Atelier Rougelian Otome Game Reviews

I realize reviews could be part of my normal main website, except for the fact I’m going to be bursting into occasional incoherent capslock screaming, so I’m keeping it with my otome and yume section. Teehee. Please take my recs with a grain of salt and know I am extremely unwell about some of these games.

My goal is to keep these reviews as spoiler-free as possible, so you can enjoy them to the full extent if you ever decide to check them out. Some content warnings and route mechanics will be tagged. You can click or highlight to view spoilered text.

Introduction & Criteria

This is the Ange criteria for an enjoyable visual novel, but specifically otome games. I’m mostly stuck in Nintendo Switch hell for the convenience of playing on a big screen. But I also love mystery/suspense VNs and I want to branch out my ever-growing backlog list. I might expand this review section at some point to include other VNs in general. We'll see.

Characters

I’m shaking you by the shoulders. I am HERE for BLORBOS. If this genre is supposed to be a dating sim of sorts, and you don’t have characters the audience will scream, cry, and throw up for while adding them to their collection of favs, what’s the point?? If I’m not yelling at the screen at amazing dialogue exchanges, then why am I even playing this VN in the first place? Also if the plot is kind of garbage with lots of holes, I’m willing to overlook the bad structure as long as the cast of characters are engaging and carrying the story along from scene to scene.

Murder Factor

I'm so sorry, this is PIVOTAL to my VN experience. This murder factor can happen either on or off screen, implied, manifest as intent to kill (or other deeply unsettling vibes), “conveniently” glossed over for the sake of game rating, etc. This is probably a branching game after all?? Give us the option to have an untimely demise.

0/5: Non existent. There is literally no malice between characters. boo.
1/5: There’s a hint if you squint
2/5: Someone maybe died in a bad way at some point, but shh.
3/5: Sufficient. It is a plot point. There is a good amount of dread in the MC and main cast about being the next victim.
4/5: Now we are cooking. There is a lot more happening behind the scenes for speculation. Juicy.
5/5: OH YEAH. 8)))))

Suffering (affectionate)

I want to see things get ugly in an entertaining way. I love angst! Give me the relationships where the toxicity factor creeps in. I want to see characters being genuinely awful to each other. Put those characters in situations. Note!: Unavoidable gameplay routing choices count towards this (e.g. if good endings are “locked” or difficult to achieve). Suffering as the player from poor writing does not count.

1/5: Inconsequential amount, no content warnings
3/5: There are one or two stand-out Awful Guys (gender neutral) or routes that deserve a content warning
4/5: You are in for a bad time the whole way through, but it’s worth it. Probably a significant list of content warnings.
5/5: Putting my hand on your shoulder and saying “you should think deeply about this before proceeding.”

Fun MC

The main character is the catalyst for all the branching points, so I want them to be whatever form the VN author thinks is best to best tell their story. There’s already far too many points along the story where I’d stop and say “I’d never say or do that”, so you might as well give me a character whose headspace is consistent with the limited story options. (If I’m going to self-insert, I'm going to make an OC from scratch anyway lol.)

Personal favorite traits: Voiced MC!!! Unreliable narrator!!! Extremely expressive sprites visible during conversations!! Give us some personality and surprises. I don’t want someone bland and generically “relatable”.

Additionally: Maybe I’m just too used to otome land, but I have not found a “ordinary high school guy” MC/narrator character who I vibe with?? Why are so many of them jerks at face value?? You literally have to convince me, “yeah that guy is unbearable, but this game is worth it for [some other aspect]”.

Bonus Criteria

This isn't going to make or break my experience, but it's absolutely a comparison point.

Music

I love a good VN ost bop, but I love even more when a VN knows where to let the silence breathe or let a track abruptly cut. If the music is Too Cheesy and is too noticeably “AUDIENCE, you MUST FEEL THIS WAY RIGHT. NOW” it is distracting from my experience, so no thank you.

Purple Bestie Jail

I HATE THIS!! I want to date the cute/hot best friend character, but!!! This is usually not an option, and so I cry.

0/5: There is no purple bestie character to put in friendzone hell
3/5: Offender. There is a purple bestie, and she needs more screen time.
5/5: I’M MAD. I LOVE HER. LET HER OUT. Please let MC smooch her, even platonically. WEH.

