Last month, I explored the world of otome mobile games on the Google Play marketplace over at Women Write About Comics. If you’ve not read it, then this one might be a little confusing! Following my initial thoughts, I continued to play many of the games. In some cases, it was because I wanted to see it through. There were some genuine moments, however, where I just enjoyed the stories presented. A month on, here are my thoughts on specific games I’ve tried.
NTT Solmare Corp.
A quick distinction from my original article – there are pay AND free games by NTT Solmare Corp. Any game with a + at the end is a free game. Some games have both pay and free versions, but not all. For example, “Guilty Alice” only has a pay version, “Ninja Destiny+” only has a free version, and “Mononoke Kiss(+)” is available in both free and pay.
So far, I have only tried the free versions. This is to decide whether the stories are worth paying for or not…Mixed views on this. So far, the two games I WOULD absolutely pay for outright have no pay options!
-
Mononoke Kiss+ (also available in pay version)
- Being the first game I tried, it feels slow as hell! The checkpoints get harder to clear at an exponential rate, almost like it’s trying to force you to pay for items with real money. For example, last gateway requires 11 passports! They cost 1,000 in-game currency each, or you have to wait for them in the login bonuses once/twice a week. It’s taking me days to get past this…
- The Love Meter is slow to fill up. Having to wait and spend so much in-game currency on the item checkpoint, I’ll have to wait even further to buy some love meters, since it’s been so slow.
- In terms of characters and plot, it’s okay. The game has been going on so long, it feels, that I don’t have a feel for any of the other characters except Raizo, whom I’m romancing. He’s also okay – for some reason, it’s just not anything to write home about.
- Ultimately, I’ve uninstalled this game because after a certain point, you can’t use Love Meter boosts. I switched to a spin-off while I earned enough zeni to buy one. Once I bought one, however, I had to switch back to the main story to apply it correctly, which automatically put me past the point of using it! There seemed little point in finishing it if the ending wasn’t going to be the good one, and I don’t have the stamina to play through any of these stories again.
-
Verdict: Passable, but slow
-
Angel of Devil+ (also available in pay version)
- This one is slow as well, but not as slow as Mononoke’s Kiss, considering both of them are at the end and I started MK first. Checkpoints seem stacked near the end to get you to pay. It feels like I only just cleared a checkpoint, when a few more chapters yields another one with an even steeper requirement.
- The Love Meter progression is also slow. I had to use at least two meter boosts to get into the “good ending” territory. I’ll probably need another one or two to reach “best ending.”
- I’m not sure how I feel about the story’s premise in general. I enjoy Ruvel’s story moderately, but Latis and Diaval don’t seem interesting at all. I’m not so keen on the second set of guys either.
- I’ve also uninstalled this one. As I earned more money to buy the checkpoint items I needed to pass Ruvel’s test, I started another character’s story: Raug. That was a mistake. One creepy sleaze in the game is bad enough, but Raug is just another of the same. It was uncomfortable to play, and all four kisses between the lead and him were forced, to the point that she was paralysed by some mysterious force and anything could have happened. Ew. No. Yuck. Unclean. Burn it with fire.
-
Verdict: Too many creepers, not enough pepper spray.
-
Ninja Love+ (also available in pay version)
- The gameplay is okay. The background story is a little confusing though. I’m not sure where most of it is going really, or how the premise makes any sense. Kotaro is the silent broody type, but he’s also boring… I might have to try again with someone else, just to give it a fair shake.
- Completing the game once unlocks the Leaders as romance options – Hanzo and Nobunaga. Hanzo seems to be a fan favourite and the possibility of romancing Nobunaga, the antagonist of the main storyline, sounds intriguing. I just hope he’s not an outright villain in all respects. The love meter here is also slow to grow. That, or I just can’t read Kotaro enough to know what to say. It could be that…
-
Verdict: Passable, maybe?
-
Ninja Destiny+
- This is one of my favourites so far. It sports simpler gameplay and is easier to get through. In general, the storyline is more substantial than some others. Amnesia sounds like a cop-out, but it just seems to work here. Yoshitsune is swoony, to say the least. He was a good first choice, being a charismatic young general, torn between love and his sense of duty. The other characters look promising as well, like Benkei, Hyuga and Noritsune (the ‘enemy’ general). They all seem interesting, so I’m spoiled for choice (for once).
- The love meter is different here as well – rather than full or empty, it’s a two-ended spectrum. The far right is the “sweet ending”, which was really easy to fill to with Yoshitsune. The far left is the “honey ending”. I have no idea how easy/hard it is to get this one, or what choices would go that way. It’s an interesting concept though, as it doesn’t necessarily mean one ending is “best” or “good” compared to the other.
- I finished Yoshitsune’s storyline with full “sweet” ending, and I wasn’t disappointed. It had a decent plot twist at the end that I didn’t see coming. I’ve since started again with Benkei. I figured the storyline would run similar to Yoshitsune’s, since he featured so prominently in it, but he’s actually been given a storyline of his own. I’m now eager to see his story through and switch to someone else, maybe Hyuga or maybe someone who doesn’t surround Yoshitsune through the story like Goyo.
