Release Date: June 27, 2023 (North America)
Developers: Otomate
Publishers: Idea Factory International
Platforms: Nintendo Switch
ESRB Rating: T (Teen)
SYNOPSIS
(From Idea Factory’s Official Website)
In the near future…
Summer break was around the corner.
Hiyori Sena, a sophomore in high school, was living a peaceful life.
One day, as she was walking home with her childhood friend, a masked figure appeared before them.
The two were abducted and taken to a strange world with two moons.
When they awoke, they met nine others in the same predicament.
In their confusion, the mysterious figure began to speak.
“Welcome to Arcadia!”
“In this world, if you perform for us, your wildest dreams can come true!”
In order to find their way home, the group was forced to work together and act in an assortment of scenes from a drama.
They were also made aware that a traitor walked among them…
What could be the motive of this traitor?
And why are they all being forced to act?
Unable to fully trust anyone, whose hand will she take in the end?
ART AND MUSIC
| Director: Asami Saito |
| Artist/Illustrator: Teita (Main), Karin Suzushiro (Chibi) |
| Scenario Writers: Uta Amemiya (Main), Ayano Orihara (Sub) |
| OST: DJ’ TEKINA//SOMETHING a.k.a Yuyoyuppe (OP), GRILLED MEAT YOUNGMANS (ED) |
| BGM: TOKYO LOGIC Ltd. |
Japanese Illustrator Teita, known for their prominent works with Otome Titles like Nightshade, Juzaengi, and Norn9, is in charge of the overall artwork for Charade Maniacs. I think it’s also worth noting that one of the main scenario writers for Charade Maniacs also contributed to the writing of popular Otome Titles; Psychedelica of the Black Butterfly, Angelique Luminarise, Ayakashi Gohan, and Gensou Manège.
The soundtrack was cool and fitted the game’s futuristic setting. At first, I wasn’t a huge fan of the BGMs but I have to admit that one particular track, which kinda resembled the Mortal Kombat theme, had me go…😄
***Charade Maniacs also comes with a beautiful Limited Edition Set by Idea Factory International. If you’re wondering what merch items come with the collector’s edition, feel free to check out my unboxing video below!
★Voice Acting
Kenichi Suzumura as “Tomose Banjo” – Masato (Utapri), Sogo Okita (Gintama), Zack (FF7R), Tsubaki (Brothers Conflict), Choun (Juzaengi), The Merchant (The House in Fata Morgana), Shou (P4), Shizuru Migiwa (NilAd), Lind Rozy (Hamefura), Garay Alvaro (WoF), Shin Asuka (Gundam Seed Destiny)
Soma Saito as “Kyoya Akase” – Mineo (CollarxMalice), Tsurumaru/Namazuo (Touken Ranbu), Shungen (Birushana), Levi (Psychedelica AH), Yves (Virche Evermore), Yumeno Gentaro (Hypnosis Mic), Kikunosuke (Tengoku Struggle), Ohtaro (Winter’s Wish), Takuma (Kitty Love)
Megumi Ogata as “Mizuki Iochi” – Kurama (YuYu Hakusho), Yugi (Yugioh), Sailor Uranus (Sailor Moon), Nagito (Danganropa), Ken Amada (Persona Series), Yukito (Card Captor Sakura), Ayato (Angel Beats), Phantom (Princess Nightmare), Princess Emeraude (Magic Knight Rayearth)
Tomokazu Seki as “Ryoichi Futami” – Hashida Itaru (Steins;Gate), Ibuki (Hakuoki), Gilgamesh (FATE/Extella), Kanji Tatsumi (P4), Melissa (KamiAso), Nenji Ogata (13 Sentinels), Yzak (Gundam Seed), Rob Lucci (One Piece), Sanemi Shinazugawa (Demon Slayer), Shinya Kogami (Psycho-Pass)
Maeno Tomoaki as “Keito Ebana” – Lupin (Code Realize), Riku (Lover Pretend), Yamanbagiri (Touken Ranbu), Red (TaiAli), Camus (Utapri), Radius (Period Cube), Keisuke Sanjo (CollarxMalice), Son Hak (Yona of the Dawn)
Daisuke Namikawa as “Mamoru Chigasaki” – Takeru Sasazuka (CollarxMalice), Hugh (Psychedelica AH), Oodenta (Touken Ranbu), Kinji (Winter’s Wish), Vishnal (Rune Factory 4), Yuichi Lomura (Hiiro no Kakera), Yu (Persona 4), Kagero (Scarlet Nexus)
Yoshitsugu Mastuoka as “Souta Gyobu” – Akaza (Olympia Soiree), Alice (Taisho x Alice), Monshiro (Pyschedelica BB), Rin Okazaki (Spiral Memoria), Takuro Miyashiro (Chaos;Child), Kirihiko (NilAd), Nicol Ascart (Hamefura)
Makoto Furukawa as “Mei Dazai” – Yoritomo (Birushana), Lugus (Psychedelica of the Ashen Hawk), Allan Melville (Cupid Parasite), Shaw (MLQC), Crius Castlerock (even if Tempest), Kazuma (Lover Pretend), Adage (Steam Prison), Ookurikara (Touken Ranbu)
