"Outstanding - Very Enjoyable Game."

What can I say..

This game absolutely meets my expectations, maybe even surpasses them. I pre-ordered it online, and I'm really glad that I did. I thought it would be another AC (those of you who played that game will get what AC means), but I was wrong. Let's start with the basics. First you create your character. You name it, give it a birthday, then name the school. You also get to chose how you look, which is neat. You then introduce yourself at the school and get a wand and wizard hat. Then you get free money! :) You are free to do whatever you want after this. Time flows by as it does in the real world, but you can change the time/date in your DS to change the time/date in the game. The main point of the game is going to school. There are many classes which you can attend, and three teachers which teach different subjects each. The option of going to class is yours, of course. Spending the day by going shopping or item-hunting is up to you. You do get credit by going to class, though, and when you get certain amounts of credit you'll get nice rewards.

Another cool feature is 'Magical Time.' When you play the game a few days and go to class often, the School Principal gives you a key which you use to get into 'Magical Time.' 'Magical Time' is like another dimension, and you'll find rare items and bugs/fish here. The sky turn red, and the settings turn different colors. You can solve 'mysteries,' which are like riddles in which you find items or help someone, if you want to. There are also Extracurricular Classes held in front of the post office, if you want to attend, of course. These classes are held by a skeleton teacher, Mr. Graves. Mr. Graves will give you a clue and you will find the fish/bug/item, then you will get credit. 'Magical Time' will end a day after you went into it. Then, you will be able to go back by waiting a week or by solving a mystery. (The key disappears when you use it; you can wait a week for the key to be created again, or solve a mystery to "make another appear.")

The graphics are alright for the DS, and the sound quality is great, featuring cute remakes of classical songs. Movement is great too, the stylus works just fine, as well as the arrow buttons. The 3D graphics are cute, and the setting has a lot of bright colors and unique architecture. The villagers are either animals, food items, aliens, or other things which are not usually alive. They speak using animalese, the same way Animal Crossing villagers speak; but each with their own tone of voice. The option to become one of the villagers' boyfriend or girlfriend is very cute, too. You have to get to know the said villager well first, by going out on mini-dates with them. You can take them to the balcony at the top of your dorm, or to the juice-bar, or to eat noodles. The map is a fair size, there's the school, the forest, the shopping plaza, the post-office plaza, the beach, a Lovers' Point, and even an island.

The shops are great, too. There is a hair salon, which has three different hairstyles to chose from, each a different color. The hairstyles are changed each month, though, but it's not a big miss. Then there is a clothing and accessory shop. Unlike AC, which a lot of people compare this game to, you can clothe your character with dresses, skirts, and even shoes, apart from shirts, hats, glasses, masks, etc. A different kind of shop exists in this game as well; a flower shop. There is a variety of seeds to choose from and other things. Next is a department store kind of shop. Wallpapers, carpets, furniture, instruments (which you can actually play), records, and record-players are sold here. Like a real department store, though, items here tend to be a bit pricey sometimes. Another shop is at the shopping plaza, too. This one's a potion and material shop. All your spell-casting items can be bought here. This is also where you can sell items found on the floor (flowers, berries, mushrooms, etc.). You cannot sell bugs, fish, or furniture, though. (Those you sell at another shop which isn't located at the shopping plaza, but in the Haunted House which is in the forest.) The last shop isn't really a shop, since the only thing you can buy is juice, but it's a cute little place. You can also listen to music records there, which change everyday, and learn them; so you can whistle them after if you wish.

I have only played this game for a small while, but I already know that I made the right choice by buying it. It doesn't seem like another AC to me, but everyone is entitled to their own opinion. This is a great game with great graphics and great sound, not to mention the storyline and gameplay. It's full of possibilities. :)

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 02/02/10

Game Release: Magician's Quest: Mysterious Times (US, 05/11/09)