In the line for the Marvelous AQL booth, the attendants were nice enough to give everyone a special reprint of some pertinent pages from a Famitsu issue from two weeks back. This ensured that everyone knew the basics of the games before bellying up to the bar and giving them a spin. In the case of Kinki no Magna, this meant outlining the game's central concept — that the young owner of an inn happens to find a spirit-girl, relic of a war long past, and soon his business is completely staffed by a pointy-eared harem of cute super-soldiers.

It was the battle system I was more interested in, and the demo was good for that. The setup is technically a gridless tactical affair, with the big deal being the area of attack for each character. The one battle used two characters, pointy-eared elf girl Charlotte and her hapless employer, and the differences were obvious. While her boss can only hit monsters right in front of him, Charlotte delivers damage in a broad sweep that can hit all enemies in its arc. This is really important, as monsters come in mobs that can be bashed and bounced around in a cascade of damage. The real targets are the mob bosses, stronger versions that can summon more goons at any time. Without them, the goons can't do much at all.

While only one pointy-eared maiden was playable, the promo videos showed how all of the harem girls have different attack elements and hit radii that can be useful in disabling enemies. Combined with its cute graphical style, this becomes an interesting title to look forward to. Let's hope it actually goes stateside.