Nobuhiko Okamoto as “Takumi Haiji” – Hansel (Code Realize), Manabu Souda (Collar x Malice), Hizamaru (Touken Ranbu), Taiga (Variable Barricade), Yang (Piofiore), Hiroya (Period Cube), Peter Flage (Cupid Parasite), Iris (Iris School of Wizardry), Bakugo (MHA), Radie (Radiant Tale)
MAIN CHARACTERS AND ROUTES
The nine LIs are divided into three groups of teams (‘cleaning team’, ‘cooking team’, and ‘information team’) in which the heroine can choose to join during the common route. Out of the nine routes, three are initially locked, with each locked route distributed among the three teams. To play these locked routes you are required to clear at least one route from each of the teams.
Click to View Soft Recommended Route Order🔽 !!CLICK AT YOUR OWN RISK!!
Tomose → Akase → Iochi → Futami → Ebana → Chigasaki → Gyobu → Dazai → Haiji.
There is no right or wrong order to play Charade Maniacs. However, I want to emphasize that all of the routes will have certain reveals that are essential to the overall plot. My route rec’d order above is based on plot progression rather than the level of spoilers in each route. To be honest, the order I played during my own gameplay was very different from the one mentioned above, and the reveals were all over the place that I got way too frustrated with the game midway. So if I were to redo my playthrough with a better flow of the story & reveals in mind, I would have opted to play in the sequence above.
Then again, this is all based on my personal opinion so please take this with a grain of salt. By all means, play the game however you like it, in a matter that you’re comfortable with!
NOTE: The following content below does not contain spoilers for the actual story. However, I will be discussing my reactions while playing these character routes. Keeping it as vague as possible in my descriptions.
TOMOSE BANJO
- childhood friend
- (this poor dude)😪
As far as plot spoilers, Tomose’s route stands out as a relatively safer option. So I’m glad I happen to play his route first. He’s cute, but his pushy attitude can be really off-putting at times. Honestly, I must admit that I didn’t particularly warm up to him, and his route didn’t do anything that made him shine as a love interest. BUT, after playing the entire game I realized that he’s actually pretty smart and calculating. I can easily get behind his cautiousness (an aspect that the heroine lacks), and I thought that his warnings to Hiyori seemed justified and proven valuable food for thought.
Unfotunately, the romance between Tomose and Hiyori left me feeling awfully unsatisfied, primarily because Hiyori kept friendzoning him, it quickly became uncomfortable…and sad. Despite being aware of Tomose’s feelings, Hiyori seems to just thoughtlessly brush him off every single time, that it drove Tomose to act desperate and I genuinely feel bad for him. Poor guy!😢
RYOICHI FUTAMI
- gutter 🗑️
- snuggle daddy
Futami is kind of a wild card. (laughs) He was the character that initially caught my eye during the early chapters because of how hot he is (plus he’s one of the older gents in the group). Every time he’s around I’m always…👀 But hoooboy! This route was a whole lot of WTF…🤣 It was bizarre, awkward, and hilarious all at the same time. And you know what, I enjoyed it for all the wrong reasons!🤣 It had a certain Ron Muroboshi flavor that catered perfectly to my guilty pleasure.😝
Anyway, this is one of the routes where Hiyori had me pulling my hair out from constant frustration. It’s like she has a blind spot when it comes to distinguishing right from wrong, even when other characters are practically pointing it out in front of her face.(laughs) Also, Futami and Hiyori weren’t compatible in the first place and they had a very awkward chemistry to boot! But hey I managed to let this all slide because, well… the CGs in this route were hot! Who cares about plot when you can snuggle up to Futami’s big nutritious t!dd!es!🤣🤣🤣
SOUTA GYOBU
- “kith me” 😘💋
- best boi!
