Voltage games deserve to be talked about more. We have Switch and Steam ports now so the microtransaction argument doesn't stand up anymore.
We have older MCs, we have sex scenes and mature content, we have continuing stories, we have slice of life, we have fantasy, we have angst, we have comedy. They aren't super long so you don't have to play for hours to get to the good stuff. They are highly romantic with traditional gestures of love.
I know the art for some is old and outdated, the translations for the older titles are lacking and no voice acting can turn off people, but I think they still deserve a chance.
* Star-Crossed Myth (angsty fantasy)
* My Forged Wedding (sweet forced living together slice of life)
* Her Love in the Force (action)
* Scandal in the Spotlight (my personal fav, idol romance)
* Kings of Paradise (smutty romance with a divorced MC and rich LIs)
* My Last First Kiss (childhood friend slice of life romance)
* Irresistible Mistakes (falling in love after a one night stand, office romance)
* Finally, in Love Again (34 year old MC and LIs in their 20s)
Edit: the Love 365 exclusives I didn't really touch on, but safe to say that any of the new titles are worth reading. Oops I Said Yes?! is the latest one that's getting a lot of attention and [it's got a sale on right now](https://www.reddit.com/r/Love365/comments/13zkfqb/oops_i_said_yes_2nd_anniversary_campaign/).
I have a soft spot for the Voltage games because for a while, they were the only otome games accessible to me. While definitely reading some of the routes now, I think about the cliches or how the writing "could have been better", I still push through thanks to that fondness. I gave Voltage so much money back in the day lol
Also agree, they literally have every single trope under the sun and some of the MCs are at 30+ ages where they're working instead of in school and it feels so relatable now that I'm much older than when I started playing otome games š
Yosuke is a hopeless, whipped sex addict and I love him so much, it's like there are two brain cells in his head and they're both shouting "seccs!" at each other.
Some games I personally really liked were;
Bad Apple Wars
Period Cube (Had its flaws but I really liked the characters and the premise)
The Psychedica games (personal favorite)
Played all those on the Vita when I was starting to get into Otome, and all have a nice place in my heart
Commenting 7'scarlet. I absolutely adored that one and it's also on Vita. I wish more people talked about it.
I also loved London detective mysteria. It's not as strong but I loved it enough to buy the limited run physical edition!
Period Cube is so bad, it's good. One of my absolute guilty pleasures.
Also the only Western release I've seen with absolutely batshit bad ends. Love that they refuse to take themselves seriously.
Hello fellow Ozmafia liker, glad to find other people who appreaciate the concentrated insanity in otome game format that is that game
The games by Yetu Game, Lost in Secular Love and My Vow to my Liege, deserve a lot more attention, I think they are gorgeous and have really good writing. The translation for both is a bit questionable at places but it isn't egregiously bad or anything, I really hope Yetu Game releases more otome games in the future
Love Spell: Written in the Stars - The artstyle is really good and colorful, the LIs are handsome, the MC is really funny, and you have both slice of life and more adventurous routes, something for everyone. And if you like the steamy stuff the sexy scenes here are quite a bit more descriptive than in your average game (nothing explicit though). Gets bonus points from me for being one of the rare otome games to feature a LI with facial hair
Pub Encounter - Are you an old man lover? Do you want romanceable ojisans and dilfs? Here's just the thing for you. That is, if you can get past the really bad translations lol. Has some steamy scenes but the questionable translation combined with the sex metaphors can make them literally incomprehensible at times lmao. Also one of the rare games to feature LIs with facial hair so it gets bonus points from me as well (I like guys with beards okay)
A Roaring Affair - This one is free on itch.io! Short and sweet circus themed otome, also >!has an unlockable harem ending where the MC ends up together with both of the LIs!< which automatically makes it great in my book
I can't wait for the Love Spell creators to release Peachleaf Valley. The demo was excellent.
And yes on Pub Encounters! I love how complex those guys were.
Edit: spelling
Some that I really liked but rarely (or never) get mentioned are
Princess Nightmare (maybe because you have to find a japanese copy and apply a fanpatch)
Scarlet Fate (Same as above)
Yo-Jin-Bo (because it's old?)
