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deepFlaw

Knights of Favonius World Tour '21
Member
Oct 25, 2017
23,493
It's always a little surprising to hear that some companies are still so averse to having their games localized. Things have changed so much over the past decade or so.

I remember when Key's games getting localized was treated as an impossible thing...
 
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Shizuka

Shizuka

Member
Oct 25, 2017
14,095
www.nintendo.com

My Forged Wedding for Nintendo Switch - Nintendo Official Site

Buy My Forged Wedding and shop other great Nintendo products online at the official My Nintendo Store.

www.nintendo.com

Secrets of Me for Nintendo Switch - Nintendo Official Site

Buy Secrets of Me and shop other great Nintendo products online at the official My Nintendo Store.

www.nintendo.com

Gothic Murder: Adventure That Changes Destiny for Nintendo Switch - Nintendo Official Site

Buy Gothic Murder: Adventure That Changes Destiny and shop other great Nintendo products online at the official My Nintendo Store.

www.nintendo.com

Piofiore: Fated Memories for Nintendo Switch - Nintendo Official Site

Buy Piofiore: Fated Memories and shop other great Nintendo products online at the official My Nintendo Store.
 

Xita

Avenger
Oct 27, 2017
9,185
Me scanning the eshop: "Oh look, there's another otome coming out soon. Wonder what it's about-"

A romance game in which the protagonist gets plastic surgery and chases after handsome men in the name of love, for the player who's tired of run-of-the-mill otome games.
Available in Japanese, English, and Traditional Chinese.

Wanting to catch the attention of the object of your affection, Ichiro Yamada, you undergo plastic surgery. You also happen to have been taught the ins and outs of being a private eye. Using your tailing skills, you uncover a shocking secret: Yamada makes his living by being a marriage scammer. As you fall into despair, handsome men appear before you one after an other. It's time to pick yourself up and give chase.

giphy.gif
 
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Shizuka

Shizuka

Member
Oct 25, 2017
14,095
www.play-asia.com

Nicole [Limited Edition]

Nicole [Limited Edition] PLAY EXCLUSIVES for PlayStation VitaFour different boys to date, with 10 different endingsDiscover the true identity of the culprit. Careful, you could be dating him!Classic dating simulator and life simulation gameplayVisual novel mode with reading-only option1,200...

Nicole (Vita) is available for sale now. The Vita release is exclusive to this physical run apparently.
 

Rae

Member
Mar 7, 2019
982
I'm really hyped for Cafe Enchante :3c

I wish it would be released earlier so it goes.
 

Dee Dee

Member
Nov 2, 2017
1,868
www.play-asia.com

Nicole [Limited Edition]

Nicole [Limited Edition] PLAY EXCLUSIVES for PlayStation VitaFour different boys to date, with 10 different endingsDiscover the true identity of the culprit. Careful, you could be dating him!Classic dating simulator and life simulation gameplayVisual novel mode with reading-only option1,200...

Nicole (Vita) is available for sale now. The Vita release is exclusive to this physical run apparently.

Did anyone play this? Any thoughts?

I'm really hyped for Cafe Enchante :3c

I wish it would be released earlier so it goes.

I prefer the art style for this over Piofiore too, but the cat ears/demon horns are killing me. I just hope no one makes any cat puns.
However I've seen some CGs of dates with the headless knight ... and they are fvcking hilarious? By God! If they can make a romance work with a dude with no head, I'll be highly pleased.
(Also Hikaru Midorikawa voices some random side role, which means this game is a blessing already.)
 

Rae

Member
Mar 7, 2019
982
Did anyone play this? Any thoughts?

I prefer the art style for this over Piofiore too, but the cat ears/demon horns are killing me. I just hope no one makes any cat puns.
However I've seen some CGs of dates with the headless knight ... and they are fvcking hilarious? By God! If they can make a romance work with a dude with no head, I'll be highly pleased.
(Also Hikaru Midorikawa voices some random side role, which means this game is a blessing already.)

I read some reviews of Nicole and it was forgettable. I'm surprised Vita is not dead.

Nice, IDK Midorikawa was in the game too. The main reason I want to get it other than it looks calming is that Piofore's story is such a nightmare with MC suffering and violence.
 
