#piofiore review

[lunas-otome-blog]

Luna's Review: Piofiore ~Fated Memories~

Official Summary:

Liliana Adornato was born and raised in the church in the center of the Italian town of Burlone. Three criminal organizations control parts of the city, and Lili discovers that she is literally in the center of their turf wars.

Her encounters with the leaders of the Falzone, Visconti, and Lao-Shu mafia lead to danger and distraction. Once Lili is drawn into the shadowy world of crime Families, she realizes there is no going back.

Luna's Thoughts (Spoiler Free)

Despite all the hype surrounding this game, I was disappointed with Piofiore. Marred with cringey dialogue and terrible pacing, it was a slog to get through with little payoff. While I did like the art and a few key parts of the plot, those are about the only compliments I can give this game.

Rather than focus on the dark underbelly of the mafia, most of this game is set in the eye of the tornado as MC Liliana Adornato is swept into the world of organized crime. There are definitely some scenes of violence, but mostly it's Lili hanging out in bedrooms, kitchens and hotels as the mafia does things off screen.

The game does show you what's happening outside while Lili is at home in little semi-optional cutscenes, but these are weirdly positioned at the end of main scenes and then throw you back to the main scene, making for awful pacing. Why not just make these regular cutscenes? Why break up important main game scenes just to show you six lines of dialogue somewhere else and then go back once you've forgotten what's going on?

On most routes, protagonist Lili fails to serve as anything more than an ornamental butterfly to the powerful men around her. The routes are literally differentiated by which character kidnaps her. Her personality is inconsistent, as she shuns violence and murder but makes exceptions for the men who promise to protect her. She rarely questions her role and, in some routes, seems fine without any sort of explanation for what's going on. I had no idea what her morals were supposed to be and it felt lazy that she didn't have more questions.

As you've probably figured out by now, I did not like Piofiore. For a dark, gritty crime-based otome that's actually enjoyable to play, check out Collar x Malice.

If you're interested in hearing route specifics, please find below my thoughts on the routes in the order I played them. Spoilers abound.

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Nicola Route (Spoilers)

The general gist of Nicola's route is that he takes in Lili as she's about to be kidnapped by the Chinese mafia. She becomes a glorified house wife, endearing herself to the other members of the Falzone family through cooking, cleaning and generally being the only eye candy in the house.

The most irritating thing about this route for me is that Liliana has zero personality and asks absolutely no questions. We're just kept in the dark for like 90% of the route as to why she's even there, and she's seemingly unconcerned because Nicola is nice to her.

Lili continues to insist that Nicola is a kind person because he treats her well, personally, even though she watches him slice someone's ear off. Like, I get this game is about falling in love with the mafia, but at least make her more conflicted. Instead, she imprints on Nicola immediately and defends everything he does without question.

When Nicola betrays the Falzone family, it's supposed to be shocking and lead up to a big reveal that *gasp* he was doing it for a good reason. However, it never feels surprising because everyone in the Falzone family, along with Lili, has faith in Nicola.

Usually I like the nice boy route, but Nicola just wasn't a very good fit for that role. Instead of a "nice boy outside, cruel man inside" dichotomy, we get this character who insists he isn't as kind as we think he is, but fails to do anything to bring his kindness into question. Even when he's torturing someone, he looks for an excuse not to kill them. I didn't understand what sort of character Nicola was supposed to be.

This route is pretty short and leaves a lot of questions to be answered. I know the non-true end routes aren't supposed to wrap everything up, but not having Nicola answer questions that he knows the answer to, just to keep players in suspense, is bad writing. For example, Lili never bothers to ask why she specifically was protected by the Falzones, which is something we learn in other routes.

I'm glad Nicola's was the first route I played, because it was pretty boring.

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Dante Route (Spoilers)

Dante's route starts much like Nicola's route, except this time it's Dante who saves Lili and brings her to the Falzone mansion.

Lili has more personality at the start of this route, maybe because Dante is cold to her. She actively seeks information and even attempts to escape when she realizes she can't go back to the church. But she eventually lapses into the same routine as in Nicola's route, laying low, cooking and cleaning. Dante, who is supposed to be a perfect gentleman, offers nothing by way of helping Lili cook or clean, even when he's moved her to a tiny hideout where they hide together.

The second half of the route was actually somewhat interesting. We learn about a church "artifact" that the Falzones are sworn to protect, and Lili serves as part of the key for, but of course, Lili never bothers to ask what it is because of bad writing.

We do get to find out, eventually, and I was actually pretty impressed, as the artifact implies the Church has been lying for millennia. Of course, this goes nowhere and has no lasting impact on Lili's belief . That would be asking too much, I suppose.

While I liked Dante's route more than Nicola's, I was still pretty unimpressed. Lili's role was yet again reduced to someone who needed to be protected. Her "power" is unlocked only after sleeping with Dante (virginity as a tool — yuck) and she contributes very little otherwise.

