Genre: VN.
Developer/publisher: Otomate
Platform: PSP,switch.
Official Site: https://www.otomate.jp/toki/switch/
Official Site: https://www.otomate.jp/toki/switch/
VNDB: https://vndb.org/v9885
Release date: 19-6-2025
I don't even know why I got this game but I wanted something meaty to sink my time into
and this ended up the right type of game for it. Was it worth it? it depends.
Toki no Kizuna also hasn't received any ports since it came out on PSP, it was localized
as demon's bond on mobile but solmare has long pulled the plug on that. Anyway this game
shares the same setting as Hakuouki but it is mostly stand alone outside of a few references.
Pro's
- Overall plot is pretty decent but not outstanding.
- The heroine kicked butt and spoke her mind.
- Gorgeous CG and sprites.
- Most BGM's suit the setting.
- What romance there is present is pretty adorable to see.
Grey Area
- High amount of bad endings. Can't decide if good or bad so here it goes.
Con's
- Doing all routes can be repetitive and make it feel same-ish.
- Feels more like a non-romance VN for the majority of its runtime.
- Despite trying to create intrigue it made certain stuff easy to put 2+2 together.
- No heroine sprite in the corner, this game may've benefit from that.
This switch port also includes the FD which I am glad it did as the base game
really needed it and without it i'd have no motivation to finish all routes.
As it is just a port of both games there is nothing added other than touching up
the art, I liked that the font was big which is great when it has losts of kanji.
Story: this is set in old japan around the time of the end of the sengoku period.
The subtitle should be pretty obvious about that, they've given it a slight fantasy spin.
Yukina an oni and head of her clan is tasked with finding a cure for the yasehime who was put
into a deep slumber. Yasehime also wanted her clan to not deal with humans as she
wished to sever ties between oni and humans or create some kind of non-interference.
Oni's were once referred to as gods but the clans have since lived reclusively away from
humans, some shady people are apparently against this and are generally a nuisance.
Yukina was one of the more capable heroines, while headstrong she could be sort of bitchy too.
Key point is Yukina doesn't see herself as a woman cuz they tend to be looked
down upon in this era. I think its also kind of sad but she does what she has to do.
Despite that she could still show signs of weakness or indecisiveness but that made her human.
Seeing her repress herself wasn't fun, a big part of Yukina's character is accepting herself for
who she is and that is not trying to pretend to be a man. Some routes do this better than others.
What was amusing was that she would frequently would go i'm a chieftain before i'm a woman
or get real feisty if the guys would treat her as a woman which she did not want.
At times she would also interject when they were butting heads so she wasn't just
standing there, she really does try to act independently for better or worse.
I wish she had a sprite in the bottom left corner or something or her sprite would appear
next to the guys instead, with her playing such a key role it feels like missed opportunity.
The art was by Miko which was pretty good, the sprites looked damn good
and the guys looked attractive. There's not much to complain about honestly
except maybe some of Senkimaru's CG's looking a bit off.
Music well it was okay, not the best OST i've heard but it served its purpose?
I liked how energetic the battle theme was which wasn't bad
but there one track could be rather sleep inducing..
The game had a stellar seiyuu cast and I recognized a lot of names
as well as oh my god Okamoto you're everywhere?!
Toki no Kizuna is a pretty long game, it took me around 1- 2 hours to clear
the first chapter, its a very slow and detailed historical fantasy otome game.
Though the length may vary depending on your profiency of japanese language
and sadly Toki no Kizuna is definitely not for beginners. I was fairly slow.
Its plot oriented and there is not much time for romance
but the heroine Yukina does grow closer to the LI over time.
I liked that there's a decent amount of suspense like who are the villains?
what is their goal? their were a lot of characters, they all had a role to play but at times
I was more interested in the shady hooded guy CV:Tachibana Shinnosuke than our heroes
but that changed over the course of the game and I am not looking forward to his route in the FD.💀
There's a bunch of Jiji's/granpas and they always livened up the scene. I found it funny
how all the oni's would be beautiful people but the humans would be normal looking...
The character interactions were pretty good but comedy wasn't the focus of this game
and for the most part it was pretty dry with only a funny scene here or there
with some romance crumbs too. Due to this Toki no Kizuna can feel like its not
an otome game at all and more like a non-romance VN.
