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Otome Community Thread: Happiness isn't a limited commodity, my love is boundless!

S

Sera O

Banned
It's been a while since I picked up an otome game (I think the last one I checked out was Norn9 which I found pretty boring since I made the mistake of playing with the one decent heroine during my first route - I had to give up on the rest). However, I got Mystic Messenger yesterday and it is really entertaining so far.

I like that there is a timed element, but I would prefer not to feel like I'm missing stuff by being asleep at 3am. And the option to play in bigger chunks would be cool. Is there any way to get this game all at once - a premium version that bypasses all the microtransaction stuff?

In-app purchase/skinner box elements put me off mobile games pretty quickly. It's a great fit for an otome game where interaction through texts and chats is really natural, though. I'd love some recommendations for quality mobile otome games that aren't exploitative with in-app purchases/ads, if you guys know of any. I don't mind paying outright if it's good; I just have no idea what's out there. Thanks!
 
KanameYuuki

KanameYuuki

Member
I just finished the Diamond route on Amnesia: Memories and that was a strange ride, The name for the "good ending" its perfect haha:
You really have a bad taste in men.

It's my second game after Code: Realize, which I loved so much except for
Victor Frankenstein and Impey Barbicane
, Cardia is the best too, not sure about this game so far, I didn't find Heart and Diamond routes endearing, but Spade was pretty good, my favorite so far ofc.
 
S

Saphirax

Member
KanameYuuki said:
I just finished the Diamond route on Amnesia: Memories and that was a strange ride, The name for the "good ending" its perfect haha:
You really have a bad taste in men.

It's my second game after Code: Realize, which I loved so much except for
Victor Frankenstein and Impey Barbicane
, Cardia is the best too, not sure about this game so far, I didn't find Heart and Diamond routes endearing, but Spade was pretty good, my favorite so far ofc.
Click to expand...

Amnesia is only worth it for Kent to be honest :p.
 
B

BTA

Member
Kent's is by far my favorite route of Amnesia; he's in a tier of his own. That being said, I still enjoyed Shin's quite a bit (especially as a first route), Ikki's was fine, and knowing what Touma's was going in made it interesting (I also thought it was very fast paced which helped with what it was?).

Finished Frankenstein's route in Code Realize last night. My copy of CxM is here and I really wanted to be done CR by like... a week or two ago, at the latest, but other stuff came out and I had a bad week and here I am. That being said: loving it so far. I've really enjoyed getting to know each character and how each route is really different but still has very high stakes.
 
P

purseowner

Member
Hakuoki Steam store page is up. 30% launch discount. Out in two weeks.

http://store.steampowered.com/app/589530/Hakuoki_Kyoto_Winds/

header.jpg
 
J

jonjonaug

Member
The Fashioning Little Miss Lonesome demo is incredibly hilarious and I can't wait to play the full version.

So I still gotta: Finish Code Realize, play Collar x Malice, and play FLML.

And Utawarerumono 3 and Yakuza Kiwami both come out within the next month. And I've still barely touched Splatoon 2. And Etrian Odyssey 5 is supposed to come out within the next 3 or so months too.

2017 has too many good games...

EDIT

FLML: It's been a while since I've been on the same wavelength as the protag like this. Exhibit A, Exhibit B, Exhibit C.

More FLML: This game really strikes close to home...

More more FLML: So, GOTY basically
 
B

BTA

Member
Finished Saint-Germain's route in Code Realize, which. Huh.
I expected something vaguely yandere (especially since I think he actually is a vampire in his source material?) and so was a little worried, but that was fantastically handled. Particularly given how wild it got. Like. Uhhhhhh Eve herself has been giving him secret humanity controlling orders for 2000 years. And yet it completely works emotionally? I think this sold me on the game's writing more than anything I had seen in it before that, and I've enjoyed everything quite a bit.
I'm definitely happy that I went Impey -> Van Helsing -> Frankenstein -> Saint-Germain now because I think any other order would make some things in other routes too obvious or otherwise not work quite as well regarding a few details.

