Yep, not only is Takasuke a sweetheart with an interesting backstory, the POV does a great job of filling certain important gaps that go beyond the beginning of the main story.
And this otome I loved. It was a true labour of love. Cheritz does not enchant me much, they tend to be form over substance...but Dandelion, Dandelion was IT. Lovely.
The main screen changes as you unlock more routes. The main screen is very fitting in many ways as well, very very good.. This is a really lovely otome, with a lovely overall feel/meaning. It combines bitter and sweet really well.
Sweet childhood friends are the protagonists of this clsassicotome game. I missed those kinds of moods in otome. It is a carefully crafted story with a good and discernible and most of all engaging premise. However, it does feel a little underdeveloped at times. But the writing and translation are delightful - I really miss such good translations.
Story:
A girl comes to a small, seemingly inconspicuous town in search of her brother...but discovers more than she bargained for and meets a cast of characters. Strange things keep happening. The overall mood is that of a supernatural/urban legend kinda thing with moments of fairy tale beauty.
some lovely locations:
MC
MC as a child. She’s cute.
I really like the MC. She's a girl thrust into unusual situations and on some routes, like Isora, she makes thoughtful decisions. Happy ends require trust and MC, say with Isora, considers the potential risk as Isora is a little suspicious but still decides to trust him. I liked that. She has integrity and is far from stupid. It is explained what makes her so special.
GAME structure
There is a purposeful structure to the story and playing the routes, the story is unravelled piece by piece, each route adds something new, explains and also explains the links between characters, opens a new memory box.
Route order:
Hino > isora > Toa >sosuke > Yuzuki > true route (start a new game after completing others, true route will open next to character ending > secret character (start new game after completing true end)
Hino
childhood friend who is always there for MC. Item of note: gun. He really wants to be MC’s knight in shining armour. He does his best but he’s got a long way to go.
Isora
chef at the hotel. Item of note: strawberry cake. There was something really interesting about this character. Isora is sweet but can be a little intense, and the masked man really is right when he says that it makes Isora the perfect suspect - I do like that aspect of this character - I had suspected him to be the culprit but then it was just appearances. It made MC's decisions all the more important: to trust despite appearances or not?
Toa
A bit of a surprise character
Sousuke
the reliable, logical student of medicine who does his own investigating on the side.
Yuzuki
the lonely heir / owner of the hotel who has a different vision for things than his father. Had a tough cal to make once.
The route order is how you play it and routes unlock after some others are played first. You start with Hino and Isora and the rest become gradually available as you complete more routes.
It makes a lot of sense in the context of the whole story and needs to be done this way as each route reveals pieces of the mystery and explains the connection between characters, one route kinda ties to another in a certain logical chain. Hino must be played first because he introduces the whole thing and then each subsequent routes not only logically fill certain gaps in the story (so: hino intro then we see isora perspective then we see what happens with toa's concert then we fill the parts with sosuke going up the moutain...and then what happens to karasuma..Yuzuki route also explains the opening prologue and why mc is targeted..and then there's the rest of the unlockables that really complete the big picture. Each route is like a memory box that we help the protagonist to unlock.
THEMES
The overarching story is a little bittersweet but I just love how some things said on the routes that are purely happy complement the secret and true character routes. in fact...once the secret character ends, I got a strong feeling that yes...now the other routes can happen as we want, we can really choose which ending we want because the routes perfectly fit into the gaps created by every another.
Yuzuki might be the best for me after the secret character
Our hearts can be full of holes...but if we are lucky we will find someone to fill those holes for us, this is a really well put sentiment and to me, expresses the mood and point of the entire game perfectly.
I really loved the secret character route. The secret route is the definite end, a special story but it never invalidates the other routes. It is brief for a very good reason and it highlights the theme of memories prevalent through the game. And also it really fantastically writes itself into the other routes...the writer did put effort and thought into it to tell a lovely story and I for one really appreciate it.
Other than that, I really like all characters, Yuzuki and Sosuke taking the lead. But I believe all characters have a good reason to "fawn" over, love the Mc as their destinies were long intertwined and she is precious to them ....it's a really charmingly played out red string of fate kinda thing.
Side characters were likeable and all well-used, important in one way or another.
OTHER
another plus; bad ends and normal ends are actually bad and normal, not pretend to be bad. I like that, a lot of otomes forget about it. The result is bittersweet but thanks to that I treasure the happy ends and the meaning for them.
Each end has a distinct ending theme. The character artwork is absolutely lovely and one of my favourite styles. Voices are as always pretty much perfect fits.
I also really like the overall app design and UI - the routes played are organised neatly and when you begin the new game you can pick a part to start playing from. There is also a gallery of cgs. The opening and ending themes are lovely.
CONS
I do wish there were more details, sometimes things felt like the stories could be a little more descriptive with slightly more developments because some actually felt a little too flat and the mood/atmosphere, as well as the lore behind the story, could have been better elaborated as the story, while good, did not always resonate strongly enough and some developments felt abrupt. But that's my only complaint.
OVERALL
I find it a very charming otome game, it has the sort of charming / nostalgic feel I definitely find missing from modern otomes. What an absolutely lovely find.
