Release Date: February 12, 2026 (North America)
Developers:  Otomate
Publishers:  Eastasiasoft
Platforms: Nintendo Switch
ESRB Rating: T

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ABOUT THE GAME

Hakuoki SSL ~Sweet School Life~ puts a modern spin on the Edo period romance of the main series, instead casting heroine Chizuru and the handsome warriors of the Shinsengumi as students and teachers living in modern Japan. School life antics ensue as these beloved characters hold a school festival, stress over midterms, get into watergun fights and more!

Experience a fun slice-of-life story through unlockable event scenes, engaging dialogue and beautifully illustrated character portraits, all localized in English for the first time. Explore unique endings with each character and enjoy mini-games that make this standalone entry extra special!

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ART AND MUSIC

Producer:	Tsunekiyo Fujisawa
Artist:	Shiki Sakigumi (CGs & overall Illustrations), Kazuki Yone (original character designs) Takuto Sakura (Chibis)
BG Artist:	Cheimi Mita (quunplant inc.). Akihiro Hiraswa (quunplant inc.), Yoko Nakao (quunplant inc.)
OST:	Aika Yoshioka (OP & ED Artist), Yoshio Tsuru (Composer)
BGM/Soundtrack:	Yuki Tsuruta

Voice Acting

Shinichirou Miki as “Toshizo Hijikata“ – Yuzuki (7Scarlet), Nesso Galland (Black Wolves Saga), Bucket-Sensei (Bad Apple Wars), Zamasu (Dragon Ball), Lina Jenkins (Tiny x Machinegun), Toshiyuki Sawada (ROBOTIC;NOTES), Tanjuro Kamado (Demon Slayer), Daihannya Nagamitsu (Touken Ranbu)

Shotaro Morikubo as“Soji Okita“ –  Toa (7Scarlet), Impey (Code Realize), Reiji (UtaPri), Gilbert Redford (Piofiore), Jocus (Period Cube), Troy (BUSTAFELLOWS), Hikaru Osari (B-PROJECT)

Kosuke Toriumi as “Hajime Saito” – Mikazuki Munechika (Touken Ranbu), Ichiya (Variable Barricade), Vlad (The Red Bell’s Lament), Higa (Sympathy Kiss), Poyo-Poyo (Period Cube), Shuu (Diabolik Lovers), Kagiha (Psychedelica BB), Rei Mikuni (CollarxMalice), Chojiro (Nightshade), Cecil (Uta no Prince sama)

Hiroyuki Yoshino as “Heisuke Todo” – Helvetica (BUSTAFELLOWS), Heishi Otomaru (Norn9), Auger (Black Wolves Saga), Ningen Mukotsu (Touken Ranbu), Franky Franklin (SpyxFamily), Debito (Arcana Famiglia), Mikage Kojiro (TMGS4)

Koji Yusa as “Sanosuke Harada” – Itsuki (NORN9), Mr. Gasmask (Bad Apple Wars), Jolly (Arcana Famiglia), Rado Dracula (Princess Nightmare), Hibari (Side Kicks!), Nier (Nier Replicant), Sakahagi (SMT3), Takehiko Kamiya (sweetpool), Hyuga Ryuya (Utapri), Lancer (Fate/Extella)

Kenjiro Tsuda as“Chikage Kazama” – Kento Nanami (Jujutsu Kaisen),  Kishibe (Chainsaw Man), Yuan (Piofiore), Hanzo (Nightshade), Shugo Monari (Jack Jeanne), Soshi Amazaki (The Charming Empire), Leonardo Da Vinci (Ikevamp) Nihongou (Touken Ranbu), Tatsu (The Way of the Househusband), Seto Kaiba (Yugioh)

Nobuo Tobita as “Keisuke Sannan” -Professor Alba (Trails in the Sky), Gordon (Disgaea), Lumiale (Angelique), 9th Man(Zero Escape The Nonary Games), Shiki Kijima(Tokyo Ghoul), Konnosuke 1 (Touken Ranbu), Dayoon (Osomatsu-san), Shogen Mamiana (Yashashime), Kamille Bidan (Robot Wars)

Tomohiro Tsuboi as “Shinpachi Nagakura“ -Izumo Kamizuki (Naruto), Taliesin (Tears to Tiara), Omi Shichijo (Gakuen Heaven), Maeda Toshiie(Sengoku Basara), Tenma Funato(Boruto)

Takayuki Suzuki as “Susumu Yamazaki” – Kyou (Hiyoku wa Azami no Kanata-e), Tsukasa Sakuma(Last Bullet), Ernesto (Record of Agarest), Gilles de Rais (Bladestorm), Satoru Kokuryu (Sorcery Jokers)

