But today, I wanted to talk about a game I recently purchased on Steam on a whim. I've been curious about it ever since I read an article about this otome game (Japanese dating sim for girls) coming to Steam but I thought it would be something superficial and ridiculous with men left and right proclaiming their love for me (that's not entirely wrong I guess...) but it was actually something much deeper than that. Although it can get rather exaggerated and is mostly vanilla shoujo stuff (besides Toma's route), I think it does portray its stories and characters' feelings very well. I'm not sure whether how similar the anime is to this game but from reviews of the anime, it seems that it didn't do the game justice. I would assume so though, a lot of anime based on otome games can be quite bad in comparison to the game. I'd definitely recommend this even if you didn't like the anime though, a lot of people have liked the game despite not liking the anime.
Disclaimer (cons about this game)
Firstly, just to be clear, I'm not saying this is the best game ever but I do really like it despite its' flaws. For one, many may not like the fact that the heroine doesn't really talk or have a personality. To be fair, this is a dating sim so you'd insert yourself in her position, which is why there really isn't much about her but since I had very low expectations, I actually thought she had more of a personality than I thought and I could see why the guys liked her. Two, some people don't like that it's mostly talking and not many decision making choices. This, I'm perfectly fine with, I didn't mind it at all. Maybe it was a bit draggy for people but I thought the story was engaging enough that I didn't really care about decisions that lead to different endings. But, to be fair, I just wanted to know the story, I didn't play this because I wanted to play a game and see what kind of ending I would get, which is why I played following guides. Oh and some guys kinda have this "you're dumb, so listen to me" attitude sometimes and you can't even get out of it because if you don't listen to him, you end up dying lmao.
Other people have also mentioned that they dislike this because of Toma's route. That one, yeah I'll admit, it could be a dealbreaker but personally, I think it's a waste to dismiss all the other guys because of Toma's route. Just a heads up but his route involves false imprisonment, drugging and putting the heroine in a dog cage to protect her. Yes, disturbing right? But I knew that when I bought this game so I trudged through it with the expectation of it. Oh and the bad endings in this game involve death and murder in many ways that could be disturbing too such as being thrown into a well. To be honest, it's because of comments on Steam such as "finally a game where I can sleep in a dog cage like the filthy animal I am" and stuff like "I didn't trust my first boyfriend and ended up dead. So I trusted my second boyfriend 100%. He drugged me and put me in a cage to protect me. I win every time". I seriously couldn't stop laughing reading these comments! And since the game was only $4.49 on sale for some reason (usually $30 USD), I decided to buy my first otome game and I don't regret it at all! In fact, I'm so fascinated, I'm considering buying Hakuoki on my ps3 to check out the hype haha! But basically, if you're not into reading tons of text with beautiful boys talking to you, this probably isn't the game for you.
Gameplay, Art & Music
First things first, I was so shocked at how beautiful the art was. Sure, their clothing and appearance makes you think "why..." sometimes but overall, it's beautiful. Here's an example of a screenshot that I took. He's my favourite guy btw <3
Isn't it stunning? I was just so in awe at how beautiful some of these images were! And when the guys talk to you, whoaaa, their mouths movee! I feel so outdated with these games hahaha, something as simple as mouths moving shocks me hahaha! Not all the guys are as appealing as Kent though, hahaha, sorry I'm so biased because his voice actor is Ishida Akira and the moment I found out about this, that $4.49 was so worth it. He's the voice of Athrun Zala in Gundam Seed so I absolutely entranced with him and omg, I couldn't believe that I could find a guy that I loved both appearance-wise and voice-wise. My second favourite and possible equal first would be Ikki. I don't like his hair but he probably dresses the best and his story was the best, and his voice was actually very enamouring and fitted so well with the background music, it's like the entire Amnesia:Memories soundtrack was made for him. Not kidding. Btw the soundtrack is pretty nice and soothing, I like it, it usually fits well with the atmosphere as well. I only sorta dislike the "when there's trouble" soundtrack since it's quite unnecessarily unsettling, I dunno, I don't like it that much. And I do think that our heroine looks waaay better without a hat on her head, I'm so glad a lot of the images don't have her with the hat but dammit, Ukyo looks silly with his hat and long hair too! Oh well... But besides that, the heroine's friends/workmates are sooo pretttyyy! Mine is like the prettiest girl omg, her hair and everything <3
Gameplay as I said is very simple, You'll be either clicking most of the time or just using your keyboard keys to press z or just let it autoplay. I initially clicked it all the time but dang, all that text lmao, I got so lazy, I just let it autoplay. Also, to get the full experience, I wanted to hear them all so really, there was no point in me clicking since I was going to listen to them say their whole lines hahaha. But basically, every now and then, you will options pop up of what you should say in response to the guy. It usually ranges from 2-3 responses that you can choose from . Also, there's in total 5 good endings, 5 normal endings and I think 20 bad endings? Not very much I guess since it's like, one good and normal ending for each guy and then around 3 bad endings for each except Ukyo who has 7. Just a heads up, bad endings usually lead to the heroine dying lol. Gameplay is simple enough, pretty much just like any other visual novel.
