Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

The opening pull in Doki Majo Plus is its refusal to treat a holiday island as a chance to slow down. Akuji Nishimura still has witch-hunting work to do, so you enter the game through a first-person adventure lens rather than a carefree vacation story. That contrast gives the setting a useful bit of tension: the destination sounds relaxed, while your role remains pointedly investigative.

The Nintendo DS touch screen is central to the experience. Plus retains the improved touching system from the second game, making it the main returning interaction rather than a throwaway novelty. If you enjoyed the series’ stylus-driven approach before, that continuity is the strongest practical reason to pick this up; it sounds like a familiar system being taken into a fresh location.

That same focus makes the game a narrow recommendation. You need to be on board with an anime-styled, touch-led witch-hunting adventure, because the premise and interaction are tightly bound together. It is not the sort of game that wins you over with broad genre appeal. It asks you to meet it on its own odd, very specific terms.

Graphics

The game uses an anime/manga look, with Akuji and his returning companion Lulu at the center of a warm southern-island setting. The first-person format keeps attention on the people and places Akuji investigates rather than presenting the adventure as a distant, map-based quest.

Story

Doki Majo Plus makes a clean premise out of interrupted downtime. School is on break, the island is warm, and Akuji should be able to relax. Instead, his witch-hunting duties follow him there. It is a simple setup, but it gives the adventure an immediate reason to exist without abandoning the series’ established direction.

Lulu’s return matters because she is Akuji’s original companion, not a stranger introduced solely for this trip. That gives the island episode a sense of continuity for anyone who has followed the earlier games, and it keeps Akuji’s investigation anchored by a familiar partner.

The story is likely to land best if you already enjoy the series’ mixture of school-break framing, anime characters, and witch-hunting business. Newcomers can understand the basic conflict quickly, but the strongest hook is clearly reunion and continuation rather than a complete reset.

Overall Experience

Doki Majo Plus is an unapologetically specific sequel: a first-person Nintendo DS adventure about witch-hunting on a holiday island, built around touch-screen interaction and anime sensibilities. That directness is a virtue if you know why you are here. It does not sound interested in sanding down the series’ stranger edges for a general audience.

For returning fans, the familiar partnership with Lulu and the preserved improved touching system give this trip a solid reason to exist. The change of location adds a lighter holiday frame while allowing Akuji’s usual duty to continue. You can reasonably expect a continuation rather than a reinvention.

For everyone else, the deciding question is simple: does a touch-focused witch-hunting adventure with this tone sound fun to you? If yes, Doki Majo Plus has a distinctive enough setup to merit a look. If that answer is hesitant, the game’s defining ideas are unlikely to become more appealing just because they are set on a sunny island.

Retro Replay Score

5/10