魔法少女的魔女審判
Game Overview
"Magical Girl Witch Trials" is developed by Re,AER's brand "Acacia」The first work developed, distributed in the Chinese-speaking community by CIRCLE LINE GAMES . The game type is a "magical debate × mystery ADV" text adventure, released on Steam on July 18, 2025, with the Nintendo Switch version launching on July 9, 2026.
The stage is a prison on an isolated island in the middle of the sea. Thirteen girls, each possessing "magic" and the qualities of a witch, are held here as prisoners. When the regularly occurring murder cases strike, the girls must convene a "Witch Trial," using their statements and the evidence gathered from investigations to identify the lying murderer (witch) and send them to the execution platform. The tricks of the cases are intricately interwoven with the girls' unique magic, and the entire work consists of 30 BAD ENDs, with the official self-assessment that the cruel expressions "always head in the worst direction."
Visually themed around Gothic, pursuing the "beauty of decay"; the development team, influenced by "Puella Magi Madoka Magica," "Danganronpa," and "STEINS;GATE," hopes to convey that impact and respect to a new generation of players.
Story Introduction
"It has been determined that you are highly likely to be 【Witches】 — you will pose a threat to human society. Please live here as prisoners."
— The talking owl "Warden"Looking forward to high school life, Sakuraba Emma wakes up one morning to find herself in a dim cell—a prison on an isolated island cut off from the world. She has no idea why she was locked up here, and imprisoned alongside her are 12 other girls.
The warden declared: these 13 individuals are highly likely to be "witches" who threaten the world, and they must live here as prisoners. Emma's life with the "preparatory witches" was just getting on track when one day, a girl was suddenly murdered. "Now, the 【Witch Trial】 is about to commence." — The girls must vote to select one witch and send her to the execution platform with their own hands. The cruel death game thus begins.
Opening Movie
Characters
Sakuraba Emma桜羽エマ／Sakuraba EmmaA girl who uses the first-person "boku" and has a neutral appearance. Her cheerful demeanor actually stems from a fear of loneliness and being disliked; she is quick-witted, and as long as she holds the belief in helping others, she can display astonishing deductive abilities.
Nikaido HiroNikaido HiroA top student with impeccable grades, athletic ability, and family background. Using "right or wrong" as the sole standard of value, her thinking tends to become extreme when she pursues correctness too obsessively. She had interactions with Emma in the past.
Natsume Anan夏目アンアン／Natsume An-AnA shut-in girl who is poor at communication, relying on a sketchbook for written conversation, and when writing she uses an exaggerated tone imitating a literary master. Her gorgeous clothing and the demeanor dictated by her magic make her one of the representative characters of this work's worldview.
Noah Kinosaki城ケ崎ノア／Jogasaki NoahA masked street artist who is popular worldwide yet whose true identity is unknown. Self-centered and elusive, she always questions various things. To let players experience the suspenseful essence of this work, her death is depicted at the very beginning of the game.
Leah Hasumi蓮見レイア／Hasumi LeiaThe top actress of a first-rate theater troupe, with gentlemanly manners and a theatrical tone at the end of her speech. Beyond being eye-catching, she also has a strong sense of responsibility and serves as the "rope twister" of the group. Her transformation in the latter half of the story is one of the highlights of this work.
Milia Saeki佐伯ミリア／Saeki MiriaA "white gyaru": wears cute clothes but is always sighing, and loves watching old movies. Contrary to her flashy appearance, she is calm and honest, clumsy yet kind-hearted and caring, with an occasionally unfathomable melancholy in her speech.
Hosho Marge宝生マーゴ／Hosho MargoA 15-year-old genius swindler with a very quick mind. She is friendly to everyone, but in truth trusts nothing in the world and never reveals her true heart to anyone; beneath her bewitching, big-sister demeanor is actually a girl her own age.
Kurobe Nae黒部ナノカ／Kurobe NanokaShe seems to already be familiar with the prison's structure and history, and harbors a strong hostility toward it. Cold, exclusive, and willing to do anything to achieve her goals, she also has a careless side; her thorny attitude does not seem to be her original personality.
Fujiwara Arisa紫藤アリサ／Shito AlisaA delinquent girl who ran away from home two years ago, with a rough tongue and quick temper. She hates herself, yet longs for someone to accept her spiky exterior—when treated gently, her heart wavers.
Tachibana Sherry橘シェリー／Tachibana SherryA self-proclaimed great detective and hardcore mystery fan who once indirectly helped a bullied classmate through deduction, thus regarding detective work as his calling. Always full of energy and astonishingly curious, but also has a side that completely ignores the atmosphere of the scene.
