Oh baby... the wait is over, or maybe they announced this game way too early.
Pretty art, an interesting set up but will that hold up? only one way to find out!
Its from the creator of Wand of Fortune and Reine des fleurs... both are titles
that are known to make the player suffer. Sigh~ but VariBarri wasn't that bad
didn't enjoy the overall game / cast as much as WoF though.
The protagonist here however is fully voiced! a big plus as it breathes so much more life
into them but I suppose even unvoiced have perks.
OP MOVIE
Okay, what is this about?
Hibari our heroine is pretty much a perfect ojou-sama and then one day is forced
to pick a candidate for marriage from four potential suitors who literally throw themselves
at her for that reason. Needless to say our heroine says no but hahaha... this is all a plot
by a her old man and even if Hibari says I can find me a man on my own he's like lol.
This is so dumb I CAN BARELY HOLD MYSELF but atleast Hibari's great
and it turns out she's going to have to pick one or she'll just have to marry someone he chooses.
Now she has to live in an an apartment along with these guys... they all want Hibari so much
it like she's living the otome gamer life! but... then Hibari has a nightmare they're just
after the money of her family etc and it sorta gets a little dark from my point of view.
Either way Hibari wants none of this... but still has to roll with it.
If I had to be very honest the most annoying one out of the four would be Ichiya...
I mean what kind of normal person would believe such over the top lovey dovey behavior
of someone whom you don't even know personally? I know I know there are people
out there that come on strong but this is a little much, and personally those who
come on strong early on are to be wary of so Ichiya has way too many cringe moments
not that the others are completely green either. >_> the only sane one is Hibari
and tbh who wouldn't want her she's literally perfect but even so she still has some issues.
Tsugumi was a great BFF to Hibari I could appreciate her love for romance but it got a little meta
with the whole its almost like an otome game! thing can't tell if good or bad...
Pro's
- Light-hearted and funny.
- Art
- Charming music.
- Voiced heroine/protag
Con's
- Drama; best not take it too seriously also kind of a drag.
- System is simple but presented in an awful way.
System... its pretty simple there's common route / flowchart and its easily
seen when one has finished a chapter, much oversight and no annoying
minigame to be seen, if you get far enough you can enter the personal stories/routes
but the seem split into parts like Ichiya 1, Taiga 1 etc you're forced to do everyones
part 1, as its part of the common route this is to help decide your fiance.
There is some sort of minigame but its hard to explain and tbh doesn't fit in well
depending on choices the guys weapon becomes stronger to break the barricade to the heroine
and other choice strengthens the heroines barricade... watching the sequence in question
is kinda funny but doesn't make sense as when he succeeds Hibari is suddenly
able to give Ichiya a peck on the cheek, seems to be more a battle of wills.
I think the barricade battle thing doesn't make sense visually it literally looks
like the guy is destroying boundaries in the form of a fence with a sword which gets
stronger or remains weak dependant on your choice, I didn't find this funny
and honestly it could be done without, though I admit the art did look cute. They could have just kept it simple with choices but alas... they wanted something extra. Then there's RABI which you have to set to different location to unlock extra event
that are in no way important to the plot, still don't know if you had to view them or not
and you can view them later from the gallery can suggest to just focus on the main story first
then again reading them later might be bad so might be better to read it as it appears. There's also WHIS the APP the characters message each other with only a few have a choice
and the rest is just banter after an event. All this is awful to explain, its actually quite straight
forward. Since this from the team behind wand of fortune and reine des fleurs so one shouldn't be
surprised at how the game flows atleast this time there's no RNG like in WoF so consider
yourself blessed. The flowchart is simple and easy to see what is going on but uh
once again the general flow is to straight-forward to have this laid out for you?
sometimes the way you unlock stuff is still a straight vn something tells me they had
something else in mind but due to change of seiyuus they had to change things.
Well enough about sytem because it is quite simple some of the mini event you unlock
from RABI are funny some others weren't worth it. Now for a good thing, you don't need a guide if you want the love ending for that guy just let him destroy the barricade, for the other simple don't make him too strong but if you do that to early into route its a premature bad end so you gotta balance.
A QUEEN
After finishing all routes I have to say... boy is this a hit or miss!
Either way without spoilers its an alright otome, in fact its funny like legit I cannot count
the amount of times I laughed out loud/snorted at the dialogue... sadly most of this
was in the common route, the latter half of the routes was mostly filled with drama
only a few route was balanced enough for me to enjoy it. >_>
Too bad the barricade breaking was in bad taste for me... the whole game is kinda like
trying to love someone just to proof yourself to your old man who most of the time
just laughs it off when the drama is over like what the hell is he thinking?
which is all explained in the true route.... you want to take it seriously but also not.
Hibari was so great at speaking her mind and being assertive, she really is a Queen
buuut she still is a girl and not perfect nor her suitors. That aside I had a good time
which is more important than plot which is very straight-forward and focus on character
but definitely seems to be more to it all which kept me hooked
to get to the true end which gave us things we didn't really want but got anyway.
The story is there but don't come here for a well thought out plot cuz it ain't that and the
drama could drag but nothing too heavy. If I had any complaints its more the flowchart
not making sense with its arrows making it seem like you don't need some events but
have to view them anyway to proceed considering the team behind this I AM NOT SURPRISED.