Information-wise, this should have been the final route, as it's the only one, even including the finale, where the "key maiden" and church artifact stuff is actually explained. But it wasn't given the true end treatment as it should have, and the result is a lackluster route with a few explosive moments.

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Orlok Route (Spoilers)

Orlok is the kuudere character of the game, but he doesn't take much time to warm up to Lili. In fact, he seems to like her right away, but keeps himself at arm's length because it's his job to protect her, not befriend her. He was my favorite character.

The pacing of this route was better than the previous two, because Lili is constantly moving between the Lao-Shu hideout and the church. Even though she's doing the same stuff she did at the Falzone hideout, it feels a lot better here because she's going home and helping her family, rather than serving as a housewife to the mafia guys who kidnapped her.

Orlok's is the first route where the romance makes sense. Orlok likes Lili's passion and strength, and Lili thinks Orlok is cute because he's easy to read. She also wants to nurture him because he's not very kind to himself. Orlok is also the only character who bothers to help her with chores, buying groceries and learning how to cook from her.

There are a few rushed bits here and there, particularly with a child Lili and Orlok take in, but this route was actually pretty solid otherwise.

What really impressed me about this route is how it's the only one (aside from the finale) in which Lili really reflects on the morals of murder. Orlok, being a devotee of the church, doesn't like or want to kill people, but has done it his whole life because he was following orders. Lili asks him to stop, and he does to a degree, but eventually he acknowledges he has to kill in order for him and Lili to be together. Lili, remarkably, actually agrees with him, and after it's all over, they both live in service of the church, repenting for the rest of their lives.

It was a really nice acknowledgement that killing is wrong but they can do more for the world while alive.

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Yang Route (Spoilers)

This route is hard to place for me. On the one hand, Lili is at her best here. She questions everything (for once) but must strategize how to behave and speak in front of Yang to avoid being sliced in half. The twins, Fei and Lan, are properly introduced in this route, and walk a nice balance between batshit crazy mafia kids and youthful friends for Lili. And the pacing is decent, other than the usual terribly-placed meanwhile scenes.

The biggest problem, however, is Yang himself. This route is full of casual sexual harassment. In the beginning, Lili literally must choose whether to let him rape her or not. And we're supposed to believe she's fallen for him because he gave her a stuffed panda. Yuck.

Yang is a bad person. He says it. Lili even directly calls him a horrible person. He sells drugs that make people dependent on them and then kills those people as they rot in the streets. And the narrative would have you believe he's not that bad, because he's not the one getting them addicted, and he's actually killing them so they don't suffer?? He also LITERALLY sells young women to overseas clientele???

The amount of cognitive dissonance needed to be happy with this route is insane. Not to mention we get zero backstory on why Yang is the way he is. It also reads as kind of racist, because the Lao-Shu are the only mafia brabcg that seems to be truly evil.

Yang's route plays out more as Stockholm Syndrome than romance. His jealousy towards Lili, which could have been used as a moment of vulnerability, instead comes across as intense anger. There is nothing charming about this character.

I weirdly do think it was one of the better routes, if only for the pacing, but I could not get behind this suitor at all. Even Lili literally says she doesn't know why she likes him. It's like they just gave up on writing a decent romance and just hoped the players would like Yang enough to buy into it. For me, it's a huge failure. Fuck this guy.

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Gilbert Route (Spoilers)

Based on how little interaction you get with Gilbert in the other routes, I was surprised that this one is intended to be played last. But you can't access it until you play the other four, so that's how it's meant to be, I guess.

Gil is charming in a way the others are not. He's boisterous, generous and kind, and you get the sense he's being nice to Lili because he wants to be, not out of some weird obligation like Nicola. He's pretty much the only love interest who doesn't just kill people who get in his way. He seems to really care about his part of town and everyone likes him rather than fears him.

This was my second favorite route in the game, although I did think it was weird to put it last. Plotwise, it falls flat, as Gil is framed for a counterfeit money operation. The whole ordeal seemed considerably less important than what was going on in Dante and Orlok's routes.

But it doesn't feel that way while playing, as this route involves a full-scale investigation and all three mafia families working together. Lili is great here, contributing in important conversations and actually participating in the investigation. Gil's attraction to her — and vice versa — feels natural.

There was a trial scene with absolutely no consequence, and the entire end to this route seemed to largely be a setup for the "finale" route that comes next. But otherwise, this was probably the most solid route in the game.

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Finale Route (Spoilers)

No picture here, but you'll know who it's about based on after Gil's route. Or just by looking at the cover of the game.

This route starts off very weirdly, because the first couple of chapters are just a slightly extended version of Gilbert's route. The save screen actually says "Gilbert" for a while, so it seems like you're just replaying that route. I had to use a guide to make sure I was doing the right stuff.

The finale largely follows the same plot as Gilbert's route, with Gil falsely arrested for a counterfeit money scheme, but this time with added slights against all other mafia branches. Everyone must work together to bring down the enemy. Meanwhile, Lili deals with a mysterious suitor, who is bent on revenge for the death of his sister.

