Mai: Child of Ages

About

Mai: Child of Ages is a single player and multiplayer hack and slash game with mystery and post-apocalyptic themes. It was developed by Chubby Pixel and was released on September 18, 2025. It received positive reviews from players.

Travel through time and help Mai and her Grandfather uncover the mysteries of the world after the Last Great War. Explore the connections between ancient eras and dystopian futures in an adventure that blends thrilling combat with precision platforming.

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88%

Audience ScoreBased on 85 reviews

gameplay9 positive mentions

stability3 negative mentions

Engaging exploration and puzzle-solving gameplay with a strong Zelda and Metroidvania influence.
Beautiful art style with a charming and atmospheric world that captures a nostalgic feel.
Unique time-manipulation mechanics that offer narrative and gameplay variety between child and adult versions of the protagonist.

Controls and camera system are clunky and occasionally frustrating, impacting combat and platforming.
Frequent bugs including glitches, softlocks, and respawning enemies that can hinder progression and enjoyment.
Combat mechanics feel repetitive and unrefined, with slow movement and unbalanced difficulty spikes in arena battles.

gameplay
29 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
59%
10%
The gameplay of Mai: Child of Ages offers a mix of exploration, combat, and puzzle-solving that varies notably between the child and teenage timelines, blending light platforming with darker action elements. While the time-travel mechanic and varied mechanics add depth and maintain engagement, some players find issues with clunky controls, occasional repetitiveness, and certain frustrating design choices. Overall, it provides a charming, accessible experience with metroidvania influences, though improvements in control and gameplay fluidity could enhance enjoyment.
- “Mai: Child of Ages is an interesting indie adventure that merges Zelda-like exploration and time-travel mechanics with a personal narrative about growth and identity.”
- “The gameplay is divided between Mai's basic child form in the present timeline, where she has more mobility and finesse, and her teenage form in the future, where she's more suited for combat thanks to a nice range of weapons, which are also very useful to solve certain puzzles.”
- “As the storyline is connected by different timelines (switching from present and future), so the gameplay and aesthetics vary consequently: from colored, joyful and relaxing platforming (still challenging in some parts) and exploring sections (reviving the old 3D platforming games) where you play Mai as child; to more action and darker gameplay sections focused on fights playing Mai in the section of the future.”
- “It makes the game appear more like a collect-a-thon than an adventure and the gameplay focuses almost entirely on the shoddy controls, the worst aspect of the game.”
- “The game’s core concept is strong but the gameplay has a rigid feel: combat can be clunky, some jumps are hard to judge, a few puzzles repeat themselves, and certain abilities (like climbing or underwater movement) can feel unreliable.”
- “The gameplay however is frustrating and there are some gameplay design flaws in my opinion.”
story
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
55%
15%
The story in "Mai: Child of Ages" is generally seen as simple yet engaging, featuring time-manipulation elements and emotional twists that add depth through flashbacks and multiple timelines. While some find it captivating and rich with atmosphere, others feel parts are slow or bogged down by repetitive fetch quests, which detracts from overall engagement. Overall, it offers a cozy, story-driven adventure that appeals to fans of atmospheric and puzzle-based exploration.
- “Mai: Child of Ages is an ambitious and colorful adventure that blends time-manipulation puzzles, Zelda-style exploration, into a single, story-driven journey.”
- “The story is simple, but it also features an interesting twist towards the end, and a series of flashbacks set in the past give more context and worldbuilding to the whole setting.”
- “With its engaging story full of twists, rich gameplay, and mysterious atmosphere, it offers an adventure that can easily captivate you for an evening, or even several.”
- “However, after playing for only two hours, I decided not to continue because the story simply didn't engage me enough to proceed.”
- “It's not bad or anything, I just found both the story and gameplay quite boring.”
- “I carried out multiple simple fetch quests for my grandfather, who stands completely still next to the fireplace doing nothing and has no interesting dialog.”
graphics
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
11%
33%
