Lock & Key: A Magical Girl Mystery

[h1]When you're juggling married life on top of transitioning to a normal life and still being a magical girl. XD[/h1] [h2]Introduction[/h2] [i]Lock & Key: A Magical Girl Mystery[/i] is a yuri, magical mystery visual novel developed by Studio Élan and published by Studio Élan and Studio Elan. You're in the shoes of Sherri and Kealey Cohen, a married couple in their late 20's who are magical girls. Although they became magical girls in their teens, they have to stop when they turn 30. Starting off as Sherri, as a P.I., she investigates the crime scene of a murdered man, using her magical powers to turn back time to figure out what happened. Even though most cases are open-and-shut, this one has quite the twist. On top of that, there's the return of an old friend, Nina, another magical girl who is now a pop idol. Also, Sherri and Kealey meet and rescue Ruby, a teen who has just become a magical girl and is fighting off a Consumed, an evil deformed creature who was once human. Will Sherri and Kealey be able to handle all that's being thrown at them and save the day? :o With the gameplay, it consists of choices that are presented throughout the story over the course of five c…

An exceptional game. There is one bug, however: every time I try to get anything other than the happy ending, a bug called "my heart wouldn't take it" appear, preventing me from progressing. 10/10

I really had a great time with Lock & Key! Despite its shorter length compared to the other VNs by Studio Elan, it's still a fun time with a lot of moments that made me giggles, made me scream WHAT THE ♥♥♥♥ so many times, and made me cry. Sherri and Kealey are great protagonists as they embody a very grounded experience of a lesbian couple who has been together for over a decade. They bounce off with each other really well, they have great communications with each other, and most importantly they trust each other when facing internal struggles and the murder mystery. Ruby is a really great newcomer character and sort of acts like a social commentary on our hope towards the younger generations. She's hot-headed, insecure, naive, and tech-savvy, but most importantly her heart is in the right place. It's a good trait that can lean her towards the good or bad endings very naturally (also Jude deserves more screen time and they both need to date each other uwu) Nina is a very complex character to discuss because of how well-written she is. It'd take an entire day to discuss everything about her. All I can say for her is that it's always an exciting moment with her, and... #STANNINA …

Average Chicago experience

An enjoyable little story with multiple branching paths to take! It's not often you see a game featuring magical girls, let alone in a committed relationship. Loved reading it and seeing the mystery through. Gotta love that pink thing too!

There is not enough magical girl media with adult magical girls, so I really appreciate Lock & Key for filling in this niche! I would not entirely describe this as mystery, since the mystery component of the story is resolved pretty quickly, and even then I think the culprit is pretty obvious (though it might be just me). But I think it's pretty nice as a magical girl story, especially since it's not very typical due to featuring adult protagonists. Definitely recommended!