Forum - View topicIn the World of Otome Games, All Routes Lead To Romance
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Shiawase_Rina
Posts: 76 |
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Didn't expect a feature on Otome games on here!
Yeah, otome games have me hooked too. I think it started with little flash games on DeviantArt then to Frozen Essence which was the first real otome Vn I played. Then I mostly read VN's for a general audience because all the otome I could find were very few indie otome games I had already played 100 times... I also tried to quench my thirst with otome game reviews of non-translated games. You can probably guess how ecstatic I was when I heard that Otomate wanted to localise Amnesia, right? Now I buy all the games Aksys puts out and I'm very much looking forward to Collar x Malice: Unlimited, Cafe Enchante, and Piofiore this year! Otome games I'm still hoping to get translated are Clock Zero, Variable Barricade, Side Kicks! and for the love of God: Binary Star Please! Games that also interest me are Olympia Soiree and Cupid Parasite but I don't know yet how good they are/will be. |
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#901912
Posts: 12 |
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I personally think Korean voice acting cringeworthy.
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Gina Szanboti
Posts: 11584 |
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Not having a platform to play them on. I did try out one game of this style that I could play on my computer - can't remember the title, but it was a horror game about some literary club (all girls, insert char was male) and the routes all had bad endings, I think. Didn't finish it as it got too repetitive and boring. I assume most otome games aren't like that? If you've got any recs for one I can play on a Mac (a freebie I can try out would be a bonus), I'd be happy to hear about it. Till then I'll just make do with the anime they spawn. 
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Givemehope
Posts: 2 |
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What is the name of the otome game about the girl who died in an accident and can fall in love with a fellow spirit from the 1920s, please??
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whiskeyii
 Posts: 2267 |
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itch.io is a greeeeeat resource for free otome games or trials of otome games, and you can filter them by Mac. I had fun with Cinderella Phenomenon, which is free, but there are a plethora of types, from the super-duper anime type to more Western-esque ones. EDIT: ...Waaaaait. That description...are you talking about Doki Doki Literature Club? The out-and-out satire/deconstruction of visual novels? Yeah, that's...not even an otome game, since the MC is male, but you also picked maybe the worst possible title to get introduced to visual novels in general, since it's picking apart tropes they expect the audience to be at least tangentially familiar with. It's like asking if all magical girl series are like Madoka Magica. |
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ANN_Lynzee
ANN Executive Editor
 Posts: 3028 Location: Email for assistance only |
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I asked the author and she said the title is Bad Apple Wars. |
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omiya
 Posts: 1849 Location: Adelaide, South Australia |
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Question for the author and anyone else in this thread - has anyone bought any of the Otomate Party videos (which even at secondhand stores in Japan are expensive)?
As a fan of Kaori Oda I have wondered how many songs are sung at such lives, as I'm interested in the music side of things (and can also recommend Kevin Penkin's OSTs for Norn9 game and anime). |
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Gina Szanboti
Posts: 11584 |
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That's the one.  So I wasn't supposed to like it? I remember asking someone if it ever got better, and they told me no, that's how all these kinds of games are. So while I knew it wasn't "otome" (though all the character types seem interchangeable afaict), I didn't realize it was supposed to be a satire.
Thanks for the tip, I'll check it out. |
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Givemehope
Posts: 2 |
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Thanks a lot! |
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Navigatoria
 Posts: 10 |
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@Gina Szanboti: I agree with whiskeyii, Cinderella Phenomenon is a really good free game to start out with. Also, if you’ve ever heard of Steam I know they have many otome games available for purchase to play on PC/Mac!
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a_Bear_in_Bearcave
Posts: 549 Location: Poland |
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I don't think you weren't supposed to like it, in fact I've seen Let's Play of quite a few people on the net who normally don't play dating sims liked it when they played it to the end after hearing the praises, but not knowing the genre could definitely make it less appealing. Also, it's more a satire of the male-oriented dating sims, not otome games, though they are pretty similar in general. Most important thing that it's really like Madoka Magica of dating games, purposefully rather generic and bland from the beginning with just few hints something's not OK, and hitting you with big twist playing on genre conventions later on, so it's definitely not any better intro to otome games then first two episodes of Madoka would be to Mahou Shoujo genre. |
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Altorrin
 Posts: 321 Location: Florida, United States |
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Ayy, I could name all the games listed without clicking on the asterisks.
Also, good God, when will people stop recommending Doki Doki Literature Club to people who haven't played any VNs? This is a huge pet peeve of mine. As others have said, it's like recommending Madoka to someone who hasn't even heard of Sailor Moon. They won't get it and they will miss most of what makes the thing interesting and unconventional. |
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manapear
Posts: 1529 |
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I've been tempted, but I haven't bought any yet myself. I think a few otome fans on twitter have? I'll check with some of my mutuals. I know they do focus more on the (male) seiyuu, and usually, it's for a select few games at a time. It's like a live drama CD, basically. I'll look and see what I can find out about lives, especially for Kaori Oda. CDJapan does sell Otomate OSTs though, and I think Otomate Record's site has a way to buy the songs on itunes or something? Making a JPN itunes account isn't too hard, if you want to support her on there. I don't know if they put lives on there too. |
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RenRen94
 Posts: 231 |
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I love otome games, and I try to support them as much as possible, although some do slip through the cracks. In fact, otome games were one of the major reasons for me to buy a PSVita. So far, I own:
Hakuoki (all PSP, 3DS, and PS3 versions) Norn9 Var Commons (Vita) Code Realize (Vita) Bad Apple Wars (Vita) Psychedelica of the Black Butterfly (Vita) Psychedelica of the Ashen Hawk (Vita) Collar x Malice (Vita) I was trying to complete Norn9 and Code Realize before their anime adaptations aired, but only made it through 4 routes of the former and 20 minutes of the latter, so I failed on that front. Maybe I'll try that with Collar x Malice, but it sounds like I should start Bad Apple Wars. Ah, the pain of having too many games
Since the Vita is (sadly) dead, it looks like the Switch is going to be the new hub for console otome games. They recently released Code Realize on the Switch and are planning to release Collar x Malice too. |
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futuresoon
Posts: 68 |
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@Gina Szanboti, there are a fair number of otome games available on Steam now, though the best ones are typically still in the $20+ range. Original English language ones can be a bit cheaper, and honestly if you're looking for a good "beginner" otome game or dating sim I'd recommend Hustle Cat, which has both male and female dating options and is just very cute and fun. On the actual Japanese side of things, the bundle of Hakuoki: Kyoto Winds + Edo Blossoms is a revamped classic with a heroine that might be an easier sell to Westerners who don't know the genre conventions, and if you don't mind a janky in-studio translation, the Korean game Dandelion is also a good starter.
I actually wasn't particularly drawn to Cinderella Phenomenon, but it definitely is free and the mechanics are solid. Really, there's a good amount to choose from on Steam. Look for the "otome" tag and see what interests you. |
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