There are a few lesser known otome games on Steam, but someone who played them could recommend you some.
I think Dandelion was an okay game. The game is on Steam. Hopefully someone here has played it and can be more helpful.
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Otome Community Thread: Happiness isn't a limited commodity, my love is boundless!
- Thread starter Shizuka
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There are a few lesser known otome games on Steam, but someone who played them could recommend you some.
I think Dandelion was an okay game. The game is on Steam. Hopefully someone here has played it and can be more helpful.
So I'm still very slowly making my way through it, but in the past few days I finally dedicated more time to it and finished the back half (and all the endings of) Ikki's route after doing Shin's a little while back. Based on that much, I feel comfortable responding to this, I guess, but obviously I've only played 2/5 of the routes so far so keep that in mind.
About halfway through Shin's, I still thought he was a jerk too. As you get further in, you get a better sense of why he acts like he does, and how aware of it he is. By the end I found him and his relationship with the protagonist to be very sweet; I left the route very fond of it and the way it played out. He's a bit jerk-ish but in a sorta half-hearted embarrassed way that's kinda very adorable? He's... like a puppy. (And in Ikki's route, an angrier puppy.)
Meanwhile, I thought Ikki was actually surprisingly sympathetic from very early on in his route, given with what you're presented with at first; it quickly becomes obvious to the player what his dynamic with the protagonist was (even though she and Orion don't pick up on it for a while more). That being said, he's not really "my type" (...whatever that means as a straight guy playing this, hah) as much as Shin was, and though I was actually pretty into the dynamic he had with the protagonist, I found some of the tropier
"if you don't leave now I won't be able to control myself... but of course I'd never do anything to you"
...I was told by a friend that I'd probably personally like Kent the most back when I'd just finished Shin's route, and going by how he was in Shin's I'd actually already been thinking that (with Ikki's now not really changing my opinion any). I'll be playing his next, so I wonder how that'll go.
Royal Rainbow
Member
Thanks for the help I appreciate the response. I'll be sure to check out dandelion and see if it's something i might like. Thanks!
I think I got a bit into the part where he's supposed to sort of redeem himself but he still came off as a bit creepy and mean personally. But to each their own I guess he's just not for me.
Marmaladefire
Member
They're usually jerks with barely visible, iced over hearts of gold, overly nice big brother types, or questionably aged looking, hyperactive fun boys. Or the quiet one with a secret. He doesn't have a personality, but the other ones are so fucking annoying that it makes sense for you to run into his arms.
Yeah, I can get that, although the NTR was only for the Oz guys and nobody else. Some of the NTR routes worked really well imo (Kyrie > Caramia is probably my favorite route of the main three Oz guys and one of my favs in the game) but others weren't as good (anything > Axel didn't make much sense to me due to characterization) I don't really agree with some of Hinano's points in that review (and she got some facts wrong, like Kyrie's role in the brothel route) but that just comes down to opinions I think.
I hope that MG localizes more otomes though as I really enjoyed their translation. Great stuff, and they were very quick to correct typos and such.
Hmm, thinking about it, the only route in a game to bother me a bit on a personal level is probably Raito from Diabolik Lovers, but even that is kind of child's play apparently compared to some of the other stuff that has come out of Japan recently. Like Moshi, Kono Sekai ni Kamisama ga Iru to Suru Naraba which is a big nope for me from some of the stuff I've heard about it. But if some people like it, I can't knock it really, it's just..not for me.
I highly recommend Nameless, from the same developer as Dandelion. It doesn't have all the annoying stat raising, and so is better paced. It's probably one of my favorite otomes, hands down. Some of the guys have their own issues, but I thought it was handled a lot better than Amnesia. I was sad to see the guys go after I finished everything, I liked it so much.
For Moshi Kami at least I'm assuming it was the (backstory of... well, everyone really)
and all the
.
