Release Date: April 24, 2026 (Worldwide)
Developers: Voltage Inc.
Publishers: Voltage Inc.
Platforms: Nintendo Switch
ESRB Rating: T (Teen)
SYNOPSIS
The night of a crimson crescent moon, you find yourself transported to a realm called Saligia.
Far removed from your everyday life, you’re in a world where magic is commonplace.
In the midst of your confusion, before you appear five beautiful princes.
They crave the power your kiss can bestow, and will scheme to get it.
But what they seek is not just your power.
They want your heart as well…
ART AND MUSIC
| Director: Takeshi Kimura (Voltage Inc.), Kaori Narumi (Voltage Inc.) | |
| Artist: Futaba Hazuki (main), Murashige (chibis) | |
| Scenario: Voltage Inc. | |
| BGM/Soundtrack: Voltage Inc. |
CHARACTERS AND ROUTES
Court of Darkness: Captivation’s Kiss follows the exact same common route as the first volume, Court of Darkness: Temptation’s Kiss. Much like the first volume, the game also follows the typical structure of most Voltage Inc. mobile titles, which allows you to immediately choose a character’s route right after completing the prologue and common route.
Since each prince’s story is standalone and doesn’t spoil another, there’s no recommended route order for playing this game. However, (just pointing this out there, for good measure), Lou’s route does explore some lore surrounding the heroine’s identity, so if you’d prefer to save him for last, feel free to do so. Personally, though, I don’t think it matters either way.
Note: The CGs shown below are promotional images for the game, Court of Darkness: Captivation’s Kiss (the ones you can see on the game’s eshop page). 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.
LANCE IRA
- soft tsun
Lance is a student who often skips classes and is rumored to be a “delinquent.” His rank is also unusually low for a prince, being only C-rank. He’s a man of few words with a cold exterior, so no one really dares to approach him, and he usually keeps to himself.
Lance was clearly eye candy in the key art, so I decided to play his route first. His story kind of reminded me a little of Toa’s route in the first volume, except he’s in a very different set of circumstances (I’ll explain more in the spoiler section). What’s kind of funny about Lance is that he always has this scowl on his face, so whenever he says “Tch…” it feels like I can actually hear it on screen despite him being unvoiced, lol. I think personality-wise, that’s what got me to warm up to him pretty quickly.😆
Unfortunately, this route took a hot minute to get interesting for me, and I’m guessing the slow pacing was meant to build up Lance and the MC’s relationship, which I can at least appreciate. I did end up liking it more during the later parts once Lance let his guard down around MC and things actually started getting interesting near the end.
As a side and unrelated note, Lance’s dad was objectively, criminally hot. The moment he showed up on screen, it was over for me (cackles). Sorry, Lance!
⬇️ Spoilers
Lance’s story plays out a little similarly to Toa’s (in volume 1), where he ends up returning to his kingdom due to political circumstances. With Toa, he was forced to do it for the sake of his kingdom. Lance, however, returns because of blackmail, or rather, a scheme he can’t refuse. I say this because under no circumstances would he actually want to go back to a kingdom that somehow made it seem like he had betrayed his own people, and had caused unrest and an uprising among the citizens.
It’s also revealed early on that, unlike the other princes’ kingdoms, Lance’s kingdom is poor, and their only valuable resource are these special(?) type of crystal stones. It wasn’t really clear to me why his father wanted to start a war, nor what his actual motivation was outside of, well… wanting power. Maybe I was too distracted by the severity of the man’s sex appeal that I completely missed this part (cackling). 😝
I was also kind of frustrated with MC here. She insists on following Lance to his kingdom despite knowing how dangerous it is. Then she gets to the kingdom Ira and asks questions like, “Is it really dangerous out here?” Like yeah, no shit, sherlock! She wanders off completely unguarded, ends up becoming a hostage of the rebels, and even gets her teacher (who is a fine older man, if I may add) dragged into her mess. Anywho…..
Lance’s mischief ending made up for all my gripes though! (laughs) Who knew the man can be so docile in bed! Aha!😋
RIO VOLERI
- certified himbo
- bottomless appetite
- genki
Rio is the prince of Voleri. Has a huge appetite and an even bigger heart. With his bright personality and infectious warmth, he naturally brings sunshine to everyone around him.