My Reviews

Click to show details.
recent <-----> old

CharadeManaics | Nintendo Switch | 2023 (EN)

Charade Maniacs alternate box artwork

I’m writing this prematurely!! I’m close to unlocking the true ending.

This game is a very lovely marriage between 70% otome game setup/plot and 30% Danganronpa backdrop. The Other World Stream isn’t necessarily a killing game, but the implications sure are DARK as HELL for a T-rated game. I didn’t expect it to be this good, honestly!! But that might just be the delayed EN hype, since it was originally a PS Vita 2018 game. I went in blind and I’ve been absolutely delighted with the characters (MIZUKI IOCHI, MY BELOVED) and writing.

I think one of the most successful facets of this game is the “game show within the game” element. Similar to Jack Jeanne, there is a very fun exploration of the main characters and how the casting and dramas they get chosen for reflect them to some degree. The biggest advantage here is the Arcadian audience though! The theme of “what makes good entertainment?” drives the decisions in a way that makes it the most fun for Arcadia and us the player. And it’s a little bit of a cheat that way, but it allows the payoffs to be very satisfying.

Characters: 5/5
This is such a solid character lineup!! AND YES. There are 9 LIs. I love how distinct everyone’s personalities are from the get-go, and the chemistry between them really drives a lot of the fun. It’s a bummer that bad endings aren’t fully explored as much as you might expect, due to the sheer number of characters. But the setup and flow of the common route sections is great and keeps playthroughs fresh.
Murder Factor: 4/5
The murder mechanics are really great. Amazingly so. There’s a lot that gets to be brushed off as “tv drama magic” and the consequences of it are terrifying. This game could be portrayed far more horrifically than what the box art implies.
Suffering (affectionate): 3/5
Again, a lot of it is implied, happens off screen, or happens in an unlockable interlude from someone else’s POV(!!), but there is so much room for juicy speculation. (Me: having to lie down after reading 33: Determination). There are some Awful Guys causing trouble in their routes but shh I love everyone’s messy problems.
Fun MC: 3/5
Sena being voiced would have been so good… Her sprite in the corner is very expressive, and her CGs with all the LIs are very sweet. Her POUT EXPRESSION really sells her cuteness!!! I love her characterization, and she’s quite perceptive and occasionally sassy and it’s fun.
Music: 3/5
When that One Track hits (Un secret), and you know shit is going down, it’s SO. GOOD. The OST has a nice balance between typical “everyday life” visual novel tracks and a suspenseful gameshow set in the near-ish future. Some of the music timing choices seem a bit forced, but it could be worse.
Purple Bestie Jail: 0/5.
THANK GOD. YOU CAN SMOOCH THE PURPLE ONE. It’s a whole route. (The best one.) HALLELUJAH.

Virche Evermore -ErroR: Salvation- | Nintendo Switch | 2023 (EN)

Virche Evermore key artwork

If you like gorgeous art and beautiful characters SUFFERING at each other's hands in a lore-heavy setting, this game is for you. There are so many content warnings I could give for this because it’s a well-deserved M rating. The writing does not hold back with it comes to gore and death and blood, the biggest content warnings I would flag being: lots of major character death, suicide and suicide ideation, a violent beheading, an assault scene with the MC, and a really really bloody background variation of an orphanage home interior. But all that aside. It’s very worth it for these characters, I would argue.

Characters: 4/5
I enjoy them. I feel lukewarm about some of the LIs, but that’s to be expected. My absolute favorite character is quite possibly the most unloved secondary character, so joke’s on me.
Murder Factor: 5/5
This is an island and game loved by Death, after all. It pairs nicely with the heavy amount of world-building lore. It’s fun. It’s awful. I love the amount of mad scientist adjacent shenanigans that play into it.
Suffering (affectionate): 4.5/5
If you care about route bad end vs good end spoilers: there are straight up no good endings. You MUST play through all the worst-case-scenario endings for each route before unlocking the “we narrowly avoided doomsday” salvation route.
Fun MC: 2/5
Ceres's role in the world is a big downer, so she’s already at a huge disadvantage hahaha. She is not voiced. Her sprite does get displayed, which is fun for her reactions (and when she gets covered in blood)! She gets cute outfits and some nice illustrations. But miss girl is having a bad time. She gets pulled along in the plot in a way that I don’t think she has a definable personality really…
Music: 3/5
I enjoy the atmosphere. I ADORE the Reliver Institute theme and could loop that in the background for hours. I’m sad that the OP and 2 EDs do not have full official releases.
Purple Bestie Jail: 4/5
OK….. this one is complicated. I adore our assigned purple bestie. It’s just a different kit of themes and plot going on with her. She’s fun and definitely a favorite character, but there isn’t too much more of a route that we could get with her in this timeline, and I’m fine with that. I want to see her past beef with one of the main LIs though. The banter and their complicated relationship is so. so. good.