Game still balances the common/individual part very well but all the short
chapters made me quick to drop it for the day when it really isn't that long at all. Overall its not short nor too long, it has some value.
This is more or less a VN about the protagonist/heroine and guy realizing what he/she wants
the most through the interaction whether or not a route was for you will depend...
I found Ichiya to be very typical and the drama was probably right out of a shojo manga.
Shion... was akin to a soap opera, Taiga was more like a love comedy(my favorite)
and Nayuta was just painful it hurrrts, didn't help Shion/Nayuta it just dragged itself on
or maybe I just didn't like the characters at all, atleast Nayuta I could like by the end of it.
Variable Barricade is fun but nothing much else, light-hearted drama but not too dark the bad ends were surprisingly disappointing just like the guys themselves lmao.
TL;DR you have to show you're a woman who can make choices for herself
or else get stuck with some guy your old man marries you to for business. >_>
Yeah that is literally the whole point of this marriage thing... play order is not necessary
I can recommend the following though~ you can switch Nayuta and Taiga
if you want spice after Shion but its not going to matter, even better don't listen to me
and pick whoever you are interested in the first time, Shion > Nayuta > Taiga > Ichiya > True.
Okay spoiler free rambles are over it was pretty good and while the guys may not
look it most of them do become likable over the course of the route, unlike
a certain otome game that makes you dislike them in other route (lol).
7.5/10 For Taiga, 5/10 for the rest.
So after the original and its fd was a little bit of a success, Spike/RED decided to make another!
To be completely honest I never expected a sequel after the FD because even if some afters
had problems *hint Kirarin* it did wrap itself up in a nice way.
So as release nears all I could do was question it existence and hope for the best
as in that it retains what we all know and love about kenka bancho otome.
They're nice enough to recap some little events from the original thanks its been two years or so!
This also being my first otome of 2019 even tho I had tried to start panic palette
or continue ashen hawk but unfortunately no motivation~
I kept putting it off so here's to getting back in the otome spirit but this game...
this game made me kinda conflicted considering how rushed it is.
Pro's
Characters still have charm.
Art/Music still great as ever.
Kirarin's route is much better and I am not even biased (ok maybe I am).
Con's
It's basically season 2... idk if this is a good or bad thing btw.
Blatant bias for friend routes, otome route feel rushed/lacking.
Unfortunately they also decided to change the battle system its no longer like rythm game
but some sort of minigame where your buddies can support you. NEW and EXCITING but
HONESTLY IF IT AINT BROKE DON'T FIX! but imo it ain't that bad of a change. That aside its easy to play but very mashy, atleast with easy mode if you can't be bothered
to play the minigame and just want a VN you can skip the battles and instant win. Thanks spike chunsoft.
Either way, it was pretty fun in the beginning but ended up skipping after the 6th battle
and so nothing of value was lost I think my only real complaines is how
the kenka banchou otome games have such awful loading times, it runs on unity but boy!
I could go grab a drink and a snack while this baby starts up... >_>
So it basically continues after the first game where there is no romance and shenanigans continues
as in the next semester some guy named Sagara Tenma transfer into shisiku but he's no angel
and just as bad as the rest, I pity the meek principal who cannot even finish the welcome ceremony.
Nozomi's also here but whatever i'm still pissed at Kirarin for neglecting his otouto last game!
All the guys are just extra bro kinda like everyone loves you but not quite.
Otome sequels tend to be hit or miss for me because of this... like it gets annoying to have
a round two after certain events and most character love the protag from start but most are not
like that and here they're just bro's, ahemgoing through the common route was a lot of fun, plenty of laughs here and there but on second play its not much of that
and its just get event flags and read skip till the route starts which is done in no time. If I had to recommend any play order it would be: Kirarin > Mirako > Konparu / Totomaru > Houou > Tenma.
The first route was the most enjoyable to me and if a Kirarin fan
you may as well enjoy the game to the fullest this way, i'm not the biggest Kirarin
or Mirako fan but even I can approve of what I got and it was nice
unfortunately neither Konparu nor Totomaru could give me something that was better
than the original routes. Ow well its only fair they had a good one to begin with
don't get me started with Houou his was alright but a massive dejavu because
of the sameish reveals even the friend route with Tenma was more original...
speaking of I might have enjoyed the friend routes more than love especially Toto&Konpa's. >_>
Never wanted a sequel but at the very least it turned out to be a nice one (for the most part).
And that this ends my spoiler free impressions
Kenka Banchou otome 2nd rumble is a title that is sorely lacking in the otome department
but at the same time still manages to deliver what we all know and love.
It is by no means that terrible but overall it doesn't succeed its predecessor
or does anything that holds up to it which is just sad when it has less value overall
and thus I can only say it is an average sequel, it gives and takes... feels short and
it even feels as if its an apology for Kirarin's awful after story in the FD
because in this game his route fixes everything that went wrong
but you know what? no matter how nice this game was I do not even want a FD from this
because I cannot trust the writers anymore, halfed assed routes for some? check, blatant bias
for friend routes? check. Same flow of events despite new semester? check. IDK but this sounds bad to me and somehow was still enjoyable...so I have mixed feels.
Maybe I am nagging too much but my score is very fair for a sequel who has less value than
the original, so basically SKIP THIS and go play the first game if you haven't
all of the routes there have so much more value than this rushed mess of a sequel.
