Release Date: March 31, 2026 (North America)
Developers:  Otomate
Publishers:  Idea Factory International
Platforms: Nintendo Switch
ESRB Rating: T

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SYNOPSIS

Fourteen years have passed since the Battle of Sekigahara split Japan in two.

Now firmly in control, the Tokugawa shogunate is scheming to eliminate the Toyotomi clan, a long-standing thorn in its side.

In response, the Toyotomi clan has decided to confront the Tokugawa head-on, using Osaka Castle as their stronghold. Calls for support were sent to daimyo throughout the nation and a mere few answered the call. One of these brave warriors was Nobushige Sanada, the second son of the Sanada family who was cast away to Mt. Kudo on house arrest after the Battle of Sekigahara.

Alongside Nobushige on his escape from Mt. Kudo are the Sanada Ten Braves, ten ninjas who serve him even after their exile. Standing in their way are the Ura Yagyu, a group comprised of assassins who have carried out many killings under orders from the shogunate, mysterious swordsmen, and mighty warriors.

This is the final chapter of the Warring States period. It is a tale of the bonds and way of life shared by the Nobushige Sanada and the Ten Braves who gather at Osaka Castle.

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ART AND MUSIC

Director: Tsunekiyo Fujisawa

Scenario: Izumi Nagano, Satomi Nakayama, Dilettantes-Nest

Artist: Shikisakigumi

BG Artist: Izumi Ejima

BGM: Yuki Sugiura (Studio Eden Inc.)

OP Theme: Rico Sasaki (Vocals), Yoshizawa Teruji (Lyrics), Kouichiro Takahashi (Arrangement)

ED Theme: Rico Sasaki (Vocals), Hisao Sasaki, (Arrangement)

Shiki Sakigumi, who’s the main artist for Hakuoki SSL, is also the main illustrator for Homura: The Crimson Warriors, and was responsible for the game’s character designs. That’s why, (if it isn’t already obvious), the art style in this title strongly resembles Hakuoki. The CGs here, were really gorgeous, though. I absolutely love Shiki-sensei’s art style.

Homura also has a pretty good soundtrack. The BGMs were very soothing, beautiful and fitted the game’s (period-setting) atmosphere. There were times when I would just let the game sit idle so I could listen to its bg music.😅 The full soundtrack for Homura: The Crimson Warriors is btw, available online if you get the Digital Deluxe Edition. Besides the soundtrack, this edition also includes 20 pages of digital short stories, in addition to the base game.

UNBOXING (Bonus: Making Juzo Kakei’s Itabag)

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CHARACTERS AND ROUTES

There are no locked routes in Homura: The Crimson Warriors, which means you can play any of the five love interests from the start. For best story progression, going from routes with fewer spoilers to those with lots of reveals, my soft recommended order is: Sasuke / Saizo → Kamanosuke → Juzo → Nobushige. I think Sasuke and Saizo are interchangeable as they make great starting routes, while the latter three have more major reveals in comparison, especially Juzo’s route.

Keep in mind, the order above is only a soft recommendation from yours truly. If you don’t mind encountering major reveals early on, you can absolutely play in any order you like.

Walkthroughs:

1. Sasuke Sarutobi
2. Saizo Kirigakure
3. Kamanosuke Yuri
4. Juzo Kakei
5. Nobushige Sanada

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Note: The CGs shown below are promotional images for the game, Homura: The Crimson Warriors. 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.

⬇️ Click to view Content Warnings

Violence, gun violence, war, murder, death, blood, killings, stabbing, alcohol, age gap.

SASUKE SARUTOBI

• kuudere

The youngest among the Sanada Ten Braves, he serves Nobushige Sanada, handling intelligence and protection work. Despite his young age, he is the most skilled in ninja arts and is regarded as the strongest among the Sanada ninjas. He is a man of few words, but he also has a kindhearted side.

Sasuke is a very reserved character, and he stays that way for about 90% of his route. The remaining 10% comes from the few rare instances where he willingly opens up to the heroine, which I think is adorable, …just that, I would’ve loved to see more of those “aww” moments between the two.

