Developer/publisher: Otomate.
Platform: Switch.
Official Site: http://ideafintl.com/cupid-parasite/
VNDB: https://vndb.org/v25912
Release date: 2021-11-02.
So after I beat xenoblade 3, which left me kind of depressed I wondered what game/vn
would be best to play next... which lead me to cupid parasite cuz honestly I was in the mood
for something that I know is light-hearted/fun and probably doesn't take it self too serious! I couldn't finish the game before kuro 2 so this kind of became a backburner game I played inbetween
other games. Due to this being out in english, I actually decided to play it and support
instead of just buying it in JPN. The localization was fine and they even patched
any lingering issues that were found. Of course I did spot a few minor mistakes
anyone could make when typing, its nothing too big that would ruin it in the long run.
Pro's
- Cute and funny story with a pro-active heroine.
- Gorgeous Art and Catchy Tunes!
- Unique individual routes and a really good finale.
Con's
- UI is a little busy / too much random/usless text in menu's.
I don't got many complaints so let's get those out first!
The UI is a tad busy! which I think is more of a personal issue from my part.
So while the art is really good and I don't have much problems with the background art either
though it is stylish the backgrounds can look kind of flat at times as well.
I don't mind the vibrant colours in fact I like bright happy stuff but there's such a thing
as there being a lot on the screen. The other thing is that while the music is really good
I didn't like it when there were vocal tracks cuz it distracted me from reading
so I just lowered the volume to the point its just a nice background bgm.
The UI is just too busy for people like me and it overwhelmed me...
still I like the style of it all and it being hip and trendy even if its just not my thing.
System wise it was just basic stuff, there are bad/fail ends but it all was pretty simple and easy
to get the normal/best end which didn't have much difference except one being just better.
It does have bad ends but they're not too bad, if you play blind you could get them...
but its not too hard to get the good or best ends due to love catch! although
at times it will take a while before the love catch shows up.
Cupid Parasite does remind me of Variable Barricade in some ways yet they're nothing alike.
The only thing that is, is that the love interests are definitely not ready for marriage! yet.
Both games also have a confident/headstrong heroine. So if you're into that or tired
of the meeker ones Cupid Para is definitely something to look into.
For the most part it was a pretty light-hearted but fun read, this is not the game
to look for if you prefer darker stories as it really is like a love comedy.
Can't describe it in any other way! some of the love interests might not work for everyone though
but really i've played plenty of otome games to know by now that sometimes you'll just
find some character that you just cannot like or leaves the most terrible of first impressions
and Ryuki sorta hit that spot for me, I was like any other love interest please and thank you!
I swear I looked over all the initially available love interests and was like hmm they're all
a better choice than him. I still wanted to do his route of course, just not right of the bat.
All in all Cupid Parasite is a fun and cute otome game, it is also a game that can lift your mood
like if you have a bad day or want to think about something better/fun.
There's not much otome games like it but I think it is one of the better ones out in english
because it doesn't try too hard with its story and manages to keep it light and fun
without it ever trying too hard to be something it isn't.
The heroine Lynette also was an absolute queen I enjoyed seeing her interact with the guys etc.
One thing I will be honest about is that the love interests could definitely be a hit or miss
but don't let that stop you from trying it out. I didn't like any of the guys that much based
on the common route but their route did make things better or put perspective on things!
so characters like Shelby became much more likable and even Gill became bearable.
Ryuki however will remain the king of terrible expressions, even so his route was still
surprisingly entertaining, even if I don't like him that much he got the OK from me by the end.
The true route this time was one of the better kind but I can understand if some say it needed
just a little more romance as it did focus on the plot and any questions the player could have had.
but if you're up for that or just for something silly then by all means it gets my recommendation
cuz it is a good time. This game is also great to just play in short bursts/a little at a time
or do a route every now and then! for me it was like that and just did a route inbetween other games.
For the most part it all turned out okay cuz there's no real overarching plot so I wasn't
too confused when I picked it back up cuz every route is mostly self-contained.