Rio stood out to me in Volume 1 as one of the more memorable side characters. I mean, how could he not when he’s literally the game’s resident genki himbo? He’s always sooo cheerful and constantly acting as the heroine’s helping hand. And despite being a massive airhead that he is, the guy is just plain adorable!
To me, the whole game was definitely worth it for Rio! I loved his route! I love how innocent and oblivious he is in matters of love, but once he finally realizes and comes to terms with his own emotions, he really turns into an absolute winner of an LI. Truly, a delightful sunshine boi! 🥹 My only complaint here is that his “Mischief Ending” was a complete cockblock 😭 but aside from that, this route was crazy sweet & fun. Highly recommend!
⬇️ Spoilers
Although Rio is the prince of the kingdom, Voleri, he doesn’t exactly act like the other princes, who tend to have this high and dignified air around them. Rio is more like a big ball ray of shunshine. Always cheerful and brightening up the mood of everyone around him. His kingdom thrives on agriculture, so the citizens are known for being fond of growing crops and vegetables. Even Rio himself has cultivated a crop field at the academy, which he takes care of together with his attendant, Thoma.
In Rio’s story, MC needs to be paired with S-rank princes (so she can awaken her true powers that’ll help her return to her world). Being only C-rank, Rio asks the headmaster if he could become a higher-ranked prince so he can stay by her side. Thus, he undergoes into this trial, which leaves him all bruised and battered up. MC, while nursing him back to health unknowingly touches and kisses him during the process. This causes Rio to heal his wounds much faster, and the next day (after they’ve gotten even closer) his powers and strength amplifies, causing his magic to go haywire and wreak havoc in the crop field he and Thoma worked so hard to maintain. Because of this, he has to distance himself from MC until he learns how to control his unstable powers.
***For context, if you’ve played Volume 1, MC is known to have some sort of power where, whenever she touches (or kisses) a prince, they emit a glowing light around them and their magic becomes stronger, allowing them to use ancient, powerful magic that is banned at the academy.
Anyway, back to Rio…. This was actually a very simple, tropey route, but with Rio being the absolute pure goofy genki that he is, I really enjoyed it. MC also wasn’t annoying here and was actually very proactive in helping Rio with his struggles. I also found it adorable how Rio was completely oblivious to the fact that MC is pretty much head over heels for him, but after they kiss, it probably hit him (and his hormones lol) all at once where he was like, “damn, can I have some more?” 😂😂😂 (cackles) I love me a clueless himbo who can also get horny on main!
LOU
- vanilla but…
Lou is the headmaster of the Royal Academy of Concordia and the most magically powerful person in the realm. He is someone respected by all the S-rank princes. However, his private life remains shrouded in mystery.
I liked Lou’s route because it felt different from the rest. In a way, it actually gives us more background on the magical realm and expands a lot on the magical world’s lore, as well as MC’s true identity, something most of the other routes have yet to properly reveal or explore.
⬇️ Spoilers
I had heard through the grapevine that Lou’s route wasn’t particularly well-liked, so I went into this route expecting the worst. Surprisingly though, this route was actually pretty decent?
Lou’s route came off a bit cryptic at first. Much like the others, this route starts off with a lot of slice of life bits; Lou takes on mentoring MC so she can awaken her true powers, and MC in turn, cooks fried rice for Lou, as a way to thank him lol.
I believe the gritty parts of this route unfolds mid-chapters, when MC (w/ the help of her rando friend from the library) learns about the existence of Vanum and Vane. It is eventually revealed that Vanum is Lou’s reincarnation, while Vane is the MC herself. The two were once lovers and among the most powerful beings in the magical realm.
Although this wasn’t my favorite route, I liked that these reveals finally explained most of the mysteries surrounding why the MC was isekai’d into this world in the first place, so I ended up feeling pretty satisfied with it overall. To add, the romance here was also fairly decent, though admittedly a bit hackneyed sometimes.
DIA AKEDIA
- singing diva
An aristocrat of Akedia. Despite possessing a voice as beautiful as his face, he avoids other people at all costs.
