At first glance, June Mejos seems like your typical high school student, complete with a small but close-knit group of friends. Except, well, let’s face it – you’ve spotted the ‘magical girl’ part of the title and as such, are well aware that there’s more to our protagonist than meets the eye. If only her so-called friends hadn’t decided to ditch her on a very special day, leaving her to take on the Nightmares that threaten our world by her lonesome tonight, on top of it all. Bah. Who needs their help anyway, in A Change of Heart: A Magical Girl Adventure?
Actually, scratch that. Having played through A Change of Heart: A Magical Girl Adventure, perhaps going at it alone wasn’t exactly June’s best idea ever, because goodness, those abominations are absolutely relentless and a lonesome magical girl can only do so much to push back against the Nightmares. Oh, right: yes, capital N – physical manifestations, rather than what we in our world associate with the word. Every bit as horrifying though.
Considering her apt arsenal of moves with which to dispose of those things, chances are the struggles I faced were, on some level, my own doing. From her quick jab to the downward smash and even a block move that halves damage (a movie that has her essentially hiding inside her hoodie, which ends up looking adorable), June certainly packs a punch. Unfortunately, the same can be said about her adversaries, although fortunately, they do leave behind glamour orbs, which can be used to heal – provided you can find a safe spot, as this does require standing completely still during the process. No mid-combat emergency health boosting for this magical girl.
June’s had enough… if they can’t remember a simple day, she doesn’t need them anyway. She’ll prove she’s strong enough to fight by herself.
And yet… something is happening inside her.
Could always expense the glamour on a Cherry Cannon attack, which, again, requires standing still to charge – I found that one to be very situational, however, compared to, you know, healing. Especially during the boss fights. Oh boy. The boss fights. I mean, A Change of Heart: A Magical Girl Adventure is not an overly lengthy affair, clocking in at just under twenty minutes for me, but like any solid platformer, it too has at least a few big nasties to deal with. These are also where the majority of story elements, aside from the opening and ending cut-scene, come from. Interesting stuff, and I honestly can’t wait to find out where the series might be going next; both in plot, gameplay and of course, its characters. Which is a good thing seeing how the Basin Lake Magical Girls Series, at the time of writing, actually spans no less than six(!) titles. Wow.
All in all, in case that wasn’t quite obvious at this point, I would absolutely recommend clicking this link for a trip to itch.io where A Change of Heart: A Magical Girl Adventure can be experienced, and just like its sequels, side-stories, and spin-offs, without spending a single cent (although I would, as always, still recommend supporting the developer if you enjoy the game). Have fun!