The story was also fairly slow and at times it was testing my patience especially on
subsequent routes since there was a clear pattern of things that would happen.
Some later chapters did feel shorter so that was a blessing rather than a curse as
the game had eight chapters in total. I think a route was 8-10 hours in terms of length.
Depending on choices a lot of scenes in the common route would change because it would focus
on the LI related to those choices before settling into the character route which starts from ch5.
And that is why even on subsequent plays it can still be a bit long.
It was still interesting to see what character was involved with but overall it was kinda boring
to pursue multiple characters since some things still felt the same just with slightly different flavor.
Its also kind of easy to guess certain characters identities due to who voices them
its unfortunate because this kind of kills whatever mystery the story had.
The masked villains felt like they were team rocket, I couldn't take them serious by route 2.
At times it could make it seem like they didn't really take their own story and setting seriously
and if you look at the official site you can already see their appearance but the game
was generally slow at unveiling it which makes no sense to me.
Oh well I played my sengoku musous and basaras so I already know who won the war... whatever.
TL;DR 
I thought Chitose's route was pretty good but its just too repetitive, there's very little
that would set each route apart from eachother, I know the setting is limited so it can't be that
different but after two routes it all just felt the same in the end. They also focused too much
on the setting or war stuff and not enough on the otome part. I remember playing stuff like utawarerumono which also had war stuff but it wasn't as dry or boring as this. Even Birushana
had more fun to it. I rememeber making tomohorny jokes but here all I did was complain what
a psycho Yachiyo is.💀 Anything that was fun in this game was far and between. I'd probably
not recommend this game unless you like story heavy otome games that're slowburn or
are a giant Hakuoki nerd who wants to experience every content related to it.
There's not much sweetness but what's there is adorable, there's also a big emphasis on bonds.
Seeing Yukina develop a bond with the LI and accepting herself is what was saved it.
6/10
If you love historic fantasies as well then it might still be worth looking into but yea just
keep in mind the first game is not very otome-like and go in with low expecations.
My play order was: Kazuya > Chitose > Kazutake > Shin > Senkimaru.
Senkimaru's route is locked till you complete one route but his route has the real plot of the game
so its best to do him last. I recommend Kazuya's route first because there's
less reveals and it following Sekigahara in the traditional sense.
Side note: This already came over once on mobile as demon's bond but Solmare
as I already mentioned pulled the plug. I don't see a lot of people talk about it or
acknowledge it within the Hakuoki series so I think its popularity is up in the air.
It remains to be seen if it will ever get localized again but I think
it deserves better than being a mobile port.
As per usual character babbles after the jump as well as some of my fav CG's.
Kazuya.😌
CV: Kamiya Hiroshi.
Kamiya Hiroshi a lot in otome games but he did a great job and his voice fit the character.
Though everytime he opens his mouth I hear Jinas from shining resonance.........
Kazuya tends to keep his problems to himself and doesn't involve others in them
that's why he blew of Yukina for trying to stick her nose where it doesn't belong.
Kazuya has close ties to Ieyashu aka the man who united the warring states of japan.
Kaz often confides with him or acts as a bodyguard. This is of course none of
Yukina's concern Hmph! Seems more like he's trying to reason with him and come up
with a way for them to get over their differences. I'll spare you further details.
Its not untill the end of chapter 5 that I could feel the connection between Kaz and Yukina
had deepened but hey its a start alright! its nice to see that they developed an actual bond.
some of this included some weird drug and super soldiers. The hooded folk also
were a total pain in the neck but their true nature remained hidden. There was a lot of fuss about
whether or not to trust Ieyashu or not but eventually its revealed this guy has no real bad intent
and only wants the best for the country much like actual history. Kazuya was like see?
I told you so and Yukina's all hmm yea maybe your right afterall.
Kazutake was a pain in the neck this route due to his allegiance with Mitsunari
and since Kazuya is with Ieyashu he can't let him get killed. During a battle Yukina
jumped between them and this affected Kazuya deeply cuz what if she got killed?
this only further iron's his resolve so it doesn't happen again. Suppose this
was the point they started to have feelings for eachother.
Oh and Kazuya's surename is Yukimura.
One of the Jiji's ended up dying during the fighting when Shuten Douji totally not
since the Jiji's were the ones who raised her ever since she was a little girl.
