Which Reflection will you choose? -The man with the red riding hood
Create Save File 1 here
HAPPY ENDING:
-Yes
-Compliment his outfit
-It’s more efficient
-It’s impolite
Create a Save File 1.2 here (Optional)
-Give him a blanket
-Yes
-The entryway
-My room
-The ballroom
-Remain calm and think of a solution
-To get to know him better
Create Save File 2 here
-He’s uncomfortable with women
-Yes, I want to do the most I can
-Me
-No, I’ll let him wake up naturally
-Calm him down
-Yes
-No
-Yes
-Blueberries
-Actual grapes
-Tickle him
Create Save File 3 here
-Tell him I forgive him -Leave
BAD ENDINGS:
Load Save File 1
-No (Bad Ending 1)
Load Save File 2
-He’s coming down with something (Bad Ending 2)
Load Save File 3
-Tell him I’m no different (Bad Ending 3)
CG Variation (Optional): NOTE: Only do this if you want to complete Red’s first CG variation
Which Reflection will you choose? -The man with eyes as dull as cinders
Create Save File 1 here
HAPPY ENDING:
-Ask Kaguya to help
-Say “I’m sure he has a good heart under all that ash.”
-Teasing him
-Yes
-Suggest re-branding the cafe
-I’m impressed
-No
-Yes
-Neither
-A bird
-Yes
-Yes
-Very yes
-Smile wordlessly
Release Date: August 31, 2019 Developers: Argent Games Publishers: Argent Games Platforms: PC, Steam ESRB Rating: R18 (Adult Only)
So recently, I felt really compelled on writing a review about this one game that kept me up till 3AM, for three weeks straight. You heard that right, folks! Three damn weeks! This visual novel has riled me up to the brim that I’ve almost succumbed to an unhealthy lifestyle of tardiness, missing some of my (IRL) early meetings and appointments at work (laughs hysterically). But enough about me and my bad habits as an irresponsible adult, let’s talk about the main highlight of this post instead: Red Embrace Hollywood.
Red Embrace Hollywood, is Argent Games’ recent vampire-themed visual novel that was released back in August of this year. It’s merely a self-insert visual novel, where the game puts you (the protagonist) in the heart of the story as a newly turned Vampire, in Los Angeles.
Fun fact:RE:Hollywood is the second game of the RE series. It’s predecessor, “Red Embrace” was released last year, hitting the BL Visual Novel Market back on February 15, 2018.
First of all, please head the warnings provided by the developers at the start of the game as they are there for a reason.
Mature Content Description: (The developers describe the content like this)
Violence: Graphic depictions (gunfights, fistfights, punching), text descriptions
Suicide: Graphic depictions, text descriptions
Drug and alcohol use: Graphic depictions, text descriptions
Sexual content: Graphic depictions, text descriptions
Sexual assault: Text descriptions (if player actively chooses responses implying it)
Emotional abuse: Text descriptions
PTSD: Graphic descriptions, text descriptions
Political content: Text descriptions
Additional Disclaimer: Please keep in mind that this game is not an otome game and is nowhere even near itand I am mainly reviewing this game as a visual novel, not as an otoge.
Okay, now that that’s out of the way. Let’s begin!
FIRST IMPRESSIONS To be perfectly honest I went in and played this game blindly expecting just another vampire-romance visual novel. It wasn’t. God, no…it certainly wasn’t.
The game’s prologue definitely portrayed a mysterious ambiance that initially piqued my interest. As a matter of fact, it was kind of amazing how the story pulled me in right away before I was even able to pick a route. For an OELVN, I find this quite impressive.
They were definitely not kidding about the content warnings though ~ because the story itself gets really mature and dark. That said, If you’re someone who gets easily triggered or extremely uncomfortable with the topics above, this game is probably not your cup of tea.
ART AND MUSIC
The game’s art style is not your typical anime-esque VN art. Both the Sprites and CGs are more western-like, but my god, they are absolutely gorgeous! The play of dark and vibrant colors, the shading and the intricate designs of the character sprite’s clothing, it was definitely a sight for sore eyes. As someone who’s not really into the western-like art styles in OELVNs, this is really saying a lot! I mean, just look at this masterpiece below!
The in-game experience of Red Embrace Hollywood also wouldn’t be the same without its lovely soundtrack. The unique BGM choices fit the game perfectly to a T. RE:H’s music was brought to us by none other than the indie producer/composer “Murcielo”. Sadly, I couldn’t find any of the game’s BGM track’s in this artist’s site, I can only hope that Argent Games will release the soundtrack available for purchase pretty soon.
MAIN CHARACTERS AND ROUTES Let’s get down to the nitty-gritty stuff. I feel like the game’s routes and their respective dialogues were the crème de la crème in RE:H. Each character has their own distinctive personalities and I have to applaud the authors for writing them in an ambiguous way where they won’t reveal too much about a specific character unless you as the protagonist really wants to get to know them. That being said, your choices truly matter in this game.
All the characters are problematic.Please keep in mind that they are not your uwu prince-charming ikemen type who’s come to sweep you off your feet.No sir!
