Magical Vacation

Magical Vacation (マジカルバケーション, Majikaru Bakēshon) is a self-proclaimed "communication role-playing game" developed by Brownie Brown (presently 1-UP Studio) as their first original game. It was released for the Game Boy Advance on December 7, 2001 in Japan, and has never been released outside of the country. It is the first title in the Magical Vacation duology and the prequel to Magical Starsign on the DS. The game was also ported to the Wii U Virtual Console in 2015, but still remained Japan-exclusive.

The story follows a group of sixteen students who attend Will-o'-Wisp Academy; a royal school where youths are trained to master their magical talents. Over the summer, they are sent out to the Valencia Beach Seaside School with their teacher chaperone, Miss Madeleine. Little do they know, the lasting consequences of a bygone war will take them on an adventure through worlds beyond imagining.

Players take on the role of a silent protagonist, whose gender and elemental spirit are chosen at the start of the game. Thirteen of the sixteen elements are available to begin with, while the remaining three (Love, Darkness, and Light) are unlocked through multiplayer functionality.

Magical Vacation features vibrant and unique character designs from Shinichi Kameoka, whose previous works include various titles in the Mana/Seiken Densetsu series and SaGa Frontier. The game's soundtrack was written by early Megami Tensei series composer Tsukasa Masuko.

Battle system
The combat of Magical Vacation is turn-based and relies on exploiting enemies' elemental weaknesses. The game also features a special Spirit Combo system, wherein the damage output of magic attacks is amplified by spirits that have been called to the field. Characters can add stickers to their equipment as well, which improves their resistance to magic attacks and increases the growth of their own magic.

Setting
Magical Vacation's plot and setting exhibit fantasy traits from other games in the classic RPG genre. The world of Kovomaka is made up of infinite elemental planes (known as "realms" in the English fan translation), all of which overlap the same physical space in their own self-contained dimensions. Each realm is drastically different from one another, as their landscapes are reflective of the element or concept they represent. The only way to shift between realms is by slipping through a natural disturbance in reality, using realm-shifting technology, or by mastering Warp Magic. In the game, the realms of Material, Light, Darkness, and Death are explored. Other realms such as Water, Fire, and Wind are mentioned occasionally, though none of them can be accessed in-game.

Backstory


Once in the Magic Kingdom of Kovomaka, a destructive war broke out and was on the verge of being lost to history. Countless swordsmen and wizards alike were killed, and the nation was dealt a heavy blow. Despite there having been a war, information such as who was being fought against was kept secret from the public, who were only told that thousands of soldiers had died because of accidents involving magical experiments. The battle lasted for three days and a long peace followed, but one man continued to circle the globe in preparation for future conflicts.

Many years later, the protagonist is introduced. Raised in a village on the kingdom's edge, they were born with the ability to communicate with elemental spirits hiding inside artifacts of nature. Unfortunately, others did not see their magic aptitude as a blessing and became fearful of what it could bring. The child was shunned by the townspeople and labelled a misfit.



One day, the child encountered Principal Biscotti, who was said to have brought the power of magic to the kingdom. Biscotti asked the child asked if they liked spirits, to which a multitude of them appeared behind the great sorcerer. Thrilled to meet someone who could also see spirits, the child answered yes. Biscotti then invited them to enroll in his school of magic with the promise of meeting even more spirits, and the two departed for Will-o'-Wisp Academy.

Prologue: Camp


One August evening in present time, the protagonist and their classmate Pistachio Maplewood are alone in the school's Meditation Room. Pistachio worryingly kicks at a Magic Doll named Calamari, but he is interrupted when Kirsche Pintail and Sesame Ashpot run inside. The boys tell their friends that the Magic Bus has arrived on campus and will be leaving for the Valencia Beach campground soon. Pistachio is not as enthusiastic, whimpering about the likeliness of him getting held back a grade if he attends the Seaside School. Kirsche tries motivating the anxious canin, then a group of girls enters the room; Blueberry Lakeside, Lemon Airsupply, and Candy Mintblue.

Candy attempts to lift Pistachio's hopes up, telling him to train non-stop at camp until he can defeat Ganache Nighthawk in a duel. Each student in the Meditation Room makes their own resolutions for the Seaside School, and Candy reveals that her goal is to ask out a mystery boy, causing Kirsche's heartbeat to spike. The Wind mage misunderstands the boy's excitement and assumes he wants to ask Arancia Scorenote out, as they have been friends since childhood. Overwhelmed with frustration, Kirsche leaves for the bus in a huff and Sesame follows.

The protagonist walks out into the academy's entrance hall, seeing Peche Farmer scurrying back and forth in a panic as she tries to muster all the students. As Peche tells her classmate of the Magic Bus's brilliance, Latte Rustynail bursts out of the Music Room upstairs, runs down to the kids, and begins whirling around like a propeller. When the Envoy of Love asks what made Latte so disturbed, he says the students upstairs were telling scary stories, then bolts out of the front entrance. Mildly irritated, Peche instructs the protagonist to go to the Music Room while she rounds up those waiting in the Meditation Room.

