Review: Majogami Is at Its Best When Encouraging Combos

Inti Creates established itself as a developer adept at 2D platformers that encourage someone to not just “run and gun” or acquire Metroidvania power-ups to improve our range, and Majogami continues that tradition. This time it feels like an odd balance of trying to move as quickly as possible to efficiently dispatch opponents one after another in extended combos while also being acutely aware of everything around you. It looks really unique and I appreciate the thought put into its execution, but it does take some skill to master and some story characters could squick certain players out.

Shiroha finds herself in Orchesgra, a paper and craft world filled with magic, without any memories. A sentient piece of paper known as Shiori claims to be her father, trapped in an odd form. Both were pulled from their home of Luludidea here, to a world run by Craft Witches and populated by their Apostle paper enemies. Their goal is to recover the Recarte cards that seal away Shiroha’s memories, defeat all the witches, and find a way back home. Along the way, they’ll also learn more about who she is and what happened to her and her father in the first place.

Majogami is honestly a straightforward, 2D action-adventure game. We head into dedicated levels in each chapter. Shiroha cuts through enemies with her Kamikiri katana, either slashing or expending Magic Paper to perform Setsuna attacks that deal more damage and might even decimate a mist shield or finish off a foe in one strike. It’s even possible to buy equipment to help heal or give yourself a second chance, and eventually transform with Astrals to become more powerful or gain abilities to access new parts of areas. Basically, we’re watching a skilled swordswoman use precise cuts to tear through opponents, eventually gaining the strength to transform or use a Celestial Serenade special for devastating moves. We’re becoming just as adept in standard stages so we can take on Trials outside of regular scenes in acts as we do. I found that often stages themselves can feel a little simple or not too stimulating in terms of layouts, since the focus does seem to be on plotting out attacks and dealing with foes effectively. 

What I appreciate about Majogami is this is a game where you could go through levels incredibly quickly and efficiently, but not because you’re button-mashing. You need to be really thoughtful and think about Shiroha’s movements and attacks. The Setsuna attacks could be used in certain situations and levels in such a way that you could easily hit 10-hit combos without even thinking about it, but only if you keep an eye on positioning and the layout. When you’re in certain standard situations and always during boss fights, there will be encounters where you either can’t deal damage until you strike with Kamikiri from a specific direction or failing to counter in a certain way could result in taking a lot of damage. It really becomes about paying attention and learning the right way to play, and the difficulty progression is such that I felt like situations did prepare me for later encounters and Astralization forms like Antares can help with extending reach and terrain traversal. 

The design direction is also pretty unusual. Majogami looks very unique and is reminiscent of papercraft while also being psychedelic at times. It really ends up feeling like a different world with rules that don’t work like ones we’d expect. It pops. At the same time, the visuals also can end up offering some very distinctive cues, such as when you’d need to strike from certain angles or pinpoint attacks to dodge. It’s often both striking and effective. There are some areas in which I feel like it can almost be a bit distracting or that the level design can be a bit too simple. But in general, I tend to appreciate the choices Inti Creates made. 

Speaking of choices made, another common element in Inti Creates games is the use of fan service, and Majogami is a title that takes advantage of going with certain looks and approaches for some folks. This is reflected in most female characters’ designs, as you’d expect. (Pollux has four breasts, as an example.) However, I found some ways in which it is executed in this game left me feeling uncomfortable. Shiori is established as Shiroha’s father early on, but the fact that his paper self is put into her cleavage with the two red ribbons at the top peeking out when he isn’t appearing during story segments made me feel really weird about the situation. Likewise, Louise looks like a child and gets a bit assertive in an uncomfortable way around Shiroha, and some other Craft Witches bring up kinks that might make players feel uncomfortable. Some folks might be absolutely fine with it, but I think it’s worth noting that some characterizations and situations make others feel uneasy. 

If you do like these characters though, Inti Creates does provide opportunities to get to know everyone better. There are Topic Seedlings that can be found if you really take your time to explore all areas of levels. When you finish a stage, you can then head to the Conversations sections of the menu to watch Shiroha interact with her father, NPCs, Astrals, and Craft Witches. These do a pretty good job of establishing individuals and offering insights into the world’s lore. Though they also can just be silly fun sometimes. 

Majogami feels like a game where you need to “work smarter, not harder” in order to best Craft Witches with Shiroha’s katana. I appreciate it, since it means thinking critically and paying attention to your opponents and surroundings. I also liked the papercraft approach to some design elements. I do wish some different choices had been made with some characterizations, but that’s more of a personal gripe and I could see other players adoring the design direction for every member of the cast. In general, I’d say it’s another solid Inti Creates action game.

Majogami is available for the Switch, Switch 2, and PC.