In the end the comedy and characters are what held this game together for me
AND I LOVE IT FOR THAT but its really sad to see how rushed it is
and some routes especially the love route are anything but memorable.
7/10 ''For what it is worth an enjoyable sequel, unfortunately it does little to surpass its predecessor and in comparison is overall a very rushed experience.''
Whoop it that time of the year again to make one of these!
let's start by going over the ones i've played and compared
to other years there's not as much which makes sense, I only picked
up the ones I thought were genuinely interesting and skipped any I had second thoughts of.
Code:realize shirogane no kiseki.
Chouchou Jiken.
Taishou x Alice Heads or Tails.
Psychedelica of the black butterfly.
Collar x Malice Unlimted.
Piofiore no Banshou.
WoFR2 FD ~Kimi ni Sasageru Epilogue~.
Shiro to Kuro no Alice FD.
🏆Best new game:🏆
Piofiore no Banshou.
Considering what I played there was not much competition I enjoyed what I could but
considering the themes this might not be for everyone but I still think its solid
and didn't waste away what it intended with the setting at all.
The only bad part is that no main character was truly likeable except Orlok
like they all did something shitty outside of their own route and Yang...
ah yes Yang he was beyond likeability even in his own
but atleast the story was solid and stuck to its themes that being one about mafia meaning its not
gonna be sunshine and rainbows! without making too much of a mess of things unlike the next!
💩Worst new game:💩
Chouchou Jiken.
Sidney... steal me away from all of the unredeemable love interest (except Haruka).
What in the seven hells was this?
I thought this would be a trashy mystery otome game
but it never got that trashy nor the mystery part was that interesting.
It might be great if you enjoy having a mouse nibble at your toes
but honestly this was such a waste to me like most of the routes
weren't even interesting and the ones that were weren't even important to the overall plot.
It only starts making sense in the last two routes and the romantic interests in it were complete trash
and relied too much on pity me pls trope, look I can like characters that have had a bad time
but when they literally have a goal to use the heroine for their personal gain throughout the game
or worse kill her if gotten the chance, Yes people can change, pity is allowed
but sometimes pity is not enough for me to turn a blind eye the art was nice but at times
meh, the music was awful /grating and the story while interesting
to get to the truth it kept beating around the bush about some russian revolution
that doesn't add up before you get to routes that matter said characters almost had no
redeeming factor. Sorry that's gonna be a no from me...
🏆Best Fandisk:🏆
Collar x Malice Unlimited.
If there was any otome game that needed a fandisk it was collar x malice
the after stories were enjoyable and unique for each character and the adonis
portion gave us a different look at the villains while Ichika gets herself together.
While I thought some of the after stories were too long I think the content
in this FD is of more value than that of Tierblades which I also enjoyed.
Wand of Fortune R2 kimi ni sasageru epilogue.
The finale of the WoF series did not disappoint me, even though its short
it managed to be on point and not drag it out and none of it was wasteful
except maybe the true end epilogue... poor Solo.
With the exception of Est's after I found it extremely enjoyable definitely not something
WoF fans want to miss out on! after all this time glad they still ported it.
~
💩Worst Fandisk:💩
Taishou x Alice Heads or Tails.
Let's face it this wasn't even a fandisk but an addon
the new routes are exactly the games subtitle aka a different side of the same coin
it only gives us information we already knew but from the perspective of side characters!
Which is nice but not when there's no real ending for them with the heroine because of canon.
The rest of the content was ok but on its hard to recommend unless you are a real tai-ali fan...
and it doesn't add to the scenario of the two except for an extended epilogue.
Also the treatment of Ookami in his route made me rage so much! he's such a likeable character
but the writer cannot let go of the canon and he is still a third wheel no matter what.
Dear otome game writers; if you cannot let go of the canon do not give side characters routes
just to get into their heads, sure its nice for a chance of POV but ultimately
you are wasting your own time and that of the readers since all you do is give bait
but leave us hanging wishing for something more or a different outcome.
~
😐Meh Fandisk.😐 Shiro to Kuro no Alice Twilight Line.
This was just one of those fandisk that isn't that bad but not great either
but still manages to deliver, i'm not the biggest fan but even then
I can see they tried this series strengths also makes it its downfall.
The plot is still as inconsistent and messy as ever that did not change and I doubt
it ever will, wherever otomate will take this I think my shiro to kuro adventures end here
no matter how much I enjoyed my time with Luna and her guys.
Its not that great... but still, it might deliver in ways a fan would like it to.
Code: Realize shirogane no kiseki.
The third fandisk and while a nice addition to the series
it did nothing for the overall story , Cantarella was a nice attempt but it only
gives us after the fact information that not even Cardia ever find out. (Only the reader)
The only thing I say that was great was the extended epilogues from shukufuku no mirai
but even then its something that should have been in that game to begin with.
Its great if you desperately want more code realize in your life but I hope
otomate won't milk it more than this, you can only get so much out of it...
and by now I think I got that, there's really not much anymore I want out of Code:Rea.
Before you get this I think one has to consider, how much do I like code:realize?
will additional stories with the cast be worth my time no matter what it is about??
If a super fan then yes you should get this but if not... then well maybe not.
~
🏆Best english release:🏆
Psychedelica of the black butterfly.