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Shizuka

Shizuka

Member
Oct 25, 2017
14,095
www.play-asia.com

Nicole [Limited Edition]

Nicole [Limited Edition] PLAY EXCLUSIVES for PlayStation VitaFour different boys to date, with 10 different endingsDiscover the true identity of the culprit. Careful, you could be dating him!Classic dating simulator and life simulation gameplayVisual novel mode with reading-only option1,200...

Nicole (Vita) is available for sale now. The Vita release is exclusive to this physical run apparently.

And it's gone.
 

ShyMel

Moderator
Oct 31, 2017
3,483


I am guessing this is just a version of their mailing list that will not contain other games. And someone got access to what was supposed to be the email going out today containing the Cafe Enchante art cards.
 

Dee Dee

Member
Nov 2, 2017
1,868


I am guessing this is just a version of their mailing list that will not contain other games. And someone got access to what was supposed to be the email going out today containing the Cafe Enchante art cards.


I guess that's nice to know first about pre-orders going up or special editions, but at the rate they are publishing these, do they really need a separate mailer list for the 2-3 games per year??
Did other newsletter recipients complain about too much bishie in their feed?

I can't believe they're making a game for this.
This might be the first console otome game I get.
If it comes over of course.

I mean, if neither the Attack on Titan Visual Novel nor the Osomatsu-San Otome made it over, I really don't see how this one could make it.

In hindsight, it seems a bit of a fluke that we ever got Psycho-Pass: Mandatory Happiness.
 

ShyMel

Moderator
Oct 31, 2017
3,483
People are receiving their copies of Piofiore and so far the game seems to have gotten better treatment than CxM Unlimited did.
 

Tryptobphan

Member
Dec 22, 2017
414
I'm not a huge fan of visual novels, but I was so impressed by Code Realize that I'm curious what fans of otome would recommend? I played Code Realize on the Vita and I also have Norn9 and Amnesia, but I have not started them yet.

I'm not a huge fan of Danganronpa, Steins Gate, or the Nonary games since I find puzzle solving to be a hindrance/annoyance and I found the quirkiness of Steins Gates' main characters to be annoying.

However, I absolutely loved the characters in Code Realize. I felt Cardia was a surprisingly strong lead character, she isn't the usual damsel in distress, the supporting cast is also very charming and the world building was engaging. So I'm curious based on my preferences if any of you have suggestions?

I also have a Switch, but I haven't played any visual novels on it yet.
 
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Shizuka

Shizuka

Member
Oct 25, 2017
14,095
I'm not a huge fan of visual novels, but I was so impressed by Code Realize that I'm curious what fans of otome would recommend? I played Code Realize on the Vita and I also have Norn9 and Amnesia, but I have not started them yet.

I'm not a huge fan of Danganronpa, Steins Gate, or the Nonary games since I find puzzle solving to be a hindrance/annoyance and I found the quirkiness of Steins Gates' main characters to be annoying.

However, I absolutely loved the characters in Code Realize. I felt Cardia was a surprisingly strong lead character, she isn't the usual damsel in distress, the supporting cast is also very charming and the world building was engaging. So I'm curious based on my preferences if any of you have suggestions?

I also have a Switch, but I haven't played any visual novels on it yet.

There are the next two Code Realize titles if you're interested in learning more about the characters and the universe, or you can play something like Collar x Malice, which is another great otome title available.
 

Tryptobphan

Member
Dec 22, 2017
414
There are the next two Code Realize titles if you're interested in learning more about the characters and the universe, or you can play something like Collar x Malice, which is another great otome title available.

Thank you, I totally forgot Code Realize had sequels. I haven't played Code Realize since its release a few years ago.

I'll look into Collar x Malice, too. I never heard of it before.

I just saw London Mysteria on the PS Store and the cover looked intriguing but I can't really find many reviews for it. Is that a pretty good story/game?
 

Saphirax

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,337
Thank you, I totally forgot Code Realize had sequels. I haven't played Code Realize since its release a few years ago.

I'll look into Collar x Malice, too. I never heard of it before.

I just saw London Mysteria on the PS Store and the cover looked intriguing but I can't really find many reviews for it. Is that a pretty good story/game?

London Mysteria is a decent game but the heroine is a damsel in distress. If you're looking for a strong heroine then CxM and Ashen Hawk are good choices.
 

Dee Dee

Member
Nov 2, 2017
1,868
I'm not a huge fan of visual novels, but I was so impressed by Code Realize that I'm curious what fans of otome would recommend? I played Code Realize on the Vita and I also have Norn9 and Amnesia, but I have not started them yet.

