Release Date: July 16, 2026 (North America)
Developers:  Voltage Inc.
Publishers:  Voltage Inc.
Platforms: Nintendo Switch
ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

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STORY

“This is my will. No one else’s.”

She was once the beloved child of a wealthy family.
But those bright days were swallowed by the darkness of a tragic scheme.

Having lost everything, the girl returns to her homeland with ambition burning in her heart.
There, she meets a group of heretical men who wield the power of witches.

Bonds forged by wounded souls
Warmth flickering in frozen hearts
The miracle of love, now known by the lonesome

But in the end…

Death is but a turning point. Hope is the prelude to despair.

This is the story of saving those vanishing fates.

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ART AND MUSIC

Director:	Ayane Ushio
Artist:	Tana Khaki (Main), Megumi Mizutani (Chibi)
BG Artist:	Shizui fen
Scenario:	Ayane Ushio
OST:	DUSTCELL (OP, ED Theme)
BGM/Soundtrack:	Hayato Asano
Story/Production	Voltage Inc.

The character designs for Sins of Kaleido were handled by Japanese illustrator Tana Khaki, who, to my surprise after checking out their official portfolio site, has worked on various otome game projects in the past mainly as CG and assistant artist for titles like Even if Tempest, Diabolik Lovers, Birushana: Rising Flower of Genpei, Bad Apple Wars, Hamefura, and many others! Needless to say, I was very pleased with Sins of Kaleido’s overall artwork. The CGs, especially, were beautifully drawn. I had a few favorite picks, particularly from my favorite routes!

The game’s soundtrack is also pretty sensational. The BGMs certainly fit the game’s dark fantasy setting whilst complementing the eerie atmosphere that the title exudes. On top of that, both the OP and ED themes were such earworms!

Voice Acting

The voice acting for this game was top-notch, btw! After playing the entirety of it, I’d say all the seiyuus were hands down perfectly cast for their roles! Absolute S-tier performances!👏

Nobuhiko Okamoto as “Tilkett Halmshaw” – Tobari (Illusion of Itehari), Asher (The Red Bell’s Lament), Minami (9RIP), Radie (Radiant Tale), Hansel (Code Realize), Manabu Souda (Collar x Malice), Taiga (Variable Barricade), Hizamaru (Touken Ranbu), Yang (Piofiore), Hiroya (Period Cube), Peter Flage (Cupid Parasite), Haiji (Charade Maniacs), Iris (Iris School of Wizardry), Bakugo (MHA)

Kohei Amasaki as “Kanoa Fortis” – Mathis (Virche), Toka (9RIP), Saburo (Hypnosis Mic), Sylvie Scott (Cupid Parasite), Emilio (Piofiore), Aira Shiratori (Ensemble Stars!!), Tweedle Dum (Spade no Kuni no Alice), Natsuki (Tamon’s B-side)

Hikaru Midorikawa as “Heath Crescent” – Ayato (Diabolik Lovers), Hanate (7’Scarlet), Goemon (Nightshade), Solitus (Cafe Enchante), Ootori (Utapri), Yutaka Nabari (Nil Admirari), Akihiko (P4), Ura Alice (ALICE=ALICE), Tamahome (Fushigi Yuugi), Heero Yuy (Gundam Wing), Yusuke (CLANNAD), Masato (MoshiKami), Rantaro (Danganropa), Tenshouin Eichi (Ensemble Stars), Juzumaru (Touken Ranbu)

Takuya Sato as “Eugene” – Genjuro (Winter’s Wish), Mitsutada Shokudaikiri (Touken Ranbu), Kazu (Variable Barricade), Masamune (Norn9), Kirei Rin (Jakou no Lyla), Tasuko Takato (A3!), Nozumu Sassa (TMGS4), Zayne (Love and Deepspace), Silvio Ricci (Ikepri)

 Tomoaki Maeno as “Orsem Helhand” – Byakuren (Homura the Crimson Warriors), Abel (Battlefield Waltz), Ebana (Charade Maniacs), 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)