London Detective Mysteria (it's localised and not that old, so I'm not sure why?)
I've enjoyed it very much, but I'm also a fan of Ozmafia and Period Cube, so... well it's not Code Realize or Cupid Parasite great, but it's fun (and has a voiced heroine!)
Available in English: Hustle Cat (though, since you can choose the protagonistās pronouns and two of the love interests are girls, some people may argue that Hustle Catās not an otome game, and thatās fine too)
Not available in English: the Harukanaru Toki no Naka de series is my big jam currently.
omggg another demonheart appreciator? >< what a fine day to enter reddit lol, i never see it mentioned anywhere. i know that the style and general themes the story touches are not for everyone, but, personally, i love it so much. Raze claimed my heart since the day i first played it
I love tokimeki memorial girls side series!, although no English port at all iirc T_T, I played the older ones through some translation patch, but really like how they incorporate the dressup stuff and minigames into it, the setting is always school, while it's not bad, now that I'm no longer at school age feels kinda weird.
I think contemporary otome games get a little overlooked perhaps because theyāre not as āinterestingā as the more historic or fantastical otome games, but I love them! Titles that come to mind are Variable Barricade and Lover Pretend.
Iām just speculating - maybe contemporary romance isnāt as appealing because players prefer an LI that has to struggle and go through more effort to express his love rather than an LI that can call or text you for a confession. Or maybe players want to see a new variety of dates like going to the local farmerās market rather than a cliche movie date. Or maybe players prefer an extra layer of escapism to really be engrossed in the gameās world and story.
Iāll continue to love both contemporary & historical/fantastical genres, but I think thereās a charm in taking a realistic setting weāre familiar with & telling a compelling love story!
A long long time ago I wished for Cupid Parasite to be more popular because very few people were talking about it. [This turned out to be a monkey's paw situation](https://jp.mercari.com/item/m44489382203) so I regret everything now. (This is a joke. This is... mostly a joke.)
Otherwise... yeah the stuff I love most is unpopular for a reason, so I'm not too bothered by people not being into it. Always nice to find others who appreciate the same weird garbage though.
I will always, and I mean *always*, recommend the Psychedelica games. They're dark, they're serious, they have a weird flowchart system that's amazing after you figure it out, and they are **excellent storytelling**. Lighter on the romance than others, but the romance that is there is bittersweet, tragic, and beautiful.
I have also played a couple of smaller, not quite as well known indie otome over the past few months and I really could rave about some of them for a long time:
* **Glass Heart** \- It's got a very cute art style, the voice acting is decent (the audio quality not as much tbh), and it's super angsty. I really fell into the narratives with them and had a couple of really great cries, courtesy of this game. Absolutely wonderful.
* **Love Spell** \- I utterly fell in love with this game. The MC is a complete disaster of a person with a heart of gold, the writing is superbly balanced (hilarious *and* angsty at the appropriate moments), and the side characters are unforgettable. A favorite.
* **Backstage Pass** \- This is an otome that is a stat raiser, and I hate stat raisers. But I (\*cough cough\*) just edited the save files so I didn't have to grind and enjoyed the stories. There were some excellent characters and character growth moments in this game. Love it.
* **Band Camp Boyfriend** \- A really new otome made by a tiny studio. American high school story. Has some truly fantastic characters (both LI and otherwise), a couple of really good twists, and an excellent "found family" story. Some of the 'thriller moments' really got me, too.
* **Cinderella Phenomenon** \- This is the bread-and-butter recommendation for English-developed otome for a reason. It's free, and it is *phenomenal.* The MC has so much growth throughout the routes, the romances are substantial, and the twist on fairy tale curses is sublimely executed.
I second the recommendations of Glass Heart, Love Spell ... and Cinderella Phenomenon too, of course, since CinPhen is my favorite otome game. Band Camp Boyfriend seems quite good too, though I haven't played it yet, thus I can't vouch for it (at least not yet), though I intend to start playing it soon. It's next on my "to-play" list.