In the east wing, Principal Biscotti is seen having a serious chat with Miss Madeleine. The topic of their conversation is not very clear, but Madeleine appears to be worrisome about her ability to take care of the sixteen students. Biscotti assures the young teacher that she is capable, but their discussion is cut short when the protagonist enters the room. Madeleine politely asks her pupil to get on the bus, and Biscotti prays that the kids' summer is filled with everlasting joy.

The protagonist then steps inside a study hall in the west wing where Cabernet Cheaptrick sits alone. He reflects on the words of his deceased brother, Chardonnay, who tragically died in a war one year ago. Cabernet recalls something which was told to him by Chardonnay; a warning that Valencia Beach hid a dark secret. Resuming Peche's request, the protagonist enters the Music Room upstairs and finds most of the remaining students. Among them are Cassis Lumberyard, Cider Rainbow, Olive Tearclown, and Arancia Scorenote. Cider argues with Cassis about the alleged disappearances of students at Valencia Beach, some of whom returned to the academy and threatened to cause chaos. While Cassis is in full belief of these allegations, Cider denies their legitimacy, saying the academy would not allow annual trips to Valencia Beach if they put students in danger.

When Cider asks his classmate for an example of a student who disappeared at camp, Olive timidly budges in by bringing up Ganache Nighthawk's sister, a girl named Vanilla. Three years ago, she was one of many students who vanished at camp, then briefly returned to the academy before running away, never to be seen again. Cider thinks Vanilla's departure and Valencia Beach are unrelated, to which Cassis scoffs at his lack of imagination. Curious of Vanilla's story, Cider wonders if the students can convince Ganache to provide his account on what happened, but Cassis feels that he may not be willing to reveal details about his family. Arancia, calmly playing the harp, is impartial to either opinion.

The group of students join up with the protagonist and head downstairs to the west wing, spotting Cabernet still sulking at his desk. Cassis asks the lonely puppet if he is thinking about his brother, and Cabernet recounts one of the last times Chardonnay and Vanilla were together as a couple.

In a flashback sequence, Cabernet remembers his brother following Vanilla through the west wing study hall. Chardonnay asked Vanilla to explain where she had been, and also said her behavior was making people worried. His partner vehemently rejected the idea of anybody feeling concern towards her, then Chardonnay wondered if his father said something bad about their relationship. Vanilla exclaimed that she could sense his hatred, as well as the hatred of everyone she had ever known. The puppet promised to protect his partner from any threat, be it a person or the entire world, but Vanilla exclaimed that her new power was her way of coping with people's hateful emotions. She bid the Cheaptrick brothers farewell and left the room, causing Chardonnay to break down in tears. Cabernet told his brother to leave her be, except Chardonnay knew that something seriously bad happened to Vanilla at Valencia Beach. Cabernet's memory ends when both puppets flee the classroom and go after the disturbed girl.

Arancia notices tears falling down Cabernet's face, but he plays it off by saying a spec of dust flew into his eye. Cassis convinces his classmate that he can let go of his worries at the beach, so the Poison-elemental puppet tags along with the rest of the kids. With no one else to look for, the protagonist leads their friends out of the school and onto the Magic Bus. Instead of finding their teacher on board, Principal Biscotti spooks the kids by showing up out of nowhere. He declares that the Seaside School vacation is a test of endurance, and anyone who returns to the academy will face immediate expulsion, even if Miss Madeleine wishes for them to leave camp. As he delivers his speech, Madeleine slowly makes her way to the Magic Bus as she struggles to push Chocolat Cracks, the half-ton mudman, on board. Biscotti asks the students to keep his lecture a secret from their teacher, then he joyfully skips out of the bus.

Perplexed by the strange headmaster, Madeleine hands her students their own Magic Notebooks; special journals which automatically record important information about their world. She begins taking attendance once all the notebooks are distributed, and Candy announces Ganache's absence. Olive volunteers to look for him and rushes out of the bus, as does Candy, but Madeleine only allows the former girl to go. Not too far from the academy, Olive finds Ganache sitting alone with his ocarina, perched against the trunk of a riverside tree. His music echoes through the forest, eyes closed as he plays a song of melancholy. He abruptly stops when he hears Olive shout, "So you were here!" and believes it to be the voice of Vanilla. This misunderstanding sets off his paranoia, so he turns around to see who it was that spoke. Expecting to see Vanilla waiting in the grass, the 11-year-old Beast mage stands in her place.

With her telepathic powers, Olive senses that Ganache was in deep thought about Vanilla's disappearance, then says they should work together to unravel the secrets of the Seaside School. The teenage warlock, dubious of her offer, does not believe the beach to be the cause of Vanilla's insanity; however, he changes his mind after Olive suddenly has a premonition of everyone vanishing at camp, much like his sister. They run back to the school's courtyard and board the Magic Bus, receiving a brief scolding from Madeleine upon their arrival.