Oh and if your'e bored, you can play mini games with the guys! You can either play air hockey or rock scissors paper with them. It's actually kinda fun since the rock scissors paper has a little twist where if you win, you have to press a button fast enough to attack them to get a point, otherwise they'll guard and you won't get a point. Also, even if you win the rock scissors paper but accidentally press guard, you'll instead lose a point. Haha, I found the easiest way to win this trophy (beating all 5 guys) was just to keep using scissors and then guard and attack when appropriate, made things so much easierrr. The air hockey was really fun too! Different guys had a different style of whether they were more defensive or aggressive and that was really interesting. Nice little mini games on the side hahaha.
General Story
For this one, I'll go through each guy's route and comment on what I thought about it but I'll tell you what the general gist is. Basically, as you can gather from the title, the heroine has lost her memories. However, this is because a spirit named Orion crashed into her and took up the space where her memories should be. This in turn makes Orion stuck with the heroine until she is able to gather her memories back and push Orion out of her head so for the benefit of each other, they must search for the heroine's memories. Convenient as it can be though, since Orion doesn't know which world the heroine is from, she has a choice of 4 worlds to pick from (another world is unlocked after the initial 4). Thankfully, she'll fit in every world because she belongs in each one since they're parallel worlds, but her life may or may not be different, hence the different men she gets to end up with I guess.
But yeah, Orion basically makes up for whatever the heroine is thinking or saying most of the time when she doesn't seem to be talking, which I guess is a pretty good idea since a lot of people probably think Orion is superrr adorable! He's okay for me, I feel like he's soo misleading sometimes haha. So, it's great that Orion dictates what the heroine usually thinks but they are also very distinct in that you can see how sometimes Orion will not agree with your decision or may agree reluctantly at times, making you think that you made the wrong decision when you're not so really, he's there for entertainment + projection of heroine's thoughts + there for you to doubt yourself. He's great company most of the time, I've doubted my decision so many times because of him even though I had guides lmao.
Characters + their routes (some spoilers!)
Heroine
The heroine's personality changes along with the route but I guess her general disposition remains the same. It's so funny that her work manager's personality changes quite a bit though, I love the one where his work motto is "the customer is the enemy!". If only there was a route for him too haha! She's usually quite stubborn and cute though, she's also loud at times and independent. You don't get to know much about her until her memories start to resurface though and when they do, you can really see that she has a personality and a good one. She's usually very hardworking but stubborn for what's wrong and right, I guess. Oh, and you get to name her whatever you want. I was so baffled that I got to choose a name lolll. Initially, I called her Angel because I thought she was so pretty but then I wanted a Japanese name and thought Kotori would suit her, so I opted for that. But most of all, I guess the heroine is very bright and friendly, it's usually her stubbornness that shines through and attracts the guys though hahaha. Oh and I'll pop some of my favourite screenshots of the game for each guy hehe!
Shin's route
Shin's route is the Heart World. As the heroine unravels her memories, the story mostly revolves around a mystery of whether the heroine accidentally fell down the cliff herself because it was dark or Shin pushed her, which eventually raises another mystery problem. To be honest, it was rather predictable, so I didn't really care for it but I guess it did have more depth and emotion behind the story than I initially thought. Shin is also her childhood friend turned boyfriend and a lot of the time, you're left wondering whether he's trustworthy or not. It's a simple and sweet story I guess if you get the good or normal ending. I'd say the story was the better one in this route but I'm sure many will beg to differ because a lot of people apparently love Shin. I'm not one of them. If you wanna feel like a detective solving a mystery, you might like this route even though it's predictable.
It's really hard to choose which guy I like the most and which guy I like the least since they all have pros and cons but Shin, although his story was okay interesting, he was the guy that always had this "you're dumb, so listen to me" attitude going on for the wholeeee story and that arrogant attitude most of the time pissed me off. He is very honest and frank and I guess, right in some circumstances since the heroine (in this route) does need someone to push her forward rather than baby her. So I guess they matched. Aaand he does always keep the heroine's best interests at heart. But nah. Still don't really like him. Shin's VA was okay and his appearance is quite good looking but I think I just can't like him. It's like his good points are his bad points and I can't decide whether I like them or not.
Shin's story I guess shows that in order to love, it can be scary to confess especially when you know they don't like you romantically but you've gotta take the plunge if you want them to look at you differently. I do admire Shin for how straightforward he is and how much of a risk he was willing to take by breaking this happy childhood friend relationship. Love is always about risks I guess? As long as you think it's worth it, then it is and in this case, Shin got the heroine to fall for him.