To celebrate the release of Shiro and our SMASH! Sydney Manga and Anime Show event on 13-14th July at the ICC, we’re giving away 5 lucky winners 1 Main Story of their choice either on IOS, Android or PC!!!
All you have to do is:
1) Follow our blog
2) Reblog with a comment which of our characters do you like and why
3) Do all this by 31st July 2019
Choose your prize from:
Ryosei Asakawa - Your suave childhood friend.
Dr Hajime Fukuyama - The Mature Doctor*
Shiro - The golden-haired stranger
*Trigger warning ⚠️
*Reblogs has to be set to public so we can see
*Competition is open to everyone age 17+ due to our content rating.
To celebrate the release of Shiro and our SMASH! Sydney Manga and Anime Show event on 13-14th July at the ICC, we’re giving away 5 lucky winners 1 Main Story of their choice either on IOS, Android or PC!!!
All you have to do is:
1) Follow our blog
2) Reblog with a comment which of our characters do you like and why
3) Do all this by 31st July 2019
Choose your prize from:
Ryosei Asakawa - Your suave childhood friend.
Dr Hajime Fukuyama - The Mature Doctor*
Shiro - The golden-haired stranger
*Trigger warning ⚠️
*Reblogs has to be set to public so we can see
*Competition is open to everyone age 17+ due to our content rating.
I have enjoyed reading through Hajime and Shiro, they are distinct and both fun to read.
Hajime was interesting because he was familiar and yet there was so much more than met the eye. Shiro’s route is fun to read because it is a plunge into the unknown, letting yourself be swept away by a whirlwind romance that kind of outside social conventions ie it saves MC from a marriage meeting but then another twist comes. Shiro is very attractive and charismatic.
Hajime still wins since I connect more with the theme of redemption, the story is deeper and more sayisfying for me. Hajime story is stronger for me plotwise. Shiro is enjoyable like a light summer novel, a romantic adventure, has twists and a good themes. The variety of forms of romantic love in this app is fun, each character loves differently and each is distinct - you have a choice which you prefer. I hope the app keeps up the variety.
Oh and Takasuke story promises to be interesting too. A tsundere hacker involved in some sort of mystery case. There is much to look forward to :)
But really @delusionalinc you should ask this question late rne all routes are out :P
So, the long-awaited bum, a foreign man without a past is out. :) It’s an enjoyable story, with an interesting structure and good theme. A romantic adventure, like a whirlwind summer romance, with thrills and intrigues. Shiro’s route is like a light summer novel Watch out for clues in early chapters regarding Shiro’s identity.
what I really like about this app is that the stories have good and distinct themes and writing has a thought behind it. In this one, we deal with cultural differences, differences and stereotypes.
I think with this release, the variety of approaches Delusional takes becomes clearer. If Hajime was more like a thriller, then Shiro is a lot more like a romantic adventure , even with a nod towards a fairy tale. The overall theme is discrimination and both Shiro and Mc experience it, Mc perhaps even more so because she also faces certain stereotypisation from a very asinine side character. Also, MC breaks shckles of social expectations through Shiro.
If Hajime’s route was discovering that the familiar is more than meets the eye and about forgiveness and redemption, then Shiro;s route is about taking a total plunge into the unknown and uncertain, especially when conventions require of mc to do something she does not want. Then comes this ray of sunshine, a breeze of romance. And Shiro’s route works that way most: like a whirlwind romance, despite the theme, the physical attraction dominates.
We find Shiro drifting in the sea, take him home. It’s fun to see how he infilitrates MC’s inner circle of men. It is also intresting to see how he is treated, what are reactions to him. There’s oogling and there’s distrust and discrimination. He’s a total mystery and flirty with mc, but he’s suave and courteous and is quick to come to her resuce.They are sweet together, enjoy some good banter. In this story, MC attends a marriage meeting, fully intending to become the family’s sacrifice, do what’s right. Shiro rescues her from that and they fall in love, hard and fast, like a whirlwind romance, while she tries to help him learn who he is since he has amnesia. But a series of observations provide clues.
But then, his past catches up with him and the story begins part 2. The story has a distinct division in two parts, the first being the romance that sweeps mc off her feet and ends with a promise that felt like something out of fairy tale about the mermaid. Sure enough, part 2 brings unexpected complications, lots of emotions, intrigues, and takes us along on a ride to another country. Along the way, social expectations and social codes are examined and confronted. What awaits Shiro and MC? Who is Shiro? Is Mc able to share food with him? :P Will Mc persevere?
I like her on this route, she makes sacrificing decisions with some consequence and it is clear how much she has on her mind, As an orphan grateful to her parents, she really wants to do right by them. While Shiro changes in part 2 and shields himself more, acting with distrust (befitting his circumstances), it is still te same person (certain lines are repeated to highlight it, showing it is part of his personality to care). As mc observes when we find out who he is, he looks loney and his station requires him to maintain certain loneliness. He can be edgy and testy. However, with a person he can trust completely, he could relax and be more open hearted. Honestly, the structure of this story is well thought out, transitions very well and overall very satisfying. There are lots of details that make it fun. The first chapters had some hilarity, plus the details how MC and her environment adapted to and reacted to Shiro were fun And Shiro is quick-witted and observant he and mc both see each other at their best and worst fairly soon. Enjoyable. Shiro is also well-spoken and sincere. In fact, he himself is quite poetically described.. like a dream. He can be roquish too, which has its charm. He is trained in combat and sharp witted. I love the happy end scene, very nicely done.