An unexpected favorite! I didn’t really care for Gyobu’s character until I actually got into his route and realized just…how… AMAZING he is! (*kicks feet*) He also sports an idgaf attitude which technically makes him an enigma within the group. Needless to say, his route was incredibly entertaining and I loved how it flawlessly went full-circle perfectly to his initial motivation (which was introduced in the earlier parts of the story).
I also thoroughly enjoyed the scenes between Gyobu and Hiyori! Their dynamic was hilarious, and Gyobu’s blushy moments whenever the heroine reciprocated his flirting were the cherry on top!
KYOYA AKASE
- semi-genki
- big bro vibes
If you don’t mind significant reveals early on, I believe starting the game with Akase’s route was also a good choice. Among the group, Akase stands out as the most proactive individual. He’s always finding ways to contribute to his team and acts as a big brother to everyone, especially to Hiyori. He also possesses a very strong sense of justice, and I like that despite his personal circumstances, he remains committed to giving others the benefit of the doubt. Hiyori’s likening him to a “hero” is truly befitting of his character.
Romantic-wise, I believe he and Hiyori had good chemistry so I was pretty happy on that aspect. Their ending was also very cute! Soma Saito really can’t go wrong with any characters!♥︎
MEI DAZAI
- a good boy
- loves cats!
Dazai was the character I was pretty excited about, and no it’s not because of Makoto Furukawa, nope!😤 (affectionate). Personally, I really liked how this route kept me on edge throughout most of it. It doesn’t help that Dazai was such a lovable LI and was actually the perfect match for Hiyori (me thinks). If you like moe characters, Dazai will definitely win you over! As expected by the character that won Charade Maniac’s popularity poll.
On another note, there were moments in his story that lingered a tad too long, slightly affecting the overall pacing. His ending was very good though, and I think that was all I cared about at the end.😅
MAMORU CHIGASAKI
- gentle
- soft
and squishy
Wow this route! I never expected to like it so much! Chigasaki was such a good LI per se. His princely demeanor, combined with his unwavering kindness and gentleness towards the heroine, really stood out to me (idk why I’m attracted to soft LIs these days lol). Additionally, this route showcased the best version of Hiyori. She gradually grew on me throughout the story. Whatever I felt she lacked in other routes, was fully realized in Chigasaki’s, and I couldn’t be anymore happier!
Without spoiling anything, Chigasaki’s route provided a refreshing contrast to Futami’s chaotic narrative.🤣 That’s why I’m really glad I chose to play Futami’s route first before his, as it allows for a clear and distinct comparison between the two. Despite the introduction of numerous plot holes in Chigasaki’s route (and there were indeed a LOT, mind you), I could easily brush them off due to how much I enjoyed Chigasaki as a character.🤷♀️
KEITO EBANA
- tsun got no chill
- woman h8r
“A megane tsundere? Please sign me up!” -is how I should’ve reacted when I first saw Ebana, but god please not this hair!😖 I mean, love Teita and everything she does but man, they really dropped the ball on this one. How can they do this to Maeno?!😭 His hair just reminds me of... a soft served chocolate sundae?.. 💩(cackles) His turd toupee aside, I actually ended up liking Ebana’s route! 🤣 Initially, I thought him being a screaming tsundere was a bit too much, but it turns out he’s just a straightforward guy who enjoys a lot of cooking. 😭 His aversion to women in this route, was also explained fairly well that I didn’t have any complaints.