While the otome game part is a hard sell, the story however was pretty good
every main character contributed to the scenario and it was a good feeling to get to the bottom of it
and while I have not finished Ashen Hawk it has the same feel so I had to mention it.
It is incredible hard to write about it without spoiling anything... one is best to go into this
without knowing anything, don't even go to official site! the less u know the better.
~
Well that was all for 2018 not as many console otome games as previous years but its not just me
otomate hasn't released as much nor has other companies. I skipped ports
and have been playing other games/busy with other things.
With otomates move to switch things might look better next year but even then
I am hesitant to make the move, its not a secret some of us just step out of the genre and
lot's of otome game blogs have died over the years when a console such as ps2/psp came at its end.
Vita is no exception nor will the Switch go on forever... I like otome games but i've
feel that I have enjoyed what was to offer and at times am ready to leave the genre since
I start to be jaded and cynical at new titles which aren't even much different then what I played.
There's still some (old) otome games that I'd love to play next year and I will probably do just that.
Ah yes the FD- or sequel to that rather messy alice in wonderland otome game
from otomate, in case you wonder what I mean by messy again is that
the overall story was too scattered and there was no locked routes
so if you did Nello first you'd basically spoil a plot behind the scenes
or if you did Snow's then well you basically got the best possible resolution.
That doesn't mean the other routes aren't worth doing as it still would fill in the blanks
here and there regarding the characters. So in short when a story would benefit
from restriction they said nah let them pick! which could work if the important story bits
weren't all over the place, like I am sure no one likes getting to Minette mid game
only to find out it was better to do him first since he has nothing to do with the main plot.
Shiro to Kuro no Alice had a story albeit very messy and all over the place!
and even that did not change in its FD's additional scenario.
Pro's
-After stories are short and sweet.
- Art and music are excellent.
Con's
- unvoiced heroines who still talk to each other as if it was voiced, which
like the original ruined a lot of potential in scenes everyone else is voiced.
- Story is still a scattered mess.
Content wise there is the after story's ~lover's day~ which gives us a look at their lives now
it covers both white and black happy ends... which is probably what you wanted the most.
Then there's another line... which is basically just an another story...
but with individual endings as well which is where most of the meat of the game is.
There's also the tea party after doing all which is a nice extra for full complete.
Either way I decided to start with Airi's side first mostly because she literally got stuck the worst boys
and Luna with the sweethearts, which made me not very interested in Airi's side.
After stories are like an hour long BUT there's one for each happy end (black and white)!
so that's basically two hours... whether it was worth it depends on character like
for me Minette's were an utter waste of time but Nero was actually worth sitting through
so I guess it depends but even then I wish they put more effort.
Another line was eh... after 4 routes I got the general gist of the plot and had enough
and actually got sad we didn't get a routes for Rui, Ratt or Nine instead
like they give us new characters try and flesh em out but they don't really get resolution.
Volume wise its about right... if you rush its probably not but I thought the content was fine
and could definitely last a week or two if you take it slow but eh unless one was
invested in the world of shiro to kuro no alice I can't really recommend it
since this is for fans of course, I got what I wanted out of it thanks to Luna side
but still felt it was lacking in someway maybe because they had to split
the lover day scenario to the two happy ends which makes no sense if
the another line scenario also sort of follows up on the bw after???
IMO most of the white afters were the best to me so I wish they'd made it a little longer
even at the expense of the bw after but eh they still managed at making some of it
its just not going to be to everyones taste.
As we know Another line has the same problem as the original game
I am going to recommend Snow's route there for last as it has the most
revelations about Rui, the rest of the order shouldn't matter too much
so just to be safe do Airi side before Luna's with Snow last.
The much needed FD for Wand of Fortune 2 ~Jikuu ni Shizumu Mokushiroku~
This is where I say its better late than never, since I did like the cast enough
to return otome hogwartz one more time for the much need epilogue to WoF2
because let's be real, WoF2 had so much character development that by the time
you got to the post credit scene and you'd see your handsome man all grown up
you'd either be like aww its over OR wtf?! growth spurt much? (looking at you Est)
to the point you don't even really recognize and want more time.
Pro's
- Plenty of content and fanservice.
- No more gameplay.
- BGM is a relic of the past...but has charms, OP theme's a good jam.
Con's
-Short, only reason I took so long is because I paced it out due to otome game drought.
So in the prologue of this FD; in some dream-like space she meets a fairy named Bell
and now Lulu has the power to visit the past or the future...
because Lulu has had so many possibilities Bell's gonna help her out!
At first, me thinks this little scenario takes place after the true end of WoF2
but since she let chances slip she had regrets this is where Bell comes in
and she gets to spend lovey dovey time with her harem.
So many things! so little time!
There's the after stories to WoF2.
A scenario of a ball at mils clair where thanks to Bell. Lulu can go out with everyone
and finally there's loli-Lulu's big adventure... but that was so random I didn't write much of it.
Ball scenario can get repettitive and the writing for each guy keeps it a bit more fresh
but its not long, an hour or so maybe less, still fun just gets redundant.
That ball takes place somewhere right after WoF1/mirai no prologue but before WoF2
but Lulu was so busy studying she completely forgot, idk its sort of weird trying to place this
anywhere and maybe its better to just believe Lulu forgot about it all together back then
which will actually all make sense once you do Solo's scenario, what a special boi.