It’s a well driven story, the theme is interesting but I don’t find is as strong as in Hajime. Shiro is principally a whirlwind, adventurous romance, I find him suave and enjoy it when he comes to aid the mc, even more so in the second part. The second part is a great idea and I particularly enjoy the fragments when he unknowingly repeats the lines he uttered with amnesia before. It is part of the app’s variety: each character is a different form of loving. you can choose which you like best. Hajime's plot, theme and idea was stronger for me. More impactful.
I look forward to what more this app will bring because three routes in and there’s quite a variety already, all routes with distinct themes, different forms of romance and ways of loving romantically, and that is very nice.
Merchandise available for Delusional, inc game! I am waiting until I can choose who I like best in this game but I will definutely like to get chibi merch. I will definitely want a Hajime cibi and maybe artwork but until I get ti know all the stories I can’t say who else I want. I hope the merch will be available later once I decide basing on stories who I like.
Love to delusional for their hard work and for creating stories with meaning and impact, with an intent and purpose. It’s one of the better otomes out there currently because it has a purpose and goes a little deeper with choices and lets us question them or think about them. To get a happy end you need to understand the character better than in most otomes, that’s how careful they are with writing. i adore Agent of Love for that. It’s incredibly thoughtful.
But things are not always what they seem, especially when it comes to matters of the heart.
What mysteries surround the men that come into your life?
Can you wade through all the lies and deceit to find the truth?
Or…
Will your love lead you on a destructive path of heartbreak, misery…and death?
And well next up is Shiro whom I’ve looked forward to for a while now. I wonder what awaits this mysterious character.
A puzzle game for mobile platforms, in which you connect the dots. Free, with optional purchases.
The best thing about the series is design. The maps are colourful and after some levels you enter a new area. Many wonderfully drawn areas await visiting. In Two dots, the movement is upwards, in dots & co the map scrolls towards the right. The dewsign is really lovely as is the background music - it’s really catchy. In Two dots we accompany two heroes, in Dots & co we gather companions along the way.
The challenges for dot connecting are varied and change. You start with simple ones, then variants are added. Keeps the interest up.
There are collectibles / souvenirs for finishing areas in both games.
Both games have special extra challenges that give extra companions or some collectibles / treasures. The extra maps are very pretty too.
It’s a lovely designed puzzle series. Since it’s endless and the puzzles get more and more challenging, it’s not really entirely my thing, not my kind of puzzle game but I take absolute delight in its design, the areas/ level have fun names that get the imagination going. It’s a game lovely to look at, easy to grasp but harder to master and beat.
I played it before awakening and it’s time to reminisce a little. The fun in fates is a combination of things: battle in creatively designed terrains, bonding system for everyone to make as they want, many characters and fun additional features like building a castle and invasions.
Favourite characters: female Corrin, Xander, Siegbert, Kana, Shigure, Azura, Kaze, Shura, Kagero, Saizo, probably a few more, Ill add when something comes to mind.
Gameplay and feature wise, it is more expanded than awakening.
There is a castle you can build and customise.
Bonding system is bigger. Inviting characters to private quarters helps develop the bond.
Some of the battle maps are creative and a lot more fun than in Awakening. Really, a lot of different terrains and a lot of them got really really fun.
Different routes in the end: conuest, birthright and revelations is a great thing, each part / route reveals more about the story - I like that sort of idea, it gives much to discover, little by little, unravelling the full thing.
Favourite pairs:
I love Xander and female Corrin. Xander is a great father to both Kana and Siegbert. I love his lines and support conversations; favourite family unit.
Saizo x Kagero - they have a past and share common language. Saizo is great with his code of honour and there’s a storyline concerning family matters in kaze support conversations. I like Asugi - Saizo father-son too.
Kaze x Azura - . both are polite, gentle and kind, i like them, they are agreeable. Shigure is an absolutely lovely character too, I really like Shigure’s support convorsations with whoever his father is (although each character does seem to have subtle differences in these supports), absolutely lovely!
Kiragi and Takumi’s father-son are a delight too, Kiragi is really a great son.
But Xander, yes, Xander is excellent as a character because he seems unapproachable and a little suspicicious at first but he is actually firm but fair and just. and he is very affectionate. Very supportive of his allies and family. I like him a lot, his conversations with his Corrin and their sons are great. Really enjoyed this one. Xander’s totally worth the wait, it takes a loong while to recruit him in both conquest and revelations. Xander x female Corrin are my strongest favourites and I don’treally like to bond them with anyone else. This is very much my kind of thing.
I really absolutely love all these conversations father-sons. The lines are perfectly worded and absolutely lovely.
I loved Xander x Corrin particularly rank A and s conversation. Rank A has a lot of nicely worded lines about what the two mean for each other and how lonely Xander felt.
