Release Date: November 28, 2023 (North America)
Developers:  Otomate
Publishers: Idea Factory International
Platforms:  Nintendo Switch
ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

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SYNOPSIS

Catarina Claes is a young woman born into a family of nobility who has a memory of her past life as a high school student. She was reincarnated as a Villainess in an otome game called Fortune Lover. Exile or death were all that awaited her in this new world. However, she managed to evade these ends, and somehow made it through the year to spring break.

As fate would have it, both Catarina and her adopted brother, Keith, were to board a state-of-the-art luxury liner called the Vinculum on its maiden voyage during their time away from the Academy. Once aboard the ship, she realized her friends were also in attendance on what was meant to be a luxurious journey at sea.

The tides changed quickly when they were attacked by pirates who took over the Vinculum and held all of its passengers hostage. This turn of events all seemed familiar to Catarina, and she begins to recall this was the storyline to a Fortune Lover fanbook.

Could this mean she’s living in a resurrection of a canned doom ending?! Will Catarina and her friends be able to return to Sorcier safely?

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My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! or “Hamefura” (for short) was originally a light novel series written by Satoru Yamaguchi and illustrated by Nami Hidaka. The light novel was published in Japan from July 2014 to March 2015 and later licensed in the West by the English publishers J-Novel Club. As of September 2023, thirteen volumes of the light novel have been released.

In addition to the light novel series, a manga adaptation with the original artist, Nami Hidaka, was serialized around August 2017 up to the present in Japan and soon licensed in English by the company, Seven Seas Entertainment in 2019. It’s also worth noting that Nami Hidaka, has worked in various shoujo and joseimuke projects such as the manga “Lady Rose Just Wants to Be a Commoner”, and the light novel, “The 100th Times’s the Charm“, They are also the overall artist for the otome game, Kitty Love.

Fun Fact: My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! has a mobile game available on the Story Me App, (which you can download from the App Store and Google Play). This game was localized by Whomor Inc. in September 2020. Unfortunately, as it is a mobile game, it is not voiced.

ART AND MUSIC

Illustrator/Artist:	Hidaka Nami (Original Character Design), Mochiko Asada (Chibis & UI)
Scenario:	Ririka Yoshimura
OST:	Aoi Shouta (OP vocals), mao (ED vocals), Takuya Fujita, Toshinori Orikura (Composers)
BGM/Soundtrack:	Team Entertainment Inc. (Production)
Director:	Akira Haruse

The OP and ED themes for My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! Pirates of the Disturbance were banger tracks! I also loved the fact that Aoi Shouta, who voiced the character Geordo in the game, sang the opening theme “Baby, Steady, go!” himself.🥰

Also, this game comes with a gorgeous Limited Edtion Set! If you’re interested what comes with the game’s collector’s edition, check out my unboxing video below! _{P.S. The Catarina full scale figure and nendoroid aren’t part of the LE!}

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Voice Acting

Maaya Uchida as “Catarina Claes” – Angel Devil (Chainsaw Man), Megumi (13 Sentinels), Kaguya Yamai (Date a Live), Magari Mizuki (Corpse Party), Fischl (Genshin Impact), Ranko Kanzaki (Idolmaster), Yuki Yoshino (Food Wars!), Almeda (Langriser), Miu Hinasaki (Fatal Frame), Rena Fukami (Grisaia)

Aoi Shouta as “Geordo Stuart” – Ai Mikaze (Utapri), Snow White (Taisho x Alice), Isshiki Yasuhiro (Collar x Malice), Ranmaru (Ikemen Sengoku), Kei (Ayakashi Gohan), Nachi (Binary Star), Narumi Amagi (Dynamic Chord), Kensuki Hibiki (The Caligula Effect), Takayuki (Kenka Banchou Otome), Rico (Side Kicks!)

