Perpetuating my Uncontrollable Otome Addiction

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(Thank you to @datalore13 for the game suggestion!)

The Lady’s Choice is an amazing historical otome game by Seraphinite. This pay-what-you want game is super unique; I think it’s the first fairly authentic historical otome game I’ve ever played, and I’m surprised it’s not a more popular setting. The artwork is absolutely gorgeous, with an abundance of CGs. I absolutely love the writing style, and although I admit I’m not enough of a history buff to detect small inaccuracies I felt like the game was very immersive and seemed true-to-life. Two of the biggest selling points for me are the fact that the protagonist has a female best friend and the protagonist’s personality; I know otome games are focused on the romance, but it still makes me happy to see games that still pass the Bechtel test, and anyone who has looked at my blog for ten seconds knows how I feel about characters with shapeable personalities. Overall, this is an amazing game, and I totally recommend it.

Steam Link (Free!)

Walkthrough Link

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!

Hey Anon! Oh my gosh, thank you so much, that’s so sweet of you to say :) I follow Rinmaru’s Tumblr like a hawk, so yes I know about Cardinal Cross! I try not to play demos (they just make me so desperate to see the full game!), but I’m really looking forward to it coming out.

Link

Walkthrough

Jurassic Heart is a bizarre little game by Hima and Piti. It was actually released a good while back, but the first time I tried playing the links weren’t working properly and I sadly had to miss out. Now it’s up and running, though, so play it while you can! Even though it’s a short game and, well, totally ridiculous, it’s still adorable with surprisingly good art; definitely worth a few minutes of your time. 

The premise of the game is that the (nameable) protagonist is a human, going out to meet her tyrannosaurus friend to go buy him a new ukelele. That’s... Yeah, that’s pretty much it. Enjoy!

Read about the characters below the cut!

Download Link

(You don’t need a walkthrough; choose your guy, then either flirt or don’t for the romantic or friendship ending)

Fool’s Helper is an absolutely adorable visual novel by Something Ventured Games! The artwork and characters are so cute, and the game is equal parts cute and hilarious. It’s a pretty short game with only a few choices, but it doesn’t feel rushed and the writing is really good. 

The premise of the game is that the (nameable) protagonist is just a normal woman trying to prepare for your slightly-crazy boss’ birthday party for her cat when you bump into two different guys who are both slightly... Eccentric. Intrigued by both of them, she can pick one guy to help out with his rather excessive behavior, either as a friend or maybe as something more.

Just cute fluff here, nothing to worry about.

Read about the characters below the cut!

Hiya anon! Thanks so much, I’m really happy to hear I’ve helped you find some of your favorite games; that’s why I made this blog in the first place :)

Oh wow, that’s a tough question! But if I have to choose my top five favorites...

1) A2 ~A Due~: God this game made me cry. It’s so beautiful, and the romance is absolutely incredible but it’s not the sole focus of the game. If you haven’t played it, you actually have to. I still listen to some of the music from it once in a while, and just writing this has made me really want to go back and play it again.

2) Aloners: This game is incredible. YOU GET TO SHAPE YOUR PERSONALITY AND THE STORY REACTS TO IT. The premise is so interesting, and the interactions with your love interest are alternately hilarious, upsetting, and absolutely adorable.

3) Ascension: (Has anyone else noticed how many of my favorites start with “A”? What is that about?) Oh my god this game is one of my firsts, but it hasn’t lost its magic. I’ve played it more times than I can actually count, sniffing out hidden content and tearing my hair out trying to choose between Zander and Kole. Plus, again, CHOOSE YOUR PERSONALITY. I CANNOT STRESS HOW MUCH I LOVE THAT.

4) Our Personal Space: Holy shit you guys, this game. Our Personal Space is an absolutely incredible simulation of a relationship, but also SET IN SPACE. I made my boyfriend play it with me, and even he loves it. That’s how good this game is. There are just so many choices and events, and each one either chips away a tiny bit at your relationship or helps it to grow. The petty fights and the grossly cute moments together are all so realistic it’s almost spooky -- and makes it all the more soul-crushing if you go for a bad ending (I tried it once. Once.)

5) Serafina’s Saga: Sue me, I really love fantasy settings. Serafina’s Saga is great for a lot of reasons, with unique characters, a really cool premise, and a fun protagonist. I’m really biased with this choice, though, because I’m madly in love with Jezu.