Ikki's route
Ikki's route is the Spade World. Btw, isn't this image superrr adorable?! The parfait looks good too haha. Ikki's route was one where I was expecting to dislike the most since my first impression of him in Shin's route was a playboy and a narcissist that thinks he's the best and can seduce anyone. But in actual fact, there's actually more depth to his story than I thought. In his route, you realise that for some reason Ikki and her are dating with 3 months for the time limit and that everyone around her says that the heroiue previously disliked Ikki very much because of his attitude towards women. Most of the time, I really doubted his sincerity towards this love because of the time limit, but it seems that he loved the heroine much more than I thought, he just didn't know how to handle his crazy fan club going on a rampage harassing her if he were to announce that the heroine were to be his permanent girlfriend. And seeing what the fan club did in this route and especially the other ones, you gotta understand how much of a dilemma it actually was. It really wasn't as simple as telling them to get lost and I guess that was interesting.
I think Ikki's route made me really believe that he loved the heroine. I also like the idea of how everyone loves Ikki because his eyes have this special power to attract people and make them like him and although initially you think it's one of those stupid stories where the heroine is just naturally immune to these eyes because you know, she's the heroine. But they actually make it unique but not impossible for other people and that causes doubt within the heroine on whether Ikki really likes her for who she is or merely because she isn't affected by his eyes. It was a rather touching story because of how desperate Ikki was trying to protect her feelings and everyone else's feelings. It was a bit annoying at times because I wanted Ikki to learn to prioritse the heroine better but nevertheless, it was enjoyable. Ikki's voice matched his character and the atmosphere of his story and this game's music very very well. I felt like everything was made for him because everything enhanced his personality for the better. I don't like his look very much though, his hair is a bit meh to me but the way he dresses is the best. I loveee how he dresses! He looks cool with sunglasses too~
I guess Ikki's route aims to show that in order to protect the one you love and to show that you love them, you've got to be a little more courageous to stepping out and really prioritising what you really love instead of always settling for something because that's how it is and that's how it's always been so why bother trying kinda thing.
Kent's route
Kent's route is the Clover World and his route was my favourite. It was a bit awkward at times but despite it's exaggerations, I thought their relationship was very real and Kent had the most character development as well. You hardly see character development in the other routes so yeah, I really appreciated his route. Basically, the heroine has just started dating Kent and it seems that they've constantly been arguing ever since they started dating. He also seems to believe that the heroine hates him but they still continue dating and so you're constantly wondering why they bother to be together, especially since Kent is a superr logical person that wants everything to make sense before he agrees with it. I still remember when he said he felt like holding her hand but he found no reason to have such a feeling so he was conflicted on why he felt this and whether he should be following his heart or not. He was so cute.
I think the heroine's amnesia helped this relationship the most as well, because if she didn't have amnesia, I don't think he and her could've accepted each other's differences and tried to understand each other better because they'll just keep on arguing. But yes, it was a very sweet route where Kent actually makes you do math questions lmao and if you want him to like you, you better do them and get it right hahaha! I also like how this story explored the idea of the heroine not wanting her memories to return because it could potentially destroy their relationship.
It was actually quite saddening when the heroine recovers the memory that Kent is always scared that she'll recover and then remember why she hated him before the amnesia. He was scared for a legitimate reason and she hated him for a legitimate reason as well which made it all the more interesting at how, if the heroine never had amnesia, they really might have just broken up because of that crack in their relationship. I liked the normal ending to this one more though. Love Kent's voice and his appearance though. His clothing is questionable when you see it in a body shot but overall, he's the best. I guess this route aims to show that love is irrational and that logic doesn't apply to it and Kent learns that, which is why I like him.
Toma's route
Toma's route is the Diamond World. His route was like...the worst LOL. And also, probably the only route where amnesia made the heroine's life much more difficult and harder than it should've been. It follows the basic premise of Shin's route where Shin and Toma are the heroine's childhood friends. But instead, in this one her heart leans towards Toma and always has ever since they were kids. His promise to always protect her is something she and Toma remember fondly. But it seems that Toma doesn't treat her as a girl and so she seems to be constantly vying for his affection, oh and her life is endangered with flower pots dropping and being pushed near train tracks etc and so she starts living with Toma for a bit...until things get out of hand. It's like he was more dangerous than the people outside! Putting her in a dog cage to protect her? Dang, Toma, your twisted idea of protection is out of this world. To be fair though, although it was twisted, he did believe that this was the best way to be able to guarantee that he could protect her. But yeah, no. I wanted a vanilla route :'(
Toma's a good guy though I guess. Too nice most of the time that it gets a bit suspicious though lolll. But I guess you can say that Shin and Toma are nice in opposite ways. I also like Toma's gentle voice. Not too fond of his look though. I think the hairband does irk me, not that it's a problem, but he looks soo much better without it lol. I guess his story mainly revolves around the theme that some people are willing to do anything to protect the one they love, he just went very overboard though lol.