Rather, they were very realistic and dissecting them allows you, the player to draw your own conclusion and interpretation of their stories. We have Heath the romantic Iscari, Marcus the cryptic, cynical Golgotha and Randal the carefree Mavvar. Though despite these first-hand stereotypes given away at the beginning, there’s definitely more to them than meets the eye.
I won’t recommend any route orders, so play whichever route you feel like playing first. The game has three different character paths, each having four to five different endings. There are some endings that will only unlock if you meet certain conditions and requirements. For example, Markus’s “true” ending won’t unlock unless you finish his 3rd ending, Heath’s 4th and Randal’s 5th ending.
MARKUS
House: Golgotha Allegiance: ???
I wear my sunglasses at night so I can, so I can… 🎵
cryptic, cynical
lives in a sex shop
I started with Markus’s route first because I find his black wavy locks sexy af! Yes, I am typically shallow like that 😆 (laughs). ~Markus is a man of contradictions. His cynical personality makes it difficult for others to read or understand him. Thus, making other vampires question his true allegiance or wonder where he truly stands in the ongoing (vampire) war.
Right off the bat, I was instantaneously pulled into Markus’s dark humor and his oblique insights. It was quite charming so to speak. Whether it was his playful dark musings or his cryptic dialogue that drew me in, I feel like I was able to connect with this character on a deeper level and I really love it when a certain game gives you that feeling.
***Some Spoilers Below
Depending on the choices you make, Markus can also come as strongly asexual. Even if he has deeper feelings for you, he just couldn’t care about sex in a relationship and he believes that the best “love” that suits him greatly (towards you) is loving you from a distance. To be honest, the scene where he tells you this, broke my heart but what’s funny is that I actually enjoyed the emotional outburst. 💔😅
HEATH
House: Iscari Allegiance: L.A. Iscari
romantic, soft
mommy issues
runs a bar called ‘Saturnalia’
I played Heath’s route second because his interactions with you in Markus’s route gives off this foreboding, eerie feeling of uncertainty. Plus, there were a couple of red flags about him that was foreshadowed from the jump. This all the more piqued my curiosity for this character. I was seriously getting some yandere vibes off him from the get-go so I was expecting some yandere-ish turn of events… Only to find out that he’s not yandere… but way worse(depending on how you look at it).
***Some Spoilers Below
Heath is quite an interesting character study. Although the game was clear that none of the love interests are, how should I say… “healthy”, I believe Heath was the most unstable of them all and not in a destructively crazy & disturbing kind of fashion. Heath is seriously in dire need of emotional/mental help and I believe that he was looking to get this from you, and expected you to save him from his trauma and misery. This character was emotionally draining and again I am so thankful that the writers never held back in portraying him this way. I think this character was written to make you feel heavily forlorn and somewhat uncomfortable and boi does this route deliver that to your doorstep!
Ngl, I really liked this route so much but I can’t deny that his endings made me feel really depressed.😥
RANDAL
House: Mavvar Allegiance: Mavvar Rebels
Mavvar house leader
loud, follows no rules
doodle artist
I went in for Randal last since his character design was my least favorite, unfortunately.
Randal, the fierce leader of the Mavvar house believes that the vampires in LA should be able to embrace their own freedom and no one should put any rules in their necks. Almost all the Mavvar vampires respect him and stay loyal only to him.
At first, I didn’t like the Mavvars as I personally don’t like loud, rowdy, rebellious groups in general, so this house already turned me off from the start. However, playing this path totally changed my entire impression about their faction and it was so refreshing to see Randal turning out as not the stereotype character I deemed him to be.
Honestly, for a minute, I thought that Randal’s route was the closest to getting me into some type of a “not-so-bitter ending” in the romance category but nope! His route was downright sad that I even shed a few tears after unlocking his special ending.
GAMEPLAY AND MECHANICS It was pretty fascinating to be able to pick your gender and customize your own character at the start of the game. For a visual novel, with a self-insert protagonist, the customization part was a breath of fresh air.
The CGs basically change the MC’s appearance too, depending on how you customized your avatar.
I played the game both in my PC and Macbook. It lagged a few times on my PC especially in certain parts where it needed to show a CG but it ran pristinely well on my Macbook, so I believe this is more of a hardware issue on my end lol (my macbook obviously had better specs 😂 rofl) rather than specific game bugs which I believe devs already got rid of at launch.
TRAILER
FINAL THOUGHTS ( ◡‿◡ ) Vampire lores are pretty tricky to establish in forms of western fiction and entertainment. So really, these stories are either a hit or a miss for me. Admittedly, I am a sucker for the genre, so I tend to give them a chance, though if it’s not of Anne Rice’ standard, I usually sweep them under the rug. It’s quite surprising how Red Embrace: Hollywood’s enigmatic introduction stood out to me after only an hour of playing it… before I knew it, I was hooked!
Gameplay-wise, It literally took me 25-30 hours (in a span of three weeks) to unlock most of the juicy parts in RE:H, and I haven’t fully completed the game yet to a 100%. With all three routes having 4-5 different endings, plus two common route endings, the game gives you a whopping total of 15 glorious, bone-breaking conclusions.