While I think the ending was a little abrupt, and perhaps too similar to Orlok's ending, I did like how Lily addressed the culprit, telling him he can do more for the world by living to help others, rather than kill himself as he'd planned.

I didn't love how Lili just runs away though. It felt out of character for someone who constantly yearned for her home in the church to sacrifice herself to help heal a murderer at the expense of abandoning her life, friends and family.

I felt the finale was a reasonably fitting end for this game. Unfortunately, it didn't make up for the slog I had to wade through to get there.

[hellcatinnc]

Piofiore Fated Memories - Nicola Francesca Review

Includes Spoilers...

I was going to write this with all the guys from Piofiore but I just can't do it there is so much for me to say and share pics that I'm sure tumblr will block me using too many pics so going to do each guy from there as separate reviews as I do their route. So far I only did Nicola and I only plan to do the good routes because I know the bad routes are super dark.

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This man grabbed my attention from the moment he first winked I have such a thing for flirty guys so "Hello Nicola" my journey I was ready to begin with this beautiful green eyed sexy man. He isn't as flirty as I'm used to but there is something so attractive in how he caries himself and how he talks to Lili. You can tell he cares so much about Dante and has been there for him since they were little this is so honorable of him and shows true loyalty.

His genuine need to protect Lili from the start is so sweet and gentle you can't help but love this man. He talks about being part of the mafia and don't get me wrong he has a rough side but I think he starts falling for Lili even before he realizes it. He lets his walls down so fast its not hard to see how they are so connected and the fact they have in common not the best childhood.

He gets jealous easily but I think thats because Lili is the first person who has come into his life that could truly be his and I think he is scared he could lose that.

He goes out of his way to try to give Dante his life and get him out of the mafia and yes he betrays them which I really am glad they clear up in the end because he really did everything for Dante. That being said there was a strong bond between them that even Dante wanted Nicola to go to her when she was in danger. There was alot of ups and downs between these 2 but over everything he chose Lili even before his own life.

The way he tenderly touches her is breath taking to watch. For a man who spends his life killing people the way he holds her the way he touches her is so sweet makes your heart melt watching how he interacts with her.

The moment he gave in and kissed her the first time was like magic you felt yourself rooting them on then when he does this it was like awww moment. He had never wanted for anything or anyone besides to take care of Dante so when she was willing to give her life to save his he lost it. The battle he had been fighting to not hear her say she loves him and to not feel her touch his walls instantly crashed and she had his heart from there on out.

He was so protective and the fact he was scared to leave her behind tells so much volume about his character and how genuine deep down he is everything else is for show to scare people as he needs to. The moment he gave in to his pleasure with her he couldn't get enough. This man is one of them insatiable men trying to keep their sex drive fed is going to be a task but I'm sure she will enjoy every moment. Then the moment he confesses he is in love with her I had tears in my eyes I was so happy.

Then there is the one other that was so sexy in the short story area after when he says "Good Girl" I melted...

The fight that ended it all he was even sexy when he made it clear to Roberto the shitty psycho cop that she was his. Of course jealous motherfucker couldn't handle it and when he tried to hurt Lili Nicola lost it and shot him cold blooded no thoughts just knew he wanted him dead more than any other. His love for Lili and Dante will be the reason he will kill someone with no remorse. That being said its one thing I love about him because honestly there are a few people close in my life and I would do anything to protect them no matter what. This is what you call a loyal man and that makes him already one of my favorites. Will he be my number one favorite for this game only time will tell but he does have a good happy ending route.

UPDATED REVIEW OF OTHER ROUTES CAN BE FOUND HERE!

[ayaspen]

Hi!!

Hello and welcome to Butterfly Scribbles!

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This blog is a space where we can talk about things that we’re passionate about, be it Books, Movies and series/anime/Kdrama, Otome Games, music/Kpop and a lot more!

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I will also be creating main masterlists of the different topics I will be treating in this blog, Hopefully there will be everything for everyone!

I've always wanted to write and express my thoughts and feelings about different things I love, so this would be my humble approach on the subject!

With all that being said I’m really hoping everyone would enjoy my content and join the discussions that I’m going to start here, and I'm really excited to give it my best!

*I am definitely not a professional reviewer, I am merely a passionate art consumer, and this account is for fun purposes only, so kindly take that in mind.*

Love, 🦋

[otome-asylum]

Piofiore: Fated Memories Review

From the game box's summary: "Navigate a world of organized crime. Three mafia families fight for control of Burlone City, and Lili discovers she is in the center of their deadly turf wars. Her encounters lead to danger and distraction. Drawn into this shadowy world, she realizes there is no going back..."

Piofiore: Fated Memories is an Otomate game from Idea Factory, localized by Aksys Games for the Nintendo Switch.