I read enough about it to decide it probably wasn't for me as well. This review talks about a lot of it. If you don't want to read the whole thing and just want some of the fucked up stuff then read the intro and then search for "beach incident" and click through the mentions until it's actually described.
child abuse backstories
rape
I read enough about it to decide it probably wasn't for me as well. This review talks about a lot of it. If you don't want to read the whole thing and just want some of the fucked up stuff then read the intro and then search for "beach incident" and click through the mentions until it's actually described.
I regret everything.
Who on earth thought this was okay?? Holy shit. I thought DL was bad. This is on a whole different level...
SouSouRocket
Member
What in the fuuuuuuuckkkk, like the whole thing sounded convoluted and batshit but then that beach incident jesus christ. Who can enjoy an otome like that?
I don't really know where to look for things like sales data. I found a load of charts, but nothing with numbers. After a quick search the only thing I have found with numbers (that isn't that banned charts site that makes stuff up) is actually this post from GAF.
Basileus777
Member
Someone has put together an article summarizing this E2Gaming mess.
SouSouRocket
Member
Thanks for this, I had a hard time piecing together all the details myself. Why are otome localizations frequently such a mess? @_@ Does our demographic just say "easy money"?
Indeed that is a mess :/ I've heard how people have been skeptical of it, and well, yeah this explains it all! So weird, these new little startups. How to business??? Seriously... I'm surprised that Japan seems to be handing over stuff like this, Beastmaster, and even that ChuSingura46+1 VN (which is about to come to a horrible end in 3 days), to such incompetent little companies. It's just surprising that they are handing it over to these "companies".
...the best part of that article was how they hired some "super excited" guy and did a terrible job, no supervision of what he was even typing. Wow.
Thanks for posting; I had heard a little about the fiasco, but not the full extent, so this was pretty eye-opening.
Basileus777
Member
Ugh. If this continues we won't get another otome game. Enough with the shitty companies who have no idea what they're doing.
The KS is probably going to be as bad as the Beastmaster one.
What a hot mess.
Yeah it all sucks. Hard to support the actual titles when these companies can't be trusted.
I can't understand how these dodgy sounding companies keep managing to secure these licences in the first place. Are they really they making offers that much better than more established companies?
I mean, there must be a reason why the japanese companies are letting these companies with no experience or, apparently, any actual funding for development get them, but I can't see what. Can they really sound that convincing? I'm not anti-kickstarter, but shouldn't a prospective licensee at least have to show they have some sort of (functional) business plan other than "Trust us, we can totally get these people to pay for that for us"
I mean, there must be a reason why the japanese companies are letting these companies with no experience or, apparently, any actual funding for development get them, but I can't see what. Can they really sound that convincing? I'm not anti-kickstarter, but shouldn't a prospective licensee at least have to show they have some sort of (functional) business plan other than "Trust us, we can totally get these people to pay for that for us"
This is what I still can't understand, unless the publishers were just desperate to make money and took anyone/any offer? I have no clue, otherwise.
SouSouRocket
Member
Toma's is far and away the worst, I feel like the only other one that comes close is a certain other route... but I'll let you find that out for yourself.
Excellent. Thanks for the heads up~
Finished up Ikki's route; he was such a sweetheart. <3 He did occasionally make me go >.>; with some of his lines, but by now I pretty much just blame the writer and not him, if that makes any sense. 
My current ranking of Ikki's, Shin's, and Toma's routes:
Next up is Kent!
My current ranking of Ikki's, Shin's, and Toma's routes:
Ikki >>> Shin >>>>>> Toma
Next up is Kent!
SouSouRocket
Member
I've been erring on the side of caution since you never know who might take issue with that, haha.
lol I agree 100% 😂
Edit: I noticed that Ilu jam is going on, which seems to be a romance visual novel game jam. What sort of things do you guys and gals look for in an otome? What draws you to it initially? What kinds of stories and characters keep you hooked? What sort of boys are your faves?