There's a score card system where you can check what you have completed
but imo since its sorta obvious in the stories which element belongs to who but still nice
that you can check if you really completed a route (after/ball/great adventure) with that character.
There's also this mils claire DX thing which is basically interviews with the characters
and bonus voices which was the only awful thing to complete since it requires
playing with bell and feeding her stuff loli-Lulu finds in her big adventure
but its not too bad and can be done in no time so its not that annoying.
If you finished WoFr2 completely and still like the series I see no reason as to why one
should not get this. It has plenty of content and an extended epilogue to WoF2 is what
we all wanted the most and the rest is enjoyable, the overall content makes it worth the price
even if its still short, just because one after got me in a bad mood didn't ruin the whole game.
This was probably my most anticipated new otome game in a while
and to be honest barely anything that has released recently caught my eye.
The theme of mafia has been touched upon in arcana famiglia and even ozmafia
still the way this was presented got me excited and back into the otome mood
but whether or not this was a good otome is up to the reader/player but imo? its not bad
and I do not regret getting the limited edition.
Pro's
- Immersive scenario that isn't wasted and good cast of characters.
- Amazing art and music fits the setting/mood.
Con's
- While Meanwhile events are insightful it'll get on your nerves sooner rather than later.
- It can get a bit brutal like fights/deaths etc... not otome in the slightest.
- You will find a reason to dislike every main character in this game.
The only thing that got me worried was if the protag would be able
to hold herself in such a setting like this... she was raised in a church
and looks like the pure ''I know nothing about what's going on type'' needing to be protected
but she actually has a bit of a mind of her own and isn't some dumb blonde except in Yang's route.
The story takes place in this italian city Burlone and three mafia familia's struggle to get
control over it there's no justice because its a bloody mess due to all the fighting! there's some
folks who have enough of their crap too and want this BS to end.
One day Liliane meets Dante by the graveyard at the church she lives
he seems to be mourning someone and it all rolls from there.
The game also has this ''meanwhile'' system where you can see what is happening elsewhere
this is nice considering all the different familia but can also be annoying if not used right.
I don't have any complaints about the music, it fits the setting and mood
and the art is gorgeous! RIRI did an amazing job!
So about that MEANWHILE SYSTEM... let me just say that while nice it also sorta sucks.
You can easily miss these events that happen at the same time to the point one can say
why didn't you just implement them into the story without having to go out of your way
to view them every time meanwhile shows up on the screen?!
I ended up missing many of them during dante's route which btw wasn't that exciting
to begin with but i figure different POV's would make it more interesting
but they were mostly just insightful things like what is that character up to.
The only route the MS system affected an ending was Orlok's... but its best
to pay attention and catch them all as you go which means less hassle later on.
They do not affect the platinum trophy I missed a bunch of them and still got it though...
I think some of them might affect the ending like one in Orlok's route but the most
important ones happen automatically which makes me go like why not do that with all of them.
Overall without going into spoiler/plot details of course...
I did liked how the routes actually have a Best/Good/Bad branch and choices actually change
the scenario quite a bit... leading to an entirely different ending you never know what
is going to happen which considering the setting is really good.
Prologue/common is also nicely done you will branch out to a new route in different ways
so basically the choices actually make a difference and without a guide it could be difficult.
Not everyone is going to like this game; fans of arcana famiglia expecting an awesome
MC like Felicita? nope you aren't going to find it here.
Fans of Ozmafia might be disappointed too since Piofiore is much more serious with little fluff.
So what do you have to expect? Serious story centered on mafia problems
with a girl with a kind heart at the center of it, she isn't a complete doormat so that imo is a plus
of course there's romance and memorable otome moments but not much
which going by say Donte's route is just enough feels more like a normal VN would be better.
This game also has a ton of suspense, in some route its better than other and
certain choices can lead to dead ends so be careful with what you pick.
IMO Piofiore is just right, if you can stand the mafia problems atleast!
the writers do not hold back to how serious they can be and while I have some
gripes with how this isn't all otome-like as in only one route ever getting close to it
I still hope it gets a FD one day but what exactly is an otome game?
there are many different types and yet this is very much one of them its just more serious.
I still think this is a solid otome game compared to other disasters I have recently sat through
*cough*Chouchou Jiken*cough* this game is a lot better suspense wise than that one ever was.
I can definitely recommend this otome game if you want a serious story centered on the mafia
and don't mind things ending up in a bloody mess, while I have gripes here and there
its imo as good as Collar x Malice or Code:Realize since the otome bits might leave to be desired.
Side note, I love how the chapter titles for each character are in different languages.
Dante's are in spanish, Nicola's in Italian, Yang's in chinese, Orlok is in german,
Gilbert is English and the finale was in french lol. If they ever localize I hope they keep this haha.
If I have to recommend a play order the one I followed didn't cause problems
and flowed naturally so I will recommend it to others:
Dante > Nicola > Yang > Orlok > Gilbert > ???.
and that is all if you want no spoilers! more ramblings after the jump.
Fandisc to Collar x Malice! and I dare say it deserved one
since the original was more focused on plot than romance(not to say there wasn't)
they did still balance it out quite nicely though! it did deserve a better look into the future
especially for characters such as Shiraishi because we all know he deserved it the most.
Content wise its just the usual after stories and something dedicated to Adonis.
