Steam"Magical Diary: Horse Hall" is a single-player fantasy RPG with an intriguing story, compelling game mechanics, and a wholesome yet humorous tone. As a student at a magical school, design your character, make friends, learn spells, and navigate exams and relationships. With high replayability, over 70 spells to learn, and multiple solutions to puzzles, this game offers a rich and immersive experience.
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Reviews
- Engaging and humorous story with well-developed characters.
- Multiple endings and romance options provide high replayability.
- Unique blend of visual novel and RPG elements, including spellcasting and dungeon puzzles.
- Art style may be off-putting to some players.
- Game ends after one school year, leaving players wanting more content.
- Some spells and magic mechanics feel underutilized and not impactful in the overall gameplay.
- story293 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 68 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The game's story is a blend of fun and engaging elements, drawing inspiration from familiar themes like magical boarding schools, reminiscent of Harry Potter, while offering unique twists and character depth. Players appreciate the branching paths and meaningful choices that significantly impact the narrative, although some find the overall plot to be somewhat linear and short. Despite its simplicity, the well-crafted dialogue and character interactions keep players invested, making it a compelling experience for fans of story-driven games.
“The characters have depth and personality, and the story presents a world that seems at once familiar with a very obvious nod to the world of Harry Potter but ready to show its claws as a completely unique beast with strong integrity and intriguing worldbuilding that strays far from what might seem like a parody or cheap reference on the surface.”
“The story is wonderful and has many branches to explore, and even what I considered 'little' choices made a significant difference later on.”
“The story is enjoyable; definitely interesting and unique enough to keep you engaged.”
“I think my main frustration was that, while the academics and exams feel very high-agency, the story felt weirdly passive, despite the many paths.”
“The plot is lackluster (proceed through the school year at a magical academy), and although there are some creepy elements that could have been expanded upon, they aren't.”
“The story relies too heavily on the aforementioned novel series with none of the magic, and the characters who were based off of actual HP characters (e.g. Hermione, Snape, etc.) are very watered-down, very fanfic-y versions of those characters.”
- replayability74 mentions
- 28 % positive mentions
- 66 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The game offers significant replayability due to its multiple romance options, branching storylines, and various character routes, encouraging players to explore different outcomes and experiences. While some players noted limitations in dungeon exploration and a relatively short playtime, the overall consensus is that the diverse choices and engaging narratives provide ample incentive for multiple playthroughs. However, the necessity to re-read content can detract from the replay experience for some.
“This game is oddly compelling and the numerous romance options and stories give this game awesome replayability.”
“Magical Diary also has high replay value, as you romance a different character, try out different story options, try different approaches to exams, and try a different study strategy - it's likely that I will play through this game several more times.”
“What response you select has an impact on the plot, making it branch off in a different narrative path, which certainly adds replay value for anyone curious enough to explore all of the game’s content.”
“Replayability is only very limited and you might squeeze out a few hours more by doing some different routes and trying new magic to solve the dungeon puzzles.”
“Worst of all, the dungeons have limited replay value; once you’ve found one easy solution, it’s boring to go through again, even if you look for another easy solution.”
“A decent game, replay value is low unless you make a save point for every possible combination of choices because sometimes even a slight choice can totally affect the ending of the game.”
- graphics64 mentions
- 16 % positive mentions
- 75 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The graphics of "Magical Diary: Horse Hall" evoke a nostalgic, albeit dated, anime art style reminiscent of early 2000s DeviantArt, which some players find charming while others consider it crude and unpolished. Despite the simplistic visuals and occasional graphical errors, many reviewers agree that the engaging story and well-developed characters compensate for the art style, making it a worthwhile experience for fans of visual novels. Overall, while the graphics may not impress, they contribute to the game's lighthearted tone and magical atmosphere.
“The game’s cute, colorful art style might be misleading, as it tells a really well-crafted story with decent amounts of depth and multiple, interesting routes.”
“Overall, a fun game with decent graphics, engaging characters, and surprisingly in-depth and good writing.”
“The graphics aren't anything special, but they aren't bad either.”
“Now, I'm not expecting Mona Lisa-tier graphics, but I won't be the first person to admit that most of the characters look ripped straight out of one of those 'how to draw anime' books you'd find as a kid in one of those Scholastic book fairs.”
“The graphics are freebie level and lower (both sprites and backgrounds), the cast is limited (3 boy paths, 2 girl paths), the story is simplistic and on the short side, there is no voice acting, and so on.”
“The biggest downside is its somewhat mediocre art style/character design, but I managed to get used to that, and even the art has its own weird sense of charm as well.”