The vampire politics that was introduced in the game was none other than a plot device that gets the story moving forward. The true main highlight of RE:H was the story’s fleshed out and uniquely made characters that will outright throw you into a frenzy of reality-checks one after another.
The writing most of all for Red Embrace: Hollywood was top notch. Clearly one of the best I’ve read this year who’s not afraid to explore on the darker side of reality. At its core, I believe the game was meant to be played with an open mind ~where it basically forces players to take a gander on the hard aspects of life. Yes, it is grim, very edgy with lots of triggers and it is meant to make you feel you uncomfortable and glum.
On the not-so-gloomy side of things though, the game gets you to think & reflect (deeply) and lets you into lots of thought processing afterwards. Ha! Not all visual novels give you that sort of impact so this one is a major plus in my book.
I really like this game to heart but that’s also because I believe I was the target audience for it. Mind you, this game does not promise any kind of happy nor bittersweet endings that will satisfy your vampire-romance thirst. No, this isn’t Twilight and No, this isn’t Diabolik Lovers…lol Nope! 😂
Do I recommend this game? YES
While I do love me some fluffy dark fantasy stories to escape reality from time to time, I am equally impressed with visual novels that possess certain dark lamentations that don’t hold back in presenting you the most abhorrent actualities in life. To me, playing RE:H is like taking multiple shots of Jameson in one night. You know it’s gonna get you f*cked up the morning after, but you do it anyway, because heck! You just can’t say no to good-quality whiskey! (laughs)
This blog has been on hiatus for months (been playing too much rpgs that my otome gaming has been paused for as long as I can remember), but alas! Here we are, trying to get back on track for another otome review. Today, I’ll be reviewing, Black Wolves Saga (Bloody Nightmare). Take note, this will probably be my last PS Vita Otoge review. I will be covering otome games for the Switch going forward unless they’ll release a new one for the dead vita console which I highly doubt at this point.
The PS Vita version of BWS contains two games, Bloody Nightmare, and Last Hope. They basically follow the same story, except that Bloody Nightmare centers its story more on the cat faction while Last Hope leans more on the wolves’ POVs. Please also note that this visual novel is ‘Japanese-only’ and does not have an official western release. That said, it took me months to finish this game because I can’t kanji😭(sob!). Thankfully, there was an unofficial fansub released back in 2016 which was a huge help, if you’re like me who constantly struggles to understand certain kanji phrases. Don’t forget to give the translators a big thank you if you’re using their fansub!
I know this is kind of a hard pill to swallow, but since this is a Rejet game, I don’t think it’ll ever get localized. Rejet is *kind of* one of those companies that don’t like localizing their games due to piracy issues. ┐(‘～` )┌
ART AND MUSIC
Everyone who’s played Period Cube ~Shackles of Amadeus~ would instantly notice Black Wolves Saga’s similar art style, and yes! you’ve guessed it right! It’s done by the same illustrator, Kuruyoki. I am a BIG fan of this artist, so I have nothing but full praises of her works. You can visit her Pixiv profile here.
Fun Fact: Black Wolves Saga’s opening theme, Dear Despair was performed by (our beloved seiyuu) Yuki Kaji, who also voices the character, Rath in the game. Listen to this awesome OP track below:
Voice Acting
Kishou Taniyama “Guillan Guinor” – Ikki (Amnesia), Ren Tsukimori (Kiniro no Corda), Natsuki (Utapri), Gunji (Togainu no Chi), Vince Lugan (Jakou no Lyla)
Miki Shinichirou“Nesso Galland” – Hijikata (Hakuoki), Mr. Buckethead (Bad Apple Wars), Yuzuki Murakumo (7’scarlet)
Toshiyuki Morikawa “Arles V. Felnoir” – Carla Tsukinami (Diabolik Lovers), Lizaru Shanasa (Jakou no Lyla), Moutoku (Sangoku Rinseki), Rai (Lamento Beyond the Void)
Yoshimasa Hosoya “Julian” – Yamato (Psychedelica of the Black Butterfly), Loki (Kamigami no Asobi), Yukimura Sanada (Ikemen Sengoku), Yusuke Asahina (Brothers Conflict), Kira Rintarou (Kenka Banchou Otome)
I have to say I was overwhelmingly impressed by how deep most of the characters could go in their routes (especially dem cats). I think the stories are more inclined with their own development as a character rather than a romantic partner to the heroine. Truth be told, I actually found it fun deciphering and piecing together their true individual nature as well as their main goals regardless if it’s inherently aiming for a good cause or the worst turn of events.
My recommended route order would be the following: Mejojo — Auger — Julian — Rath — Arles — Guillan — Zara — Nesso.
I’ll try to keep the spoilers to a minimum but here’s my spoiler banner to remind you all to read or skim with caution!
MEJOJO VON GARIBALDI
major inferiority complex
Dom af
Mejojo von Garibaldi is the crown prince of Weblin. Fiona often describes him as this beautiful and perfect prince of the kingdom. However, despite his princely exterior, Mejojo seems rather self-important and single-minded. He also has this unhealthy obsession of wanting to obtain the heroine as his bride and will stop at nothing to see that through.
