Publisher Compile Heart and developer Sting have announced “Madou Monogatari: Fia and the Mysterious School,” releasing the first trailer, information, and screenshots for the game. It is set to launch for Sony PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch on November 28 in Japan.
The official website for the game is now live.
Madō Monogatari, also known as Sorcery Saga, is a long-running series of dungeon-crawling RPGs that began in the early 1990s by Compile Heart, then known simply as “Compile.” The series has spawned various titles and remakes over the years, with the last official release being 2013’s “Sorcery Saga: Curse of the Great Curry God” for the PlayStation Vita.
The Madō Monogatari series is well-known for its diverse characters, with Arle Nadja being one of the most iconic protagonists. These characters became so popular that they were featured in the spin-off puzzle game series “Puyo Puyo,” which eventually overshadowed the original RPG series.
Despite the greater fame of the “Puyo Puyo” series, Madō Monogatari remains beloved by fans for its unique blend of dungeon crawling, adorable characters, RPG mechanics and whimsical storylines. Now, after more than a decade’s absence, the series is being continued with Madou Monogatari: Fia and the Mysterious School.
The game is set in the Ancient Magic School, a facility dedicated to learning proper magic. The protagonist is a new girl named Fia, who enrolls in this school to become a great magician, following in the footsteps of her grandmother. Due to an incident at the entrance ceremony, Fia is placed in a class for problematic students.
Rather than offering a first-person perspective as the series traditionally did, “Madou Monogatari: Fia and the Mysterious School” adopts a style similar to “Sorcery Saga: Curse of the Great Curry God.” It features a 3D world design with chibi character models and an isometric camera angle, allowing for seamless control over Fia.
The school features many characters, including the enthusiastic and aspiring “hero” Will, the communication-challenged genius Leena, the gentle and friendly Totto, and the dragon-blooded Eska, who all meet Fia at the school.
Additionally, familiar characters from previous “Madou Monogatari” entries, such as Carbuncle and the Puyos, will make appearances. There is no official word yet on whether Arle will return in this game as a supportive character, so all eyes are on Fia.
The game is being developed by Sting, who are also handling the development of “Touhou Spell Carnival,” another game published by Compile Heart. Sting includes former staff members from Compile, the company that previously worked on the “Madou Monogatari” series, reuniting the team for this project. The character designers include Sunaho Tobe, who previously worked as a designer at Compile.
Additionally, a deluxe edition with various bonuses will be released alongside the standard edition. These bonuses include an original card game, an acrylic diorama, and a soundtrack. There will also be a digital deluxe edition, which includes a digital art book and a digital soundtrack. Interested individuals can check the details and make reservations on the official website.
For Japanese-speaking fans of Madou Monogatari and Puyo Puyo, this announcement is sure to be exciting. “Madou Monogatari: Fia and the Mysterious School” is set to release on Sony PlayStation and Nintendo Switch platforms on November 28th. There is also the possibility of a future PC release and an English translation, given that “Sorcery Saga: Curse of the Great Curry God” was brought to the West a year after its release on the Vita and was re-released for PC on June 4th, 2018, thanks to Ghostlight.
