Otome ranking of 2018

Whoop it that time of the year again to make one of these!

let's start by going over the ones i've played and compared

to other years there's not as much which makes sense, I only picked

up the ones I thought were genuinely interesting and skipped any I had second thoughts of. 

Code:realize shirogane no kiseki.

Chouchou Jiken.

Taishou x Alice Heads or Tails.

Psychedelica of the black butterfly.

 Collar x Malice Unlimted.

Piofiore no Banshou.
WoFR2 FD ~Kimi ni Sasageru Epilogue~.
Shiro to Kuro no Alice FD.

🏆Best new game:🏆

Piofiore no Banshou.

 Considering what I played there was not much competition I enjoyed what I could but

considering the themes this might not be for everyone but I still think its solid

and didn't waste away what it intended with the setting at all.

The only bad part is that no main character was truly likeable except Orlok

like they all did something shitty outside of their own route and Yang...

ah yes Yang he was beyond likeability even in his own
but atleast the story was solid and stuck to its themes that being one about mafia meaning its not
gonna be sunshine and rainbows! without making too much of a mess of things unlike the next!

💩Worst new game:💩

Chouchou Jiken.

Sidney... steal me away from all of the unredeemable love interest (except Haruka).

 What in the seven hells was this?

I thought this would be a trashy mystery otome game

but it never got that trashy nor the mystery part was that interesting.

It might be great if you enjoy having a mouse nibble at your toes

but honestly this was such a waste to me like most of the routes

weren't even interesting and the ones that were weren't even important to the overall plot.

It only starts making sense in the last two routes and the romantic interests in it were complete trash

and relied too much on pity me pls trope, look I can like characters that have had a bad time

but when they literally have a goal to use the heroine for their personal gain throughout the game

or worse kill her if gotten the chance, Yes people can change, pity is allowed
but sometimes pity is not enough for me to turn a blind eye the art was nice but at times
 meh, the music was awful /grating and the story while interesting
to get to the truth it kept beating around the bush about some russian revolution
that doesn't add up before you get to routes that matter said characters almost had no
redeeming factor. Sorry that's gonna be a no from me...

🏆Best Fandisk:🏆

Collar x Malice Unlimited.

If there was any otome game that needed a fandisk it was collar x malice

the after stories were enjoyable and unique for each character and the adonis

portion gave us a different look at the villains while Ichika gets herself together.

While I thought some of the after stories were too long I think the content

in this FD is of more value than that of Tierblades which I also enjoyed.

Wand of Fortune R2 kimi ni sasageru epilogue.

 The finale of the WoF series did not disappoint me, even though its short
it managed to be on point and not drag it out and none of it was wasteful
except maybe the true end epilogue... poor Solo.
With the exception of Est's after I found it extremely enjoyable definitely not something
WoF fans want to miss out on! after all this time glad they still ported it.

~

💩Worst Fandisk:💩

Taishou x Alice Heads or Tails.

 Let's face it this wasn't even a fandisk but an addon

the new routes are exactly the games subtitle aka a different side of the same coin

it only gives us information we already knew but from the perspective of side characters!

Which is nice but not when there's no real ending for them with the heroine because of canon.

The rest of the content was ok but on its hard to recommend unless you are a real tai-ali fan...

and it doesn't add to the scenario of the two except for an extended epilogue.

Also the treatment of Ookami in his route made me rage so much! he's such a likeable character

but the writer cannot let go of the canon and he is still a third wheel no matter what.

Dear otome game writers; if you cannot let go of the canon do not give side characters routes

just to get into their heads, sure its nice for a chance of POV but ultimately
you are wasting your own time and that of the readers since all you do is give bait
but leave us hanging wishing for something more or a different outcome.

~

😐Meh Fandisk.😐
 Shiro to Kuro no Alice Twilight Line.

This was just one of those fandisk that isn't that bad but not great either
but still manages to deliver, i'm not the biggest fan but even then
I can see they tried this series strengths also makes it its downfall.
The plot is still as inconsistent and messy as ever that did not change and I doubt
it ever will, wherever otomate will take this I think my shiro to kuro adventures end here
no matter how much I enjoyed my time with Luna and her guys.
Its not that great... but still, it might deliver in ways a fan would like it to.

Code: Realize shirogane no kiseki.

 The third fandisk and while a nice addition to the series

it did nothing for the overall story , Cantarella was a nice attempt but it only
gives us after the fact information that not even Cardia ever find out. (Only the reader)

The only thing I say that was great was the extended epilogues from shukufuku no mirai

but even then its something that should have been in that game to begin with.

Its great if you desperately want more code realize in your life but I hope

otomate won't milk it more than this, you can only get so much out of it...
and by now I think I got that, there's really not much anymore I want out of Code:Rea.
 Before you get this I think one has to consider, how much do I like code:realize?
will additional stories with the cast be worth my time no matter what it is about??
If a super fan then yes you should get this but if not... then well maybe not.
~

🏆Best english release:🏆

Psychedelica of the black butterfly.

 While the otome game part is a hard sell, the story however was pretty good

every main character contributed to the scenario and it was a good feeling to get to the bottom of it
and while I have not finished Ashen Hawk it has the same feel so I had to mention it.
It is incredible hard to write about it without spoiling anything... one is best to go into this
without knowing anything, don't even go to official site! the less u know the better.
~

Well that was all for 2018 not as many console otome games as previous years but its not just me
otomate hasn't released as much nor has other companies. I skipped ports
and have been playing other games/busy with other things.
With otomates move to switch things might look better next year but even then
I am hesitant to make the move, its not a secret some of us just step out of the genre and
lot's of otome game blogs have died over the years when a console such as ps2/psp came at its end.
Vita is no exception nor will the Switch go on forever... I like otome games but i've
feel that I have enjoyed what was to offer and at times am ready to leave the genre since
I start to be jaded and cynical at new titles which aren't even much different then what I played.
There's still some (old) otome games that I'd love to play next year and I will probably do just that.

Shiro to Kuro no Alice Twilight Line - Review

Genre: Otome Visual Novel. 

Developer/publisher: Otomate.

Platform:PSV.