Hasumi Ito as “Kaoru Nagumo” – Aoi Tohsaka (Fate/Zero), Verlnya (Demonion 2), Kinou (Evenicle), Ondine (Jeanne at the Clock Tower), Julaus (Beat Valkyrie Ixseal)

Seki Tomukazu as “Ryunosuke Ibuki” – Futami (Charade Maniacs), Hashida Itaru (Steins;Gate), 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)

Toru Okawa as “Isami Kondo” – Rufus Shinra (FF7R), Nyx (Neo Angelique), Jirou Tomitake (Higurashi when they Cry), Arawn (Tears to Tiara), Shirosaki Rio (DoubleScore), Masau Sera (Yakuza 0), Futsunushi (Hoshi no Oujo), Kaltz (Lamento Beyond the Void), Kiriyama Taira (Himehibi), Keiji Ukita (Root Double), Sojiro Sakaki (Gakuen Heaven)

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CHARACTERS AND ROUTES

Hakuoki SSL has six main LI routes (Hijikata, Okita, Saito, Heisuke, Harada, and Kazama) and four mini routes (Sannan, Nagakura, Yamazaki, and Kaoru). Only the six main LIs have full-blown romance routes and more CGs compared to the mini routes, which at best only has two CGs and one chibi CG. Some of the mini routes also tend to be more ambiguous or platonic rather than full-fledged romances, like Kaoru’s route, for example (which to me, is basically a friendship route).

Also, since Hakuoki SSL is a spin-off of the famous Hakuoki series, the routes are mostly stand-alone, fluffy stories featuring Chizuru and the Shinsengumi boys reimagined in a fun high school setting. All the routes can be played from the start, and there’s no *central narrative* tying them together, so you can jump straight and play whichever LI you want to start with.

My personal rule of thumb when it comes to Hakuoki games is to always start with a fav and end with a fav. That said, I obviously started with Hijikata as my first route 😝 and saved Kazama for last. Ha! Too bad my oshi, Iba isn’t here!

Speaking of which, for new players who might be wondering why Iba, Souma, and Sakamoto aren’t in this game, it’s worth noting that Hakuoki SSL was released before Hakuoki Shinkai in Japan. Hakuoki Shinkai (basically, Kyoto Winds + Edo Blossom, aka Chronicles of Wind and Blossom) is the title where the latter three LIs were added, and where Sannan, Nagakura, and Yamazaki were also given full LI routes. So, it makes sense that Hakuoki SSL only includes full routes for the original six love interests from the OG base game.

Walkthroughs:

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Note: The CGs shown below are promotional images for the game, Hakuoki SSL ~Sweet School Life~. All spoiler-related content in this review will be hidden behind a spoiler drop-down, that you can choose to view at your own discretion.

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TOSHIZO HIJIKATA

• “Hijikata-sensei” 🤤🔥🔥

Hakuo Academy’s Classical Literature teacher and Vice Principal, he oversees most of the school’s operations in place of the principal, Isami Kondo. He is strict and is often regarded by students as the academy’s “Demon Vice Principal.”

I was already in full giddy mode going into this game, and what better way to fuel that than starting with the man of the hour, Hijikata-sensei. My goodness, what an absolute standard of a man. 🤤 Hijikata, ever so handsomely dashing and now the ever-strict teacher at Hakuo Academy?! Not sure whether him teaching classical literature is a playful jab at his fondness for writing awful haikus in the original game, but I gotta admit, this little detail was pretty funny.

Romance with Hijikata is always so satisfying because he is such a refined man, yet distant and elusive. You have to genuinely earn his love! That has always been a core part of his appeal in Hakuoki, and this spin-off absolutely nails that same dynamic (with Chizuru), I just love it so much.

SOJI OKITA

• sly fox
• chaotic energy only

Okita is a second-year student who loves teasing people. He looks up to the principal, Isami Kondo, who has taught him kendo since he was young and whom he basically regards as his brother. He doesn’t seem to enjoy classical literature classes, nor the teacher assigned to them, Hijikata. His latest hobby is taking lots of random photos on his smartphone.

There’s a reason why Souji Okita still tops the charts as one of the most beloved otome game husbando in Japan. It’s his playful, conniving personality, paired with the fact that he can bite back with venom when the situation calls for it. His complex layered nature also bodes really well with his chemistry with Chizuru in the original game. And I can happily report that this relationship dynamic was also preserved in SSL.