Tetsuya Kakihara as “Keith Claes” – Victor Frankenstein (Code Realize), Shin (Amnesia), Kiro (MLQC), Isora (7’Scarlet), Carmen (BUSTAFELLOWS), Clyde King (Iris School of Wizardry), Ish (Even if Tempest), Uguisumaru (Touken Ranbu)

Tatsuhisa Suzuki as “Alan Stuart” – Yukito Sena (Lover Pretend), Akuroou (Dairoku), Ranmaru (Utapri), Mitsuru Hinase (Shinigami to Shoujo), Yuma Mukami (Diabolik Lovers), Daisuke Anayama (Shinobi Koi), Kakouton (Juuzaengi)

Yoshitsugo Matsuoka as “Nicol Ascart” – Akaza (Olympia Soiree), Alice (Taisho x Alice), Gyobu (Charade Maniacs), Monshiro (Pyschedelica of the BB), Rin Okazaki (Spiral Memoria), Vash (Trigun), Kirito (SAO), Inosuke Hashibira (Demon Slayer), Ryker (RF5), Xiao (Genshin Impact)

Kenichi Suzumura as “Rozy Lind” – Masato (Utapri), Tomose Banjo (Charade Maniacs), Sogo Okita (Gintama), Zack (FF7R), Tsubaki (Brothers Conflict), Choun (Juzaengi), The Merchant (The House in Fata Morgana), Shou (P4), Shizuru Migiwa (NilAd), Shin Asuka (Gundam Seed Destiny)

Daisuke Namikawa as “Silva” – Takeru Sasazuka (Collar x Malice), Kinji (Winters Wish), Hugh (Psychedelica AH), Chigasaki (Charade Maniacs), Oodenta (Touken Ranbu), Vishnal (Rune Factory 4), Yuichi Lomura (Hiiro no Kakera), Yu (Persona 4), Kagero (Scarlet Nexus)

Miho Okasaki as “Mary Hunt” – Ao Akane (Jack Jeanne), Celia Arvier (Tales of Luminaria), Zegna (Octopath Traveler), Medina (SAO), Teruko (Demon Slayer), Mai Iwata (Fruits Basket), Elsine (Grandblue Fantasy)

Inori Minase as “Sophia Ascart” – Uki Yamazoe (CHAOS;CHILD), Rem (Re:Zero), Jeanne (The Case Study of Vanitas), #QP (The Caligula Effect), Amanohokosaka Mei (BLAZBLUE), Laeticia Aucerius (Star Ocean), Mito (SAO), Priscilla (RF5), Tamano (Yashihime), Furina (Genshin Impact), Saori Kido (Saint Seiya)

Saori Hayami as “Maria Campbell” – Cardia (Code Realize), Yor Briar (Spy x Family), Kyara (Nightshade), Chloe (FE Engage), Niwa Kuon (Corpse Party), Tao Isonokami (SMT5), Shinobu Kocho (Demon Slayer), Tsumiki Fushiguro (Jujutsu Kaisen), Rayfa (Ace Attorney), Kamisato Ayaka (Genshin Impact), Emma Millstein (The Legend of Heroes), Ryouko Shinonome (13 Sentinels)

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MAIN CHARACTERS AND ROUTES

There are six romanceable characters in Hamefura: the four original main guys from the manga/anime (Geordo, Keith, Alan & Nicol), and the two new additions, Rozy and Silva. The routes for Geordo, Keith, Alan, and Nicol can be played at the start of the game, while Rozy and Silva’s routes only unlock after your first playthrough.

The game somewhat assumes you’re familiar with the main characters from the anime/manga series, and while I believe that having prior knowledge enhances your enjoyment, I genuinely don’t consider it necessary to have watched the anime or read the manga to fully appreciate this game. As a full disclosure, I personally do not follow the Hamefura series (both anime and manga). Apart from watching only two episodes of the anime two years ago and pretty much forgetting about it after (due to my goldfish memory lol), I had no issues enjoying this title and understanding the characters’ dynamics. The game does so well in introducing the main characters and their personalities to new players, making it easy to follow and comprehend why each character behaves the way they do towards one another.

This title also showcases an overarching story, and for those who prefer to uncover plot details gradually, from least to greatest spoilers, while maintaining a well-paced progression, the developers recommend the following route order: Geordo → Keith → Alan → Nicol → Rozy → Silva. In addition, the game offers ‘Memory Scenarios’ that pop up from time to time in each route. These scenes significantly enhance the route events, so I recommend not skipping any of them.

Lastly, the common route ending is obtainable after your first playthrough. This leads to a friendship ending with the main protagonist Catarina, and her girlfriends (Mary, Sophia, Maria). You can play this route at any time during your gameplay.