Official Site: http://www.otomate.jp/bw_alice/twilight/

VNDB: https://vndb.org/v21786

Release date: 2018-11-15

Ah yes the FD- or sequel to that rather messy alice in wonderland otome game
from otomate, in case you wonder what I mean by messy again is that
the overall story was too scattered and there was no locked routes
so if you did Nello first you'd basically spoil a plot behind the scenes
or if you did Snow's then well you basically got the best possible resolution.
That doesn't mean the other routes aren't worth doing as it still would fill in the blanks
here and there regarding the characters. So in short when a story would benefit
from restriction they said nah let them pick! which could work if the important story bits
weren't all over the place, like I am sure no one likes getting to Minette mid game
only to find out it was better to do him first since he has nothing to do with the main plot.
Shiro to Kuro no Alice had a story albeit very messy and all over the place!
and even that did not change in its FD's additional scenario.

Pro's
 -After stories are short and sweet.
- Art and music are excellent.

Con's
- unvoiced heroines who still talk to each other as if it was voiced, which
like the original ruined a lot of potential in scenes everyone else is voiced.
- Story is still a scattered mess.

Content wise there is the after story's ~lover's day~ which gives us a look at their lives now
it covers both white and black happy ends... which is probably what you wanted the most.
Then there's another line... which is basically just an another story...
but with individual endings as well which is where most of the meat of the game is.
There's also the tea party after doing all which is a nice extra for full complete.

Either way I decided to start with Airi's side first mostly because she literally got stuck the worst boys
and Luna with the sweethearts, which made me not very interested in Airi's side.
After stories are like an hour long BUT there's one for each happy end (black and white)!
  so that's basically two hours... whether it was worth it depends on character like

for me Minette's were an utter waste of time but Nero was actually worth sitting through
so I guess it depends but even then I wish they put more effort.
Another line was eh... after 4 routes I got the general gist of the plot and had enough
and actually got sad we didn't get a routes for Rui, Ratt or Nine instead
like they give us new characters try and flesh em out but they don't really get resolution.
Volume wise its about right... if you rush its probably not but I thought the content was fine
and could definitely last a week or two if you take it slow but eh unless one was
invested in the world of shiro to kuro no alice I can't really recommend it
since this is for fans of course, I got what I wanted out of it thanks to Luna side
but still felt it was lacking in someway maybe because they had to split
the lover day scenario to the two happy ends which makes no sense if
the another line scenario also sort of follows up on the bw after???
IMO most of the white afters were the best to me so I wish they'd made it a little longer
even at the expense of the bw after but eh they still managed at making some of it
its just not going to be to everyones taste.
As we know Another line has the same problem as the original game
I am going to recommend Snow's route there for last as it has the most
revelations about Rui, the rest of the order shouldn't matter too much
so just to be safe do Airi side before Luna's with Snow last.

That ends my spoiler free section...

Wand of Fortune R2 FD ~Kimi ni sasageru Epilogue~ - Review

PSP box art because I like it more.

Genre: Otome Visual Novel. 

Developer/publisher: Otomate.

Platform: PSP, PSV.

Official Site: http://www.otomate.jp/wandoffortune2_fd/vita/

VNDB: https://vndb.org/v10050

Release date: 2018-10-04

The much needed FD for Wand of Fortune 2  ~Jikuu ni Shizumu Mokushiroku~
This is where I say its better late than never, since I did like the cast enough
to return otome hogwartz one more time for the much need epilogue to WoF2
because let's be real, WoF2 had so much character development that by the time
you got to the post credit scene and you'd see your handsome man all grown up
you'd either be like aww its over OR wtf?! growth spurt much? (looking at you Est)
to the point you don't even really recognize and want more time.

Pro's
 - Plenty of content and fanservice.
- No more gameplay.
 - BGM is a relic of the past...but has charms, OP theme's a good jam.

Con's
-Short, only reason I took so long is because I paced it out due to otome game drought.

So in the prologue of this FD; in some dream-like space she meets a fairy named Bell
and now Lulu has the power to visit the past or the future... 

because Lulu has had so many possibilities Bell's gonna help her out!
At first, me thinks this little scenario takes place after the true end of WoF2

but since she let chances slip she had regrets this is where Bell comes in

and she gets to spend lovey dovey time with her harem.

So many things! so little time!
 

There's the after stories to WoF2.

A scenario of a ball at mils clair where thanks to Bell. Lulu can go out with everyone

and finally there's loli-Lulu's big adventure... but that was so random I didn't write much of it.

 Ball scenario can get repettitive and the writing for each guy keeps it a bit more fresh
but its not long, an hour or so maybe less, still fun just gets redundant.

That ball takes place somewhere right after WoF1/mirai no prologue but before WoF2
but Lulu was so busy studying she completely forgot, idk its sort of weird trying to place this
anywhere and maybe its better to just believe Lulu forgot about it all together back then
which will actually all make sense once you do Solo's scenario, what a special boi.
There's a score card system where you can check what you have completed
but imo since its sorta obvious in the stories which element belongs to who but still nice
that you can check if you really completed a route (after/ball/great adventure) with that character.
There's also this mils claire DX thing which is basically interviews with the characters
and bonus voices which was the only awful thing to complete since it requires
playing with bell and feeding her stuff loli-Lulu finds in her big adventure
but its not too bad and can be done in no time so its not that annoying.

If you finished WoFr2 completely and still like the series I see no reason as to why one
should not get this. It has plenty of content and an extended epilogue to WoF2 is what
we all wanted the most and the rest is enjoyable, the overall content makes it worth the price
even if its still short, just because one after got me in a bad mood didn't ruin the whole game.

9/10

Piofiore no Banshou - Review

Donte be like; being in the same room as these guys gives me a headache.

 Genre: Otome Visual Novel.

Developer/publisher: Otomate.

Platform: PSV.

Official Site: http://www.otomate.jp/piofiore/

VNDB: https://vndb.org/v21782

Release date: 2018-08-30

This was probably my most anticipated new otome game in a while
and to be honest barely anything that has released recently caught my eye.
The theme of mafia has been touched upon in arcana famiglia and even ozmafia
still the way this was presented got me excited and back into the otome mood
but whether or not this was a good otome is up to the reader/player but imo? its not bad
and I do not regret getting the limited edition.

 Pro's
- Immersive scenario that isn't wasted and good cast of characters.
- Amazing art and music fits the setting/mood.

Con's
- While Meanwhile events are insightful it'll get on your nerves sooner rather than later.
- It can get a bit brutal like fights/deaths etc... not otome in the slightest.
- You will find a reason to dislike every main character in this game.



The only thing that got me worried was if the protag would be able
to hold herself in such a setting like this... she was raised in a church
and looks like the pure ''I know nothing about what's going on type'' needing to be protected
 but she actually has a bit of a mind of her own and isn't some dumb blonde except in Yang's route.
The story takes place in this italian city Burlone and three mafia familia's struggle to get
control over it there's no justice because its a bloody mess due to all the fighting! there's some
folks who have enough of their crap too and want this BS to end.
One day Liliane meets Dante by the graveyard at the church she lives
he seems to be mourning someone and it all rolls from there.