Because of his overly taciturn nature, a lot of their romantic interactions to me, come across as a mix of cute and awkward. This is probably also due to how plot-heavy his route is, which imo gives little room for their relationship to grow and develop. I do wanna say, his kiss CG was legit off the rails and is probably one of the best in the game!

SAIZO KIRIGAKURE

• Saizo not a trashbando 🫶
• 👅

Formerly an Iga ninja, he left the Iga clan for personal reasons and set out to make a name for himself by challenging renowned warriors. He eventually joined the Sanada ninjas. Confident in both swordsmanship and ninja arts, he often resorts to ruthless tactics to achieve his goals.

Y’know, at first before coming into this route, I thought Saizo is going to be the game’s resident trashmanhoe… I mean, he does come across as one in the common route, no? (laughs).😂 But much to my surprise, he…is…NOT??😳 I’m shook! He’s very arrogant but also highly capable, it’s no wonder Nobushige and the rest of the Ten Braves trust him to come through on the most difficult tasks/missions. He’s a reliable comrade, even more reliable than Kamanosuke or Juzo (which is saying a lot).

I like Saizo because he actually makes use of the heroine right away. He gives her orders, understands her strengths, what she’s capable of, and uses that to his advantage. I also enjoyed his chemistry with Mutsumi, their bickering, and him constantly insisting and claiming she’s his kunoichi, added a really nice flavor to their romance.

KAMANOSUKE YURI

• loud, himbo
• Bakanosuke

A former renowned kabuki samurai, he forced his way into the famed Sanada clan to serve Nobushige Sanada. Straightforward and sincere, he values empathy, loyalty, and friendship. He sets the tone for the group and wields a massive sickle and chain. Despite his small stature, he possesses remarkable strength.

Kamanosuke would be your loud, genki himbo of the group, although in his route, much of his more mature and serious side surfaces. I can’t really say I’m a fan of his hot-headed, stubborn side though… I mean, his initial relationship with the heroine felt like taming a wild child, and I really felt for Mutsumi here; she definitely has her work cut out for her! His “wilding” was eventually toned down over time, which was at the very least, good.

Interestingly, I actually liked this route because I loved the villain and his dynamic with Kamanosuke. Also, the bickering among the Ten Braves and how they gang up on Kamanosuke’s blunders was probably the funniest event here, I was literally mad laughing.😂 I wish I could say the same for the romance though. I like Kamanosuke as a character, but perhaps because his wayward nature isn’t really my thing, I wasn’t entirely sold on his relationship with the heroine.

JUZO KAKEI

• sometimes a retainer, sometimes John Wick
• yandere for Nobushige 🤣_{highlight for spoiler}

A former retainer of the Sanada clan and attendant to Nobushige Sanada. Juzo first served as his page before following him to Mt. Kudo during their confinement. He later became a Sanada ninja, specializing in modified firearms, explosives, and gunpowder.

Oh this lovely, beautiful, man! Get your popcorns on the ready folks! This route is ’bout to get incheresting… 🍿 I love that this game not only highlights the esteemed battle tactics of the Sanada but also showcases the psychological strategies used to break and damage the morale of opposing forces on the battlefield. But that’s not really what Juzo’s route is all about, is it? This route took a completely different turn, in ways I didn’t expect, I was totally absorbed, & couldn’t tear away! Admittedly, I was a little nervous at first because Juzo’s story introduced a trope I absolutely detest, but was surprised by how well it was handled here!

By far, this ended up being my favorite route, both in terms of romance and overall storytelling. Best boy! (Memes in the spoilers section)

NOBUSHIGE SANADA

• vanilla 🍦

Second son of the Sanada family. He fought alongside Mitsunari Ishida at the Battle of Sekigahara. He was exiled to Mt. Kudo in Kishu with his father, Masayuki Sanada, as punishment.

As a fun fact for Nobushige, and perhaps history buffs and Sengoku fans already know this, but Nobushige is the famed Yukimura Sanada. Its just that “Nobushige” is his historically accurate name, while “Yukimura” became the name more widely used in media portrayals and plays. Saemonosuke is another name he used, as a formal court title during the Warring States period.