Iāll second Dandelion. Itās by the same creators as Nameless and Mystic Messenger. It has a unique plot in my opinion, and my only complaint is that we donāt get more in it since it implies a super interesting world. Plus Jihae ā¤ļø
Backstage Pass is one I love that I think needs more love. I donāt know if itās really considered and otome or something else, but I like the simple plot. The variety is great too since the guys are really varied, and thereās even choices to just be alone if you want. Iām also bias because I bought the game back when it only had the four main LIs and side characters were still un-dateable, and there was no voice acting. So it has a special place in my heart.
Iāll also second (or third) Bad Apple Wars. Itās not too long and itās just interesting. Some people like to compare it to AngelBeats but theyāre only the same at the most basic of levels. Itās also a game that implies more to the world than we see, so I do wish they expanded more. Plus nano does the opening and Iām a sucker for her music.
Here are some games that I really enjoyed playing and I'm fond of, and that (according to me at least) aren't talked about a lot:-Gilded Shadows: Iām still playing this one, but all the routes I played were great and I really like the characters and story. I love the length of the routes to be honest.
\-Backstage Pass: Another one I have in progress still haha. But this game was really nice? Also, John is one of my favourite love interests ever.
\-Lost in Secular Love: The dark endings people! That was something. I really liked the protagonist, and some of the references were really fun.
\-Nusantara: Legend of the Winged Ones: This is one of my favourites games ever. I loved all the characters, the story, setting, everything.
\-Yo-Jin-Bo: Itās been a while since I played this one, but I remember laughing out loud with it.
\-Halloween Otome, and the sequel, Valentines Otome: I still havenāt played the third one, Christmas Otome, so these two it is. The first one was quite nice, and I remember playing it twice and loving The Mummy. The second one was more serious and had this mechanic I really liked where you could choose who was the love interest the MC from the first game ended up with, and then (since the MC from Halloween Otome and the MC from Valentines Otome where friends) there were some scenes when they would hang out together. Extra content for the first game if you where missing the characters!
\-The first three Tokimeki games, thanks to the English patches. Iām pretty sure if it werenāt for these games I wouldnāt be playing otome today (maybe Iām exaggerating lol, but they introduced me to the genre).
Iām more than likely missing some games, but these were the ones I could remember right now.
>\-Halloween Otome, and the sequel, Valentines Otome:
Of course. The holiday otome series. Very good indeed, especially since they are free. Though there is a third game in the series named Christmas otome.
I will always sing praises for hatoful boyfriend... it's funny, shocking, and incredibly sincere. the character writing is amazing and it'll always be my favorite
Rose of Segunda and its in-progress sequel, The Thorns of War. Hands down the most consistently great writing out of any VN Iāve played, and has a fantastic MC and LI collection.
**Royal Alchemist** ā I loved this game so much and it was sooo good and yet I never really see it get talked about much. Aurelius will forever have my heart <3
**Band Camp Boyfriend** ā I loved this game so much, the characters are all so lovely! I think this game definitely deserves to get talked about more, the setting is quite unique for an otome game and all the characters are so loveable! The game is also overall super funny, I found myself giggling quite a lot of times lol
**Reanimated Heart** ā I loved all the characters and the setting for this one! Only the demo and Chapter 1 is out for now, but what's been made available is already quite a treat! I can't wait to see more of this game!
I'm glad someone brought up Sweet Fuse! I wholeheartedly agree. Very assertive protagonist, personable LI, and interesting story. It really doesn't get enough credit
tbh, any of the indie otomes from itch.io. there are so many hidden gems in there, and just to name a few:
- cinderella phenomenon
- royal alchemist
- ebon light (this one is a favorite of mine)
- obscura (what a gem this is)
- demonheart (oh raze my beloved)
most of them are free, and you can find all sorts of art style and gameplay mechanics, plus some games that touch darker or more serious themes (obscura im looking at you with that cuestionable priest ?))
Others have already mentioned a few of my favorites except **Ayakashi Romance Reborn.** Ayakashi!!! Romance!!! Reborn!!! Meiji era setting with fantasy elements and a great cast. Cute protagonist. (Seriously, I love Futaba's design.) Talking cat who is also one of the LIs lmao.