I picked Mejojo’s route first because all I ever thought of was “Sakurai voices him, this route must be immensely good”. Boi, was I wrong! LOL
Well, actually, let me take that back! (laughs). It’s not that I didn’t enjoy this route. In fact, I REALLY love Mejojo’s story! It’s his romance with the heroine (if there was any) that I had a love-hate relationship with. Mejojo was very possessive from the get-go and this possessiveness was consistent all throughout his route. He’s an absolute control freak and this was all explained in the common story as to why and apparently expounded more as you go further towards his endings.
I feel like his “feelings” for Fiona simply gravitated on the fact that she was a vessel of something he could never obtain before, and acquiring her was his way of satisfying a deeper accomplishment. More than anything, It’s as if the heroine became somewhat his trophy wife. Both his good and bad endings have no redemption and I actually applaud the writers for portraying him as is.
As far as the heroine’s POV, at one point I can actually understand how she felt towards Mejojo. How Fiona still has this trickle of hope that she can one day, change him when in reality there really isn’t anything she can do. He will continuously show his good side, so long as she remains his possession. It’s very intriguing how this somehow resembles an abusive relationship in real life, where the ‘abusee’ tricks herself to believe that everything’s fine and that life is good with her partner when on the contrary, it clearly isn’t.
Anyway, I enjoy a good problematic character route and Mejojo’s story definitely takes the cake. This was actually one of my favorite routes in BWS (laughs). The complexity of his backstory vehemently piqued my interest for some reason that I found it fascinating how much substance this character has.
AUGERVON GARIBALDI
S&M
sticks and stones may break my bones but chains and whip excite meee!♪
Auger von Garibaldi is Mejojo’s younger twin brother. A care-free young lad who has no interest to rule Weblin and would rather spend all of his time doing his beloved older brother ‘s bidding regardless of how morally reprehensible they might be. He seems to enjoy it most that way.
After finishing Mejojo’s story, I already knew what I was getting into, doing Auger’s route next. I can probably write a three-page essay about this character, explaining his rather, hedonistic actions but to make it less spoiler-ey, I have to say, Auger has THEmost interesting personality of all the major characters in this game. There’s absolutely nothing romantic or anything of the sort in his route. I still think to this day about Auger’s driving force in doing all the questionable (not to mention disturbing) things he’s done and I could come up with a couple of theories that would possibly fall into the same category. Total Madness.
His good and bad endings gave me several impressions of how far long gone his humanity has receded from view and if there are any shards of it left, there’s probably no way to put em all back to place. As to why Fiona chooses him in his route, I have absolutely no clue nor words to defend it since no sane person would ever fall in love with a sicko unless they are sickos themselves too! lmao.
I expected f*cked up events going through Auger’s story and his route definitely delivers it with flying colors! Again, I applaud the writers for not even making any effort on excusing Auger’s behavior because I believe, this was the point of his story. Cutthroats don’t need reasons to be ruthlessly cruel. This character literally belongs in an asylum with barred steel doors. Fall in love with him and you get Auger’s route in a nutshell.
JULIAN
broken cinnamon bun
Some major spoilers ahead!
Julian is a gardener in the kingdom of Weblin who also became Fiona’s caretaker and her only friend when she started living in the castle. He is a soft-spoken young man who’s very kind and gentle to the heroine. Although he’s a very polite persona upfront, it is apparent that he possesses a lurking dark mystery around him that makes Julian more than meets the eye.
It was kind of nice to get into Julian’s route, after clearing the problem twin’s out of the way. It was a breath of fresh air to finally see the heroine having great relationship dynamics with a love interest. But good gawd! His psychotic tendencies were pretty horrifying and I’m not even talking about his “broken state”.
Just like Mejojo and Auger’s route, Julian’s story was a terrific character study where you can definitely see great depths of an abnormal psychological background. It was safe to say that his instant switch from being a calm, cuddly bun-bun to a disturbing psychopath stems from the torture he received from Mejojo and Auger and that it only activates when they’re around. What’s funny is that going down his “true ending” gave me more chills and goosebumps than finishing his good and bad end. The game made it very clear that Julian’s broken-ness definitely took a toll on him all the way where he can never be fixed.
Julain’s True Ending
Yes, he remained loving and gentle to Fiona. His true ending could’ve never been a perfect romantic story for the heroine. She and her love are finally free from torment and Weblin is a non-chaotic place again. But, here’s the catch, is Julian really cured of his broken state? Is it safe to assume that with the help of the heroine, he was finally healed from the mental suffering he for so long endured? I think this demented ending was honestly clear of depicting a person who can anytime become unhinged, unknowingly. Can’t say I didn’t enjoy it fully! (laughs)
RATH VOGART
fluffy munchkin
a good boi
Rath Vogart is the younger brother of Arles V. Felnoir, the leader of the wolf pack. Rath was separated from his big brother after their family was slaughtered under the command of Mejojo and Auger during the time when the entire kingdom of Weblin turned against the wolf race. In the prologue, we can see both wolf brothers reuniting after many years.