It's clearly taken a few weeks more than I wanted it to take, but I'm hopeful that I'll actually manage to play all of Lupin's tomorrow. Hopefully. Can't wait to see where the hell it goes now.
 
H

Hollycat

Member
I finally got Flowers working and god the mayuri ending
how could you leave me Mayuri! You butt head!

Guess I need to play the rest if the series now.

Any good new lesbian VNs I need to know about?
 
S

ShyMel

Member
Hollycat said:
I finally got Flowers working and god the mayuri ending
how could you leave me Mayuri! You butt head!

Guess I need to play the rest if the series now.

Any good new lesbian VNs I need to know about?
Click to expand...

Not sure what you have played but Yuri Game Jam 2017 will start soon and the site has links to previous works as well. While many of the games are still being worked on, even from the previous years, there are a few on the site that have finished.
 
J

jonjonaug

Member
Hollycat said:
I finally got Flowers working and god the mayuri ending
how could you leave me Mayuri! You butt head!

Guess I need to play the rest if the series now.

Any good new lesbian VNs I need to know about?
Click to expand...
Kindred Spirits was released last year and is my personal favorite.
 
B

BTA

Member
Of course, in the end it took several more days, but I finished Code Realize.

What an incredibly endearing and enjoyable game.
I do think the truth behind Code: Realize itself was sort of... nothing? But considering how much of the plot it was able to drive, I think that's fine. Honestly, I can't stop admiring how well done the structure was. The vaguely episodic story let each character's route have setup without the setup being unsatsifying within the common route, and then each route functioned similarly for leading into Lupin's.

I will say, as well, that the completely unnecessary extremely late Moriarty and Holmes reveal made me burst out laughing. I stopped for a few minutes after the Moriarty twist made me just be struck with laughter and returned only to immediately hit with the Holmes reveal and start cackling.

Aaaand I will likely start CxM this weekend. My only goal for that is to be done by DR V3 hitting, so I'm not aiming (not that I ever kept it up anyway) for as intense of a pace.
 
S

Saphirax

Member
Interface23 said:
Starting to worry that Bad Apple Wars may be digital only. A bit over a month until release and no where to order it...
Click to expand...

Curler said:
Didn't it also get an LE announced somewhere? I never saw an official word of it, but someone on here said there would be.
Click to expand...

Yep, it's getting a LE; Aksys said so during AX. No need to worry - this isn't anything unusual for Aksys. The game will show up sooner or later.
 
S

Shizuka

Member
Sweet Fuse was one of the last retail PSP titles in North America and only the second otome Aksys had at that point. With so many Vita otomes incoming, I doubt it'll be digital-only.
 
C

Curler

Unconfirmed Member
Saphirax said:
Yep, it's getting a LE; Aksys said so during AX. No need to worry - this isn't anything unusual for Aksys. The game will show up sooner or later.
Click to expand...

Huh, I don't remember seeing the news on any niche games sites I go to. Well, good thing it is official! Assuming it's a store exclusive, I'll wait to pre-order when it goes up.
 
B

BTA

Member
Dandy Crocodile said:
Like, in terms of quality? From what I hear from the Otome people I follow, it's up there with the likes of CxM and Code Realize.
Click to expand...

Oh wow, I hadn't heard such good things (just vaguely good) so that's cool to hear. Though with the sheer amount of VNs out soon/lately I think CxM might be the last otoge I'll be playing for the next few months.
 
E

Ephidel

Member
Ack.

C:R and CxM are very highly regarded. Somehow I still haven't gotten around to either so I can't make any direct comparisons but I've seen how much people like them and I know that they're considered some of the best of the best.

BAW is an enjoyable game - it's stylish, has a great supporting cast, excellent music, and very emotive voice actors.
What it doesn't have is anything resembling balanced plotting (or consistent tone) between it's routes, so let's just say that depending on where people start they could find it underwhelming.