Pretty sure they followed up on that one bad end as well but I did not
get my hopes up for anything good to happen out of that.
Pro's
- After stories of decent length, varied endings for everyone.
- Art, hanamura just gets better and better!
- It's got the volume, more than tierblade(unfortunately so).
Con's
- ED theme be nice but its not in sync with credits and just cuts off/repeats, sloppeh.
Sysem Interlude: this further details events about X day; where some dude named
Chisato Tachibana brings up some suspicious facts to Ichika and the others. After story: continues on from interlud; the after story of the two. Adonis: Basically another side of the story. Side story/what if's: self explanatory.
First of all it is nice they go out of their way to give us another look to the whole
X day thing as a refresher especially after two years and have a nice movie
such as the story thus far at the start of everyones after.
Honestly I feel a lil conflicted about this FD most of this comes from interlude
it felt pretty low effort at trying to start something. -_-
The interlude part aside everything else is 👌 still the same guys we all know and love, no OOC.
The interlude was interesting as there are different paths to take, I went to unlock all
afters before actually doing them since it would only be a hassle to go back and forth.
Unfortunately nothing was truly interesting... it did expand on certain things
but the only good thing about this FD is the fanservice after story.
The after stories are of decent length, there's not much plot to it but the scenario
was interesting nonetheless it focused more on their relationship though.
TL;DR its recommended if you liked CxM and want to see more to the relationships.
If worried about quality/value of the fandisk, imo its more worth it than Tierblade's FD
which only convoluted the plot revelation after revelation but CxM manages to actually clear it up.
9/10
Back to our regularly scheduled otome game reviews.
I will be reviewing this a little bit different due to the nature of the game
as in its better to not know too much about anything story or character related
before you play which means it probably will be my messy ramblings of likes/dislikes
and my apologies for bringing up the biggest drawback too much
but it just shows even this game isn't perfect, tbh i've yet to play one otome that was.
Unfortunately before I played I was warned that this game is in fact a giant common route
with the individual or romance part as an after thought. This is fine but part of me prefers
something more balanced like code:realize. However sometimes I don't mind if the story's good.
Also you're better off playing this game without a guide, you'll most likely get Kagiha's route
(like what happen in my case) without trying; unless you were super curious about that one book.
Good stuff first, I really like the story, the way its presented and written sort of sucks you in
because its full of suspense which is good motivation to continue on. The flow chart is meh
only really handy to get where you want to be, constantly having to stop the story
for the side stories might be annoying especially when things got really interesting
(more on this later) even then later on certain side stories provide a way to see
another side of the characters others are meaningless filler of days gone by.
The minigame isn't annoying but it might take a bit to get used to.
The key is to not shoot the butterflies individual but lock on to a lot of them at once while getting
the special coloured ones and then shoot, basically look what you chain together.
The protagonist is voiced, has an actual personality and backstory this time.
Beniyuri is an integral piece of the story which after the last localized otome i played is very
welcomed. A protagonist makes or breaks a game...but for the most part she made it a lot better.
Music adds a lot to the mood of the game which helps with both suspenseful and light-hearted scenes.
The OP isn't really my thing but its not unbearably bad or anything.
The art is of course pretty to look at; it helps with the overall theme of the game
I like how they changed the colour depending where it took place.
Pro's
- Interesting and suspenseful narrative.
- Likeable cast of characters.
- Art is pleasing to look at.
- Music fit the mood.
- Giant common route, individual routes or more like ends are short but overall its of decent length.
Con's
- Extremely short; I think if you actually put effort into it you can finish it in two-four days. Main/side ep - Having to read Five of these ''daily life'' to continue the main narrative was
incredible jarring, esp when I was pretty engrossed by it. I only liked the one about
cooking and shojo manga but most did nothing to add to the actual plot except camaraderie.
This just brings the potential of this game down, its like reading this manga and at the end
of volume 4 there's a bonus side chapter full of fluff which takes place some time earlier but we
couldn't fit it in! I get some of them are like a reward but its sad how the mainstory
just goes like ''a bunch of days passed'' yet here we are in a bonus episode about just that, it really
could've been executed better like there are these ''main story'' bits and things get interesting
like at one point I expected a minigame as they headed out to confront a monster but was booted
into the flowchart to read even more ''short episodes'' WAY TO RUIN THE MOMENT!
That aside its still an enjoyable mystery otome game, that has a bit of a flawwed execution.
Great cast, decent amount of suspense + drive to get to the bottom of it all
and good art/music to compliment it. What more could you ask?
As for the localization? I am pleasantly surprised! its really good, like BAW its
not that long of a game so it makes sense they have more time to check things over
if the size of game isn't that big, the font is pleasant to look at this time too so thats another plus.
It does makes me wonder what goes wrong with their bigger titles...
if only they could give those the same type of Q&A as their smaller ones.
Speaking of BAW... certain things are similair however in my honest opinion
I think Black Butterfly has the better narrative but even then it has its own set of ''issues''
to the point I am going to have to recommend you to read as many side stories
as you are able too even if you can advance the main story. Doing so will give you less
frustration of having to go back and read them later on which ruins immersion
especially because some do take place early on and its just weird to go back
I really do think the whole main/side is this games biggest drawback. :/
Personally the only side stories I've enjoyed are Yamato and Monshiro's
nothing against Kagiha but because I saw his end first his were permanently ruined!
so I was lowkey like I should've watched his along with Yamato after all... sigh.
