Fairy Bloom Freesia (2011)

You play as Freesia, a cute fairy girl who can whoop any foes' rears big time in this dojo-style fighting game. The main mode of the game introduces the story behind the characters and their purposes: Humans are searching for a special heartstone, which in fact rests inside your master tree and it is up to you to rid of the golems and bosses they send in your direction. Over the span of 25 days, a fighting round of each (spanning a couple of minutes) take place with new adversities growing. But you'll grow stronger by gathering exp points and can spend mana currency on new moves and optional perks between the days. The storytelling also interjects each 5 days in visual novel style; presenting nuanced characters in a fairly concise plot, which can be cleared in just a couple of hours skills-wise.

I found the game repetitive at first because doing same basic attacks (beat + knock enemy to others behind, sometimes block on heavy enemies) was enough for me to progress. But midway through, I learned to adapt more defensive playstyles and new moves in order to survive tough bosses and overwhelming mobs. Only battles in the later part of the game felt more satisfying to know the game was worth something. You can also unlock Guardian mode, which is a survival-ish mode that escalate in difficulty up to day 99 and a treat for hardcore fans.

Magical girl action games are aplenty in the video game world but for stepping into an arse-kicking fairy's sandals, Fairy Bloom Freesia is a passable game. I would only have wished for a better level variety beyond the seasonal nature scenes, enemies that encourages further move tactics and a story that is presented more than as an afterthought. But for beat 'em up fans, this may be worth getting on a discount price or at least a try-out first.