Anywho, Nobushige’s route felt like a condensed depiction of the Siege of Osaka from the Sanada’s POV, so there’s definitely a lot more war politics here compared to the others. It’s great if you’re a history buff, but it might get boring if you’re not. I’m a Yukimura girlie in Ikesen lol, so personally, I found this route interesting. I loved how it really highlighted Nobushige’s strengths as a renowned strategist during the Sengoku period.

As for the romance, while I did enjoy his chemistry with the heroine, it felt a bit too vanilla for my taste. That might be because I played this route right after Juzo’s, and the Juzo-brainrot was utterly no joke to me! (cackles)🤣

MUTSUMI MOCHIZUKI (Main Heroine)

Mutsumi is a great MC. Calm in nature, capable in combat, can be trusted to fulfill missions as part of the Sanada Ten Braves, and best of all, she is very loyal to who she serves. Her loyalty to the Sanada clan didn’t really waver across all routes, and I certainly liked that part of her.

While not everyone accepted her as a certified ninja at first, she proved to be astoundingly skilled in the long run and showed real prowess throughout her journey. I just wish her growth had been showcased more, and we got actual scenes showing her actively training and honing her skills as a ninja (and not just during the ‘ninja system choice’, which was completely pointless). She does train in Sasuke’s route and a few routes like Saizo’s– it was briefly mentioned that she practiced her ninja arts while her LI also trained on their own, albeit this wasn’t really the focus during those scenes. I hate to say it, but I feel like overall, her development as a ninja feels underexplored and ends up being overshadowed by the LI’s personal baggage and story.

I still like Mutsumi-chan as our heroine though, I just wish she got more scenario spotlights in the game. But I think, due to the nature of her role as a ninja who serves her lord above anything else, and considering the time period, she’s more of a follower than an initiator/instigator. I believe it was only in Juzo’s route where she really took matters into her own hands. Hence, why I loved that route so much. Ha!😆

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SYSTEM AND LOCALIZATION

There are two types of choices in the game. You have your standard choices (the normal choices) and “Ninja System choices”. The latter determines your Ninja Certification at the end of each playthrough. There are three certifications you can unlock: Master Ninja, Seasoned Ninja, and Novice Ninja. These certifications also unlock entries in the CG gallery, although they aren’t exactly CGs per se.

Personally, I thought the ninja system choices were pretty gimmicky and a waste of time. Can’t say I’m a big fan of it. I probably spent a lot of hours trying to get all three certifications, it felt really tedious ngl. On top of that, needing all three to 100% the gallery was kind of a hassle. The only reward you get from it is that small bit of dialogue at the end from your LI, praising or scolding you depending on whether you aced your certification or flunked it.

Localization

The localization sometimes felt a bit stilted, and a few dialogues came across as rather casual for a period-setting game (like using the word “oof”),😂 although these were only very small instances & didn’t really bother me too much. I did, however, spot some naming mistakes, like mentioning “Tokugawa” instead of “Toyotomi,” which could confuse readers who aren’t paying close attention to the voices or what was being said audibly by the characters. There are also typography errors but were a few and far in between. The “sir” used as honorifics before names took me a while to get used to, but I eventually got the hang of it.(laughs)😆I can say that the humor and tone of the original work were definitely preserved though, which I appreciate. All in all, I though it was pretty decent.

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TRAILER

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OVERALL THOUGHTS

I think I spent about 50-55 hours clearing the game and unlocking all of its endings (plus, the ninja certifications). The common route stops at Chapter 3, and in Chapter 4 you enter the route of the LI you’ve gained enough affection points with. The routes themselves are of decent length as well. I believe it took me around 4-5 hours give or take, to finish one on auto mode.

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The Sanada Ten Braves, and the Siege of Osaka

Homura: The Crimson Warriors highlights the “Sanada Jyuuyushi” (Sanada Ten Braves), as well as the infamous Siege of Osaka, probably one of the most renowned, tragic events in the Sengoku era that’s frequently depicted in popular media. The title borrows heavily from these historical events, along with the tension and conflict surrounding the Tokugawa and Toyotomi clans. Our heroes belong to the Sanada clan, so basically they are on the Toyotomi side as they face the massive forces of Ieyasu Tokugawa.

One of the game’s strongest points, in my opinion, is how well it portrays the Sanada’s reputation as brilliant tacticians. And I really think it nails why they were known as one of the smartest and bravest clans of the Sengoku period.