I've completely finished Amnesia, so here are some final thoughts:
It took me about 31 hours to 100% the game, longer than I expected. Of the achievements, the one where you have to click on the pictures to hear random lines was the most annoying. Reading the extra stories from the boys' perspectives was really interesting, and I wish we could get into their heads more.
I wish IF hadn't decided to make the protag such a doormat for 99.9% of the game.
It felt so awkward to read Orion's narration while keeping in mind that his chatter couldn't be heard by anyone else and in fact distracted you to the point of other characters noticing. The protag also looked pretty vacant in most/all of the CGs, which was disappointing. :\
I also wish the writer hadn't felt the need to constantly have every boy talk about "dangerous" they were and how the heroine would "regret" being in a room alone with them or whatever. I mean, really? You're all so sex-crazed that someone hugging you makes you want to take your pants off then and there, but only after you give a vaguely threatening warning about it? :\
I ended up actually liking the final
route. I loved being able to see and interact with the rest of the cast right off the bat, and less awkwardly than usual. What really clenched it for me, though, was that his insanity wasn't really portrayed as "romantic", not like
. If you saw his crazy eyes, it pretty much meant you had strayed to a bad end. Whether or not you agree with what he did and whether he deserved forgiveness is up to you, but I enjoyed the route overall. It was surprisingly low-key.
Final route preference is
.
Definitely worth the $3 I paid during the Steam sale, but I probably would have been okay paying full price for it as well.
First thing I look for is an art style I like. If I think the art style is ugly, I immediately lose 70% of my interest. And while a heroine who's a doormat won't put me off a game (because they're so depressingly common), it certainly doesn't add points. I'm not sure if there's any particular type of boy who's my favorite, though anyone wearing glasses is a bonus. I don't really like tsunderes, and I hate abuse being passed off as "romance" and "love" (see: my Amnesia complaints).
Now I've gotta decide whether I'll start Ozmafia or grind out another route in Dandelion...
It took me about 31 hours to 100% the game, longer than I expected. Of the achievements, the one where you have to click on the pictures to hear random lines was the most annoying. Reading the extra stories from the boys' perspectives was really interesting, and I wish we could get into their heads more.
I wish IF hadn't decided to make the protag such a doormat for 99.9% of the game.
Though it's not anything new for otomes, sadly.
I also wish the writer hadn't felt the need to constantly have every boy talk about "dangerous" they were and how the heroine would "regret" being in a room alone with them or whatever. I mean, really? You're all so sex-crazed that someone hugging you makes you want to take your pants off then and there, but only after you give a vaguely threatening warning about it? :\
I ended up actually liking the final
(Ukyo's)
Toma's, where it made up 80% of his route
Except for me mistakenly telling Toma about the girls who bullied me. I should have known better. -.-;
Final route preference is
Kent > Ukyo > Ikki >> Shin >>>>>> Toma. Toma still sucks
Definitely worth the $3 I paid during the Steam sale, but I probably would have been okay paying full price for it as well.
First thing I look for is an art style I like. If I think the art style is ugly, I immediately lose 70% of my interest. And while a heroine who's a doormat won't put me off a game (because they're so depressingly common), it certainly doesn't add points. I'm not sure if there's any particular type of boy who's my favorite, though anyone wearing glasses is a bonus. I don't really like tsunderes, and I hate abuse being passed off as "romance" and "love" (see: my Amnesia complaints).
Now I've gotta decide whether I'll start Ozmafia or grind out another route in Dandelion...
I'm going to tackle "what draws you to it initially?" for now ^_^
I like otome games because it's nice to play something that is, at least ostensibly, aimed at me (or at least in my general direction).
Most games aren't. Most games are aimed at the straight male demographic. There's nothing wrong with that but it can get tiring. I play those games, I enjoy those games, fanservice and all, but sometimes I'd rather play something else. Sometimes I don't want to be the badass who saves the world or gets the girl(s). Sometimes I want to get the guy.