I also enjoyed the dynamic between him and Hiyori, and Hiyori herself was great throughout this route. My biggest surprise was how Ebana’s story was paced so well that the ending didn’t feel rushed or abrupt; It was just right. I think Ebana is one of those characters in otome games whose charm can only be grasped once you actually delve into their respective stories. I appreciate how my perception of him changed after getting to know his character more.
TAKUMI HAIJI
- wants to eat ice cream
- shota, but not really
Haiji, with his taciturn demeanor and innocent, childlike nature, stood out as another intriguing member within the group. He was one of the characters who piqued my curiosity early on in the game. He kept calling Hiyori “onee-chan” and if you like this trope, you’re gonna love Haiji as an LI.
I admit, I did enjoy his ‘bonding’ events with the heroine in the common route. However, this particular route went south with its excessive exposition dumps, ultimately leading to a sense of disinterest on my part, as well as a growing impatience for its conclusion. I feel bad because I simply couldn’t wait for it to end.😞
MIZUKI IOCHI
- cocktail enthusiast boss bae
- ♡ bae!! ♡
Iochi and Akase’s routes are somewhat connected to each other, which is why I would’ve wished I played them consecutively. Their reveals intertwine, and experiencing them in succession allows for a more seamless understanding of the plot essentials, preventing them from fading from memory. I like how Iochi clearly presents themselves as the protagonist’s ally. And they do this while maintaining a very mysterious, cunning persona. It’s great! Tbh, I just love Iochi as a character, and even more so as a love interest.
Their relationship with the heroine was undeniably endearing, to say the least. I enjoyed Iochi’s playful teasing, and the moments where Hiyori contemplated her feelings for Iochi added a delightful touch to their dynamic. Overall, I would consider this route almost solid, if not for the somewhat arbitrary and open-ended ending.
HIYORI SENA
- *crying noises*
- basic
Hiyori is your average basic heroine. There’s a reason why she was voted last place in CharMani’s character poll. Her personality, drive, and conviction change depending on the routes she’s in. This was so apparent that sometimes, I’d stop myself and say, “Was this really the same Hiyori from x route?” In a considerable number of routes, she lacked agency and, at times, appeared to just blindly follow her love interest, no questions asked! There were moments when she struggled to think independently and dismissed suspicions and hard evidence presented before her without giving them adequate thought and consideration. It was really frustrating watching her fumble and cry all the time.
Instead of actively resolving or even attempting to resolve the issues and circumstances at hand, she would sometimes simply dawdle around, making half-hearted efforts that didn’t significantly contribute to any of the resolutions. Like, babygirl, you’re precious and all, but we really need to work on those brain flexes babe! 😟 Additionally, she proved to be an easy target for deception, as she remained gullible throughout the majority of the routes.
As someone who genuinely loves all the protagonists in otome games, it saddens me to be this disappointed with Hiyori. In my opinion, the only routes where she truly shined and was proactive were Ebana’s, Chigasaki’s, Gyobu’s. It’s also a shame because she has such a good backstory that had the potential to be explored and utilized for plot development, but unfortunately, it ended up being a missed opportunity.
However, in her defense, she was only 17 years old, naive, and didn’t know any better. So I’ll just chalk it up to the writers genuinely portraying her as your average run-of-the-mill high schooler. Nonetheless, I still plan to adopt Hiyori as my daughter and would like to teach her some good ol’ common sense!
SYSTEM AND LOCALIZATION
Charade Maniacs’ system and overall interface were remarkably comfortable, at best. I particularly loved the inclusion of a flowchart system, although I would have preferred the ability to access it during the story progression rather than solely from the title screen. Furthermore, the interface showcased a nice touch of a somewhat futuristic theme that’s easy on the eyes.
Perhaps a general complaint that I have was the absence of a “Skip to the next choice” option. This feature would have greatly improved the user experience. Although a skipping option was available, its speed fell slightly short in comparison to other Otomate games.
