Magical Diary: Wolf Hall

I so much enjoyed the Magical Diary: Horse Hall that I thought I'd try out Magical Diary: Wolf Hall (the male version, basically) next. 

So, in a nutshell, this is a great sequel and a nice follow up to the original. Some things changed and some things are the same. Most changes I liked, but a few felt clunky...though that might just be because I'd just grown used to how it was in the original game.

First things first...the story. This time, you play a male character (I named the poor guy North Starlane, but, hey, that's better than the default name of Gary Stu) and, again, you can customise how they look (skin tone, body type, hairdo, hair colour). You're not a wildseed this time...in fact, you're a prince! But you're attending Iris Academy incognito (except for Professor Grabiner and Professor Potsdam, who know). Once you take up your royal position someday, you won't be able to leave your home territory (at all? It sounds like, but then there's a bit where it sounded like mum and dad could have come to visit, so I'm not exactly sure what the rule is). This is your chance to take a year off and explore a different culture. Weirdly, it's once again freshman year for Ellen and Virginia, etc., so presumably this is like an alternate timeline. Some of the events are also the same...and, if you'd gone for the Damien route in Horse Hall, you've basically been replaced by Ellen (she's the one Damien goes after).

You think you're going to be treated the same BUT you get a private room and a tour guide (William), which marks you as different. For the most part, people treat you like normal, however. You are concerned when you learn Pastel is at the school as you met once when you were both very young when her mother came to visit your country. Once nice bonus if you've played Horse Hall is that you find a Legacy Wand in your room. It's only +1 Smart, but it's nothing to sneeze at when you start.

There are the same magic schools and classes, as well as the mall (where you can still buy stuff, but now it's divided into two types: enhancements and basically visual only). The "Cool" and "Weird" bit is gone, which is a little sad. Smarts and Physical are still there. The interface is different -- instead of your magic/stats being constantly displayed down the left side, it's instead in an expandable bar at the top that you have to hover over to see. I actually liked it when it was static, but it's not a huge deal either way.

The character sprites are a HUGE difference, especially Professor Grabiner, who is NOT romanceable this time...and good thing, as he's one grim looking dude now. Some I prefer the original, though it's a more exaggerated anime style. Some are a toss up, a couple the new one is nicer. It's just a thing.

Oh! Another difference that I didn't actually like as I didn't expect it -- there's a question you get asked early on that seems innocuous (something about what you want to do while you're there) and depending on what you pick, you get branded as either Scheming or Flirty or a few other things. I'd just randomly picked one that I thought went with a goal of learning to be a better leader and was stuck with being "Scheming" the rest of the game. I didn't *want* to be a schemer. I'm not entirely sure what it effects, but presumably some choices or dialogue? I'll definitely pick something different the next time.

One of the biggest differences, though, again, you'd have NO idea if you didn't check a walkthrough) is in how many romanceable characters there are -- both fully romanceable and, like, side path kind of things. The main routes are (some being familiar names): Minnie, Ellen, Damien, Barbara, and William. The list of "side" routes is a LOT longer: Manuel Arias, Angela Kirsch, Laurel Aster, Pastel Rao, Luke Phifer, Logan Phifer, Raven Darkstar, Suki Sato, and Corrinna Lee. As I don't feel like I even know who a couple of those are, I think you'd definitely have to see some hints to be able to complete those routes! ...and some of them I can't even find hints on, so...

But...given what you know about Damien (either having played Horse Hall or just listening to William), WTH would you ever romance him? People with a wing fetish? Purple is your fav colour? Also, why are all the ones with wings basically horrible (Looking at you, Pastel)?

Anyway, for my first time through, I was originally trying for William, though I did go the route to get elected co-president with Minnie. But then I somehow failed with William (no idea why), but was able to make up time with Minnie and managed to get what I can assume is her good end (you kiss and also have a date at the May Day Ball at the end). I'd also wanted to try Barbara, but after an initial meeting with her I didn't figure out how to run into her again (apparently, you have to go to the dungeons instead of studying on the weekend?).

Though...how does this poor dude get any happy ending when he has to leave? He's not even going to be able to do a second year at Iris Academy. And Minnie is a crusader and will probably never give up tilting at windmills to go be with him wherever his country is. So...a sort of happy ending, I guess.

Anyway, I did really enjoy it. I weirdly actually spent more hours playing this one play through in Wolf Hall than I did doing two in Horse Hall, but I think that was due to not closing the game once and also re-doing some of the dungeon sections after I figured out what was up with them. I generally prefer to play as a female MC, but it didn't hold me back here. The MC is a decent guy, though he's often confused about American customs (hey, aren't we all). 