Kazuya doesn't want to endanger Yukina and wants her to return to the Yase residence.
Yukina is like bitch please and stays at his side as the battle at sekigahara unfolds.
Shuten Douji works with Masanobu cuz he wants to build his own oni kingdom and rule it.
They kick ass but ShutenDouji got away and Kazuya wants to go after him
he tells her she has to go back to the yase residence for real now.
Of course Yukina is worried about him so he ends up kissing her to shut her up.
Her feelings have reached him but he wants her to believe in him till the day he returns.
Yukina still is like fuck dis shit and still accompanies him as they chase down Shuten Douji.
Kaz tells her not to get close while he fights him and to just have faith.
Yukina still sees an opening in Shuten's attack pattern and strikes him for Kazuya's sake.
Kaz apologizes for not relying on her as they both deal the final blow.
and offers support to a village that suffered in the conflict. Ieyashu also hands them
the cure for Yasehime's affliction and she promptly wakes upon being given it.
Kazuya wants to go after the remaining shady guys and Yasehime gives him permission
not to kill them but to help them. It may take a while but he is prepared to do it.
Kazuya then also asks Yasehime for Yukina's hand in marriage.
Kaz and Ieyashu also share some kind of father/son bond but I may have misremembered that.
Kazuya was pretty sweet but I don't think there was much to his character at all and didn't find
his route to be very interesting. Romance wise they sure did grow closer and the best end
was a beautiful display of trust but it was rather lacking and/or disappointing.
It felt more like a route where you chase after the LI just cause you can which
may not be for everyone. It felt like it brushed over a lot of other matters as well.
At the very least this was a traditional representation of sekigahara with some fantasy elements.
 |
| Atleast his route completion CG was really nice. |
6.5/10
~
Chitose.💕
CV: Itou Kentarou.
Chitose is the poster boy, I honestly liked him the moment he appeared and for
the most part its never a dull moment with him. Is this the Lupin effect? perhaps.
The common route follows Chitose and events play out differently since we choose where
to go, in this case Kazutake so SUS we end up following his ass to see what he's up to.
Perhaps it was due to Chitose's personality but I found the route a little sweeter than mister
hmph! i'll take care of it myself. Or more like Chitose felt safe and his energy is infectious.
Other things to note was Chitose getting bullied by Shin over some dumb shit that happened
when he was a kid, Shin sees him like cute a lil bro but Chitose finds this off-putting. 😂
Chitose gets upset when he finds out Kazuya has ties to Ieyashu, as if Kazutake
being a traitor by dealing with Mitsunari wasn't enough! Toyohisa is one of Chitose besties
and pretty much his wing man, he thinks Yukina and Chitose are quite a pair.
Tomohisa went out of his way to set them up too. He's too good for this world.
Other than that it was the same old and the shady guys blasting off like team rocket
and generally being a nuisance which I couldn't take serious anymore.
Yachiyo lost his mask this route so that was new... but I don't remember it in Kazuya's.
It seems this route involved more characters than the route I did prior so it felt like it tried
to be the main route... there was also some drama with Chitose's dad and Toyohisa confided
with Yukina that whatever happens Chitose must live and lead the clan.
After almost going berserk and transformin into a demon he feels a lot of guilt
but Yukina talked to him and he regained his spirit somewhat. He does a surprise
glomp attack and asks her to wait for him and is grateful for being there.
 |
| Yukina's just standing there being pretty. |
His surename is apparently Kazama like that guy from Hakuoki.
Chitose got kind of flustered after this and its like don't get the wrong idea
this affection is FRIENDLY like buddy or pals. Later the fighting continues
and during the campaign one of the Jiji's decides to confront Shuten Douji.
He got no chance but made his time, he dies trying. When Yukina finds him
she absorbs some sort of power from him so he is still with her fighting the bad's.
Yukina is overcome with grief since he was like family to him. Chitose snaps her out of it
since they can't stay here any longer and they return to the camp. TL;DR more war stuff ensues.
Chitose and Toyohisa insist she returns to the village as there will be a big fight
and that's no place for someone who lacks resolve. Of course Yukina is stubborn
and the decision is ultimately up to her. This dumb bitch ended up going straight
to Shuten's gang of shady people. She got tortured and Shuten tried to do something
but it didn't work, just then Chitose appeared who was a little disappointed
to find Yukina here still he's all fired up to settle it with Shuten who end up getting away.