Finally prepared to leave for the beach, Balsamico the Wander Bus Driver proudly introduces himself to the students, revving up the bus with a thrilling countdown. He is too deep in his adrenaline rush to give the road any attention, accidentally ramming his vehicle straight into the school gates. Nobody comments, so Balsamico drives off like nothing ever happened.



The students make small talk on their drive to camp, with the first topic of discussion being Chocolat's enrollment into Will-o'-Wisp. Peche is astonished to hear what Blueberry has to say about the mudman, as he was hand-picked by Biscotti two decades ago. Latte infiltrates the conversation by proudly stating that Biscotti personally invited him to Will-o'-Wisp as well, but Blueberry puts him on blast by saying he was found at an antique store with a price tag of 200 bira. The robot does not take offence to her words and voices his self-worth.

Candy strikes up a conversation with Arancia, wondering what sort of relationship she has with Kirsche. Arancia mentions the childhood they shared, though she does not believe it to be anything special. An astounded Candy tries to get more information out of the musician, only to be interrupted by Sesame, who almost exposes Kirsche's feelings towards her. The Fire mage shuts his friend up before his secret is revealed, then awkwardly attempts to make their discussion about the beach. Cider joins in by improvising a poem about their summer vacation, poetically telling of the youthful freedom that is to come. Lemon asks whose words Cider was parroting, but the conceited artist says the poem is his own. Among the students' overlapping exchanges, Balsamico alerts them of Valencia Beach along the sunlit horizon.

Some time following their arrival at the campgrounds, the students go play in a palm tree forest south of the shore. Ganache, accompanied by Olive, secludes himself while playing his ocarina, then Arancia shows up to chide her classmates. She says that Madeleine would get angry if she caught them playing before free time, but Kirsche says she is probably too busy staring into space to care.



Shortly thereafter, ten of the sixteen students join their teacher near the beach cabins, and she dismisses them until the campfire at nightfall. With a few hours to spare before the fire, the protagonist walks around the beach and hears what their classmates have to say.

Cabernet looks out to the shining ocean and reminisces about Chardonnay, finding himself unable to shake the feeling of guilt that is weighing him down. From a nearby rock, Cassis observes the puppet and wishes to cheer him up, though he too holds sad memories of losing a member of his family. Back near the cabins, the protagonist sees Miss Madeleine standing in the foamy waters, weirdly fixated on the flowing seaweed.

Returning to the campgrounds' eastern regions, the protagonist notices Sesame investigating a boulder lodged within a stone arch. He claims to see a cave on the other side, so he invites his classmate to go on an adventure with him. Delighted to explore the beach, the protagonist agrees and teams up with Sesame. The duo then takes a trip around the campgrounds in hopes of recruiting more adventurers.

With a sizeable party, the students push the boulder away and find themselves in a new area of the beach. To their surprise, they spot Olive and Ganache staring into the cave's entrance, and Ganache warns that only endless void lingers within. Sesame, inattentive to the Dark mage's caution, tells him to leave so his group can explore. Ganache does not object to his classmate's curiosity and advises everyone to be careful, then walks back to the cabins with Olive.

Setting foot inside the cave, the party grows somewhat fearful of its dense atmosphere, feeling as though the air is constricting them. As they voice their concerns, Sesame points to a translucent bearded man walking through the watery caverns, constantly flickering in and out of the darkness. The protagonist approaches the man, to which he asks if the kids can see him. He then goes on to apprise them of the cave's history, explaining how pirates buried their treasure here and murdered their underlings to keep the location a secret. 200 years later, the treasure was uncovered, and those who found it killed each other for the wellspring of riches. The spirits of the dead underlings and explorers never found peace, and their lingering, restless presence distorts the very fabric of reality. Before the students can ask any questions, the bearded man tells them to be careful, lest they slip into another realm, then warps out of sight.



Recommencing their adventure, the group finds nothing but cobwebs in every treasure chest they open. At the end of the cave, amidst the tattered flags and broken crates, is a single unopened chest. The students look inside and encounter a hostile Poptail, but they manage to subdue it with their magic skills. All that remains inside the chest are some pinecones, which makes Sesame disappointed. Once the party exits the cave, they see that it is nightfall, and Peche says the campfire will be starting soon. Everyone walks back to the campgrounds and reunites with the rest of the class.



Nine of the students get comfortable around the warm flames, then Miss Madeleine begins to lecture them on what may happen during their time at Valencia Beach. She expects everyone to adapt to their new lives within the first couple of days, but also believes the kids will feel more emotionally restless as the summer progresses. Nevertheless, she hopes their interpersonal experiences help them grow as individuals. Pistachio whimpers to himself, rambling about his inability to take down opponents as weak as Calamari, plus his inevitable expulsion from the academy. In response, Madeleine reassures the canin that even if he is forced to return home, his heart will always be connected to his friends. The strength of his companionship vastly outweighs what the school teaches, and he is more than capable of mastering magic without a teacher's guidance.

When everything is said and done, Miss Madeleine dismisses her class for an hour of free time, then leaves for the shore. Cassis questions the absence of nearly half the class, but Cabernet says Madeleine did not notice because she hardly ever pays attention to things. In fact, she left to play with sea creatures in the shallow water. As free time finally commences, Arancia walks up to Kirsche and asks if he wants to catch Gummy Frogs in the nearby forest, which he eagerly accepts.