So, am I glad I played it? Yes. Will I play it again? Definitely. Though not this week, because I've been sent the final proof copy of book 2 + they figured out from the printer they need to fill 11 (!) more pages so I need to write up some filler. 

EDIT: Oh! I didn't realise until just now that this is the same company that did Confines of the Crown! Or that Wolf Hall was realised in 2020 (so very recent)! 

EDIT: Okay, so I actually finished another route a couple of weeks ago but hadn't written it up (too busy on short story and crazy life) and did William's route. I actually really enjoyed this one; for the character, I feel like it actually makes the most sense and feels like the "true" route. William is a senior and graduating. Everyone else is younger. He's literally the only one of the LIs you can potentially see again in any kind of reasonable timeframe, given that the MC has to travel back to his home kingdom and won't really be able to leave again. 

Rather wish I'd written this up right after because I had ALL THE THOUGHTS but now I'm preoccupied with the new project. Anyway, solid game, only complaint again is that there's NO WAY you'd figure out some things without a walkthrough. Or more time on your hands than any one person should have.

The State of Things

I feel like I need to take a hot minute and give a brief update because the last week has been life-changing and I do periodically read through old posts. So, hello, future me. I hope you've settled down and aren't feeling all freaked out.

Right now, I'm sitting here with a sprained left foot all wrapped up and bandages on both arms (old implant removed; new one put in). Little dude says I am "one-limbed" and he's not wrong. I am glad to have the new implant in as the migraines and nausea had cropped up again and my hormones have been all haywire, but it is painful nonetheless. The foot was just an accident. I can use it now, even though it has almost been a week, but still can't easily go down stairs or do anything that requires me to flex it (especially, as I discovered, trying to reach a high shelf by standing on my tiptoes). 

Neither of those things, of course, are the life-changing bits. Last week we found out that one of husband's business things he'd been involved in before was going to sell. We'd hoped for some years that it would and that we could maybe pay off the house with it, but it was more than that. Still getting my head around it, honestly. I mean, it's good, but I am also just feeling like a giant bundle of vibrating nerves. The hormone thing isn't helping and even though I know that, I can't do anything about it. The world is just feeling very surreal. I am both weepy and panicky and happy and freaked out in equal measures.

I also have a small writing project due on the 7th and I haven't been able to do diddly-squat since the news hit us. Tomorrow, I hope. As I've also got a short story due for an anthology by the end of the month. It's just really, really hard to concentrate right now. And I need to have a hard conversation with my agent because, given our new circumstances, I think I'd rather work on the D&D project I've been thinking about for ages rather than a new book that may or may not sell (and, even if it does, is invariably frustrating -- i.e. like the 2nd book in the one series I have coming out in May which has been one frustration after another). Publishing is in a mess. I can't say it's been making me happy whereas the D&D work I've been doing has been both more fulfilling AND more lucrative (though not a lot; goodness knows that writing is NOT a way to make a living). I mean, I like writing novels and there's nothing like the feeling when someone writes you after they've read one of your books. But it is a very shitty industry for 98% of the people who work in it. The money I've made from it is so very random (good years, bad years, nonexistent years) and considering how unfulfilling it is in the last few years, concentrating on the D&D stuff seems like a good mental health thing to do.

So, anyway. That's where I am at the moment. 

Magical Diary: Horse Hall

I picked up a number of things in the Steam Lunar New Year Sale (always so tempting), including Magical Diary: Horse Hall by Hanako Games. It's an older one (2011) and the graphics looked very cutesy/silly, but I thought I'd give it a try. I didn't honestly expect much out of it but I have to say that I'm really enjoying it. I've actually finished two whole routes! In fact, the only disappointing thing is that I rather wish it had more love interests to choose from.

So, in this one, you play a "wildseed" (i.e. from a non-magical family) freshman at a magical school. You're 16 and away from home for the first time. You can customise what your avatar looks like by selecting a hair style & colour, skin tone, eye shape, and two different body types. Things get off to a rocky start when your get to school and immediately get some demerits when you run (literally) into one of your professors (who is also a route, which sounds dodgy, but isn't as much as it sounds due to circumstances). You also have two roommates: Ellen and Virginia. 