The game also has this ''meanwhile'' system where you can see what is happening elsewhere
this is nice considering all the different familia but can also be annoying if not used right.
I don't have any complaints about the music, it fits the setting and mood
and the art is gorgeous! RIRI did an amazing job!
So about that MEANWHILE SYSTEM... let me just say that while nice it also sorta sucks.
You can easily miss these events that happen at the same time to the point one can say
why didn't you just implement them into the story without having to go out of your way
to view them every time meanwhile shows up on the screen?!
I ended up missing many of them during dante's route which btw wasn't that exciting
to begin with but i figure different POV's would make it more interesting
but they were mostly just insightful things like what is that character up to.
The only route the MS system affected an ending was Orlok's... but its best
to pay attention and catch them all as you go which means less hassle later on.
They do not affect the platinum trophy I missed a bunch of them and still got it though...
I think some of them might affect the ending like one in Orlok's route but the most
important ones happen automatically which makes me go like why not do that with all of them.

Overall without going into spoiler/plot details of course...
I did liked how the routes actually have a Best/Good/Bad branch and choices actually change
the scenario quite a bit... leading to an entirely different ending you never know what
is going to happen which considering the setting is really good.
Prologue/common is also nicely done you will branch out to a new route in different ways
so basically the choices actually make a difference and without a guide it could be difficult.
Not everyone is going to like this game; fans of arcana famiglia expecting an awesome
MC like Felicita? nope you aren't going to find it here.
Fans of Ozmafia might be disappointed too since Piofiore is much more serious with little fluff.
 So what do you have to expect? Serious story centered on mafia problems
with a girl with a kind heart at the center of it, she isn't a complete doormat so that imo is a plus
of course there's romance and memorable otome moments but not much
which going by say Donte's route is just enough feels more like a normal VN would be better.
 This game also has a ton of suspense, in some route its better than other and
certain choices can lead to dead ends so be careful with what you pick.
IMO Piofiore is just right, if you can stand the mafia problems atleast!
the writers do not hold back to how serious they can be and while I have some
gripes with how this isn't all otome-like as in only one route ever getting close to it
I still hope it gets a FD one day but what exactly is an otome game?
there are many different types and yet this is very much one of them its just more serious.

I still think this is a solid otome game compared to other disasters I have recently sat through
*cough*Chouchou Jiken*cough* this game is a lot better suspense wise than that one ever was.

I can definitely recommend this otome game if you want a serious story centered on the mafia
and don't mind things ending up in a bloody mess, while I have gripes here and there
its imo as good as Collar x Malice or Code:Realize since the otome bits might leave to be desired.

Side note, I love how the chapter titles for each character are in different languages.
Dante's are in spanish, Nicola's in Italian, Yang's in chinese, Orlok is in german,
Gilbert is English and the finale was in french lol.
If they ever localize I hope they keep this haha.

If I have to recommend a play order the one I followed didn't cause problems
and flowed naturally so I will recommend it to others:
Dante > Nicola > Yang > Orlok > Gilbert > ???.

and that is all if you want no spoilers! more ramblings after the jump.

Collar x Malice Unlimited - Review

 Genre: Otome Visual Novel.

Developer/publisher: Otomate.

Platform: PSV.

Official Site: http://www.otomate.jp/collar_malice/fd/

VNDB: https://vndb.org/v21789

Release date: 2018-07-26

Fandisc to Collar x Malice! and I dare say it deserved one

since the original was more focused on plot than romance(not to say there wasn't)

they did still balance it out quite nicely though! it did deserve a better look into the future 

especially for characters such as Shiraishi because we all know he deserved it the most.

Content wise its just the usual after stories and something dedicated to Adonis.

Pretty sure they followed up on that one bad end as well but I did not
get my hopes up for anything good to happen out of that.

Pro's
- After stories of decent length, varied endings for everyone.
- Art, hanamura just gets better and better!
- It's got the volume, more than tierblade(unfortunately so).

Con's
- ED theme be nice but its not in sync with credits and just cuts off/repeats, sloppeh.

Sysem
Interlude: this further details events about X day; where some dude named
Chisato Tachibana brings up some suspicious facts to Ichika and the others.
After story: continues on from interlud; the after story of the two.
Adonis: Basically another side of the story.
Side story/what if's: self explanatory.

First of all it is nice they go out of their way to give us another look to the whole
X day thing as a refresher especially after two years and have a nice movie
such as the story thus far at the start of everyones after.
Honestly I feel a lil conflicted about this FD most of this comes from interlude
it felt pretty low effort at trying to start something. -_-
The interlude part aside everything else is 👌 still the same guys we all know and love, no OOC.
The interlude was interesting as there are different paths to take, I went to unlock all
afters before actually doing them since it would only be a hassle to go back and forth.
Unfortunately nothing was truly interesting... it did expand on certain things

but the only good thing about this FD is the fanservice after story.
The after stories are of decent length, there's not much plot to it but the scenario
was interesting nonetheless it focused more on their relationship though.
TL;DR its recommended if you liked CxM and want to see more to the relationships.
 If worried about quality/value of the fandisk, imo its more worth it than Tierblade's FD
which only convoluted the plot revelation after revelation but CxM manages to actually clear it up.
9/10

Psychedelica of the Black Butterfly - review

 Genre: Otome Visual Novel.

Developer/publisher: Otomate, Aksys.

Platform: PSV.

Official Site: http://www.aksysgames.com/pbb/

VNDB: https://vndb.org/v15771

Release date: 2018-04-27

Back to our regularly scheduled otome game reviews.

I will be reviewing this a little bit different due to the nature of the game

as in its better to not know too much about anything story or character related

before you play which means it probably will be my messy ramblings of likes/dislikes
and my apologies for bringing up the biggest drawback too much
but it just shows even this game isn't perfect, tbh i've yet to play one otome that was.

Unfortunately before I played I was warned that this game is in fact a giant common route
with the individual or romance part as an after thought. This is fine but part of me prefers
something more balanced like code:realize. However sometimes I don't mind if the story's good.
Also you're better off playing this game without a guide, you'll most likely get Kagiha's route
(like what happen in my case) without trying; unless you were super curious about that one book.