There was definitely a plot beneath it all but by the time I got to the routes that delved into it more
I also stopped taking breaks and just did the final three routes one after the other.
Allan's route is really good tho and i'd even recommend the whole game just cuz of him.
I also think due to the love interests being diverse there may be something for everyone
in this game which is good. Honestly I think Cupid-Para was pretty well-rounded!
all things considered this was a good otome game maybe not the best ever but it was pretty good
at what it tried; being a rom-com. The final route does feel more like a fanservicey what if
rather than a typical true route but it does a good job of giving the player another perspective.
9,5/10
Biased score I know! but I did enjoy it and will look back fondly on it.
My play order was Shelby > Gill > Raul > Allan > True.
Raul's route is locked till 2nd play and Allan's locked by him...
dunno if there was a recommended order but I think the following is alright to recommend
due to the restrictions on Raul/Allan the first three routes listed can be done as you like.
If Ryuki really irks you due to his habits then you could skip him...
or if you want to get to Allan just do Gill and Raul to unlock Allan.
Recommended: Shelby / Ryuki / Gill > Raul > Allan > True.
I'll stop rambling here and there is some more character focused babbles after the jump.
The route babbles they will just be some likes/dislikes, along with fav CG.
There won't much spoilers except for me rambling of all routes including the hidden one.
Shelby Snail.
CV: KENN.
but I guess he is kinda cute? nvm that he is just dumb to the point it is endearing.
Mother of god... compared to some of the other love interest I actually wanted to do his route first
and well Shelby was really cute and I honestly regretted nothing! but yea let's face it
the whole proxy thing was dumb so I was like when will this end since I actually started
to get interested in Owen instead and wished I was romancing him instead.😅😅😅
Hey! its almost like that one meme where this guy is with a chick but the guy looks at another chick
and honestly it actually was quite like that. Sigh... atleast it was mostly enjoyable
and I had a good laugh here and there. The theme of this route was pretty much pretend love
and I did like how it went from fake to real. Though i'll admit that in the beginning it seemed
Lynette was like a therapist/advisor heh she does her job too well! Shelby's self-reflection
and ability to be honest and sincere is what pretty much made me like him more.
I don't think he was a self-concious as Gill but Shelby got better as the route progressed!
This is what made the route very good, atleast in my opinion, it did however have one of those
classic misunderstandings and I literally was like oh my god just talk which they did.
So overall pretty good, but yea mister SS may not be for everyone even if he does get better by a lot
part of me even thinks romancing him is a bit too forced, I could see Shelby falling for Lynette
but the other way around was a little weird but maybe its cuz Lynette is just as much of a workaholic
so she doesn't get time to think about herself which is something Shelby had trouble with too.
All things considered its probably for the best I did this route first!😄
 |
| Dummy... |
~
Gill Lovecraft.
CV: Kimura Ryohei.
 |
| Let's be real... this was flashback hell. |
but then again I could tell that it could be that kind of character and well you know...
so I became kind of wary when it was obvious he liked Lynette ever since they were roommates.
There's a lot of cliche's in this route and Lynette was also more dense than usual...
Gill however seems to be very self-concious even more so than Shelby which is what
made me like Gill more! this route also felt more like a rom-com to me than Shelby did.
The mega crush he has on Lynette and how he can't seem to move on did kind of felt creepy
and if not for his POV and self-conciousness it could probably be a lot worse but it ain't.
Perhaps the worst part was that this route was mostly flashbacks so when you think
things are progressing it constantly jumps back to Lynette and Gill's college days.
This honestly was really jarring and while I did enjoy some of it at times I just was like
oh god not this shit again?! or welp guess its time for another flashback!
The meme Wait... its all (or mostly) flashbacks, always has been really suits this route.
It was just such a shame because I actually did start to enjoy the romance...
its just unfortunate the pacing was all over the place because of all those damn flashbacks.