Jack Jeanne | Nintendo Switch | 2023 (EN)

Jack Jeanne limited edition box artwork

Ok. This is quite possibly -the- game of all time for me.

pixel heart If you have to take away a singular recommendation from this page, this is THE ONE.

This is Sui Ishida, creator of Tokyo Ghoul, being brought in to design characters for an otome-style game, and him being like “…OK this pitch is kind of garbage, I’m taking over this NOW and rewriting these characters, in-game plays, and musical lyrics from scratch.”

The result is:

an all-boys theater school simulation visual novel, where you play as Kisa, who (in following her legendary older brother’s footsteps) must disguise her gender while pursuing her dream of performing on the Univeil stage.
a very captivating cast of characters with an immense amount of depth and thought put into them. There is a considerable amount of darkness that haunts these characters. To varying degrees of course. It’s not always taking center stage, but it’s sitting there quietly waiting to catch your eye. And this bit is extrapolated far more in the light novels, but my god. Kisa, the MC, is NOT!! ok!!! ;m;
This game handles gender and identity and such SO WELL. I’m personally yelling and crying about Fumi, Kisa, and the Mare squad. Jeanne mode is such a concept to me… I love it sm.
The production quality of this game is STUNNING. There is so. much. love and tears crammed into this game. The timeline is broken up into seasonal theater performances, and every production has not just one but SEVERAL musical numbers with the cast that gets integrated into a rhythm game component. And the plays within the game are so. incredibly. layered. with the character writing. Especially since the in-game scriptwriter is one of the LIs. So like. Everything is extremely meta with the casting, play content, improv, song lyrics, etc. You play through the prologue of the Newcomer’s Play and go “holy shit, they do this level of quality EACH PERFORMANCE???” and then you have to lie down as that all sinks in.
There’s so much richness in the plot with themes of being an artist, creating art, etc. If that’s your kind of jam, you are in for a treat. I had so much inspo, I drew almost non-stop during and after playing all the routes.
The art is so good. The CGs…. the bonus artwork as well. I could eat Ishida’s art. I really could. The complete art book is an absolute treasure and worth the price. (The EN edition is a fraction of the content in comparison.) Please do not pass up on it.

Characters: 6/5
They are stuck in my brain. I adore Quartz class.. and Amber. The 3rd year Quartz trio is perfection. I really can’t bring myself to hate anyone, even the sketchy faculty/staff. One caveat: there is an immense amount of small character interactions and events that are ENTIRELY BASED ON RNG. You have a calendar day-to-day schedule. There’s date-specific dialogue that I will never be able to read and only hear about second hand. You can’t go into this game expecting 100% dialogue completion.
Murder Factor: 2.5/5
There’s a TG easter egg character who significantly bumps this factor up in one particular route. As well as some… ambiguities.
Suffering (affectionate): 3/5
There is ONE route that stands out in particular as pretty rough. It’s a very “either love it or hate it” route. And if you like reading into character analysis and bonus stories outside the game, there is A LOT MORE pain in store for you. :) The writers release short stories and illustrations for character birthdays and OHHHH BOY. HAHAHA.
Fun MC: 4/5
Kisa is fully voiced and I ADORE HER SO MUCH. She doesn’t have a sprite on screen, but her songs, illustrations, and rhythm game parts carry her through fine. Her personality doesn’t seem particularly strong in-game, but there’s a certain deceit to it that I will let slide. Her peculiarities definitely stand out more in the light novels. I’ll repeat: she is not ok. ;v;
Music: 6/5
It didn’t have to go this hard. IT REALLY DID NOT. But you get a full set of music songs for each performance PLUS shuffled cast versions of those songs if you like bonus content. The soundtrack gives me chills. Me sitting in early prologue: that’s a whole ass real violin and orchestra. I can listen to the OST and the vocal collection non-stop. I can’t listen to it casually right now because I just get hit with feels.
Purple Bestie Jail: 2/5
Ok. So Ao doesn’t have a purple color scheme. It’s more periwinkle blue, fine. She’s cute (beach illustration….). But I actively dislike her voice actress’s performance, I’M SO SORRY. I don’t care for her. She’s got some ok small scenes with MC but I don’t even consider her for weekend events AHHH.