In the aftermath Chitose and Yukina had a heart to heart in the rain... Chitose was too embarrassed
to utter any more sappy stuff so he just kissed Yukina instead which was adorable.
During the battle at sekigahara Yukina notices something and flat out lies to her buddies
the others catch on quickly and they back her up so nothing bad happened this time.
Toyohisa atays behind and ends up marching to his death, I feel this guy deserves
more credit for what he gets tbh. I liked him so I can't help but find it sad.
As Chitose and Shuten Douji face off, Yukina wonders what she can do and it involves
accepting herself for who she is, a woman and must let go of her repressed nature
if she wants to be able to support Chitose in the fight. She succeeds thanks to
remembering her granpa's words and transforms into her other demon self
and they both end up dealing the finishing blow to Shuten Douji together.
All's well that ends well... but it isn't perfect. Chitose feels like something's missing
which is because of Toyohisa death during the battle. Almost like a part of himself died too.
Still Yukina is now at his side so he isn't totally alone anymore and he's still glad she's here
so he asks if he can rest on her lap as he's pretty tired from everything.
Yea its the same old stuff while taking a different path but the character interactions on this side
were really good. Sadly I thought Yukina was kind of stupid, no reckless this route? I couldn't
take it seriously, choosing the wrong options lead to bad ends which there were a lot of.
This route properly developed Yukina's character as well as Chitose's and it was a lot more
well rounded than the route I did prior whom it feels like brushed over a lot of things.
Yachiyo and Shiyuu didn't even have their face reveal in Kazuya route which says a lot.
 |
| Not only was his route good, his route completion CG was cute as well. |
8/10
~
Kazutake.😑
CV: Nomura Kenji.
Probably the only dude I didn't care that much for. He works together with Mitsunari
 |
| Meh route... just wasn't my guy. Sorry for any slander. |
and when it became clear the rest of them didn't quite trust him as much. SUS.
It felt like they gave this guy a route just cuz its an otome game and to have a choice... and the
only reason I did this route was because I was lowkey interested in how he's on Mitsunari's side.
We know Mitsunari Ishida lost and Ieyashu was the winner of the war.
I did not have much hopes that they'd be original due to how repetitive it is so I was
mostly just vibing through this on autoplay. There was a funny scene was like
Yukina wanted to spar with Kazutake but then he get's like I don't hit women etc
as it goes against his morals. Yukina is like wtf i'm a chieftain before I am a woman.
After she finishes raging he just... headpats her.💀
 |
| Dude thinks he's Rean Schwarzer or something... |
Anyway it wasn't all bad and there were some interesting bits.
Seems masked boi's got their face reveal here as well so its just... Kazuya's route that feels off.
A lot of yadayada and more headpats, Kazutake's surename is Amagirl.
I don't really remember much else everything really felt the same, there is a distinct
pattern every route and there's the showoff superpowers and a jiji death etc etc etc.
Hideie also got a bit too close to comfort but nothing really happened.
Shiyuu went bonkers near the end and took the drug but Kazutake and Yukina stopped
his attempt to bring shame to the Toyotomi name. Shiyuu was also rather suicidal?
like he didn't care if he was beyond saving as long as he got the job done.
In the ending he makes some kind of oath with Yukina as he sends her back to her village
this is apparently a custom among the amagiri clan. Kazutake asks her to wait for him
which took many months, during this time Yasehime woke up too. Kazutake just comes back
one day saying, sorry to make you wait. LMAO long haired Yukina's kinda sexy too.
I was just vibing&waiting for the next scene to happen that mattered, not paying
much attention so I probably missed some stuff, next.
it seems he doesn't really care about Yukina, it should be fine if she is tomboyish
so that line of you'll always be a woman rubbed me the wrong way.
Only good part of this route were some scenes here or there and the ending.
Due to a boring route I decided to collect bad endings but holy shit what a landmine hell...
in one of them Kazutake died and then Yukina goes to visit Mitsuhide in jail who is like
but why?! also don't touch me you demon. I did what I had to do and so do you.💀
other bad ends are just straight up Yukina getting killed by Yachiyo or... stopped
by that ShutenDouji guy and the game just kinda ends.💀💀💀
5.5/10
~
Shin.💖💀
CV: Hino Satoshi.