Shun Horie as “Liam Knott” – Himuka (Olympia Soiree), Nagi (EPHEMERAL Fantasy on Dark), Okubo Toshimichi (Destined to Love: Ikemen Samurai Romance), Gerard (Angelique Retour), Chidori (Illusion of Itehari), Dorothy (OVER REQUIEMZ), Ishisa Masamune (Touken Ranbu)

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CHARACTERS AND ROUTES

Sins of Kaleido follows a very specific linear route structure, similar to its predecessor, Even if Tempest. After clearing the common route, only Tilkett and Kanoa’s routes are available to play. Completing both their routes unlocks Heath and Eugene’s stories, and after clearing all four, Orsem’s route becomes available as the game’s grand finale.

The routes are somewhat interconnected, with the later locked routes having progressively more spoilers for the overarching plot. They also tackle some very heavy themes (and at times disturbing too), so be sure to check the content warnings if you’re someone who has a lot of triggers.

As for the route order, based on how the story unfolds & for the smoothest plot progression, my personal soft recommended order would be Tilkett → Kanoa → Heath → Eugene → Orsem. I’d also say this order goes from the least spoilery to the most.

Walkthroughs

• Tilkett Halmshaw
• Kanoa Fortis
• Heath Crescent
• Eugene
• Orsem Helhand

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Note: The CGs shown below are promotional images for the game, Sins of Kaleido. 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

Profanity, violence, gun violence, blood, murder, death, decapitation, cannibalism, dismemberment, body horror, dubcon, SA, manipulation, torture, human trafficking, psychological trauma, eating disorder, confinement.

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TILKETT HALMSHAW

• anem-ick.

A cheerful young doctor who acts as the leader of the Vy-xen group. His Gift gives him control of his own blood, allowing him to both heal and harm with it. Though his powers require self-injury, he doesn’t hesitate at the pain.

Tilkett was… alright. Tbh, I personally wasn’t a fan of this route. My apologies to all the Tilkett truthers out there! I think it came down to a combination of Tilkett’s complicated personality, his odd, almost shallow love for Yolca, and the route’s main big bad, a character who I absolutely abhorred in this game. That said, the route did get off to a fairly strong start. We see a lot of Til’s personality and just how inanely caring he is of others. So much that he harbors an almost unhealthy tendency toward self-sacrifice.

This route can get pretty dark as well, and while I did enjoy the unexpected trajectory, I just wasn’t convinced by Til and Yolca’s *romantic* relationship, particularly on Til’s end. Given his utilitarian mindset, there’s a fine line between being overly philanthropic and being utterly foolish. And I believe that was also what put me off his character.

KANOA FORTIS

• not a shota!!
• tsun 🥺

A boy declared to be the strongest Grimnal. His wind-manipulation Gift lets him transform even his own body into the wind. He’s used his power to hunt down countless Grimnals, but he remains nothing but an object of fear to the populace.

Ah, Kanoa was my favorite LI in Sins of Kaleido! At first, I thought he was going to be the prickly, mean-spirited tsundere through and through (I mean, he still is), but surprisingly, he’s actually quite easy to talk to, especially once he lets his walls down, which doesn’t really take him forever to do so. Kanoa also has a fiery temper and a rather dark-ish sense of humor, but neither ever came across as distasteful, or anything. Beneath all that huff and puff, he’s just a kindhearted bean who loves to cuddle and can get adorably clingy at times too!🥺 I totally feel for Yolca when she gets taken by his puppy-dog eyes. I mean… my dude here is just too pure and precious. Nauuur, my heart!😭

This route was surprisingly good as well! I feel like Kanoa’s story really builds up the impending events that happen in the later routes. Kanoa himself was nothing short of impressive, both as a character and as a love interest for Yolca. I also think that out of all the LIs, his chemistry with Yolca felt the most natural to me. Whether they’re fighting witches or bickering over some trivial nonsense, the way these two interact w/ each other feels very much in sync, with their affinity for one another developing in a way that feels pretty convincing, me thinks.

HEATH CRESCENT

• maid to slayyy 👠
• mother hen

A housekeeper blessed with overwhelming beauty. Every day is busy, filled with handling Vy-xen’s household affairs and serving multiple wealthy households for work.

