In the meantime, I hope to keep blogging as usual. So even though these posts will keep coming up, there may be a lot going on behind the scenes that you're not seeing.
That said, with last week's release of Cafe Enchante on the Switch, I realized that I'm starting to get backed up on otome games again. I was surprised since I thought I was putting a fair dent in my backlog, but it's mostly that my Vita backlog is dwindling, since Period Cube and Psychedelica of the Ashen Hawk are the only ones that remain of that generation. Switch is probably going to be the new home of backlog, as I already had Collar x Malice Unlimited waiting for me.
So I realized; otome has been out long enough that I've played a fair number now, and the English language audience has grown, from dozens of indie studios making PC games to a gaggle of mobile titles. I actually could put together a list of my favorites and it wouldn't simply be every game I've played.
This Top 5 list might be a bit biased, because quite frankly they're all Otomate titles, but Otomate also has the budget for art, voice acting, and sheer length of story that most indie studios can't match. It doesn't hurt that nearly every Otomate title that has an English translation has also been released by Aksys on consoles/handhelds, where there is minimal competition, especially in the realm of physical releases.
Without further ado, here's my Top 5:
5) Norn9: Var Commons
I had to think about this one. There were other runners-up, particularly indie titles Halloween Otome and The Blind Griffon, but when I thought about it, though those two indies were really fun, I wasn't emotionally moved the way I was with certain routes of Norn9. Norn9 certainly wasn't perfect, but what it did, it did well, and chances are you will like someone in the cast, even if it's not who you originally thought it would be. It's like a bag of jelly beans. You might not like every single bean in the bag, but there are enough of the good ones (assuming you like jelly beans) that it's still worth buying the bag in the first place.
Unfortunately, Norn9 was only ever released in the US on the PS Vita, so if you don't have the hardware, you're out of luck.
4) 7'scarlet
There's a part of me that's shocked 7'scarlet comes in at #4 because I really loved the mystery and how the supernatural lore unfolded with the completion of every route. I was never not engaged in trying to figure out the mystery of Okunezato for myself, but when I looked at its competition I realized that there are a few flaws that really bothered me; mainly the half-baked brother route at the end, but also that there were inconsistencies between routes (such as Sosuke's level of knowledge about the town secrets) that didn't make any sense. I also really don't like yandere romance options, and Isora tilts that way, though not badly enough that it affects my ranking.
Non-Vita gamers are in luck with this one, as it's also available on Steam.
3) Psychedelica of the Black Butterfly
This one is not a traditional otome in that the common route (with its own ending) is more or less the canon ending with everything else being either "in addition to" or "instead of." But since it's marketed as otome, I'm putting it here. As with 7'scarlet, I love the mystery elements of the story. The primary characters wake up in a mansion with no memories out how they got there, but the more they learn about their true circumstances, the more painful regaining their memories becomes. Psychedelica of the Black Butterfly gets its placement for having amazing plot twists and a non-linear method of storytelling to show how everything came to be. Romance is much weaker in this game than others due to the nature of it, but it's still a solid game.
Though it was initially released on Vita, it's also been ported to Steam!
2) Collar x Malice
There's a part of me that thinks I should have switched this with Psychedelica of the Black Butterfly, but Collar x Malice is pretty clearly an otome with more emphasis on the romance even though the player is also hunting down criminals with the help of a cop and/or private detectives. I really love that Ichika has a social life outside of her interactions with love interests, and especially that she has other women to both hang out with and back her up. The blend of action and romance was pitch perfect in this one. What prevents me from ranking it higher is the X-Day methodology on Shiraishi's route (which makes no sense compared to the other routes) and that I actually didn't like Shiraishi or Okazaki that much, and having two of five love interests not work for me was a little high.
This was originally a Vita release, but has since been ported to Switch. And the fan disk is out in English as well, though I haven't played it yet. If it's good enough, it might even change my mind about Shiraishi and Okazaki.
1) Code:Realize ~Guardian of Rebirth~
Okay, if you know me, the #1 pick wasn't going to be any surprise. I adore the Code:Realize series. Cardia is a lovely protagonist who grows over the course of the game. She's fully capable of facing bad guys with or without her man and the men themselves are a wonderful cast of characters. The group of them form a band of friends who work together, so the game is never just a one-on-one with Cardia and a pretty face. Many of the best moments are the guys interacting with each other, making them a full fledged cast of characters with lives outside the romance, and in turn, that makes the romance better, because when the chips are down it feels like the rest of the cast is 100% behind the couple. They're all friends. Why wouldn't they be? Add in a gorgeous steampunk London, hidden organizations, and the philosopher's stone and you've got quite a combination!
Code:Realize and its sequels were originally released on Vita, but have since come out on PS4 and Switch, with the exception of ~Wintertide Miracles~ on Switch, which isn't due until early 2021.
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