Hakuoki: Edo Blossoms
Being the second installation of the Hakuouki story (first of course being on the psp, with several ported editions to other systems - this is the second half of the afformentioned psp game that was cut in half when revisited) - the first being Kyoto Winds. This second half finds us where we left off from there. That being said, if you haven’t read/played/watched the beginning story, Kyoto Winds, I suggest doing that first. However, you wont have a hard time if you start with this game but it would be best if you are wanting to understand the back story of the Shensengumi and the Water of Life. That being said, this V/N has actual romance in it (surprise!) as the last one did not have much or much to the illusion to. This is a V/N that all people can enjoy as it is enriched with story and the characters individually fit into their own piece of the puzzle and stays very close to history as the writer very much intended it to. I am saying this because I feel like my husband who isn’t a V/N or romance kinda guy, could even get into if he felt like doing a lot of reading. :0)
– Real player with 325.1 hrs in game
Read More: Best Adventure Visual Novel Games.
Note: Hakuoki: Kyoto Winds is the first part while Hakuoki: Edo Blossoms is the second and concluding part of the remake of Hakuoki: Demon of the Fleeting Blossom.
Played Character Route Order: Chikage ◈ Sanosuke ◈ Hijikata ◈ Iba ◈ Souji ◈ Ryouma ◈ Yamazaki ◈ Saito ◈ Shinpachi ◈ Heisuke ◈ Sanan ◈ Souma
I was lucky and got a beta-key for this VN and I was so happy about it that I literally cried. This otome is just perfect, at least in my opinion.
After I’ve listed the improvements in comparison to other versions in my first review, I will only rate the story and gameplay this time, or rather how I feel about the whole game.
– Real player with 188.1 hrs in game
TAISHO x ALICE episode 1
Taisho x Alice is a game that I met in 2015 through a friend, and since then I’ve really wanted to play it, but since I don’t know how to read most kanji (I’m now studying though!!) I didn’t have the chance. I really don’t want to talk about my excitement then disappointment in 2017 when e2gaming made that… “localization”, so I am going to talk about what matters: this wonderful localization and this wonderful game.
The game’s story is entertaining and interesting, and it got me hooked in pretty easily, not making me bored for one single moment. The twists are nice and well written, and even though they can end up being a bit cliché, Yurika is there to change things, because she is a pushy and proactive character which can a s s e r t d o m i n a n c e over the characters pretty often, LMAO.
– Real player with 28.4 hrs in game
Read More: Best Adventure Visual Novel Games.
Taisho and Alice episode 1 is a pretty but in some extent challenging visual novel as you should start it as flexible and open-minded as possible. It’ll definitely surprise you, you may disagree with some events and actions but just enter this lighthearted fantasy world leaving all your jugement behind.
It’s been a while since I played and especially finished xD any visual novel. I wanted to play something relaxing and romantic. My first impression tho was not quite positive. I was so close to quitting the game buuuut, you know, summer sale, I bought the whole bundle, it’d be a pity just to abandon the series. Plus, what attracted me at first glance was really good English translation (in the whole game I saw only one typo) and Japanese voice acting was pleasant to the ear as usual.
– Real player with 25.4 hrs in game
Psychedelica of the Black Butterfly/검은 나비의 사이키델리카/黑蝶幻境
I’m sleep deprived and i sacrificed many studying night but oh boy was it worth it. PoBB was an AMAZING game, and I’m so happy I was curious and bought it on an impulse. At first I was hesitant on whether to play it because so many people disliked it, but once I started I could not stop.
Flowchart/Mini-game: I actually liked the flowchart. At first it was kinda confusing and I was lost, but I enjoyed the side stories and short episodes, and I liked seeing how my flowchart slowly came together. It was pretty satisfying. The mini game was kbfjdsbf at first, but after I got the hang of it and finally realized I could just lock-on with my mouse and not the WASD keys, I easily got an S lol
– Real player with 55.0 hrs in game
Read More: Best Adventure Visual Novel Games.
(Spoiler-free review)
Don’t be put off by the mixed reviews for this game. Majority of the negative reviews are due to technical difficulties the game had during its early release, but those have since been fixed.
Psychedelica of the Black Butterfly has got to be the best Japanese otome game I’ve played so far. Though the romance was not as ample as you would expect in an otome, the plot and characters were so well-done that I couldn’t bring myself to really care. Even without the romance, the game is still highly enjoyable. The plot was genuinely interesting and I never felt like zoning out during the slower portions of the game as I had fun piecing together the bits and pieces of lore to try to understand the whole story. I also liked how the characters were handled and developed throughout the entirety of the game. By the end of it, they felt like actual people with flaws and motivations I could relate to in some way, even if they still conformed to specific tropes. The game has a lot of replay value in that only by completing the Common Route first will you be able to go back and get more choices that will lead to other endings. Replaying will also allow you to see certain scenes and dialogues in a new light.