Because the base game was filled with so much angst, it’s almost instantly cathartic to see the couple naturally happy, just enjoying life as high school students. 😭 Seeing Okita exuberantly healthy (yes, i know…)😭 teasing Chizuru, and how she slowly falls for him was utterly gold. They are truly deserving of happy days ahead of them!

HAJIME SAITO

• adorkable prefect
• blushy yearner

Saito is a prefect at Hakuo Academy. He is a quiet student who deeply respects his advisor, Hijikata. He is meticulous when it comes to discipline, and after school, he is usually found in the science lab, which also serves as the prefects’ club room.

When the fluff is fluffy-ing... Saito’s route is perhaps one of the fluffiest in SSL. And that’s saying a lot, considering all the routes here are already incredibly fluffy at best.

I think the prefect role really suits Saito’s by-the-book personality. He’s very prim and proper and always follows the school rules, just as he faithfully abides by the Samurai Bushido code in Hakuoki. Though beneath that genteel exterior is a huge, adorable dork who yearns for Chizuru’s affection.😭(oh my… *clutches chest*) This man gets easily flustered and turns into a complete blushing mess around Chizuru.🥹 He is just as endearing as ever and somehow even more so here. Saito fans are going to be eating good for sure!

HEISUKE TODO

• the og genki sunshine boi
• childhood friend

A student at Hakuo Academy who lives next door to the Yukimura family. He loves gaming and doesn’t mind staying up late to indulge in it. He’s also Chizuru’s childhood friend. Outside of gaming, he enjoys kendo and is a member of the school’s kendo club alongside Okita and Saito.

Heisuke is pretty much the epitome of the genki sunshine boy archetype. Before all other genki LIs got their genki badges, there was in fact, …Heisuke! And in this spin-off, he’s just as cheerful, friendly, and affectionate as ever. This man proudly wears his heart on his sleeve, and it’s adorable. Since Chizuru and Heisuke are closer in age, it also makes sense for Heisuke’s role here to be her childhood friend.

SANOSUKE HARADA

• bad teacher 🤭
• hot 🔥

Harada is a Physical Education teacher at Hakuo Academy. His easy-going personality makes him popular with students, while his level-headedness makes him a trusted and respected member of the faculty.

Oh Sano, the man that you are! I was actually very surprised at how they went about with Harada’s route in SSL. It was shockingly good and felt like a breath of fresh air compared to the previous fluffy routes of the other guys. You see, Harada brings a different kind of fluff. 🤭 Sure enough though, the brainrot was totally real here. Perhaps he’ll be a polarizing character, but this ended up being one of my favorite routes in this spin-off!

CHIKAGE KAZAMA

• delulu is the solulu 😂

Chikage Kazama is a student at Hakuo Academy who is rumored to have already graduated from university. He is always accompanied by Shiranui and Amagiri wherever he goes. As the student council president of Hakuo Academy and the heir to a prestigious tea ceremony school, he comes from an extremely wealthy background. The Kazama family, being one of the academy’s major backers, grants him the freedom to do as he pleases, including wearing his own custom-made uniform.

Kazama is another route that I absolutely had a hoot playing. This route is literally the definition of a staple Chikage Kazama route, and I believe Kazama is one of the biggest charms of Hakuoki SSL. In addition, as brilliant as he is, TsudaKen definitely sold this role hook, line, and sinker!

KEISUKE SANNAN

• the hot creepy nurse 😏💉

The school nurse at Hakuo Academy who also serves as the faculty’s accountant. He has a gentle demeanor, and both teachers and students rely on him greatly, though there’s an air of mystery about him that leaves people wondering what he might be thinking beneath the surface.

Sannan, with his mysterious air and fondness for making invaluable medicinal concoctions, is now a school nurse who has his eyes on you, and is subtly hitting on you at the same time, even giving you expensive fountain pens?! Well now, I can live with that! 😝

I thought Sannan’s mini route was pretty good! It was a full-on showcase of Sannan’s rather distinctive, unique charm, something only he can pull off. I was a little sad that he only had a few CGs, but ngl, his final CG sort of made up for it, because wow! It was certainly one of the most gorgeous Sannan illustrations I’ve seen!

SHINPACHI NAGAKURA

• the himboest of all himbos

The math teacher at Hakuo Academy, who always wears a tracksuit, so everyone mistakes him for the P.E. teacher. He loves betting on horse races and enjoys sake, though he’s not very good at managing his finances. He is close with Harada, as they were classmates in college. Despite his rugged appearance, he is a passionate teacher who cares deeply about his students.