Man, don’t you just miss hearing Midorikawa voicing an otomege LI again?🙂‍↕️
Heath was definitely another odd, yet exciting character in the game. I mean, the man rocks a maid outfit, which is already a whole lotta plus points, no? (laughs) I also loved how domestic he is. Between the cooking, sewing, and taking care of the household chores on the Vy-xen’s hideout, he really feels like the mother of the group. He dotes on the younger members too, particularly Yolca and Kanoa. Heath can also get too overprotective to a fault and reeks of unconditional love, so I feel like his personality can get polarizing for some folks.

EUGENE

• 👉👌🫣
• 🔥🔥🔥

A sociable and understanding trader. He lives uninhibited and honest to his own desires. That cheerfulness and a deep sense of sympathy bring both vigor and harmony to the Vy-xen group.

This route started off really funny but also, really unhinged, and then whiplashed into something really disturbing.😨 (cackles) That said, I definitely recommend playing this route last prior to Orsem’s. Reading through my drafts, I had a ball writing up a storm of theories about who Eugene was, but all that speculating and trying to connect the dots were ultimately for naught because I absolutely did not see this story’s plot twist coming.

It’s pretty curious how nihilistic Eugene is from the outset. You really couldn’t figure him out until you got into the nitty-gritty parts of his route. That said, I actually really enjoyed Eugene’s story! Heh. It’s probably one of my favs too, considering how wrong I was about all my wild guesses regarding him.🤣 Anyway, after finishing Eugene’s route, I was pretty much like, “Ah, no wonder they cast TakuSato for this role”. This is definitely a TakuSato character to a T. (to the dramacd enjoyers, iykyk) 🤭 I guess it’s also safe to say that this route was, by far, the spiciest the game could get.

ORSEM HELHAND

• marlboro daddy-kun
• me when i see Or in his combat fit

A lawyer who walks in the shadow of the law. He’s a skilled negotiator, as capable as he is callous. He speaks politely with everyone, but his behavior is haughty and high-handed; even government officials shrivel in his presence.

First of all, holy! Orsem looks fine as heck. Every time he’s onscreen I’m always 👀… We stan a tattooed man w/ some nice cleavage! I guess you could probably say that Orsem’s route is the truth route of this game? There was so much going on here, but surprisingly, it was somewhat easy to follow and wasn’t nearly as grating as I thought it’d be. I also loved how this route interconnected with the previous four routes, and expanded on several plot points that had either been glossed over or set aside earlier in the story. I had to laugh when I saw “Endless Carnage” as Orsem’s chapter titles because that’s pretty much how this route is, in a nutshell. 😅

On a different note, I do feel like this route falls a little short in the romance department. While there were some great moments between Yolca and Orsem, their relationship was somewhat bogged down by everything else happening around them. With so many plot threads unfolding all at once, the romance inevitably felt a little tepid to me.

Orsem’s story was also a lot longer compared to the others (it was five chapters long) and probably took me an entire day to finish. (It’s not really as lengthy as I’m making it sound, but it certainly felt that way to me, ha!)

YOLCA YULEWOOD (Main Heroine)

• gaslight gatekeep girlboss

Miss Yolca is a very guarded MC. Quite bossy, conniving, a little spiteful, and smug too. She’s rather feisty and bickers with her LIs quite a lot. She doesn’t hesitate to snap back at them during their frequent squabbles. She is also rather fond of her bombs and lock-picking skills, and she’ll bring them up in convos whenever she gets the chance. I like her as her own character, but as a protagonist, I’m feeling a little mixed bag.