I still was interested enough to do his route but yeaa... he seems like the flirty type or something
but I also got this weird vibe I couldn't put my finger on what it was. In good news
this is likely the most otome route this game was going to get, much to Yukina's dismay.
Shin really treated her like he would any woman. His seiyuu also sounded really good
which added to the experience. Bad news is... due to this being like route number 4
most of it felt the same as the others and there wasn't much i'd say was new.
Shin is actually rather strict when he is not fooling around which... was a surprise.
Most of this route was carried with its CG's and romantic scenes. The war stuff
and intrigue kind of overstayed its welcome but we saw some things other routes
glossed over like Senkimaru getting kidnapped by Yachiyo and Shiyuu.
I thought it was cute how they made a pinky swear but Shin is actually really strict
and actually slapped Yukina's fingers when she tried talking back this made me dislike him
because he made Yukina swear that she won't betray him.💀 Alert.
and its not for Shin, its Yachiyo this dude was so unhinged this route its hilarious.
I don't even look forward to his route in the FD... it was that bad.
Anyway Shin and two of the Jiji's came to save Yukina but she was so traumatized
from that shit, strangely enough no one died YET. In the next encounter with them
they say they did kill someone and Yukina starts hearing shit in her mind after they left
Like Shin saying how much of a nuisance she is and that he's using her.
Yukina flips out and then Shin kisses her, he says this is because they were too late before
and Yachiyo managed to influence Yukina in some way through underhanded methods.
He explains Yachiyo used some kind of black thread that messed with her way of thinking.
Shin kissing her is basically showing how he really feels cause words wouldn't have reached her.
Meanwhile Kotarou and Tsukishima get assaulted by Yachiyo and turned into his puppets.
After a meeting with Mouri Yukina finds out through her hawk and is lead to them...
Shin followed and reveals that his surename as Shiranui in the middle of the fighting.
Tsukishima and Kotoura both end up killing eachother cuz they don't like
this shit of anymore than we do. Like other routes they end up joining
Yukina in spirit so they can fight together.
They take a breather as there is a big battle starting to unfold... its almost time.
If there wasn't enough death this route Shiomi ends up dying as well
and wants her to have his spirit as well so he can join with the others.
Shin transform into a beautiful demon to deal with Yachiyo who's also in his demon form.
Yukina also transforms but this time she has 3 jiji's at her side instead of just one.
Shin soft confirms something about her being part of the true heritage
which makes Yachiyo flip his shit. Either way Yukina and Shin both kick his ass.
Most of the war stuff happened behind the scenes this time compared to other routes
it felt more like they personally dealt with Yachiyo. Yasehime wakes up
and things return to normal, all's well that ends well. Shin visited after a while
apparently Yasehime had summoned him but he did want to see her.
Despite some things. to him she's the cutest in the whole world.
which revealed a detail about Senkimaru that I had already suspected.
There was a sad end and it was rather sad... felt like this was mostly due to bad choices
but much like the Jiji's he will always be with her. She spends some time with Mouri as well.
ISTG Shin gets all the good romance scenes... doing his route was still worth it.
As for his character he's not bad at all but its really sad the other LI don't even
get half the romantic scenes like Shin does. In terms of plot, same old
and the war stuff kinda gets old at this point but overall not bad.
~
Senkimaru.
CV: Okamoto Nobuhiko.
 |
| Senkimaru is a tsundere and its not like he wanted to come or anything! |
of being an intruder when actually he's just answered her summons.
His clan was exiled due to a bunch of bullshit caused by their leader and his clan
became known as the strays. Senki seems to be against working together
with humans and pretty much snapped over the stuff with Kazuya.
During the first route it was really obvious to me that Shutendouji was actually Senkimaru
but the only thing I've yet to know was why. Basically Shutendouji was his ancestor
aka the guy who went apeshit and forced his own clan into exile.
Senki assumed his identity as a cover for shady operations after dark.