Link

Walkthrough Link

Heavenly Playgirl Dating Sim is the only game released by TopazShrine. I’m really impressed at the quality of the art and unique premise given that this seems to be the creator’s first game. There are some weird phrases and word choices, but taking into consideration that the author is not a native English speaker the writing is fantastic (Even after several years of Spanish I can’t imagine how awful I would be at making a game in a different language). I was initially skeptical about the premise of this game since I’m not religious and thought the game might be a bit preachy, but since the only real moral issue is “don’t cheat on people” (and obviously I can support that idea) it didn’t bother me nearly as much as I feared. There’s not much of a plot or character development, and the dialog can be a little inane/repetitive, but that’s pretty standard for a dating sim game so I can’t complain too much. Overall, it’s a fun game and definitely worth playing through a few routes that appeal to you.

The premise of the game is that the (nameable) protagonist is a cynic about love, resolved to play with guy’s hearts because she believes that all guys “date for fun” and is sure if she got emotionally invested in them they’d just hurt her instead. As the game begins, the protagonist gets into a fatal car accident, but is given a second chance at life to prove she can find true love. She is granted five weeks to find love, and if she succeeds will be able to go to heaven. So, obviously, the rest of the game revolves around the protagonist seeking out true love in her town. 

(I’m going to start doing readmore’s to make my posts less obnoxiously long. Read about the characters under the cut!)

Aw, thanks anon! You know, I actually thought Jordan was going to be a boring character at first, but he totally won me over too. He might actually be my favorite; it was so adorable watching Paige slowly work him out of his shell. Blake was a close second though!

Download/Purchase Link

(You don’t need a walkthrough)

Thanks to @datalore13 for recommending this game to me! 2 Minutes for Roughing is a NaNoRenO submission by Yoshibb. Although it’s pretty short, the game doesn’t feel rushed, and the relationships progress at a relatively natural pace. I like the art style too, and I wish they’d had more time to throw in a couple more CGs. What I like best about the game, though, is its unique premise and protagonist.

The premise of the game is that the protagonist, Paige, is an ex-competitive hockey player who had to give it up because of her anger management issues. After some time off, Paige finally feels like she’s ready to give her sport another shot, and her brother has gotten her the chance to play with his team. From there she has to choose how to focus her time with her teammates, both on and off the rink, while monitoring her temper to make sure she doesn’t blow up in anyone’s face.

The game does include some descriptions of violence (it is hockey after all) and swearing, but it’s mostly fluffy.

Colt: Athletic Type

Colt is the only one of the three romantic interests who seems genuinely excited to have Paige join the team. He’s also an incredible athlete, and Paige is constantly impressed by his skill at hockey. As athletic types are wont to do, Colt is immediately pretty flirty towards the protagonist, but he’s not overly pushy about it and gets embarrassed and backs off if he thinks he’s gone too far. Colt and Paige get along pretty well immediately, though, and their relationship only grows stronger through the course of the game as they bond over hockey and their love of cheese.

Blake: Jerk Type

Blake is an insulting prick, so in a sense he’s a marvelously done jerk type character. It took me all of two lines to hate his guts, and the rest of his route to slowly warm up to him as his “tough guy” facade cracked little by little. Blake definitely fits the archetype to a T, with the protagonist’s relentless pestering eventually bringing down Blake’s obnoxious defenses (well, at least some of the time). But what I really loved about Blake’s route isn’t even Blake himself; normally, protagonists have to deal with jerk types all on their own, but Paige has Colt and Jordan to call Blake out on his shit. It’s refreshing to play a jerk type route with other characters who don’t want to put up with his crabbiness.

Jordan: Quiet Type

Download Link

(No Walkthrough Needed)

Between the Lines is a NaNoRenO 2016 submission by missxtake, Seroft, Toots, and Fell. The art for the sprites is super cute, but unfortunately they didn’t have time to draw up any CGs. The story itself is a fun fantasy adventure, although it runs a little on the short side so I didn’t have as much time to explore this alternate world as I would have liked! The little glimpses into the other universe are intriguing though; the different constellations, plants, and magical properties have the potential for a much larger work. Anyway, all in all, it’s a cute little game without many choices but with some pretty solid writing -- definitely worth checking out.

The protagonist, Bianca, is slumming it at her parents house and half-heartedly preparing for exams. During one of her breaks, she buys a fiction book and starts to read it. Suddenly, she’s hit with a splitting headache, and decides to treat it with a nap -- but she wakes up somewhere entirely unfamiliar. She soon realizes she’s somehow been transported to the world of the book -- with no obvious way to get home.

There are some depictions and descriptions of blood in the game.