I don't mind putting myself in male shoes but sometimes female shoes feel more comfortable (... except for the fact they don't. Seriously, give me unisex slippers and clompy steel capped work boots any day x_x)
And sometimes I want to play a game with a character with all the confidence I lack who can go and do all the things I wouldn't and who can give me a chance to pretend to flirt with hot guys in search of romance, devotion, or sexy fun times without having to deal with all the pesky trappings the real world would throw in my way, like the guy just not being into me. And you know, all that other stuff, like a lack of confidence, the inevitable slut shaming, the risk of various types of assault, and the uphill battle against my general unattractiveness. Not to mention the fact my dislike for alcohol seems to make me some sort of monstrous freak in most circles.
Now, enough about me and back to the games!
As for what draws me to any particular otome game initially it's usually the art.
I know, I know. That's shallow of me and everyone knows you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover... but still. I know it's not always going to be the best plan (after all, I've seen everyone talk about how awful Reines was and that had lovely art) but it is still what will get my attention first.
If the artstyle is in some way distinctive it's far more likely to grab my interest and make me investigate further.
Men of Yoshiwara's bright, bold colours would be one example.
BinaryStar with its pastels, weird eyes, and the impression it was coloured in by someone on an acid trip would be another.
Suoh's art was enough for Bad Apples to call my name.
(As an aside, I wrote up some vagued up thoughts on the first two routes I played months back and then never actually posted it. Is it something anyone would actually be interested in reading?)
Kyoukai no Shirayuki's artwork is also unusual (some of the backgrounds are gorgeous) although it looks like they picked a pretty specific fetish to cater to, what with all the biting of (links probably nsfw, don't risk it) boobs, arms, thighs, wrists, necks, ears, feet, more necks... Shikimi's bear-trap teeth probably make that fun too ^_^
And yeah, Period Cube's plot might sound like an otome spin on a .hack//SAO ripoff but look at how pretty it is. And all the angel/demon/animal-eared people are cute
Now, that's not the only way to get my attention. Next up is the female lead. I kind of prefer it when the female lead is actually a character, preferably an interesting or competent one or at least one that isn't rescue-fodder or a walking doormat (... admittedly, this is rarer than I'd like). I'm also open to blanks if they serve an interesting story.
From what I've heard Cardia from Code Realize should fit the bill, so I'm quite looking forward to that. In terms of others I'm not so sure.
Hotaru from Geten no Hana looks pretty competent. I was hoping the lead in Collar x Malice would as she's meant to be some sort of cop, but she looks a little pushover-y in most of the art released so far, at least compared to the guys.
I remember Trigger Kiss looking interesting because of the facial expressions. They ooze personality, which makes the protagonist (and the guys) far more interesting. She looks like if she has to put up with their shit she's at least going to call them out on it
The only other one I can think of that I've seen recently is this one from Hyakka Hyakurou . Now for all I know she might fall on her face straight after this image but it looks like it has potential.
Now, in terms of older games that stand out...
I stumbled across Desert Kingdom while browsing amazon, and she looks fantastic by virtue of these screenshots alone
Hrm.
Other things that draw my attention. I guess the next down the list is 'gimmicks'.
For example Beastmaster and Prince's animal husbandos, because how could that not be interesting? And KLAP! is the one with the youtube video that got linked in a load of the girl-touching vita game threads to prove there was a counterpart. I'll be honest, the boy-whipping looked a little dull, but I'd be lying if I said it didn't make me want to play it, just to see
Now, what keeps me hooked and what kind of guys are my favourites is a little tougher. I'll come back to that in a followup post when it isn't 3am
How about for you? What attracts you to a specific game?
SouSouRocket
Member
I'm surprised you rated Ukyo so highly! For me even his crazy being mostly confined to bad endings, it's just so hard to look at a dude the same way when he's FUCKING MURDERED YOU so many times lol, even if they haven't really "happened".