Another route that surprised me! Shinpachi’s story was so hilarious, I was hooting and hollering at the crack of midnight!😭

I like how they gave Shinpachi a gap-moe persona, as it reflects the contradictions of his character from the base game. On the outside, he has a rough exterior and is always dressed in his tracksuit, but he’s actually a math teacher, which implies that the man is actually quite smart. This somewhat mirrors his original character in Hakuoki, where (when not fighting) he’s normally all about having fun and drinking his sake, yet he is also the captain of the second division, basically making him one of the strongest swordsmen in the Shinsengumi, second only to Okita.

SUSUMU YAMAZAKI

• blushy yearner # 2
• underrated best boi

A student at Hakuo Academy who is a health committee member under the school nurse, Mr. Sannan. He also fully respects Hijikata, for being a diligent hard worker, which is something he also aspires to be.

Yamazaki is so criminally underrated as a love interest in Hakuoki that it almost upsets me he only gets a mini-route here, instead of a full blown romance route with more CGs. His chemistry with Chizuru is top-tier! They just vibe so well together.🥺 If you’re into fluff and blushy LI sprites, you cannot miss this route! I think the level of fluff in his route (at least his confession scene) was almost on par with Saito’s even. It’s such a shame it was cut short! 😭

KAORU NAGUMO

• evil gremlin energy
• actually a big tsundere

Chizuru’s twin brother. They were separated at a young age after losing their parents, and each was taken in by a different family. They had no contact with each other until Chizuru enrolled in Hakuo Academy, when they were finally able to meet.

Aww… Kaoru is really just a tsundere big brother who longs to be with family. I kind of view his brother-sister relationship with Chizuru, similar to Finis and Cardia’s in Code: Realize, except that Kaoru is probably more stern and more territorial when it comes to his twin sister. I kind of enjoyed this route because we don’t get to see much of their sibling dynamics in the main game. And considering he was almost the main antagonist in SSL, having a mini-route of his own where he could spend some family time with Chizuru was a very welcome change.

CHIZURU YUKIMURA (Main Heroine)

Chizuru is one of my favorite heroines of all time, and let me tell you how absolutely pleasant it is to see her happy and living a normal life as a high school student, free from any kind of suffering. With supportive girlfriends like Sen and Kosuzu always having her back, and a whole band of doting handsome guys looking out for her. She is living her best life! My girl is so blessed!🥹

In SSL, there are routes where she is more shy and reserved, and routes where she becomes more assertive with her feelings toward her LI. I think she has great chemistry with most of the cast as well, which makes the romance pretty much enjoyable across the board.

Haters are gonna hate, but I will always stand firm when I say that Chizuru is still one of the best otome game protagonists. She is emotionally grounded as a person and shows so much growth throughout her story. Plus, she’s actually pretty funny here too! Hakuoki simply just wouldn’t be the same beloved series without her as the MC! 🫶

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SYSTEM AND LOCALIZATION

For a game released about a decade ago, the UI actually holds up pretty well, especially in this Switch port. The game’s scrapbook aesthetic is totally my kind of jam, so I really appreciated it.

Mini Games

I think the mini-games will be hit or miss for a lot of people. When I played Hakuoki SSL back on the PS Vita, I could’ve sworn I loathed the mini-games with every fiber of my being.😅 (laughs) But surprisingly, I did not mind them nearly as much on the Switch. I think most of my frustration back then stemmed from the Vita’s controls, which felt sluggish and wonky, and it made the timing on certain mini-games particularly annoying, especially in Chapter 05.

The good thing is that the mini-games can be skipped after clearing your first route, which is great for players who do not particularly want to waste time completing them every time they start a new route. I’ve also created a guide for the mini-games, so be sure to check it out if you’re ever in a pickle trying to clear them.

Localization

There were only very few typos that I spotted, and they weren’t immersion-breaking or anything, as they were hardly noticeable. The translations also preserved the humor of the game, especially in Kazama’s lines, which were definitely the most hilarious. Love that they retained Kazama’s “my bride” antics with Chizuru!

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TRAILER

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OVERALL THOUGHTS

Hakuoki SSL ~Sweet School Life~ is a rather short game. It took me around 20-25 hours to clear all the routes, plus a few extra hours replaying the mini-games in the Treasure Box section to collect some of the test answers (from Mini Game 1). I didn’t play on auto-mode this time either because of the mini-games and the “mail” system, which basically requires you to pause the story to answer some text messages from the menu screen, and collect points.

This title is also fairly linear in structure, with all the routes following the same timeline by seasons. You start with the midterm exams, followed by summer, then the school festival (in autumn), and Christmas + New Year during winter break. After that, the story resumes on Valentine’s Day, which pretty much serves as the game’s final chapter.

