Majotori
Gameplay 8
Graphics 8
Sound 8

Majotori is a trivia game that wraps its 1000+ questions in a whimsical narrative experience with over 50 branching storylines. With questions in categories such as video games, cinema, and animation the game is definitely aimed at players who pride themselves on their knowledge of all things geek, but it is also possible to adjust the frequency of certain categories. The witty writing, coupled with the colorful visuals and catchy soundtrack makes for a fun experience that shouldn’t be overlooked.

Gameplay: Majotori features plenty of questions and interesting categories while the branching storylines provide the perfect incentive to replay the game.

Graphics: The visuals are simple but colorful and eye-catching.

Sound: Thanks to a whimsical and catchy soundtrack the lack of voice acting isn’t too noticeable

Summary 8.0 Great
Gameplay 0
Graphics 0
Sound 0
Summary rating from user's marks. You can set own marks for this article - just click on stars above and press "Accept".
Accept
Summary 0.0 Terrible

Majotori

Developer: Majorariatto | Publisher: Majorariatto | Release Date: 2017 | Genre: Casual / Adventure / Indie | Website: Official Website | Purchase: Steam

Wouldn’t it be great if your knowledge of all things geek could be used to make your wishes come true? That’s pretty much the premise for Majotori, a small indie game that the developers describe as a “narratrvia.” Majotori combines an interactive narrative with a quiz game to deliver an experience that is a lot more unique than what we usually see from the genre.

Majotori features a wacky cast of characters who players can follow across more than 50 branching storylines. Each of them has a wish and it is up to players to help them make fulfill this wish by answering a bunch of geeky questions. Before the trivia sections a short, vector-style style cut-scene plays, which depicts the scene and the arrival of Lariat, a little witch with the power to grand wishes. Once it is established what the characters are wishing for players are presented with a series of questions. For each question players can choose from four answers, but only one is correct. Getting all the questions right automatically grants the wish, while getting them all wrong is an automatic fail. Answering some of the questions correctly and others wrong is where things get interesting as Lariat then spins a wheel. The spot where the wheel stops determines the outcome, which means even if players get only one wrong answer there’s still a chance for the wish to fail if it lands on that spot. Don’t worry as the story for characters continues even if their wishes fail, although the results are usually a lot more tragic.

With more than a thousand questions in four categories, which include video games, cinema, anime, and miscellaneous, there’s plenty of variety in Majotori. Of course, not everyone is knowledgeable in everything, so the game does allow players to customize the frequency of categories. While it’s not possible to exclude certain categories entirely, it does allow players to stick to what they know best. Overall, we really enjoyed the questions and they are certainly a step up from the same boring trivia found in other games. After completing the game twice to get all the achievements we also didn’t encounter the same questions, which is a good thing.

Although the questions are fun it is the characters and their stories that are the real stars of the game. From a dog whose fondest wish is that the moon will howl back at it to a teen who wants to be a star on YouTube, there’s plenty of humor and variety in these story sections. Sometimes the outcome of failing is quite tragic (there’s even an achievement for causing someone to die), but even success doesn’t always guarantee a happy ending. Some of the stories continue after a character has their wish granted and ends up asking Lariat for another wish as they are not happy with the results. It’s impossible to see all of these branches in a single playthrough, so the game does provide an incentive for multiple replays.

Visually, Majotori is a simple-looking game with vector graphics that almost makes it look like a South Park episode. The short cut-scenes are very creative and the combination of dialogue and animations had us laughing out loud on a few occasions. Majorori also features a very fitting soundtrack with some whimsical tunes to accompany the action. The music definitely added to the lighthearted feel of the game and our favorite track is the one accompanying the section with the dog as it features actual barking in the song. Unfortunately, Majotori lacks voice acting, but this is understandable for a small indie title.  The game is very simple to control as all players have to do is select the character whose wish they want to experience and then select the correct answer from a list of four options.

We enjoyed Majotori enough to complete it twice and get all the achievements, but it is also not a game that will appeal to everyone. Players who consider themselves experts in all things geek should definitely try it out to put their knowledge to the test, but more casual players might find themselves stumped by some of the categories. It is also easy to overlook Majotori because it is a trivia game, which by its very nature is very niche, especially as it is not a multiplayer party game with very broad categories. To do so would be a pity, though, as the writing is really clever, and the occasional dark humor makes for a very memorable experience.