I mean I think it nice that we get to see what happened in their college years
but is that all really? seems like they were really stretching it or didn't have much to work with.
To constantly have characters talk of the past isn't very good cuz it keeps the present on hold
it might have been needed or couldn't be done in another way but yea it was kind of a slog
to sit through at times! sigh I did really like Gill being honest of his feelings and Lynette
slowly getting it. Oh well, it wasn't that bad but it wasn't that great either!
the route wasn't really my favorite but it had many funny moments.
Unfortunately this route felt like it just kept going and going by the end which may add
to the fact of me not liking it that much, all the flashbacks earlier on did not help either!
at the very least everything wrapped up nicely which was good.
If I had to be super honest, Gill's love for Lynette is actually kind of scary...😅
in any other otomate game Gill would be one of those type of guys and you know it.
Only good part of the route was that it showed that this is not how it works! this is not
how any of this works! my point being, love in general... wanting to be there for your
loved ones is one thing but you can't put in too much or more than they do.
Gotta put as much effort in as you get, cuz if you over exert it will just be a waste
and let's be real some times you gotta be the one to speak up or be direct of your feels
instead leaving it up in the air and waiting for them to notice all your effort.
At times I felt really bad for Gill being such a simp and Lynette being so dense but yea
some people do need others to be direct when it comes to stuff.
~
Ryuki.
CV: Enoki Yunya.
 |
| He's all about glamour baby! |
personality doesn't help at all, oh god he's just obnoxious and everything about him just gets
on my nerves I didn't even want to romance him on my initial play and chose Shelby instead.😅
Anyway turns out this guy just got no experience and no clue of proper social etiquette so
in short he is hopeless, his family even forced him into the direction of romance/marriage
for the sake of his career. I mean wtf who even sprays humidifier into someones face???
Bruh... what the fuck even if wrong with this guy? uh yea I guess he can be cute but his personality
just sucks ass and needs work, like pls stop spraying shit into peoples faces PLEASE.
As turns out, his grandma is a perfectionist and their family has some stupid ass rules
forcing him to act the way he does and he even thinks it is normal to have such high standards.
I didn't enjoy seeing him tear apart people and tell them what to do even if it helped them
cuz let's be honest here! you don't need to be that harsh... but again I think i'm willing to blame
his upbringing and not Ryuki himself. Having such high standards is not exactly healthy.
Well I'm trying to like Ryuki and understand him but he was easily one of the worst love interest
cuz there is just so much that is off-putting, definitely the king of bad impressions.
Still his route did have some level of enjoyment so it wasn't all bad... in fact it was very cute
to see Ryuki fall in love and get to know what it is! but maybe he's not really for me.
Yea the whole spraying face mist thing was a bit too much for me and almost made me
want to avoid this route, still glad I didn't. In terms of plot, Ryuki's route may have been
the weakest, its something about most of it just being a misunderstanding and poor communication.
I did like seeing Melanie and Owen get together and Ryuki actually changing for the better
but I guess some things will never change and that is him being able to state the honest truth.
Its funny how I went from disliking Ryuki to actually enjoying his route
more than the other ones who were initially available.
 |
| I am glad that by the end of it all I can say he's a cutiepie that grew on me! |
Raul Aconite.
CV: Yashiro Taku. |
| This route turned out to be awkward in more ways than one! |
so at times I was like uh would I really want to date him? he's so passionate.
Raul definitely doesn't seem to be too bad at a glance, he DEFINITELY needs to actually
learn more about romance though. As the route progressed we quickly find out he's basically
a fuckboy who doesn't really care if women get upset when they slept with him since
he doesn't really care after the deed was done. Due to being in showbiz one night stands
end up being really normal for him. Romance? eh never actually fell in love.