Rath is a very quiet character and remains very impassive towards the world and almost everyone in BWS. He has pretty much accepted the unfortunate fate of the wolf race and that changing their destinies is never a possibility in his point of view. His body also suffers from Zodiva, an uncured illness that was said to have come from the wolves, threatening almost everyone in Weblin.
I’ll get straight to the point here and say, Rath’s route in Bloody Nightmare was completely copped out that it basically ended in the middle of his story!Wth! I want my money back! I guess this is due to the fact that ‘Bloody Nightmare’ merely focused on establishing the cat’s backstory while ‘Last Hope’ does the same for the wolves. I see what you did there Rejet!
Though this game campaign positively worked in getting you really immersed in Weblin’s storyline, I couldn’t help but feel disappointed how Rath’s route ended. He didn’t even get to confess his feelings for Fiona sob! It’s a shame because he was also the character I was gunning for this whole time. He was such a mysterious, sweet and adorable character,(top it off with Yuki Kaji’s voice acting *cries*) and the build-up of his story was really interesting only to end up abruptly in an open-ended phase.
Guess, I’m gonna have to muscle through the kanji off Last Hope to know what actually happened next! (laughs)
ARLES V. FELNOIR
the silver wolf king
bittersweet
Arles is the leader of the wolf pack. He’s now known as the “King of the Wolves” after the wolf raid in Weblin. Before their unfortunate fate, he was a well-known knight in Weblin but was later labeled a traitor who fled the castle for his crimes. His main goal is to get revenge on the Garibaldi twins and ensure justice for his people. Despite Arles’s, hatred towards Weblin and his brooding anger for Mejojo, he still possesses a gentle personality towards his family and his wolf brethren. Hence why everyone in the wolf clan respects him and follow him as their leader.
I believe I have liked Arles’s character more than I expected in this game. His backstory, although frustratingly sad, was also really bittersweet. You’d be able to tell why the character resents everyone in the kingdom so much, that he’s turned himself into a murderous monster, just as how Mejojo has spread the lies around the country about the once fallen knight of Weblin.
The heroine, who later on finds out about Arles’s gentle side, develops a sense of attachment towards him which was seemingly believable even though they obviously lacked some relationship build-up in this route. Though I’ve quite enjoyed his interactions with Fiona, his scenes with her left me unsatisfied as it was always cut short. In the end, I kept wondering whether Arles’s feelings for her were genuinely true or was it all because she resembled his dead fiance, Elvira and that protecting her was some kind of redemption he needed to accomplish?
Same with Rath’s route, Arles’s story lacked so much in both depth and romance because Bloody Nightmare’s main focus is on the cat faction. Thankfully his good ending didn’t end as awful and short as Rath’s (or else I’ll go completely ballistic! *laughs*). In fact, I believe I’ve actually enjoyed how realistic it (his good end) turned out to be.
GUILLAN GUINOR
bloodlust-ish
oujidere?
Guillan is Arles’ right hand or rather, the second-in-command captain of the wolf faction. Very little is known about this character’s past nor background except that Guillan is very loyal to the wolf clan. He respects Arles as his leader and even proves his devotion to his king (in Arles’s route).
Despite his bloodthirsty exterior, we can all assume that Guillan’s personality is actually rather childlike that the heroine has even pointed out how he looked cute when she pats his fur (in his wolf form) or whenever he asks for her praises.
Guillan literally acts like a kid or I guess, I should say, the playful cub in the wolf pack. He’s pretty much like this all throughout his route. Romantic wise, this is perhaps a yay or nay depending on your preferences. Do you really want to romance someone who acts like a child? lol I mean it’s cute and all, I even thought of it as adorable to some extent. My main problem with his route is the fact that he gets no kind of backstory. His sudden shift from a bloodthirsty mad man to being a cuddly puppy wasn’t really clear to me either. Did the writers just outright design Guillan’s personality like this from the jump? I also wanted to know how he came about knowing Arles and why he devoted his life to following him. It may seem that Guillian’s little backstory will be covered in Last Hope, but since he’s an exclusive Bloody Nightmare love interest, I’m not too sure now (shrug).
His “True Ending” left me all (⊙_⊙)……….!
ZARA SKEENS
vanilla
childhood friend route
Zara Skeens is a war orphan whom the earl, Edgar Galland, the heroine’s father took in many years ago. He was appointed as Fiona’s caretaker while she lived alone in the tower her father built for her. Although Zara was only a mere butler in the Galland family, he was treated as a brother by Nesso and Fiona, to a point where his closeness to the Galland siblings are compared to none.
Zara has a natural talent for medicines and herbology. It is also because of him that the heroine was able to stay healthy all this time despite being a Lobeira (a person with a very weak body).
What can I say? I really liked Zara’s route but it was *kind of* too vanilla for this game. I guess this is a good thing because almost all the routes so far have been very edgy, so going down Zara’s story was such a relief! All throughout his route, and even on other’s, Zara was able to remain level headed, witty and very refined that I actually trust he wouldn’t do anything bad towards the heroine.