Good stuff first, I really like the story, the way its presented and written sort of sucks you in
because its full of suspense which is good motivation to continue on. The flow chart is meh
only really handy to get where you want to be, constantly having to stop the story
for the side stories might be annoying especially when things got really interesting
(more on this later) even then later on certain side stories provide a way to see
another side of the characters others are meaningless filler of days gone by.
The minigame isn't annoying but it might take a bit to get used to.
The key is to not shoot the butterflies individual but lock on to a lot of them at once while getting
the special coloured ones and then shoot, basically look what you chain together.


The protagonist is voiced, has an actual personality and backstory this time.
Beniyuri is an integral piece of the story which after the last localized otome i played is very
welcomed. A protagonist makes or breaks a game...but for the most part she made it a lot better.

Music adds a lot to the mood of the game which helps with both suspenseful and light-hearted scenes.
 The OP isn't really my thing but its not unbearably bad or anything.
The art is of course pretty to look at; it helps with the overall theme of the game
I like how they changed the colour depending where it took place.

Pro's
- Interesting and suspenseful narrative.
 - Likeable cast of characters.
- Art is pleasing to look at.
 - Music fit the mood.
 - Giant common route, individual routes or more like ends are short but overall its of decent length.

Con's
- Extremely short; I think if you actually put effort into it you can finish it in two-four days.
Main/side ep - Having to read Five of these ''daily life'' to continue the main narrative was
incredible jarring, esp when I was pretty engrossed by it. I only liked the one about
cooking and shojo manga but most did nothing to add to the actual plot except camaraderie.
This just brings the potential of this game down,  its like reading this manga and at the end
of volume 4 there's a bonus side chapter full of fluff which takes place some time earlier but we
couldn't fit it in! I get some of them are like a reward but its sad how the mainstory
just goes like ''a bunch of days passed'' yet here we are in a bonus episode  about just that, it really
could've been executed better like there are these ''main story'' bits  and things get interesting
like at one point I expected a minigame as they headed out to confront a monster but was booted
into the flowchart to read even more ''short episodes'' WAY TO RUIN THE MOMENT!

That aside its still an enjoyable mystery otome game, that has a bit of a flawwed execution.
Great cast, decent amount of suspense + drive to get to the bottom of it all
and good art/music to compliment it. What more could you ask?

As for the localization? I am pleasantly surprised! its really good, like BAW its
not that long of a game so it makes sense they have more time to check things over
if the size of game isn't that big, the font is pleasant to look at this time too so thats another plus.
It does makes me wonder what goes wrong with their bigger titles...
if only they could give those the same type of Q&A as their smaller ones.
Speaking of BAW... certain things are similair however in my honest opinion
I think Black Butterfly has the better narrative but even then it has its own set of ''issues''
to the point I am going to have to recommend you to read as many side stories
as you are able too even if you can advance the main story. Doing so will give you less
frustration of having to go back and read them later on which ruins immersion
especially because some do take place early on and its just weird to go back
I really do think the whole main/side is this games biggest drawback. :/
Personally the only side stories I've enjoyed are Yamato and Monshiro's
nothing against Kagiha but because I saw his end first his were permanently ruined!
so I was lowkey like I should've watched his along with Yamato after all... sigh.
The only thing they did execute well was the enforced play order and how more of the
overall story will be revealed with each new ending you get to. Its just a bummer most side
episodes are basically just filler, atleast the actual individual ends(thegood ones) are a nice treat.
The only jarring thing is some oddly copy pasted text here and there but nothing too bad.

Out of all the otome games currently out in english it depends on what you want
but if mystery type stuff is what you fancy i see no reason not to get it if you haven't.

8/10

That's the not so long version atleast... i'll ramble a bit more after the jump.

Utawarerumono Chiriyuku Mono e no Komoriuta - review

Genre: SRPG/Visual Novel.

Developer/publisher: Aquaplus.

Platform: PC, PS2,PSP, PSV, PS4(this version).

Official Site: http://aquaplus.jp/uta/chiri/

VNDB: https://vndb.org/v3#main

Release date: 2018-04-25

Since I've never reviewed the original(played PSP ver ages ago) I'll try to 

to do so for this ''remaster'' it won't be that long since its an old game.

So since Utaware Itsu/futari was such a success, like it moved mountains

of copies on release (especially the latter) AP decided to release an updated version 

of the original game after the ps2/psp version BUT made the srpg part like its sequels.

It was originally an eroge but most of it has been replaced by other events

 some things are still implied though and the harem well its still there. xD

I played the PS Vita version but it felt like it was the PS4 version as outside of battles

its incredible clean, I never had a problem with itsu/futari since those're decent ports too
sure its rougher on PSV but atleast it retains its charms AND runs well.
Unfortunately this might be my last actual ps vita game outside of pure visual novels. 

 
Pros
- Story, long but worth to sit through all the way.
- Lovely cast of characters.
- SRPG part is enjoyable; more options compared to utaware 2/3; lots of stages.
- Music; can use special arrangement that give the feel of 2/3 during scenes
and if you want to get nostalgic there's the old BGM, best of both worlds.

Cons
- Its not without its flaws, some may stick out like a sore thumb.
- While the art itself is amazing... changing the hue of the sprites to fit the time of day looks odd.
- Missables; if you just go through the story first(like me) you might have to do another
playthrough since certain items from event/drop of optional stages are missable its not a problem
if you do everything as it becomes available but its more of a matter of knowing when and where.

Pictured; an optional battle, please note at this point its post game and i've grinded BP to max out some stats.

 Gameplay; upgraded to the likes of its sequels; SRPG part is like a breather between VN part

there's a hard mode for those that want a bit more challenge. Its very slice of life-ish

at first but it gets better; it just takes its time, the first battle was about a bit over an hour in.
 I found its easy to take breaks as well due to it bringing you to the camp menu often enough.
It has a slow start but when it gets serious its battle after battle and there's times of peace
like a calm before the next storm of course the further you get in the quicker the pace
and less time for shenanigans, that's the only way I can sum up the flow of the game
without mentioning spoilers. In terms of stages there's a ton and I still found it to be
much more engaging than its sequels, replaying only made that clearer for me.
The variety/goals of some of them is better too like there's a pure defensive stage later on
and they love throwing nasty status effects at you either by attack or a turret.
The finishers/dual are gotten pretty early and its funny how enemies can heal... even boss
this time you too can equip items that a give a stat boost and be able to heal themselves
in case Eruruw isn't around, you can even use offensive items. Overall its more enjoyable.
 You can still redo turns and replay old battles but i figured you'd expected this
and if you've bought Sasara and Tamaki before they'll automatically join.
 However I never had need of them; the main playables and a few guests(they have deathblow!)
are more than enough! also man Oboro is so amazing; he's fast and strong! if you only
raised his strength with BP and accesory to the point if used well nothing stands a chance really.

