Under Your Spell

Under Your Spell transplants the social-link framework of Persona 4 into an Irish magic school, where your academic year hinges on casting a romantic attraction spell and actually following through on it. Developer Shady Characters has built a sandbox where you balance classes, part-time work, extracurricular spell training, and—crucially—the relationships that bloom around you. The premise cuts deeper than typical dating sims: the spell isn't a guarantee, it's a contract, and the game respects that consequence.

Gameplay revolves around time management and stat development. You'll attend classes to build academic skills, work shifts at three different jobs for income and items, master four extracurricular spells to gain an edge, and spend your remaining hours pursuing eight distinct girls, each with plotlines developed to the narrative midpoint. The "Cup of Cathal" tournament looms as a central event, giving your choices weight beyond romance. It's less visual novel and more life simulator with romance elements—your decisions about how to spend Tuesday afternoon actually matter.

The adult content is woven into romance progression rather than gratuitous; intimate scenes develop naturally within the dating routes and reflect the spell's influence on the emotional landscape. Shady Characters delivers hand-drawn artwork throughout, with fully realized character sprites that complement the text-heavy gameplay. Current build (0.5.2) covers the first three months of the school year, so you're looking at a partial experience that establishes mechanics and introduces all eight girls without yet resolving their arcs.

The cross-platform availability—Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android—plus Russian and Simplified Chinese localization shows thoughtful scope. Just know you're boarding a work-in-progress; the game signals this clearly, and narrative payoffs remain ahead.