I'm not a huge fan of Danganronpa, Steins Gate, or the Nonary games since I find puzzle solving to be a hindrance/annoyance and I found the quirkiness of Steins Gates' main characters to be annoying.

However, I absolutely loved the characters in Code Realize. I felt Cardia was a surprisingly strong lead character, she isn't the usual damsel in distress, the supporting cast is also very charming and the world building was engaging. So I'm curious based on my preferences if any of you have suggestions?

I also have a Switch, but I haven't played any visual novels on it yet.

Did you enjoy the humor or the drama more in Code Realize?
I think Collar x Malice is a fun enough choice of similar quality, it's basically a crime drama with lots of good threads that just... unravel instead of pulling together in the end. I did like the characters and lots of the scenes however.
I personally would put it over Code:Realize in preference, but I seem to be in the minority with that one.

I wouldn't recommend Amnesia or at least I wouldn't recommend playing the True Route or the Toma route. The others are okay, and the routes for Shin and Kent turn into a detective story and some math homework respectively, which I found to be really fun!
I haven't played Norn9 myself, but people generally seem to find it a bit boring.

My personal favourite "Hakuoki" is on Steam, Vita or 3DS, but except for the 3DS version (which tends to crash and erase your save file) you'll have to get it in a stupid two-part release. I recommend to wait on a sale an grab both parts, because while it's more or less of the same size, the fun part is in the second half, and you don't want to just buy the first one to check it out and miss out on all the good stuff in the second half.
Hakuoki is an Otome based on the historical settings and actual historical samurai of the Shinsengumi, you might recognize their names from other Japanese media like the Rurouni Kenshin manga or Gintama.
It's an extremely slow paced one that takes its drama very seriously, but I really enjoyed the pay-off in the second half, where the game allows itself to become a bit more over the top.
(Spoiler:
The all become demon vampires.
)
I swear, the final part of the Hijikata route still gives me goosebumps when they weave in the game name.
- Warning: The protagonist is weaksauce. There's also actual sexual intercourse in one of the routes, but nothing too graphic. -
If you couldn't bear the slow annoying start of Steins;Gate, then Hakuoki might be a rough read too though.

If you have a Vita, "Sweet Fuse" is a PSP game that you can play on Vita through the PS online store, which is really fun, at least for a route or two. The true route was stupid and it got a bit repetitive when you played more then three routes. There is some light puzzle solving involved also.
The protagonist is a fun feisty teen and the game explicitly has a mechanic for putting the dudes around you in their place. It was very refreshing to play. It's also very innocent and light on romance.
Also your uncle is inexplicably Keiji Inafune for some reason and he gets kidnapped in an amusement park.

I also hate-liked "7's Scarlet" on Vita. I liked the atmosphere and some of the characters. However, I am a massive voice actor fan, and one of the guys in the game is an idol/pop singer and also sings his own ending, so basically I was content with anything it threw at me because Morikubo Showtaro gets to sing.
Just stay away from the pastry chef dude that seems like a nice guys next door. He's not. (You'll have to play his route for the true route, my condolences. However, true route is so mind boggingly stupid and the twist is so tacked on and unneeded, it's hard for me to tell you to skip it. It's a sight to behold.)

Edit: Besides Cardia, which characters did you enjoy in Code:Realize?
 

Tryptobphan

Member
Dec 22, 2017
414
There are the next two Code Realize titles if you're interested in learning more about the characters and the universe, or you can play something like Collar x Malice, which is another great otome title available.

London Mysteria is a decent game but the heroine is a damsel in distress. If you're looking for a strong heroine then CxM and Ashen Hawk are good choices.

Thank you for the suggestions. Collar x Malice seems really intriguing so I'll get that next time and give it a try. I've never heard of Ashen Hawk so I'll look it up as well.
 

Tryptobphan

Member
Dec 22, 2017
414
Did you enjoy the humor or the drama more in Code Realize?
I think Collar x Malice is a fun enough choice of similar quality, it's basically a crime drama with lots of good threads that just... unravel instead of pulling together in the end. I did like the characters and lots of the scenes however.
I personally would put it over Code:Realize in preference, but I seem to be in the minority with that one.

I wouldn't recommend Amnesia or at least I wouldn't recommend playing the True Route or the Toma route. The others are okay, and the routes for Shin and Kent turn into a detective story and some math homework respectively, which I found to be really fun!
I haven't played Norn9 myself, but people generally seem to find it a bit boring.