If I had to give the playable's class/roles it'll be: Hakuoro is average but if he dies so does
everyone's brains which means a game over. Eruruw is the healer, Aruruw a tank.
Oboro and Karula are the glass cannons. The gay twins Dorii and Gura the rangers.
Benawi is defense is best offense! and Kurou is his back up but weaker in terms of defense.
Urutorii and Kamyu are casters; not too strong but not that weak, they have their uses.
Touka and Genjimaru are offensive; if you know Yakuto-err Jachtwalt they're like him!
then we have Theoro and Derihourai.. both offensive unit but you won't get to use them much
atleast there's optional stages but like you're not starved for EXP or BP and I completed
the game without even touching one optional stage, missed opportunity? sure since if I want
that platinum I will have to do it again to get certain items. TBH I never platted futari no hakuoro
since the loot trophy was too time consuming and I just wanted to do other things. Well now you
know they are there and if the VN part drains you some action is available. It add a lot even if
amount of optional is like half the main scenario stages of which there are 32 of.

 On another note...
It is nice how these two DLC Sasara and Tamaki are shared throughout all three games
if you had bought them before they are yours forever! yay cross-game DLC.
The only thing that irks me is a season pass but its only 30$ and you'll get bonus items along
with playable Haku, Kuon, Rurutie, Ukon, Nekone and more which is nice fanservice.
 Atleast Ukon has a deathblow now which was quite cool IMO

Overall it really feels more like an SRPG with all the options available, not too difficult
but not that hard. Unfortunately I found the last few end game stages got too easy (lol Oboro)
I gotta add that as soon as you clear stage 14 it becomes extremely easy to farm BP
so no matter the difficulty you can just adjust stats to your liking on a whim.
That aside the pace of the story was literally one thing after another near the end, the plot
isn't bad its just so much at once and I am glad the story took itself seriously which makes
you like oh I actually missed those shenanigans early on but there's no time for that!
That might add to the impact of the ending itself. Now imagine it being mid 2000's-
(I'm trying not to mention actual spoilers or how's and why's so bear with me.)
-and you finish it; there's no sequel you're left with that ending. Personally
I found it nice its not completely a happy one but it isn't that awful they actually
left a lot of matters up to interpretation. Life goes on Hakuoro's friends
said lives had been changed because of him... basically his presence had a huge impact.
The relationships said friends have with each other... is great too and I feel
in a lot of rpgs these days you don't get to see it like here. Utaware might be harem-ish
but its not all about the harem even the sequels still manage to get that across.
Did I ever mention the lore? and how it just makes it that much more engrossing...

Graphic; Stills and Portrait are beautiful, world is lively and colourful

even not important character have sprites or atleast most of them but like I did not see a need
to change the hue of the sprites(the standing pictures not cg's) to whatever time it is ingame.

Music? at the start you can choose between original/sequel tracks so whatever suits you...

BGM is beautiful and fits the scenes quite well I don't even need to explain why
but if you have never played the original I recommend sticking to the original music track
unless you are like super fond of itsu/futari's OST.

Fav character:

Touka > Aruruw > Oboro > Kamyu >Yuzuha >  Eruruw > Benawi > Kuuya > Sakuya >
Urutorii > Karula > Genjimaru > Gura / Dorri > Kurou > Derihourai/Hien > Teoro >
Kamuchataru > brick wall; Nuwangi > Suonkasu > Dii > deepest pits of hell; Hauenka(fuck him).
Some of this is basically just preference; its only the ones that stood out.
 Nothing against the gay twins; but like they are pretty much
Oboro's sidekicks and didn't leave that big of an impression on me aside of comedy
and them being super duper loyal to him. Karula is like idk not my type but she's great
character and has her reasons but I found myself more attached to Urutorii. :/
 Benawi would be my husband and Kurou... well he's like a bro he won't let you down
but that's it really he adds a lot to the others if scenario allows.
Oboro's cool; a bit of a siscon but while he seems a bit hotheaded he matured a lot
over the course of the game and he totally gets the MVP award there's no contest for that.
Touka would be my absolute favorite; her personality... she's a bit dumb and she might
overlook things in the heat of the moment but she makes me smile a lot.
Kamyu is... like the ugly duckling and quite mysterious but she made friends
which helped her in the end I think its beautiful to see that.
I'd prefer Aruruw over Eruruw due to her growth and showing courage despite her age
like I know the story is very biased for Eruruw but half of the game she was like
a tea servant and at best a pillar of support yet... she gets almost no recognition
and just has to deal with stuff happening at the end but to be there for someone even though
they might look the other way like wow that's mature. So yeah she's good in her own way.
Yuzuha... despite her situation she's genuinely happy for doing what she can. ;_;
Kuuya.. oh man she... she got caught up in some shit and the end result wasn't pretty
but there's hope for her so she wasn't completely beyond help.
Uh now i'm getting emotional so let's stop.

While I still praise the anime of this work, as it stays pretty fateful to the game it still really
is a digest it was made painfully obvious what was omitted; minor spoilers warning here
Benawi and Kurou's relationship to Nuwangi's sister Kamuchataru; the arc takes place
around the same time Hakuoro and Karula deal with Suonkasu. Its nice chara development
but still felt like a side story. The only side thing I liked was the deal with
Urutorii and Fumiriru; the child she found and cared for; its something that may not
have been a big deal back then but with the itsu/futari it suddenly becomes so much more.

How to sum it up...

If you like VN's with a charming cast of characters and a meaty storyline I suggest

picking this up if you haven't and want to try getting into this ''utawarerumono''.
Playing this after uta2/3 will be nice too, you'll still pick things up like for example that
little baby that the gang finds midway through the game that will be more clear, even though
I played this before it was a nice way to refresh my memory on various facts.
The slice of life scenes are many but not too long and you can replay battles
at any time! there's optional ones too so you'd probably not be bored.

Of course I can't promise you'll like it, it has some flaws but if you like stories that take its time

with an engrossing world and lovable chara's I recommend this series along with tears to tiara.

I HOPE THEY LOCALIZE THIS VERSION, not only to complete the trilogy but why wouldn't

you want an updated version that plays like its sequels AND in high definition at that?