Honestly, Xander x Corrin is my preffered pair, all these support convos were just right up my alley, my kind of lovely lovely thing. Xander, Corrin, siegbert and Kana are definitely my top favourite family setup.
The Plot: A waitress meets a king to be on his bachelor party. Sparks fly, but they part. However, little do they know that a fairy godbrother, Maxwell Beaumont, is about to change the course of their fates. Can a waitress become a suitor for a king to be, win the support of people, press and the court, survive the duplicity of the court, brave political and romantic intrigues and become queen?
Since this is love choice/ pay to play I wasn’t gonna try it but I do try to explore new things and this one proved surprisingly ok, which I honestly didn’t expect. I don’t think i’ll play more Choices but this one really wasn’t terrible, it did hit the right notes.
Overall verdict; The start had me in doubts. Insta love is a no go for me. But later developments showed me something else and made up for this. A dream cannot be easily achieved, there have to be trials and bonds must be tested - this underlying idea is probably what sold the royal romance to me, I do enjoy such a premise. Especially when the story overall retains a certain charm of a Cinderella story, and this one has. I had fun reading it, it’s quite well written and reads well. It’s balanced between plot and steamy fanservice, doesn’t neglect to develop the characters over time and characters are likeable. Side characters get some very nice backstories too. Antaognists aren’t one-dimensional. overall fun. MC has a lot of integrity and is able to reach through even to the most difficult characters.
on the negative side: There ARE some dubious choices that encourage cheating behaviour which I found annoying (I was only warned about them thanks to the walkthrough so I knew how to prepare to avoid them) but you can avoid them and keep MC’s integrity and faithfulness to the one she chooses. sorry, but i just hate last-minute flings and any other poor exuse for cheating - such choices ARE here but CAN be avoided, especially if , like me, you don’t pursue more than one character per play through or per route. Integrity for me is one of the most vital things anywhere and I stick to it..and fortunately The royal romance gave enough room to keep that - the name of the app is Choices in the end...- so I was able to enjoy it without being annoyed. I was able to keep the integrity for my MC. If I hadn’t been able to do that, i would have been annoyed and this post wouldn’t be up at all since I have a policy of not posting abot things i absolutely hate or don’t support, or at least i try to. There are times when I will rant.
Favourite pairing: Liam x MC, also Drake x MC.
spans three fun books in which characters face a lot of trials.
an impressive amount of complexly structured choices. Really, pixelberry’s Choices feel closer to a console game experience than solmare ports of otomate games in this way. Choices are premium mostly, yes and well kinda nice to get them for better disclosures on some characters, new opportunities or new branches, including romance branches. Which ones you buy is up to you, thus the story you create is your own. I did really enjoy some of them.
I am not really fond of the many scenes but i’ll take the ones here, which are organic and feel like natural extensions of the story over poor translations of japanese otome, where translations force such content into narrative, changing things artificially and thus rendering it unreadeable. I am not fond of too much sex, but this here didn’t intefere / overshadow the plot and because it was written this way by the writer - fro the start- feels organic, rather than forced or artificial. Not like the increasingly bad japanese localizations. Plus, well since the plot consisted of a lot of plot and twists, the steamy scenes did in this case provide certain moments of repreive for star-crossed lovers, ever having to face som sort of forced seprations. But it worked out quite well in the end. I didn;t mind - as long as it;s only with te chosen guy, to deepend the bonds, steal a few moments and find consolation to facew further trials. Flings with other characters (and there are such choices) are unaccpetable to me. But again you can avoid things you don;t find acceptable or fun.
characters are lovely and get developments over time, including side characters and antagonists. There is quite a lot of fun things I had here. i really liked Penelope / Ezekiel and Bertrand / Savanah. I just really do quite adore Liam. He is an honoiurable, history savy and capable, rather soulful king, if lonely. Deserves the Mc who has integrity and love just for him. Drake is a capable, loyal guy, if rough around the edges but he has reasons to be angry at the nobility. Well done storyline that develops over time for him as well. Honestly, I quite love them. Atagonists aren’t one sided, either. Their motivations are investigated and gradually they become understood. And it all rretians a certain charm.
plot takes the Mc on a grand tour and she faces many trials which include (premiu) dress up. I’ve really enjoiyed this part of the story though, because it was part of the mc’s tests and showed her decorum. Dresses to match house colours of nobility were significant for the storyline in certain ways and I really enjoyed that. Aside from dresses, you can get a corgi, a horse and red panda cubes. Ther are some items I enjoyed buying, even if premium because they added that special something to the storyline like byuing a liberty statue for keychain for Liam.
loved the ending in book 3 and some favourites include: the lantern festival, visiting pandas, going on secret tours with Liams, especially when he had things to teach the MC about history or diplomacy but plenty other little moments that had that somewthing that works for me.
Bottom line there is enough for me here to bite into, it isn’t just some preachy fanservice and nothing more, the plot has been thought out, and romantic / emotional elements have been inserted appropriately all in all so I do have somthing to hang onto there - and I generally prefer pure, idealistic stories. Mc has integrity and lots of opportunities. Story is immersive enough. Art..although I generally prefer anime style, this one was fairly easy to get used to as well.
