Studio Élan is one of the best yuri visual novel developers in the Western games industry. Lest you forget, this is the team behind Highway Blossoms and Heart of the Woods. Now, everyone’s favorite yuri group is coming back with a new release. This time, it’s a magical girl game. And it may just transform you from an interested fan into an interested fan with no money.

Lock & Key: A Magical Girl Mystery just went live with its Kickstarter today. Billed as a “romantic thriller starring a married couple of former magical girls,” the game revolves around a clairvoyant PI and her shapeshifting wife. Together, the two must save Chicago “from the terrifying grip of a mysterious serial killer.” Count me in.

With art by milkgrrl and writing from Heart of the Woods’ Rachel Gruber, Studio Élan promises Lock & Key will be “a love letter to classic magical girl shows and manga.” Particularly, a gay love letter, as this game is already promising some kino yuri. Main characters Sherri and Kealey are literally two married women in their 20s, and they star front-and-center on the game’s cover along with their magical girl friend Nina Alencar and newcomer Zoomer magical girl Ruby Thompson.

Lock & Key is set to be around six to eight hours in length, making it the perfect weekend read on your Steam Deck. Expect a 70,000-word script. Two stretch goals are planned, including voice acting for the game’s English version. Yuri fans will need to raise $20,000 to get voice actors for these gay magical girls.

This one is for the butches into magical femmes

I have no doubt that Lock & Key will get funded. The game’s Kickstarter literally just started today, and it’s already raised $4,949 as of this article’s publication. The aesthetic looks beautiful, by the way, a sort of modern-day interpretation of ’90s-era magical girl anime. I can feel Sailor Moon‘s influence right from the start, particularly Sailor Neptune and Sailor Uranus’ lesbian relationship.

I’m particularly excited about Lock & Key‘s protagonists, however, as it’s rare to see a married lesbian couple front and center in a yuri visual novel. And for the butches in the audience? That’s right, we’re getting married butch x femme representation. Finally, a yuri visual novel for the mascy babes that want a femme baddie as their wife. Hopefully, we’ll get to see a little bit of everyday life between these two gay magical girls, splitting time between domestic vibes and high-stakes crime-solving adventure. Either way, expect these girls to be super gay with each other. I mean, that’s what I would do if I had a wife. Be gay.

Our magical girl yuri visual novel Lock & Key: A Magical Girl Mystery is already over 50% funded! Thank you everyone who's supported us so far ✨Pledge to the campaign to get physical copies of the game, artbook, soundtrack, keychains and more~💖 Support the KS: bit.ly/lak-kickstar…

— Studio Élan (@vnstudioelan.com) 2025-04-09T20:18:35.856Z

You can check out Lock & Key‘s Kickstarter now, as well as play the game’s latest demo on Steam. Kickstarter pledge tiers range from $2 to $150, including various physical rewards for backing the game (such as a physical copy of the full version). For now, the game seems to be planned for Steam and itch.io, although I would be shocked if Lock & Key stays a PC exclusive.