Walkthroughs:

• Geordo
• Keith
• Alan
• Nicol
• Rozy
• Silva
• Common Route

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GEORDO STUART

• this meme is on point
• lowkey yand

Geordo is the third prince of Sorcier whose magic attribute is fire. Beneath his princely appearance, characterized by his dashing blonde hair and blue eyes, lies a dark and conniving personality. His childhood days were marked by boredom until he met Catarina. Geordo genuinely cares for and loves Catarina deeply, to the point of obsession.

Geordo is the LI I absolutely adored by default (as a casual Aoi Shouta simp).🤓 I’m also particularly drawn to the classic ‘beautiful-obsessive-prince’ trope. It’s one of those things in reverse harems that never gets old for me, and this route perfectly captured all of its right nuances to a T. Unfortunately, his route turned out to be the most mundane compared to everyone else, and it pains me to actually say this because, out of the four original main guys, Geordo was the one I shipped the hardest with Catarina.😅 I thought his route had a lot of yammering, which sometimes dragged the scenes far too long. On a positive note, I must say, his confession scene with Catarina was so good!🥺

KEITH CLAES

• breedable
• ototo-kun route

Keith is Catarina’s adopted brother, and his magical attribute is earth. He was adopted into the Claes family because of his powerful magic abilities. Keith is also notably attractive, and because of this, women flock to him to get his attention. The Claes family welcomed him with love, treating him as one of their own, evident in the fact that he is the heir to the Claes house and is soon to take over as duke.

While Geordo’s route introduced conflict in the game with little to no hints about the plot, Keith’s storyline provides “more clues” regarding what exactly is going on in the story. I appreciate that this route also delved thoroughly into Keith’s past, giving us insights into his struggles prior to being adopted into the Claes family.🥺 Again, I’m saying this as someone who has not followed the series—the game is really good at navigating through events that will give you a feel about the main characters despite being unfamiliar with the original work.

Also, despite this being a ‘sibling-not-sibling romance’, which is pretty much a trope I’m personally not a fan of, I was completely caught off-guard by how good Keith’s route is?! Out of the four starter LIs, I thought Keith was actually the most satisfying romantic-wise! I’m legit shook!😳

ALAN STUART

• the musical prodigy
• a soft tsun🥺

Alan is Geordo’s younger twin brother and the fourth prince of Sorcier, whose magical attribute is water. During his childhood, he was frequently compared to Geordo, which took a toll on his confidence. However, he’s overcome that, thanks to Catarina. Alan is also highly skilled with musical instruments, earning him the recognition of a “musical prodigy” within the royal family.

Oh no! I found the tsundere! 🥺 Alan was the character that I was the least bit interested in the game, likely due to his character design and unappealing outfit (Oof!😭). But wow, this route was actually pretty good! I’m a sucker for the soft tsuns, and Alan is the quintessential classic tsundere. I couldn’t help but grin from ear to ear while playing his story! I am a little bit disappointed with one of his endings though (good ending). But, overall, if you enjoy a good tsun character, this route should at least suit your fancy.

NICOL ASCART

• kuudere 😳
• ‘the beauty has arrived‘

Nicol, with the magic attribute of wind, is the son of the Prime Minister in Sorcier. He possesses a strikingly handsome face, and his smiles can blind any woman in the peripheral vicinity, causing them to faint. He maintains a stoic demeanor outside of his family and friends, and he develops a liking for Catarina because of her growing friendship with his younger sister, Sophia.

This route unexpectedly took a weird turn, and it feels somewhat detached from the main plot. While I did enjoy some parts of it, particularly in the romance department, I couldn’t help but feel a little stumped due to it having so many unnecessary events that didn’t contribute significantly to where Nicol’s route was going. It took a while for the “actual story” to pick, and there were numerous scenes that essentially served as fillers to get from point A to B. Nonetheless, it was concluded nicely so I didn’t have much to complain about! Ha!😆

ROZY LIND

• Rozy with hat < Rozy w/o hat 👀
• best boy!

Rozy is an engineer from the country of Quid who was assigned to work on the Vinculum ship. He was also on board during Catarina and her friends’ voyage. He is kindhearted, good-looking, and exceptionally knowledgeable when it comes to crafting, researching, and inventing gadgets.