I’m gonna be honest, I wasn’t very fond of Dia’s route. I unfortunately just don’t enjoy the trope where the heroine has to keep chasing after a standoffish guy with barely any payoff. Dia clearly wants MC to leave him alone, and tbh, if it were me, I would’ve just respected that and moved on. There’s no point forcing yourself onto someone who clearly doesn’t want you around, ya know?😭I defo admire MC’s dedication here.
It also took him forever to actually warm up to the protagonist and open up. His story probably didn’t start getting interesting until around Chapter 20-ish, but unfortunately, by that point, I was already mentally checked out of his route.
⬇️ Spoilers
The game also seems to rely pretty heavily on the “evil parents/guardian” trope. We saw a lot of this trope back in Volume 1 with Guy’s and Toa’s routes, and now it shows up again with Lance, Dia, and Aquia.
Ngl, I’m not really a fan of this trope to begin with, so seeing it reused this many times started to feel a bit repetitive and tiring after a while.
AQUIA AVARI
- bestie vibe
Avari’s second-born prince who struggles with magic and is only a C-rank, and has thus always done what others tell him to compensate.
This was unfortunately another route that was a hard sell for me. I didn’t really care much for Aquia back in Volume 1, and that didn’t really change here either. He was somewhat of a pushover in the first volume, that aspect of him didn’t improve much in this route either.. er, well, at the very least, during the first few chapters.
Don’t get me wrong though, Aquia is no doubt a good LI, and I’d even say he’s very well-suited for MC in terms of how easy-going and determined he is to learn and improve his rank. I feel like their bond as friends (and eventually something more) felt very genuine and also, quite sincere. He’s just not really my cup of tea, is all!
⬇️ Spoilers
Aquia definitely suffers from a lot of inferiority complex due to being Guy’s younger brother. With Guy already being the all-powerful first prince of Avari, Aquia unconsciously compares himself and ends up seeing himself as subpar, which is honestly kind of sad. But at the same time, I don’t think Aquia truly wants to be like Guy. He just wants to live normally and be accepted for who he is without the pressure that comes with being a prince of Avari (me thinks).
What’s funny to me is that Guy’s familiar in his route was this mighty, intimidating giant dragon, while Aquia’s familiar was… a….hamster! LOL. You can really see the contrast between the two brothers through that tiny detail alone! (cackles) 😂
I think part of the reason I wasn’t very into this route was because Aquia’s mother, who’s an absolute scumbag, plays a major role in the story again. And my god, this woman was literally insufferable during Guy’s route, so whenever she showed up here, I pretty much skipped through a lot of her scenes. Oof.
MAYU SEKIGUCHI (Main Heroine)
The protagonist in COD: Captivation’s Kiss is still as sassy as ever. I definitely enjoyed her more in Rio’s and Lou’s routes, though she admittedly grated on me quite a bit during certain parts of Lance’s and Aquia’s routes, mainly for the reason of how recklessly she tends to jump into action without any sort of concrete plan. Her likability scale for me definitely fluctuated depending on which route I was playing.
***PS: I change the heroine’s name into my name so I can take this particular screenshot~! 🤣
SYSTEM AND LOCALIZATION
Similar to the first volume, the user interface is different from AmuLit’s original console titles. The UI for Court of Darkness: Captivation’s Kiss mirrors the mobile app version, but without the other mobile features such as Daily Lessons, the Battle screen, avatar screens, etc., and definitely no microtransactions.
Consort Perspectives
These are scenarios in certain chapters that play out from the LIs’ perspectives. You can view them by selecting an LI of your choice on the title screen, and instead of going to their Book 1 story, you choose “Consort Perspectives” to see their POV in some chapters.
PROS:
- Rewind Feature
- Log Views
- Heroine’s Name Customization
- Chapter Select
- Skip READ function
- CG Gallery
- New opening movie exclusively for the switch version (playable in the EXTRA section)
CONS:
- The game is not voiced
- No heroine side image sprite
- No Dictionary
- No Love Catch System
- No Music Gallery
- No Skip to the Next Choice Function
- You have to hold the ZL button to use SKIP read
- There are only 5 CGs per route
- No end credits that play after each ending
- The CGs are displayed in a zoomed-in landscape format. Since the original CGs were made for mobile and meant to be viewed in portrait mode, the in-story versions for the Switch end up cropped. The only way to see the full, uncropped CGs is by viewing them in the gallery.
