Game

Mado Monogatari: Fia and the Wondrous Academy 2024

Developed by Sting

Role-playing (RPG), Adventure, Visual Novel, Action

An ancient school of sorcery. Where students study true magic and cultivate their ambitions. Fia, a girl who aims to be a great sorcerer, leaves her hometown and enrolls in an ancient school of sorcery once attended by her grandmother in order to study sorcery. Surrounded by strict but humorous instructors, and chaotic but amusing classmates, Fia will study sorcery and develop her abilities.

Role-playing (RPG)Adventure Visual Novel Action Comedy Jrpg Turn-based rpgPlayStation 4, PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch

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Character

Cosy, unpretentious, raw and funny.

cosydark
unpretentiousprestige

Reviews

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From the critics

A few lines from each review; the whole review is on the critic's site. Not part of Taste Buds's numbers.

Cubed3Jul 20259/10
Filled with a blend of quirkiness and near-constant humour, Mado Monogatari: Fia and the Wondrous Academy is a breath of fresh air compared to the myriad of doom-and-gloom-themed RPGs on PS5. The minimal issues teamed with a jaunty soundtrack compliment the entertaining personalities whose journey is a pleasure to follow. The future of Mado Monogatari games looks extremely promising with unpredictable story twists and fun battle mechanics.
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ShacknewsLucas WhiteJul 20258/10
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.
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The Switch EffectRichard Heaton Sep 20254.5/5
At $49.99, Fia and the Wondrous Academy is a bit pricey. But it’s loads of fun and can keep you occupied for dozens of hours.
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Checkpoint GamingEdie W-KAug 20254.5/10
Despite not completely lacking in fun, MADO MONOGATARI: Fia and the Wondrous Academy stops short of doing anything interesting with its academy life sim elements or its dungeon crawling. Try-hard 'funny' dialogue waffles for too long, academy activities is largely messing around in menus, and dungeons are one-note and house the same enemies and traps that don't offer a true challenge. If this is your very first dungeon crawler and you're under the age of twelve, you might find enough fun to get you to the end, but for everyone else, this one will likely lie unfinished on the shelf after the first five hours.
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NookGamingRob MacIntoshJul 20254/10
There are maybe two kinds of people whom I can recommend Mado Monogatari: Fia and the Wondrous Academy to. The first is the type of Compile Heart fan who will play just about any cute, low-stress, and/or marginally charming moe JRPG on the market. The second is anyone battling chronic insomnia looking for a powerful soporific to help them get a good night’s sleep, because this game is a snoozefest. It functions, it’s cute, it has a couple of funny moments. Beyond that, it’s much too dull of an experience to recommend anyone spend the 25ish hours it takes to beat.
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Snippets via OpenCritic, where 50% of critics recommend it.

About the game

Platforms: PlayStation 4, PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch
Developer: Sting
Publisher: D4 Enterprise, Compile Heart
Released: November 28, 2024
Modes: Single player
Perspective: Bird view / Isometric
Engine: Unity

IGDB rating 8.2/10 from 1 ratings.

Screenshots

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