Thanks for your answers, I really appreciate it.
I'm trying to understand what western gamers are looking for in otome, and this is all helpful stuff. I definitely feel you, I think your big likes/dislikes are about the same as mine, but I'll address it below in more depth.I'm going to tackle "what draws you to it initially?" for now ^_^
I like otome games because it's nice to play something that is, at least ostensibly, aimed at me (or at least in my general direction).
Most games aren't. Most games are aimed at the straight male demographic. There's nothing wrong with that but it can get tiring. I play those games, I enjoy those games, fanservice and all, but sometimes I'd rather play something else. Sometimes I don't want to be the badass who saves the world or gets the girl(s). Sometimes I want to get the guy.
I don't mind putting myself in male shoes but sometimes female shoes feel more comfortable (... except for the fact they don't. Seriously, give me unisex slippers and clompy steel capped work boots any day x_x)
And sometimes I want to play a game with a character with all the confidence I lack who can go and do all the things I wouldn't and who can give me a chance to pretend to flirt with hot guys in search of romance, devotion, or sexy fun times without having to deal with all the pesky trappings the real world would throw in my way, like the guy just not being into me. And you know, all that other stuff, like a lack of confidence, the inevitable slut shaming, the risk of various types of assault, and the uphill battle against my general unattractiveness. Not to mention the fact my dislike for alcohol seems to make me some sort of monstrous freak in most circles.
Now, enough about me and back to the games!
As for what draws me to any particular otome game initially it's usually the art.
I know, I know. That's shallow of me and everyone knows you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover... but still. I know it's not always going to be the best plan (after all, I've seen everyone talk about how awful Reines was and that had lovely art) but it is still what will get my attention first.
If the artstyle is in some way distinctive it's far more likely to grab my interest and make me investigate further.
Men of Yoshiwara's bright, bold colours would be one example.
BinaryStar with its pastels, weird eyes, and the impression it was coloured in by someone on an acid trip would be another.
Suoh's art was enough for Bad Apples to call my name.
(As an aside, I wrote up some vagued up thoughts on the first two routes I played months back and then never actually posted it. Is it something anyone would actually be interested in reading?)
Kyoukai no Shirayuki's artwork is also unusual (some of the backgrounds are gorgeous) although it looks like they picked a pretty specific fetish to cater to, what with all the biting of... [snip]
And yeah, Period Cube's plot might sound like an otome spin on a .hack//SAO ripoff but look at how pretty it is. And all the angel/demon/animal-eared people are cute
Now, that's not the only way to get my attention. Next up is the female lead. I kind of prefer it when the female lead is actually a character, preferably an interesting or competent one or at least one that isn't rescue-fodder or a walking doormat (... admittedly, this is rarer than I'd like). I'm also open to blanks if they serve an interesting story.
From what I've heard Cardia from Code Realize should fit the bill, so I'm quite looking forward to that. In terms of others I'm not so sure.
Hotaru from Geten no Hana looks pretty competent. I was hoping the lead in Collar x Malice would as she's meant to be some sort of cop, but she looks a little pushover-y in most of the art released so far, at least compared to the guys.
I remember Trigger Kiss looking interesting because of the facial expressions. They ooze personality, which makes the protagonist (and the guys) far more interesting. She looks like if she has to put up with their shit she's at least going to call them out on it
The only other one I can think of that I've seen recently is this one from Hyakka Hyakurou . Now for all I know she might fall on her face straight after this image but it looks like it has potential.
Now, in terms of older games that stand out...
I stumbled across Desert Kingdom while browsing amazon, and she looks fantastic by virtue of these screenshots alone
Hrm.
Other things that draw my attention. I guess the next down the list is 'gimmicks'.