The only thing they did execute well was the enforced play order and how more of the
overall story will be revealed with each new ending you get to. Its just a bummer most side
episodes are basically just filler, atleast the actual individual ends(thegood ones) are a nice treat.
The only jarring thing is some oddly copy pasted text here and there but nothing too bad.
Out of all the otome games currently out in english it depends on what you want
but if mystery type stuff is what you fancy i see no reason not to get it if you haven't.
8/10
That's the not so long version atleast... i'll ramble a bit more after the jump.
Since I've never reviewed the original(played PSP ver ages ago) I'll try to
to do so for this ''remaster'' it won't be that long since its an old game.
So since Utaware Itsu/futari was such a success, like it moved mountains
of copies on release (especially the latter) AP decided to release an updated version
of the original game after the ps2/psp version BUT made the srpg part like its sequels.
It was originally an eroge but most of it has been replaced by other events
some things are still implied though and the harem well its still there. xD
I played the PS Vita version but it felt like it was the PS4 version as outside of battles
its incredible clean, I never had a problem with itsu/futari since those're decent ports too
sure its rougher on PSV but atleast it retains its charms AND runs well. Unfortunately this might be my last actual ps vita game outside of pure visual novels.
Pros
- Story, long but worth to sit through all the way.
- Lovely cast of characters.
- SRPG part is enjoyable; more options compared to utaware 2/3; lots of stages.
- Music; can use special arrangement that give the feel of 2/3 during scenes
and if you want to get nostalgic there's the old BGM, best of both worlds.
Cons
- Its not without its flaws, some may stick out like a sore thumb.
- While the art itself is amazing... changing the hue of the sprites to fit the time of day looks odd.
- Missables; if you just go through the story first(like me) you might have to do another
playthrough since certain items from event/drop of optional stages are missable its not a problem
if you do everything as it becomes available but its more of a matter of knowing when and where.
Pictured; an optional battle, please note at this point its post game and i've grinded BP to max out some stats.
Gameplay; upgraded to the likes of its sequels; SRPG part is like a breather between VN part
there's a hard mode for those that want a bit more challenge. Its very slice of life-ish
at first but it gets better; it just takes its time, the first battle was about a bit over an hour in.
I found its easy to take breaks as well due to it bringing you to the camp menu often enough.
It has a slow start but when it gets serious its battle after battle and there's times of peace
like a calm before the next storm of course the further you get in the quicker the pace
and less time for shenanigans, that's the only way I can sum up the flow of the game
without mentioning spoilers. In terms of stages there's a ton and I still found it to be
much more engaging than its sequels, replaying only made that clearer for me.
The variety/goals of some of them is better too like there's a pure defensive stage later on
and they love throwing nasty status effects at you either by attack or a turret.
The finishers/dual are gotten pretty early and its funny how enemies can heal... even boss
this time you too can equip items that a give a stat boost and be able to heal themselves
in case Eruruw isn't around, you can even use offensive items. Overall its more enjoyable.
You can still redo turns and replay old battles but i figured you'd expected this
and if you've bought Sasara and Tamaki before they'll automatically join.
However I never had need of them; the main playables and a few guests(they have deathblow!)
are more than enough! also man Oboro is so amazing; he's fast and strong! if you only
raised his strength with BP and accesory to the point if used well nothing stands a chance really.
If I had to give the playable's class/roles it'll be: Hakuoro is average but if he dies so does
everyone's brains which means a game over. Eruruw is the healer, Aruruw a tank.
Oboro and Karula are the glass cannons. The gay twins Dorii and Gura the rangers.
Benawi is defense is best offense! and Kurou is his back up but weaker in terms of defense.
Urutorii and Kamyu are casters; not too strong but not that weak, they have their uses.
Touka and Genjimaru are offensive; if you know Yakuto-err Jachtwalt they're like him!
then we have Theoro and Derihourai.. both offensive unit but you won't get to use them much
atleast there's optional stages but like you're not starved for EXP or BP and I completed
the game without even touching one optional stage, missed opportunity? sure since if I want
that
platinum I will have to do it again to get certain items. TBH I never
platted futari no hakuoro
since the loot trophy was too time consuming
and I just wanted to do other things. Well now you
know they are there and if the VN part drains you some action is available. It add a lot even if
amount of optional is like half the main scenario stages of which there are 32 of.
On another note...
It is nice how these two DLC Sasara and Tamaki are shared throughout all three games
if you had bought them before they are yours forever! yay cross-game DLC.
The only thing that irks me is a season pass but its only 30$ and you'll get bonus items along
with playable Haku, Kuon, Rurutie, Ukon, Nekone and more which is nice fanservice. Atleast Ukon has a deathblow now which was quite cool IMO
Overall it really feels more like an SRPG with all the options available, not too difficult
but not that hard. Unfortunately I found the last few end game stages got too easy (lol Oboro) I gotta add that as soon as you clear stage 14 it becomes extremely easy to farm BP so no matter the difficulty you can just adjust stats to your liking on a whim.
That aside the pace of the story was literally one thing after another near the end, the plot
isn't bad its just so much at once and I am glad the story took itself seriously which makes
you like oh I actually missed those shenanigans early on but there's no time for that!