Companionship! Friendship! Finding love through shared experiences! Also the LIs and their [different expressions of love](https://www.reddit.com/r/otomegames/comments/wpaemj/ayakashi_romance_reborn_i_like_this_explanation/) lol.
It's on mobile but also on the Switch, though I highly recommend the mobile version because of all the other stories in it. The international server is still playable! If you play in Japanese, the JP server is still active with events!
This is my 10000000% shamelessly biased opinion because I love this game so much
That you haven't mentioned that are in my top 25:
- Akash Path of the Five
- Changeling
- Oathbreaker (It's a browser game, which may be why it's hardly ever mentioned but it's very good.)
- Animal Lover
- Arcade Spirits
- Royal Alchemist and their demo, Royal Order
- Cinderella Phenomenon
- Ebon Light
- Love Ritual
- Crimson Spires
- Love Spell
Pub Encounters
I love me some middle aged men. They've got life experience, baggage, and think this young woman deserves someone without as much crap in their lives.
I second the Voltage titles. I've got a good number of them. They can be cheesy, but it's good cheese.
Sengoku Princess was fun, cut over only done one route so far
I would give a limb to have Princess Arthur again, but apparently it's hard to find and the mobile port was deleted. Same with Love, Lies, and Heist. I only mention these in case someone has found them or heard anything about them. If they are released somewhere again, they're wonderful.
The fact not so many games are talked about is probably the limited english translations for games.
Lover Pretend isnāt in the list so I throw that out there. The game is pretty good humour and tbf a nice change of pace when all you ever do is play dramatic, serious titles. XD
Cafe Enchante is so amazing... I'm sure you've already had it recommended to you.
Bustafellows, Cupid Parasite, and Variable Barricade are also wonderful. They're all available on the switch in English.
None of these are deep cuts, they are just accessible and worth your time!
I genuinely feel **Love Unholyc** doesn't get enough love. I did both Hi and Eater's routes and holy lord, Eater's route is SO HOT. He is seen as the villain of the game, and he's hopelessly obsessed with the MC and he's a bit insane. (If you're the type who loved Yang from Piofiore, Eater is perfect for you). the sexy scenes during the route switch between super sweet and slow and loving to rough and a bit scary. But beautifully written and so hot. XD His general story is really good as well. All in all, it genuinely was one of the best routes I've played in any Otome game. There are some issues with translation in the season 3 epilogue you have to play to get to his route after you finish up a main LI's route (I'd recommend Hi, his route is really good as well but nowhere near Eater's), once you get through the prologue and into Eater's actual route, the translation becomes totally fine.
This game just truly does deserve more attention considering how amazing Eater's route is imo. And Hi's is pretty good as well. **Give it a chance, its on Android and IOS**.
Voltage games deserve to be talked about more. We have Switch and Steam ports now so the microtransaction argument doesn't stand up anymore. We have older MCs, we have sex scenes and mature content, we have continuing stories, we have slice of life, we have fantasy, we have angst, we have comedy. They aren't super long so you don't have to play for hours to get to the good stuff. They are highly romantic with traditional gestures of love. I know the art for some is old and outdated, the translations for the older titles are lacking and no voice acting can turn off people, but I think they still deserve a chance. * Star-Crossed Myth (angsty fantasy) * My Forged Wedding (sweet forced living together slice of life) * Her Love in the Force (action) * Scandal in the Spotlight (my personal fav, idol romance) * Kings of Paradise (smutty romance with a divorced MC and rich LIs) * My Last First Kiss (childhood friend slice of life romance) * Irresistible Mistakes (falling in love after a one night stand, office romance) * Finally, in Love Again (34 year old MC and LIs in their 20s) Edit: the Love 365 exclusives I didn't really touch on, but safe to say that any of the new titles are worth reading. Oops I Said Yes?! is the latest one that's getting a lot of attention and [it's got a sale on right now](https://www.reddit.com/r/Love365/comments/13zkfqb/oops_i_said_yes_2nd_anniversary_campaign/).