The protagonist stands up to venture the beach yet again, this time with more areas to freely explore. On their way to the cabins, they see Ganache and Candy having an awkward conversation. Candy shyly gives Ganache a late birthday gift, saying she had no time to deliver it on his actual birthday, then attempts to confess her love. Before Candy can utter a sentence, Ganache thanks her for the present and asks when her birthday is. Candy, flustered, trips over her words to tell him that her birthday is next month. The reserved warlock promises to give her a present when that time comes and walks away, but Candy desperately tries to declare her romantic interest. She is left heartbroken when Ganache asks if she can finish her sentence when they return to the academy, and before leaving the cabin grounds, tells the protagonist to meet him at the shore.

Upon rendezvousing with Ganache, he tells the protagonist that something bad is drawing near, so he briefs them on how to fight back against potential threats. Cassis is present too, providing more detailed explanations on the effects of stats, as well as the proficiencies of each student. The protagonist returns to the campfire and obtains some new Magic Notebooks entries from their classmates, then walks to the forest where Arancia and Kirsche went earlier. Determined to catch a nimble Gummy Frog, Kirsche tells his classmate to chase after a slower one in the distance.

Once Kirsche and the protagonist catch their respective Gummy Frogs, their celebration is interrupted by the terrified shrieking of Blueberry. She runs into the forest with Lemon, who collapses in pain as a ghastly blue creature enters the scene. Kirsche orders Arancia and Blueberry to treat Lemon's wounds while he fights back against the monster. The protagonist helps too, letting Lemon eat the Gummy Frog they had just captured. With her health moderately restored, Lemon returns the favor by giving her classmate a Spiny Leaf.



As the protagonist returns to the upper areas of Valencia Beach, they watch in horror as each classmate is abducted one by one, vanishing into thin air with the monsters. Cassis and Ganache manage to stand their ground, but no matter how many monsters they kill, even more show up out of nowhere. At the cabin grounds, Candy is ambushed by two of the creatures, and Ganache runs in just as she is taken away. Unfortunately, he is too late, and kills one of the two creatures with a Mijote spell before it can reach the protagonist. Miss Madeleine swiftly joins her two pupils, to which Ganache asks where everyone went. The teacher dolefully states that everyone has disappeared, and they were taken away by the creatures known as Enigmas; however, she seems troubled by how they are able to set foot in their world, the Material Realm.

When Madeleine says running away may not be an option, Ganache declares his unwillingness to hide from the Enigmas, then accuses his teacher of knowing that their arrival was planned from the very beginning. He advances to the shore where a bunch of creatures are gathered, and the two other survivors follow. There, the Dark mage stands in front of an Enigma and vows to bring everyone back. Before Madeleine can talk him out of taking on such a dangerous task, the Enigma behind Ganache warps him out of sight. Madeleine stares at the sand where her pupil stood mere seconds ago, reflecting on the conversation she had with Biscotti back at the academy.

In another flashback sequence, Madeleine questioned why Biscotti wanted to send another group of students to Valencia Beach, especially after what had happened 3 years ago. Biscotti told her that not all the students had to make it back to Will-o'-Wisp alive; even half would suffice. Madeleine heavily disagreed with this and declared she would bring everyone back at her discretion, but the principal reminded her that the royal army was incapable of fighting back against Kovomaka's greatest threats, which was how they almost lost the disastrous war 15 years ago. Somewhat understanding of her superior's viewpoint, the teacher vowed to keep her pupils alive at all costs.

Irritated by Ganache's kidnapper calling her a weakling, Madeleine fires off multiple Spacelight spells and kills most of the surrounding Enigmas, commanding the two remaining creatures to take her away as well. One of the Engimas reveals that the abducted students were sent to another plane of existence called the Light Realm, which will hinder an Enigma's strength since they are entities born of darkness. To prevent getting handicapped by the Light Realm's energy, the two Engimas charge at Madeleine and take her to a different realm.



There is no one in sight; all that remains are the protagonist and the sounds of crashing waves. The lone student looks around the beach, devastated when they realize everyone, including Miss Madeleine, is truly gone. However, one part of the beach has not yet been investigated. The protagonist returns to the pirate's cave where Sesame was last seen, and to their surprise, he survived the mass abduction. They reunite with the curious Insect mage and assure him that all the Enigmas are gone. Sesame adds his side of the story, claiming the creatures came out of a strange portal-like distortion in the ground, which is where the chest full of pinecones was earlier that night. Sensing a strange energy coming from the distortion, the protagonist believes it may lead to the realm where their classmates were taken. They step inside the portal, instantly warping to the world on the other side.

Sesame, now all alone in the pirate's cave, calls his classmate stupid for mindlessly walking into the portal. He tries returning to the beach, but an Enigma comes out of it and sends him to the other world too.

