Magical Starsign Firstlook July 21,2006 - A game about a school for magic-using children? No, it’s not another terrible Harry Potter licensed game, it’s a Magical Vacation! Or Magical Starsign, as the North American version of this DS RPG will be called.

After their teacher mysteriously disappears one day, the students of Will O’Wisp Academy of Magic take off in a rocketship (yes, a rocketship) to travel to distant planets on a quest to rescue their mentor. Along the way the students will face everything from choreographed robots to giant space scorpions as they hone their magical abilities and, if they’re not careful, they might just learn something before it’s done.

Though the gameplay of Magical Starsign appears to be standard RPG fare at first, the humor, color and story of the game create a tone that stands out from the pack. Brightly colored character sprites range from lizard men to baggy-robed children, all with the classic big heads of the 16-bit era. The dual screens of the DS will be used both to display the overhead map and more detailed information, and will be used as a connected double-display for grander and more epic battle scenes. Screens released so far display a wide variety of planets the students will visit, from tropical forests to deserts to technology-based robot worlds.

The characters themselves are all neatly drawn sprites wildly varying in look and design. Bosses and enemies look crisp and animated, with many bosses spilling from the lower touch screen into the upper screen, giving a true sense of hugeness. And of course, a game about magic-users contains a LOT of spells for the characters. Videos of the Japanese version of the game show giant sweeping explosions of every shape and color, and smooth fight animations which really showcase the beauty of the DS graphics engine. Everything maintains this vivid cartoon look in all of the screens we’ve seen.

The action in Magical Starsign may be turn-based, but the fare is anything but standard. Players will be able to choose a gender for their main character and a focus in Light or Dark magic, as well as a magic specialization from one of the 5 major magic schools; Fire, Air, Water, Tree and Earth. The player’s party will be filled out by other students, at least at first, who will represent other schools of magic in the game. In battles, players will choose standard actions, like melee attack, magic, using an item, defending or changing the party formation. Unlike in other games, the game’s inherent love affair with all things Magical means melee attacks are mostly useless.

Casting spells in the game is as simple as choosing from the icon menus using the stylus. The effectiveness and cost of the spell, however, will change depending on the time of day and the location of the current planet in relation to the stars and constellations most relevant to the casters’ chosen school of Magic. In other words, while a Light Fire caster may be extremely useful on one planet, his spells may do almost no damage on another where a Dark Water caster reigns supreme. These variations create an interesting dynamic for players, and constant reorganizing of tactics may be in order. If nothing else, it will certainly break up the tedium and ensure that all party members get a turn to play, which is an excellent lesson for any student to learn.

Otherwise, the game appears to play similarly to many other RPGs. The map screens appear to be D-Pad cardinal direction based, so it remains to be seen how the game will utilize the individual functions of the DS in unique ways. But with a game that looks this vibrant and this humorous, all fears and skeptical comments have been magically whisked away.

Magical Starsign ships stateside in October. Stay tuned to Amped IGO for more coverage of the full release.

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