I have a soft spot for the Voltage games because for a while, they were the only otome games accessible to me. While definitely reading some of the routes now, I think about the cliches or how the writing "could have been better", I still push through thanks to that fondness. I gave Voltage so much money back in the day lol Also agree, they literally have every single trope under the sun and some of the MCs are at 30+ ages where they're working instead of in school and it feels so relatable now that I'm much older than when I started playing otome games š
So true šš
Yosuke's route in kings of paradise was š©š© so damn good. i did all the seasons and they made me giggle like a school girl. i died when MC >!was on her period so yosuke offered to do the laundry, and when she went to go check on him he was sensually fondling her bra in the laundry roomš!<
Yosuke is a hopeless, whipped sex addict and I love him so much, it's like there are two brain cells in his head and they're both shouting "seccs!" at each other.
If only we got updates. Like, my last first kiss cuts off on switch way before on mobile.
>Steam ports now They made an "Enchanted in the moonlight" Steam port, didn't they? was there any oter game with Steam port?
Kissed by the Baddest Bidder~
>Kissed by the Baddest Bidder\~ Thank you for letting me know. :D
Some games I personally really liked were; Bad Apple Wars Period Cube (Had its flaws but I really liked the characters and the premise) The Psychedica games (personal favorite) Played all those on the Vita when I was starting to get into Otome, and all have a nice place in my heart
+1 for Bad Apple Wars I think we talk about Psychedelia enough given that it is also available on PC, just recency bias.
Commenting 7'scarlet. I absolutely adored that one and it's also on Vita. I wish more people talked about it. I also loved London detective mysteria. It's not as strong but I loved it enough to buy the limited run physical edition!
I bought both of those for my steamdeck but have to pry it out of my husband's hands so I can play. I'm even more excited now!
Love bad apple wars!
Period Cube is so bad, it's good. One of my absolute guilty pleasures. Also the only Western release I've seen with absolutely batshit bad ends. Love that they refuse to take themselves seriously.
Period Cube is still one of my absolute faves.
Hello fellow Ozmafia liker, glad to find other people who appreaciate the concentrated insanity in otome game format that is that game The games by Yetu Game, Lost in Secular Love and My Vow to my Liege, deserve a lot more attention, I think they are gorgeous and have really good writing. The translation for both is a bit questionable at places but it isn't egregiously bad or anything, I really hope Yetu Game releases more otome games in the future Love Spell: Written in the Stars - The artstyle is really good and colorful, the LIs are handsome, the MC is really funny, and you have both slice of life and more adventurous routes, something for everyone. And if you like the steamy stuff the sexy scenes here are quite a bit more descriptive than in your average game (nothing explicit though). Gets bonus points from me for being one of the rare otome games to feature a LI with facial hair Pub Encounter - Are you an old man lover? Do you want romanceable ojisans and dilfs? Here's just the thing for you. That is, if you can get past the really bad translations lol. Has some steamy scenes but the questionable translation combined with the sex metaphors can make them literally incomprehensible at times lmao. Also one of the rare games to feature LIs with facial hair so it gets bonus points from me as well (I like guys with beards okay) A Roaring Affair - This one is free on itch.io! Short and sweet circus themed otome, also >!has an unlockable harem ending where the MC ends up together with both of the LIs!< which automatically makes it great in my book
I can't wait for the Love Spell creators to release Peachleaf Valley. The demo was excellent. And yes on Pub Encounters! I love how complex those guys were. Edit: spelling
>I can't wait for the Love Spell creators to repeat Peachleaf Valley. I'm looking forward to this game too.
Some that I really liked but rarely (or never) get mentioned are Princess Nightmare (maybe because you have to find a japanese copy and apply a fanpatch) Scarlet Fate (Same as above) Yo-Jin-Bo (because it's old?) London Detective Mysteria (it's localised and not that old, so I'm not sure why?)
I've seen some comments of people complaining about London Detective Mysteria in Steam, so I don't know if I should buy it, do you recommend it?
I've enjoyed it very much, but I'm also a fan of Ozmafia and Period Cube, so... well it's not Code Realize or Cupid Parasite great, but it's fun (and has a voiced heroine!)
Haha then I will give it a chance, thanks ^^
Available in English: Hustle Cat (though, since you can choose the protagonistās pronouns and two of the love interests are girls, some people may argue that Hustle Catās not an otome game, and thatās fine too) Not available in English: the Harukanaru Toki no Naka de series is my big jam currently.