In a lot of bad ends Shuten always ends up putting the heroine to sleep
with his weird mind control powers. Senkimaru can use this as well
so its pretty easy to put 2+2 together. Basically Senki borrowed Shuten's identity
and he was working with the masked villains all along. Senki was like
hey didn't you notice it all this time. Well I actually did. 💀
Its also suggested that Yasehime could just wake up if she wants to... but yet she sleeps.
Senki doesn't seem to actually give a shit about Yasehime and if she died then they can
just choose a new one, Yukina gets pissed when she hears him talk shit like that.
Yukina couldn't make him eat the words so she got knocked out. Lmao.
Though the shit that happened to his clan? Senki is upset about that.
Chitose,Kazuya and Shin are otherwise engaged with a mysterious demon beauty
who's obviously not Yasehime. She wipes the floor with them.
Turns out Yasehime was kidnapped while Yukina was away.
Senkimaru ends up fully transforming,Yukina loses it and then
the jiji's found her they tell Yukina to forget about him.
Later on Senkimaru appears again but grown up, without the horns etc.
He's pissed off by everything and how they've been treating his clan
which is why Senki, Yachiyo and Shiyuu are so hell-bent on trying to change things.
Senki wants her to join him but she can't or won't make up her mind
so he just sends her off to dream land in which she has a dream of the past
of how the granpas raised her. When she wakes up Senki holds her and tells her
what an idiot she is. An idiot who doesn't realize she's being used and mislead.
She doesn't need to worry about Yasehime because it was never their intention to kill her
but he does say that she's been lied to about some things. Which makes Yukina react
but then Chitose appears and is quite antagonistic towards Senkimaru and the oni's.
Yachiyo is once again unhinged and Senkimaru suspects he's being used for his own agenda.
Yachiyo plays around with his threads before they blast off yet again.
I think he was pretty much the evil mastermind cuz if you pay attention in Shin's route
its him that makes people lose their shit so basically they were his puppet etc.
Senkimaru is being played like a puppet and ends up in his demon form Chitose has
no chance but makes his time. Yukina somehow manages to get through to him.
Everyone else be like wtf you doing let us get him now, it will be trouble if he wakes.
Yukina tries her best to convince Chitose and the others as Senki recovers.
 |
| Okay that was cute. |
When Senki wakes he gets all like don't go and cry for me! she was right by his side while
he slept and then suddenly she appeared in his dream trying to set him straight.
Yukina decides to defend his helpless ass when Shin waltzes in trying to take care of things.
Senki ends up cooperating so the situation doesn't escalate any further.
Later Yachiyo appears from the bushes along with a white haired demon beauty
who seems to have missed Yukina quite a bit. Its Yasehime under influence of the sentan.
Yasehime says she doesn't know a thing and then remembers Senkimaru saying
she might be being used. Yasehime asks whether Yukina remembers anymore
and she has trouble remembering everything since it happened so long ago.
Yasehime says Yukina was the one who killed her family and took their power
or more like she absorbed their power like what happened
to the Jiji's when they died in every route. Yasehime also says she was isolated
just so she could easily be killed if it happened again.Idk her motives are confusing
because one of the bad ends says she won't actually kill her but put her
in lala-land so they can both be perfect sisters together.💀
The Jiji's were basically like her guardians and raised her.
Yasehime also figured that Yukina may be in love with Senkimaru but still
thinks she's in the right to do whatever she wants. Senki doesn't like it one bit
and transforms into his demon self and attacks Yasehime.
Kazuya and the jiji's also show up... and the villains make a timely exit.
They had a brief respite and I was about to say I liked the CG
well Senkimaru looked fine and sexy but Yukina....... oh well.
I slept through half of the final chapter cuz most of it was a setup
for the final battle with Yasehime. Its hard because of Yasehime's ability
of precognition but they managed to cheese it somehow. Much like the
other routes she has to rely on her oni power to save her sister.
Yukina distracted Yasehime by doing a memory deep dive
so Senki could stab her in the back. Turns out Yasehime didn't actually want to do this
and wants her to erase this power from her memory as well as become the next Yasehime.
The battle of sekigahara seems to have started as well... but all ends well enough.
Yasehime is back to normal... and her wound wasn't fatal? not sure I understood that part
but doesn't remember anything much like she wished. Senkimaru complains
Yukina is a busy bee as he wants her to see something. They both overlook the land
from a cliff and he says the warring states period has finally concluded but this isn't
the end its the start of a new era for both humans and oni's
as well as the fact that yukina's the only one for him.