Overall Score: 8/10. I really liked the game in general--romanticized mafia is super fun! I loved the mafia premise and the thrill of illicit activities, haha. The love interests and side characters were excellent, too. The voice acting is fabulous! Two of my favorite VAs voice love interests: Showtaro Morikubo as Gilbert Redford (also voices Souji Okita in Hakuoki and Impey Barbicane in Code Realize) and Ryohei Kimura as Nicola Francesca (voices Kageyuki Shiriashi from Collar x Malice). Even fell in love with the voice acting of a new guy--Nobuhiko Okamoto as Yang (also does a side character's voice in Collar x Malice).

What I was not expecting was the somewhat heavy emphasis on Christianity and religion. That makes it sound a little more intense than I mean, but considering I wasn't expecting it at all...well. It wasn't the way one might expect, but it was enough that it was completely out of left field when I was expecting, you know, mafia. Honestly, had I known it wasn't just straight mafia, I might not have bought the game, but it was easy enough for me to ignore most of the time. There were some very--I mean very--minor translation issues, mainly typos, but it was good overall.

Heroine: 6/10. To start with, my opinion of the Heroine varied depending on the route. She was my favorite in Gilbert's route, and I liked her enough in Yang's, but she was kind of pitiful in the other three (not including the Finale/Henri endings; admittedly, I didn't read the Finale). Frankly, I found myself annoyed at her most of the time. It's annoying when a character that's meant to represent the reader (as a general rule) does, says, and thinks things that I never would. She has decent points at least once in most of the routes, but especially in the beginning of each route, she's so naive it makes me want to throw up. There are in-game reasons for why this is, so I understand it, but I still dislike it.

By the end of each route, she comes to terms with the fact that she's fallen in love with an incredibly dangerous man and gets over the fact that she's inadvertently complicit in organized crime, but the road to this acceptance is long and annoying. At the end of it all, she's still a bleeding heart. Not that I really thought that would change, but still. Progress.

I'm just bored to death of many otome MCs' main (and often only) strength being strength of will and/or character. Mental and emotional toughness are good, but could the MC also be useful and have more interesting qualities? Just once, I'd love to play a badass MC, who's a bit hardened, not a bleeding heart, and isn't shocked by the sight of blood... Yeesh...

Narrative: As is typical of these console games, the plot varies slightly from route to route, though there is an overarching plot. Without giving too much away, MC is Special™, and that comes out/is relevant in only 3/6 routes. All of the routes were well written, though I didn't find all of them that interesting. The overarching plot bored me to tears. I just wasn't into it. In a world of what I assumed was just your standard period mafia piece, there was a lot of weird mysticism and Christian mythology. There's not magic or anything like that, but there are sacred relics that can only be retrieved from their super secret locations with specific "ingredients," if you will. MC has one of those ingredients, and in a game where it really advertises the mafia (that's literal the entire pitch of the game, there's no mention of anything else on the game case), it feels very out of place.

I can tell they were trying to do something different with the mafia premise, and I commend the writers for that, but I think it fell a little flat. I found myself enjoying the routes where there was more of those organized crime attributes--smuggling, drug and arms dealing, counterfeiting, etc.--most, while the routes that heavily focused on MC's specialness were a slog to get through. Of course, this is my own personal opinion, so others may feel very differently. Despite that, I truly enjoyed the game and can't wait to play the sequel (fandisc)!

Love Interests: I adore these characters, period. They're all very unique and interesting, even if a few weren't my type. There are technically six love interests: Nicola Francesca, Dante Falzone, Yang, Gilbert Redford, Orlok, and Henri. Gilbert is locked until you completed Nicola, Yang, Dante, and Orlok's routes, and the Finale/Henri is locked until you complete Gil's. You don't get a feel for who Henri is at all until you play the Finale route, so I personally didn't care for him. I had no vested interest in him, so full disclosure, I mostly skipped his route...

The other characters were wonderfully varied, so I think there's a personality type to suit nearly everyone. I can honestly say that, although not all of them are for me, I can pick out a quality I like in all of them. Dante is the kuudere of the guys; Gilbert is gallant and chivalrous; Yang is selfish and craves violence (in the best way, though); Nicola is a flirt; and Orlok is the quiet, shy one. Henri is mysterious, though not in an interesting way for me, personally.

Game Mechanics: The "Status" page is difficult to understand, especially when you first start playing and have no idea what you're looking at. I had to look up how to interpret the status of the character. The more colorful the flower on the status page is, the higher the affection, and the clearer the page (in this case, how much blood spatter is visible) is related to the tolerance level. So, full-color flower and no blood spatters are very good.

I also don't love the Meanwhile side stories. While you're plaything through every story, periodically you'll get a pop-up that is sometimes automatic, sometimes optional, that takes you to a different perspective--something that's going on at the same time as the main story. I like the idea in theory, but it sometimes felt like they came at inopportune times and broke the story flow.