For example Beastmaster and Prince's animal husbandos, because how could that not be interesting? And KLAP! is the one with the youtube video that got linked in a load of the girl-touching vita game threads to prove there was a counterpart. I'll be honest, the boy-whipping looked a little dull, but I'd be lying if I said it didn't make me want to play it, just to see
Now, what keeps me hooked and what kind of guys are my favourites is a little tougher. I'll come back to that in a followup post when it isn't 3am
How about for you? What attracts you to a specific game?
Yo, thank you soooo much for taking the time to write out all this stuff, super helpful. You even included photo refs :'D. I look forward to the rest of your thoughts!
I have to agree with the two of you with the artwork being draw #1. I have certainly played otome with less than ideal artwork (I'm looking at you, Norn9) but it's a huge hurdle to overcome. I think it's fair in the case of otome to judge so superficially for the first impression though, because you as the game developer are selling me fantasy. Would you cast average-looking people for a soap opera? Would you put a crayon drawing on the cover of a romance novel? Naw, man. The art is your first impression with the players, so you've got to try and put your best foot forward there.
The second thing that I need to get me to give it a shot is the actual mechanics itself--an otome with stats is an instant no for me--I know a lot people don't mind them, but for me if I invested hours into a game only to have the wrong stats and then get a bad ending because I've not been sitting there playing the game with a guide.. it's just infuriating to me.
So then after that point... I'll start the game purely on that basis, because I'm that starved for otome. ;3; Now if I hear it's like Diabolik Lovers which seems to be universally decried for its horrible abusive content then I'll take a pass, but I usually go into these not knowing much about the plot because I like to be surprised.
I also can't stand a brainless heroine, or the ones that are just... not even virginal but just prudes. Like a dude will say something a bit risque (like in Nameless, this happened a lot) that I was totally fine with IRL but the MC would like kick him in the dick for saying it, or she would just be like ?_? "huh? What does that mean?" and the boys all get mad. Give me a girl who knows what sex is and is okay with it for once, please.
I originally got into otome because my friend had told me about Sweet Fuse one time when I was complaining about the lull between Bioware games. Bioware games are fun and have epic sweeping stories and all but the friendships and the romantic relationships are truly what keep me coming back. I live for those moments of flirtation and passion. Unfortunately the otome I've been playing recently haven't really made my heart pound. The romance has been sort of few and far between, or it just didn't really feel earned or satsifying. When the game does it right, you really feel like you're there and this cute guy is saying that stuff right to you. :'D
If I could get my Japanese up to the point where I was able to play whatever I want I'd probably be far more discriminating in my otome but at this point my biggest dealbreaker is stats, tbh.
I'm surprised you rated Ukyo so highly! For me even his crazy being mostly confined to bad endings, it's just so hard to look at a dude the same way when he's FUCKING MURDERED YOU so many times lol, even if they haven't really "happened".
Thanks for your answers, I really appreciate it.
I was surprised, too. The likes/dislikes for the guys I've seen here on the thread have been fairly consistent with my own opinions on them, so I was on edge my whole first playthrough of his route, waiting for something awful to happen, hahaha.
Preach it! I despise stat management in visual novels; the only reason I put up with it in Dandelion is because I loved Nameless so much.
Yeah, that was one of my few hangups with Nameless: the protag would go out of her way to avoid those situations or completely
probably on purpose
I decided to start Ozmafia, and so far everything's hunky-dory. It's kind of hilarious to read Fuka's reactions to memory loss vs. Amnesia's protag: "OMG every day is a fun day this is great!" I'm not sure how far in I am; the last thing that happened was
the beauty pageant
Speaking of which, what kind of name is Manboy? Did his parents hate him or something? Ah, and what's the general consensus on the Men of Yoshiwara games on Steam?
I adore romance and playing the matchmaker in games, so getting into otome games seemed like a no brainer. Matching a hero with his female love interests is fun, but it's much better to do it with a heroine and her love interests. I guess is just easier to fangirl over guys than girls.
I'm also a dirty fujoshi but BL games aren't usually to my liking, although I did enjoy what I was playing of Gakuen Heaven 2.