That might add to the impact of the ending itself. Now imagine it being mid 2000's- (I'm trying not to mention actual spoilers or how's and why's so bear with me.)
-and you finish it; there's no sequel you're left with that ending. Personally
I found it nice its not completely a happy one but it isn't that awful they actually
left a lot of matters up to interpretation. Life goes on Hakuoro's friends
said lives had been changed because of him... basically his presence had a huge impact.
The relationships said friends have with each other... is great too and I feel
in a lot of rpgs these days you don't get to see it like here. Utaware might be harem-ish
but its not all about the harem even the sequels still manage to get that across.
Did I ever mention the lore? and how it just makes it that much more engrossing...
Graphic; Stills and Portrait are beautiful, world is lively and colourful
even not important character have sprites or atleast most of them but like I did not see a need
to change the hue of the sprites(the standing pictures not cg's) to whatever time it is ingame.
Music? at the start you can choose between original/sequel tracks so whatever suits you...
BGM is beautiful and fits the scenes quite well I don't even need to explain why
but if you have never played the original I recommend sticking to the original music track
unless you are like super fond of itsu/futari's OST.
Fav character:
Touka > Aruruw > Oboro > Kamyu >Yuzuha > Eruruw > Benawi > Kuuya > Sakuya >
Urutorii > Karula > Genjimaru > Gura / Dorri > Kurou > Derihourai/Hien > Teoro >
Kamuchataru > brick wall; Nuwangi > Suonkasu > Dii >deepest pits of hell;Hauenka(fuck him). Some of this is basically just preference; its only the ones that stood out.
Nothing against the gay twins; but like they are pretty much
Oboro's sidekicks and didn't leave that big of an impression on me aside of comedy
and them being super duper loyal to him. Karula is like idk not my type but she's great
character and has her reasons but I found myself more attached to Urutorii. :/
Benawi would be my husband and Kurou... well he's like a bro he won't let you down
but that's it really he adds a lot to the others if scenario allows.
Oboro's cool; a bit of a siscon but while he seems a bit hotheaded he matured a lot
over the course of the game and he totally gets the MVP award there's no contest for that.
Touka would be my absolute favorite; her personality... she's a bit dumb and she might
overlook things in the heat of the moment but she makes me smile a lot.
Kamyu is... like the ugly duckling and quite mysterious but she made friends
which helped her in the end I think its beautiful to see that.
I'd prefer Aruruw over Eruruw due to her growth and showing courage despite her age
like I know the story is very biased for Eruruw but half of the game she was like
a tea servant and at best a pillar of support yet... she gets almost no recognition
and just has to deal with stuff happening at the end but to be there for someone even though
they might look the other way like wow that's mature. So yeah she's good in her own way.
Yuzuha... despite her situation she's genuinely happy for doing what she can. ;_;
Kuuya.. oh man she... she got caught up in some shit and the end result wasn't pretty
but there's hope for her so she wasn't completely beyond help. Uh now i'm getting emotional so let's stop.
While I still praise the anime of this work, as it stays pretty fateful to the game it still really
is a digest it was made painfully obvious what was omitted; minor spoilers warning here
Benawi and Kurou's relationship to Nuwangi's sister Kamuchataru; the arc takes place
around the same time Hakuoro and Karula deal with Suonkasu. Its nice chara development
but still felt like a side story. The only side thing I liked was the deal with
Urutorii and Fumiriru; the child she found and cared for; its something that may not
have been a big deal back then but with the itsu/futari it suddenly becomes so much more.
How to sum it up...
If you like VN's with a charming cast of characters and a meaty storyline I suggest
picking this up if you haven't and want to try getting into this ''utawarerumono''.
Playing
this after uta2/3 will be nice too, you'll still pick things up like
for example that
little baby that the gang finds midway through the game
that will be more clear, even though
I played this before it was a nice way to refresh my memory on various facts.
The slice of life scenes are many but not too long and you can replay battles
at any time! there's optional ones too so you'd probably not be bored.
Of course I can't promise you'll like it, it has some flaws but if you like stories that take its time
with an engrossing world and lovable chara's I recommend this series along with tears to tiara.
I HOPE THEY LOCALIZE THIS VERSION, not only to complete the trilogy but why wouldn't
you want an updated version that plays like its sequels AND in high definition at that?
Atlus did a good job localizing the other two... the names look a bit weird to me in ENG but that's it.
Hmmm... its clear Aquaplus did cut corners where they could... like did Kurou
have a beard at this point? he doesn't in his sprite but does in his 3d model.
I actually didn't notice this till way later; shows how much I care about graphics.
Overall its a great game, decent story/world and a lovely cast of characters!
Its sad but I think on its own this installment may have been enough...
there's just something, something about its sequels that lacked.
That doesn't mean they're bad like they gave the much needed resolution for Eruruw
and went on to tell the tale of Kuon while going further into matters not resolved.
It might've just been that it wasn't on such a grand scale as the first game like
less generals/countries hmm yea that could be it.
Even then if you have a PS4 or Vita I wholeheartedly recommend it.
Utaware's story is far from perfect but its an enjoyable series nonetheless
I can't wait for Utaware Zan even though it seems to be like a fanservice spin off. Well have a finisher exhibition; I also watched some of the PS4 version and well it does have more flair, even then I am glad this was my last ps vita game(besides VN).