As for the localization of Charade Maniacs, I’d say it wasn’t bad, BUT there were definitely some stilted lines and awkward phrases that didn’t help certain dialogues flow smoothly. Furthermore, there were a few typos and errors throughout the routes. While these issues didn’t particularly bother me and didn’t detract from my gameplay experience, I believe it’s worth mentioning in this review, considering that some players are quite particular about these aspects.
TRAILER
OVERALL THOUGHTS
I played this game on auto mode while my Switch was docked, so essentially, I had a slower-paced gameplay. It took me approximately 50-55 hours in total to clear all routes and endings of Charade Maniacs. In theory, it is possible to finish the game in less than 50 hours. The common route should be skippable after your first run, with just a few new branches to unlock here and there in each subsequent playthrough. The individual character routes offer approximately 3 hours to complete, give or take, and it’s worth noting that seven out of the nine love interests have only one specific ending.
One of the unique aspects of Charade Maniacs is that each individual route reveals hints about the overarching plot, keeping you guessing not only the identity of the “traitor” but also the motivations of each character. Are these dashing gents really on your side? Who’s telling the truth? Who’s lying? Who do you trust most?
I’d say it’s technically a game of mafia-meets-big-brother-meets-As the Gods Will, 🤣 well, minus the gruesome killings of course! The premise itself was very good and well presented at the outset. It really hyped me up for the game’s mystery aspect, fueling my excitement of wanting to delve deeper and uncover more hidden secrets of the world of Arcadia.
Unfortunately, my excitement waned as I progressed through consecutive playthroughs, with each route introducing new plot points after plot points that inevitably didn’t go anywhere. I also found it weird that despite the premise being established as: ‘you’re abducted, taken to a strange world, and coerced into participating in random dramas against one’s will’, I couldn’t sense a heightened level of urgency in most of the routes. As a result, the overall situation for the characters and the impending “dead end” they were warned about seemed trivial. I guess I was expecting more suspense in the game’s narrative, but unfortunately, it didn’t deliver as I had hoped. While there were still some routes that actually came through in giving you that gripping tension and thrill often found in mystery-themed visual novels, majority of the stories in Charade Maniacs fell flat and lacked the desired impact.
Data Overload!!
If you’re not new to this blog, you may already know about my pet peeves for convoluted plots, exposition dumps, and information overload. Unfortunately, this is where Charade Maniacs fell short. The game suffered greatly from an abundance of plot points getting introduced, resulting in a massive overload of answers being crammed and forced upon the player at the end. It became severely overwhelming and left my brain hurting by the time I finished my last route.(laughs) A lot of the individual stories felt very rushed, and some plot holes were left unresolved.
There were many interesting parts that hinted at something, but they were never explored further. One character had a potentially intriguing storyline, and I was surprised that they never revisited that subject, ever again.😬
On a lighter note, I did enjoy the character-driven nature of this game. By the end, I found myself warming up to all the characters, and they eventually grew on me, which I really appreciate. However, in terms of the romance aspect, I would say, as a whole, it falls a little bit on the lukewarm side. While there were routes that effectively built up the relationship between the love interest and the heroine, there were others that just made me go huh?? (pikachuface.jpg)😨
The LI I enjoyed the most was, hands down, Gyobu! I couldn’t get enough of him, and I wished his route was longer. 😩 Chigasaki was a close second favorite; I love me some soft LIs.🥺 And despite Ebana’s atrocious hairstyle, he also made it into my top 3 in this game.🤓 Futami was an “experience“, ha! His route may be the worst in this game, but surprisingly, I had fun with it — it gave me some good ol’ therapeutic cackles.🤣
Do I recommend this game? YES.
For what it’s worth, Charade Maniacs was a wild ride of an otome game. It did well in capturing the“whodunnit” essence of a good mystery visual novel. Despite its flawed plot and the heroine’s shortcomings, I genuinely had a great time with it. The excellent cast, coupled with the outstanding voice acting, undeniably enhanced my overall gameplay experience and without a doubt, I believe that anyone who appreciates a good sci-fi mystery VN should still find enjoyment in this title.
