Magical Vacation

Magical Vacation (マジカルバケーション, Majikarubakēshon) is a role-playing game (RPG) developed by Brownie Brown (now 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 game in the Magical Vacation duology, and the prequel to Magical Starsign on the DS. The game was also ported to the Wii U's Virtual Console in 2015, but still remained Japan-exclusive.

The story follows a group of 16 students who attend Will-o'-Wisp Academy; a school where youths are trained to master their magical talents. Over the summer, they are sent out to Valencia Beach Seaside School with their teacher chaperone, Miss Madeleine. Players take on the role of a silent protagonist, whose gender and element are chosen at the start of the game. 13 of the 16 elements are available while the remaining 3 are unlocked through multiplayer functionality.

Setting
In terms of Magical Vacation's plot and setting, it exhibits fantasy traits from other games in the classic RPG genre. The planet of Kovomaka is made up of infinite elemental Realms, which occupy the same space in different 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. Will-o'-Wisp Academy is in the Material Realm.

Plot
Long ago, a destructive war broke out in the Kingdom of Kovomaka. Countless swordsmen and wizards were killed, and Kovomaka was dealt a heavy blow. To cover up the events of the war, a lie was spread amongst the townspeople, and they were told that thousands of soldiers had died as a result of an experiment gone awry. The battle lasted for 3 days and a long peace followed, but one man named Biscotti chose to keep a watchful eye in case another war broke out.

Commercials
Gameplay of Magical Vacation was first revealed for the Game Boy Advance on August 23rd, 2001 at a Nintendo Space World event. It was presented in a 30 second-long trailer with the planned release date being December 7th. Journalists were quick to praise its detailed environments and visual homages to 16-bit console RPGs, as well as its Mana series attributes. Hopeful for an overseas release, they assumed the game wouldn't 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, followed by the slogan, "The mightiest weapon of all... is Friendship".

Public Events
Main Article: 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 26th, 2002, with around 300 participating players. The second one took place in Tokyo on January 27th, 2002, with a much higher turnout of around 900 players.

Reception
Famitsu magazine gave Magical Vacation a score of 35/40 on release.

Legacy
Characters from Magical Vacation appear in the ''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Smash_Bros. Super Smash Bros.]'' series as collectibles. Those with descriptions summarize their roles in Magical Starsign.