Kara Dennison
May 31, 2024 
If you happen to still be on the Magia Record global server, you might want to hustle and get those stories finished and those Magical Girls leveled. This July, the final chapter of the Madoka Magica spinoff will be released, and the game will move into an archive app. A new game, Magia Exedra, is scheduled to debut sometime this year. But Iroha’s adventures in Kamihama City are coming to an end.
Since its debut, the mobile game has had a huge presence—inspiring anime, manga, stage shows, and even a shrine to Mami. But there are lots of other things that this mobile game has brought us, especially when it comes to the world of Gen Urobuchi’s popular magical girl series.
More About the Holy Quintet
While Madoka Kaname and her friends aren’t the stars of Magia Record, they are definitely a presence. And while the game’s main mystery is focused on a new set of girls, we get some insights into the characters we got to know during the original anime. And in some cases, we got glimpses of things that will never be.
Early on, fans noticed that the Holy Quintet’s transformations show us a glimpse at an alternate future: one in which they were allowed to grow up, rather than having their lives compromised by the Incubators. Sometimes these are long looks; others, it’s a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it snapshot. Either way, it’s a bittersweet reminder of what they’re giving up with their wishes.
The Doppel
Magia Record also introduced a new way for Magical Girls to fight: their Doppel. Instead of being fully overtaken by their Witch form, they could tame their despair to control and unleash this power in combat. By clearing a certain number of chapters and leveling Magical Girls up, you could bring their Doppels into battle.
Doppels manifest slightly differently in the anime. However, their presence is an intriguing twist, disrupting the series’s main-line progression from Magical Girl straight to Witch. Also, the animations for them are fabulous.
Anime Crossovers
Not everything Magia Record did was for deep lore reasons. Sometimes they just had fun—like when they’d bring in girls from other series to make contracts of their own! These guest appearances allowed players to add the stars of Bakemonogatari, Lyrical Nanoha, and Lycoris Recoil to their parties.
Except for the Lyrical Nanoha crossover (because they were already magical girls), this means new art and specially designed costumes! For Nanoha and friends, there’s no Doppel and no risk of becoming a Witch… after all, they didn’t have to form a contract to get their powers.
Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story ends service on July 31. What will you miss most about this game?
Let’s meet some more powerful anime characters!
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