Now I don't know to what degree vndb ratings are reasonable, but a quick look tells me C:R has an average of 8.34 while CxM has an average of 8.61. BAW on the other hand has an average of 7.02. That kind of seems fair. I certainly couldn't rate a game that contains one of the routes in particular an 8, but if that route were mysteriously missing I probably could (that's not to say there's nothing to be salvaged from that route, mind you, or that it's the only one with issues).

C:R and CxM are also regarded well for the MC having character and agency, and Rinka's takes some time to settle in and is better in some routes than others.

I really like it, but I've also admitted before that I put it down for months because of the routes I started with. I sped through it when I picked it up again because the routes I had left were far, far better ... but that unevenness makes things trickier.
I can't help but think that if you tell people it's going to rank alongside the golden children of the genre like C:R and CxM then you're setting them up for disappointment, and disappointed people are going to judge the game far more harshly than it deserves.
 
S

Saphirax

Member
Dandy Crocodile said:
Like, in terms of quality? From what I hear from the Otome people I follow, it's up there with the likes of CxM and Code Realize.
Click to expand...

You heard wrong. :p

It's not trash like PC, but it's not as good as CxM or CR either. I recall people having some issues with the plot and the main character.
 
W

WiiredShawn

Member
Did anyone here try that Resident Evil 4 Otome game? I think it got hit by a DMCA notice a while back, but it looks like they got it back online.

Also, I saw someone on the page mention Mystic Messenger. Going to throw my vote in for that one. Certainly one of the more interesting premises for an otome game and it's nice to see an otome game that actually tries to be funny and lets the MC be a little more flirty.
 
B

BTA

Member
Still haven't progress any more in CxM; gonna get back to it now and get through another chapter or so of Mineo's route at least. Rabbids has been eating my time...

Ephidel said:
Ack.

C:R and CxM are very highly regarded. Somehow I still haven't gotten around to either so I can't make any direct comparisons but I've seen how much people like them and I know that they're considered some of the best of the best.

BAW is an enjoyable game - it's stylish, has a great supporting cast, excellent music, and very emotive voice actors.
What it doesn't have is anything resembling balanced plotting (or consistent tone) between it's routes, so let's just say that depending on where people start they could find it underwhelming.

Now I don't know to what degree vndb ratings are reasonable, but a quick look tells me C:R has an average of 8.34 while CxM has an average of 8.61. BAW on the other hand has an average of 7.02. That kind of seems fair. I certainly couldn't rate a game that contains one of the routes in particular an 8, but if that route were mysteriously missing I probably could (that's not to say there's nothing to be salvaged from that route, mind you, or that it's the only one with issues).

C:R and CxM are also regarded well for the MC having character and agency, and Rinka's takes some time to settle in and is better in some routes than others.

I really like it, but I've also admitted before that I put it down for months because of the routes I started with. I sped through it when I picked it up again because the routes I had left were far, far better ... but that unevenness makes things trickier.
I can't help but think that if you tell people it's going to rank alongside the golden children of the genre like C:R and CxM then you're setting them up for disappointment, and disappointed people are going to judge the game far more harshly than it deserves.
Click to expand...

This is all very good to know! Guess it's good that I don't plan on playing it for a while then, hah.

Is there a route order you'd suggest that'd account for the bad routes the best?
 
S

Saphirax

Member
Otomate party is today and tomorrow.