Variable Barricade | Nintendo Switch | 2022 (EN)

Variable Barricade key artwork

This one has fun characters and I enjoy the writing! The plot setup kind of puts things in a weird framing where I liked the true ending most. I kind of dragged my feet through some of the routes (e.g. dropped the game for some weeks? months? in between), but overall thought it was pretty solid. Hibiari, the MC, who is voiced, IS A GEM. She is a QUEEN. I love her so much. Her actress nails the role. None of the LI’s really stuck in my brain, but I do love the trouble that gets stirred up in the true end. I also adore our besties in this game.

I wrote an actual synopsis blurb if you want it (click to expand):

Your scheming grandfather is up to no good again! Due to family business politics, he demands you must pick and announce a fiancé before the end of the year. But how are you, the sole heir of a huge family fortune with no interest in romance, supposed to accomplish that? Well obviously, grandpa dearest has hand picked some well qualified and handsome potential grooms for you to interview and date. Oh, and also live along side with?? in the family’s swanky summer vacation house?? (Chaperoned by your personal butler ofc.)

Along the way, LOTS of family business rival drama brews in the background and certain characters will stop at nothing to gaslight, gatekeep, and girlboss their way into earning your trust and your heart.

Characters: 3/5
I enjoyed them, but again none of the main LIs stuck with me for too long. The routes drag long if they are not your cup of tea though.
Murder Factor: 1/5
This isn’t a factor at all, with the exception of one boy’s route!
Suffering (affectionate): 1.5/5
Mostly for just one character’s route. There are other moments, but they are spread out. Some reveals in the True End make it a bit interesting. This game is generally lighthearted with the scenarios if I remember correctly.
Fun MC: 4/5
Hibari is fully voiced and her sprite reactions on the screen are THE BEST. When you step out of her POV, you get her full sprite and she really is so lovable…
Music: 2/5
There are catchy tracks, but nothing too special.
Purple Bestie Jail: 5/5
I LOVE TSUMUGI I’m going to cry. Bestie gothic lolita girlfriend of my dreams… alas, there are too many complications in game mechanics and plot. I also adore Noa too, even though she is not purple. :(((

Cupid Parasite | Nintendo Switch | 2021 (EN)

Cupid Parasite key artwork

This is a wild ride of Actual Cupid getting isekai’d to Los York earth and trying to play matchmaker while handicapped from her magical powers. Lynette, the MC, is such a cutie, and the other LIs are fun. This is pretty lighthearted, easy for a casual playthrough, and Wacky with a capital W. The backgrounds are Lisa Frank 90s rainbow fever dreams and the character illustrations are vibrant and energetic. The plot is kind of all over the place.

I wish there was more synergy and crossover with the LI routes - they feel very separate. :( There are some entertaining little bits of writing, but most of my intrigue came from “what the hell is going to happen now???” and the fun of yelling at my TV as antics unfolded. I have the fan disk, but I haven’t completed any route yet (even best boy), because I'm not ready for the Los York workplace antics (I will end up yelling a lot again).

pixel heart I suppose this is my rec for rom com silliness dialed to 9.

Characters: 3.5/5
The boys are fun!! They are so silly! Secret route boy is definitely worth the trouble too. Allan has this funny “Hiiiiiiii~” line that I’ve absorbed into my vocabulary. There are lots of other iconic character bits that have stuck with me.
Murder Factor: 1/5
A bit?? I suppose?? In one route??
Suffering (affectionate): 1/5
Also just for one particular route! And OHHHH it has all the cheesy tropes that middle school era me would have gobbled up.
Fun MC: 2.5/5
LYNETTE!!! Cupid. What a sweetie, we love her!! She is so dense though!! HELP. She has some brilliant moments though (heheh. Snail’s route), but she is not voiced. I wish she had more personality besides being an oblivious but hardworking office lady type, because her sprite is there but not nearly as expressive.
Music: 3/5
The tracks are bops and match the setting really well. But the really short loop time kind makes it weird to listen too for so long? Maybe they are on the cheesy side, but LOVE ALLAN’s THEME and SECRET BOY’S THEME.
Purple Bestie Jail: 5/5
CLARIS. CLARIS TIA. Programmer bestie. I LOVE YOU. I”M CRYING. We are even roommates???? but??? we cannot be together??? Fate is cruel.

