Mahōtsukai no Yoru is likely Nasu at his most restrained, mature and delicate - and it is so emblematic of his progress as an author as a result. This being the fourth of the big four Type-Moon works I've experienced - after Tsukihime, Fate/stay night and Kara no Kyōkai in that order - it's clear for me to see the evolution play out in real time; ironic considering that both KnK and Mahōyo were, as I understand it, initially written before Tsukihime. Though, it's clear Nasu et all took time to really rethink their approach with this one, and frame this ultimately tiny and breezy story as the introspective-yet-removed narrative masterpiece it is. As I've sat and reflected on Tsukihime and Fate/stay night in the months since I completed them, while working my way through Mahōyo, I think I've come out the other end loving all three of these works about equally, for different reasons. I'll talk about that more when I get around to rewriting my review of Tsukihime as well, but for the moment, know this - I've officially come to really love and be deeply inspired by the works of Type-Moon. These are wonderful stories, no matter how flawed in their varying levels of execution. As far as execution goes, though, I think there's a very strong argument to be made that Mahōyo represents Type-Moon at their very best...
First and foremost, while my personal tastes lean more towards the time-stood-still, distant Y2K-ish look of the original Tsukihime, there's simply no denying that Koyama, Takeuchi and their team were on the top of their game here artistically. The amount of polish and detail present in the character sprites, backgrounds, and CGs in Mahōyo is simply astonishing. And, when combined with the animation direction of Tsukuri Monoji, the result is an often jaw-dropping experience that pushes the boundaries of what can be considered typical visual novel presentation. Simply, I think Mahōtsukai no Yoru is the most visually stunning visual novel I've ever played, even outdoing the 3D modeling and impressive pseudo-animations of Muv-Luv Alternative. Lead composer Hideyuki Fukawsawa and longtime Type-Moon contributors James Harris and Keita Haga deliver my favorite soundtrack to a Type-Moon title since the original Tsukihime, with highlights including the somber, beautiful “Aozaki Aoko” and the truly fairytale-ish “Kuonji Alice”, the motifs for Mahōyo’s heroine pair.
Mahōtsukai no Yoru is a story rather atypical for Type-Moon, refreshingly. There’s not much in the way of twists and turns here; what you see is largely what you get, and the game telegraphs its moves in a way that allows you to see why things will play out the way they will, rather than anything catching you entirely off-guard. There are no trademark Type-Moon mind shatterers here like Tsukihime and particularly Fate/stay night were fond of, but the tradeoff comes in the subtle, fleshed-out characterization of its main trio. Rather than the protagonist-centric focus the narratives of the other big Type-Moon works focus on, Mahōyo is notably distanced from its cast, allowing each of them their own time to exist on a 1:1 level with the text. Neither Aoko nor Sojūrō nor Alice is the focal point with which our moral or thematic comprehension is balanced; they are three equally weighted presentations of the same ideas, granted the same weight and the same time alone and with one another to gather understanding of themselves alone and in communication. This is a morally dubious and somewhat standoffish trio of protagonists, but three people who you also come to understand, appreciate, and fall in love with over the course of the story. Simply put, it’s my favorite cast dynamic Type-Moon has presented since the Far Side of the Moon’s take on the mansion cast in Tsukihime - and there’s some very obvious overlap with that group here.
Sojūrō gets an extra gold star from me here, arguably my favorite male lead of the big four Type-Moon works - his background of growing up in the wilderness is reflected clearly in his dissociation with what could be considered the “moral binary”, and while being a sweet and well-meaning person, he’s still very much alien to the world around him in a way that feels isolating, complex, and earnestly believable. Aoko was a favorite of mine already from her appearance in Tsukihime, but I’ve come to love her further after visiting her own story of youth and complicated relationships with her surroundings and herself. Alice struck a real chord with me; her type of emotional despondence that melts little by little overtime has always been a favorite story of mine when told well (Hisui also happens to be likely my favorite Type-Moon character) and I found that she was probably my favorite of the cast when all was said and done.