In the sad end Yasehime doesn't survive and Yukina becomes the next one
 |
| Atleast the best ending CG looked good. |
everything is peaceful and everyone is there except her sister. :(
You know while I was midway through this route I started thinking...
was this how Fey's route in Matsurika no Kei was supposed to be like?
I liked Senkimaru's route much more though. This is coming from someone
that didn't care much about him during the other 4 routes so I guess it says a lot.
Even Senki deserves to have a happy end of sorts, precious baby
buuut I did think the final chapter dragged a bit. In terms of art though
I believe this is where Miko started to derp as there was a noticable dip in quality.
Also while I could see how Yukina and Senki grew closer the romance was just kinda meh
and a lot of it felt like it was lost in the sauce that was the plot.
Holy shit I am finally done with this game, god bless.
8/10
~
Fav route:
Chitose > Senkimaru >Shin > Kazuya > Kazutake.
What Kazuya has going for him is his gentleness and aloof nature but other than that
his route was a snoozefest and it just didn't feel very well rounded as say Chitose.
Shin's route was hard carried by the romance and gorgeous CG's
but by the time I did his route the overall plot kinda got old.
Senkimaru gets the 2nd spot mostly because of the overall story
but Chitose felt like it was the only one with balance.
Fav character:
Kazuya > Chitose > Shin / Senkimaru > Kazutake.
I wasn't that interested in Kazutake or cared much about him
and Senkimaru had the plot going for him which makes him rank slighly higher.
I liked the poster boys Kazuya and Chitose much more, Shin is okay.
I will apologize for the Kazutake slander but this guy was just not for me.
~
Final Thoughts
Honestly it wasn't that bad it was just fine? though really it didn't feel like I was playing
an otome game and more like historic novel with fantasy elements. There's intrigue
and the heroes must navigate the setting to overcome a problem amidst a war torn land.
It simply focused too much on war stuff rather than character development which came in late.
Its also a nightmare to play this blind due to a high amount of bad ends
but if you don't mind less than ideal outcomes and 1 best end it could be fun I guess.
How do I put this? it starts slow, builds up towards the ending and that's where it was fire but the
majority of it was just not very interesting or it depends very much on which route you did.
I enjoyed Chitose more than Kazuya for example. The setting itself also doesn't really allow
itself to be about anything else but Sekigahara so it can get repetitive as well.
I swear some of the same scenes play out each route like someone dies etc.
They also don't seem to take its own story and characters seriously
and it really varied whether or not I thought a route was good.
The game would also frequently change its POV to that of the antagonists...
due to this I was more invested into the acts of the villains rather than those of the heroes.
This reminded me of Shining Resonance which also did that but unlike that game
Toki no Kizuna wasn't as fun and found it pretty tough to chew through, This wasn't because
of the language difficulty, it was Toki no Kizuna overall carrying a serious tone
but if you try to do all the route it could quickly feel the same.
Anyways sure some fun was had but it was like less than 5% of the game.
Adding to that the romance was probably 15% of the game and 80% was the plot.
Only in Shin's route I'd say there was more romance compared to others.
This is coming from someone that played stuff like utawarerumono as well but this game
really was too dry and and not all routes balanced this out. Only Chitose felt right
and in Shin's case it felt like they remembered that it was an otome game for once
for other routes most of the romance was lost in the sauce that is the plot.
Honestly there's not much I remember from the routes like whatever romance that
was there was very cute and the art was so gorgeous but the plot got old fast.
There's not much that set each route apart, which is a problem.
I just couldn't take the villains seriously anymore after 2 routes.
They felt like team rocket and blasting off they did.💀
What story the game did try to tell wasn't necessarily bad and there was a good portrayal
of bonds in general like friendship and family ties with romance sprinkled on top.
I also loved how in Chitose's route Yukina's self acceptance was portayed
but other than that I just don't think this otome game was that great.
6/10
Its fine for what it tried to do and that was to be a historical fantasy & reference material.
The game was likely designed for History/hakuoki nerds or people who don't play many otome games.
Next? I will continue on with the FD for now and Lunar 2 which I am almost done with.
Mononoke Chigiri is still a maybe, I hope its good and not as light in volume as Fuyuzono.
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