Today's announcements:

  • Diabolik Lovers Haunted Bridal and More Blood are being ported to ps4 as one game.
  • Variable Barricade isn't dead!
  • New game: Artist RiRi (same artist who did Binary Star and Yunohara Spring). Setting: post WW1, Italy, mafia.
  • Roses of Versailles game collaboration for its 45th anniversary.
That's all for today.

https://twitter.com/Doropyan/status/903962337475829760
 
S

Saphirax

Member
Collar x Malice Unlimited - fandisc, Saeki was shown /barf
DIzKzIIWsAAL4U3.jpg


Charade Maniacs - vita, artist:Teita (Norn9, Nightshade)
DIzLmSsVAAEHN1s.jpg

DIzLN6rVoAAMH5S.jpg


Variable Barricade - ps4 and vita
DIzMH5OUEAEOFeX.jpg


Crimson Flame sanada game - ps4 and vita
DIzMECWV4AA88uC.jpg



ピオフィオーレの晩鐘 - vita
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天涯ニ舞ウ - vita
DIzLzwZVwAAlf8x.jpg:large


Cendrillon Phalik
DIzKzHoXkAAlSx7.jpg


Rose of Versailles (In development, no platforms announced)
DIzLqsQUMAAIbuc.jpg


Triangle Project
DIzL80MVYAAeJOz.jpg
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There's a lot of info coming out right now and my Japanese is almost non-existent, so I'll fix the mistakes I made as soon as I'm able to.
 
E

Ephidel

Member
Shizuka said:
I need that. I really do need that. Oh damn.

tdHiIrn.jpg
Click to expand...
I want iiiiiit. How am I meant to get that here x_x
BTA said:
Is there a route order you'd suggest that'd account for the bad routes the best?
Click to expand...
I did Higa -> Alma -> Shikishima -> Satoru -> Prefect, so my recommendation is don't do that.

Seriously though, I never found an "official" route order, and I've gone back and forth on what I think the best route order would be a lot, trying to weigh up which events I think play off against each other best in certain orders and which didn't work so well in the order I experienced them.
Part of me is torn because my first instinct was to have Alma and the Prefect bookending the game, but it just doesn't sit quite right with me and when I tried to work out the best way to arrange the other routes between them they all felt kind of odd.

After a lot of handwringing I think I'd throw that idea out and go for

Satoru -> Shikishima -> Higa -> Alma -> Prefect.

Working backwards and generalising so as not to spoil any actual plot:
The Prefect's route is meant to go last.
Alma and the Prefect are the most plotty routes. Putting them together makes sense.
Higa is going to be kinda shit wherever you put it, but I think in the end it works best twinned with Alma anyway.
Shikishima's route is more standalone than the others, but I think it would make a lousy introduction.
That leaves Satoru as a starting point. That feels better than I initially thought and gives you a strong route as the introduction to the game.
 
E

Ephidel

Member
Ok, I'm shamelessly stealing most of this info from famitsu and dengeki.
The trailers were just taken from IF's youtube, and I haven't actually watched all of them yet so I don't know if they reveal more than the stuff I stole from famitsu and dengeki.
The rose of versailles stuff is just me randomly babbling. Sorry about that.

DIzKzIIWsAAL4U3.jpg
Click to expand...
Collar x Malice Unlimited
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9r8aU6swgc
Scheduled release date: 2018
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CM_otomate

DIzKzHoXkAAlSx7.jpg
Click to expand...
Cendrillon Phalika (the Cinderella one mentioned on twitter)
サンドリヨンパリカ
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ayhr4OJz8vo
Illustrator: 清白かりん (worked on My Sweet Hubby. That's... all I can find atm)
Platform: Vita
Scheduled release date: 2018
Website: http://www.otomate.jp/cendrillon_phalika/ (will open 4th Sept)
Twitter: https://twitter.com/phalikA_otomate

DIzLmSsVAAEHN1s.jpg

1500x500
Click to expand...
Charade Maniacs
シャレード マニアクス
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTUTgYsIvdI
Illustrator: 悌太 (Teita, worked on Norn9, Nightshade)
Scenario Writer: 雨宮うた (Amemiya Uta - vndb link)
Music: Tokyo Logic
Platform: Vita
Scheduled release: 2018
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CA_otomate

DIzLqsQUMAAIbuc.jpg
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Rose of Versailles Re*Imagination (logo subject to change).
私立ベルばら学園 ～ベルサイユのばらRe*imagination～
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogw68jSGOzA
Commemorating the 45th Anniversary of The Rose of Versailles.
No staff, platforms, or estimated dates given as far as I can see.