Otome Kitten 
I just received my LE of this yesterday and started playing it, skipped to the overall thoughts so I could have no spoilers but I am a little sad to hear about all the plot holes and missed opportunities. I got the game with low expectations, mainly because I’ve been waiting for this to be localized for years and already saw some reviews for the Japanese version. Still looking forward to finishing this game though :,)
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Thank you for your review! Definitely going to skip this one- I don’t really like otomes that have quantity over quality LIs. That’s kind of what it seems like here. I’d much prefer a smaller cast with more in-depth stories!!
Also, I can’t ever get behind overly wacky plots. Dangan Ronpa was all I needed for a lifetime lmao!
I’m also not really crazy about the art style for this one? It just doesn’t really seen as luxe especially after more recent titles like Jack Jeanne, Olympia Soiree, and Birushana.
Part of it is that I just prefer more mature titles and I’d really love to see that expand so I get a little salty when titles like this come out that people don’t really seem wild for. (Jakou no Lyla and Yoshiwara Higanbana I am desperate ;;) I’m looking forward to Radiant Tale, though!!
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Thanks for the review! It doesn’t sound like my cup of tea. Also probably cuz after playing through Jack Jeanne my standards have risen so high (seriously the characters in JJ aren’t classically otome handsome guys, but I loved them all by the end of just the common route). And the heroine is just amazing and consistent. ❤
So now I only plan to consider otomes with a 8 or higher rating from you XD
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Trying to avoid spoilers, I only read this review after I finished the game (bar one less important route that I really didn’t want to play, but I read a summary and it didn’t have many reveals).
I agreed with a lot of what you said especially regarding the heroine. She has a potentially good brain, truly, and I’m excited when she finally allows herself to think because that’s where I feel the route finally starts. But gosh is it frustrating when she goes like “nah, I know I should think, but I don’t want to think, why can’t we just be happy?”. Every single time I just impatiently wait for her to start connecting the dots near the end of the route. I agreed she was pretty great in Ebana/Chigasaki/Gyobu’s route. And these three also surprised me with how much I liked them?? Gyobu especially I thought would annoy me, but in my last few routes I was extremely happy to see him because his personality often gets things moving (and Sena never does lol). I kept telling myself people trusted Sena because she’s so naive and in a way, too dumb (I say this maybe 20% affectionally, 80% frustratingly) to be the traitor, so I guess there’s a good thing to it. I usually want to like heroines, and she had really good moments I was proud of, but was so wholly inconsistent in her competency, especially cos the routes which reveal less don’t give her much to think about. At least her indecisiveness was uniform across the routes, for better or worse. She did really come across as sheltered girl who hasn’t experienced many bad people/situations and thus is sensitive to them, and maybe that’s what they were going for.
I’m not surprised at Dazai’s popularity in the poll but I’m sad Chigasaki and Akase were that low – their team was my favourite as were their routes. I think Sena had the one of the best chemistry with them.
This game had its share of plot holes (there’s one gaping one I’m still torn about), but a lot of the plot and foreshadowing actually came together in a way I was happy to experience. Overall I think the plot is a pro and not a con, and was the major draw to the game for me. I played it semi-blind (first two blind, then a one- by-one route order that differed from yours), but even with doing most of the lighter routes first, I felt I had a good idea of the suspicious characters pretty quickly. Even so, the game still surprised me with the reveals! It was fun. Even for the routes/LIs I didn’t like, I was still very mostly interested in the story, which usually kept me going even if I didn’t care about that particular romance. The romance was cute depending on route, I liked Ebana (I agree he’s someone you can only truly claim to know in his own route) and Gyobu’s in particular. Chigasaki is precious boy. Akase is the one I’m happiest to see in every route, though Dazai is consistently lovely and not far behind, especially when the two interact. I could go on, but every character had something nice about them, even though they’re all suspicious…
Overall, I did like the game and thought it was a nice experience. It was definitely fun to be figuring out who is sus (…everyone) and pointing fingers, paying attention and picking up clues along the way, which was a nice change from my usual games. I do wish the kiss cgs were better (I think I only liked 2-3 of them?) though. I usually don’t really care if they even kiss, but I’m bothered when it looks weird. The art is generally nice, though.