His backstory, though it wasn’t explored much was still very satisfying to read. You’ll basically understand where his motivations are coming from and why he decided to remain loyal and faithful serving Fiona and the Galland family. His relationship with the heroine was clearly established by the writers as the usual childhood-friend trope and although I am usually not a fan of these tropes, Zara’s was done unexpectedly good. It was also nice to see Fiona, discovering her own true feelings for him instead of just thinking of Zara as her butler. I had so much fun playing his story that I believe this was the only route where I didn’t get to twitch my eyebrows due to any odd or weird occurrences the game throws at you 😂 (laughs). Oh and I love both his good and bad endings. Zara’s story is one example of vanilla routes done right in an otome game. Kudos!
NESSO GALLAND
oniisan route
implied yand?
Nesso is the heroine’s older half-brother. That being said, he was born of the Earl’s first late wife. Nesso is also Weblin’s strongest Royal Knight and captain of the Gefreiter, an elite band of soldiers known for their incredible strengths and achievements in the kingdom of Weblin. Because of this, Nesso is always away on missions and spends less time visiting his half-sister Fiona in her tower in Sharlmessen.
Nesso has absolutely no qualms of declaring his love for Fiona and would even talk about wanting to marry his half-sister one day, (this may be a bit ‘eye-rolling’ but this is apparently acceptable in the Black Wolves Saga lore). He’s also very overprotective and is greatly in favor of keeping Fiona in the tower for her own safety as well as to keep her away from Mejojo, whom he knew was obsessed with his little sister.
I liked Nesso as a character in general. His route, however, just didn’t work for me. Even though it was perfectly explained how this ain’t a taboo in BWS… I just can’t with incestual routes, nope! It was a shame because I do believe Nesso was a great character in the game but as a love interest? Hell naw. Some “romantic” events in his route only made me uncomfortable that I just couldn’t wait to finish it. Ha!
Setting the incest aside (lol), I believe what actually made me enjoy playing Nesso’s story was his voice actor, Shinichirou Miki (voice of Hijikata in Hakuoki). I’ve been a big fan of this seiyuu since the first Hakuoki franchise so I guess I’m just being biased here when I say I “enjoyed” the route even though it literally made me feel awkward. Har har! Oh well! ┐(︶▽︶)┌
FIONA GALLAND (Main Heroine)
Born as a Lobeira (a person with a very weak body), Our heroine has been living in an enclosed tower of Sharlmessen for as long as she can remember. This was decided by her father, Edgar Galland and her half brother Nesso to keep Fiona away from harm and to preserve her weak body from contracting any disease that may end her life. Because of this, Fiona is completely oblivious to the madness and bloodshed that’s happening outside her home and all over the kingdom of Weblin.
I couldn’t really get myself to hate or dislike Fiona for her naivety and innocence because the game purposely implied her to be like that from the get-go knowing she grew up literally sheltered and ignorant to the darker side of life. I’ve expected her to be just another one of those standard otome heroines, but after finishing the entire Bloody Nightmare story, I strongly believe she isn’t. Quite the contrary, I feel that her character was well though-out. We sometimes judge heroines for their weakness and for making really dumb stupid decisions, but in Fiona’s case, it’s entirely different.
Her fate was already decided for her when she was born. People say, she could’ve been physically stronger but as a Lobeira, what choice could she possibly have? I also think her lack of common sense isn’t to blame for some of her mistakes (esp. on the twin’s route). Her sheltered upbringing played a big role with her being extremely naive and completely inexperienced and I think the writers were even relentless when showing this in the plot. Imagine growing up only knowing the good things in life (not to mention being confined in a secluded place due to health reasons), stepping into the real world for the first time literally means being thrown into the wolves… or crazy cats for that matter! (Pun unintended haha)
TRAILER / OPENING MOVIE
OVERALL THOUGHTS? (ﾉ´ヮ`)ﾉ*: ･ﾟ It took me such a long time to finish this game.Frankly speaking, this is entirely my fault after taking a break from otome gaming for months. However, gameplay-wise, I believe it’ll take you 30 hours to finish Black Wolves Saga Bloody Nightmare and another 20-30 hours to finish Last Hope. There were eight routes altogether and while I wouldn’t say it was a chore to finish, its linear storyline made it really mundane and repetitive after the third and fourth playthroughs.
Story-wise, I thought it was very good. The fantasy plot of Black Wolves Saga goes very deep in its roots regarding Weblin’s dark political history. However, since Bloody Nightmare’s all about the cat faction, I feel like the endings of other characters who aren’t, well… cats, were quite detached from the storyline. For example, in Zara and Nesso’s ending, it was never mentioned how Weblin’s ongoing war between factions was concluded. Did Auger and Mejojo completely eradicated the wolves existence? Where there any wolf survivors? Did Mejojo just let her bride which he was overly obsessed with for years, escape just like that?
Perhaps the writers intended for us to theorize our own closures and while I don’t mind this at all, I’d much prefer canon conclusions than letting my imagination run wild (cackles).
