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.
31% Ace, 17% Effector, 78% Innovator and 44% Strategist!
Innovators are players that like to “seek”, be it seeking new places, new inventions, new skills, new knowledge, and the like. Innovators are self-oriented in that their focus lies largely on their individual experience and what that experience can do for them as players. While this might make Innovators sound selfish, many Innovators enjoy working with other players and using their skills to benefit a group. However, the group interaction is not the end-all and be-all of game play for the Innovator, and it’s absence from a game is not as detrimental to the Innovator’s enjoyment as it would be to an Effector or a Strategist.
Innovators are often investigators: they are drawn to a game because of the appeal of discovery, be it the discovery of new places, new possibilities, or even uncovering plots and unraveling riddles. Innovators enjoy learning for their own sake, whether or not their knowledge might benefit a group, and sometimes might be reluctant to share what they’ve found with others under the attitude of “go find it yourself”. They are not generally hoarders, however, and are usually excited to share their passions and discoveries with others if given the opportunity. On the field, most Innovators are to some degree mildly active players, and tend to take positions that allow them to use their knowledge and skills to make sharp attacks rather than prolonged straight-on combat.
If you were a hockey player you would be the one that just loves being on the ice and the one that just loves to protect the younger teammates on your team
i once punched a girl in a game in highschool for slashing our goalie so this is correct hehe thanks love :)
Ascension by Rinmaru is basically everything I could ask for in an otome game. It's set in a fantasy universe. It has a compelling plot. The protagonist is a capable, confident, and powerful woman. You can change the protagonist, both physically and mentally, based on your choices. The romanceable characters are well-written. IT'S FREE. I'm going to be honest, the writing is not top-notch in the first chapter. There are a few odd typos and glitches scattered throughout. But I can say with all honesty that this is probably my favorite otome game of them all. Please, please play it.
The premise of the game is that the protagonist, Aida, lives in a camp with best friend Sky. In her ongoing quest to understand her murdered mother’s research, Sky convinces Aida to come with her in search of an abandoned temple that her mother mentioned in her journals. What they find is the beginning of a very long journey, on which both Aida and Sky learn about their and their family’s histories and help save the world.
Although I am tagging this game as "steamy," it does have sex depicted in it. I know, I know, that goes against my own rules for how to define these games, but hear me out. There is only one sex scene in the entire game. There's no description of it (except for one corny joke made by Aida to her friends afterwards), and no nudity is actually shown: the whole thing is illustrated in very tasteful silhouettes. If you're still uncomfortable with that, just avoid chapter 3 -- the first two chapters have nothing beyond kissing.
Zander: Emotional Type
Zander is the first romanceable character you meet, and will probably be your favorite up until chapter 3 where you meet Kole and no longer know what to do with yourself. According to surveys, he's the most popular character in the whole game, and I chalk this up to him being a big ol' softy. He cries when Aida is hurt, he's absolutely furious (to a dangerous point) at those who cause her harm, and he loves her with pretty much the maximum amount of passion possible. Also, look at his smirky little face. Zander is great.
Jace: Player Type
Jace is the other romanceable character introduced in the first chapter. He is not a very conspicuous player type, since you never actually see him with another woman. However, from rumors that you pick up here and there and his own behavior it's clear that he has a long history of womanizing. He also has the trust issues to go along with it, so I feel pretty comfortable putting the label on him. Jace has an *ahem* appreciation for the female form that remains throughout all the chapters of the game, but as is the norm he is still ultimately loyal to Aida if she chooses to pursue him. I would like to point out that he is also hot as hell, if you hadn't noticed.
Faelern: Arrogant Type; Protective Type
Faelern is the only romanceable character introduced in the second chapter. If there is one archetype that I'm certain of in this post, it's goddamn Faelern's. This fucking asshole thinks he is so much better than everyone else. He refuses to trust the judgement of any other member of the party including (read: especially) Aida. He sees the protagonist as naive, uncultured, and impulsive and does not go to any effort to hide it. Unlike most arrogant types who learn to respect and appreciate the intellect of their mates, Faelern keeps his superior viewpoint throughout the game (although it does soften a little by the end). He definitely loves the protagonist, but it's almost funny how much he really doesn't know why and wishes he didn't. His arrogance breeds protectiveness, since he loves her but absolutely does not trust her decisions and attempts to talk her out of taking any risks. He is basically the worst. Ignore my whining I have played through his route like fifty times.
Kole: Awkward Type; Protective Type
Oh my god. Kole. That motherfucker. I couldn't hold myself together the first time I played his path, and I still hyperventilate when I follow his route. I am 100% serious when I say that Kole is my favorite romanceable game character in existence. I will never forgive Rinmaru for only introducing him in chapter 3. Kole is easily flustered by Aida, especially when she flirts with him. He has been assigned as Aida's bodyguard, and he takes his job very seriously (possibly in part because the poor guy is head over heels for the girl), hence why he's also a protective type character.