My personal favourite "Hakuoki" is on Steam, Vita or 3DS, but except for the 3DS version (which tends to crash and erase your save file) you'll have to get it in a stupid two-part release. I recommend to wait on a sale an grab both parts, because while it's more or less of the same size, the fun part is in the second half, and you don't want to just buy the first one to check it out and miss out on all the good stuff in the second half.
Hakuoki is an Otome based on the historical settings and actual historical samurai of the Shinsengumi, you might recognize their names from other Japanese media like the Rurouni Kenshin manga or Gintama.
It's an extremely slow paced one that takes its drama very seriously, but I really enjoyed the pay-off in the second half, where the game allows itself to become a bit more over the top.
(Spoiler:
The all become demon vampires.
)
I swear, the final part of the Hijikata route still gives me goosebumps when they weave in the game name.
- Warning: The protagonist is weaksauce. There's also actual sexual intercourse in one of the routes, but nothing too graphic. -
If you couldn't bear the slow annoying start of Steins;Gate, then Hakuoki might be a rough read too though.

If you have a Vita, "Sweet Fuse" is a PSP game that you can play on Vita through the PS online store, which is really fun, at least for a route or two. The true route was stupid and it got a bit repetitive when you played more then three routes. There is some light puzzle solving involved also.
The protagonist is a fun feisty teen and the game explicitly has a mechanic for putting the dudes around you in their place. It was very refreshing to play. It's also very innocent and light on romance.
Also your uncle is inexplicably Keiji Inafune for some reason and he gets kidnapped in an amusement park.

I also hate-liked "7's Scarlet" on Vita. I liked the atmosphere and some of the characters. However, I am a massive voice actor fan, and one of the guys in the game is an idol/pop singer and also sings his own ending, so basically I was content with anything it threw at me because Morikubo Showtaro gets to sing.
Just stay away from the pastry chef dude that seems like a nice guys next door. He's not. (You'll have to play his route for the true route, my condolences. However, true route is so mind boggingly stupid and the twist is so tacked on and unneeded, it's hard for me to tell you to skip it. It's a sight to behold.)

Edit: Besides Cardia, which characters did you enjoy in Code:Realize?

Wow, really insightful. Collar x Malice is definitely on my list now. I actually have Sweet Fuse, but I never played it. It's in my backlog, which I totally forgot about until your post so thanks for the reminder.

I played a bit of Norn9 last night but it's... very wordy and takes a long time to get anywhere in the story. I'll continue through it to see what it's like. I just chalked it up to visual novels and JRPG's taking 5 hours to really get going, sometimes more (which is annoying but sometimes understandable).

I loved Code Realize for its world, characters, story, and pacing of the story. I think right off the bat, the premise was intriguing. So full disclosure, I'm a guy and I never really gave visual novels a chance before (unless you count Ace Attorney, Ghost Trick, Professor Layton and similar mass appeal games to be visual novels), but Code Realize really opened my eyes to the genre. While I may not be able to directly relate to Cardia's emotions, I found her to be a really charming lead character.

As for other characters, it's been years, but I still recall all of the characters being unique and charming. Personally, I may be in the minority, but I liked Lupin from the beginning. He's cocky, arrogant, but also a gentleman and it suits his character and design. Impey, I totally thought would be an idiot based on his personality but they really did a good job building his character and I ended up liking his character a lot, too. Same with Helsing and St. Germaine. Honestly, the whole cast really was stellar. I ended up enjoying the story quite a bit. Is it perfect? No, but it gave me a similar feeling to Final Fantasy 9 or Dragon Quest 8 or even Persona 4... what they all had in common for me is that they had a simple or engaging story, great cast of characters, and by the time the adventure ended, I didn't want it to end.
 

Rae

Member
Mar 7, 2019
982
Hello fellow C:R fan :>

The next few games I liked would be Ashen Hawk and Black Butterfly which both have voiced MC since it's more entertaining that way. The same writers of C:R also worked on Cafe Enchante which is out in Nov later this year too.

LDM is oddly really depressing for an otome game except for maybe 1-2 routes and Emily deserved better.
 

Tryptobphan

Member
Dec 22, 2017
414
Hello fellow C:R fan :>

The next few games I liked would be Ashen Hawk and Black Butterfly which both have voiced MC since it's more entertaining that way. The same writers of C:R also worked on Cafe Enchante which is out in Nov later this year too.