The routes/characters I liked in Bloody Nightmare were Rath, Arles, Zara and a special mention to my scum husbando, Mejojo lol. Rath and Arles’s route were cut short towards the end but I still enjoyed them nonetheless as main characters. Zara’s story was adorable and although his good ending was completely detached from the main plot-line, he still wins best boi in the romance category. Mejojo was a trash love interest but his story was extremely fun and interesting to explore.
Do I recommend this game? YES I have to warn you though, this visual novel is not for the faint of heart. If you’re looking for a nice fluffy, romantic otome story about cat bois and wolf husbandos look elsewhere as Black Wolves Saga ~ Bloody Nightmare is not that kind of otome game. I don’t even think it fits perfectly well as an “otome” title because the plot still works as it is, even if you take the romance out. That said, this game gives you that fascinating “ick” feeling when playing it. BWS is edgy and off the chain but I can assure you that the experience is definitely worth it especially if you’re into dark romantic thrillers in fiction.
If you’re curious enough to even consider picking this game up, I dare you to do it and experience the wild ride first hand. *wink*
NOTE:This post has been constantly updated with news on release dates as well as the game’s official english titles.
The wait is over ladies! As of today (July 5, 2019), Aksys Games confirmed several Otome titles that will grace the West in 2020 for the Nintendo Switch console.
During Aksys’ Anime Expo panel, the company who’s known to localize famous Otomate brand titles, have confirmed four games they’ll be bringing to the West in the next year.
Here’s a list of what we’ll have:
CODE REALIZE: Guardian of Rebirth and Future Blessings
Code Realize: Guardian of Rebirth and it’s first fandisc, Code Realize: Future Blessings are finally getting a Nintendo Switch Port. First of all, I assumed they would just port the PS4 Game, Code Realize: Bouquet of Rainbows (which basically consist of the two games in a bundle), but it looks like Aksys will be having them on separate cartridges. The release date for the following Code Realize games are as follows:
Code Realize: Guardian of Rebirth – February 6, 2020 Code Realize: Future Blessings – April 2020
If you’re new to the Code Realize Series, I’ve written reviews for both the first and second game, feel free to check em’ out below:
The famous crime-solving otome visual novel, Collar x Malice is finally getting a Switch port. To those who are new to this game, CxM became very popular in the West due to its heart-pounding mystery type story-line topped with its alluring cast of characters that will definitely drive you at the edge of your seat.
The series’ first fandisc, Collar x Malice Unlimited is on its way too. Both games will be released this summer of 2020.
Collar x Malice – June to September 2020 Collar x Malice Unlimited – June to September 2020
If you’re curious to know more about this title, feel free to check out my review of the first game here.
PIOFIORE: FATED MEMORIES
That’s right folks! This mafia themed otome game is finally coming to the West after getting a lot of well-received feedbacks from the Japanese market back when it was first released in 2018 for the PS Vita. The game’s original Japanese title was Piofore no Banshou but Aksys, has recently confirmed the game’s official English title as Piofore: Fated Memories. This title will have an end of the year release date in 2020.
Fun Fact: Piofore no Banshou’s first fandisc (Piofiore no Banshou – Episodio 1926) was recently announced during 2019’s Otomate Party in Japan. Hopefully the fandisc will make its way to the west too.
Read the game’s synopsis here.
View the game trailer here.
CAFE ENCHANTE
This one actually made me scream. (°◡°♡)
Cafe Enchante or Gensou Kissa Enchante (Japanese Title) was initially announced two years ago during 2018’s Otomate Party in Japan but it wasn’t until this year’s Otomate Party (2019) that we got to see more information about the game and it’s set of unique and interesting characters.
The game premise is about Kotone Awaki (protagonist) who inherits her grandfather’s cafe only to discover that none of the patrons are human.
Cafe Enchante will have an end of the year release date in 2020.
Fun Facts:
This game’s scenario writer is Nao Kojima, who’s notably known for his famous works: Hakuoki, Code Realize, and Variable Barricade.
The game’s head illustrator is the artist Yuuya. You’ll find some of her works very familiar if you’ve played the titles: Hanayaka Nari series, Dandy Shot “Pub Encounters” and Jakuo no Lyla.
Otomate has recently revealed a couple of upcoming new titles as well as new info and confirmed release dates of their previously announced games during the Otomate Party (2019) Event held in Tokyo International Convention Center, Japan.
There are currently twelve games (old and new) that were announced coming to the Nintendo Switch.
Spade no Kuni no Alice “Alice of the Spade Country”
Wonderful White World & Wonderful Black World
This new title is a revival of the Heart no Kuni no Alice series by Quinrose, now with the name Quinrose reborn under the Otomate brand. It’s predecessors, Heart no Kuni no Alice (2007), Clover no Kuni no Alice (2007), Joker no Kuni no Alice (2009), Diamond no Kuni no Alice (2012) were originally released as QuinRose titles in the Playstation Portable before the company went bankrupt in 2015.
Cupid Parasite is a love comedy otome game about a protagonist who’s a bridal matchmaker that’s also *secretly* a cupid (goddess) at the same time. Her goal is to help “five parasites” (five ikemens) who can’t find true love.
