Magical☆Rhythmie
Kitty Guo
Advisor: Kari Love
Magical☆Rhythmie is a 2D rhythm JRPG for Windows. Players take the role of a high school girl who can transform into a magical girl.
Abstract
Magical☆Rhythmie is a 2D rhythm JRPG that explores personal growth and the psychology of fame. The development team comprises Kitty Guo, Irene Li, and Sarah Feng. The players will take the role of a high school girl who accidentally obtains the ability to transform into a magical girl, going on an adventure of fighting enemies and protecting the city. In this game, battles are presented in a rhythm game format. Besides battling enemies, players must go through daily events as a high school student. Currently, the team is developing the prototype with RPG systems, including the stats system, skill system, world map, and daily events.
Technical Details
Magical☆Rhythmie is developed in Unity with C#, using third-party plugins, including Rhythm Game Starter and Dialogue System for Unity. We began by building a prototype of a basic rhythm game and battling mechanics, and then we moved on to the graphics. Wwise, an audio middleware, is integrated within the game.
Research/Context
The research for this project began with brainstorming the combination of rhythm games and other game genres. Magical Girl animes and various JRPGs greatly inspire the game’s concept, including the aesthetics, game mechanics, and story. We first researched some non-traditional rhythm games, such as Rhythm Heaven and Necro Dancer. We developed the game’s main story around "what a magical girl wants to give up because she is tired of all expectations.” We further researched the psychology of fame, idol culture, and games about personal growth. Therefore, we decided to develop a JRPG with a rhythm game presenting battles, featuring a high school girl’s adventure and struggle of being both an ordinary student and a heroic magical girl.