– Real player with 44.9 hrs in game
Pub Encounter
I’ve been non-stop playing this game during the last two weeks of my life, it’s been an experience.
From what I’ve seen, it’s pretty polarizing, either you absolutely love it, or you despise it with your whole being, although there are rare middle-grounds. I adore this game, it’s made me laugh out loud because of it’s so over the top, but also I’ve felt very attached to some characters cough Mamoru and Hide cough. I’m honestly not that experienced with visual novels, I tend to lean to Nitro+Chiral stuff (BL), and the only proper otome I’ve played is Mystic Messenger so this review is from the perspective of a very occasional visual novel player.
– Real player with 43.8 hrs in game
It’s been a LONG while since I’ve been compelled to write a review, and it took a game so incredibly bad to push me over the edge, but I’m doing it for posterity. I simply cannot let the horrors of Pub Encounter go unannounced. This review will be less formal than most, as the emotions boiling within me are too strong to temper with pretty words and structured paragraphs, so I apologize in advance. I also apologize to anyone who has played this and absolutely loved it. Save yourself the anger over what I’m about to say and scroll past the following paragraphs right to the “thumbs down” button as I am sure you will feel obliged to do. But let it be known that I begrudge no one their pleasures. I have some rather odd fetishes myself, but Pub Encounter is well beyond what I would consider enjoyable in any way. If there’s one word I would use to describe how I feel about it, it would be disgusted…and dirty. Ok, so two words.
– Real player with 31.9 hrs in game
7’scarlet
I have mixed feelings about this game. It’s a mystery otome that’s supposed to be story rich and plot oriented. That was my hook (that and Hijikata’s voice actor 😁). The beginning was promising a compelling atmosphere, maybe a bit of horror. The setting is a small, insular village with its mysteries and a secretive ruling family (like a mob) closed off to the outside world. Can you imagine Higurashi otome? Well, it’s not even close.
It quickly became apparent that this is just a generic otome, filled with uninspired romantic cliches that become very repetitive from route to route. And those romantic moments are so clumsily stuck in what should be a mystery plot. So instead of MC searching for her brother we have these random fluff, boring slice of life, no sense of urgency and watered-down atmosphere. It seemed like MC forgot why she came to this village as soon as she saw some hot guys. It’s sort of explained why she was so spacey at the end of the vn, but it was too late for that, because actions stick with you more than some info dump. And this MC is really just…so fucking helpless, soo ‘innocent’, or more like dumb, so generic. I really didn’t need her avatar that made her look like a wide-eyed child, or better yet, deer in the headlights.
– Real player with 52.2 hrs in game
7’scarlet was a weird experience. It was such an emotional roller coaster. Sometimes I was mesmerized by its beauty and sometimes I was so furious and frustrated. At least I was never indifferent. I appreciate it. Even thinking if I recommend this game or not so many pros and cons pop up in my mind. Welp, I’ll try to organize this emotional mess.
I make my first impression checking the options and setting them in a perfect way. The level of enjoyment significantly depends on how well I may adjust the whole process for me. In this case the options are rather ‘unique’ (completely inconvenient for me personally). Though not everything of course was not to my liking. For example, tips are nicely made. In many games it’s so tiresome to read any glossary but here it was never a bother, more than one hundred tips and reading/checking them was fun!
– Real player with 47.4 hrs in game
Destiny’s Princess: A War Story, A Love Story
(Contains minor spoilers, but maybe some important ones so that you don’t hate the story simply because you might have misunderstood it)
(EDIT; At first I recommended this game, and then I didn’t, and that made it go from “Very postitive” to “mostly positive”.. I was a bit sad by that, due to my massive crush on Yukimura Sanada, but I was so disgusted by Hanbei… Anyways, I went back to play Yukimura again.. I really love him. He is the redeeming factor for me and he saved this game from my negative review.)
– Real player with 33.1 hrs in game
The arts are cool, even if it lacks about surrounding pictures, or just second characters doodle cause it gives the impression the castle is really empty… there is maybe 250 people in there, some shadowy figures would have been appreciated.
It’s well written (some little errors i saw even if i’m not a real english speaker but it’s comprensible and well written), a good thing to say cause it’s rare in certain Otome…
The base of the story is great. Demon blade, magic, heroes summoning… This game had the potential to be a great game, but the story is full of incoherence. There is too much illogical things!
– Real player with 17.6 hrs in game
Bakumatsu Renka SHINSENGUMI
Dimmi quando Kondo Kondo
The one route I was able to get was with Kondo, it was great, but I haven’t been able to get any other different routes. I like the idea that you can date Kondo, and I really like the voice actor. I also was able to get Yamazaki’s route, at least one, which I liked also. For me personally, I don’t like the way Harada looks and Heisuke (looks like a girl). I do like the storyline and the comic scenes and, of course, the voice actors are wonderful. I am looking forward to a guide in English, so I can continue playing this game. I bought this game when it was on sale for $30, I just could not wait. Maybe $25 would have been a better price, but if you like Shinsengumi, Edo Blossom, etc. I do recommend this game.