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I agree with most of what you said and with the review. I actually quite enjoyed this game despite the art not being that outstanding compared to other releases around the same time. I liked discovering bits of the truth through all of the different routes. I must say, Dazai didn’t stand out to me before I started playing, but oh my 😍 I’ve found my next favorite VA. I actually also liked Akase a lot despite his route being the first one I completed. Saito Soma is always good, plus, I agree that they had good chemistry. I thought they were cute together even if their relationship was a little “basic.” I actually had high expectations for Gyobu because of the review, but was kind of underwhelmed. He was fine, but nothing was too memorable. I ended up liking Ebana more than I expected to, and was very disappointed with Futami despite the warning, as Seki Tomokazu is one of my favorite VAs 😅
The music was actually pretty catchy and to my taste. The OP was sung (and probably produced) by DJ Tekina aka Yuyoyuppe, who I used to listen to when I was still into Vocaloid–ah the nostalgia 😌 CG wise, I agree that I wish some of them had better kiss CGs. Overall, I’m glad that I followed the walk-through, as the pacing was the best it could’ve been that way. I spent about 45 hours all in all. Although I’ve been playing otome games since Hakuoki on DS, I actually haven’t beaten too many, and this one is only the 2nd one I’ve actually completed all the endings and obtained all CGs to, so I feel super accomplished 😆
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Thank you for the review. I chose to skip this for the time being because of Jack Jeanne. I was curious on whether I would like this one or not since sometimes the popular titles are not to my taste (I love Olympia Soire easthetic but, I didnt finish playing it…) How is it compared to Kitty love, ephemeral and other games with similar ratings in your blog? (I played both kitty love and ephemeral and again didn’t finish them too…). Thank you. Looking forward to your reply.
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Ahh I checked this review to see if it was worth getting because it has a very interesting cast; Sasazuka’s VA, Ohtaro’s, Lupin’s, Yoritomo’s AND my favorite boi Nobu (I’m Yang trash, sue me) in the same game?? Sounded like it was too good to be true, which you confirmed when you mentioned that the heroine is unfortunately pretty dumb. I like my protags to have a brain that’s not mere decoration, as a certain walking red flag would say. Will you be reviewing Radiant Tale? I have such high hopes for that one!
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Highly recommended for people looking for suspense a bit more than romance-like me
I only finished Chigasaki’s route. Just choose randomly and get him though, my otome soulmate must be these soft guy sprinkled with some jealousy(love Saint Germain too). Currently in cooking team and starting to get annoyed with heroine.
Gosh, how can an elementary kid be that tall?? And he don’t know season??? And she keep running away from feeling suspicious, dumb or c̶o̶w̶a̶r̶d̶ soft-hearted, u can choose one or both lol
Overall I really love all LI’s character.
“Cool” Dazai isn’t that cold rude boy you usually get in otome game, he’s pure ‘cool’ 😍.
Tsundere characters always annoyed me but Ebana is one of rare exception. Some of his hurtful words(to some soft-hearted characters) are from rational thought more than from protecting his own fragile emotions/ego.
Can’t wait to play all the route!! (except Futami lol)
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We seem to have similar tastes! Every once in a while when I feel like taking a break from all of the mystery/suspense stories, I’ll go for a rom com, but I generally prefer darker themed otomes, like Collar x Malice. Although Charade Maniacs doesn’t look dark because of how bright and colorful everything is, the plot really reminded me of my all time favorite game franchise/series, which is Zero Escape. Without giving away any spoilers, if you’ve played both, you’ll know what I mean 😏 regardless, the overall vibe is similar, as you have to perform well in order to stay alive, and the whole turning the members against each other thing, etc.
I enjoyed Ebana more than I expected, and I guess I’m basic, because of course Dazai was my favorite 😍 Futami, I really wanted to like because he’s so hot and I liked how nice and kinda flirty he was with the heroine, but…💀
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what is UP with all the “kiss” CGs where they’re not touching, it’s killing me and I’m merely 2 routes in XD
Also, is it just me, or was anyone else sus of Chigasaki solely based on the fact that he’s voiced by Daisuke Namikawa? I’ve not played the route yet, but like, it feels off to have him play a truly soft character to the point where I’m expecting PLOT TWISTS.
