Akuyaku Reijou wa Ringoku no Outaishi ni Dekiai Sareru - review

 Genre: VN.

Developer/publisher: Operahouse.
Platform: Switch.
Official Site: https://akuyaku.operahouse.co.jp/

VNDB: https://vndb.org/v47740

Release date: 21-3-2024.

This is an adaptation of a villainess lightnovel, Akuyaku for short or in english as:

The Villiainess Is Adored by the Crown Prince of the Neighboring Kingdom.

I never read it but it seemed like fun so I gave it a shot. I am well aware this is by the developer

who released charming empire and gakuen club, so I was still a little skeptic going into it.

I wasn't too sure what to expect but it suits the quality of their other releases.

 

I haven't really seen too many villainess works other than hamefura or taming the final boss.

Sorry if this sounds harsh but Akuyaku Reijou unfortunately wasn't able to do much new

other than just having cute romance... with not much substance to it.

I did think it is perfect to play if you don't have much else you'd rather be doing...

Pro's

- Voiced heroine.

- Sweet SWEET romance.

- Great art.

Con's

- Long text dumps/monologue's.

 - Primitive system, this grandma's fingers hurt from holding button to skip.

- Music can be grating on loop.

 

System is just standard stuff but when I saw the UI... I was like is this a PC game?

it sure had that kinda layout, idk what to expect of systems in VN nowadays

but Akuyaku Reijou was so backwards compared to other visual novels.

 

Akuyaku Reijou is pretty much a straight-forward visual novel

that adapts part of the lightnovel and it doesn't have any routes so there's like

only one love interest. This is also one of the rare cases where it may be better

to go into it without knowing anything about it so the twists will still be interesting.

So if you never heard about Akuyaku Reijou then yes you can start here!

 

I didn't understand why there were even choices, other than to get CG's maybe?

but there weren't that many and so I started to wonder what the purpose of this game was

because they may as well have turned it into a kinetic novel like witch on the holy night.

It was a chore to collect the other CG's in the three different volumes especially

with how you have to hold the skip button... to even get through it but atleast

it made it seem like your choices affected things so that's not bad.

 

The art is really gorgeous and I have no complaints of it.

The music wasn't really anything special there weren't a lot of tracks

and to hear it on loop for too long is grating so yea meh.

 

Now that we have the bad out of the way, the heroine was voiced which was a plus!

only downside is that her thoughts aren't voiced, if it was I think it would be funnier but alas.

I liked the art and was intrigued by the setting/story but there wasn't much of a plot that was

memorable, this focused way too much on romance. Its nice there weren't any bad endings

and you can enjoy romance with the leading man Aquasteed. The heroine did have multiple

outfits which was another nice thing, I actually like it when the sprite suits the scene.

Anyway since Aquasteed was really nice I almost didn't want anyone else anyway buuut

while I get it he saved her from certain doom as a villainess things did seem a bit too good to be true.

Of course I was disappointed that there was only one love interest but by volume 2

I did realize that it just wouldn't have worked, they would have to change the scenario a lot.

Aquasteed aside... Keith interested me the most, Akari can have Heartnight tbh...

 

 I can't really recommend this game though unless you have low standards

and just want to be swept off your feet without much plot/substance

which is probably the only thing the game was good at.

Some of the names are also kinda weird like what is a Heartnight Lapislazuli Lactomut?!

that sure is a mouthful of word vomit that seeing it in full makes me cringe to the point

Aquasteed Marinforest sounds normal in comparison. That aside the game

honestly feels like eating something very sweet and then feeling sick afterwards

like its not bad but you may not want too much of it? it also reminds me of the fact

that a visual novel can have gorgeous art and even a voiced heroine but if the rest

doesn't measure up then it is such a waste. Character interactions were barebones

and not that fun, it honestly makes me want to play something with more substance

cuz Akuyaku Reijou just didn't do much for me, I can't rate it higher than a 5/10.

 

I probably sound ungrateful but eh can't like everything and after sitting through

a bunch of otome's I liked i'm bound to find something that doesn't match up.

If there's anything memorable about this game it was cute romance, voice acting 

and the insanely beautiful art, everything else was pretty meh to me.

I am more inclined to think that this game is some kind of marketing trick

because there's so many otome games on switch and then there's Akuyaku...

which could get you interested in the novels that are readily available in japanese.

Anyway keep on trucking operahouse! this may be the last time I buy a game from you guys...

More rambles after the jump, there are spoilers as well as a few of my fav cg's

so if you want to play don't read further.

Gakuen Club ~Houkago no Himitsu~ - Review

Game: [Gakuen Club]

Genre: Otome Game Visual Novel.

Developer/Publisher: Operahouse/Dogenzaka Lab.

Platform: Mobile, PC, PS Vita.

Official Site: http://store.steampowered.com/app/505080/Gakuen_Club/

VNDB: https://vndb.org/v20958

Release date: 2017-2-19 (English)

No one cares about this... but whatever since there is no otome game that's on my list to import
till june I decided to pick up Opera house's other otomege in english and well I mostly
expected another so-so experience since it used to be a mobage afterall and I wasn't far off.
This was originally called Campus Nightlife but they changed the title back to the original and I agree
its much better but if they wanted a proper english title Academy Club would've been enough.