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Hakuoki SSL is for Hakuoki Fans!

This spin-off largely comprises of lighthearted stories with our Shinsengumi characters living normal lives as high school students and teachers, navigating the ups and downs of your everyday modern life. In some sense, if you’ve played the original Hakuoki games and endured all the angst, despair, and crises these characters had to overcome, it’s almost instantly cathartic to see them living happily without being thrown into chaos and suffering at every turn. I’d say the story’s easygoing charm is essentially the centerpiece and main draw of Hakuoki SSL.

On that note, the routes here are mainly straightforward fluff, told from the perspective of the protagonist, Chizuru, as she goes through her days of high school life. There isn’t any angsty drama or major plot twists to speak of. At its core, the game embraces a charming slice-of-life romcom tone. This title is also packed with comedy and humor, which I think is one of the main selling points of Hakuoki SSL. More times than not, the chapters gets hilariously unserious, and I honestly lost count of how many times I wheezed or cackled at some of these outrageous scenarios.😂

It gets even crazier during Valentine’s Day (last chapters), and I always brace myself with popcorn to see what the writers will cook up in these scenes. Shinpachi’s Valentine’s event had me dying on the floor.😂

Also, huge kudos to the writers for preserving the relationship dynamics of the original characters. All the cast’s personality traits and nuances remain intact in this game, some even exaggerated for comedic purposes, like Kazama’s delusions of claiming Chizuru as his bride, were dialed up a few notches, and Shinpachi’s outrageous spending habits made his route sooo incredibly tears-in-my-eyes funny. None of the characters, in my opinion, go OOC; all their quirks, and personality tones are retained, and that’s exactly what makes this spin-off so good!

I guess the only minor gripe I had was that the routes were a tad too short. I’d say they’re longer than your typical otomege FD after-story, but the title as a whole is still on the shorter side compared to the average commercial otome game. There’s plenty of extra content however, available in the“Treasure Box” section, which kinda helps make up for the shorter routes. Even so, I do wish the epilogues were longer, because I need more Hakuoki fluff in my system!

The Heart of Every Hakuoki Title Lies in its Lovable Characters

Apart from our beloved MC, Chizuru, I believe it is a known fact that the heart of every Hakuoki game lies with our Shinsengumi boys. To me, these characters are practically otome royalty. The Hakuoki LIs pretty much set the bar so high that they’ve become the standard for otome love interests even today, and I stand by this statement firmly. mhm!

It goes without saying that I enjoyed this title tremendously because of how fond I am of these characters. All the LIs in this spin-off were so amazing that it’s honestly hard to rank them, as each route was just as enjoyable as the next. Romance-wise, Harada and Saito were my two fav routes, with Harada being just an itty-bitty inch ahead, because I mean… it’s ✨✨Sanosuke Harada,✨✨ we’re talking about here for goodness sake. IYKYK. (cackles) 😝

Yamazaki’s mini-route also surprised me, and I feel like it’s deserving of a full romance route. The dude is just so underrated, it actually hurts! Kazama’s route, on the other hand, had the most tomfoolery, and needless to say, his antics are guaranteed to tickle everyone’s funny bone.

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Can I play this game even if I haven’t played the original Hakuoki games?

Since this is a spin-off set in an alternate universe, the characters are mostly the same, but they take on different roles in this story. So yes, you can play and enjoy this game blind, without having played the original.

Even so, I personally strongly recommend playing the base game first if you want to get ten times the enjoyment out of this title. This spin-off relies heavily on the original cast’s dynamics, so knowing who these characters are, their quirks, and how they were in the original universe makes playing Hakuoki SSL far more rewarding. Of course, this is just my opinion!

Do I recommend this game? YES.
The green light of this review is obviously clear as day, no?😂 If you’re a Hakuoki fan, loved the previous games, can’t get enough of the characters, and are in dire need of romance and fluffy stories with the Shinsengumi guys, Hakuoki SSL ~Sweet School Life~ is a must-play! I would also readily recommend this title to all otome fans, even if you haven’t touched a single Hakuoki game in your life. Let this title be your open gate straight into Hakuoki heaven… or, hell! (whichever you prefer…ha!)

And to all my fellow Hakuoki enjoyers out there, I cannot recommend this game enough. Reward yourself this Valentine’s Day, pick up this game, and enjoy it to your heart’s content! As February is the month of love, it’s also the month for brainrotting over your favorite Hakuoki LI. Get with the program, sis, and play Hakuoki SSL! 😘

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