I played a route of the mobile version from the first game, and it was kinda stupid; the plot twist felt half-assed and clichéd and the heroine was nothing special. I was looking forward to the virgin (or something like that) dude's route because I had a fantasy of the heroine taking charge, but I've heard that she's a doormat even in that route. I've heard that the second game is better, but I don't really have faith in D3P's mobile (or otherwise) efforts.
I'm also a dirty fujoshi but BL games aren't usually to my liking, although I did enjoy what I was playing of Gakuen Heaven 2.
I played a route of the mobile version from the first game, and it was kinda stupid; the plot twist felt half-assed and clichéd and the heroine was nothing special. I was looking forward to the virgin (or something like that) dude's route because I had a fantasy of the heroine taking charge, but I've heard that she's a doormat even in that route. I've heard that the second game is better, but I don't really have faith in D3P's mobile (or otherwise) efforts.
kunonabi
Member
Finished Norn9 yesterday and it was kind of meh. The Akito and Sakuya routes were the only good ones although Masumune was decent too. The romances in the rest all seemed forced and kind of came out of nowhere most of the time. It would also be nice if more time was spent with sorata's story as it could have been really interesting.
Ron was also detestable the whole way through.
Ron was also detestable the whole way through.
SouSouRocket
Member
I was surprised, too. The likes/dislikes for the guys I've seen here on the thread have been fairly consistent with my own opinions on them, so I was on edge my whole first playthrough of his route, waiting for something awful to happen, hahaha.
Preach it! I despise stat management in visual novels; the only reason I put up with it in Dandelion is because I loved Nameless so much.
Yeah, that was one of my few hangups with Nameless: the protag would go out of her way to avoid those situations or completelymisunderstand what was going on and completely derail the situation. It got old after a while. I would 100% be completely in favor of a girl who knew what she wanted, or at least didn't freak out at the thought of being alone in a room with a boy. -.-;probably on purpose
I decided to start Ozmafia, and so far everything's hunky-dory. It's kind of hilarious to read Fuka's reactions to memory loss vs. Amnesia's protag: "OMG every day is a fun day this is great!" I'm not sure how far in I am; the last thing that happened was. I do have a question, though- I'd heard there was a brothel route of some sort, and Kyrie walked me down to (I assume) a brothel. Could anyone tell me in vague terms what I should expect down that route? I'm really really hoping Manboy and I just sit outside and drink tea and talk about the weather, or something similarly safe.the beauty pageant
Ah, and what's the general consensus on the Men of Yoshiwara games on Steam?
I googled "Oscar Wilde" and "Manboy" because I thought it must have something to do with a character from his works... turns out Oscar Wilde was into younger boys, so uh... yeah, lol.
EDIT: I should clarify that he was into younger men maybe, not that he was a pedo. But I was really alarmed for a minute, lol.
Wow. That's, uh, quite something, hahaha. Poor Manboy, if that's the reason.
Well, I finished my first route in Ozmafia, Caramia's. That was...kind of bizarre.
Maybe I've missed something?
Is there any sort of recommended route order for Ozmafia?
Him suddenly losing his courage there at the end and having a complete 180 in personality change, with no real resolution in terms of gaining that courage back.
Is there any sort of recommended route order for Ozmafia?
SouSouRocket
Member
Well then that's just extremely unfortunate coincidence with Oscar Wilde 😂
That's even more hilarious, and like SouSouRocket said, an extremely unfortunate coincidence.
Okay. I've 100%ed my first route, Scarlet's, and done gotten one ending for Caramia and Axel and two for Kyrie, and am about 10 hours in. Some thoughts:
- These loading screens are getting ridiculous, especially in replays for different endings.
- I'm really not feeling the romance here. Caramia got close and Axel was approaching it, but Kyrie's the least romantic person I've ever met (though I guess YMMV depending on how much you like his personality) and Scarlet felt more like "best friend" material than a romantic partner.