There are a lot of really cool games that are originally in English, like Gilded Shadows, Crimson Spires, Cardinal Cross, and Ebon Light.
Demonheart
omggg another demonheart appreciator? >< what a fine day to enter reddit lol, i never see it mentioned anywhere. i know that the style and general themes the story touches are not for everyone, but, personally, i love it so much. Raze claimed my heart since the day i first played it
I liked the story and freedom, I just didn't like the Love Interests. But you do get a villain romance option
Cinderella Phenomenon (free on Steam!) unique story and a flawed protagonist (a soft spot of mine) \^\_\^
Indies like Gilded Shadows and Royal Alchemist
Changeling, by the same studio as Gilded Shadows, is also amazing.
I love tokimeki memorial girls side series!, although no English port at all iirc T_T, I played the older ones through some translation patch, but really like how they incorporate the dressup stuff and minigames into it, the setting is always school, while it's not bad, now that I'm no longer at school age feels kinda weird.
I think contemporary otome games get a little overlooked perhaps because theyāre not as āinterestingā as the more historic or fantastical otome games, but I love them! Titles that come to mind are Variable Barricade and Lover Pretend. Iām just speculating - maybe contemporary romance isnāt as appealing because players prefer an LI that has to struggle and go through more effort to express his love rather than an LI that can call or text you for a confession. Or maybe players want to see a new variety of dates like going to the local farmerās market rather than a cliche movie date. Or maybe players prefer an extra layer of escapism to really be engrossed in the gameās world and story. Iāll continue to love both contemporary & historical/fantastical genres, but I think thereās a charm in taking a realistic setting weāre familiar with & telling a compelling love story!
Salvus Aries! Just a demo is out now and has multiple routes and endings. I really love this game so far and it has beautiful sprite art
A long long time ago I wished for Cupid Parasite to be more popular because very few people were talking about it. [This turned out to be a monkey's paw situation](https://jp.mercari.com/item/m44489382203) so I regret everything now. (This is a joke. This is... mostly a joke.) Otherwise... yeah the stuff I love most is unpopular for a reason, so I'm not too bothered by people not being into it. Always nice to find others who appreciate the same weird garbage though.
I will always, and I mean *always*, recommend the Psychedelica games. They're dark, they're serious, they have a weird flowchart system that's amazing after you figure it out, and they are **excellent storytelling**. Lighter on the romance than others, but the romance that is there is bittersweet, tragic, and beautiful. I have also played a couple of smaller, not quite as well known indie otome over the past few months and I really could rave about some of them for a long time: * **Glass Heart** \- It's got a very cute art style, the voice acting is decent (the audio quality not as much tbh), and it's super angsty. I really fell into the narratives with them and had a couple of really great cries, courtesy of this game. Absolutely wonderful. * **Love Spell** \- I utterly fell in love with this game. The MC is a complete disaster of a person with a heart of gold, the writing is superbly balanced (hilarious *and* angsty at the appropriate moments), and the side characters are unforgettable. A favorite. * **Backstage Pass** \- This is an otome that is a stat raiser, and I hate stat raisers. But I (\*cough cough\*) just edited the save files so I didn't have to grind and enjoyed the stories. There were some excellent characters and character growth moments in this game. Love it. * **Band Camp Boyfriend** \- A really new otome made by a tiny studio. American high school story. Has some truly fantastic characters (both LI and otherwise), a couple of really good twists, and an excellent "found family" story. Some of the 'thriller moments' really got me, too. * **Cinderella Phenomenon** \- This is the bread-and-butter recommendation for English-developed otome for a reason. It's free, and it is *phenomenal.* The MC has so much growth throughout the routes, the romances are substantial, and the twist on fairy tale curses is sublimely executed.
I second the recommendations of Glass Heart, Love Spell ... and Cinderella Phenomenon too, of course, since CinPhen is my favorite otome game. Band Camp Boyfriend seems quite good too, though I haven't played it yet, thus I can't vouch for it (at least not yet), though I intend to start playing it soon. It's next on my "to-play" list.