Not bad, it’s worth to venture outside comfort zone once in a while, not all finds will be bad. Pixelberry did well enough with this story for me to have fun reading and like the characters - there was something in it even for me. It did hit the right notes.
[Fire emblem awakening favourites: Frederick x Miriel + Laurent
Speaking about Fire emblem awakening for a while longer, there are a few support convos that I really do love because they strongly appeal to my sentimental side (and I am majorly one for good family feelings). One is Frederick x Miriel and their son Laurent. Frederick is so incredibly sweet. I love how he is strong for them and brings them both from their shells, encouraging to be more relaxed. The interactions are so well written, they are a real delight. Frederick might be Wary but he’s caring. I absolutely adore those three, some of the finer lines and feelings for me are here, as well as really lovely consistency (of feelings) that’s why they are among my favourites. Spoilers for Support convos (got screenshots) and I might get some more in the future to better illustrate what I was writing about in my Chrom post earlier.
Verdict / overall feeling for Miriel x Frederick and Laurent: This was perfect! Loved every line of it and the big, warm. absolutely lovely picture they served to create. The wording was great at every step too. I really adore this one.
Poor Laurent, had to keep things together wandering an unknown era all alone. As a reuslt of being alone, he really tries too hard. Frederick sees this and does all he can to show him it’s ok, that he’s there for him, that he can relax. Definitely one of my favourite father and sons in fire emblem.
“I’m sorry i didn’t find you earlier but, you’re not alone”
Frederick and Miriel are just so incredibly sweet. Frederick brings out the best in both Mirriel and Laurent in many ways. The support conversations show a rewarding and great process of how Frederick pulls Miriel into a series of “trainings”, when all it’s meant to do is to spend time together to help her relax and she gradually reciprocates the little game and opens up to feelings more.. They are absolutely wonderful.
“in combat, you must let instict rule, you must learn how to feel”
Anything with those three was really precious for me, really. Great, great, great.
[favorite characters] + Fire emblem awakening + pairing systems
I don’t think much else needs to be said. Chrom is one of the leading characters in this tactical rpg for 3Ds and definitely one that’s become an easy and insta favourite
“ It’s not your fault”
dashing honourable swordsman-prince; firm and fair, competent leader; doer, loyalty, wisdom and belief in people; kindness; good brother, great father; takes care of people.
though I generally prefer Japanese voice acting, in this particular case the English one fits much better.
I like Chrom x female Robin best. Morgan has some really nice father x son support covos with Chrom to boot, I love them.
I have always liked brooding swordsmen like Dias in Star Ocean 2 but i kinda haven’t been very good with upbeat boyish heros like Claude in Star Ocean or the lead boy-heroes in Lunar silver Star. A character like Chrom combines those two and I find that appealing. He retains a bit of boyishness but he’s both firm and fair, but also more open and positive while remaining strong and cool. So, he is well written (this is important) and well acted. And very well animated. Those movie sequences in FE are pretty cool.
Below the cut I just add some longer comments on FE:Aw and some other favourite pairings. I’m glad I could play this, bonding definitely made tactics more fun, and the game is very fun. Th selection of characters in Awakening is very appealing , they are all likeable and fun to try, and i like this storyline.
I love
Frederick/Miriel and love Fredericks interactions with their son, Laurent
female Robin/Chrom, and love their kids, but especially Chrom x morgan support convos - especially the A rank one which validateds morgan as Chrom’s natural son. It was absolutely delightful.
Panne/Viron and their son is a riot.
and actually Lonqu and Lissa..
these are some of the purest, lovely love stories .I love pure, loyal and honorable and I got that here, though I frankly didn’t expect it. Love them a lot.
I bond Chrom mostly with female Robin (player character / avatar / tactician - thie posisbility to cusotmize is the main character is very nice for this game ) since story makes more sense for me and I like it that way, even more so since this combo works very well in battles and for story reasons, since Chrom shows a lot o support and belief in Robin ad the story is emotional. But I’ll probably try other female bonds for Chrom one day.
I really do enjoy this bonding system in FE - it’ really makes the game fun. Relationshis in this game are built throug battle and conversations. The more you fight together, the stronger the bond and it unlocks suport conversations that are either friendship or romance-oriented. The conversations are a nice touch, add very enjoyable stories and also relationships have tactical advantages, add stat boosts. There’s strength is in being together, together we can do more than alone - I love that thought. The marriages unlock second generations and you can bond with them too. And that’s a lot of fun .
Other than Robin/Chrom, my other favourite pairing for story reasons is Frederick / Miriel and son Laurent. I love them, their conversations were great, Frederick is a great guy, he draws out their feelings (which both Miriel and Laurent tend to hide) and encouragres to be more relaxed. Absolutely love them. It’s even worth the while to step on the sparkly event tiles with Frederick/Miriel. They really have some very sweet exchanges. I think i also like virion and the taguel woman, they are interesting together and ave some fun conversarions and their son is a bundle of joy lol. And there’s Lisa and Lonqu. works out very well for me, those two.
