2021 in review

 Probably not going to be much here but i've played 5 otome games atleast and a few rpgs.

In terms of otome its not a lot... maybe my interest is dwindling and the recent pandemic

probably didn't help the industry much either but I enjoyed what I could

and in times like these I think that's enough so nowadays I only bother with the ones I really want.

1, Lover Pretend.

 Well it probably wasn't the best otome game ever but I liked the heroine, setting and had

a good time getting to know the characters. It also wasn't too heavy or dark so that's nice

if you want something light. The flow of the common route did make me

a little nostalgic for some reason. Personally my favorite routes was Yukito this is probably

because its the only one that truly felt well rounded, other than that I liked Riku too

though the one I liked the least was Kaz maybe cuz the tone was drastically different from the rest.

Its also not that emotionally draining like Virche or Sweet Clown so once again

if you want something light without worrying of dark bad ends, lover pretend is a good pick.

2, Angelique Luminarise.

  Not the most interesting otome game but this is more of a romance simulator than anything else

unfortunately the system was a reskin of Ange retour albeit improved and the only saving grace

are the characters themselves cuz despite a strong start IMO it fell a little flat in the end.

Though i'm glad for getting to experience this thing called brainrot because of Vergil.😂😂😂

I think this was the game that got hit by the pandemic the most... its been a long time

since I have seen a company reuse CG's 3 times. I think Ange retour had it better in that area

but if you like simulation games or have a short attention span this can be something to look into.

 

3, Kimi wa yukima ni koinegau.

 Probably the funniest one, I played and here I expected it to be sad? it kinda was in a way

unfortunately despite the great production values the pacing wasn't the best so even if the worldview/lore and characters were great and the plot behind it all was decent

this kinda did drag itself out. I did laugh a lot and most if not all the guys were likable

so I can't complain too much when it has plenty of funny/cute moments throughout the game.

But yea once again if this is otome game number 150... it might not be that interesting.

4, Shuuen no Virche.

 Oh boy... was this the epitome of a dark and edgy otome game! but I have to admit

story and character wise this game was good nevermind the despair! but who hurt

those writers man they really had it in for the heroine, i'm pretty sure this is as worst as it gets.

Even then this game managed to deliver as an otome game so it wasn't all bad

and I will believe people who say they think this game was the best in 2021 cuz 

in terms of story it was peak fiction. Though it might not be for everyone, that's for sure

the only bad part is the best ends for all the guys didn't actually need to be locked

which is probably what could have made all that despair a little less mentally draining

its just a questionable design choice cuz everything else was pretty great.

5, Sweet Clown.

 Well, this otome game had an interesting story, cast of characters and it was pretty well rounded

but it was pretty long and dreary, it also wasn't that fun of a read all the time

(not that there was no comedy mind you... just not that type of game)

still if you value story+characterization over romance then this is solid! most of the routes

were well-rounded and probably won't be disappointing in terms of romance.

Its hard to recommend due to the art style though and maybe if you have fear of clowns/masks

but still its pretty good overall! there's not much else to say really other than that

if you like complex characters it might be something? that is if you don't mind an espresso depresso.

~

 

Other games played:

Ryza 2,  xenoblade DE,  Utaware zan 2, Nayuta kai, Tales of Arise, Kuro no Kiseki, FFXIV:EW.

I also tried TMS#fe encore but I couldn't finish it for some reason I just lost interest

after this Yashiro guy joined? maybe i'll pick it up again... maybe not we'll see!

I already played Nayuta no Kiseki years ago but the ps4 rerelease was a nice refresher

for a kiseki game its short but it knows where to end without overstaying its welcome.

Well all of these were pretty good my fav's being Arise, Kuro and FFXIV 

but I have a bone to pick with ryza 2 so i'll have some final words on it here:

While I could somewhat understand what it tried to do it kinda rushed the last part of the game

and well Ryza herself just doesn't act like the typical atelier protagonsit would she knows much 

but doesn't use her knowledge that well, some parts of the whole felt off as well. If I learned

anything from its ending maybe sometimes you need to let things go no matter how hard it is.

~

 

Well that is all for my year end post, as for next year its wait and see!

The only one I am sure I will give a try is the hamefura one even though

i'm wary of games based on anime/LN but here's hoping its enjoyable.

If nothing else interesting comes out i'll probably pick up a game i've passed on...