Released: March 11, 2014
Company: Otome Romance (Voltage Inc)
Opening: YouTube
Download: Apple Store - Google Play - Amazon Store
Overview
You live in an apartment building. That’s it. Just kidding. There are mostly guys in this apartment building, or at least that you kinda interact with. As well as a recently married couple. They just got back from their honeymoon and as a souvenir, they got you a purple lacy thong. You just opened the gift in your apartment when someone knocks on the door, you open it not realizing you still have the thong in your hand. And the person on the other side of the door is a love interest. As far as plots go this is more of a scenario to set up the plot. Each route has different needs/themes.
Aesthetics
I love dark colored otome games. I feel like when people think of otome games they think of pastel pinks, lace, cute and things of that nature. So when one is a dark color, and a color other than pink, I tend to like it a lot more.
I feel like this is also very dainty and feminine enough that it doesn’t lose any of that aspect of a love story. I don’t know if that makes sense to anyone other than me.
Operating System
Now while playing the prologue, during the character introduction you get to see a special CG of each of the characters during your first interaction of them. And now I believe that while this was a stand-alone app you were able to view those cgs whenever you wanted. But once the transfer to love 365 happened I haven’t been able to see where you can view those cgs.
I also like that with the title cards, there is a small change with each chapter. I like to think that it’s like the sun rising on the new chapter on your love life. It gets lighter each time. I’m very happy that this feature stuck through the merge of ‘17. It’s a very subtle change that you don’t really notice it till halfway through if you like me that is. Just tapping as fast as you can to get back to the story you almost miss it.
Endings
There are two normal standard ending. A happy ending and a good ending. There is no love meter to see where your progress lies, it’s going to be a mystery till you get to the ending. There are no ending sets, so if you don’t get the happy ending like you wanted you can click on that chapter and read it without having to reread the entire story getting the correct answers. Of course, the happy ending is the only ending with a CG.
Additional Thoughts
I like how organic this feels in some of the routes. You aren’t stuck at work with them, and there isn’t this grand life-changing event that happens to force you into this extreme situation. You work in import foods at a company and got transferred to goods and marketing. You have a good work relationship with your boss and your coworkers. Your life in an apartment, travel to and from work. And your interactions with them are when you are off at work. Now the circumstances for each route are slightly different. Without giving too many spoilers away, but even then it didn’t feel that forced as to why they would be spending time together. I feel like it’s more plausible than some of the other titles and more real in my opinion.
Also, this is the first title that used a word that took forever for me to spell correctly. For those that don’t know Serendipity is the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way. Which loops back to how this feels more organic in how the stories unfold. It’s not just one giant grand life-changing event, it’s small events by chance as you live your life. And it just happens they all work in a happy or beneficial way. This title is extremely fitting, like hats off to Otome Romance (Voltage) for coming up with something like this. It’s beautiful.
Takeaway
So this title doesn’t have a lot of content out. So it won’t break the bank to own everything. The theme is mature but not mature at the same time. I read it when it first came out and reread it recently and enjoyed it just as much then as I did now. I feel like a lot of ages can read and appreciate this title. It has some good life takeaways.
The art is beautiful and colorful. The characters are vibrant and adorable. It’s easy to get lost playing this game, for me at least. There is something I think for everyone to enjoy, and with a small roster of characters, it’s easier to get to know everyone without getting lost in the mass content. The small setting allows for a lot of encounters with everyone.
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Released: July 8, 2016
Company: Otome Romance (Voltage Inc)
Opening: YouTube
Download: Apple Store - Google Play - Amazon Store
Overview
So the plot is rather simple and easy to follow. Your family moves away but you stay behind. You move into a dorm, which surprise, is full of all boys. Who happen to all be your class, in another surprise, an all boys school. You are now the only girl in an all boy school. That’s basically it. You are adjusting being in a new school, living in a dorm, being separated from your family, and all that good stuff.
Note: I have previously made a post about this. It has since been deleted. This is an updated version of that post.
Aesthetics
I would say bold. There is only a few games that got released before this title that I would consider bold and vibrant. These colors are bright, and neon. The textures are amazing. And that’s just with the chapter cards, the characters are equally as bold and vibrant. Multi color hair, tattoos, piercings. It definitely stands out compared to previous entries.