Atlus did a good job localizing the other two... the names look a bit weird to me in ENG but that's it.
Hmmm... its clear Aquaplus did cut corners where they could... like did Kurou
have a beard at this point? he doesn't in his sprite but does in his 3d model.
I actually didn't notice this till way later; shows how much I care about graphics.
Overall its a great game, decent story/world and a lovely cast of characters!
Its sad but I think on its own this installment may have been enough...
there's just something, something about its sequels that lacked.
That doesn't mean they're bad like they gave the much needed resolution for Eruruw
and went on to tell the tale of Kuon while going further into matters not resolved.
It might've just been that it wasn't on such a grand scale as the first game like
less generals/countries hmm yea that could be it.
Even then if you have a PS4 or Vita I wholeheartedly recommend it.

Utaware's story is far from perfect but its an enjoyable series nonetheless
I can't wait for Utaware Zan even though it seems to be like a fanservice spin off.
Well have a finisher exhibition; I also watched some of the PS4 version and well
it does have more flair, even then I am glad this was my last ps vita game(besides VN).

Taishou x Alice heads and tails - review

 Genre: Otome Visual Novel. 

Developer/publisher: Otomate.

Platform: PSV.

Official Site:

VNDB: https://vndb.org/v20277

Release date: 2017-12-07

FD of Taishou x alice... if I had to be really honest I didn't think TxA really needed a FD
why? I actually thought the epilogue chapter wrapped everything up nicely and everyone
got a small extension to their ending that aside it must've done well enough for them
to release this FD so why not just accept and try to enjoy whatever contents it has?
 Not much aside from the usual after stories, two new routes for Ryoushi and Ookami
but I heard beforehand they're not all that great since the bias for Alice is too great.
Then there's Gakuen Alice which might've been the last best thing this FD has to offer.😅
 There's not much else to say so let's just get on with it.

Pro's
- Gakuen Alice's a fun omake with mini route (except ookami/ryoushi)
- Art.

Con's
- Not every after story got the same amount of effort, i've only found
Akazukin, Gretel, Mauhoutsukai and Alice to be actually fun / worth it.
- The new routes aren't really 'new' at all nice if you want another perspective though.

I decided to play the after story in the same order as the original:
Cinderella > Akazukin > Gretel > Kaguya > Shirayuki > Mahoutsukai > Alice.
I do recommend saving Mahoutsukai for later preferable after Shirayuki, as Mahoutsukai
adds something that makes Shirayuki's seem like even that had its place.

The first two after stories I did was mostly fun and light-hearted like what one is supposed
to come to expect of FD's... there are exceptions to the others but it wasn't too bad
its just for some it felt there was little effort put into the scenario.
If you are familiar with sangoku rensenki's FD... its a lot like that! you get a short story
with the couple which is around 1 hour at most with two CG's for each
the content varies depending on the character though. Much like the original TaiAli
the further you get into the episodes the drearier it gets, like the boys from ep1 are fun
but then you get to Kaguya and it just goes downhill, Gretel was still OK for some reason.
The new routes for Ryoushi and Ookami aren't exactly new route just their POV of the whole
thing with Alistair much of what we already know! since they force the canon
so much their endings aren't exactly what one would like to see.
Can't recommend their routes unless you want a different perspective of the story we already know.

Overall its still a decent FD but only get it if you desperately need more Taiali in your life
there's just some parts that make me say: but why? like why even give Ookami a route if
you're going to make it end up like that... his whole character turned out to be a laughing stock.😓
To be fair... after being done with this FD the only thing I really like about Taishou x Alice is the
story of 'Alice', comedy and meta. As an otome game I think it doesn't really work that well like
half of the cast is essentially the same person, different personality and in the end only one matters.
Tai Ali has a great story&chara's and I whole-heartedly recommend the games
but as an otome game; by the end it leaves to be desired no matter how well written it was.

Well whatever I'll try to write some thoughts down below as usual, don't read it
if you don't want spoils etc (not like there is much).

Atelier Lydie and Suelle Alchemists and the mysterious painting - Review

 Game: [リディー＆スールのアトリエ 〜不思議な絵画の錬金術士〜]
Genre: JRPG.

Developer/Publisher: Gust and Koei Tecmo.

Platform: PS4, PS Vita, Nintendo Switch.

Official Site: https://www.gamecity.ne.jp/atelier/lydie/

Release date: 2017-12-21

Time for another non-visual novel review, i'm still busy with TaiAli FD on the side.
I played the PS4 version because the vita version did not at all look convincing... besides
after the horror stories of atelier firis and its frequent crashes I played it safe! sadly I do not own
 a switch yet so its not like I had much of a choice here! also the vibrant colours
in the PS4/switch version give the game that much more life...
vita looked very bland in comparison even Firis looked better to me.
Just saying i'm not here to shit post like I love my vita... but I also do sort of
want to like actually enjoy games? PS3 to vita ports have been good but PS4 to vita ports
 just can't hold up all that well that much was obvious but uhm enough about that.

 
Yes I like the OP, I feel it captures the game so well especially the sisters
and their true goal, bright, cheerful and colourful happiness is best shared.

The lastest entry of the mysterious series, its the bright and colorful conclusion

I try to write a bit more as a whole there won't be much spoilers.

I didn't think so at first but this series actually managed to have some decent character

development, if you've stuck around since Sophie and the mysterious book you'll definitely notice it.

As for story? its there but very straight-forward, gust focused on the characters this time, there's

plenty of sub events and often I found myself absorbed since there's so many to keep us 

entertained while we do requests, perform alchemy and complete ambition notes

 to proceed the story; the goal? become the no,1 atelier in the country!
While doing the main objective there's plenty to be distracted by, mostly from sub event

and its better to view as they appear. I let a few stack and there goes
an hour of just viewing events😅. I still managed to focus on other games

on the side while still manage to make a decent progress with L&S.
No character truly or other things was dislikable to make me stop completely and drop the game.

Lydie and Suelle are sisters, they've lost their mom and their dad's a bit of a free loader...

using up the money the sisters worked hard to get which leads them to pursue the dream of their
mom. Eep! this looks pretty grim but it all managed to be quite a heart-warming tale throughout.

All the playables have a place in the story this time, they got a reason to be around 

and I hate to admit it but half the cast despite in Firis being oh so likeable did feel 

sort of like mercenaries, companions on the road which with the whole journey
so I am glad with L&S they toned down a little bit and tried to fit everyone in properly.

Promotional artwork.