- Not much of the overall story has really surfaced yet, like who Fuka is, how the town came to be, what the deal with the world is, etc. I've heard that Soh and Caeser help to clear it up, though.
- Speaking of which, I've been hunting around for any suggestions on route order, and what I've seen is this (spoilered just in case):
Let me know if you guys have seen any different.
- The love triangle idea, which interesting in concept, hasn't yet been very well implemented so far. Granted, I haven't followed through with one of them yet, but the setup has so far been kind of ridiculous. I spend all this time building up my relationship exclusively with so-and-so, but that guy over there has just as much of a chance, even though I've spent no time with him?
- The choices given to the player are ridiculously arbitrary, so much so that they're just re-statements of the same sentiment but have massive route-altering consequences. Yes yes, I know that arbitrary choices are part and parcel of the otome experience, but come on.
- Despite how pretty the art is, the CGs are shockingly plain.
- Little extra story scenes are scattered in each route as you replay them, but they're lacking, imo, and not worth it solely to replay the route for them.
That's all I've got for now; I'll be back with more impressions later.
- These loading screens are getting ridiculous, especially in replays for different endings.
- I'm really not feeling the romance here. Caramia got close and Axel was approaching it, but Kyrie's the least romantic person I've ever met (though I guess YMMV depending on how much you like his personality) and Scarlet felt more like "best friend" material than a romantic partner.
- Not much of the overall story has really surfaced yet, like who Fuka is, how the town came to be, what the deal with the world is, etc. I've heard that Soh and Caeser help to clear it up, though.
- Speaking of which, I've been hunting around for any suggestions on route order, and what I've seen is this (spoilered just in case):
Oz boys > brothel > Robin Hood > Hamelin > Caeser > Soh, with Scarlet and Pashet scattered around wherever.
- The love triangle idea, which interesting in concept, hasn't yet been very well implemented so far. Granted, I haven't followed through with one of them yet, but the setup has so far been kind of ridiculous. I spend all this time building up my relationship exclusively with so-and-so, but that guy over there has just as much of a chance, even though I've spent no time with him?
- The choices given to the player are ridiculously arbitrary, so much so that they're just re-statements of the same sentiment but have massive route-altering consequences. Yes yes, I know that arbitrary choices are part and parcel of the otome experience, but come on.
- Despite how pretty the art is, the CGs are shockingly plain.
- Little extra story scenes are scattered in each route as you replay them, but they're lacking, imo, and not worth it solely to replay the route for them.
That's all I've got for now; I'll be back with more impressions later.
SouSouRocket
Member
I like you, I feel like you and I have a lot of the same issues with otome in general and this one in particular, lol. I was half mad by the time I got to the end of three paths from those incessant transition screens. Caramia actually left a bad taste in my mouth from the way he was like constantly disrespecting my relationship with Kyrie (who was indeed entirely unenjoyable and unromantic). I ended up liking Axel the most because his romance was the only one that felt earned and properly built up, and that was really mostly because his friendship with goes the same way. I'm not sure I'm gonna pick it back up for the rest of the paths tbh even though I'm morbidly curious to experience the brothel path for myself.
Oh, glad to know there's a kindred spirit here. I'm kind of disappointed with the game so far, but I'm continuing to see if it picks up; it's mostly harmless disappointment so far, not offensive. The love triangles have threatened to be, since like you said, the rival's constantly butting in for little reason, but they never actually go far enough for there to be any strong emotions attached to them. I'll be reporting on the brothel, no worries. o7 I'm working on Pashet's route now, and she's kinda meh. Feels more like Fuka's constantly trying to tag along for attention than anything, though I'm getting actual friendship vibes near the end portion. Pashet seems to have a thing for
Axel
If the game keeps along this route, I'm not sure I'll actually be able to rate the routes. o.o; There's just...not enough there to make me like one over the other. Could be I'll end up doing a hotness rating of the guys or something, hahaha.