You have to attend class and can learn a number of different types of magic, as well as go to the gym to increase your physical stamina (i.e. HP) and the library to study (i.e. mana power). There are exams throughout the school year (the game encompasses your entire freshman year) which are like simple dungeon crawler type things but how you complete them depends on what types of magic you've studied and what spells you know/use. There's more than one way to make it through each.

The love interests allow for LGBTQ choices and are:

• The aforementioned grumpy professor aka Hieronymous Grabiner
• Damien, a winged demon guy and senior
• Virginia (one of your roommates, who comes from a magical family background)
• Ellen (your other roommate, also a wildseed)
• Donald, also a freshman (Virginia's troublemaker brother)
• and a sort-of half route for Steve, a senior who really really likes pinball

There were a number of other characters I wish they'd had routes for -- like William, Virginia's Older Brother and maybe even Jacob, a guy who runs for class treasurer. I'm not honestly much interested in the roommate routes, though I might try them sometime, as...I dunno, I didn't find either of them all that attractive and based on the sort-of common route-ish bits, seems a bit like you really have to push for it rather than it being natural. Does that make sense? Also, Ellen starts off with having a crush on William, so it seems more odd because of that.

To be fair, I'm not super enthused about the Donald route either as he's a troublemaker and it looks like you'd have to spend a great deal of time in detention in his route and I'm generally a bit of a goody-two-shoes. Can't help it.

Anyway, I did the Damien route first because a) it seems the easiest route to fall into and b) he was the most "different" (he's blue! with wings!) and c) I would never normally start the older LI route and often find them skeevy, especially when it is a teacher/student relationship. But more on that in a minute.

So....I don't want to be too spoilery but I'd say that Damien's route was interesting and a bit unexpected! Though after you figure out what's going on, I wasn't totally sure I wanted to be in his route and I finished it for a "good"? end just because, rather than feeling like the MC should actually go that way. In fact, I played almost the entire way through without looking anything up and I would have definitely hit a non-good end if I'd continued on that way. Though it might not have necessarily been bad...

But I really enjoyed the game play and even though it seems like it should feel a bit grind-y (like Backstage Pass), the fact that there's a real difference in the exams depending on what magic types you learn gives it a good level of re-playability. So I actually jumped right back in, determined to figure out the professor route and see how it was. 

As you can perhaps surmise from the picture and your first meeting where he gives you demerits, he's a bit of a grump. Very stern and slightly terrifying, as opposed to the headmistress, Potsdam, who's all earth-mothery. 

To get on his route, you have to become the freshman treasurer and, while working with him one day, attempt to save him from a Manus (genie-like creature) that you think is attacking him. To then save YOU from being eaten alive, you have to marry Grabiner. At this point, he barely likes you as a student and you certainly don't feel anything for him other than a wary respect. 

The reason this route works for me is because he never attempts in any way whatsoever to in any way seduce or have a relationship with the 16 year old MC. His intent is to have this be entirely a marriage in name only and divorce you in a year's time, at which point you would both get on with your lives. But, over time, you both learn to appreciate each other and the end, while it has a chaste kiss, definitely seems like a BEGINNING of something possibly, rather than a foregone conclusion.  He's also got his tragic backstory and in a weird twist of unintended fate, his dead girlfriend was named Violet and I'd actually named the MC Violet. So that was weird.

Anyway, I quite enjoyed both routes and the game in general. There's a sequel called Magical Diary: Wolf Hall, which features (I gather) a male MC, and I wound up buying that in the sale too after I liked the first one so much. I haven't tried it yet, but will report back.

This one did surprise me. The dialogue was good, the gameplay was handled well, different choices really made a difference...the only thing is that there's no indication anywhere that you're on a particular path (or how many endings there are, or which you've unlocked) other than if certain events *don't* happen -- which you wouldn't know unless you looked up a walkthrough. That's the only reason I even knew there was another option in the Steve character. I'd randomly run into him ONCE on the Damien route but he's hard to find, so if I hadn't read that he's a potential prospect, I would have had no idea. His is a route you'd definitely never figure out if you didn't have some hints as it requires very specific visits to places and actions that aren't necessarily things you'd normally do.

Also, it was made in Ren'py, which is the thing I want to learn how to use, so it was very cool to see some new things in it (like the dungeon scenes; a little clunky, sure, but honestly not bad). I will likely go back to do Steve and Donald and maybe Ellen, though I'll probably try one of the other games I picked up first so I don't OD on it.

Oh, and one more thing--I like that you can save your "Yearbook Page" at the end and it goes up on a website! Here's Violet Vestry and Lirael Sirrocco.