This route is actually quite hilarious, how not only Raul gets to casually fuck Lynette
not even two hours into his route, he also gets lectured at how his lifestyle is bad to which
he is actually taking it to heart.😅 Lynette also was adamant in finding someone for
Raul to fall for but eh after three routes it really obvious of how the only one any of these guys
can actually fall for is YOU Lynette. Its becoming quite a gag that whenever Lynette even tries
to look for someone else i'm just LMAO girl its YOU who's the match for him.😂😂😂
Despite Raul being a literal fuckboy he is actually still a sweetheart, he's just so
incredible dense in terms of romance. Anyway while this route might be hilarious
it also kinda left a bad taste in my mouth cuz why are the panties flying off within
2 hours of the route??? oh man... even Shelby had more class than this guy. Wew~
I did like Raul's personal development and how he grew as an actor as he learned of love...
however I think this route is all over the place, it certainly had a more involved plot
or tried to have it which after the last route was welcomed but not sure how I feel
about it literally turning into indiana jones? Raul is just all over the place literally.
At times I found myself zoning out too cuz it felt like it went on too long
even though it really tried to keep it interesting with the expedition part.
What I dislike the most about it all is Raul seems like a genuinely nice guy
who just happens to fuck around without much care in the world.
Seems it is all a like sex drugs and rock and roll cuz they went with some of those themes
so hard its not even funny. In the end it just feels all over the place and can't take much seriously.
The normal end felt a little different than the best end but idk it could also have been
an extra scene before or after the end. I don't really like how otomate does them lately tbh...
both normal/best end feel the same, its the same outcome except one is slightly better.
~
Allan Melville.
CV: Furukawa Makoto.
Other than that it was easy to see that this guy seems to have more to him and is more
involved than most of the initial love interests. Makes sense cuz this guy's route is locked
till you do Raul's whom's unlockes after doing literally anyone else.
Right from the start of the route, Allan already does something that made me want to spit fire!
he really does have a reason for doing what he does but the way he does can be a bit maddening.
If anything I am reminded of Alvaro Garay from WoF! they aren't the same but they both
have a way of playing with out feelings. I thought the way the route progresses was
overall more interesting than anyone elses, like it wasn't stuck in flashback hell like Gill nor was
the plot so self-contained like Ryuki or had the panties flying off within the first two hours.
Dreams don't count...😈.
Sure Allan can be seductive but Lynette was putting him in place quickly which was hilarious!
I'd rather have things happening in a dream and the heroine trying to figure things out than it
simply going aww yea sex and rock&roll. Honestly I thought the overall pacing was better here
but its so obvious that Allan has the most plot involved route, it makes even sense
for the story why the other routes are the way they are! at the end of the day
I can definitely say this man has stolen my heart and i'm once again an Allan Simp.
Speaking of I think this is the 3rd character with the name Allan/Alan that I enjoyed.
Sure Allan made me go ugh in the common route but the story and his reasoning
for doing what he did just makes me go oh let me love you!
I do have some slight problems with how some things played out but all in all it was a great route.😄
My gripes basically being how it felt a little forced in what ended up happening which reminded me
of jyuza engi 2 Chouryu's route which was another trip entirely so i'll spare you.
I get that they probably couldn't have done it any other way so I can sorta let it slide.
Atleast there were relatives I thought Jyuza engi 2 had it far worse.
At the end of the day I think there's a lot of bias for Allan but it was definitely worth
doing his route even if he made me go ugh at the beginning of the game
and let's be real this game is basically all about him and cupid.
However this isn't where it ends... there is still one more route!
~
Jupiter.
CV: Okamoto Nobuhiko.
 |
| Exactly how I feel about Jupiter after this route... |
I think after you did Raul and Allan then you'd definitely be wondering about Jupiter
atleast I did, especially after one of Allan's bad ends where he seemed to be actually nice?
The reason is that this route is basically a sort of truth route that involves putting
everything together, sadly in doing so it slightly alters the overall storyline hench why
it can't be accessed the usual way and only after doing all routes.
Despite there being a slight copy-pasta but i'm just really happy there is even an option!
I say this cuz there were points that were identical to the prologue/common route still those parts
were small and the route itself still felt original. There was just no other way this could happen.