Beyond these three pairings, I have no more strong favourites for now, but the choice of characters is great and fun. you have to be careful when recruiting a lot of them, too. a lot are encountered during missions and If they disappear or die before you finish a level, you obviously won’t be able to recruit, it’s fun this way. It’s a great game and the fun lies in trying out the pairings. .For me, story and interactions tend to decide how i pair, especially if I find some I particularly like, like with Robin/Chrom and Frederick/Miriel.
Another good thing is that there are different modes of playing, including a casual mode in which units won’t perish forever so gameplay is more comfortable for newbies like me who first need to learn the ropes and/or just want to enjoy it without worrying about needless deaths. The tactics have been made more fun and engrossing thanks to this and the bonding system.
Bonding is not new to rpgs, obviously and wherever it appeared, I was always into it because I felt it may enrich the narrative or make things more fun, like it does here. Whereas games like Lunar Silver Star, had couples written into storyline s(and they were lovely,) other jrpgs tried to build bonding systems too. But, I think fire emblem combines both such trraditions and worked it out the best in a way that doesn’t invalidate any choice, at least I don’t think so. Thats very important because In jrpgs like Star ocean 2 (which I liked of course, it was quite sweeping), , bonding felt a bit like an after-thought when canonical pairings were still forced in most situations and as a result bonding system felt short of my expectations, overall star ocean 2 kinda failed my expectations in that respect. Predominantly, I feel, becuase it tried doing too much, lik adding malke and female character, something that fire emblem made work without a hitch. Yes, it did what it could with its amibtion to play as both female and male character, it’s a lot of work but still. Well, fortunately,fire emblem pulls that off very well, improving on what I thought was missed opportunity for Star Ocean (especially 2). and I really appreciate it, it’s fun to look at different game features and bonding systems are one of the more fun aspects, especially this one in FE.
This is tremendous amount of work and to do it well, there has to be a lot of care. And I think they did it, I feel like they found a really good way, worked it out so it works for everything and “canons” don’t seme to matter and every possible pairing seems ok. “Different timelines” is a justification I personally enjoy for a lot of things and this one plays a factor here too. Really fun overall and I’m really happy with it.
I may not be interested in playing ALL titles in the franchise in the future but if there’s another with equally engrossing, appealing characters with lot of charisma and honour and loyalty, good production values and good story like here then I will. I have already played Fates and while I prefer Awakening a little more (even f Fates are more expanded gameplaywise), Fate alo has a few favourite characters, farther x sons and romantic ships. I really like Xander x female Corrin, for one. I’ll get to write about it later.
Fnally, the days of waiting are over :P A shout out to @delusionalinc for completing and uploading Hajime Fukuyama’s POV. It’s everything I hoped it would be, though I admit i would have wanted it to go on a liiitttle longer to cover the epilogue too :P I don’t quite have enough of him yet, I’ll look forward to the sequels. Please give me more Hajime, delusional :P
Great work! I’ve enjoyed it immensely.
I think, if you still have any doubts about Hajime, look no further than his POV. :3 It makes it as clear as day how torn he is.
And most of all, it definitely confirms his status as a favourite of mine, along with his MC. i find her as adorable as he does and I adore them.
Looking forward to future stories though :)
I loved it, he’s a really great Otome story. This is Otome exactly how i want it.
In a culture where we tend to place romantic love on a pedestal, we can easily overlook others ways to experience love.
This is exactly why your regular otome, full of sex and nothing more, won’t cut it for me and why my favourites are stories I find richer.
Look at Kuso and Shiki. Scarlet Fate is a story of much deeper bonds than just romantic love. Scarlet Fate is a story about bonds with the community, loyalty, love for mothers, brothers and responsibility, which is also a kind of love. Kuso quietly supports the Mc and does everything he can to save her. He suffers his losses but the balance is restored with them being toether. It’s a much much bigger story than just romance . Shiki with Kuso certainly was lucky and vice verse. These are the stories I seek, and that’s exactly what I get in stories like House in Fata Morgana.
Same with delusionalinc Agent of Love. The stories, finally, are refreshingly deeper than a lot of otomes, including family bonds, social bonds and duties, strong plots to go with them. Haime’s story is a great example of that, that’s why it went straight to my faves.
This will be true of all my favourites; they are my favourites because there is more to them because love isn’t just... physical intimacy or much less seduction Neither is love purely of the romantic kind. Love’s much, much bigger than that.
Agent of Love is a new independent otome from @delusionalinc a team who seems to appreciate thoughtful writing and wants to offer deeper Josei otome.
Briefly, otome is a sort of interactive fiction genre in which a female main character meets a harem of guys to find love with, there are otomes with full universe in which choices determine who you meet and route-based ones, where each route tells a different story. route-based otome is the most popular mobile format. And we have that in Agent. Josei implies more realism, more social issues and more drama than in shoujo. In fact, Agent is the first otome that I have enjoyed in a good while.
In Agent of Love, the Main Protagonist is an orphan adopted by a respectable family. She solves individual cases represented by each guy. All routes reveal something about her background and position. routes are varied and I look forward to piecing together the overarching story of the MC.
Features, in short:
NO choices locked behind a paywall, you buy a route and you can reread at leisure
longer stories, take time to get into characters and develop tensions and nuances.