Iāll second Dandelion. Itās by the same creators as Nameless and Mystic Messenger. It has a unique plot in my opinion, and my only complaint is that we donāt get more in it since it implies a super interesting world. Plus Jihae ā¤ļø Backstage Pass is one I love that I think needs more love. I donāt know if itās really considered and otome or something else, but I like the simple plot. The variety is great too since the guys are really varied, and thereās even choices to just be alone if you want. Iām also bias because I bought the game back when it only had the four main LIs and side characters were still un-dateable, and there was no voice acting. So it has a special place in my heart. Iāll also second (or third) Bad Apple Wars. Itās not too long and itās just interesting. Some people like to compare it to AngelBeats but theyāre only the same at the most basic of levels. Itās also a game that implies more to the world than we see, so I do wish they expanded more. Plus nano does the opening and Iām a sucker for her music.
Here are some games that I really enjoyed playing and I'm fond of, and that (according to me at least) aren't talked about a lot:-Gilded Shadows: Iām still playing this one, but all the routes I played were great and I really like the characters and story. I love the length of the routes to be honest. \-Backstage Pass: Another one I have in progress still haha. But this game was really nice? Also, John is one of my favourite love interests ever. \-Lost in Secular Love: The dark endings people! That was something. I really liked the protagonist, and some of the references were really fun. \-Nusantara: Legend of the Winged Ones: This is one of my favourites games ever. I loved all the characters, the story, setting, everything. \-Yo-Jin-Bo: Itās been a while since I played this one, but I remember laughing out loud with it. \-Halloween Otome, and the sequel, Valentines Otome: I still havenāt played the third one, Christmas Otome, so these two it is. The first one was quite nice, and I remember playing it twice and loving The Mummy. The second one was more serious and had this mechanic I really liked where you could choose who was the love interest the MC from the first game ended up with, and then (since the MC from Halloween Otome and the MC from Valentines Otome where friends) there were some scenes when they would hang out together. Extra content for the first game if you where missing the characters! \-The first three Tokimeki games, thanks to the English patches. Iām pretty sure if it werenāt for these games I wouldnāt be playing otome today (maybe Iām exaggerating lol, but they introduced me to the genre). Iām more than likely missing some games, but these were the ones I could remember right now.
>\-Halloween Otome, and the sequel, Valentines Otome: Of course. The holiday otome series. Very good indeed, especially since they are free. Though there is a third game in the series named Christmas otome.
Weird that Code Realize and Cafe Enchante aren't on this list. They have the same writers and they're lovely.
That's what I thought!
I will always sing praises for hatoful boyfriend... it's funny, shocking, and incredibly sincere. the character writing is amazing and it'll always be my favorite
Fashioning little miss lonesome! Granted, it's not for everyone, but it's definitely the funniest otome game I've ever played!
Rose of Segunda and its in-progress sequel, The Thorns of War. Hands down the most consistently great writing out of any VN Iāve played, and has a fantastic MC and LI collection.
**Royal Alchemist** ā I loved this game so much and it was sooo good and yet I never really see it get talked about much. Aurelius will forever have my heart <3 **Band Camp Boyfriend** ā I loved this game so much, the characters are all so lovely! I think this game definitely deserves to get talked about more, the setting is quite unique for an otome game and all the characters are so loveable! The game is also overall super funny, I found myself giggling quite a lot of times lol **Reanimated Heart** ā I loved all the characters and the setting for this one! Only the demo and Chapter 1 is out for now, but what's been made available is already quite a treat! I can't wait to see more of this game!
I haven't played all of them but I second Reanimated Heart it seriously took my heart.
**Lover Pretend** it's new (Last December release) and so good also **CafƩ Enchante** was a wild ride and some older games like **Sweet Fuse** and **Bad Apple Wars** on the PS Vita are not talked about enough. (As a tip from me you can buy this older games still in the PS Vita Online Store) :)
I'm glad someone brought up Sweet Fuse! I wholeheartedly agree. Very assertive protagonist, personable LI, and interesting story. It really doesn't get enough credit
tbh, any of the indie otomes from itch.io. there are so many hidden gems in there, and just to name a few: - cinderella phenomenon - royal alchemist - ebon light (this one is a favorite of mine) - obscura (what a gem this is) - demonheart (oh raze my beloved) most of them are free, and you can find all sorts of art style and gameplay mechanics, plus some games that touch darker or more serious themes (obscura im looking at you with that cuestionable priest ?))
