Mado Monogatari: Fia and the Wondrous Academy

“Filled with likable characters and a silly magical school storyline, there's a lot to like about Mado Monogatari: Fia and the Wondrous Academy.”

“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.”

“Mado Monogatari: Fia and the Wondrous Academy. It provides a cozy, approachable dungeon-crawling experience on the Nintendo Switch, complete with slapstick humor, anime charm, and oddball features like curry-based stamina management. It offers a fun, low-pressure journey for casual RPG enthusiasts or those interested in a peculiar bit of Japanese gaming history.”

“Mado Monogatari: Fia and the Wondrous Academy blends easy-to-grasp mechanics, colorful visuals, and endearing characters into a lighthearted, humorous dungeon crawler that might not be for everyone.”

“Mado Monogatari: Fia and the Wondrous Academy is a pleasant, approachable dungeon crawler ideal for casual players or anyone curious about a quirky slice of gaming history that never left Japan, until now. It’s not flawless, and the repetition will be noticeable for some, but as a low-pressure, bite-sized RPG, it delivers a warm and whimsical adventure. One can’t help being drawn in by its positive energy.”

“An average mystery dungeon game that does not break any new grounds or reinvent the formula, it is on the lighter side of mechanics and easy to pick up and play, it is entertaining and worth a completion but I feel like replay-ability and a large plethora of side content is definitely something that is sorely needed.”

“What distinguishes Mado Monogatari is its extreme enthusiasm and relentless humour. With a joyful art style, hugely entertaining character design and a painfully catchy and exuberant soundtrack, Mado Monogatari ends up being more memorable than it has any right to be. It’s been a stressful couple of weeks for me with an almost overwhelming workload, but whenever I loaded this up I found myself smiling and relaxed almost immediately afterwards.”

“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.”

“Mado Monogatari: Fia and the Wondrous Academy is a good revival of a franchise with a pretty interesting legacy and that delivers a fun, if not very challenging, experience of a classic Dungeon RPG.”

“Looking for an old story that becomes new here? This might be for you. The combat is simple and doesn’t try to be more than it’s intended to be, it doesn’t try to impress you, it just does it, and that’s great because you can start, have fun, and leave with a feeling of a job well done by the Sting and Combine Heart team.”

“Dive into the whimsical world of Mado Monogatari: Fia and the Wondrous Academy. Despite shallow characters and repetitive combat, it's charming.”

“MADO MONOGATARI: Fia and the Wondrous Academy is a whimsically charming adventure that'll make you wish you could attend its characterful academy. 🏫”

“Mado Monogatari: Fia and the Wondrous Academy has a fun school setting where you take classes to learn new spells. Plus, who doesn't love Carbuncle?”

“MADO MONOGATARI: Fia and the Wondrous Academy is an entertaining experience that has a lot to offer for those wanting a fun and humorous time. These characters are hilarious, but the gameplay can get a bit repetitive.”

“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.”