Though Promise of Wizard (“Mahoutsukai no Yakusoku” in Japanese, known colloquially as “Mahoyaku”) may be a joseimuke (content aimed primarily at women) mobile game only available in Japan, its unique fantasy setting has captured the interest of a solid fanbase from all corners of the world. Many first-time players may find themselves initially captivated by its gorgeous visuals, but what truly makes Mahoyaku shine is its intricate story filled with unexpected twists and turns.
If you’re wondering how a fantasy world of such a large scale was built, look no further. In this interview with the developers of Mahoyaku, we dig deep into the origins of its setting, its charming wizards, and more exclusive tidbits from behind the scenes.
▍The Origins of the Sage, the Wizards, and the Moon
Q: We’d love to learn more about the creation process behind Promise of Wizard. Can you tell us what led to the birth of this project?
At the time, we had successfully released several titles and were looking into developing a new game for our catalogue. While discussing which direction to go with this new title, there was a suggestion that we contact Bunta Tsushimi and Kowo Kazma to serve as the main scenario writer and worldbuilding supervisor respectively. Fortunately, they kindly accepted the offer and the project started in earnest.
Q: One of the main appeals of Promise of Wizard is its beautiful and detailed fantasy setting. What kind of world did you originally set out to build?
We had planned to make something within the fantasy genre from the very start, as it didn’t overlap with any of our existing works. While brainstorming various themes we had initially proposed going with a Japanese-inspired fantasy setting. However, as both Tsushimi-sensei and Kazma-sensei had never worked on a high fantasy story targeting female audiences, the theme gradually evolved from Japanese to Western fantasy, with the eventual addition of wizards into the mix.
Q: In Promise of Wizard, the sage and wizards fight against the Great Calamity, a looming moon that threatens to destroy the world once a year. What inspired you to make the moon the main enemy in this story?
To give the wizards a chance to shine, we had initially envisioned having their enemies be scary monsters or demons. However, the idea was brought up that fighting against something more conceptual might be easier for users to accept. The moon is a mysterious, yet constant presence in our daily lives, making it a perfect fit for the themes explored within Promise of Wizard.
Q: The five countries in Promise of Wizard, Central, North, East, West, and South, are distinguished by their unique cultures. Where did the ideas behind these countries come from? Did you draw any inspiration from countries in the real world?
It was Tsushimi-sensei who suggested separating the world into five countries. We floated around the idea of categorizing all 21 main wizards by each of their unique characteristics and personalities but there was a risk that doing so would end up muddling the setting and confusing players. So, we instead chose to divide them into five categories based on ideas and concepts we traditionally associate with wizards. The different kinds of wizards our players have encountered in fairytales thus became the inspiration behind each country.
Q: While most current Joseimuke games tend to have female protagonists, Promise of Wizard is a rare case where players are allowed to choose their gender. Is there a particular reason for this?
The protagonist of Promise of Wizard is there to forge a relationship of trust and sincerity with each of the wizards in the story. Their gender has no bearing on their role of sharing in the wizards’ joy and sorrow, and because of that, we decided that the gender of the protagonist would be up to the players to decide on their own.
We’re living in a time when society is turning away from perceived notions of gender. As we wanted Promise of Wizard to be a game cherished for a long time, we strived to create a story and characters that would be accepted and enjoyed in any era.
▍A Heart-Gripping Story Between You and the Wizards
Q: Mahoyaku is known for its robust story that deals with some fairly heavy topics. What made you create such a story, and is there any particular message you want to convey to players through it?
It was our full intention to create a story with some weight to it when we requested Bunta Tsushimi-sensei as the main writer for this project. There’s a striking gravity to Tsushimi-sensei’s writing, and we had a firm belief in its potential to grip and move a great many of our users’ hearts.
Q: How do you go about making event stories? Do you choose the theme and the characters that star in each event as a means of supplementing the main story?
We plan event stories in a way that gives an equal amount of focus on all the wizards throughout the year. We take note of past stories characters have featured in as well as which characters have shared events together and try to factor in any similarities and differences we can glean from that data when plotting a new story. Event stories in particular serve an important role by highlighting and digging deep into the charm of each character from different perspectives. After the story is written, it is then sent to Kazma-sensei for supervision before making its way into the game for all users to read.
▍21 Wizards with Unique Backgrounds and Designs
Q: Can you share more about the creation process behind the wizards? How were you able to strike a balance with all their various backgrounds, pasts, and traumas that inform them?
It was Kazma-sensei who initially sorted the characters into each of the five countries in a way that balanced them out. After that, Tsushimi-sensei fleshed them out in detail. We took a lot of care to ensure that the characters were balanced in a way that brought the charm of each country to the foreground, and that’s something we kept in mind throughout the entire process.
Q: Out of the 21 wizards, were there any characters who changed a lot during development?