Operating System
Now I was really happy with what Voltage (Otome Romance) did with this game. The first thing I want to touch upon is the special choice system. Instead of giving you three options to pick from, a heart will spin on your screen and you can either ‘go for it’ or ‘pull back.’ And as of right now, as far as I’m aware, this is the only title to get this feature from them. And I don’t know if that’s because it didn’t sit well with fans or what. But I loved this change of pace. It not only gives me an option that can sway my love meter, but I don’t know what’s going to be said. Sometimes after you play games for a while you kinda know what they are going to say in response to your choices. But if I don’t know what I’m going to say, I have no idea what is going to happen next. I can have a vague idea, but it’s a refreshing surprising that I felt I needed.
Now I will say that since this title got moved to Love 365 instead of being a stand alone app this function is still within the game. But the heart no longer has English text. Maybe it’s just a glitch, or on certain routes/chapters. I haven’t fully completed everything to test that out. I’m super happy they kept it, but if you were going for a certain choice it makes it a little harder unless you read Japanese.
The second thing I wanted to talk about was the text box. While it’s fairly standard just to have a square box at the bottom of the screen, usually in a pastel color that goes with the theme of the game that you can change the opacity of. Bad boys keeping with this bold aesthetic made it feel like I was reading a manga or comic book. There is a small extension from the box that points in the direction of the person who is talking. If there is more than one sprite on screen, the extension moves accordingly.
And much do my dismay, this function didn’t translate with the merge to love 365. I can understand that they can’t have a mega app with small variances between all the titles and still have space to add more things. But it took a small part of the game away. It added to the experience and now instead of being it’s own entity, it’s slowly becoming just another title.
Endings
So this title has a love meter system. Which isn’t new to this game, nor is the idea of leading to two different types of endings that isn’t labeled good and happy. But I like how they labeled it for this game. I didn’t know what I was expecting initially, but I liked them.
Additional Thoughts
So I thought that the plot was meh and the mc was also meh. Nothing really stands out about this plot line. You see it all the time in animes, and I get that its hard to make it different to stand out. But the more I played the game I started to think they choose this kind of plot to tinker with the OS and try new things rather than putting out a game with a lot of content. Because as of right now the game has a main story and epilogue for 6 characters, and then 5 or 6 sub stories. That’s it. And it’s not like they have a screen that says ‘sequel coming soon’ it straight up ends after the epilogue. Which I appreciate, I don’t know how you could keep this kind of plot going for more stories without it being super predictable. So for this kind of plot the mc fits perfectly. High school student that doesn’t really know love. All the typical mc behaviors that annoy a lot of people in different games.
I am kind of sad they never made another character datable. I did a previous review of this game where I mentioned two characters you can’t date. But since then they have released one of those characters. So now I’m just waiting for the other one to get their own route. I think there could be a lot of fun things that can happen. I get the vibe it could be like Joh from Dreamy Days in West Tokyo kind of situation. But still. I want it.
Takeaway
I feel like this is a decent game. I’m glad that I purchased routes in it. It’s very cute. I don’t know if I will say people should play this as their first game. Since it’s very bland I guess. But I think it’s a game to purchase to play when you are waiting for another game, or taking a break. It’s a good way to pass the time. Not in the sense of ‘am I eating because I’m board?’ But between the OS, which I think is my favorite of all the games, and pretty graphics it’s a good change of pace.
You also don’t have to worry about spending too much money on the game, since there isn’t a lot of content to buy. And there are no plans for future released, so you don’t have to worry about that. It’s a one and done kind of deal. You can fully own 100% of this game without breaking the bank.
Released: October 28, 2014
Company: Otome Romance (Voltage Inc)
Opening: YouTube
Download: Apple Store - Google Play - Amazon Store
Overview
You are a freelance photographer and just so happen to take a picture of something at the wrong place at the wrong time. You are covering a story of two rival politicians. You manage to take a picture of them, but in the background, you managed to catch something else on film. Now the Tokyo underworld is after you and your data to get rid of the evidence. It just so happens a detective agency got to you first, they are keeping you safe while trying to solve the case. Who is after you, what you managed to get on camera, and how to catch the bad guy.