 The characters... like Mathias is Mireille's brother, he's a bit of a dork but he fits the

 typical protector character, btw i'm sure Sterk would be proud in one way or another.

Lucia is the typical tsundere rival... at first she's a bit annoying but after a certain 

character episode the sisters showed her no quarter! and well she sort of gets better after it.

Alto... I don't want to talk too much about him but he's quite cool! most of his sub events 

are tied to Sophie's so don't worry about it, quite possible the most interesting sub arc.

Well we all know Firis! nothing will stand in her way, she follows her heart and dreams

and Liane still loves every bit about her.. ah what a sis-con.

I'm still surprised by Ilmeria... she's taken up the teacher role for the sisters

and her friendship with Firis is still strong Il-chan gives Firis the space she needs.

 There's Pamela, Hagel(haha yes they brought him back! Fritz and Drossel too

I quite liked how the latter two's sub events wrapped up some questions.
As for Lydie and Suelle themselves... they're both lovely Lydie's a bit more withdrawn
but is like a voice of reason compared to the bumbling genki Suelle.
They both have their charms and both lack something the other could cover.

 Art is pretty good, it shows how well two artist can work together

and I like how some of the CG's are like an actual painting.

BGM... well its gust as usual they do an amazing job not every track may stand out

but some do! the only field music I liked was from the intermission chapter after the mid-boss

aka the underwater treasury. Dunno why sometimes I just starting humming along. xD

As for the world, there's one town and its quite big atleast I think it is, luckily there's a quick

warp feature to get to where we are really needed. The paintings all have their own 

mini story to it and in my opinion its what makes it overall more charming.

My favorite painting world would be the starlight plains one.

 The alchemy system is more or less the same as before with a few tweaks sadly it still uses 

the awful recipe idea system and I really wish they're going back to the books next series.

Well due to the game plays out its easy to get accustomed to it, everything is slowly

opened up to you with the occasional boss, the mid boss was cool since I had to

to be like wait uh may I need a few to prepare? 😂 the last boss

was exciting too albeit a bit weak on the story side.

Battle system is like Eschatology/Shallie but not as broken, well that's what I like to say

since if you try you could really be stronger than if you don't all depends

on if you use the right traits on your items and weapons/armor.

Then there's battle mix which let's you use even more powerful version of an item

if you have the right material in your bag that is...

All 6 playables can tag along at once which is nice if you hate benching characters there'll be

DLC too; Lucia and Ilmeria so if you thought there wasn't enough well there you go!

There's combination moves as well and this time they have more of an impact such as this one.

While none of them appear to be locked its possible with the DLC you might be able to have more
freedom but this is not confirmed as I suspect Lydie and Suelle are fixed either way. 
Always hated how in Firis; Sophie/Plactha and Liane are locked into the party making, it was hard
to make your desired team since there are 9 playable in firis yet 3 of them are locked in.
Speaking of DLC... what is up with these 90$ season passes? this started with
blue reflection but why make it cost more than the game? in Lydie and Suelle case
we get like what? 2 playable characters, swimwear costume and extra area
which is all stuff that has costed less back with dusk series.
Well in my opinion regarding koei's season pass BS Blue reflection was the worst thus far
all those costumes and mini event that cost more than the game. Said costumes can only
be used in school not when a magical girl, wow thank you. Okay enough about that
I didn't buy it thankfully but apparently KOEI's shitty practices continue. -_-
Look I love many of their games but... this is getting ridiculous.

Another combi... haha prepare to meet your doom!

That aside I don't think there's any missables either, just try to get a flower circle/max bar
at a rank up exam for Roger's requests just max the bar and you will be fine.
You can also dismiss any request and they'll just pop back up eventually, yes even
the ones that reward you with a battle mix recipe. Money is easy to get as well
if you do requests atleast, sadly by the time you hit the epilogue chapter
you might have more than needed which means you have to spend to unlock
events required to get the shop ending, I found this out the hard way
if gust cut corners anywhere its there i'm sure they could have let us trigger them
regardless of how much we had at that point but alas this is not the case. 
Atelier games these days are so easy and straight-forward, Firis was the only exception
but even then it was still easy to reach the goal with time to spare. Its sad they took a step
back here because I actually loved Firis and miss how it was in Arland/early dusk series.

Either way I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Lydie and Suelle
while not as much as Firis its still a good way to end the trilogy, its a
heart-warming tale that has themes of family, hope and dream.

I did not experience any sort of crashes/bugs though there is an occasional
frame rate drop as an area loads in but tbh that's not bad at all
really though I can't find that many negatives, there's probably a few
like this feels more like classic atelier just by the way its paced but
its sort of like Rorona except there's really no pressure to do anything
so if you think your gear/item needs a desperate upgrade go ahead to do just that!

There was only one time there was a sort of time limit  IIRC when you at B rank
but its so lenient I finished it immediately without wasting a second

so like just go at your own pace and you'll get everything done still.

I can see gust trying to capture ways of old but then they hold back...
The other might be how they sort of gave us a last boss for the sake of one
you know it bad when I think the mid-boss fit in more than the last one. >_>
One could hope gust will take a bit of a break from atelier... despite me not finding
much flaw its clear they cut corners here and there where they could.

Anyway I took my time but honestly its a pretty short game still, not that short though!
but if you are impatient to go ham with the alch/battle system you'd be disappointed
as battling/alchemy doesn't reach its full potential till the last chapter of the game
by then a lot opens up and there's lots of powerful enemies to test you, unfortunately by then
the story is already over but that shouldn't stop you from having fun breaking the game even more.

 Only the hidden painting dungeon has a little bit of story, errr more like lore to it.

If you already played Sophie and Firis I see no reason to skip out on Lydie and Suelle, its 

a great game that finished what was started way back in Sophie through character development.

If I had to be honest the mysterious saga has mostly focused on characters while plot

takes a backseat(like after thought) yes even Firis! no especially Firis, she had her goal

and met so many friends a long the way that made it all more interesting.

I don't want to repeat myself too much so I guess I'll wrap it up... yes I recommend L&S!
at the very least it might be better if you've played Sophie first and as much
as I loved Firis you could probably skip it and be fine?

I do think this might be my last atelier game... lol I say this everytime

a series concludes but somehow gust always manages to pull me back in.😅

Chouchou Jiken Rhapsodic - Review

 Genre: Otome Visual Novel. 

Developer/publisher: Otomate.

Platform: PS Vita.