Anyone else read that little tiny excerpt of Frederick L Schodt's translation of Rose of Versailles in Manga Manga all those years ago? Anyone else wanted it ever since and been immensely disppointed that whatever sum Ikeda wanted for it wasn't something any publishers were prepared to stretch to? Anyone else completely shocked when Udon licensed it two years ago? Anyone else incredibly disappointed nothing's come of it since?
No? Just me? :(

Well, this is celebrating that manga. This reimagination of it is also tagged 私立ベルばら学園, and the idea of reimagining Rose of Versailles in a private school setting makes it sound far less interesting to me anyway.

w74nWiG.jpg
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New Shiro to Kuro no Alice game
白と黒のアリス新作
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AeEsm1SGwo
Platform: Vita
Twitter: https://twitter.com/roroari_info

tHCFV4X.jpg
Click to expand...
DIABOLIK LOVERS PS4
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UR9xK5jiawI

DIzLzwZVwAAlf8x.jpg
Click to expand...
天涯ニ舞ウ、粋ナ花
The new work from the staff of 'Hanayaka Nari, Waga Ichizoku' and 'Bara ni Kakusareshi Verite'
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rFJKvZ0FHs
Scenario Writer: 高木 亜由美 (Takagi Ayumi)
Artist: ユウヤ (Yuuya)
Platform: Vita
Website: http://www.otomate.jp/tengai/ (will open 4th Sept)
Twitter: https://twitter.com/tengai_otomate

DIzL80MVYAAeJOz.jpg
Click to expand...
triAngle Project
トライアングル プロジェクト
A project by Otomate and Frontier Works that aims to release three titles with love triangles as a theme.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hY7NaNQVi78
Platform: Windows PC.
Website: www.otomate.jp/triangle/ (will open 4th Sept)
Twitter: https://twitter.com/triP_OTOMATE

I... am struggling to parse their release info (シチュエーションの3タイトルを9カ月連続リリース！) because in no way can three games be released over nine continuous/consecutive months. Unless it just means every three months, and I'm overthinking it? I don't have a clue, seriously.

The first game is Tlicolity Eyes（トリコリティ アイズ） and has the themes "Entertainment Industry x Romantic Comedy x Love Triangle"
The second is コントラスト with the themes "School x Pure Love x Love Triangle"
The third is 蛇香のライラ（じゃこうのライラ） with the themes "Arabian x Sensual x Love Triangle"

DIzMAjIVoAAOKkj.png
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Piofiore no Banshou (Okay, this is the RiRi game with the Italy/Mafia setting mentioned on twitter)
ピオフィオーレの晩鐘
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0QkcFVMo28
Tagline: All the secrets are sleeping in the city...
Platform: Vita
Scheduled release: 2018
Website: http://www.otomate.jp/piofiore/ (will open 4th Sept).

DIzMECWV4AA88uC.jpg
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Sanada of the Crimson Flame / Kurenai no Homura Sanada Ninpou Chou
真紅の焔 真田忍法帳
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJ-udcykLlQ
Platform: Vita, PS4
Scheduled Release: 2018
Website: http://www.otomate.jp/kurenai/ (will open 4th Sept)

DIzMH5OUEAEOFeX.jpg
Click to expand...
Variable Barricade
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrPaucKMa3g
Platform: Vita, PS4
Scheduled Release: 2018
Website: http://www.otomate.jp/varibarri/ (on 4th Sept).
 
K

Kirie

Member
Thanks for all the info everyone!

Super excited for CxM FD!!! Aksys plz :( I don't want to have to import (I might anyways)

Interested in most of these new projects so hopefully they turn out good!
 
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