Act 1: The Light Realm
On a mountain trail, Cassis kills an Enigma with his Batonnet spell while Cider lies unconscious on the ground. The Beauty mage opens his eyes and tries to figure out where he ended up following his abduction, taking notice of Cassis standing next to him. Suddenly, the two boys hear Chocolat crying for help, so Cassis runs off to save him. Cider begs his classmate to stay, but Cassis tells him to try and survive on his own, then resumes his search for the mudman. As Cider looks off into the distance, he is startled when a Gummy Worm slithers under his feet and retreats into a hole.

Elsewhere, the protagonist descends into the Light Realm by themself, gracefully landing in the wooded meadow of Mimolette Forest. They find a pair of healing pots and a Depoison Tail huddled next to a fallen log, as well as a strange artifact in the ground. This artifact turns out to be an elemental spirit, who befriends the protagonist after being given a Gummy Frog. Following a nearby pathway brings the lone student to a hilly riverbank, and they spot Pistachio frantically looking around for help. Pistachio yelps with relief when he sees that one of his classmates is alive, then goes on to explain what happened to him before arriving in the Light Realm. As he does this, an Enigma from the beach ambushes the kids, and the fearful canin runs down to the river. Fortunately for the protagonist, they use their new spirit-summoning magic to destroy the Enigma in an instant.



Pistachio, in an attempt to escape the Enigma, runs onto a log bridge and accidentally crosses paths with a giant rodent names Demice. The protagonist sees their classmate playing dead to keep Demice from hurting him, but the two students band together to take down the enemy. Once Demice is defeated, Pistachio shouts with joy and uses his nose to detect Arancia's scent in the west. He also picks up the smell of trees, which is actually a Wood Spirit resting on an islet in the river. At the end of Mimolette Forest, the students stumble upon a large tree with a cave entrance under its roots, and also become friends with a peculiar entity named Pizza. The canin sniffs the area again, alerting his classmate that Arancia definitely walked into the Forest Cave.

Surely enough, Arancia is found standing inside the underground passageway, though her demeanor is somewhat off-putting. She eerily commands her friends to follow her to the end of the cave, which they warily obey. Arancia meets her friends near Forest Cave's exist and congratulates them for escaping the Enigmas' grasp. Pistachio notices a strange glare in his classmate's eyes, but Arancia continues to speak of the Enigmas' great power. She then talks about Enigma Fusion, which is said to give wizards powers beyond imagining. The Sound mage tries to manipulate Pistachio into performing a fusion, taking advantage of how depressed he is over his grades, but a familiar voice calls out before Arancia can get close to the canin.



At the last second, Kirsche rushes to his friends with a second Arancia in tow. It turns out that the Arancia from before is actually a shapeshifting Enigma, disguising itself as Arancia to trick Pistachio or the protagonist into fusing with it. The fake Arancia reveals its true form, Vulcanera, then charges at the four students to take them out himself. The fight is difficult, as Vulcanera and its accomplices are users of the Dark element, but the students still manage to win.

Angered by his loss, Vulcanera blames his sluggishness on the Light Realm's overpowering energy. He vows to defeat the students by forcefully fusing with Kirsche, whom he suddenly warps to a secluded part of the Forest Cave. Once Vulcanera warps off as well, Pistachio begins to panic over Kirsche's abduction, but Arancia assures him that they may be able to find help in the nearby village of Oturan. She also gives her classmates a Bestiary, which helpfully records information about the monsters they fight.

The three kids exit Forest Cave and arrive in the other side of Mimolette Forest. They take notice of a puppet walking along a trail in the meadow, who says that a dark-hooded figure came to Oturan Village a while ago. Confident that he is talking about Ganache, Arancia asks the puppet if any other people were with him. While no one else besides Ganache is currently in the village, a handful of students supposedly made their way to Green Tea Village, which is only accessible by passing through the skybound Wetsomus Ruins. Though the directions are somewhat confusing, Arancia thanks the puppet, then tells her friends to keep an eye out for Ganache.

Upon entering Oturan Village, the atmosphere feels rather strange. Many of the local puppets, plus a traveling putty, tell the group that serial murders have been taking place in the village for decades, and the killer has not yet been found. To the students' relief, they see Ganache waiting in front of the village chief's house and get his attention. He walks over to his three classmates, then Pistachio informs him of Kirsche's abduction by Vulcanera, in which he may be pressured into fusion. Ganache is not worried about Kirsche possibly fusing with the Enigma, saying he should be all right if he is able to keep his heart strong, as fusion can only be performed when the host's heart is vulnerable or accepting. Suddenly, the traveling putty from earlier screams in fear, claiming to hear a scary voice coming from a tunnel beneath his house. Ganache believes this may have to do with Kirsche, so he joins the party to help investigate.

The four students enter an underground passage beneath the putty's house, bringing them to the secluded areas of Forest Cave. They hear Kirsche wailing in the distance as Vulcanera repeatedly torments him, hoping he will eventually give up and fuse. Everyone prays that Kirsche is stubborn enough to keep his heart sealed until they come to his rescue.