Oh no! I found him; he’s THE ONE. 😩 Because Rozy is one of the new characters in the franchise, I initially expected him to be just another filler LI, but good lord, I was completely blindsided and did not expect to totally brainrot over this character? I honestly did not want this route to end and was even taking my time with it because I wanted his story to last longer. I wanted more of Rozy and more of his interactions with Catarina. I felt very sad when his route ended. I need more gdi!

SILVA

• eyepatch daddie but not really…😏
• also best boy!

Silva is the captain of the Weiss pirates. He, alongside his crew, appears to dominate the Blanc Sea. Rumors regard him as the ‘demon of the fog,’ and everyone knows him for his exceptional and unbeatable skills in battle.

I admit it was truly hard for me to move on after Rozy’s route, …but I was able to give Silva’s route a fresh start after realizing NamiDai was voicing him. ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ Silva is your final boss in this title. At one point, even Catarina mentioned somewhere during the game that Silva looked like he was a ‘final boss character’ straight out of an otome game. (which was quite hilarious because yo girl gets it!). 😂 His storyline had a lot to do with Rozy’s arc, so I highly recommend playing these two routes back-to-back. Silva’s route was also really good in the romance department, and I really enjoyed his interactions with Catarina in this game.

CATARINA CLAES (Main Heroine)

• gluttonous heroine
• farm queen

Catarina Claes is the only daughter of Duke Claes in Sorcier. She possesses a seemingly useless power known as ‘Earth Bump,’ where she can make a tiny patch of ground rise up for an inch or two. After an accident involving Prince Geordo when she was eight years old, she happens to regain her memories from her past life as a high school student who loves to play otome games. Because of this, she transforms from a spoiled brat into an eccentric character, unexpectedly wowing everyone she comes across. She is forgetful, easily excited, and honest to a fault, which makes her personality stand out and endears her to all her friends and suitors.

Catarina sets the mood for the entire game. I cannot fathom how many times I have wheezed & cackled during Catarina’s musings and inner monologues; Everything about her is just comedy gold! Catarina is completely dense, clueless, and sometimes totally devoid of reality, as what she’s more concerned about is avoiding doom flags and bad ends. Because of this, she will think and blurt out the most random of random things during the most inappropriate times (like when being chased by villains, for example, or when a weapon is pointed at her). She really is something else; it’s hilarious! it’s no wonder, she was nicked Bakarina.😂 I love that her head is always in the clouds and how she’s completely aware of her shortcomings but can’t help but prance around like a bumbling idiot anyway. 😂 For an otome game heroine, Catarina is the most unheroine-like, and this juxtaposition is what makes her character unique, and VERY MUCH endearing. I love her to bits!❤️

Catarina, just like the rest of us, also loves her heroines, and it’s very apparent in how much she adores Maria (original heroine of her fav. otome game Fortune Lover; and now her dear friend). I love that she would do anything for Maria, as well as her other girlfriends. I honestly wish there were individual routes for Mary, Maria, and Sophia because I just couldn’t get enough of these girls. As someone who hasn’t followed the anime and the manga, I now want to delve into other media for Hamefura just because of how queer-friendly the characters are!🥺

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SYSTEM AND LOCALIZATION

The game’s UI was very straightforward, following the typical Otomate interface. You have the “love catch,” which you can toggle on and off in the OPTIONS section. The voices are adjustable as usual, and you have the option to turn ON and OFF the heroine’s sprite on your side screen. The “SKIP ALL” function was a bit laggy, but I didn’t mind it too much since there’s a “jump to the next choice” command, making the game easy-breezy to navigate when unlocking routes and endings.

One itty-bitty gripe I had was that you cannot save during the voting session of the five Catarinas. If you miss saving during those times, a workaround is to simply go back a few lines in the game using your dialogue log screen to save prior.

The localization, I have to say, was pretty good. All the jokes and humor landed well in the game. Not once did the comedy feel grating or anything of the sort. I spotted a few typos, but they weren’t anything significant enough to deter you from your gameplay.

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TRAILER

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OVERALL THOUGHTS

It took me 45-50 hours to complete My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! -Pirates of the Disturbance-. Dang, that title is way too long, so let’s just call it ‘Hamefura’ for short! 🤓 The game falls on the shorter gameplay spectrum, which in my opinion, sits perfectly for rom-com titles. The prologue and common routes (which are Chapters 1-2) together take about an hour or two to finish. It’s in Chapter 3 where you enter an LI’s route. Each route took me probably 6-7 hours to complete, give or take. If you’re a fast-paced reader and don’t wait for the voice acting to finish, it will probably take you less time.