Ettore: Friendly Type

Ettore is a rare friendly type, in that he seems pretty serious about his work, but he’s still very excitable with regards to his passions as well as quite kind and friendly. Although he’s initially suspicious of Bianca because of her inexplicable arrival, he puts conscious effort into trusting her and welcoming her into his home, going far out of his way to be a hospitable host and help her discover a way home.

Cecil: Awkward Type

Download/Purchase Link and Walkthrough

Oh my god, you guys. This game by Gourmet Visual is too cute, and I’m not sure I can handle it. The artwork, the world, the boys, the stupid pick up lines... Just, wow. I know the game is supposed to be a parody of otome games as a genre, but (while still being totally hilarious) it also manages to be fricking adorable. Also, I just love that the protagonist was the actual agent in this game? Like in a lot of VNs, the protagonist just kind of does her thing, and all the boys do their best to seduce her and it’s just down to her to pick which one she wants. With this game, the protagonist has to do all the heavy lifting, and her complete, hysterical ineptitude makes it entertaining as hell. Just go play it. I cannot believe you’ll regret it.

The premise of the game is that the nameable protagonist (auto-named Ginger) is a pastry chef who has been given the honor of baking pastries for the upcoming Pastry Festival. Ginger wants to really impress the other elves at the festival, and so she resolves to follow her grandmother’s recipe for a Heartbaked cake: the only ingredient she’s missing is love. And so, she resolves to woo one of the three boys she knows in order to create the best cake she can... It’s just a little bit challenging(and cringeworthy) given her complete lack of experience with flirting.

This game is as fluffy as a masterfully cooked souffle. There are a few slightly sexy references, but nothing beyond kissing is ever depicted or really even hinted at happening.

Radley: Best Friend Type

Although Ginger and Radley have a somewhat... confrontational relationship sometimes, it’s clearly all in good fun. They’ve known each other for a long time, so they know exactly how to get under each other’s skin. With that being said, Ginger knows she can count on Radley when she actually needs him, and despite all her complaints about him the one personal touch in her kitchen -- a photo of her and Radley together -- shows her true soft spot for her childhood friend. Meanwhile, Radley clearly has had feelings for Ginger for a long while, and she’s the only one oblivious to this obvious fact.

Benjamin: Eccentric Type

Benjamin is an odd duck. His complete lack of understanding or regard for social norms and insistence that the two sheep with him are his “family” almost frustrates Ginger to tears when she first meets him. However, as she gets to know him, she slowly comes to understand his eccentricities and the root of his behavior -- and he learns to obey some basic social rules, like actually washing himself every once in a while.

Carver: Jerk Type

Download/Purchase Link

(No Walkthrough Needed)

Magical Otoge Anholly is a NaNoReNo 2016 visual novel by Batensan. I was excited to play this game, because I absolutely loved Batensan’s last VN, Magical Otoge Ciel (go check it out if you haven’t played it yet!). This new game has the same gorgeous art style and fantastic writing as the previous one, and some of the humor actually made me laugh out loud -- I’m not sure I can think of a single other otome game that accomplished that feat. The main drawback in the game is the lack of meaningful choices; but it’s just such a good story, I can’t even complain.

Anholly is the only resident of her town, Solvalis. She’s incredibly sweet, and probably more than a little too overoptimistic and self-sacrificing. The story follows her as she meets a stranger in town, Seihou, who seems to need her help. There’s only one path in the game -- but you have a couple of options to shape the dialog along her journey.

After the fluffiness of Magical Otoge Ciel, I was NOT READY for the emotional roller coaster that was this game. The game has major themes of death and dying, but nothing is graphically portrayed. Even though there’s nothing graphic, be warned -- I may have teared up a lil bit during a certain climactic moment.

Riov: Best Friend Type

Riov has known Anholly since they were both children, and he’s her only friend (so I guess, by extension, also her best friend). He’s very sweet towards her, visiting and bringing her supplies every week. Anholly definitely sees him more as a little brother than a romantic interest, but it’s clear that for a while he’s been interested in her as more than a friend. He’s more than a little awkward, and although he’s mostly comfortable talking to Anholly he has a longstanding fear of strangers.

Seihuo: Mysterious Type

Seihuo normally seems very cold, but he’s never a jerk to Anholly -- in fact, he grows to be pretty protective of her. Rather, he constantly hides or lies about things (especially towards the start of the game), trying to convince her that he’s fine when it’s drastically obvious that he is not. Although he does slowly open up to her, he keeps a lot of his thoughts concealed and doesn’t reveal the whole truth until the last possible moment.

Veltaire: Protective Type