– Real player with 60.9 hrs in game
I can sum up this game in one word: disappointing. While the voice acting and artwork are acceptable, it’s more the plot that’s the problem. For an otome game, I expected a certain level of romance, and the romance is basically non-existence in this game. After finishing up three routes in the game, I find myself bored and not caring about the characters. If you want to play a romance story about the Shinsengumi, I suggest playing Hakuouki.
– Real player with 14.2 hrs in game
Echoes of the Fey: The Last Sacrament
I will admit that I enjoyed The Fox’s Trail a bit more, but that’s not to say that this sequel doesn’t have its merits. Like the previous game, it is a point-and-click adventure and visual novel hybrid. This story involved less mystery. While it did have a mystery to be solved, the story was much more focused on espionage. More importance was placed on the romantic routes, which I was glad about.
Synopsis:
The protagonist Sofya returns, still running her detective agency. A childhood friend mysteriously returns to Sofya’s life after over a decade of no communication between them. As a daughter of the Emperor, she has many enemies. Sofya is tasked with protecting her while she stays in Vodotsk, unaware that an assassin already has plans. Meanwhile, a new character comes into the picture and blackmails Sofya into procuring a Sacrament of Tears from any source necessary. As the player would know from the first installment of the series, a Sacrament of Tears is a highly coveted item, making the task of obtaining it seemingly hopeless.
– Real player with 62.1 hrs in game
I really enjoyed this game and even though it was the first game in the series I played, I didn’t have any problems following what was happening. The only thing I might have preferred was a bit more depth in some of the dialogue when romancing Arkady. It would have made sense to bring up the relationship or at least mention it indirectly in the lasts scenes you can have with him. I replayed through my least favorite ending again hoping to see some additional dialogue which didn’t happen.
Other then that, no complaints. I enjoyed the RPG mini-game and had no problems in any of the boards even if I didn’t optimize my equipment. I just needed to find/pickup everything on the maps and “cheat” to beat the boss.
– Real player with 47.1 hrs in game
EPHEMERAL -FANTASY ON DARK-
This game deserves a better rating than it currently has. The major downside of this game is the price. The people buying this game have played Ozmafia, Dandelions, Nameless, Amnesia, or other otomes that are just legendary in every aspect. It’s almost unfair to compare games like that to other games. Those were some of the most amazing otomes I’ve ever played in my life, but I’m not going to let them ruin other otomes for me.
This game has two stories per character and two endings per story. There are four men to choose from that fit the typical marks for ‘types’. It has full voice acting (not English, but I still enjoy it). The MC actually has a reason for being a little unknowledgeable about things and her responses don’t completely suck. The story itself is light-hearted and made me smile and even laugh a few times. I could easily imagine this as an anime.
– Real player with 53.0 hrs in game
TL;DR - If you’re willing to sacrifice good translations and game features for a sort of dissapointing yet charming story with loveable characters, this is your game.
I have a love/hate relationship with this game. It has amazing voice actors and amazing art, but the translation is really shitty and at times ruins the mood or takes like 4 minutes to comprehend.
It’s obvious this was made for the PSP or a system like it because it still has the picture buttons and features I cannot use unless what I assume is I buy a controller. Which sucks, cause one of the features could be really helpful it was was properly made to work.
– Real player with 35.7 hrs in game
Gakuen Club
Gakuen Club felt very forgettable to me. It was hard to pick back up in my free time. I found that I had to replay routes just to remember the plot of each one.
Story: The heroine makes it into a prestigious school only to be forced to be a server at a secret night cafe for the alumni/rich and powerful. Each boy competes as hosts to garner social connections. Once one of them proves to be the best, they earn any wish from the headmaster.
- My biggest complaint is the non-sensical way they tried to describe this situation throughout the whole game. Only a few routes try to explain the purpose of the night club, why they even have a secret club in the first place, why it was necessary for them to compete in this manner for the headmaster’s favor, and why the heroine is forced to go along with it the whole way.
– Real player with 53.5 hrs in game
Hello, it is I, an otome loving boy.
I have some tips and thoughts on this game that you may find useful.
1. Buy this game on a summer or winter sale because full price is NOT worth it.
I never buy otome games unless their on sale and its lucky I did for this game. 30 USD is almost 60 of my dollars and boy I would have been screwed over big time.
There are 2 endings for each route a “Good” end and a “Bad” end. There are 6 routes, lets do the math.
6 X 2 = 12 (endings)
$30 / 12 = $2.50 an end ($5 for me)
– Real player with 53.2 hrs in game