Toma's a good guy though I guess. Too nice most of the time that it gets a bit suspicious though lolll. But I guess you can say that Shin and Toma are nice in opposite ways. I also like Toma's gentle voice. Not too fond of his look though. I think the hairband does irk me, not that it's a problem, but he looks soo much better without it lol. I guess his story mainly revolves around the theme that some people are willing to do anything to protect the one they love, he just went very overboard though lol.
Ukyo's route
Ukyo's route is the Joker World that pops up after you do all the other routes, because I guess you can say, he's kinda her one true love. I'm just so happy for him though after understanding his story. He suffered so much to get this happy ending and he really deserves it. I guess you could say that his route is all about actual story progression for this game, since it ties in the idea of the parallel worlds and why Ukyo appears in the other character's routes all the time seemingly as the same Ukyo and not a different version of him in a different world. But yeah, Ukyo's route was depressing, however it really cleared up why he kept killing the heroine in many bad endings, and it was all for a very legitimate reason that I think if I was in his position, everything would've happened as it did for him. His love for the heroine was most definitely the most sincere and pure as well. He sincerely cared for her happiness and that's all he cared about and you could really see it.
Ukyo's route is mainly trying to find out why he always knows what's going to happen to her in the future and why he is always saving her from danger and why he tells her straight out that he loves her and yet he does not chase her. It really shows how painful love can be but also how true and how much sacrifice people can be willing to do for love. I really liked Ukyo's story but I don't like his appearance and his VA. I wasn't very fond of his voice most of the time and his long hair with that cap never really made me think he was cute or cool but his story was nice, I liked it.
Ukyo's route is mainly trying to find out why he always knows what's going to happen to her in the future and why he is always saving her from danger and why he tells her straight out that he loves her and yet he does not chase her. It really shows how painful love can be but also how true and how much sacrifice people can be willing to do for love. I really liked Ukyo's story but I don't like his appearance and his VA. I wasn't very fond of his voice most of the time and his long hair with that cap never really made me think he was cute or cool but his story was nice, I liked it.
Overall: 3.5/5 - I liked this game!
I really enjoyed this game and think it's worth the money for a try when it goes on sale on Steam. It's my first otome game but I really liked it because of how there are pretty boys that usually have a nice vanilla story of how they came to like the heroine and why they are so into her. I've never watched the anime but these are nice romance stories that did move my heart a little. Their sincere love for the heroine was very beautiful and listening to the different voice actors w/ their respective characters really enhanced the story telling. I spent a solid 46 hours on this following a guide so I'm sure you'd get even more play time out of it if you would like to pick your own choices and see whether you are able to get a happy ending with the guys.I thought this game was really fun and would definitely replay it just because of how amusing the side characters were as well. They're very enjoyable and I was never bored at all because I was always interested in what the heroine had forgotten. It was mostly predictable but the way they told the story really shook my heart at times,
- The most memorable moments were in Ikki, Kent's and Ukyo's routes. Ikki, because when he shouted at the heroine for coming to his place as if she distrusts him when he has been trying his best to show how much he loves her, how much he cares for her and despite that she constantly doubts his feelings. I really felt bad for that one because I really did doubt his sincerity. I think the VA did a really good job for that part.
- Kent's route would most definitely be when the heroine finally tells him that she has amnesia and he had already surmised that this was the most logical possibility as to why she was acting weird all this time but a part of him wanted to believe that she changed on her own accord and not because of amnesia. It was depressing to see how disappointed he was, and also seeing Kent say he's scared for her to recover her previous memories and to remember what he had done in the past that made her dislike him, it made me really not want the heroine to remember as well. That part of the story was really touching and beautiful. I loved it.
- Ukyo..was when the heroine realised Ukyo's great love for her, it's a major plot spoiler so I won't talk about it but it was definitely touching in how much pain and suffering he had to go through because of how much he loved her.
All in all, I liked this game and would definitely recommend it if you have some time and are up for some nice romance stories with full voice acting and adorable guys lolll. And just for the amusing bad endings when the guy throws you in a well etc. Those bad endings were disturbing yet so interesting at the same time because some of them were actually pretty logical! Personally, I liked Shin's route bad ending 1 and Ikki's route bad ending 2. It felt like they actually bothered to make a bit of a story out of the bad ending instead of the heroine randomly dying. Although I have to say Kent's bad ending where he throws her in the hospital because of her amnesia was so hilarious and depressing at the same time. I was like, trust Kent to be the one to throw you into a hospital for amnesia lmao. But yeah, it was a very enjoyable game.
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