Free and/or cheap indie otome games
Here’s a list of free and/or cheap indie otome games. They’re great to check out if you’re curious about otome games and don’t want to pay money to do so, and of course if you already know you like otome games, here are some recommendations!
These ones are still demos/uncompleted, but good:
7 Kingdoms: The Princess Problem: the MC is female, very customizable, and there are male and female romance options. Can also be played without romance. The premise is that delegates from 7 kingdoms come together on an island and over the course of 7 weeks make alliances, which can be romantic in nature or not. You take a quiz in the beginning which determines your country of origin, which then affects your stats. Conversations with others are vital for your reputation and also affect your stats, and you won’t be able to do certain things or pass events without sufficient stats. The romance is pretty solid too, and the cast of characters overall is fantastic. It’s a strategy and political game as much as it is a romance. It reminds me of Long Live the Queen, if you’ve played that. The demo is the first 3 weeks of the game, and I’m completely floored by how good it is. I can’t wait for the full game!
Andromeda Six: sci-fi visual novel. MC can be male/female/nonbinary and the love interests are male and female. Very fun adventure story set in space with a great cast of characters. Only about half of the episodes have been released so far (5 of I believe 10 episodes) and they’ve been really good! Romance is also optional.
Some completed free games:
Our Life: MC can be male/female/non-binary, love interest is one guy (though more to be added via DLC). Very heartwarming, slice of life story. Revolves around the MC growing up with the boy next door, and the game takes place over three summers at various stages in their lives. The MC is insanely customizable, and things you’ve said and done at various stages are remembered and often referenced or can affect certain things. Really just a lovely game that brings a smile to your face. Romance is optional too.
Cinderella Phenomenon: female MC with 5 male love interests (romance is mandatory, unless you feel like getting a bad ending). This is one of my fave games, I’ll try not to gush about it too much. The story take place in a kingdom where people are being cursed with fairytale curses, which are inversions of fairytale stories. The MC is a princess who gets cursed with the “Cinderella curse,” going from riches to rags. The other love interests all have a fairytale curse of some sort which you learn about in their routes. The MC is not customizable because she is a straight up jerk and some of the correct dialogue choices are being mean to people. This story has amazing character growth of the MC (and some of the love interests too). It has a fantastic cast of characters, who are memorable and lovable. It’s a great story and how things change in each of the routes is so interesting and well-executed. You should definitely play the routes in the recommended order!!!
Red-handed Robin: female MC, two male love interests (I don’t think romance is optional). Robin (the MC) has stolen some diamonds and is on a train out of town with her friend/bodyguard and encounters her friend from childhood who is now a detective. Will he catch on to her? Fun little story with some puzzles in each chapter (of which there are three). The main trio are great.
Lake of Voices: female MC with male/female love interests, romance optional. A horror-ish game. Can you get across this spooky lake alive? Good luck with that. Once you manage to get across the lake, definitely replay it and see how else the story unfolds. It’s a cool story with intriguing characters and an interesting setting. It has absolutely beautiful art.
Dark Nights: female MC with four male love interests. Also horror-lite. Some of the people in your town have been disappearing. You encounter 4 strange men and wonder whether any of them might have answers as to what’s going on. Quite a fun game with pretty art! Very funny titles for the achievements, the creators definitely have a good sense of humor.
Rose of Segunda ($8.99): female MC with male and female love interests, romance is optional. Charming little story set in a kingdom whose prince is of the age to be married and everyone’s invited over for his birthday. Will you try to go after him (romantically or otherwise) or will you be interested in some of the other guests? The MC is somewhat customizable and can be quite funny. The characters are charming as well.
Because We’re Here ($5.99 per act): female MC, male love interests (romance not really optional). Set in an WW1-era fictional universe. Seems like a bad idea to have romance during a war, huh? Prepare to for ALL the emotions. This one is only half completed (Act 1 and 2 of 4 planned). I’m looking forward to the other acts!!
Have fun! I checked out some of the free/indie ones before starting to actually buy some of the more popular/mainstream (but also more expensive) games. All of these games are great.
pixelskylines
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