MDF: Magical Defense Force

I went into MDF expecting a lighthearted parody of the magical girl genre. And while that's definitely the main thing going on, there's so much more to it. Characters are way more 3 dimensional than first impressions would have you believe. Incredible drawings are paired with great sound design and superb scene descriptions to bring still images to life. And the music is fun and always fits the vibe. The whole experience was just fun. You can tell the dev team put their heart and souls into this game. Would def recommend.

Some of the best VNs I've ever played were small, independent productions from small groups. The kind you'd buy at a convention from a Doujin circle for 15$. It might be missing all the fancy bells and whistles, but it has heart and soul to spare...and this game is no exception. MDF is the spiritual successor to all the saturday morning cartoons we loved back when we were kids. It wears its Sailor Moon and Power Rangers influences on its sleeve, unafraid to be goofy and nonsensical. From over-the-top action sequences to slices of everyday life, there's never a dull moment to be had. The rapid-rife comedy, even when it misses, still feels better than any other AAA produced waifu collecting cringefest. If you've ever wanted to sit back and enjoy a good Kinetic Novel, this one stands head and shoulders above the rest. The best past is the characters, an absolute slam dunk of a cast. From the sassy and grumpy Frank, to Hizachi the anything-but-simple hobgoblin, to Mayako the crazy rich swordswoman...its the contrasts that make them unique. Almost Shakespearean at times, I just want to see them interact more. Not just with each other, but the world around them. Honestly? I want to see where this story is going. And it seems the developer is planning on adding more over time so...whatever this story has in store, I'm there. There's so much potential and talent here I'd hate to see it go to waste. Do yourself a favor and pick it up. Give it a chance. I promise it's worth a look. INTERFACE QUALITY: B [it leaves something to be desired, but it does what it needs to do without being over-complicated.] ART QUALITY: A [the soft, bouncy, cartoon-esque aesthetic suits the mood to a T.] WRITING QUALITY: A- [unafraid to be what it is, a 90s era cartoon about teenagers fighting evil by moonlight] EXTRA CONTENT QUALITY: B+ [once I realized it was there, I was taken back to age 13 watching Homestar Runner on an old Mac in the Middle School computer lab] OVERALL GRADE: A- [a worthy successor to the saturday morning cartoons of the 90s. all I need now is a bowl of sugary cereal to make this the complete experience]

Wasn't expecting too much going into this, but was impressed by how lively the writing was, especially the characters. It's full of levity and was frankly a nice break from the stresses of reality. The sheer amount of art in this game is frankly incredible, especially as the artist's style improves as the game goes on. Can't wait to see the full release.

As someone who generally isn't a big fan of visual novels, this game impressed me with how many things it does well. The characters, while goofy and over the top, do have a surprising amount of depth to them, especially when you reach the later chapters (Yuri and Hizatchi in particular are the GOATs). It'd be easy to just have static portraits and maybe a couple of CGs and call it a day, but MDF has tons of hand-drawn art in each chapter to help sell both the impact of action scenes and the goofiness of more comedic scenes. This is definitely an indie project worth checking out.

I really enjoy the characters in the work. They've got good chemistry and I'm generally excited whenever we get a new character added to see how they integrate with everyone else. I'm looking forward to when we've got our main cast fully formed and get to do stuff with them further. P.S. I want to hug MIchiki and do [redacted] to the cops with Hizatchi.