Music & Art Style: The music is jaunty and fun, very 1920s jazz, screams mafia, too. If that makes sense. If you decide to play it, you'll see what I mean. The art style is beautiful! It looks very similar to, if not outright the same as, Hakuoki. Since that's the game that started my love affair with these types of games, I love that it looks so similar. The CGs are gorgeous and worth collecting all of them, so 100-percenting the game is worth it. Some of them get pretty hot, too, like aaahhhhh. So 10/10 on the art!

[otomegamereview]

Test

[lizstaysinneverland]

Since Twitter isn't a good place to keep lengthy stuff, I am posting my small review here as well.

Finally completed Piofiore, so I can post my own short review. 🥰

There aren't really any big spoilers but I tagged it as such, just to be safe.

I'll start with Nicola because he was my first route. I actually enjoyed Nicolas route but his route almost ruined Roberto for me...His devotion toward Dante was quite endearing and I was happy he wasn't a f-boy as I initially thought, he was charming and a good start to Piofiore.

Next up, Dante! He turned out to be my favorite, surprisingly, as I thought it'd be Gilbert. I really liked his caring, gentle behavior toward Liliana and his serious attitude. His CGs were so sweet and I enjoyed learning more about the key maiden.

Orlok! I honestly don't know why they decided to make him a love interest, I didn't see the appeal and the whole religious stuff was getting on my nerves. His route was also quite depressing. He would have been a great side character though (kinda wished Leo and Orlok would have become friends, they would be a good match).

I liked Yang a lot as a character, not as a LI though. His route was intriguing and I liked his a-hole attitude that secretly cared in a twisted way. I am also a sucker for smartasses so it was to be expected. The only route that truly felt like mafia as it was quite brutal and heartless at times.

Gilbert, my sweet boi! I really liked him, def my 2nd fav from Piofiore, he is charming and treats Liliana well and values her opinion, I think this was the only route in which I more or less liked Lili. I wish we would have seen Gil w/o his eyepatch in sprites as well.

Finale route (+Henri)! 3rd fav route, simply because I loved seeing the bosses and family members work together and have such cute interactions with Lili. Didn't care for Henri much, the whole Chloe thing was too much (not a fan of minor falls for an adult) but I did feel sorry him at the end (& for his backstory).

Final verdict: I loved the side characters and some love interests were nice but the whole church stuff & angst was too much for my own taste. I loved the art & the side plot more than the main one, never truly got hooked but there were times I enjoyed the game. 5/10 for me - won't buy the sequel though.

[xcerizex]

Lovebrush Chronicles: Godheim Review

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My very long, informal, and definitely biased review. This will contain minor spoilers for the Godheim arc only so take caution. This review is also only limited to the Godheim series so there will be no overall thoughts on the game itself. I followed Otome Kitten's format and I really hope it helps out any beginners to LBC.

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ART:

I found the art very pretty and was extremely glad to see that they did not skip out on giving us CGs either! The sprites all looked good, but I personally have some issues with Lars' outfit (the orange did not look good on you sweetie 💀).

Not all CGs are drawn by the same artist however, which may be off putting for some. The total count number of proper CG's for each route (not including common route) boils down to around 4-5, so that also may be a pet peeve for some.

On another note, there are also mini CG's which appear as small boxes, whether you consider it as an actual CG is up to you. Personally, I enjoyed the roles they played towards aiding the narrative.

Unrelated note, I'm banging on the floor crying and wondering who the hell did Ayn's CGs (the one where he was cleaning his sword was my absolute favorite 😍) and why didn't they come back.

MUSIC:

If there's one aspect of the game that I shall praise to the ends of the earth, it's the music.

Colour me shocked when I listened to the intricate and deep soundtracks for the first time, they just took my breath away! There were many gorgeous orchestral scores that depicted the fantasy setting perfectly. Not to mention the battle ost's which had more effort put into them than necessary.

My personal favorite OST's would be the "River's End", and "Starry Sky", which plays the same tune as the OP song you hear when you log onto the game. It's honestly so iconic. 😭👌

Opening theme:

VOICE ACTING:

I was absolutely flummoxed by the stacked japanese voice cast, which all included extremely famous seiyuus from the otome industry:

1. Ayn Alwyn

[JP VA: KENN]: Shelby Snail (Cupid Parasite), Yukimaro (9R.I.P), Limbo (Bustfellows)

2. Alkaid McGrath

[JP VA: Tachibana Shinnosuke]: Seiya (9R.I.P), Henri (Piofiore), Rafayel (Love and Deepspace)

3. Lars Rorschach

[JP VA: Junichi Suwabe]: Artem (Tears of Themis), Van Helsing (Code: Realize), Sukuna (Jujutsu Kaisen)

4. Clarence Clayden

[JP VA: Kosuke Toriumi]: Rei Mukuni (CollarXMalice), Ichiya (Variable Barricade), Chojiro (Nightshade)

5. Cael Anselm

[JP VA: Daisuke Hirakawa]: Saint Germain (Code: Realize), Tower Overlord (Psychedelica of the Ashen Hawk), Lucas Proust (Virche Evermore)

COMMON ROUTE:

To my delight, the pacing was done very well. Nothing was dragged out and the introduction to the overall plot of the game was well established minus a certain plot point which definitely could have benefited better by being introduced in the common route itself.