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“Will I enjoy this game even if I’m not familiar with the anime/manga?“

This game was obviously created with Hamefura fans in mind, as it expects you to already know a little bit about the main characters from the get-go. However, I don’t think you should worry too much about having to watch the anime or read the manga beforehand, as this title was VERY EASY to follow even if you aren’t familiar with the original franchise. I myself, am relatively new to the series. My knowledge of Hamefura pretty much only extends up until episode two in the anime and maybe a few clips here and there, and I still had no issues following the story, along with the character dynamics within my playthroughs.

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To tell you the truth, I had zero expectations about this game prior to playing. All I knew was that the scenario events were spearheaded by one of my favorite otome game writers, Ririka Yoshimura (the same writer who spearheaded Cupid Parasite). So, I was at least hopeful that this title wouldn’t give me any unwanted landmines. Turns out, I was completely blown away by how much I actually enjoyed this game. It was quite a surprise, really!😳 Perhaps it was also because I was looking for something easy-going to play with little to no angst, and this title just really fit the bill for what I was in the mood for. It didn’t take long for me to realize that I was having a blast!🥰

Spot-On Humor hitting all the Right Marks

What I loved about Hamefura so much was that it wasn’t afraid to NOT take itself seriously. The humor the game offers really tickled my funny bone. A lot of scenes were played up for laughs, especially some of the bad endings, or as the game would call them, ‘Catarina’s Doom Ends’. The in-game jokes landed well that I found myself cackling a bunch of times, even during scenes that were supposed to be fundamental to the overarching plot.😆 Speaking of ‘overarching plot’, the “Pirates” storyline was forgettable at best, and I feel like it was nothing more than a setting for the characters to establish and build their romance with Catarina. That being said, if you are looking for a game with a compelling and serious plot, this may not be for you.

Best Boys and Best Girls!

Catarina’s three amazing girl besties, who also love her romantically and unconditionally, were the cherry on top of this game for me. I felt kind of cheated that we only got a “friendship ending” with these three best girls.😥💔

As for the romanceable characters, I noticed that the game was very careful in keeping the four original LIs of the series (Geordo, Keith, Alan, and Nicol) true to their nature in “Hamefura“. I believe this was done to avoid compromising their already established personas. In contrast, the routes for the new characters, Rozy and Silva, followed a more orthodox Otomate love interest formula, and their stories really didn’t hold back when it came to exploring and adding more nuances to their characters. You will likely notice this after completing the entire game; the last two routes totally gave a different vibe/atmosphere from the previous four.

Before I started any of the locked routes I thought Geordo was going to end up as my favorite. But god help me, Rozy and Silva were just built differently. 👌😩 Both of them, their routes and romance were just something else, so there you have it!

💟Route Enjoyment Ranking💟
Rozy ➤  Silva ➤ Keith ➤  Alan = Nicol ➤ Geordo

LI Ranking:
Rozy ➤➤➤ Geordo➤ Silva ➤ Keith ➤ Nicol = Alan

Rozy’s route ticked all the boxes for me so he remained unbeatable throughout my entire gameplay. He gets the best boy badge of honor in my book.

Be that as it may, I can definitely say with every ounce of confidence that all the routes were very romantic! I was playing each route with a stupid grin on my face and on occasion, would giggle endlessly like a total buffoon, snap a screenshot of an event CG, and would bother a friend (who totally didn’t ask for it – god bless their hearts lol)😂 just so I can share how these in-game stories brought me so much serotonin.🥰 While the romance leaned more towards fluff than spice, I must commend the game for offering kiss CGs for all the characters, making sure no one gets left out in that department.

Do I recommend this game? YES.
My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! Pirates of the Disturbance is a lighthearted otome game that will surely delight both Hamefura fans and newcomers to the series. I played this title during my short holiday break from work and was really surprised by how quickly I blazed through it. I truly had a blast with this one. Honest! It made me feel cozy & warm, and brought me so much of that needed therapeutic cackles that actually helped me relieve adult stress! Ha! If you love romantic comedies with a relaxed, easy-going atmosphere this otome game is definitely a must-play!