Madou Monogatari II: Arle 16-Sai (1994). Play online

Summary

I first heard of Madou Monogatari II: Arle 16‑Sai while digging through obscure Game Gear libraries, and its reputation for bizarre, smile‑induced mechanics intrigued me instantly. The sequel drops the usual numeric stats in favour of facial expressions and sprite cues, turning every encounter into a visual reading of how your character feels. Combat relies entirely on four elements—Fire, Ice Storm, Thunder and Bayoen—so you never swing a sword, only match the right magic to an enemy’s weakness. Though it launched in Japan on May 20, 1994, the title finally appeared on Project EGG in December 2023, still lacking an in‑game English translation but now playable for anyone willing to navigate its charmingly odd design.

Storyline

Madou Monogatari II: Arle 16‑Sai (often just called Madou Monogatari II) picks up eleven years after the first adventure, with Arle now sixteen. A mischievous Lynx lures her into Schezo Wegey’s lair, where she’s stripped of most powers and thrown into a grim dungeon. Using charm to fool demon guards, she snatches a key and escapes, even spotting a dead body that hints at a worse fate if she lingers.

Before confronting Schezo, Arle battles a Dark Dragon that burns to a crisp and shrinks, leaving only its skin behind. A tiny bird named Millu tells her of a mystical jewel hidden deep in Lyla’s Ruins. After a brief fight with Schezo—who is decapitated in the PC‑9801 version but whose head still attacks—she defeats a rotting test body and discovers letters addressed to Satan from Rulue.

Collecting three colored stones and placing them in a Carbuncle‑shaped room summons Satan, who oddly proposes marriage. Pigra offers a paid heal before the showdown. The game ends with Arle befriending Carbuncle, whose head houses the jewel, and the pair leave Lyla’s Ruins together.