LDM is oddly really depressing for an otome game except for maybe 1-2 routes and Emily deserved better.

Definitely, I love Code: Realize. It totally took me by surprise. I rank it up there with the other PS Vita greats like Uncharted, Tearaway, LBP, Killzone, Muramasa, Odin Sphere, Soul Sacrifice, etc. I'd even argue I enjoyed it more than many of the ones I just listed. I think someone mentioned it on a Vita board back when it came out and the artwork caught my attention so I took a chance on a genre I never played before knowing it's not marketed towards me. I loved it so much, I ended up buying physical copies for some friends who had PS Vitas at the time, they all enjoyed it, too.

Hm. I'm going to have to look into Ashen Hawk for sure then, it's the second time someone suggested it since this morning. I've never heard of it until now.

I may still grab London Detective Mysteria since the artwork caught my attention. Norn9 caught my attention with its artwork as well, but it was definitely slow when I started last night. Hopefully the story picks up and becomes really engaging soon.
 

Rae

Member
Mar 7, 2019
982
Definitely, I love Code: Realize. It totally took me by surprise. I rank it up there with the other PS Vita greats like Uncharted, Tearaway, LBP, Killzone, Muramasa, Odin Sphere, Soul Sacrifice, etc. I'd even argue I enjoyed it more than many of the ones I just listed. I think someone mentioned it on a Vita board back when it came out and the artwork caught my attention so I took a chance on a genre I never played before knowing it's not marketed towards me. I loved it so much, I ended up buying physical copies for some friends who had PS Vitas at the time, they all enjoyed it, too.

Hm. I'm going to have to look into Ashen Hawk for sure then, it's the second time someone suggested it since this morning. I've never heard of it until now.

I may still grab London Detective Mysteria since the artwork caught my attention. Norn9 caught my attention with its artwork as well, but it was definitely slow when I started last night. Hopefully the story picks up and becomes really engaging soon.

One of the unique factors of Norn9 is that you have 3 FeMC so I ended liking everyone except for the super naive one. Also, it's probably not the strongest vita otome but still better than other games. The other 2x C:R games aren't sequels but fandisks so they contain fluffy after stories for everyone and some new LI like Sherlock. If you wait long enough Aksys might localize the newest one for switch which they added new content like beach stories.

Personal ranking of Vita:
C:R and related games
Ashen Hawk
Black Butterfly
LDM
Norn9
Period Cube
Bad Apple Wars
Collar x malice
7'scarlet
 

Tryptobphan

Member
Dec 22, 2017
414
One of the unique factors of Norn9 is that you have 3 FeMC so I ended liking everyone except for the super naive one. Also, it's probably not the strongest vita otome but still better than other games. The other 2x C:R games aren't sequels but fandisks so they contain fluffy after stories for everyone and some new LI like Sherlock. If you wait long enough Aksys might localize the newest one for switch which they added new content like beach stories.

Personal ranking of Vita:
C:R and related games
Ashen Hawk
Black Butterfly
LDM
Norn9
Period Cube
Bad Apple Wars
Collar x malice
7'scarlet

Thank you a ton for that list. It's both scary and awesome because I don't recognize over half of that list so I'm really intrigued.

I actually put Norn9 on pause for now. I decided to try out Code Realize and I got swept up into the story again. I haven't played it since release but the story just caught my attention again.
 

Rae

Member
Mar 7, 2019
982
Thank you a ton for that list. It's both scary and awesome because I don't recognize over half of that list so I'm really intrigued.

I actually put Norn9 on pause for now. I decided to try out Code Realize and I got swept up into the story again. I haven't played it since release but the story just caught my attention again.

I actually wrote small reviews for all the otome games on vita here if you want to know my reasoning for their rankings :>

Yeah, I liked how C:R had an entire world to explore that was beyond just the romance so it was more immersive.
 

Tryptobphan

Member
Dec 22, 2017
414
I actually wrote small reviews for all the otome games on vita here if you want to know my reasoning for their rankings :>

Yeah, I liked how C:R had an entire world to explore that was beyond just the romance so it was more immersive.

I just read through most of your game reviews, including the non-otome game reviews. I like how a lot of your reviews were short and concise, straight to the point.