Pro's
- Characters, do it for them as most stories are worth it.
- Art, Melo's art is as beautiful as always.

Con's
- Overall plot is bland but it works I guess.
- Music's meh, definitely not a selling point.
- Copy Pasta.
- Not many choices and they don't matter much.

While I find Gakuen Club to be much better than Charming Empire because the characters
atleast exist outside of their own route and get properly introduced in the prologue
which overall made a much better introduction but other than that it wasn't much better.
 The heroine Akane Koizumi is a goody two shoes, she enrolls at a school after her father got a
promotion and somehow has to be that woman to stay in the kitched after finding out about the secret club.

Here it comes... all the guys are in this secret after school club to get to first place for their personal
wish granted, they need to be popular and cuz they so handsome all the girls squee at them.
If you were expected fun stuff like ouran highschool host club you'd be disappointed, there's
really not much comedy but I liked a scene in Renji's route were Wataru scolds him
 and the heroine, either way from the first route I did I figured all the guys have a dark secret
of why they're doing this, which you'll only find out in their own route and that is perfectly fine.
Either way I found myself slogging myself through the first route I did in this game(Sakai)
 to the point it took me 3 days when its really not that long maybe its because
I don't like school settings or maybe it was the annoying setting and screaming fangirls
but I am glad said fangirls are relatively tame in all of the routes.

Overall I think Charming Empire was still more enjoyable to me, Gakuen Club did some things
better as all characters actually exist outside of their own route but that's where it end.
Charming Empire had choices every chapter... Gakuen Club only had a few
and well they don't matter much story wise they only determine the end as it works
on some kind of point system, not getting enough will get you a normal end
but it not hard to get them right, so its a comfy system nothing rage worthy.
It took me two routes before I found one I could fully enjoy... maybe its
good that I got the bad ones out of the way without realizing, lol.

TL;DR
 I only recommend Gakuen Club if you're dying for another otome game with a decent translation.
Granted I saw a few errors but I didn't find any issues and compared to the dumpster fire
that was taiali's so called localization atleast Charming Empire and Gakuen Club are definitely
more worth your money!(on a sale) also you really shouldn't think about buying taiali in english
not even as a joke, the whole thing was a scam from the start so many warning flags
yet that company took advantage of the one chance we gave them.
Either way the route I liked the most here was Saku's. it was also imo the most well rounded.

Teikoku Kaleido -Banka no Kakumei- - Review

Game: [The Charming Empire]

Genre: Otome Game Visual Novel.

Developer/Publisher: Operahouse/Dogenzaka Lab.

Platform: Mobile, PC, PS Vita.

Official Site: http://store.steampowered.com/app/505090/

VNDB: https://vndb.org/v16651/

Release date: 2017-2-19 (English)

I got this game on steam because it seemed interesting and to take a break 

from a more heavy VN, something lighter seemed appropiate and so I bought this even though
I usually do not bother with english games and well I also supported Nightshade.
It had good art and the translation seemed decent oh and its fully voiced!

The music is a bit eh though... and the system was so standard
I could figure out the right choices without using a guide(if there was one)
and if I guessed the wrong one i'd reload usually but I still got the happy end first
the opposite choice led me to a normal end overall it was an easy ride no guide needed.

Well sometimes a simple otome game is good...
The whole theme of this is... what if I fell in love with a rebel leader?

Pro's
- Simple but decent plot and heroine was more proactive than i'd thought she'd be.
- Enjoyable routes, atleast imho.
- Art.
- Voiced

Con's
- Decent in length but its not that long really.
- Three of the romanceable characters don't have presence outside of their own route.
- Music, its sorta average and just there.

Though I found it weird how we suddenly got an introduction of the guys in the prologue
in a fashion thats totally out of place they even show random CG's but turns out this is intended.

It probably was for the mobage part to get you to buy the individual route and was
 too much of a hassle to change it for the steam version which comes with all.
 The prologue just serves as an introduction to the general story it'll change based on route.

The heroine Amane lives and ordinairy life with her grandparents in the countryside
 till she is summoned to the capital by her older brother who's also the ruler of the country.

Overall I think the heroine's okay, she's not a blank slate and will say what's on her mind or
atleast try and knowing this was a mobage I honestly was surprised at how proactive she is.

You start the routes right away after Soushi tells you why your here and I unfortunately 

picked Sera first and they just shove him into the scenario and pretend he was sitting

 in the car the whole time, quality writing amiright but overall it got a little better.

I know mobage stories are usually meh but it turned out ok... atleast make your story 

and characters consistent don't give me a prologue and suddenly go back to it

because hey, this guy was here the whole time! (lol Sera.)

The only flaw is that except Soushi,Kagemitsu and the guy whom's route your on disappear from
the face of the earth, I learned from Sera's route Kagemitsu's apparently a childhood friend

and Soushi's advisor but Sera a bodyguard and Kei another tutor don't exist outside their own route.
I never saw Tanba outside of his own route either oh well its good to see them focus on
 the individual but don't make it look like they come crawling from under some rock, lmao.

Playorder won't matter that much, Kei's route is the most self contained
so he may be best done first so in the end  I recommend this order:
Kei > Kagemitsu > Seras > Soushi > Tanba