Sangoku Rensenki Sakigake - Trial version Review

 三国恋戦記 魁

Game: [Sangoku Rensenki Sakigake]

Genre: Otome Game Visual Novel.

Developer/Publisher: Daisy2.

Platform: PC.

Official Site: http://www.daisy-daisy.in/products/sangoku2/special.html

VNDB: https://vndb.org/v18293

Release date: 2017-08-25

Long awaited new sangoku rensenki game with new heroine and cast

with some old ones making an appearance.

Since it is very likely to get a vita port I just decided to check out the trial now
also I know its bad to judge the full game on a demo but from what I saw I liked.
Also I will write the name as spoken and english equivalent.
You should know that if you aren't into chinese history you'd probably have to give this a pass

buut you might learn a thing or two it would depend on your love for bishonen?!

Tomoe is a highschool girl coming from old fashioned family and talented with the bow

 but has no experience with romance.

The way the story starts gives us a good look at Tomoe's normal life 

but she's really dense and her best friend Nana has to play shipper on the deck

because she can't stand how Tomoe and Kouta are right now.

As in they're friends but its awkward, so Nana figures Tomoe is in love with him

and says they'd should just go out already but Tomoe is like what should I do?

So when she goes to the library Tomoe isn't there and she finds a book

related to the sangoku period and well you guessed it she gets swept away to a world

resembling ancient china in the early three kingdoms period, sadly this time
the protagonist does not choose those who saw victories she chose those who lost. 
Due to choices in the prologue it may differ where you end up
I like this because you get to the route you want right away.
Those who played the original may not sit well with some stuff...
and there's a little false advertisement of fighting heroine often she is forced
to do nothing this I felt in Yuan Shao route that is why I recommend the route of Lu Bu first
because you will see that despite being capable she's a girl and killing is not what she wants.
Its best not to compare too much with previous work but see with open mind.

System: typical VN stuff and daisy2's easy mode is there

so you can see which choice relates to what character and get on a route faster.
I think the demo itself is about 2 maybe 3 hours considering to try all route.

I found a recommended play order in a JP review so I will relay it for you its:
Lu Bu / Dong Zhuo > Yuan Shao > Sun Ce > Hua Tuo.
I think Lu Bu is a good start but according to them Dong Zhuo's not bad either.

Everything written down is what happen early on in the route
if you do not want spoiler just skip character section,  I only saw Yuan shao and Sun Ce
 to the end of demo but everything else is only a little, it probably ended shortly where I stopped.

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

Ozmafia review

 オズマフィア

Game: [Ozmafia]
Genre: Otome Visual Novel.
Developer/Publisher: Poni-pachet.
Platform: PC, PS Vita.
Official Site:

http://ozmafia.com/game.html
 http://mangagamer.org/ozmafia/

Release date: 

2013-06-28 (JP PC version)

 2015-02-26 (JP PS Vita version)

2016-04-29 (English PC version)

Ozmafia is finally out in english thanks to manga-gamer, you can buy it on their site or on steam.

Also for the love of god don't pirate this game, the developers(poni-pachet) even asked you not to do

so in plain english and well if you did pirate it then that's on you but don't blame
companies for not localizing more otome games then.

The OP is seriously about Kyrie, isn't it?

TL;DR

Pro's

- Interesting setting and overall plot.

- Likeable characters.

- Art.

- Charming music.

- Unique seiyuu cast.

Con's

 - Can be confusing to see which route you're currently on.
- Most routes don't get anywhere plot wise.

- Pacing.

- NTR.

If you have any triggers for rape you might want to skip the brothel route, its
 self contained and it only shows how disgusting Dorian Gray.

I really like this otomege but it has some issues that I just have to point out!

For one at times scenes abruptly end and there is a sudden time skip...

A prime example is a scene where Axel got hurt and Fuka runs off to Robin hood, however
the scene just ends there abruptly and you basically have to imagine its gonna be ok. Another

instance was when Axel and Fuka have to visit Ande's home but we never get to see them there

because the game just skips ahead to sunday were you can spend time with someone of your choice.

See what I am getting at here?

but as turns out you get bits of information about it in different routes, though I wish they would
 just not half ass it because it still feels like I am missing something I guess its incentive
to go and play other routes but at the same time those parts are from of the common route...

 So yeah this otomege's pacing is way off at times but overall its still good.

