Cinderella Phenomenon is a gorgeous otome game by Dicesuki. Oh my god, you guys, this game. I love the world SO MUCH, and the art is incredible, and the writing is superb, and the plot is phenomenal, and I’m going to run out of positive adjectives to describe it if I try to keep going. Thank you to everyone who recommended this game to me, it is amazing.
The premise of the game is that the protagonist, Lucette (renameable), is a crown princess of her kingdom. Despite her life of luxury, she is a miserable and cold-hearted person, feared by her subjects. She is cursed by a witch, causing everyone to forget who she is and transforming her into a pauper. In order to break her curse, she has to perform three good deeds -- which is harder than it sounds, for someone as awful as her. Taken in at the Marchen, a tavern specifically for those afflicted with fairytale curses, Lucette tries to become a better person, and possibly finds love in the process.
More below the cut!
This game has heavy themes of parental abuse and neglect, as well as a good number of fight scenes with descriptions of bloodshed and death.
Rod: Jerk Type
I love that Rod’s shota type look, complete with fricking rabbit stuffed animal, is completely undercut by his actual personality. Rod is the least cheerful love interest in the entire game; there is not an iota of bouncy childish wonder to this man. He may be younger than Lucette, but that doesn’t stop him from being downright brutal to her initially. Obviously, Rod’s “tragic back story” characteristic of the jerk type is, well... Actually Lucette’s fault, so it’s hard to blame him for his treatment of her. But the development of their relationship over the course of his route is beautiful, and the game is long enough that it isn’t rushed the same way this sort of path normally is. I’m usually kind of creeped out by step-sibling routes, but I personally found Rod’s to be really enjoyable and possibly my favorite in the game.
Karma: Mysterious Type
Karma is (literally) dazzlingly beautiful. He’s definitely friendly enough, although he’s occasionally moody. However, his conversation is a little bizarre and somewhat shallow. From the moment Lucette meets him, it’s clear that Karma is hiding a lot about himself, from the details of his curse to his life before he came to the Marchen. Although, with time, some snippets of his past are gradually revealed, he remains stubbornly unwilling to talk about the nature of his curse until the very end of the story. Karma is a fun character, even if he’s frustrating at times with his unwillingness to communicate.
Rumple: Player Type
God, I hated Rumple at first. But I absolutely love the way the ice-cold Lucette takes him down. Their constant bickering over whether flattery is good or dishonest is actually pretty interesting, and adds a lot to a dynamic that usually just involves the protagonist being constantly insecure that the player character doesn’t really like her. As more of Rumple’s history and personality are revealed, he turns from a kind of two-dimensional joke of a love interest to a genuinely intriguing guy, and I ended up loving his route. Don’t judge a book by its cover, I guess, even if the cover is littered with blithe compliments about the beauty of your eyes.
Fritz: Best Friend Type
Well, best friend might be strong, but given Lucette’s reclusive tendencies he’s definitely the closest thing to it. She grew up with him, and despite her general distrust of people she does trust him. For his part, Fritz is loyal to a fault and puts Lucette’s safety above his own. And, without spoiling too much, that’s what makes his curse so tragic. I like Fritz, but I have to admit I think his routes is one of the weaker ones since we don’t get to spend as much time with him.
Waltz: Shota Type
Waltz is a very unique character. Despite being trapped in a child’s body, his dark hair and red eyes still make him look somewhat intimidating. He’s truly an adult, and is generally fairly even-tempered and well spoken. However, he also hosts some childlike aspects, like his passion for puppets and magic shows. Waltz is definitely my favorite of them all, in terms of both character depth and plot.