I didn't really expect it to turn out as dark as it did however. The common route + modern prologue took me around a total estimation of more than 4 hours but in reality the prologue itself shouldn't take that long at all.

ROUTE ORDER:

Once you've completed the common route, you are given the option to start either Ayn's or Alkaid's route. After you've completed both, Lars' route is unlocked. And once you've finished all three routes, Clarence's route unlocks as the grand finale.

This was my personal playthrough and I wouldn't have changed it if given the chance. I believe it had the best flow of story progression. Though that was mainly because I wouldn't have enjoyed Alkaid's route as much if I'd played Ayn's first:

Alkaid = Ayn = Lars = Clarence

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AYN ALWYN:

- Crown Prince of Godheim

- Tsundere

- Sweet tooth ❤️

Ayn is Lars's cousin, but you soon find out that there is not a hint of familial love between them. He shows up as a mysterious figure during the common route and portrays a conflicting character, making the heroine unsure of his standing. While he appears blunt and crude, he is a determined young man who's sworn vengeance, and with an unexpected love for sweets.

Ayn's route in my opinion had the best consistent pacing as well as romance. I did find the romance somewhat abrupt early in the story, but the strong chemistry between him and the heroine more than made up for it! 🥰 It was just so enjoyable to watch them banter with one another and watching them just click.

I enjoyed the storyline for this route a lot and I think it had something to do with the fact that Ayn's route provided a different perspective in comparison to the others. In this route, we learn more about the the political situation surrounding Godheim and the royal family.

I also loved Ayn as a character, and not unexpectedly became my oshi ❤️.I do think a lot of people will enjoy him as a love interest. His route also has a wee bit of spice 👀, so for y'all thirsty gamers be sure to savor it slowly, as it's the only bit of spice we're getting here lmao. I did find some of his actions, mostly in the bad ends, to be OOC, but I easily brushed it off seeing as how much I liked him.

ALKAID MCGRATH:

- Member of the Noventrate

- Good, sweet boi

- Tea

Devoted and caring, Alkaid is the mage assigned to guard the heroine during her stay in Godheim. He's always expressing his concern for the heroine and will do anything to help her, even if it means betraying his mission.

Alkaid is the character who the heroine interacts the most during the common route. His romance with the heroine was sweet, even if it did feel way over the top in it's initial stages when I first played it. But once I got to learn more about him, I realized that he truly just wanted the best for the heroine, romantic feelings aside. 🥺

The route was fine. But I personally wasn't the biggest fan of the direction (?) it took on halfway. Some parts of it felt irrational to me and didn't really feel like it had any real relevance to its own story.

On another note, Alkaid is such a dreamy man. 😩 I adore just how respectful of a man he is in general (women respect juice, bottoms up!), and it was so sweet how attentive he was in making sure the heroine was always out of harm's way. I guess you could say he was someone akin to a hero in fairytales.

LARS RORSCHACH:

- Emperor of Godheim

- Good at combing hair 🥰

- That chest doe 👀

Known as the "Tyrant Emperor" from the heroine's manga, he immediately sweeps her off her feet, claiming her as his bride the moment she first arrived at Godheim. While his initial impression was flirty and playful, he lives up to his name as a cold-blooded tyrant. For some aspects at least.

His route focused more on the Silver Knight, which was the main (and wrong) reason why I enjoyed his route so much! 😆 On that note, I think that the writers had a bone to pick with Lars. They just had to force him to share the spotlight with an intriguing side character lmfao. The route itself was paced and executed well for the majority, but the quality of the writing towards the end was slightly skewered.

But to be honest, I quite enjoyed Lars a lot as a character, rather than a love interest. It was interesting to see the conditions surrounding his birth as a tyrant and his motivations for his questionable actions.

That's not to say that the romance wasn't enjoyable. I actually quite liked the relationship between him and the heroine. I found some moments they shared together really sweet. I also adored the development of Lars' feelings, and you can see just how important the heroine's existence was to him at the end of the route.

Though I guess I would have found the romance more believable if the heroine articulated her feelings for Lars more. I found it difficult to see the romance from her side. In short, the romance wasn't it's strongest point.

Clarence Clayden:

- Godheim's Archmage

- Get the tissues

- I've never been the same since...

Clarence has somewhat poised himself as an antagonist, only giving leeway in Lars' route. Distant and cold, he is stubborn in wanting to use the heroine for his goal and is willing to sacrifice anything to achieve it.

This route was an emotional rollercoaster. It broke me down, dumped my heart 6ft underground, trampled on its grave, and then some. It left me broken for a whole week for real goodness gracious...😭

This route can probably considered the "True Route", seeing as how it tackles the problem straight on unlike in other routes. The pacing slows down a little bit for a few chapters, but once it picked itself back up, it picked up HARD.