Collar x Malice | Nintendo Switch | 2020 (EN)

Collar x Malice key artwork

Please note: this game is not very fresh in my brain, so this might be inaccurate.

My beloved!! This was my first real otome game I picked up in 2020 quarantine (extremely fitting), and it probably horrendously skewed my expectations for any future otome games. :)))) This game is maybe 80% murder mystery, and 20% otome/romance? The overarching plot is about solving a series of linked murder cases before X Day approaches.

pixel heart This is my rec if you want a taste of otome (it’s definitely more of a secondary element) with a predominantly murder mystery plot.

Characters: 3.5/5
The routes can feel very separate, but the main cast and secondary characters are all pretty fun together. It’s been awhile since I played it, so only really my fav boy has stuck around in my brain… The main intrigue is with the murder mysteries going on, so the pretty big cast helps fill things out. There’s a lot more content on the FD, but I only played 2 routes and 1 side character interlude so far…
Murder Factor: 3.5/5
It’s pretty standard for a murder mystery game? You are investigating linked events that have happened in the past, so the intensity of the suspense feels much different than an active killing game scenario. Maybe I'm a wimp, but the couple of “walking city streets at night in the dark and encountering spooky things in passing!!” is contributing to this score.
Suffering (affectionate): 2/5
I think there’s always “that one route that is meant to be ultra tragic and emo” for otomes? I don’t remember feeling a lot of OOOHH angst and awful things brewing in the background. Maybe the investigation felt too clinical.
Fun MC: 1.5/5
Ichika is cute! But we never see her sprite and she is not voiced, and the discrepancies between her personality between routes isn’t that interesting to me!! She had a very minimal personality in my memory, because she was mostly being dragged along I guess!
Music: 2.5/5
Nothing really stands out, but I do throw on the OST occasionally for like… the investigation office BGM.
Purple Bestie Jail: 3/5
Sakuragawa…. Girl who can go toe to toe with Sasazuka. I wish we had more screen time with her! Spill the tea about fav boy. Also Mukai is so fun…. Hater coalition trio…

Glossary

CG - Full-screen illustrations that capture key story moments that are unlocked while playing the game. Unlocking all of a game's CGs is usually synonymous with completing the game.
Fan Disk / FD - A sequel to the main game that is comprised of bonus character and story content. This typically includes continuations of all main LI routes, short stories that focus on secondary characters, and additional “canon” fanservice material. The tone of the FD can be drastically different from the main game.
Love Interest / LI - A main romanceable character who who has their own story route. Typically you meet several of them in the prologue or common route and have the option to pick which one to pursue.
Main Character / MC - The protagonist and your stand-in within the game. Otomes will give you the option to name this character (for full self-insertability) or use a default character name.

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Atelier Rougelian Otome Game Reviews

Introduction & Criteria

Characters

Murder Factor

Suffering (affectionate)

Fun MC

Bonus Criteria

Music

Purple Bestie Jail

My Reviews

Characters: 5/5

Murder Factor: 4/5

Suffering (affectionate): 3/5

Fun MC: 3/5

Music: 3/5

Purple Bestie Jail: 0/5.

Characters: 4/5

Murder Factor: 5/5

Suffering (affectionate): 4.5/5

Fun MC: 2/5

Music: 3/5

Purple Bestie Jail: 4/5

Characters: 6/5

Murder Factor: 2.5/5

Suffering (affectionate): 3/5

Fun MC: 4/5

Music: 6/5

Purple Bestie Jail: 2/5

Characters: 1/5

Murder Factor: 0/5

Suffering (affectionate): 0/5

Fun MC: 0/5.

Music: ??

Purple Bestie Jail: 0/5.

Characters: 3/5

Murder Factor: 1/5

Suffering (affectionate): 1.5/5

Fun MC: 4/5

Music: 2/5

Purple Bestie Jail: 5/5

Characters: 3.5/5

Murder Factor: 1/5

Suffering (affectionate): 1/5

Fun MC: 2.5/5

Music: 3/5

Purple Bestie Jail: 5/5

Characters: 3.5/5

Murder Factor: 3.5/5

Suffering (affectionate): 2/5

Fun MC: 1.5/5

Music: 2.5/5

Purple Bestie Jail: 3/5

Glossary