Shino and Heathcliff changed the most during the writing of the main story. At first, it was Heathcliff who was most concerned with Shino, who was an aloof hero type. However, since Heathcliff is one of the first characters the player meets, it’s easier for them to grow fond of him as opposed to Shino, who is introduced later on. We worried that keeping Shino’s personality distant might make it difficult for players to develop a good impression of him, so we settled on adjusting their relationship so Shino is the one overly attached to Heathcliff instead.
Q: Mahoyaku has gotten a lot of praise for its event outfit designs. How do you come up with those designs? Do you have anything, in particular, you keep in mind when designing them?
We design outfits based on two main factors: who will wear them and where. For example, if we were making a new outfit for Chloe, we’d consider different elements that best bring out his charm and personality. He seems the type that would choose shoes appropriate for whenever he’s going, so depending on where that is he might need something that’s easy to move in, etc. As a team, we discuss many options in order to capture the essence of the character before a final decision is made.
For seasonal events, we try to come up with vivid palettes and event-appropriate accessories so that the players can experience and enjoy different feelings and moods each year. You can zoom in on characters’ faces and upper bodies on the home screen, so we welcome all our players to check out the details of their favorite outfits there.
▍A Stylish UI to Highlight the Fantasy Theme
Q: What was the hardest part when designing Mahoyaku’s visuals and UI?
Promise of Wizard is a Joseimuke game with a heavy focus on the fantasy aesthetic; something that, at the time, was fairly unique to the genre. As such, we put a lot of thought and consideration into the visuals.
What we wanted was to also appeal to women who weren’t really familiar with the genre at all. So in the end, the main story and overall costume design stay true to their fantasy roots…with a little bit of a twist.
The hardest part of it all was coordinating the color palette with the overall layout to give the game a fresh and modern feel. However, what’s considered “fresh and modern” changes day by day, so we always try to stay on top of the current aesthetic trends.
Rather than a more simplistic design, Mahoyaku’s UI favors more heavily embellished decorative elements to emphasize its fantasy feel. But even so, we strived to ensure that the game’s functionality wouldn’t be affected. By deciding what colors we would use as the base and what colors would be used as accents, we were able to tie together all of the lavishly detailed UI elements into one strong and united design.
Q: What part of Mahoyaku’s visual and game design are you most proud of?
When it comes to design, we are constantly striving to deliver consistently beautiful visuals to our users while making sure to always keep the characters and world aesthetics in mind. And that’s not all; we also try to come up with new ideas every day to deliver the best content to as many users as possible.
There’s a lot of things to talk about in terms of the game system’s design, but I think I would have to choose the training system. The game’s tagline is “where wizards are comrades, and bonds equal magic.” The choices you make with them during training sessions determine what kind of battle mission sprite they will awaken into. And the more you awaken the wizards, the more sides you can see to their character.
We always make sure to create new battle mission sprites with unique skill animations for every event, so we hope you take the time to check them all out!
Q: Various new functions have been added and updated in the game since its initial launch. Could you tell us the reason why?
Over time, we’ve added a lot of new systems to the game, such as the Wizard Manor, to allow players to enjoy the world of Mahoyaku even more. We also have plans for even more updates in the future, so please look forward to it.
▍The Future of Promise of Wizard
Q: Mahoyaku recently celebrated its 3rd anniversary and part 2 of the main story is currently racing towards its climax. Could you tell us as much as you can about where the story is headed? Do you already have an idea of how it will end?
Part 2 introduced users to the wizards’ point of view through their journals, or “logs.” Up until now, everything about the wizards was seen through the sage’s eyes, but through each “Wizard’s Log,” users now have a chance to see new sides of the wizards and know what they’re really thinking. In addition, West’s royal family also makes an appearance, so we hope that everyone will enjoy the story’s chaotic twists and turns alongside the wizards themselves.
Q: What kind of future plans do you have in store for Mahoyaku? Any plans to expand to other media such as anime or console/handheld games?
We always greatly value the opinions of our users. The more requests and feedback we receive, they may very well become a reality in the future.
Q: What about plans to release Mahoyaku overseas?
We genuinely hope that users all around the world, not just in Japan, can enjoy our game. The more requests and feedback we receive from users overseas, it may very well become a reality in the future as well.
Q: The Sanrio crossover event was very well-received by the userbase. Are there any plans for future crossovers with other franchises?
Absolutely. And not just crossover events, we’re always looking to tackle all kinds of new kinds of content that users can enjoy, so please look forward to it!
Q: A lot of fans are hoping that you’ll release character songs in the future. Are there any plans for that?
We’re really happy to hear that so many users have nothing but kind words to say about our music. We hope that in the future we’ll be able to announce even more ways for them to enjoy it even more.
Q: In closing, could you please say something to the overseas fans of Mahoyaku?
Thank you so much for always supporting Mahoyaku. The love and support of every single sage both here in Japan and overseas is the driving force of our entire team. Again, we can’t thank you enough!
Now that Mahoyaku is in its 4th year, our team will continue to listen to the fans’ feedback and take on new challenges in order to make it beloved not only just as a game, but as a work beloved by all.