Official Site: http://www.otomate.jp/chouchoujiken/

VNDB: https://vndb.org/v19851

Release date: 2017-11-30

I dunno why I bought this... I imported the first manga volume and was intrigued I guess.
Erena/Elena the protagonist seemed okay, there was a mystery vibe and the art is pretty
though the first promo art the protagonist looks like a freaking twig ready to snap. -_-
 I got the feeling I wouldn't like it that much so I bought the regular edition and I am glad.
Sydney's character trailer should've warned me but yet... I still bought.
PS: Some say they spoiled some stuff like Sydney in the promo image... but honestly speaking
if you don't know what the spoiler is you'd think he's some sort of fancy earl.

There are some difference from the manga like Erena for example... she is more typical otomate
heroine template which disappoint me because she appeared to have more personality in the manga.
 Don't want to say Erena was that bad since she had her moments in the game  where she managed
to shine if only a little. The rest flowed almost identically from what I had seen from the manga
dunno but in the manga it felt like Erena had more spirit, hopefully you get what I mean.
Part of me think the manga is supposed to be the main and this game just fanservice.(who knows)
for all we know this was supposed to be an interactive shojo manga... hench why
certain stuff is a bit all over the place and some routes especially the initial two
(Masanari and Haruka) can feel like filler compared to the locked ones.
If you care for the story then I'd say Ritomo is the true route of the game since everything
make sense but it all depends on preference, personally the guy is anything but likeable.

Play order:
 Masanari>Haruka>Sydney>Iori>Ritomo
The last three route are locked... I do know that doing Masanari unlocks Sydney.
doing both Haruka and Masanari get you Iori's route which in turn unlocks Ritomo.
So you could do Sydney second but I don't think that's a good idea... just do the 

initial routes first aka Masanari and Haruka and the rest will be natural to get to the truth.

Pro's
-  Just doing one route won't get you to the truth.
- Pretty art, well portraits look nice but CG's vary.
- Charming cast, atleast I found some of them to be 'charming'.
- MURASE AYUMU's stellar performance.

Con's.
- It can get a bit draggy at times and two routes are essentially filler.
- This womans blooood uwaaaagh, zombies overall writing may leave to be desired etc. >_>
- Protag/heroine was too ala otomate.
- You can't skip the credits, yep its 2k18 and yet they couldn't implement such a feature.
(There's no movie view feature either...)

The common route is basically a giant introduction too long for its own good each
chapter sort of introduced a character, chapters are not long but combined? they are.
Certain stuff will never change even if events play out slightly different
part of this is normal atleast there's something interesting to find out in the actual routes.
As for length its average, not too long not too short but the problem lies that its rather dreary.
There are two endings bad/good but its not very exciting since its just the typical two-choice system
where the correct choice raises affection which in turn lead you to best end, no guide needed!
Art is pretty, the music is so-so... bgm was awful in the long run definitely not worthy
to buy an OST of this.The OP/ED I can say these are fine but it not my thing.
I heard people say the lipsync is awful but honestly its OK most of the time it
looks awkward in some way so I tend to prefer no movement all together.
Characters seem interesting so there was drive to do the non locked routes to get
to the more interesting ones but uh TBH in the long run most of the story wasn't very interesting
since nothing makes any sense till the last two routes and even then... /shrug.

To get the platinum trophy you have to save the lines the characters say this is something
daisy2's games have had in the past, here's 60 slots but you only need a couple
to make a playlist and get the two remaining trophies.
In fact you can just spam the same line into all three playlist for the trophy.............
OTOMATE WTF ARE YOU HIGH? this isn't funny since there's not much
I'd classify as note worthy, if it had lots of comedy then yes but this is a waste
there's other games like for example Ninkoi that deserve this feature yet do not have it. -_-
Not saying there aren't any memorable lines but IMO... not enough to warrant this feature.

Let me try to keep it short...
Takes place in the early Showa period, shortly after WWII with some russian agenda mixed in.
So our heroine Erena is the unfortunate orphan who enjoyed a quiet life ever since an incident
in which her parents passed on from, she enrolls at this fancy school in the big city
after a sudden invitation and one day runs into these vampire zombie folks who want to devour her.
I kid you not I cannot even put it any other way,  for mystery driven chouchou jiken is decent
but it was too draggy and took forever to get somewhere. I feel this was meant to be a manga
 from the beginning like I already mention it but Erena is typical otome protag
aka meek and very otomate, I did had drive to figure out WTF was going on but my
first route didn't get very far nor did it make the guy feel relevant and it sucks if the dude
whom's route your on doesn't strike your interest at all.(like for me Masanari)
I think forced play orders are still good though but I think it is better to do Haruka first
since it felt like he was a whole lot more relevant and interesting than angry navy boy.
 Moving on...
The protag is 15 years old yet... most of her suitors are almost 10 years older, for the 

time period its ok but it is a little creepy. The plot only makes sense in the last 2/3 routes
This game seemed like a good mystery otome game that might be a little trashy
but it wasn't all that, it suffered from a rather cliche/over used protag has magical blood plot
which makes her wanted, the trashy bit never really gets that far, there's a somewhat decently writen
plot behind it all but you must have a pretty good attention span to get it, lots of TL;DR
 Well I wouldn't say its a kusoge downright since it had nice build up...
even then some stuff might not even add up to historic facts, partly that's fine but its not all
that great to get a load of bull, if you know your history of the period don't expect much.
In all honestly to me early on most of the plot was dull and only interesting if you like to have a
mouse nibble at ur toes like some characters could make it better which for me which
are Haruka and Sydney but that's it, Masanari's route was total filler and the plot
only picked up in Iori and Ritomo's route, Sydney? I like the guy but the route was still eh.

Most of the endings also gave me the is that it feeling like there could be more or better way
to end yet still... looking at you Iori suuuure let's go to sovjet together to look for more clues :eyeroll:
Especially with bad ends sometimes they tried too hard to make something of it

like bad fanfic I think Haruka's bad end is exactly that lmao.
While doing route no.2 so much flew by me that I just gave up all expectations...
 each route was unique enough though but sadly the last unlockable route aka Ritomo
makes you sit through the whole game from scratch unable to skip common scenes
just for a bunch of new flashback scenes in between old scenes. I'm like come on otomate?
It is so very fun to sit through it all just for a few scene here and there, also yes I did force skip it. -_-
Personally Haruka and Sydney's route are most enjoyable but tbh it might just depend on taste...
 whichever character you like the most will depend on personal preference.

5/10
''Chouchou Jiken seemed like it would be a decent mystery otome game but it
turned out to be hilariously average, its not a kusoge but its not exactly that good either.''