Magical girls are products of anime TV shows like Sailor Moon, Cardcaptor Sakura, Princess Tutu, and Shugo Chara. With all these and more popular series’ coming out of Japan and the country being home to some of the most prominent video game studios, there are certainly magical girl video games out there as well.
For those seeking magic, friendship and everything else the magical girl genre encompasses wrapped up into a video game, these titles are for you.
10 The Marl Kingdom Series
While this RPG series has three main games, only one has been translated to English, which is Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure. In terms of magical girl content, the titles of these series serve whimsical stories with cute characters.
The English title was originally released in 1998 but got a version released for the Nintendo DS in 2008. The story follows a girl trying to save a prince who was turned to stone by a witch.
9 Blue Reflection
RPG came out in 2017 for the PS4 and Microsoft Windows. The main character of the game is a ballet dancer who injured her knee. Unable to dance, she receives magical powers that allow her to fight and move as she pleases.
The game follows a day cycle, balancing out school life with defeating monsters. It has actually been compared to the more well-known Persona series in terms of gameplay.
8 Long Live The Queen
Long Live the Queen is an RPG visual novel about a princess who is training to become a queen after her mother dies. While the game looks cute, it can get a little brutal as your goal is to keep the princess alive for 40 weeks until she turns 15-years-old and goes through coronation.
The game has a ton of positive reviews on Steam. Its greatest strengths are its plot, replayability, unlockables, and attention to detail.
7 The Shantae Series
The Shantae series has five titles in all that focus on the adventures of a half-genie girl. Its first title was released in 2002 and its latest in 2019. Like magical girls, the protagonist has magical powers, transformations, and many outfits.
Shantae games are made by WayForward, which creates games in many genres from original action-adventures to adaptations from TV shows like Adventure Time.
6 The Persona Series
Persona is a well-known JRPG series. While its latest protagonist is a teenage boy, his adventures are quite like those the magical girl genre explores. They have outfit transformations, strong friendships, school life, and plenty of combat.
The girls themselves would be considered magical girls if the boys weren’t around too. Do not expect frilly sailor suits though, the transformation outfits in this game vary greatly based on the character backgrounds and personality.
5 Magic Knight Rayearth
Magic Knight Rayearth is a manga that got its own anime and the anime inspired the video game. The game is an old title by today’s standards, as it was the Sega Saturn in the ’90s.
The game basically follows the first arc of the manga and show though, so you do not necessarily need to have watched the anime or read the manga to understand the game.
4 Alluna And Brie
Alluna and Brie is an RPG social simulation game. Within the narrative, you make friends with characters and form your own band of magical girls to fight monsters. The combat is turned based, the story has five chapters, and there are a ton of characters. Along with that, there are ten various love interests.
The game does take place after the events of a different RPG social simulation called Max’s Big Bust - A Captain Nekorai Tale.
3 Rosenkreuzstilette
This is an action platformer game that’s often compared to the Mega Man franchise. It seems to have also drawn inspiration from famous retro games like Castlevania. On Steam, reviews are positive. Many love that it is basically Mega Man with cute girls, while there are some that see it as too much of a clone.
Players take the role of Spiritia Rosenberg, who gets caught in the story of a revolution instigated by her friends.
2 Bayonetta
Bayonetta is not known as a magical girl game, but actually the more you think about it the more similarities you find. She has a transformation sequence, protects humanity, fights monsters, and even uses a different name while fighting.
Her games are not known to be magical girl games because they do not follow some of the most common magical girl tropes such as being a preteen or teenager. However, her magic, story, and love of feminine things all show classic magical girl traits.
1 Magical Battle Arena
There is a bulk of magical girl video games that are only available in Japan. One such example is Magical Battle Arena, which was released only in Japan in 2008.
The game is a crossover third-person shooter that features a lot of the most popular magical girl characters from anime such as Cardcaptor Sakura, Magical Circle Guru Guru, and Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha A’s. It has both single and multiplayer modes and is available for Windows.
NEXT: Bayonetta: Anime Characters Who Could Beat Bayonetta In A Fight