Now let's get to the romance. Out of all routes, some may say it had the least sugary romance, and a part of me agrees. But do igaf? No! ❤️Clarence turned out to be such a longingly sweet character and despite all the harm and pain he's done, I have no qualms in forgiving him and wanting to love him with all my heart🥺, as does the heroine.

I honestly don't want to say too much as it may ruin the experience. I went into this route completely blind and boy was I glad. All I can say that this route was the most popular out of all the routes for good reason. Got me playing up to 2 am with no regrets.😆😭

CAEL ANSELM:

- The Silver Knight

- The bias wrecker

- The sus

- He ruined me...

He is known in Godheim as the Silver Knight as well as the leader of the Rebellion. Decisive and apathetic, the heroine is unable to affect him emotionally in any form.🤡

Cael does not have an actual route, but a personal story, labeled as Expedition from his POV which may serve as an epilogue to the Godheim series. In his story, any unanswered questions are explained here, as well as the many actions he took that did not make it on screen.

If this wasn't a review I'd spend one whole section brainrotting about him so be grateful I'm trying to keep this short. 😅 Cael is a surprisingly interesting character by nature and it was very liberating to finally get a glimpse of his true feelings and thoughts throughout the heroine's journey in Godheim.

I'm scared to say more in case it may ruin any surprises. In my opinion, I enjoyed his story a LOT! It definitely made me feel depressed and empty in its own way and it hurts my heart to see that he never got a route of his own for reasons I won't get into right now. Absolutely amazing and one of my favorite parts of the Godheim series!

_________________________________________

TRUE EPILOGUE:

Once you've finished all routes, the game will give you the option to choose one "True Ending", wherein you choose one of the boys to have a happily ever after with and by your own accord.

"One can only paint a world in which they believe in." 🥰

Please note that you can only choose one boy at a time. Your choice will then give you a Pictura based on which boy you choose.

To change your "True Ending", buy the Diadem from the shop to change your choice. You will not receive a different Pictura however.

I think the best thing about these endings were the music.😆 Each soundtrack was unique to each character and drop dead gorgeous to listen to. 😩

HEROINE (LITTLE PAINTER):

- Cheeky

- Anonymous manga author

- Needs a therapist (rly tho)

Despite China's strange attempts at creating self-insert heroines by leaving them nameless, the Little Painter was far from a blank slate! She's extremely relatable when it comes to her reactions and actions. Often times I would react a certain way to something an LI said or did, only for her to do the same thing! 🤣 I guess that could also count as a self-insert personality.

But if there's one thing I admire her greatly for, it would be her drive and determination to save Godheim. Her journey was far from easy and I doubt I could ever stay sane the way she did. Tbh, I didn't like the fact that her sufferings were never truly addressed properly, or rather, professionally ig?

I also found her quick adaptation and flexibility to her new environment extremely impressive. That goes the same to the way she wielded her powers for the first time. And how she grew stronger to go head to toe with even Clarence in his own route! You👏 Go👏Get👏 Em👏 Girl!

That said, she's not perfect. Some people found her to pushy and annoying though I personally found it okay. I was really glad how she didn't force herself to tolerate any crap and got that anger out rightfully.😆 (Asmoran deserved it...)

_________________________________________

Final Thoughts:

I have enjoyed my journey immensely! The whole premise and setting drew me in, and I was surprised with the impressive narration which absolutely pummeled me to the ground (mostly on Clarence's route and no I'm not shutting up abt that).

The localization was also really superb? Yes it had a few typos + mistakes here and there, but they really pulled out all the stops when it came to making the dialogue natural and relatable. Not to mention a few large words that even I don't understand. 😂

It's not without it's imperfections of course. There are definitely some issues with the writing. And if you're looking for heavy romance or even fluff, Godheim is not the place to go to. 😅

Playing the Godheim arc took me about a week-ish, considering I had to level up and such. It may be a tedious process for some, but for me, it was an iron gate which I violently shook every day, screaming for the next chapter.

All in all, it's definitely worth playing! You don't lose much anyway considering it's free, so just give it a try. You can always drop it if you don't like it. My rating for this game is also very much biased and should not be taken seriously:

8/10

[mythicamagic]

have you played Love and Deepspace and what is your review on it??

Hello! Yes I have. It's sitting in my homescreen right now on my phone.

I think my opinions on it might be quite mixed or controversial? So just bare that in mind before reading.

I've played a looot of otomes. I think I started playing them in 2009. I can very much say that LADS is a unique experience. It's not like anything I've ever played before in terms of graphics, cinematography and interaction with your fictional boyfriends.