- This is one of the games I would pay for the storylines if I had the choice. Unfortunately, it is also one of the only games without a pay version to accompany it. I have to wonder if that is part of the reason for its ease of play, since you have no other chance.
-
Verdict: Really enjoying it so far, will keep playing it
-
Ninja Assassin+
- Another one of my favourites. Out of the first three guys, none of them seem like creeps! From the second set of three, one doesn’t like women, which makes me wonder how the hell his story will work. They’ve also recently updated with a seventh character, who appears in the normal storyline as a childhood friend.
- The Love meter is slow again and the mini-game checkpoints are annoying. Item checkpoints don’t see as hard as ones like Mononoke’s Kiss though.
- This is another one that I would pay for the storylines, and another where I don’t have that option. Worse still, things like the love meter boosts are only purchasable with real money, whereas other games make them available with in-game currency, too.
-
Verdict: Enjoying this one as well, will keep playing it
-
Nilfheim+
- I’m torn on this one. I find some of the guys really interesting, and others not. For example, Philippe and Jean look interesting, given their trailers and spin-offs. But Orlando is too crass with others for me – I don’t like his mannerisms. The Pale Ghost is a curiosity, but not much more at this point. And, sorry, J.J., but I really don’t like zombies, so that cuts you out of the running. Also, why isn’t Victor an option yet? And, throw in a curveball – make Sunny a romance option! I’d love to run after her.
- This game uses a different love meter mechanic than others, two meters called Intimacy and Trust. Your decisions raise them both differently, with a threshold to reach in either to get the Love Ending or the Mystical Ending. It seems slow to fill as well and it’s not always easy to tell which option will boost which meter.
-
Verdict: Will play through this story, possibly play Jean and The Pale Ghost later. Will avoid Orlando like the plague.
Voltage Inc.
To be honest, I’ve avoided Voltage games, after the creeper Chiaki from Our Two Bedroom Story. Deciding that trying only one was unfair, I downloaded another two to see what I thought. I’ve still not paid for any of the storylines in them, trying to gauge whether I should or not.
-
Our Two Bedroom Story
- At first, I was convinced that Minato would be the creeper. And while he is way too familiar with you, he is nothing compared to the creepiness of Chiaki. Just…no. While I am interested in the stories of Shusei, Akiyoshi and potentially Kaoru, I am loathe to give money to a game that has any potentially-abusive options as romance.
-
Verdict: No. While some of the guys look decent, I can’t support a game with someone like Chiaki as a romance option. It’s not romance, it’s sexual, verbal and mental abuse.
-
Dreamy Days in West Tokyo
- I’ve completed the Prologue and Chapter 1 for each character like I did with Our Two Bedroom Story. I was so worried that there was going to be another Chiaki situation with Rihito (Richy). Luckily, so far, it doesn’t seem to be the case (though that could change – he’s a bit borderline). I might actually invest in one of these – which is a problem because a lot of the guys are interesting. Except Ichigo – he’s just an asshole. Screw that.
-
Verdict: I may actually give this a go, but will tread carefully with Richy. He seems interesting, but he could easily fall into the Creeper-Trap.
-
10 Days with My Devil
- I don’t know what I was thinking here. So far, nothing has seemed really creepy – however, I still just have a weird feeling about half the guys. There’s only one or two guys I’d probably try – I don’t know if it’s worth the time and effort then…
-
Verdict: Not going to pursue this one. It just seems rife with trap-opportunity and I’d rather not be stressed while playing a romance game, wondering if my character will be molested at any point.
KOYONPLETE Inc.
I know a lot of people hate the Jewel spinner system – that said, you CAN outright buy the game with a “Novel Passport”. I don’t mind it, really. In terms of the games, these ones have been the easiest to get into and get going. However, they tend to read more like visual novels than traditional dating sims, and there’s no progress bar in many of them to show you how well you’re doing.
-
Love! Sushi Rangers
- If you want something quick, simple, light-hearted and free, this is a good one. I managed to play through two guys (Maguro and Yu) with relative ease and with full best endings. After I played those two, however, I wasn’t very interested in the other guys and stopped. They may update this further, as there are two more guys in the group to yet have stories, but who knows?
- The storyline is ridiculous, to say the least, but being such a light-hearted game, that’s part of its charm. Don’t expect anything too serious here.
- This game does have an “affinity” bar, and it’s easy to keep progress. They also warn you when you’re at the end of the game and can spend your daily points on raising this affinity bar before proceeding, which was a much appreciated touch.
-
Verdict: Good simple game, but interest can start to wane after a couple playthroughs.