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I actually really liked this one! Was surprised at the overall rating, but this kind of thing is somewhat subjective anyway. Personally, I’ll be seeing if I can grab a Stellaworth set!
I can be pretty picky with my otome’s and I don’t often finish every single route if I really dislike people in the cast; but this was a rare exception. Lovely art, pretty UI, really good OST, as well as an interesting plot and characters. I was initially worried the quantity of LI’s would be off-putting for me like it was in Norn9, but was very pleasantly surprised. I would probably say 8/10 for me? The typos and plot holes are definitely holding it back a little, but I’m definitely glad this was ported and have been recommending it to other friends I play otome’s with.
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Firstly, thank you so very much for all of your thoughtful reviews and guides. Your website is my otome Bible; I use t for every game I play. I also love your side comments and humor! In the many, many guides of yours, I think this is the first time I’ve disagreed with something you said. I think your route order has two characters switched. Without spoiling anything, Ebana and Futami should be switched based on their respective reveals. Would you consider an edit or an explanation as to why not? I couldn’t figure out your reasoning. Thank you again for your lovely and helpful content!
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Hello, my route order is based on story progression. I placed Futami before Ebana because Ebana’s (redacted) had a strong connection with the last 3 routes, not to mention he’s also close to one of the last 3 characters. As for their stories, Ebana’s story is also better told than Futami’s (IMO). I feel like if you play Futami side by side with Chigasaki, it might take away the impact in Chigasaki’s route, since both characters are somewhat *similar*. Putting Ebana in between them adds more of a breather to the story, I think.
Then again, I don’t think it’s a bad idea to switch Ebana and Futami either if you’re more inclined to do least spoilers to greatest, maybe? In any case, I’ll stick by my first opinion. I really do think Futami and Chigasaki need some sort of breather in between. It helps in preventing the narrative from overwhelming the player with an excess of revelations back to back. Haha 😆 so I won’t be editing this review! But thank you for discussing and stating your thoughts on this, though!
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Thank you for this (and other) detailed write-ups! I purchased this game and played through one path (Akase) before seeing your review. Since Akase seemed heavily pushed by the game to be a “starter” character I thought it would be a good idea to choose him first. It was a fun, slow-build romance with a fairly vanilla love interest, but the ending was very sudden and left much of the meta unexplained (the romance part was fine). When I saw your review say the overall plot had some holes and undeveloped parts to it, I was disappointed and actually stopped playing the game for a bit, since I greatly dislike becoming invested in mystery stories with unfulfilling endings.
I did eventually return to the game, using your suggested path and being very grateful for it since Futami’s Wild Ride truly was.. quite something. I agreed with much of what you said- that the main draw of the romance was slowly building up love with a new person. The heroine is quite bland, often stupid, and a different character depending on what path you’re on (well…. Love changes a person I guess.). Not being able to fast skip when pressing “skip” felt needlessly inconvenient.
All that said I would like to defend the mystery elements of the plot. I enjoy over-analyzing mystery stories on factors like pacing, reveals, deductions, motivations, logic, evidence, etc .. and a story of this size, with 9 different characters to explore, was far better than I expected on those points. The characters were quite different in their motivations, and were all useful to the overarching meta in some way (minus Tomose… but that’s ok. He can be the guy who’s just as confused as you are.) They were consistent in their different levels of reasoning, motivation to find the solution themselves, and relationships with the other characters. Even with 9 different paths, I was pleased to see each character always as themselves, when not in love with the heroine. And a satisfying bit of the mystery unraveled on each route.
Thanks again, and I appreciated the link to the character poll as well : )
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It is sort of funny, your 6.5 tend to be my favourites (i believe steam prison was also on that score). But I think I am a sucker for convoluted plots and this one is really fun with the suspense and who did it premise 👌👌.
As you always say, romance is subjective, so I found it really endearing the romance in most routes (not Futami, I am still impressed how enjoyable of a train rack that was 😂😂😂).
I love your personal comments on each route! It really makes me feel less alone when going through the weird ones (Futami whyyy). Overall amazing review as usual 👌
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