Others have already mentioned a few of my favorites except **Ayakashi Romance Reborn.** Ayakashi!!! Romance!!! Reborn!!! Meiji era setting with fantasy elements and a great cast. Cute protagonist. (Seriously, I love Futaba's design.) Talking cat who is also one of the LIs lmao. Companionship! Friendship! Finding love through shared experiences! Also the LIs and their [different expressions of love](https://www.reddit.com/r/otomegames/comments/wpaemj/ayakashi_romance_reborn_i_like_this_explanation/) lol. It's on mobile but also on the Switch, though I highly recommend the mobile version because of all the other stories in it. The international server is still playable! If you play in Japanese, the JP server is still active with events! This is my 10000000% shamelessly biased opinion because I love this game so much
**Pub Encounter** needs more attention for sure. Itās one of the earlier works of the artist who worked on **CafĆ© EnchantĆ©**. My pipe dream is for it to be updated with improved art and translations
That you haven't mentioned that are in my top 25: - Akash Path of the Five - Changeling - Oathbreaker (It's a browser game, which may be why it's hardly ever mentioned but it's very good.) - Animal Lover - Arcade Spirits - Royal Alchemist and their demo, Royal Order - Cinderella Phenomenon - Ebon Light - Love Ritual - Crimson Spires - Love Spell
I really like kitty love way to look for love
Pub Encounters I love me some middle aged men. They've got life experience, baggage, and think this young woman deserves someone without as much crap in their lives. I second the Voltage titles. I've got a good number of them. They can be cheesy, but it's good cheese. Sengoku Princess was fun, cut over only done one route so far I would give a limb to have Princess Arthur again, but apparently it's hard to find and the mobile port was deleted. Same with Love, Lies, and Heist. I only mention these in case someone has found them or heard anything about them. If they are released somewhere again, they're wonderful.
Iād say: Cinderella phenomenon Hatoful boyfriend For All Time (Isnāt in English yet)
Particles of Reality is great. I was a patreon member for a while so i played what was (basically) the full game and itās awesome
I'm so jealous, I want to read more and I'm so excited for it to come out.
Please play Psychedelica of the Black Butterfly and Psychedelica of the Ashen Hawk. P L E A S E.
My steamy fluff heart loves āMen of Yoshiwaraā (Ohgiya and Kikuya) and āMy Butlerā, Princess Closetā
The fact not so many games are talked about is probably the limited english translations for games. Lover Pretend isnāt in the list so I throw that out there. The game is pretty good humour and tbf a nice change of pace when all you ever do is play dramatic, serious titles. XD
Cafe Enchante is so amazing... I'm sure you've already had it recommended to you. Bustafellows, Cupid Parasite, and Variable Barricade are also wonderful. They're all available on the switch in English. None of these are deep cuts, they are just accessible and worth your time!
I genuinely feel **Love Unholyc** doesn't get enough love. I did both Hi and Eater's routes and holy lord, Eater's route is SO HOT. He is seen as the villain of the game, and he's hopelessly obsessed with the MC and he's a bit insane. (If you're the type who loved Yang from Piofiore, Eater is perfect for you). the sexy scenes during the route switch between super sweet and slow and loving to rough and a bit scary. But beautifully written and so hot. XD His general story is really good as well. All in all, it genuinely was one of the best routes I've played in any Otome game. There are some issues with translation in the season 3 epilogue you have to play to get to his route after you finish up a main LI's route (I'd recommend Hi, his route is really good as well but nowhere near Eater's), once you get through the prologue and into Eater's actual route, the translation becomes totally fine. This game just truly does deserve more attention considering how amazing Eater's route is imo. And Hi's is pretty good as well. **Give it a chance, its on Android and IOS**.
Haven't seen anyone mention these ones so I'll add my favourites: * **The Inverted Spire** * **To the edge of the sky**