The graphics are widely praised for their stunning, unique, and Ghibli-inspired art style, with smooth animations and impressive cloth physics enhancing the visual experience. While some technical glitches are noted, the varied aesthetics effectively complement the game's shifting timelines and gameplay styles, creating an enjoyable and immersive atmosphere.
- “The graphics are amazing, and I really like this style.”
- “So first things first, the art and graphics are stunning.”
- “The presentation (graphics and music) is very nice, punching above the weight of its somewhat simplistic kid-friendly style through a strong Ghibli-inspired art direction, making looking for hidden collectibles or observing and reasoning your way through the latest obstacle in your path an overall enjoyable experience.”
- “The graphics are fine, but the cloth physics of Mai, especially adult Mai, are only good during movement and combat, not consistently impressive.”
- “The gameplay and aesthetics vary because the storyline switches between present and future timelines, leading to inconsistent visual styles ranging from colorful and joyful platforming to darker, action-focused sections.”
- “[h3][i]Visuals are not clearly defined or detailed in the feedback, indicating a lack of strong visual impact.”
music
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
37%
13%
The music in the game is widely praised for its pleasing, atmospheric quality, seamlessly shifting between calm melodies and intense battle themes. It enhances the cozy, hand-drawn art style and creative gameplay, contributing significantly to the overall immersive and enjoyable experience.
- “And a soundtrack shifts seamlessly from calm melodies to intense battle themes, perfectly matching the atmosphere.”
- “The time-shifting mechanics give every encounter a creative twist, and the soundtrack matches the shifts in mood beautifully.”
- “The mini game mechanics, the soundtrack, everything just clicked.”
atmosphere
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
43%
The game's atmosphere is consistently immersive and evocative, blending a cozy, mysterious world with a seamless soundtrack that enhances both calm and intense moments. It effectively supports the unfolding story and precise gameplay, creating an engaging experience that invites players to pause and fully absorb the environment. Overall, the atmosphere captivates and rewards attentive players throughout the adventure.
- “If you enjoy atmospheric action-adventures with precise platforming and a story that develops alongside the protagonist, this one’s worth a look.”
- “And a soundtrack shifts seamlessly from calm melodies to intense battle themes, perfectly matching the atmosphere.”
- “It’s a game that rewards patience and attention: sometimes you’ll stop just to take in the atmosphere before moving forward.”
optimization
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
40%
The game is well optimized, running smoothly with stable performance even on lower-end PCs, and features no noticeable lag. Users appreciate its efficient performance alongside good visuals and simple controls.
- “The game is beautiful, well optimized, with simple controls, and convenient camera.”
- “And at the same time, the game doesn't lag at all, the optimization is very good.”
- “So far the performance has been mostly stable, even on my less than stellar laptop.”
emotional
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the game emotionally engaging, describing it as a heartfelt and nostalgic journey that evokes genuine feelings, including moments of tearful connection. Despite minor flaws, its exploration of themes like time, identity, and transformation resonates deeply, making the emotional experience a standout aspect.
- “Still, if you’re willing to look past occasional stiffness and bugs, Mai: Child of Ages stands out as a heartfelt, nostalgic, and surprisingly expansive adventure that captures the spirit of N64/Dreamcast-era classics while trying something new.”
- “The story is simple so far, but emotional, and I might have shed a tear playing it :')”
- “After spending 8.8 hours on this game, I can safely say that Mai: Child of Ages is not just an adventure—it's an emotional journey through time, identity, and transformation.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game shows promise but is marred by several technical glitches that impact stability. While minor issues are expected, frequent bugs and repetitive elements suggest the need for further polishing to improve the overall experience.
- “This game has potential but with the amount of glitches I ran into so quickly, I think it could use some extra polishing.”
- “I like the unique art style and music, but it also has a few technical glitches, repetitive combat, and the lack of a proper map.”
- “Although encountering some minor glitches is unavoidable, I had fun regardless.”