For one, I personally think Yolca lacks the profound motivation that, to me, makes for a really compelling heroine. A lot of her motives and goals were quite flimsy. She wants to become the head of House Yulewood, yet she falls short of the sheer driving force to achieve that dream. She keeps wanting many things, but she doesn’t really do much to pursue them. Instead, she wallows in negativity and cynicism while blaming many of her circumstances on her past misfortunes. If her goals were really that important to her, I would’ve liked to see her become really desperate to achieve them. Sometimes whenever she goes on one of her monologues about being determined to rise to the top and accomplish this or that, it all feels rather superficial to me because I never really saw a strong motivation behind her words.🤷🏼‍♀️

That said, Yolca is still a very interesting heroine, per se! I think she was written to be exactly this flawed. Too flawed, in fact. She contradicts herself a lot. She can be ambitiously selfish, self-important, and arrogant, but she can also become selfless when the story calls for it. She projects an air of confidence, yet there are times when she feels inferior and dwells in self-doubt. She is also incredibly impulsive to a fault. A very impatient individual who wants to be many different things at once. To give her the benefit of the doubt, these inconsistencies kind of make her feel more human, nonetheless. After all, inconsistency is fundamentally part of human nature, no?

I guess my issue with Yolca lies more with how her flaws were presented in the story. Yolca would immediately spell out her imperfections during dialogues and conversations, such as explaining how she’s selfish, how she grew up spoiled by her rich parents, or how she has very high self-esteem and isn’t afraid to use her beauty and charm to her advantage. I would’ve really loved some subtlety to her persona and the chance to analyze her through her actions and character development throughout the story instead of having her literally tell us what her shortcomings are. Idk, but it can sometimes feel a bit too in your face and overbearing, if that makes sense?

All in all, Yolca is certainly not a substandard heroine by any means, though. I also feel like her feistiness will appeal to those who prefer a more sharp-tongued, headstrong MC who’s not afraid to parade her flaws proudly. She’s by no means a fav. of mine, but she’s alright in my book.

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SYSTEM AND LOCALIZATION

The game has a very simplistic user interface, and it’s fairly easy to navigate as well. The Skip to Next Scene/Choice function was horrible though as it actually skips over choices, if by any chance you’ve double skipped, it will retain the answers from your previous run, so I’d be careful when utilizing this feature. I believe the game also crashed on me twice over the course of my entire playthrough.

Mini Games

Similar to the trials in Even if Tempest, Sins of Kaleido also utilizes mini-game features through its investigation and “Mental Appraisal” segments, which occasionally let you solve puzzles. The puzzles and memory game were a lot of fun, if you ask me!

Localization

As for the localization, I spotted a couple of typos and spelling mistakes in the game, but they weren’t all that prominent overall, so they didn’t really bother me much. The translations were pretty good as well. I feel like it retained the game’s original tone and humor rather nicely.

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TRAILER

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OVERALL THOUGHTS

This title is actually very robust. It took me around 60 hours to finish and unlock all its possible endings. The common route is four chapters long and will probably take around 3-4 hours to complete. The individual routes are a little longer and took me roughly 4 hours each to get through. Orsem’s route is on the lengthier side as well. It consists of five chapters compared to the other love interests’ routes, which only have four, and it probably took me over 5 hours to complete, including unlocking all of his bad endings

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A Worthy Successor to Even if Tempest

I think it goes without saying that Sins of Kaleido very much lives up to the legacy of Even if Tempest. The familiar atmosphere, setting, and overall ambience of EiT are truly preserved here, which isn’t surprising given that both titles are set in the same universe. I also think that all of the defining elements that hooked me into Even if Tempest are present here as well. It is by no means a 1:1 experience though, but it certainly brings about the same appeal as EiT while still allowing it to stand as its own title.

To its credit, I do personally think that in terms of romance, narrative structure, pacing, and tying up loose ends, Sins of Kaleido was definitely a step up from its predecessor. While there’s no denying that there are still some story details that were either brushed aside or vaguely left out, I still thought the game held up well as a whole.

Bad Ends First, Good Ends Later…

If you’re coming here as a fan of Even if Tempest, you can expect the same formula AmuLit has used in EiT as well as their other previous console titles. Yep, I’m talking about their infamous linear storytelling, where you’ll need to clear the bad/sad endings first before unlocking the good ones.