Aesthetics
It’s very geometrical. So usually everything is very centered, very neat, and presented polished all around. This game has a slight tilt to it. It’s very sharp. I could be reading to much into this; however, in art, there are feelings behind everything. So diagonal lines convey feelings of movement. They show things that are unstable because they are neither vertical or horizontal. So having the title cards slightly off lets me feel like nothing is as they seem. That while there is safety, there is also danger around. And with a game that has a lot of mystery and lying, I feel it’s very fitting.
Operating System
This game also did something fun with the chapter cards. As you progress through the game, more color is added to the card. The squares start filling in. So the once black and white cards are bold and vibrant with color. You know now that I’m thinking about it, I’m going to touch on her a little later, but having an animal with their own sprite as part of the game feels like it was rather new. Off of the top of my head, I can’t think of a title before this one that had their own animal character that was really integrated into the game and into the routes.
And I also may be wrong here, but I feel like this game also came around the eye revolution. Where MC actually had eyes instead of blank faces. They released the game, and then a patch update gave some of the season 1 CG’s to have eyes. And I believe season 2 they all had eyes. And going forward it was more common for CG’s to have eyes for the MC rather than not to. Because, surprise surprise, people like the MC to feel like a person rather than a blank doll. I also like to think the eyes add to the feeling the CG is trying to portray.
Endings
There is a love meter for this game. There is a bitter and sweet end you can achieve. And while people strive to get the ending that would give them a CG, this title gives you a CG no matter what ending that you get. This is very nice from a player view, I don’t have to worry about picking choices that I may not have picked normally just to get the ending with the CG. I can play the game more organically and see what kind of ending I get on choices that feel like most of what I would do or say.
Additional Thoughts
The characters were fun, and who doesn’t love Yuriko. There is plenty of humor and tension that I didn’t ever feel bored while reading. I would like to have a touch more danger in this game, but I feel like with a lot of titles that deal with “violence.” It’s the Hana Yori Dango fan in me, where I want to see the MC pushed further and in situations that are extreme in a sense. It’s those moments that I see him care a lot more and I’m there for it. So while there are “intense” moments, it’s doesn’t feel like it’s super serious. Just very inconvenient if anything.
I also really wanted to date Kento, the bar owner. I feel like that would be interesting how to incorporate him into this plot. Since he is good friends with the guys, it could be like he was a detective and is taking a break. Or he is actually working undercover for the enemy and infiltrated their inner circle to capture you. I don’t know. I don’t care at this point. I just want him to have a route. Gimme gimme.
Takeaway
This is a fun read. I really enjoyed it. It was sweet and sassy all at the same time. While the MC felt a little like a deer in the headlights with everything going on, she kept pushing forward. That was admirable and not as annoying as it could have been. Again, this is a title that doesn’t have a ton of content or date-able characters. So you can invest and get a lot back.
I read this story at launch, as I do with most titles, and then again years later. And I enjoyed it as much as I did at launch. Yuriko is a fun addition and sometimes I forget that she was in the game. So I would get so focused on what was going on and then boom. She was there. So while some may think that would take away from the experience, I would like to think the opposite. It makes this title stand out a little.
I don’t know if anyone else has seen those ads for the app, I got tired of seeing them so I got the app to see what it’s about. Holy Cow. When I’m taking a break from otome games I read things there. They are so cute, and with so many artists and writers everything is so different. Plus there is a chance to support the creators.
Side note: This isn’t a paid promotion. In case I get those asks later.
Back to the point. If you haven’t gotten the app, I highly suggest it. The only thing I don’t like you can only subscribe to 100 stories at a time. Down below are some of the stories that I’m reading. I almost put half of my 100 but the list was getting really long.
It’s not perfect, but it’s getting there. Below is the invite if this is something you are interested in.
There is going to be a few text channels and voice channels to talk about certain games. There is also going to be channels to see if there are sales, new games, events, etc. It’s a hefty undertaking considering how much otome games have grown in overseas market. So I’m going to be looking for some mods that specialize in certain companies. I.e. voltage, solmare, cheritz, etc.
I know absolutely nothing about discord, how to set it up or anything like that. But I do enjoy the communities I’ve joined on discord, and would like to feel that same feeling within the otome community.
I’m still figuring everything out, but I’m very excited about it.