No further details have been revealed for this game, other than all the ikemens are “yokais” (non-human, demon/spirits). Seiyuus (Voice Actors) include Toshiyuki Toyonaga, Tatsuhisa Suzuki, Takahiro Sakurai, Yusuke Kobayashi, Ryouta Ohsaka.
Fun Fact: If you love the art for Bad Apple Wars, you will love this game’s character designs, as it’s created by the same artist Suou.
TOKEI SHIKAKE NO APOCALYPSE “CLOCKWORK APOCALYPSE”
Otomate teases us with a brief description of this new title as “A Story that starts with a Bad End”. Besides that, no further details have been revealed for this game yet.
This will be the first fandisc of 2018’s hit Otomate title Piofiore No Banshou. This fandisc will be written by Kazura Ringo and will be directed by Asahi Takamura. Both are the same screenwriter and director of the first game.
The game is developed and supervised by Ichi Column, the popular game studio known for their hit Hanayaka Nari series. No further details have been revealed for this game other than its setting will be in the Meiji Period (😂just like how the title gives it away lol).
Here are all of the characters, full body screenshots below:
Rejoice! Our favorite title, Amnesia Memories finally gets a Nintendo Switch Port. This game is confirmed to release September 12, 2019. Furthermore, the game’s first and second fandisc, Amnesia Crowd and Later, will also be making it’s way to the switch console. The bundled fandisc of Crowd and Later is set to release on October 3, 2019.
…And if the previous title didn’t satisfy you, get a load of this!
Collar x Malice and Collar x Malice Unlimited will be storming its way to the Nintendo Switch Otome market in 2020. In addition, an anime adaptation of the series is currently in the works!
They’ve actually pre-announced this game during last year’s Otomate Party (2018). Sadly, this title’s release date was pushed back to 2020. The game was designed by the famous Japanese Illustrator Satoi who’s very popular for her famous works in Diabolik Lovers series, Re: Birthday Song series and Ozmafia.
Just like Olympia Soriee, this game was also pre-announced during last year’s Otomate party (2018). Bilshanka Senki Genpeiden is a collaboration between Red Entertainment and Otomate. Its release date was also pushed back to 2020.
The story premise takes place around the Heian period during the civil war of Genpei (1180-1185), opposing the two clans Yorimoto and Taira. Most of the main characters are inspired by real personalities of the time. The heroine is the last daughter of the Minamoto and is named Shanaou, birth name of the famous General Minamoto no Yoshitsune.
Seiyuus (Voice Actors) include Makoto Furukawa, Soma Saito, Kengo Kawanishi, Yuichiro Umehara, and Jun Fukuyama.
To end this roundup with a bang. Here, we have more deets and a confirmed release date for the game Gensou Kissa Enchante. The game premise is about a young girl, Kotone Awaki (protagonist) who inherits her grandfather’s cafe only to discover that none of the patrons are human.
Fun Fact: This game’s scenario writer is Nao Kojima, who’s widely known for his famous works: Hakuoki, Code Realize, and Variable Barricade. The game’s head illustrator is the ever popular Japanese artist Yuuya. You’ll find some of her works very familiar if you’ve played the titles: Hanayaka Nari series, Dandy Shot “Pub Encounters” and Jakuo no Lyla.
Seiyuus (Voice Actors) include Kenji Akabane, Yuichiro Umehara, Kaito Ishikawa, Yuki Ono and Junichi Suwabe.
Interested? Check out these CG screenshots taken from the game’s trailer!
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Does this game makes you thirs– er, hungry or what?! 😂 Gensou Kissa Enchante is confirmed to release on October 10, 2019.
Game Title: Enchanted In The Moonlight Release Date: June 13, 2019 (North America)
Developers: Voltage Inc.
Publishers: Voltage Inc.
The hit mobile otome game by Voltage Inc. is now out in the Eshop (North America) and should now be available to purchase. Originally released as a mobile port back in June 2014, Enchanted In The Moonlight: Miyabi, Kyoga & Samon and Enchanted In The Moonlight: Kiryu, Chikage & Yukinojo can now be played in the Nintendo Switch Console.
Click here for Enchanted In The Moonlight: Miyabi, Kyoga & Samon downloadable content (Nintendo Eshop).
Click here for Enchanted In The Moonlight: Kiryu, Chikage & Yukinojo downloadable content (Nintendo Eshop).
STORY(Nintendo Eshop)
You’re an average, 25-year-old girl whose life consists of working at the local library, keeping up your family’s shrine, and not much else.
However, that all changes when gorgeous men save you from mysterious, malevolent forces! These men aren’t all they appear to be, though. They’re actually Ayakashi Spirits!
You discover that your blood is imbued with an ancient power, one that the spirit world covets, and these handsome strangers are willing to protect you… for a price, that is.
Are you ready to make a deal with these otherworldly creatures?
VOICED? NO
The two Voltage games are both available in Japanese and English language. According to Voltage’s official website, two more “unknown titles” are set to release for the Switch this year, so let’s all be on a lookout for it.
For more otome games available in the Nintendo Switch, click this link.