I’m unfortunately not a big fan of the bad-ends-first, good-ends-later narrative structure.😩 I like to experience a route continuously, all the way through to its happily-ever-after, before moving on to the next one. In my opinion, having to unlock the bad/sad conclusions first can undercut the payoff of the journey if the “Happy” End you later get isn’t as rewarding as you’d hope it would be. I’m bringing this up because it was somewhat one of my issues with this game. The Happy Ends were downright too short. While I still loved them and they definitely gave me some good’ ol serotonin boost, they still felt terribly rushed and incomplete in some way. I just wish these endings were fleshed out a little more, as I think they would’ve been far more rewarding had they been just a tad lengthier.

The game also had quite a few glaring plot holes, and just like my critique of Even if Tempest, the same kinda applies here. I think this title took on far more plot machinations than it could handle. This was mostly apparent in the grand finale. I mean, that was one heck of an exposition-overload experience! There were just so many things happening all at once that the story kept jumping from one plot point to another, leaving several threads either barely explored, never properly revisited, or wrapped up rather hastily. I’m hopeful there’s a fandisk on the horizon to help iron out these rough edges! 🙏

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While I may sound rather critical atm, I do want to make it clear that I’ve enjoyed this title far more than I’ve been eyebrow-twitchy about it. My gripes above are honestly just me nitpicking! 😅 (laughs) Personally, I was able to forgive the game’s flaws because I was nonetheless enjoying its ride. This was clearly a title that hooked me all the way to the end. I had so much fun piecing the mysteries together. Heck, I had such a blast theorizing who the characters are (and their sole nature), only to end up clowning myself when my wild guesses were proven completely wrong.😂 I think the characters were wonderfully written too, particularly the LIs!🥺 I grew attached to them throughout my gameplay, and it broke my heart seeing them suffer before finally achieving their deserved happiness. (Curse this darn, formula!) 😤 There was also a good chunk of found-family content in the game, which I think fans of this trope, like myself, will have something to look forward to!

Speaking of characters, I can definitely say that I loved 4/5 of the LIs. Kanoa was my favorite of them all!🥺 Beneath that thorny, prickly attitude lies a pure, kindhearted soul! He honestly deserves all the happiness in the world. Best boy! 😭 I liked Heath, Eugene, and Orsem kind of equally, although the enjoyment I got from their routes definitely varied. Unfortunately, I was not on board with Til. He was a great character in his own right, but due to the nature of his route (and its reveals), I ended up not being a fan of him as a love interest. I’m so sorry to our poster boy!

❤️ LI Ranking: Kanoa > Heath = Eugene = Orsem >>> Tilkett

📝 Route Ranking: Eugene > Kanoa > Heath > Orsem > Tilkett

As for the romance, this title definitely has some good ones! In fact, the romance in Sins of Kaleido is a significant improvement from Even if Tempest, so if you were worried that this element might get shafted like it did in the former game, that is definitely not the case here. However, I do want to note that some routes center more heavily on “plot”, so the romantic aspects may not feel as satisfying compared to others. Personally, I think Kanoa, Eugene, and Heath’s routes handled it really well though! And as for the spice….. the game is rather modest in that department, with the exception of one route. So don’t go into this title expecting a lot of steamy scenes, because there really aren’t that many.

Is it required to play Even if Tempest before playing Sins of Kaleido?

It definitely isn’t. Sins of Kaleido is a standalone title, and you can still enjoy it without playing Even if Tempest beforehand. However, if you want to appreciate the easter eggs, get more context on certain characters, and have a better understanding of the overall setting and world lore, I would definitely recommend playing Even if Tempest first if you can!

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Do I recommend this game? YES.
I totally had a blast with this one! It is by no means a perfect title, and while I do feel that its overall writing could have definitely been better, the ride this game took me on was most certainly worthwhile! Honestly, another memorable title from AmuLit! 👏

If you’re a fan of Even if Tempest, definitely pick this title up! In hindsight, I believe Sins of Kaleido holds the same allure as its predecessor while offering a very different experience of its own. With its thrilling, sometimes eerie atmosphere and a fascinating cast of oddly mysterious characters whose stories will immediately hook you in from the start, I think anyone looking for a good dark fantasy otome title should really give this one a try. Consider this an easy recommendation from me!

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