When the group arrives, they find Vulcanera and Kirsche, the latter of whom is struggling to stand up. When the Enigma asks if the students have come to kill him and save their friend, Ganache steps forward and answers "No", to the confusion of his teammates. Vulcanera threatens to end Kirsche's life, but he and everyone else are caught off guard when Ganache asks Vulcanera to fuse with him. The Enigma thinks Ganache will be a good host, as their shared element of Darkness will be extremely powerful when combined; however, Ganache kills Vulcanera while he is distracted, proving him to be all bark and no bite. With Kirsche now out of harm's way, the students consider their next course of action, which is finding a way to reach Green Tea Village beyond the Wetsomus Ruins. Now as a team of five, they exit the cave to pay a visit with Oturan Village's chief.

The students return to the surface and step inside the house of Chief Chiffon. They are greeted by his granddaughter Mille-Feuille, whose polite attitude and cute looks make Pistachio flustered. He calls the puppet girl gorgeous, to which she says that in her 800 years of life, she has never met a boy as adorable as him. Pistachio, taken aback by the reveal of Mille-Feuille's age, ignorantly comments on the contrast between it and her youthful looks. When Arancia tells Pistachio that puppets' bodies never change with age, he wonders why Chiffon looks much more elderly, given his beard and old wooden face. Mille-Feuille answers by explaining the unique biology of puppets, and how they are given a permanent appearance from birth.

Ganache approaches Chiffon, asking if he and the others can be given access to the Wetsomus Ruins. The old chief happily accepts his request, though he suggests they do it in the morning since it is almost nighttime. He offers to give the students a special blanket that will let them fly up to the ruins, but Mille-Feuille corrects him, saying it is an Ukuru's Feather that will send them skyward. As Chiffon dozes off, Mille-Feuille says she will give the group their own Feather and escort them through the ruins herself.

In preparation for the next day, the five students head over to Oturan Village's inn to spend the night. They are greeted by a smug puppet named Tiramisu, and slumped next to the reception desk is a motionless puppet with blue hair. Tiramisu introduces him as his brother Mousse, who apparently stopped moving after falling off a cliff 200 years ago. To prevent Mousse's joints from coming undone, Tiramisu keeps his body at the inn, and he warns the students not to touch him. He lets them stay the night for 5 bira, coldly glaring as they walk to a vacant room.

The kids wake up early in the morning to an unsettling wave of silence. Upon leaving the inn, they spot someone in the middle of the village, though they are too late to identify who it is. To their surprise, the anonymous figure swiftly retreats and leaves behind a dead puppet in the grass. A villager walks outside shortly after, only to find that another puppet had been murdered in cold blood, shouting and running around the corpse to alert everyone of the tragedy. Tiramisu arrives at the scene and observes the dead puppet with a stern look, questioning if the Oturan townsfolk are doomed to perish. As the clamor intensifies, Mille-Feuille shows up and is immediately devastated, falling to her hands and knees in despair.

After a moment of mourning, the students and Mille-Feuille return to Chiffon's house and break the news. The chief comforts his crying granddaughter, but also tells her that destruction may be their fate, as they are the only remaining descendants of the ancient puppet civilization. Mille-Feuille takes a second to gather her emotions and approaches the students, gifting them an Ukuru's Feather for when they travel to the floating ruins. As she orders them to follow her, Pistachio says they can wait if she needs more time to cry, though Ganache believes the puppets do not want outsiders staying in their town for much longer.

The students walk with Mille-Feuille to Oturan Village's southern exit, then take a forest trail leading to the shrine of Wetsomus Ruins. As the puppet sets foot on the ancient stage with her Ukuru's Feather, Tiramisu ominously steps out from behind a sandstone pillar. He begins a conversation by asking Mille-Feuille to voice her opinions on the recent murder, to which she responds by pointing out his surprising lack of sympathy. Tiramisu then talks about the functions of hearts, and how the wounded may be healed if they are given a new, healthier one. He commands Mille-Feuille to relinquish her heart so it can be given to the husk of Mousse, but the innocent puppet retorts by telling him Mousse is dead. Mad with his delusion that Mousse is alive despite being in stasis, Tiramisu plunges his hand into Mille-Feuille's chest cavity to forcibly remove her heart. Just then, the five students run up to defend their friend, causing Tiramisu to cease his murder attempt and warp up to the ruins.

Mille-Feuille has difficulty catching her breath as the kids grow concerned, wondering if the Oturan villagers can do anything about Tiramisu. The puppet shakily gets back up on her feet and says the villagers should not get involved with this situation. She vows to guide everyone through the ruins as fast as possible, strangely untroubled by her injuries, and uses her Ukuru's Feather to warp away. Astonished by Mille-Feuille's courage despite nearly losing her heart, the protagonist and their classmates walk onto the stage and follow her into the sky.