Meaningful POVs - not fillers, the POV actually add important bits
Bad ends actually ARE bad.
Mc with a backbone, backstory and integrity
Characters are varied and distinct.
It's josei, with immersive plots and more complex stories.
a potential overarching - and intriguing- story to be pieced together
a variety of characters who are distinct. Out of the two released so far, Hajime is my winner with a great plot and character backstory and evolution. I am eyeing several future characters.
the lovely main theme which emphasizes the mood and the feelings in the stories. It’s one of my favourite otome game songs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3JbG9Ou9Jo
Hajime route is story rich. It will shock but there is much to be gained from reading it and ultimately it’s a rewarding experience, making it memorable. There are many, many little hints that reveal Hajime’s feelings during the story. This is a Josei game, there will be more difficult topics touched. The route requires reading into it, suspending the immediate reaction to it and giving it a chance and yet will still not be for everyone. The plot however, is great. It’s like a thriller. And I loved it very much
The story had big themes that drew me in, read a bit like some Japanese doramas I enjoyed, and I just wonder now whether he can be dethroned at all - much as I‘m eyeing some future characters, I really loved this one :)
The review contains spoilers
Hajime’s story is a case concerning missing scientists...that have a strong connection to Hajime. They worked together in the past on something that left Hajime having to atone for, which he does because he has a sense of responsibility... As soon as he learns the past is repeating himself, he stops at nothing to prevent terrible things from happening, even going as far to use to MC, also to keep her safe. In the meantime, MC is confronted with the fact there is more to people and facts than meets the eyes, she is also confronted with death and the power to take and give life. We accompany her as she struggles to see past appearances that cause her internal struggle and grief. she learns the power a doctor and a detective hold, the power of life and death. The route is story-rich, with lots of big themes, including guilt and redemption, the value of life, ambition and where it leads and other things to think about, with gradual character development and is a very rewarding experience. The route builds up to a strong, emotional climax in which feelings come together very nicely.
Hajime really came as a big surprise. I had pegged him for an ojisan from the profile and past appearances. Ojisan means an older gentleman and it’s a common otome trope. They are usually around 30ish (a bit older than MCs, who tend to be in their 20s), with more life experience and usually a sad past but the sad past usually amounts to a dead ex-lover or partner. And in most games there is a really little variation on that trope to the point it’s really gotten boring. They usually treat MC with a lot of fondness. But the bottom line is, they are usually very gentle in a sort of protective way.
Well. Not Hajime. Hajime is more like ojisan sadist. He is a strong personality. He is clever, he is always two steps ahead and he is not afraid to use any measures to make sure he does the things he needs to do. He creates an elaborate scheme involving the MC- and makes it believable - for his ends and needs and the story considers her confusion in all this. There is much desperation in him. He is competent, even extra competent. His teasing, when he does tease, is stronger than usually the case with “sadist” types in these games. And then gradually we see past the apparent coldness and machinations. The important things are initially hidden to the eye and the narrative brings them out slowly, over time.
You really need the full picture with him, you can’t just judge him from the first two chapters. The first chapters add a surprise factor. What we thought would be an ojisan instantly and dramatically changes. A man you knew for years and thought you knew, a man your family trusts suddenly learns that you are involved in a case that hits close to home and out of desperation decides to use you and uses blackmail to make sure you’re on to this. in the process, he makes you think all the worst things about him. He does it for his reasons that we discover over time and he also tries to keep Mc safe. The surprise is so strong that focus is shifted on Mc and her struggle, withholding the process of getting to know Hajime.
So, he starts out seemingly as your ordinary ojisan but then it turns out the assumption was wrong....Hajime makes the Mc think he slept with her, that she is pregnant and moreover he blackmails her with it. There reasons for it and I think more reasons will come through in the POV,
The shock factor offers a kind of an immersion factor in itself- whaaat? He isn’t a boring ojisan but actually has an edge? Honestly, this is a hook and you can say he had me at hello. There’s more to him! So how is it going to pan out? That’s the hook and the story never lets off, but the strategy makes it difficult for Mc to believe in Hajime’s words at face value, therefore everything at first seems like a lie and Mc reacts strongly against it.
The blackmail forces the reader into Mc perspective, along with her struggles and postpones understanding of Hajime, hinders it - it’s because he wants it that way, he is very guarded about himself, wants others to believe he is a dangerous murderer - because it’s better that way - safer for others, and because he himself believes that he is, all the while he does penance for his past. He is self-deprecating that way.
Over time, however, you can see where he is coming from. He is a man full of pain, plagued with a sense of guilt over a thing he didn’t even do, but one that really threatened a lot of people and one he worked hard to stop. He feels responsible and from this past stems self-deprecation that leads him to act very offhandedly sometimes.
but he wants to do right by others, no matter what, and wants to keep Mc safe.
The theme of life and death comes out strongly here. Several supporting characters die, one is a man with a family and Mc needs to consider the implication of that.
On the one hand, we have a man who is a doctor who saves lives and yet there was death in his past, a death he tries to stop.
