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.
Once the sixth is here, he’ll also have Mysterious while Mamoru is the odd man out who doesn’t have that type at all the reason is his stats lean more towards Composed/Cool etc. I’d have to buy him some stat extentions to have Mysterious which is a waste of G. :x
Reverie is a --yes, unusual -- sim dating game by Amiralo. Amiralo has a penchant for making unsettling "romance" games that are more focused on evoking feelings of horror or depression than love, and this game is not an exception. Now, I'm not complaining; I thought this was a fascinating game with an interesting and well-executed premise. However, if you're looking for a cute otome game with kisses and bashful confessions you should turn around right now. The game has very stylized artwork, especially for the backgrounds, which suits the dreamlike quality of the game. I also thought the writing was very good, and didn't run into any coding problems. If I had one issue with the game, it was navigation. I had a lot of trouble making my way around the castle, and often stumbled into the wrong room. However, if anything this was a feature, as the protagonist is supposed to be disoriented and confused by this strange house she finds herself in.
The premise of the game is that the protagonist, Asuka, wakes up in an unfamiliar house. A note from the "Prince of the Broken Throne" informs her that she has been taken to Reverie, a place made up of her dreams. Unsurprisingly, she attempts to escape, but cannot find any way out and seems to be running in circles. Only when she runs into a monster in the halls does she realize that the "Prince" might not just be a crazy kidnapper. The mechanics of the game are conventional for a dating simulation. Performing actions and talking to romanceable characters decreases HP, while sleeping advances the game one day while increasing HP.
As a warning, there is violence and death in the game, but it's so stylized and undetailed that I don't think it's anything too disturbing to witness.
Duke: Prince Type
Just by the way that the Duke dresses, you can tell he's refined. His language, especially the fact that he refers to Asuka as "my lady," make it clear that he falls under the prince archetype. He is also very wealthy, and regularly gives Asuka roses as presents. I will tell you right now, however, there is not such thing as a "happy ending" with the Duke; although he does deliver on his seemingly chivalrous promise of safety and freedom from responsibilities if you give him your heart, there is more than a small catch. However, I liked this about him, especially after it is revealed what real-life man the dream character is based on. Even some of the most seemingly charming people can be horrible deep down.
White: Mysterious Type
I really liked White's character, especially how his relationship with the protagonist directly foiled the Duke's. White is an enigma from the start, and much of his path is simply figuring out just who or what he is, so it's sort of hard to explain him without being too spoilery. However, to be as vague as possible, White's path is so interesting because while the Duke is the possessive and controlling character in his path, the protagonist is on White's path. As with the Duke, White doesn't really have a "good" end, although one might argue that it is better in terms of the protagonist's character development.
Joker: Friendly Type
It's funny that such an interesting character can fall under such a typically bland archetype. However, he truly does fit the mould nicely. The joker is perpetually cheerful and friendly towards Asuka, and tries to get her situated within Reverie. Although I refuse to give away spoilers by explaining my assertion, the player learns on his route that he is not responsible either, which fits the archetype as well. The joker is the only character with a good end -- one could easily even argue that he has two. As is suggested by the game creator, the Joker is definitely the last character you should romance.
Where Adabanas Grow is the first sim date game by Amiralo. It has its fair share of spelling errors and slightly awkward coding choices, but overall it's well executed, especially for a first game. I strongly recommend going to the information building and reading everything there, and do follow the directions to save the emperor's path for last.
The game's premise is that the protagonist, Naomi, has been transported 1000 years back into the past to the kingdom of Yu, which is presently at war. She is allowed to stay in the kingdom, and has the opportunity to meet three romanceable characters. The game is based on the HP system, where talking reduces HP and sleeping increases it while also moving the story forward one day. This game takes place over the course of one month.
Jyu Ge: Mysterious Type
Jyu Ge is the physician. He initially seems very friendly, but he is quite secretive about certain matters. In fact, trying to pry too deeply may end very poorly for Naomi. Jyu begins to reveal small things as he grows closer to Naomi, such as minor incidents in his day or his worries about the future (although he remains staunchly vague about why he feels concerned). After Naomi sees Jyu again after he leaves the note in the garden, he is very open with her, though, and willingly tells her everything about his past.
General Wu: Jerk Type; Responsible Type
General Wu is very cold towards Naomi at first, and tells her to go away regularly. He remains cold for the majority of the game, although it is slowly revealed that his reasons are not truly his dislike for her. Rather, General Wu feels an obligation not to get close to anyone, as he will soon be going to war and expects to die, and does not want his death to bring pain to those he cares about. However, after pursuing him for a long while, Naomi manages to convince him that being close to others may not be so irresponsible after all, and he begins to treat her considerably better.
Emperor (Changya): Villain Type
Although I typically reserve the "villain type" label for characters who the protagonist directly opposes, it still seemed too accurate to ignore in Changya's case. I mean, he did murder the other heirs to the throne in order to gain his position, so that already proves his capacity for evil. His initial cruel treatment of Naomi, including his repeated threats to kill her, are what truly qualify him. Like essentially every villain type character ever, Changya has a tragic backstory that you finally learn at the very end of his path. (Changya's path fucked me up, though. Be prepared.)
