There are small indie gems like sand on the beach. Unfortunately, amidst this flood of good games, some that deserve more attention get lost. A turn-based RPG on Steam with magical students probably has the problem that it looks too cozy. But behind the cuddly facade lie serious themes.
Which game is it? Ikenfell was released on October 8, 2020, but has only managed to gather 599 ratings on Steam since then. The big breakthrough has yet to come, although the submitted ratings yield an overall score of excellent 92% on Steam.
It sounds interesting: We embark as Maritte on the magic academy to search for our sister, who hasn’t returned to us during the summer holidays. Yet strange things are happening everywhere and monsters are causing trouble. Meanwhile, we also need to solve the great mystery behind the school.
We have various spells, group members, and items at our disposal. We can choose from a pool of six characters, all of whom are queer. Generally, there seem to be almost exclusively queer characters at the magic academy. Sexuality and identity are not shoved in your face, but subtly made clear through relationships or addresses.
Don’t be fooled by the cuddly appearance, as dark themes lie behind the facade:
Ikenfell is not light fare, despite its cuddly aesthetics
Why is this considered a serious game? In this turn-based RPG, not only love plays a vital role, but also loyalty, friendship, and loss. The focus is on acceptance and coping with one’s own traumas. From the wild mix, you can already guess: The title is an emotional rollercoaster.
Bullying is a serious issue that is addressed in the game. The game is heading toward a drama, the outcome of which remains unclear until the end. There is one character who bullies several classmates, which impacts their mental health.
The writing is spot on. Each of the characters has their own internal problem that they must struggle with. It was painful for me to witness while playing how some of the characters suffered emotional breakdowns or panic attacks. Throughout the story, no one steals the show from the others.
Death is also a theme that the game deals with. It hit me hard when one of the beloved characters suddenly left this life and left their partner behind.
Is the game only dark? Although the RPG tackles serious issues, there are small moments of lightness in between, both in the story and in gameplay.
A major plus is the combat. It is structured similarly to Paper Mario: turn-based, but you have to press the button at the right time. Since I was accustomed to the system of Paper Mario, I found it easy to tackle the combat.
But for those who don’t want any of that, they can still skip the fights. The positive side: You still receive the experience points that you would have gotten for it! This way, you could even save a large portion of gameplay time. However, I enjoyed my run of about 17 hours and can only recommend fans of magical schools and turn-based RPGs to take a look at the title!
MyMMO editor Niko Hernes recommends a movie that also features queer characters. Bottoms is, for him, vulgar, silly, and rough. Fans of high school films shouldn’t miss this film: Amazon Prime: An underrated comedy from 2023 that everyone should watch if they like absurd high school movies