You didn't need to sell me on the other Code Realize games, but your reviews for Winter Tidings and Future Blessings just put those on my wish list. I'm in the middle of Chapter 1 in Code Realize again and I forgot how great the writing was. I also forgot another reason why I like Cardia. You can read her mind and her logic isn't bad. She isn't an idiot like most main characters in many videogames are.

I also agree with your assessment about the Atelier games and how it really makes you realize not many games have female leads. Although I'm a guy, I always thought Aya Brea was one of the most awesome female leads in any videogame or media. I was also sad that the later games, especially the third really just did not do her character justice. I've come to terms that I just dislike anime inspired stories or Japanese inspired stories like 3rd Birthday or more pretentious stories like Kingdom Hearts and Metal Gear Solid. Every once in a while, a game from Japan will truly impress me with a story again, that includes the Yakuza series, Soul Sacrifice Delta, Dragon Quest series, and Code Realize. The simplicity of Code Realize and the cast of characters really just made me fall in love with the world. I forgot about the Atelier series, I only played the Arland Trilogy but I really enjoyed those, too. The whole point was for me to try different games to show my fiance since she's not a gamer and just plays Tetris. But I ended up enjoying some of the games I normally wouldn't try out. Atelier series and Code Realize were some of them.

I'm glad there's a community here for that. There's so many games I've never heard of it and I'm still researching. Thanks for your reviews.
 

Rae

Member
Mar 7, 2019
982
I just read through most of your game reviews, including the non-otome game reviews. I like how a lot of your reviews were short and concise, straight to the point.

You didn't need to sell me on the other Code Realize games, but your reviews for Winter Tidings and Future Blessings just put those on my wish list. I'm in the middle of Chapter 1 in Code Realize again and I forgot how great the writing was. I also forgot another reason why I like Cardia. You can read her mind and her logic isn't bad. She isn't an idiot like most main characters in many videogames are.

I also agree with your assessment about the Atelier games and how it really makes you realize not many games have female leads. Although I'm a guy, I always thought Aya Brea was one of the most awesome female leads in any videogame or media. I was also sad that the later games, especially the third really just did not do her character justice. I've come to terms that I just dislike anime inspired stories or Japanese inspired stories like 3rd Birthday or more pretentious stories like Kingdom Hearts and Metal Gear Solid. Every once in a while, a game from Japan will truly impress me with a story again, that includes the Yakuza series, Soul Sacrifice Delta, Dragon Quest series, and Code Realize. The simplicity of Code Realize and the cast of characters really just made me fall in love with the world. I forgot about the Atelier series, I only played the Arland Trilogy but I really enjoyed those, too. The whole point was for me to try different games to show my fiance since she's not a gamer and just plays Tetris. But I ended up enjoying some of the games I normally wouldn't try out. Atelier series and Code Realize were some of them.

I'm glad there's a community here for that. There's so many games I've never heard of it and I'm still researching. Thanks for your reviews.

Thanks, I tried to be straight forward since I figured most people would want my immediate reactions.

Yeah, Atelier series for the most part is nice to have a FeMC even if their designs are sometimes over the top. Sadly, we can't date anyone but I like to pretend I can ship them from events.
 

ShyMel

Moderator
Oct 31, 2017
3,483
Finished Gothic Murder last night. For the price it was fairly enjoyable though
it brought up some dark themes aside from the murder theme
so it might not be for everyone.

I started up Pio and am enjoying so far! Its overall look definitely states that it is one of the newest big Otomate titles. Though I wish the generic sprite characters had eyes. Unlike in Code Realize or Collar x Malice, they are not wearing hats so I cannot headcannon the hats as blocking their eyes since I find the eyeless look creepy lol.
 

Dee Dee

Member
Nov 2, 2017
1,868
I bought Piofiore yesterday, prompting PayPal to lock my account.
I mean, they are not wrong, I shouldn't spend my money on crime boys...
 

ShyMel

Moderator
Oct 31, 2017
3,483
The first ending I got was Dante's bad end, which I suppose is better than how on my first tries in Hakuoki and Collar x Malice I got the bad common route ends.
 

Dee Dee

Member
Nov 2, 2017
1,868
I'm also playing through Piofiore at the moment, finished Nicola's routes, started Yang's (mostly to get it over with quickly).

