Magical★Explorer (MX, Magiex or Magiero for short) is a popular erotic video game revered among fans of the medium. A world resembling this game is where the protagonist finds himself reincarnated at the beginning of the story, in the role of the comic relief side-character Kousuke Takioto. As a result, his knowledge of this game and its many scenarios set the foundation from which he, as Kousuke, chooses his actions.
Story & Setting[]
In the game Magical★Explorer, the player takes on the role of Iori Hijiri, a new student enrolling in Tsukuyomi Magic Academy, which serves as the main setting of the game. In this world where magic is commonplace and a variety of different dungeons exist to be explored and conquered, Iori and his companions from the academy work hard to improve their skills while making their way through them and defeating monsters. All the while, they overcome various incidents and conflicts that arise along the way. During the game, the player will steadily raise Iori's standing at the academy as they progress through the story, and eventually join one of the Three Committees. The choice in which committee Iori joins effects what kind of scenarios the player can encounter.
Gameplay[]
Magical★Explorer's primary genre is a tactical simulation game, with various elements reminiscent of RPGs and dungeon-crawlers. In addition, the player is able to build relationships with the game's many heroines by triggering specific events and completing their storylines. The main gameplay loop rotates between Iori's campus life where he interacts with the academy's numerous characters and the battles within the labyrinthine dungeons where Iori and his party members face off against monsters as they progress further within. These dungeon explorations can occur as part of the academy's regular curriculum, or brought about as a part of specific story scenarios. The game also features an in-depth crafting system, allowing the player to create a variety of weapons, armor, and magic items. This is complimented by a shop-management system where the player can manage their own shop and sell items. As an eroge, both the scenario and several of the game's dungeons feature gimmicks designed to thrust the heroines into erotic situations, often displayed in-game with unique CG (character graphic) illustrations.
Game Characters[]
The game features a large variety of characters and heroines. The main heroines are the characters who appear on the game's packaging.
Protagonist[]
Main Heroines[]
Other Heroines[]
- Yukine Mizumori
- Kaede Higurashi
- Stefania Scaglione
- Shion Himemiya
- Gabriella Evangelista
- Ivy
- Esmeralda
- Anemone de la Cerda
- Ruija
- Rue Sakura
- MKS73 (Nanami)
- The Founding Saint
Other Characters[]
Dungeons[]
- Beginner's Dungeon
- Tsukuyomi Academy Dungeon
- Palace of Worldly Impermanence
- Twilight Cavern (Limited Edition exclusive)
- Night Sky Cave (Add-on Disc bonus)
- Gloomy Ruins (aka "Panties Dungeon")
- Archives of Promises
- Karakuri Trick Castle
- Twilight Path
- Super-Chaos Benefit Enemy Dungeon (aka "Pervert Dungeon")
- Library Dungeon
Details & Trivia[]
- There are a total of 24 heroines.[1]
- The game starts the day before the first day of school.[2]
- The game contains content exclusive to certain editions beyond just the base game, such as the Limited Edition version, Add-On Discs, and update patches. This content can range from access to certain dungeons to the appearance of entire heroines.
- There is a group dubbed the "Big Three" (consisting of the Founding Saint, Monica and Yukine), who are considered the most unbalanced and overpowered characters in the game other than Iori himself.
- A similar group titled the "Expansion Four Kings", consisting of heroines from Add-On discs, also exists.
- Although the player works toward joining one of the Three Committees in the game's story, it's very difficult to join the Ceremonial Committee on one's first playthrough without the use of speedrunning strategies.
- In fact, it's hinted at multiple times that Magical★Explorer has a fairly sizable speedrunning community.
- Although technically a tactical simulation game, many colloquially refer to MX as a "click game" due to the high amount of clicking through menus involved in playing the game.[4]
- Due to content having to be trimmed down, either as a result of the scale of the game or other production concerns, there are many aspects about the world of MX that are unknown to Kousuke, with some secrets only hinted at on the staff's blog.
- For example, Marino is a hugely influential character in the world of the story, but has very little screentime in the game itself.
Deviations[]
Due to the influence of the now-reincarnated Kousuke, the world resembling this game has undergone many deviations from Magical★Explorer's original story. Several details and character relationships have shifted from how they were portrayed in the game.
Examples:
- Kousuke moved into the Hanamura House and because of that he didn't meet Iori in the academy's dorm.
- Ludie was saved by Kousuke during an incident at the Hanamura Hotel. As a result, several details have changed since originally Marino was supposed to be the one to save her:
- Ludie no longer idolizes Marino.
- Ludie no longer develops her fear men or humans in general due to Kousuke saving her before the worst could occur.
- The Church of the Malevolent Lord have marked Kousuke as a quarry warranting elimination instead of Iori.[5]
- His majesty, Ludie's father, allowed her to live in the Hanamura House, which wasn't originally the case in the game.
- The incident involving the Church summoning a dungeon occurred earlier, now happening before the start of the school year, rather than after.
- Ludie's arrival as a student occurred earlier. This was originally delayed due to the incident in the Hanamura Hotel.
- Ludie no longer takes as strong an interest in Iori.
- Kousuke befriended Yukine early, and due to this she didn't become acquainted with Iori as soon as in the game.
- Furthermore, Kousuke gained her trust more than anyone else.
- Due to Kousuke winning their duel, Katorina declared him to be her rival instead of Iori.