The five kids arrive at Wetsomus Ruins, finding themselves in a winding sandstone labyrinth floating high above the clouds. Many of the ancient catwalks are occupied by several autonomous robots, who are strangely similar to their classmate Latte. Mille-Feuille guides her guests through the ruins until they reach the final area, which is the nest of a large, murderous bird called Snowhair. According to the puppet, the shrine to Green Tea Village can only be accessed if Snowhair is defeated, and many travelers have died fighting it. The students are confident in their fighting skills, but Arancia is still concerned for Mille-Feuille's safety around Tiramisu. Mille-Feuille assures her that the situation with Tiramisu is Oturan Village's problem, to which Ganache agrees, saying the Will-o'-Wisp group should stay out of the puppets' business and let destiny decide what happens.

Snowhair is no easy opponent, though Ganache's powerful Dark Magic makes the fight significantly easier. Just as it is defeated, Tiramisu once again walks out from behind a nearby pillar, patiently waiting for their arrival. When the kids crowd around the two puppets, both Mille-Feuille and Ganache state that both parties should stay out of each others' business, with the latter saying he will leave to find the rest of the students. When Ganache leaves to the Green Tea Village shrine, Mille-Feuille pleads to Tiramisu that she will give Mousse her heart if it will stop the serial murders, but Kirsche believes it would be best if Tiramisu was handed over to the village chief. However, Mille-Feuille tells the group that the villagers punish criminals by blunt force, throwing stones and punching them until they die. She exclaims how sick she is of living a sorrowful life and just wants Oturan Village to be a happy, thriving community. Tiramisu, somewhat shocked by Mille-Feuille's words, tells her to visit the inn before making his way back to the village, ominously stating he believes in her. Kirsche, Arancia, and Pistachio fear for their friend's life and wonder if Tiramisu will kill her, but Mille-Feuille assures them that since she is the chief's granddaughter, she must do everything in her power to protect her community.

After considering their options, the protagonist ultimately decides to return to Oturan Village with Mille-Feuille instead of progressing to Green Tea Village. As the group of four backtracks to the shrine, Ganache quietly follows, muttering "Good grief..." under his breath.

Back at the entry shrine, Tiramisu secretly watches the puppet girl hurry to the village, questioning how she is brave enough to return when her life is being threatened. Suddenly, Ganache emerges from behind the shrine's stature, saying it is because she has a heart. He voices his concern and demands Tiramisu to reveal what he plans on doing with her heart, to which the murderous puppet responds by telling Ganache to stay out of his business. He reveals himself to be a user of the Blade element by summoning a Blade Spirit, but Ganache responds by summoning a Dark Spirit, catching Tiramisu off guard. The warlock, angered by the possibility of Tiramisu killing Mille-Feuille, vows to reunite him with Mousse before chasing him off of the shrine.

The four students descend from Wetsomus Ruins shortly after and walk back to Oturan Village. Upon entering, they see Tiramisu limping towards the inn, exclaiming how he cannot die in vain. The kids follow him inside, finding him slumped next to the body of Mousse and being held up by Mille-Feuille. Everybody, horrified, looks at a gaping wound on Tiramisu's chest, which he claims was from falling off the ruins. Arancia and Pistachio are more skeptical about the cause of the puppet's injury, as it appears to have been opened up by some strange force. The puppet begs the students to give Mousse his heart, struggling to speak as he recounts the day his brother died.

In a flashback to 200 years ago, Tiramisu carried Mousse's body back to the village after falling from a cliff. He begged endlessly for help, but the townspeople blamed Mousse for being clumsy and falling to his demise. They also said every puppet is bound to die eventually, so saving Mousse would be completely pointless. As the crowd slowly dissipated, Tiramisu heard the final words of his brother, who took the blame for his accidental demise.

Mille-Feuille watches as Tiramisu passes away in her arms, and in his dying breath, he tells the group to bring Mousse back to life with his heart. The puppet girl refuses, saying a person's heart – their true nature – is not something that can be handed down or replaced. As Tiramisu's body goes into statis, the students leave to let Mille-Feuille mourn, and find Ganache standing outside the inn. Surprisingly, the Dark mage seems oblivious to the death of Tiramisu. When his classmates break the news, Ganache looks at them in disbelief, then remembers what had happened before everyone went back to the inn. It turns out that while Ganache was chasing Tiramisu back to the village, he lost control of himself and mortally wounded the puppet with his magic. As reality begins to set in, Ganache tries convincing himself that he did not mean for the attack to be fatal, then runs out of Oturan Village in shame. The group does not chase after him, but Arancia notes that Ganache may not have been lying; he truly was holding back.

With no where else to go except forward, the four students leave the village, cross the Wetsomus Ruins, and descend to the shrine located in Ricebird Fields. Surprisingly, the Magic Bus is in this area too with Balsamico on board, who is being harassed by three Envoys of Love. The Envoys accuse Balsamico of conspiring with the Enigmas, despite him repeatedly claiming his noninvolvement with the creatures of darkness. The students approach the Envoy trio, who introduce themselves as Tortilla, and his bodyguards Tarte and Tatin. Tortilla's guards have given him the nickname "Sonny" due to him being the child of Green Tea Village's chief, Gateau, but Tortilla demands they stop calling him that. He then goes on to say that chieftainship in Green Tea Village is determined by whoever possesses the Love Stick, and since he is its current wielder, he has officially usurped his father's status as chief. Before leaving the Ricebird Fields with Tarte and Tatin, Tortilla commands the students to leave since the area is under Envoy jurisdiction, as there have been recent sightings of Enigmas prowling about.