Still  I can certainly see that at times there are holes and inconsistency in the story at times

Also our dear heroine Fuka has amnesia, too bad that in most of the routes
she never figures anything out about it. Anyway considering the real plot of this game
 its okay if Fuka never regains her memories as she can still be happy with someone else
for better or for worse, oh well  sadly most of the routes are not very memoral to me as some feel
unfinished and random like Scarlet or in Soh's case get a crappy ending which left me very unsatisfied.
Fuka as a heroine though, she's an airhead who leaps ahead without thinking, she's weak
but she's not exactly strong either, while she's cute I can't say I liked her that much.

I only have one other thing I can complain about and that is the screen with a jingle
when you get to the next chapter, its okay at first but starts to get really annoying especially
once you get to the character route and the chapter/scenes get shorter, I wish we could turn it off.

The triangle route thing may be off putting but this can easily be fixed by using a guide and

staying with your preferred guy, I gotta be honest but I am not a fan of NTR.
Sadly there is no escape from NTR, you'd still need to do it to get some CG's in OZ's routes, if you
did their two regular endings so you'll just have to deal with it if it, I don't like it either but it can't be helped.

/Rant
 Like the whole NTR shit starts because Fuka's relationship with one of the Oz guys she is originally
going for faces some issues, so then one of the other two Oz guys sees their chance and confesses
that they've been in love with Fuka this whole time and well you know what makes it worse?
If Fuka accepts and gets Ntr'd away from her original choice she also casually
spreads her legs and spends the night with him... I am just like WTF?!
 After two NTR paths I honestly had enough of that shit and started skipping them because its just so
unfair, Fuka why? you've been spending so much time with guy A and just cuz your relationship is
facing some issues you decide to screw guy B just because he also had feelings for you!
Mein gott... WHY?!
/End rant.

The seiyuu cast is amazing, its not the popular bunch so if you're sick of

hearing the same old guys don't worry because Ozmafia gives you a unique voice cast!
I really appreciate it when developers use lesser known seiyuu's every once in a while, I really do.

Sadly the PC version is only partially voiced, the PS Vita version is fully voiced with
some added scenarios(IIRC after stories) but sadly this version is only in japanese as of now.
I also think there are too many routes so no wonder that atleast three routes
get the short end of the stick, welp i'm sorry if I made this version of the game look bad.

 Honestly all the characters are likeable in some way! For first impressions:

Caramia is just so kind, Kyrie is a troll, Scarlet, Axel and Soh are really cute!

Caesar's really mysterious, Robin and Pashet seem nice...

This game is very focused on the romance and its characters, the plot is still there but sadly
 there are routes like for example's Soh's that don't get anywhere except give you a hint or two but
in the end it didn't explain anything, so whether you do his route first or last shouldn't matter.
Basically the grand finale contains the real plot of this game which is either good or bad.

6.5/10
Anyway if you love otome games go support by buying this game! its not that bad
but not that great either, might as well support it so we can possible get games or others.

Recommended play order:
I recommend to start with Caramia, also do Brothel as soon as possible, I can't guarantee you'll like it.
Hamelin's route spoils some things about Robin and after you do Robin you might be
more interested in Hamelin so that is why I recommend the following  play order:
Caramia > Scarlet > Brothel > Robin > Hamelin > Pashet > Axel > Kyrie > Caesar > Soh > Grand Finale.

More ramblings and screencaps after the jump.

Best and worst otome games I played during 2015

Uh oh its that time of the year... and well I've played alot Otome this year, I didn't review all of them.

So lets go over the ones I played in order before ranking them!

1, Ken ga Kimi for V.

 2, Sangoku Rensenki.

3, Crimson Empire New edition.

4, Clock Zero extime.

5, Possession Magenta.

6, Zettai Kaikyuu Gakuen ~Eden with Roses and Phantasm~

7, Harukanaru toki no naka de 6.

8, Soukai Buccaneers.

9,Amnesia.

10, Shinobi, koi utsutsu.

11, I DOLL U.

12, Mahoutsukai to goshujin-sama.

13, Prince of Stride.

14, Beast master and prince/Moujuutsukai to ouji-sama.

15, Harukanaru toki no naka de 6.

16, Reine des fleurs.

17, Rear pheles red of another.

18, Ayakashi gohan Oomori.

19, Jyuza engi 1.

20, Jyuza engi 2.

Games bought but haven't played yet at the time of this post which i've finished by now.
(yay for backlog! so this'll be at next year's end list,)

Yunohana Spring. (decent game, its cute and fluffy but its not all that interesting)

Zettai Meikyuu himitsu no Oyayubi hime.(Finished, its decent but it has some issues)

Norn9 Var Commons.(I've finished this by now, great otomege despite translation issues)

So which of the 20 games I played would actually make it to my omg best i've played this year?

and the Oh my gawd I don't want to play this again everrrrrrrr.