-
Seal of Lycoris – Yuie, Tomoyuki and Cain
- I’m playing all three storylines at once. Yuie can die in a fire, for all I care. I don’t know why, but I just do NOT like him. I think it may be his narrow-mindedness for revenge and his complete disregard for human life. That’s kind of a turn-off. The vampire Cain, who wants to kill you, is a more sympathetic character. If you play Yuie’s storyline, you actually become more sympathetic for Cain when playing his own storyline. I’m not sure that’s how it’s supposed to work…
- So far, I’m enjoying Tomoyuki and Cain’s storylines, probably Tomoyuki’s more because it’s a more personal story at the moment. I have no idea where I am with any of the guys, or how many chapters I have left, because there is no bar to check…
-
Verdict: Enjoying these ones, maybe except for Yuie. But that’s more of a personal preference. I’ll be seeing these through.
-
Mystical Butterfly – Genbu
- I’m torn on this one as well. As annoying as the heroine is sometimes, it’s not because she is weak, but because she is a tsundere – that’s something new and I kind of like her sass. That said, the story feels a bit all over the place. It’s not very cohesive and at this point, Genbu likes me but I’m not really sure why because we’ve not spent that much time together…Oh well, I’ll take it, I guess?
-
Verdict: Could take it or leave it. Nothing creeper so far, but also not a very smooth storyline.
-
Devil in My Arms
- This is actually a visual novel, so don’t expect any choices. So far, I still like the story. I know I shouldn’t, but I do. I’m a little worried about how Charles will develop, since I now know he is the cold, manipulative romantic interest in the sequel “Devil Beside Me”, which involves him buying a woman’s will for a month because she is in debt and needs money. Yeah, that sounds like rainbows and kittens…But maybe they’ll surprise me. Who knows? I’m also interested to see what Michael does, now that I’m at a point where he’s not with the main protagonist and Charles has “forbidden” him from seeing her.
-
Verdict: I shouldn’t want to read it, but I do. Can’t take eyes away…
-
PureLove – Masa and Kana
- Well, I finally hit one of them with KOYONPLETE. Creeper alert, man your battlestations! In this series, you are a Chinese woman, living in Japan as an exchange student. You are discovered by an agency to become a model, thanks to your foreign exoticness. Alongside you will be the veteran idol group Pureness, and you will also debut with the new group PureBoys. You are able to romance anyone from these two groups, totalling 3 older men and 2 younger. Masa is from Pureness, and older brother to Kana of PureBoys.
- I thought trying both brothers out at the same time would be interesting (how naughty of me!). I found, however, that in a storyline other than their own, the other male leads are at risk of being creepers, rendered into “tense” storyline devices. For instance, in Masa’s storyline, his little brother Kana jumps you (at the insistence that it’s “your fault”), only for Masa to interrupt. But in Kana’s story, his partner Sou is the one to make the creep moves on you! It seems that no one is inherently a creeper in their own story, but they are all subject to fits of sexual assault when they’re not the star. While I appreciate that no storyline is highlighting non-consensual force as a romance, it’s regrettable that any of the men other than your LI may break into Rapist-Rash at any point to keep the story interesting. Because of this – uninstalled both.
-
Verdict: No, uninstalled. Sexual assault shouldn’t be relied on to create tension in a romance game.
D3 Publisher
This was another company I discovered after my initial article. Interestingly, they tend to have animation for when characters speak and move, which was kind of neat after all the stationery images. It felt more like the PC-based games. I didn’t give the game much to it, as I thought it was devouring my battery at the time. It turned out just to be my battery, though.
I may give SOME of their games a try later on. They only have a handful of titles and half of them look sketchy, to be honest.
- The one I tried, “The Amazing Shinsengumi”, had a promising start. I was worried one guy would be a creeper, but you can actually alert him to this discomfort and he immediately feels bad and apologises, that he didn’t realise or mean to be so forward. I was definitely shocked when that happened (and then sad that I was shocked by common courtesy in a damn romance game).
- Other games, like “Office Lover”, look like abuse trap-fests. Most of the descriptions of your male interests include the words “jealous”, “possessive”, “sadistic”, etc…and that’s not on one guy. That’s spread out amongst them, which means your good-guy pickings are slim.
- I don’t want to pass judgment on “Pub Encounter” because it’s about middle-aged men (I don’t really have a problem with that sort of love story), but they have all been drawn with very severe, intense facial features, which raise some flags by visual cues alone.
- And I’m REALLY not sure how I feel about “The Men from Yoshikawa.” While it attempts to reverse roles, it does it in the worst scenario ever – men being used as sexual objects (courtesans) to women. I don’t want to jump to conclusions, like these men must be forced into it and are being used for sex, but that is how it appears preliminarily.
Having given many of the games from the initial article a longer try, I think my original verdict still stands, if not stronger than it did before. There are a lot of games out there, and there are some real gems to find. But finding them is treacherous work, requiring some healthy skepticism and a quick eye for red flags to weed through the many retch-worthy male leads and questionable storylines. If you’re someone who appreciates/needs content warnings, I’d either avoid them until the the publishers are more forthcoming in the content of their games or see if a friend with a strong constitution is willing to give it a go for you.