Balsamico, freed from Tortilla's stubbornness, invites his former passengers on board the bus to brief them on what happened. He explains how during the mass abduction at Valencia Beach, some Enigmas mistook the Magic Bus for their own kind and warped it into the Light Realm.

Development
Shortly after Brownie Brown Co., Ltd. was established on June 30, 2000, its staff announced their attentive development of Magical Vacation. Pre-release interviews suggest that the game was planned to be network compatible, though the final release never utilized such a feature. It was also later revealed by Brownie Brown's CEO at the time, Shinichi Kameoka, that the game's title was originally going to be Magic Summer Vacation (魔法の夏休み, Mahō no Natsuyasumi).

Announcement and promotion
In early August 2001, Brownie Brown staff made a post on their own message board in response to positive fan reception, thanking onlookers for their support during Magical Vacation's development. The post declared that an official trailer for Magical Vacation, as well as a demo of the game, would be featured at the upcoming Nintendo Space World event in Japan.

Gameplay of Magical Vacation was first revealed for the Game Boy Advance on August 23, 2001, at Nintendo Space World in Tokyo, Japan. It was presented in a 30-second-long trailer with the planned release date being December 7. Journalists were quick to praise its detailed environments and visual homages to 16-bit console RPGs, as well as its Mana series heritage. Hopeful for an overseas release, they assumed the game would not leave Japan until 2002, but their anticipation was in vain.



The first commercials to advertise Magical Vacation featured Japanese singer, model, and actress Mika Nakashima. In the commercials, Nakashima runs to the shore of a beach at sunset and cries out a promise to save her friends (in reference to the game's events), followed by the slogan, "The mightiest weapon of all... is Friendship!"

Let's Amigo Events


Two events were held shortly after Magical Vacation's release in Japan. They would act as large get-togethers for owners of the game, who could meet up and use the Let's Amigo feature to unlock special content in their own copies of Magical Vacation. Casual fans, superfans, cosplayers, and Brownie Brown staff alike appeared for both venues.

The first venue was held in Osaka on January 26, 2002, with around 300 participating players. The second one took place in Tokyo on January 27, 2002, with a much higher turnout of around 900 players.

Reception
Magical Vacation became an instant cult classic among Japanese RPG fans, selling over 270, 000 units exclusively within the country's borders. Famitsu magazine gave the game a score of 35/40 on release.

Sword of Mana


Sword of Mana is a 2003 action RPG codeveloped by Square Enix and Brownie Brown for the Game Boy Advance, and is the fifth release in the Seiken Densetsu series. Shinichi Kameoka was involved with this game as its character designer. In the heroine's route, she visits a boy in the town of Topple and offers to help him find his missing book. By retrieving the book and returning it to the boy, he will reveal that it is titled Magical Vacation.

"Wow! Thanks a lot! Sweet! My book! It's a weird story called "Magical Vacation." Kids at a magic school do all sorts of stuff! They beat up enemies with fire, lightning, poison and stuff! Bam! Pow! BOOM! Giant acorns!"

Super Smash Bros.
Characters from Magical Vacation appear in the Super Smash Bros. series as collectibles. In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Latte (as Mokka), a traveling putty, and a pyrite appear as trophies. Additionally, the male and female heroes, Kirsche (spelled as Kirsh), an HP pot, a sparrow, and a traveling putty can be collected as stat-buffing stickers.

Egglia: Legend of the Redcap


Egglia: Legend of the Redcap is a role-playing simulation game developed by Brownies for iOS and Android devices. It was released in Japan on April 30, 2017, but its servers were shut down on August 30, 2018, with the game subsequently being retitled to Egglia: Offline. In February of 2022, Brownies released an enhanced port of the game for the Nintendo Switch, naming it Egglia Rebirth.

Many elements of Egglia can be considered direct callbacks to Magical Vacation, and even Shinichi Kameoka's history with game production as a whole. Some notable examples of these callbacks include, but are not limited to; a baby Pooka Enigma, a wolks with pants for a hat, and recruitable elemental spirits.

English fan-translation
On June 7, 2016, romhacking.net user "magicalpatcher" released an English patch that could be applied to emulated versions of Magical Vacation. For the first time ever, English audiences were able to play the game in their language, whether they were newcomers or fans of Magical Starsign. The patch makes several changes to the names of characters, spells, and locations, some which are consistent with Magical Starsign (such as Gran Dragée being renamed to Biscotti).

While this English fan-translation is playable from beginning to end, it does suffer from minor technical errors. There are some pieces of dialogue that have been skewed due to mistranslation or typos, minor graphical glitches, instances of dialogue being left untranslated, dialogue-induced softlocking, and the absence of translated credits/post-credits scenes. The most recent update for the English patch was released on September 23, 2019, meaning it is unlikely that these errors will ever be revised.