It may be more plot focused but that didn't mean there was no romance! tho I do wish there was
a little more. If Allan was the dark route then Jupiter is the light route! idk but this route was
basically just icing on the cake and the game pretty much reached its peak. Everything makes sense
and the reveals oof~ I laughed at when I found out what Jupiter looked like as a human...
also if you saw Jupiter as a bad guy, he's really not and pretty much a cinnamon roll.
There were no choices which made it extremely rail-roaded but it was enjoyable nonetheless.
I'd go as far as say that the humor/comedy was at its peak in this route... as I did laugh a lot
the only downside for me was the voice acting, idk okamoto sounded like he had a cold
and I couldn't tell if it was intentional which probably was. At the end of the day
this was a good route about a literal angel too pure and good for the world!
at the same, it also did a great way to wrap up the game as a whole any potential questions
were answered and plot holes were filled. Which made this game incredibly solid and well-rounded.
 |
| If Allan was the |
~
Route enjoyment:
Jupiter / Allan > Shelby > Ryuki > Raul > Gill.
While Ryuki did grew on me by a lot, his route was just less involved than others...
and it didn't have much going for him but i'll admit he can be cute! I think I liked it more
than Raul's despite Ryuki not really standing out in terms of plot, speaking of plot
Allan and Chii stole my heart. Gill's route may be alright but idk the constant flashbacks
plus the simping was a huge turnoff for me, its like everything it tells you is how it should not be.
At the end of the day the routes I enjoyed the most were the final two routes...
maybe because we finally got to see the real plot which was barely touched upon before those.
Fav character:
Jupiter > Allan > Ryuki > Shelby > Raul / Gill.
Final Thoughts.
 |
| Once again, the heroine Lynette was an absolute queen! |
and CupiPara was actually kind of nice as a backburner game to come back to.
Or more like the first three routes I just had less motivation for, once I got to Raul, Allan
and the final route just followed naturally. Which means story wise, these routes was were its at.
Shelby and Ryuki just felt like they had routes cuz its an otome game, Gill wasn't too bad
but idk I didn't enjoy his route that much maybe it was the flashbacks and the simping.
Storywise it does make sense for there to be other options besides good old Allan and the
secret route makes me think; you thought Allan was an angel? haha Chii's like hold my beer!
While it might not be the best ever otome game, I do think it is a candidate
for being one of the better ones available on the english market. Okay that was subjective...
Cupid-Para is an original yet stylish rom-com that has an interesting cast of characters.
In terms of writing it may even have some food for thought as well, cuz
it did get me thinking about real love at times. The love interest in general could be a hit or a miss
but a lot of otome games tend to be like that and well you can't always like everything!
This was also one of those otome games where the normal/best end didn't feel that much different
just one is slightly better cuz they're both good. It seems to be a trend lately...
I skipped most of the bad ends except some common ones + Allan's. Anyway Cupi-Para
was a pretty fun otome game that ended up being incredibly well-rounded!
it didn't feel like it tried too hard despite it being a rom-com, due to this I personally liked it more
than variable barricade which was an okay otome too, it just wasn't my thing maybe
it was cuz I only ended up liking two LI's in that game.
Still glad I gave this game a shot and support the english otome game releases a little
cuz truth be told I haven't bought any in english for a while besides this and bustafellows.
I can recommend this game to anyone who likes rom-com's and vn's with a pro-active protag!
9,5/10
Sad there was no full-comp CG this time but oh well!
Side note! I don't really see the need for a fandisc that much except for more fluff?
i'm really not sure what else they can do with Cupi-Para?! maybe give Melanie and Owen
a side story plus the usual afters??? or maybe more time with Jupiter. Oh well all I know is that
this game is getting a FD but they haven't even revealed any info on it aside the announcement.
I'll probably won't play much else this year but i'm willing to give monochrome mobius a shot.
I also bought Harvestella so i'll have enough choice in terms of other games to play.
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