That being said, this game also dives into the nitty-gritty of war politics. I personally like that it doesn’t just cover battlefield tactics, but also explores psychological warfare, like how the characters outwit their enemies and anticipate their next move, etc. I’m a historical fantasy girlie, so this was right up my alley!😆 The use of MAPs in the game was also greatly appreciated! It certainly made everything much easier to follow and also helped in visualizing the progression of the war. Like seeing who was fighting whom, which clans were about to clash on the battlefield, and just how dire the Sanada’s situation was, during this era.

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Also, as a side note, I believe it’s worth noting that the director of Homura is Tsunekiyo Fujisawa, the producer behind every Hakuoki game, who, if I may add, has worked on nearly every title in the series. So yeah, it’s no surprise that this game definitely has the “Hakuoki formula” (you’ll definitely notice it once you start a route).

If you’re a Sengoku fan like myself, there’s really tons of references to geek out over in this game (laughs). However, if you’re not into heavy historical themes in your otomes, the narrative may bog you down fast. Since all the routes follow the same story outcome with only a few deviations based on each love interest (and their circumstances), a number of plot points are repeated throughout all routes.

The events here, also stretch across years, just like in Hakuoki. And, as with any game inspired by dramatic historical events, there’s definitely going to be some sense of hopelessness and looming doom present in every route. I mean, if you’re familiar with what happened to the Sanada and Toyotomi clans during the Summer Seige of Osaka, then yeah…that’s exactly what I’m talking about.🥲 I believe only Nobushige’s route offers a clear “happy for all” ending, so if you want to finish the game on a more positive, hopeful feeling, save his route for last!🥹

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As for the characters, I’ve seemingly enjoyed all of them. Both the main and side characters play significant roles in the storytelling. I’ve become somewhat attached to all the Sanada Ten Braves,🥺 and goodness, the villains were impressive here too. I was kind of surprised by how much I ended up caring for each route’s antagonist. I think they were all written with substance, and even though their storylines were only peripheral to the main war-plot, I still really appreciated learning their backgrounds, which made them more interesting individuals rather than just cookie-cutter villains. I guess my only complaint is that the biggest, baddest (and sexiest) antagonist, who’s voiced by Maeno no less, isn’t romanceable!😭

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To me, all the LIs were also great. From my obvious squawking way up above,🤣 Juzo definitely sits on my oshi throne for this title, followed by Saizo, who’s surprisingly domestically husbando-material in every way imaginable.🤭 I liked Kamanosuke’s route for its story, but his romance was, unfortunately, by far the weakest for me.

💖LI RANKING: Juzo > Saizo >>> Sasuke > Nobushige > Kamanosuke

📝ROUTE RANKING: Juzo > Saizo > Kamanosuke > Sasuke > Nobushige

Also, since this is a mighty plot-heavy game, the romance can sometimes feel like an afterthought in some routes. There are definitely some sweet moments between the heroine and her LI, make no mistake, but there are only a handful of them, nothing particularly grand either. Some of the more sugary couple scenes are also pretty scarce. And I mean, yeah…I get it, there’s an impending war going on, so there’s not much room for romance to develop between the characters, is there? In my opinion, Juzo and Saizo’s routes hard-carried the romance in this game.(laughs) But at the very least, every character gets a kiss CG, and my god, were they hecking beautiful!

Do I recommend this game? YES.
Admittedly, I breezed through this game pretty quickly. I’m just a sucker for historical fantasy and anything set in the Sengoku period, so Homura was definitely my cup of tea. While it’s not as grand or original as Hakuoki (which I’ve seen a lot of people compare it to), I think the story and characters have their own charm. I can say for sure, that this is definitely an otome title for the history buffs and for those who enjoy plot-heavy games with a more serious narrative, and don’t mind a lighter focus on romance.

Homura: The Crimson Warriors truly has a lot going for it, from its beautiful visuals & soundtrack to its cast of richly drawn, embellished characters and angsty, drama-filled story. Bonus treat if you’re a fan of Yukimura Sanada and the Ten Braves! I, for certain, enjoyed this game aplenty! (even hunted for Juzo merch and made an itabag for him lol). Definitely a title worth picking up, if you haven’t yet!

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