Hanna Tono遠野ハンナ／Tono HannaA mysterious girl as petite as a doll yet speaking in an ojou-sama tone, claiming to be from a distinguished family but whose words and actions often contradict her status. She is vain and becomes aggressive when her weak spots are hit, but is actually very kind at heart.
Koko Sawatari沢渡ココ／Sawatari CocoAn internet streamer who makes a living through game live streams and chat shows. Always smiling during streams, but privately hates everything except herself and her 'ultimate favorite,' making her a two-faced, sharp-tongued character. Only when talking about her 'favorite' does she show the blissful expression of a girl in love.
Meruru Hikami氷上メルル／Hikami MeruruA worrisome girl with perpetually half-filled tears and a habit of self-blame. Whenever she becomes interested in someone, she can't help but follow them—if you notice someone behind you, it's likely her hiding in the shadows.
WardenゴクチョーA talking owl who presides over the prison and the Witch Trials. The production team thought a mascot character would suit a well-known voice actor, and ultimately chose Ryūsei Nakao, who could perfectly express its unique way of speaking.
Game System
🏢 Chapter-based ADV Section
The player experiences daily life with the girls in the prison from the perspective of the protagonist, Emma. As the chapters progress, accumulating information and trust relationships, the truth behind the incidents gradually comes to light.
⚖️ Witch Trial Section
Trials are held after murder incidents occur. Find contradictions in the girls' testimonies and traces of daily life, expose the lying witch through debate, and ultimately vote to execute her.
🔍 Investigation and Evidence
Investigations within the prison allow for the collection of evidence and map information, which is recorded in the "Witch Encyclopedia." The entire work includes nine setting-based mystery cases, and the girls' magic and "witchification" settings add variables to the tricks.
🔄 Multi-Playthrough Structure
After the first playthrough, a completely different story unfolds from a new perspective: in the second playthrough, a new protagonist with death-rewind abilities unlocks the "False Testimony System" and survival debate gameplay, while the third playthrough's ending reveals the truth about the witches.
Game Screenshots
Theme Songs and Music
The lyrics of both OP songs are written in the original fictional language "フィクスマージ語" created for this work. The original songs are VOCALOID tracks by SLAVE.V-V-R, and in the game version, the voice actors themselves perform them. The BGM is handled by Yusuke Kondo, and the three BGM singers, Masumi Nemoto, Yumeko, and Amane, were selected through public auditions."Complete Original Soundtrack"(Frontier Works, FFCP-0053) was released on July 18, 2025, containing 3 CDs with 60 tracks in total.
Additionally, since spring 2026, the official MV project "ココロノクライ（心靈號哭）」：第 0 彈〈救いを求めるヒトの詩 Vocal Version〉、Episode I 黑部奈葉香〈ぐしゃぐしゃ〉、Episode II 夏目安安〈みんなでずっと幸せに、家族で一緒に、楽しいパーティを。〉、Episode III 紫藤亞里沙〈アシェンプテル〉。
Development and Production
" depicting "girls' psychological trauma" has been promoted. 66,849,444 yen (achievement rate 3340%)66,849,444 yen (achievement rate 33401TP3T). As a result, the game was upgraded from partial voice acting tofull voice acting
. From July to August 2024, public auditions for the voice actors of Hero and Shirley, as well as tryouts for BGM singers, were held.
- Main Staff：Acacia
- Planning: Toshiyuki Hata
- Character Design：梅まろ
- Original Work / Creative Supervision: Minami Kita
- Director: Ryu Takiguchi
- Main Scenario: Minami Kita (Story Part), Ryu Takiguchi (Trial Part)
- script: Chihiro Kageyama, Rinku Umino, Rei Ayatsuki, Yuta Fukaura, Yuji Abiko, etc.
- Illustrations：おむ（omu）、ナナホシコウ
- Backgrounds：ふきた、Taurus Global Studio
- Planning / Programming：石田ぎがしー
- Theme Song Production：SLAVE.V-V-R
- ED Production：daiki⛩️
- BGM: Yusuke Kondo
- Sound：Studio Tonaria
- LOGO Design：ミナトデザイン
- Engine：Unity
Developer Re,AER has established a new company with HYDE Acacia Games, advancing North American market expansion and English version preparations; the sequel "The Customary Village of Magical Girls》has been announced, with the script co-written by Kitami Minami and the author of Corpse Party, Shin Kedouin, and Hiro Nikaido will appear once again. Another new title in the series, The Secret Account Labyrinth of the Anchor Girl, is also in development.