- gameplay61 mentions
- 28 % positive mentions
- 67 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The gameplay is primarily a blend of visual novel elements with light RPG mechanics, focusing on character relationships, skill-building in various schools of magic, and engaging dungeon puzzles. While some players appreciate the nostalgic feel and the depth of choices available, others find the mechanics simplistic and underutilized, wishing for more substantial gameplay and longer content. Overall, the game offers an enjoyable experience, particularly for fans of narrative-driven adventures, despite some criticisms regarding its linearity and lack of polish in certain areas.
“The gameplay lets you decide on one of these seven options per day during the week and another set of options on the weekend.”
“The game consists of a really good mix of choose-your-own-adventure visual novel style gameplay and stat-based dungeon-crawl RPG goodness.”
“Gameplay wise it’s all about building relationships & your skill with various schools of magic for the easy but well done dungeon puzzles which can be solved or failed in various ways depending on what schools you’ve worked on.”
“The game could have been interesting if it was longer; it was too short so there was barely any story to it and barely any gameplay either.”
“The gameplay for 80% of the time is box standard.”
“Compared to games like Academagia and Long Live the Queen, Magical Diary has a story that's too linear, gameplay that's too simplistic, and RPG mechanics that are too shallow.”
- humor40 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is widely praised for its cleverness and charm, featuring a mix of quirky dialogue, funny character interactions, and unexpected comedic moments that enhance the overall experience. Players appreciate the light-hearted tone, with many finding the writing both engaging and amusing, often leading to genuine laughter. The game's blend of humor with well-developed characters and intriguing storylines contributes to its replayability and appeal.
“When you graduate, the game gives you a funny prediction of your future life based on an assessment of your playing style and relationships.”
“The storyline with the teacher nearly had me in tears; it was so funny.”
“The game is unexpectedly funny, adorable as expected, and surprisingly pleasantly engaging.”
- music25 mentions
- 44 % positive mentions
- 44 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players finding it soothing and fitting for the scenes, while others describe it as repetitive and forgettable. Although it effectively sets the mood and complements the narrative, many agree that the limited number of tracks can lead to irritation over time. Overall, while the music is not the game's strongest aspect, it contributes positively to the overall experience.
“The music was absolutely perfect for the game; each song fit the mood of the scene it was in, and I could usually guess which characters were going to appear depending on the song.”
“It's adorable; the music is very soothing, and it's an overall fun game to play.”
“Great game, great music that is fitting; love the concept.”
“The music can start to grate, but the game is perfectly playable silent.”
“The music already started to grow a bit repetitive by the end of my first play session, and eventually starts to get irritating (especially if it gets stuck in your head).”
“The game's weakest point is probably its presentation, mainly the art and music.”
- emotional13 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its blend of happy and sad moments, which keeps players engaged and invested in the story. While some paths may feel standard, the well-developed characters and heartfelt relationships evoke a range of emotions, from joy to emotional agony, making the experience memorable. The game also tackles deeper themes like gender neutrality and emotional abuse, adding layers of emotional depth that resonate with players.
“Some routes were more relaxed than others, but all had a decent mix of happy and sad moments, making you emotionally engaged and interested in what’s going to happen next.”
“This game made me feel so many things.”
“It is one of the few games that has real emotional depth behind it, and that alone should make it a success.”
- grinding6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and time-consuming, often requiring multiple playthroughs to unlock achievements and explore different routes. The repetitive nature of grinding through similar choices can detract from the overall experience, as significant progress is only made after considerable investment of time.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“This can get a little tedious after a while--most of the romantic routes don't really trigger properly until after Christmas, so you'll spend the first four months of the game going through similar motions on each playthrough.”
“The only way of doing well at this game is grinding through every possible combination of choices to see which ones actually produce workable results, since there is no way you can seriously work out what will work without that.”
- character development6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is noted for its surprising depth and serious tone, offering meaningful choices and consequences that enhance the storyline. While the character designs are criticized for their limited variety and mediocre quality, they possess a unique charm that contributes to the overall experience. Players seeking rich character arcs and engaging narratives may find this game worthwhile despite its artistic shortcomings.
“In some parts, it seriously surprised me with its sober tone and serious character development.”
“If you are looking for a game where there is character development, consequences for your choices, options, and a good storyline, then I would highly recommend purchasing this game.”
“Don't be put off by the generated anime character designs; Magical Diary creates an interesting world chock-full of three-dimensional characters.”
“The character designs are pretty poor in that they all share the same 10 hairstyles and 4 sets of faces.”
“The biggest downside is its somewhat mediocre art style/character design, but I managed to get used to that, and even the art has its own weird sense of charm as well.”
“It doesn't seem to take itself too seriously (the default character name is 'Mary Sue') and its deviantart style character designs are pretty charming if you're not looking for high quality waifu art in your games.”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Users report occasional graphical bugs on the Mac version, but generally find the game stable and worth playing.
“Some graphics got buggy on my Mac version, but overall it's worth a try!”
“The game crashes frequently, making it nearly unplayable at times.”
“I experienced constant lag and frame drops, which ruined the immersion.”