Mc, in turn, is a detective trained to use weapons in self-defence and to protect lives, and yet Hajime’s machinations inspire, understandably, quite strong and not very noble thoughts in her so initially she even says this
There is just so much pain in that scene.
and here, this one tugs at the heart-strings too, especially when you know the full story,. And I believe this will come out even more in the POV.
Such thoughts about killing so recklessly she has to confront with other things happening, with things happening to and around Hajime, with people dying and learn how dreadful even her own thoughts are, considering lives once lost really cannot be restored. We are also led to consider how such words spoken lightly are terrifying, Mc catches herself on that. She considers this in relation to a family broken by death - the theme of her own potential pregnancy Hajime suggests happens (and she believes him) just makes the desire to protect life stronger in her, just as Hajime is DESPERATE to prevent death, atoning for his past - past generated by youthful ambitions that he more than atones for.
And so she still does right by Hajime, even when she’s at the point of despair because of his plan and because he hides his true intentions because her sense of justice comes through and she is able to take responsibility. She isn’t a killer, neither is he. He wants to protect people and her and she wants to protect him and give him light and hope in her own way, encourage him just as he encourages and comforts her.
He blames himself and is in much anguish and keeps others at bay - if it’s something he thinks it’s best, he will do it however he must. He does it out of the best intentions and a sense of fear about himself and also a sense of fear FOR others. When he acts cold, it is because he first, is self-deprecating and second, because he cares and wants to do what’s best for those he actually cares about. He is strict with himself because he believes himself to be guilty and perhaps not worthy of good thoughts. He is riddled with guilt and pain of past mistakes. He is strict with himself in this way, but his eyes have seen a lot and we still see that he cares for others. He is also a man prepared for sacrifices for the things he loves or cares about. I think his motives will truly come out in the POV, there is certainly much interesting material in the MS that could go into it.
There is much focus on Mc. She reacts more than she thinks and I think it’s partly why getting to know Hajime becomes difficult. But her position is also understandable. Se believes what Hajime tells her and, considering the good name and her family are very important to her, she is in a pickle. not only that, the route asks to consider the position of a woman confronted with blackmail and what she is (mis)led to believe is rape. Can she just report him when there are many factors involved and many things she weighs in favour or against. This is a sensitive topic but it’s a reminder too, to be on your guard and Hajime wants to teach her that, telling her not to be so unguarded - out of concern for her. He doesn’t want her doing reckless things either.
It is just worth keeping in mind, Hajime would not seriously mistreat or disrespect or hurt her, he wants what’s best for her.
she is precious to him and does become his saviour. and in between all the moments, you can see tiny pieces when his feelings come through. He is one to see Mc at her worst and embrace her even so. And he is prepared to do a lot more, taking on himself the full brunt of consequences.
The scene where he had no hesitation whatsoever. None. Just determination to save the person he loves.
Nonetheless, the strong initial blackmail springs us into a bit of a shock, give the character a new leash of interest because he’s suddenly not just some boring ojisan but a man with a lot more to him that makes him very interesting.
Overall, the plot of the story evolving gradually and with much interesting detail keeps you in its grips until the end. It’s fast-paced and unputdownable. Additional characters help develop the themes and unravel the guarded characters and those supporting characters, particularly antagonists, have their motivations too. I feel it’s going to be explored in future stories.
There is much story still to be had, the ending of the main story is actually only the beginning - that’s the feeling I get - and I will cheer on MC x Hajime to reach their happy end every time.
There is much happening from the starting shock through discovery about Hajime past and the final confrontation with that past - and it kept me interested throughout Hajime revealing his deeper aspects and Mc coming over to him with love and understanding once she sees what’s his game really about. It’s really very rewarding, particularly discovering things about Hajime.
Epilogue and Secret end
Epilogue and secret end are integral to the story and it’s best to read them lumped together for full effect. In the epilogue, we see Hajime trying to do right by the Mc in his own way. He cares too much to want to lose her so he acts on that, trying to keep her at bay. In fact, she truly chooses him in the end, he gives her the room to back away. The secret end is steamy but in a good way because the lines bring back feelings and concerns. The secret end is actually the perfect closure for this one - and this is coming from someone who is tired of smut in otome.... But this here is not so much smut, and definitely not smut of tasteless variety. It’s a graphic depiction of intimacy with full respect to the feelings built through the route... the feelings Hajime has, become very palpable and fully realised in this part and the lines he has for us speak of his love and concern about keeping Mc safe.
I had a few favourite moments, which, to my mind, let through more pure feelings than anywhere else, feelings that I genuinely loved. This is one of my favourite CGs, well-chosen as it illustrates a particularly nice moment in the development of feelings between Mc and Hajime I loved that whole part, it’s tense, full of uncertainty but it;s one that cements and shows full extent of their feeling and understanding and warmth and trust and care.
I can say I loved the route very much with all the story it had to offer.
For me in the end, the best thing is that there is so much good, a tight plot that provides the immersion and the hook, the story is good, writing multifaceted, and reveals a lot about the character, there is something to bite into. And the reward, for me, is absolutely worth it, Hajime shines.
This sort of story...you reread in a few years time and see what it shows you then, or rather how you see it might change.