Localization
The localization was fairly good as well, as with most Voltage mobile game ports. There was one instance, however, where the protagonist’s name changed into “{/first_name}” in either Dia’s or Aquia’s route. I’d imagine this might’ve just been a programming blip, but I’ve only spotted this once, and other than that, I thought the overall localization and the game’s translations, + tones were pretty good!
TRAILER
OVERALL THOUGHTS
I was surprised to see that I only clocked 15 hours for this game on my Switch. I was not however, playing it on auto-mode this time, and since the game is unvoiced, I was able to read through the dialogues at a much faster pace. I also sped through quite a bit of Dia’s and Aquia’s routes (laughs), so that probably contributed to why I finished the game a little speedier than usual. I think around 15–18 hours, give or take, is a pretty fair completion time if you read at a slower pace.
There Will Always Be an LI for Everyone in Court of Darkness!
My enjoyment level for COD: Captivation’s Kiss was very much the same as it was for Temptation’s Kiss, where I ended up loving (3/5) three out of the five LIs. In the first volume, I enjoyed Guy tremendously (laughs), and I also loved Roy and Toa.😘
In Captivation’s Kiss, my favs were Rio, Lance, and Lou, while I felt mostly indifferent toward Dia’s and Aquia’s routes. Rio’s route, in particular, was an absolute hoot, and as a love interest, he ticks all my boxes for that good ol’ classic “lovable idiot” trope, so basically, he ended up being best boy in my book here.
❤️ LI Ranking: Rio > Lance = Lou >>>> Aquia > Dia
📝 Route Ranking: Rio > Lou > Lance > Aquia > Dia
Then again, what’s really great about this game, and most Voltage mobile ports in general, is that there will always be an LI that will suit everyone’s tastes. We all like what we like, and dislike what we don’t, after all. I think this series did a considerably amazing job offering a wide variety of LIs with vastly different personalities, so one way or another, there’s bound to be a character who ends up becoming someone’s favorite!
The structure of the stories here is also very self-contained. Just like the first volume, there aren’t really any central plotlines that unravel on each route, so it’s the kind of game where you can simply pick whichever LI you want to start with without worrying too much about spoilers across the board. And mirroring my review for Temptation’s Kiss, this title also doesn’t aim for the large-scale storytelling found in AmuLit’s original console titles like Even If Tempest, Neon Clash, etc. so it’s definitely best to keep expectations fairly modest going in.
I griped about this aspect in the first volume, as none of the princes’ stories really explored the heroine’s backstory. But we finally get some answers here! The only route that actually puts more emphasis on MC’s true identity, who she really is, and why she was pulled into the magical realm was Lou’s. Which is why I found Lou’s route pretty interesting.
On another note, I liked that the game takes its time building up the romance between the MC and her chosen LI. So before the story meanders into its grittier parts, the heroine and her chosen love interest already had some established emotional connection. Although, if you aren’t particularly invested in the LI, these bits of slice-of-life scenes can occasionally feel somewhat of a drab. Some of the stories were interesting, while others felt like they reused certain plot points from routes in the first volume. I do want to say, however, that the Mischief Endings, which are basically the game’s “spicy” endings, are certainly worth unlocking if you enjoy a bit of heat in your consort soup! ha!
Do I recommend this game? YES.
Court of Darkness: Captivation’s Kiss is volume two of the COD series, which features the routes of Lance, Rio, Lou, Dia, and Aquia. Each of these LIs has varying personalities that will surely strike someone’s fancy, so if any of them seem like they fit your preferred LI mold, I’d definitely recommend checking this title out. Just like the previous volume, this is a very lighthearted and fun game to pick up whenever you’re in the mood for something easygoing and old-school.
PS: All of the routes here still cover Book 1 of the consorts’ paths, and I’m still crossing my fingers Voltage Inc. will eventually release Book 2 for all ten available routes on the Switch soon!
Otome Kitten 