System Requirements

  • OS: Windows 7
  • Processor: Dual Core
  • Memory: 1 GB RAM
  • Graphics: ATI Radeon HD 4850 or NVIDIA GeForce 9600 GT
  • DirectX: Version 9.0c
  • Storage: 150 MB available space
  • Sound Card: DirectX compatible sound card
  • Additional Notes: Mouse, keyboard or Gamepad support
  • OS: Mac OS X 10.11+
  • Processor: Dual Core
  • Memory: 1 GB RAM
  • Graphics: ATI Radeon HD 4850 or NVIDIA GeForce 9600 GT
  • Storage: 200 MB available space
  • Sound Card: DirectX compatible sound card
  • Additional Notes: Mouse, keyboard or Gamepad support
  • OS: Ubuntu 14.04+, SteamOS+
  • Processor: Dual Core
  • Memory: 1 GB RAM
  • Graphics: ATI Radeon HD 4850 or NVIDIA GeForce 9600 GT
  • Storage: 200 MB available space
  • Sound Card: DirectX compatible sound card
  • Additional Notes: Mouse, keyboard or Gamepad (XInput) support

Related posts

Kraven Manor

Kraven Manor

There's no denying that Kraven Manor can be completed rather quickly, but it packs a lot of scares into its short runtime. The story could probably have benefited from it being fleshed out a little bit more, but the creepy antagonist and sinister atmosphere of the manor itself makes for a memorable experience. The game doesn't go overboard with the scares, but knows how to mess with you which makes for a startling experience, at least the first time through. Graphics: Nice visuals and excellent use of light. Sound: Great audio and creepy sound effects. Gameplay. Creepy and absorbing, but a little too short for my liking.

Dead Man’s Draw

Dead Man's Draw

Dead Man's Draw might be a casual title but don't expect it to be mindless. After unlocking some traits and making your way through the tournaments you have to think strategically in order to win. The game lacks a multi-player mode, but there is plenty of content to keep you busy. Gameplay: A card game that mixes luck and strategy in equal measures. Graphics: Nice visuals and a polished interface. Sound: Fitting music and some crisp sound effects.

Nuclear Blaze

Nuclear Blaze

Nuclear Blaze is a 2D firefighting game with beautiful pixel art visuals and fast-paced gameplay. Players must make their way through a mysterious military facility while trying to douse all the fires. There's more to it than just pointing your house at the fires and spraying away, though, as sometimes a little bit of puzzle-solving is required too. The game is a lot of fun overall, but it is over way too soon. Gameplay: Very fun, and the difficulty can be customized to make it accessible enough for anyone. Graphics: Beautiful pixel art visuals and good use of light and darkness. Sound: The game features a very fitting soundtrack by Pentadrangle.

Sakura Beach

Sakura Beach

Sakura Beach is a typical fan service focused visual novel with a generic storyline, implausible situations, and rather generic characters. Watching childhood friends Ayumi and Momoko practically throw themselves at the completely oblivious Seiji can be amusing, but overall there isn't a lot here that players will remember after completing the game. Gameplay: Six choices that lead to one of three different endings. Graphics: Vibrant backgrounds and character sprites are decent. Sound: Rather generic.

Still Life

Still Life

If you like murder mysteries and you enjoy point & click adventures then you should have fun with this one. A bit obscure at times and not exactly the most cheerful subject matter but still worth playing through. Gameplay: A bit slow paced & frustrating at times but has it's moments. Graphics: Not outstanding but for the genre it's not too shabby. Sound: Decent voice overs and nice music.

Wheels of Aurelia

Wheels of Aurelia

Wheels of Aurelia is a narrative road trip game that takes players along the winding roads of Italy during the seventies. The focus is on the conversations you have with the people you run into on the road, and your choices can lead to one of sixteen different endings. Each playthrough only lasts about fifteen minutes, but the stories are interesting enough, and things can go very differently depending on your choices. The game is a little rough around the edges and won't appeal to everyone, but it's certainly not without charm. Gameplay: The game is very simple but has plenty of replay value. Graphics: The visuals are not exactly dazzling, but they are pretty stylish. Sound: No speech, unfortunately, but the soundtrack is good.

Leave a comment

1 × three =