Release Timeline
- 2024.04.04First PV released, official website launched, Steam version announced
- 2024.04.19CAMPFIRE crowdfunding begins (goal: 2,000,000 yen)
- 2024.06.30Crowdfunding ended: raised 66,849,444 yen (3340%), decided to add full voice acting and a Switch version
- 2024.12.06Steam store page launched; CIRCLE LINE GAMES announced as partner for Chinese version release
- 2025.06.09Trial version "Shiyu Trial Version" (commonly known as the "Passing Play Version") distributed on Steam, playable up to the first half of Chapter 1
- 2025.07.18Steam version officially released (¥3,500); Complete Original Soundtrack released the same day
- 2025.09.01Sales exceeded 100,000 units, with a 96% positive rating on Steam ("Overwhelmingly Positive")
- 2025.11.28Sales exceeded 300,000, with over 150,000 from Chinese-speaking regions
- 2026.03.03Switch version release date announced at "Indie World 2026.3.3"
- 2026.05.29Won first place in both Adventure and Overall categories at the Dengeki Indie Awards 2026
- 2026.07.09Nintendo Switch version released (added new CG, all-character rebuttal Cut-in performances, etc.)
- 2026.07.18Announced that Steam/NS versions will add English, French, Spanish, and Korean language support
- 2026.08.28Announced global sales exceeded 700,000
Sales and Reviews
(2026.08.28)
"Overwhelmingly Positive"
(at 300,000 copies)
(2025.07.26)
Surpassed 100,000 copies in about a month after release, then grew steadily at a pace of roughly 100,000 copies every 1–2 months: 200,000 (2025.10.07) → 300,000 (11.28) → 400,000 (12.26) → 500,000 (2026.02.27) → 600,000 (07.08) → 700,000 (08.28), making it one of the most successful Japanese indie games in recent years.
Derivative works and collaborations
Manga, novel, art book
- Serialized manga: Illustrated by Setsuna Tokitoki, serialized in COMIC ALUNNA from the August 2025 issue; after that magazine ceased publication, it moved to Monthly Comic Flapper and is still ongoing; 2 volumes of the tankōbon have been published by MF Comics (2025.12.17, 2026.08.21).
- Official yonkoma: "After This, I Will Die" — a two-panel comic depicting the characters' daily lives, illustrated by Kamiya Fujisawa, irregularly serialized on the official X account since July 2024, providing a stark contrast to the main story's cruelty.
- Light novel: Written by Acacia, cover art by Mero Ume, published by Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko on 2026.07.31; the Traditional Chinese edition is licensed by Kadokawa Taiwan and released on 2026.08.05.
- Art book：《クリエイターズアートブック -表裏-》（2025.07.25）、《-虚実-》（2026.06.19），Bushiroad Works 出版。
- Drama CD: "〜the first page〜 Retrial" — a re-recorded version of the May 2025 reading drama, released by Frontier Works on 2026.04.22.
Events and crossovers (excerpt)
- Reading drama "〜the first page〜" (2025.05.10), "〜the next page〜" (2026.08.15).
- Tokyo Tower collaboration "~Phantom Witch Trial~" (2025.05.28-10.13, an unusually long event extended three times), "Copy Execution Exhibition" original art exhibition (2025.08).
- Participated in TGS 2025, Shanghai WePlay Expo 2025; cafe collaboration (cafe MENU, ENOSHIMA TREASURE), PrismLand theme store event, LINE stickers (2025.12.26).
- Game collaborations: 《雷索納斯》《Poker Chase》《吉星派對》; SEGA rhythm game 《音擊》(2026.09.03-10.28, 〈LaVI-Bavellabion〉 playable recording).
- Weiß Schwarz pre-constructed decks and booster packs (on sale from December 2026).
System Requirements (PC)
| Item | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| OS | Windows 10 (64-bit) | Windows 10 64-bit |
| Processor | Dual-core processor | AMD Ryzen 7 2700 (8 cores, 16 threads) |
| Memory | 6 GB RAM | 16 GB RAM |
| Graphics | GPU supporting DirectX 11 (including integrated graphics) | GeForce RTX 2060 |
| Storage | 6 GB available space | 10 GB available space |
| macOS | Big Sur 11 or later / M1 or later | Sequoia 15 or later / Apple Silicon |
* The game supports keyboard/mouse and controller operation (NS version supports handheld mode and Nintendo Switch 2 play), Steam Cloud saves; language support: Japanese / Simplified Chinese / Traditional Chinese.
Trivia and Fun Facts
- The character portraits are separate 3D-rendered assets within the game files—this is also why the official recommended specs list an RTX 2060.
- The originally planned Danganronpa-style game system, English localization, and character side-view portraits were all scrapped; the side-view portraits were later put to use in the Switch version's rebuttal animations.
- The execution button was hastily added to the game on the morning of its release day (as revealed in a developer interview).
- When early official Q&A was asked "Are there yuri elements?", the official response was: "It depends on how you see it."
- "Poem of One Seeking Salvation" was initially an unimplemented track in the Steam version, and only became an insert song officially in the Switch version.