Some non-spoilery thoughts:
- This is a pretty fast-paced one, not bad.
- The art is very pretty.
- I hate how much it makes me crave coffee and sweets.
- I can now cross off "Hearing Ryohei Kimura say STROOONZOOO" of my bucket list.
- There is a lot more stabbing in this than in the usual Otome. The worst stuff I've seen so far however is everything about Yang's route - and it's just completely unpleasant. But of course he's voiced by Nobu, so I'm sure he has his fans... (how???)
- Main character is as dumb as Panini, but at least the game seems to reward the more straightforward and less devout answers with the better endings.
Aside from the fact that
(spoilery stuff starts here):
- Apparently forcing a sandwich onto your Mafia husbando prevents his capo's death, good to know???
- Why do I always get tricked onto the Yandere route...
- WTF is that Yang route. I'm in Chapter 2, and I'm calling the cops now. Is this for real. Who asked for this? ... I guess it's good for world building and story, but boy, do I NOT like any of this. Please tell me they won't try to redeem him with some sob story later.
- Roberto de Feo is cuckoo bananas in Nicola's route. A sight to behold.
- I learned absolute zilch about my conveniently placed pretty birthmark, or Masky McMaskface, who apparently fancies himself some kind of mysterious fortune teller and runs a Casino so far. I'm strapping in for a ride, oh man, exciting. This better end in some ridiculous nonsense.

So yes, having fun with the crime boys, who, despite shooting people left and right and torturing traitors seem like a bunch of milquetoast sad boys that just want to be loved, oh, and then there's Yang, who is an actual psychopath so far.

Also, I didn't know they were doing the CollarXMalice thing where you can only unlock some boys on your second run and the best boy last. He better be worth the wait.
 
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Shizuka

Shizuka

Member
Oct 25, 2017
14,095
I must say, after reading that Piofiore is one of the more dark and mature otome titles available, I'm definitely interested in giving a try as soon as my copy arrives.
 

ShyMel

Moderator
Oct 31, 2017
3,483
I got both of Dante's other ends. I know some people think his route is boring as he fits the "poster boy" mold, but I enjoy boring. Also I feel like half of the game is spent talking about the food people are eating. And their coffee lol.

The Key Maiden's activation method was corny but expected. I will say the "Jesus did not ascend and his body was laid to rest in Burlone" was not a plot point I was expecting. But since Yang gets killed in the ending he reveals this in, the game speeds over this, which I find somewhat hilarious. You are telling me that two Catholic people in the 1920s are just going to accept and move on from that like it is no big deal?
 

Dee Dee

Member
Nov 2, 2017
1,868
I got both of Dante's other ends. I know some people think his route is boring as he fits the "poster boy" mold, but I enjoy boring. Also I feel like half of the game is spent talking about the food people are eating. And their coffee lol.

The Key Maiden's activation method was corny but expected. I will say the "Jesus did not ascend and his body was laid to rest in Burlone" was not a plot point I was expecting. But since Yang gets killed in the ending he reveals this in, the game speeds over this, which I find somewhat hilarious. You are telling me that two Catholic people in the 1920s are just going to accept and move on from that like it is no big deal?

As a proper coffee addict, yes, the constant coffee talk is killing me. It's just cruel to do that when I'm reading stuff at night and know I can't have coffee myself.
I also read that Dante has a comfy route, so I'm looking forward to it, while I try to get Yang and Orlok out of the way.

Also I clicked your spoiler, and I'm not even mad, this is exactly the kind of stupid twist I was hoping for.
Also glad to read Yang dies in a few ends, urgh, his route is the worst.

I wouldn't call this one a "mature" Otome. It is dark, but not necessarily in a grown up way. More like a silly pulp novel with lots of big swords (oddly enough) and overly passionate dudes. The relationships I've seen aren't exactly grown up relationships, unless we count Stockholm Syndrome. Maybe Gilbert will save this mess in the end.
So far though, the amount of "he's a ruthless killer, but I can see the kindness in his heart" that I'm supposed to swallow is pretty dang high.
 

Seri

Member
Oct 30, 2017
704
Hey everyone, I was wondering if you all could help me out? I want to buy a new otome game in english, because i'm tired of the Gatcha/phone freemium ones. The only one I've bought in the past was Amnesia. (I loved it so much!) The type of otome I like on mobile are Mr Love Queens Choice and Obey Me! my favorite characters in those are Victor and Lucifer respectively so if there's a character in that vein in your suggestions it'd be a plus. (I liked pretty much everyone in Amnesia except Toma for....obvious reasons.) Do any of you have a good suggestion for me?

EDIT: OH! I forgot. I have access to PC, PS4, Vita and Switch.