The thematic drive of Mahōyo isn’t that far-off from some of their earlier works, but the means with which they’re explored are refined and a great deal more interpersonal than in those stories. These are people with their morals and drives largely figured out, but need to learn how to deal with the overwhelming experience of simply understanding and being understood by other people - not always an easy thing to do. Rather than Shiki or Shirō’s journeys to allow themselves some sympathy and genuine understanding, Aoko, Alice and Sojūrō must look outward and extend those things to each other - because they are a group stronger together than they ever could be alone. I’d be very curious to see how Nasu actually intends to follow up Mahōyo with its two sequels (which I’ll believe when I see them out, not just concept art or a teaser - signs I’ve become a real Type-Moon fan), but as it stands… yeah, Mahōyo is another masterpiece to rest Type-Moon’s laurels on. A provoking, beautiful, somber and yet… breezy and light experience. The game, in some respects, I’d been waiting to see from them since Far Side of the Moon in Tsukihime.
First and foremost, while my personal tastes lean more towards the time-stood-still, distant Y2K-ish look of the original Tsukihime, there's simply no denying that Koyama, Takeuchi and their team were on the top of their game here artistically. The amount of polish and detail present in the character sprites, backgrounds, and CGs in Mahōyo is simply astonishing. And, when combined with the animation direction of Tsukuri Monoji, the result is an often jaw-dropping experience that pushes the boundaries of what can be considered typical visual novel presentation. Simply, I think Mahōtsukai no Yoru is the most visually stunning visual novel I've ever played, even outdoing the 3D modeling and impressive pseudo-animations of Muv-Luv Alternative. Lead composer Hideyuki Fukawsawa and longtime Type-Moon contributors James Harris and Keita Haga deliver my favorite soundtrack to a Type-Moon title since the original Tsukihime, with highlights including the somber, beautiful “Aozaki Aoko” and the truly fairytale-ish “Kuonji Alice”, the motifs for Mahōyo’s heroine pair.
Mahōtsukai no Yoru is a story rather atypical for Type-Moon, refreshingly. There’s not much in the way of twists and turns here; what you see is largely what you get, and the game telegraphs its moves in a way that allows you to see why things will play out the way they will, rather than anything catching you entirely off-guard. There are no trademark Type-Moon mind shatterers here like Tsukihime and particularly Fate/stay night were fond of, but the tradeoff comes in the subtle, fleshed-out characterization of its main trio. Rather than the protagonist-centric focus the narratives of the other big Type-Moon works focus on, Mahōyo is notably distanced from its cast, allowing each of them their own time to exist on a 1:1 level with the text. Neither Aoko nor Sojūrō nor Alice is the focal point with which our moral or thematic comprehension is balanced; they are three equally weighted presentations of the same ideas, granted the same weight and the same time alone and with one another to gather understanding of themselves alone and in communication. This is a morally dubious and somewhat standoffish trio of protagonists, but three people who you also come to understand, appreciate, and fall in love with over the course of the story. Simply put, it’s my favorite cast dynamic Type-Moon has presented since the Far Side of the Moon’s take on the mansion cast in Tsukihime - and there’s some very obvious overlap with that group here.
Sojūrō gets an extra gold star from me here, arguably my favorite male lead of the big four Type-Moon works - his background of growing up in the wilderness is reflected clearly in his dissociation with what could be considered the “moral binary”, and while being a sweet and well-meaning person, he’s still very much alien to the world around him in a way that feels isolating, complex, and earnestly believable. Aoko was a favorite of mine already from her appearance in Tsukihime, but I’ve come to love her further after visiting her own story of youth and complicated relationships with her surroundings and herself. Alice struck a real chord with me; her type of emotional despondence that melts little by little overtime has always been a favorite story of mine when told well (Hisui also happens to be likely my favorite Type-Moon character) and I found that she was probably my favorite of the cast when all was said and done.
The thematic drive of Mahōyo isn’t that far-off from some of their earlier works, but the means with which they’re explored are refined and a great deal more interpersonal than in those stories. These are people with their morals and drives largely figured out, but need to learn how to deal with the overwhelming experience of simply understanding and being understood by other people - not always an easy thing to do. Rather than Shiki or Shirō’s journeys to allow themselves some sympathy and genuine understanding, Aoko, Alice and Sojūrō must look outward and extend those things to each other - because they are a group stronger together than they ever could be alone. I’d be very curious to see how Nasu actually intends to follow up Mahōyo with its two sequels (which I’ll believe when I see them out, not just concept art or a teaser - signs I’ve become a real Type-Moon fan), but as it stands… yeah, Mahōyo is another masterpiece to rest Type-Moon’s laurels on. A provoking, beautiful, somber and yet… breezy and light experience. The game, in some respects, I’d been waiting to see from them since Far Side of the Moon in Tsukihime.