The Great:

I think the interface and design is really nice in certain aspects (the combat is a bit iffy). This is a very pretty game imo. Also can I just say, having a customisable MC is really great! I like that you can change not just her skintone but her voice settings as well. I also just- LOVE the 4 and 5 star cards content. They hold some examples of lovely scenarios written with care, and some good ole fanservice to boot as a treat. Whoever does the lighting for the 5* cards does a marvellous job, as the animations really feel 'alive' sometimes. Great direction with using the MC as the POV so the 'camera' swings or moves closer according to how she's reacting. Love that.

The LIs:

I think having a varied cast is important in otomes but a common vibe or theme can often be shared between their contrasting personalities. For Piofiore its mafia/crime lords and domestic life, for Cafe Enchante cosy coffeeshop vibes. With Love and Deepspace I'd say its cosy vibes mixed with action, mixed with angst. The cast supports this, with all of them having serious or sweet sides. I am definitely not drawn to some of them, but that's okay! I think anyone going in new should know they won't like everyone and that's common for otome. What I find uninteresting might be wonderful to someone else and vice versa. I will say Sylus took the spot as my favourite and he has a very different vibe to the others even when he's doing cosy domestic stuff. I very much enjoy his scenes and how dynamic they feel (also its really nice the whole cast is in their twenties)

The Bad:

The worst casualty in Love and Deepspace is...the main story. I can't overstate how much of a confusing, poorly written and badly executed mess the main story is. In terms of setup, establishing lore, world building and stakes, it somewhat limps from one chapter to another. Scenes can begin and end abruptly with plot threads seemingly dropped. Secrets can often be intriguing, yes- but by continually withholding answers the game can get a bit frustrating. As a new player with no knowledge of the game, I didn't understand why Rafayel kept referring to himself as a fish during the crane game and kitty card mini games. It was like they were referencing something that hadn't happened yet in game, so I was like - okay, I'll wait. I'm sure it'll be explained (spoilers: it was not explained).

Essentially if you want backstory and context to the boys you NEED their cards to unlock their content, and I'm not a huge fan of that. I think the main story should still at least give you a bit more to work with about the boys. (This is especially bad when the lore is locked behind gacha luck). And I get that the whole story is space/time themed but sincerely I did not know the world of Love and Deepspace was capable of casual space travel until I read Sylus' anecdote story. This is not good worldbuilding. Sure it throws loads of terminology at you but you'll have to read the notes yourself to understand what they are. It's a lot of telling and not showing. For an example of how this could've been done: Cowboy Bebop is about bounty hunters in space. It has scenes of them...in space. You're telling me someone as rich as Sylus, who offers MC to go on his motorbike, yacht, and private jet, wouldn't offer her a circle around the planet in his spaceship? Idk it feels like a lot of worldbuilding details have been overlooked.

There is also the issue of voice acting. This can again come down to personal preference but in general I always give English Dubs a fair chance, and enjoy many of them. Voice acting has come a long way since the wooden performances of older animes and games. That said, many of the boys, especially in the earlier chapters and content sound extremely flat. This goes double for the NPCs (who can be laughably bad). It's not even a matter of 'oh this person is just reading lines with no emotion' no the inflections in their voice are off- the context of what they're supposed to be emoting to can feel a million miles off base. I barely felt like they were in the scene with me. That said - this was likely a voice direction issue, because more recent content allows the boys to sound more relaxed and involved in the scene. Sylus' English VA knocks it out of the park in his performance though and I really appreciate how much he embraced that role. A lot of people could get embarrassed having to voice ASMR type content but he got fully immersed so 10/10 for that. I haven't tried any other languages apart from Japanese but c'mon, we know the Japanese VAs are like celebrities over there and will crush any role so no notes there except they're all great.

TLDR:

With all that said I do not hate the game, I really enjoy it! (I wouldn't have ranted so much here if I didn't care) I just wish certain aspects were tightened up more for storytelling purposes. It feels a bit jarring when some aspects of the game are SUPER polished but then easy mistakes are made. So I'd say if you're interested in playing - to just embrace the fluff and spicy fanservice. Treat it as your main meal as I do. If you end up enjoying the main story and combat then that's a bonus! I really hope this game continues to be successful because their recent content and chapter has been super intriguing - and in general its just nice to have an otome reach the spot of 3rd highest grossing mobile game during some months (below the giants like Genshin and HSR)

[propertyofkylar]

hiiiii Nica!! I’m the anon who gave you otome reccs a while ago <33 I know it’s been a while, but I finally had the time to catch up on your OS playthrough (from what you posted about it on here), and omg I’m so glad you seemed to enjoy it as much as you did!!! I was really hoping you would, so seeing that you played it and had a great time makes me really happy!

now I was wondering what you’ve got lined up for the future, if anything!! or if you’ve gotten any new games lately? I’m personally on rest while waiting for 9RIP in October so I can play during the end of spooky season C:

HI BESTIEEEE thank u for the recs because i owe you my life. the riku and akaza brainrot has been INSANE i love them….

i just played through hanakare which like., so cute, gin brainrot goes crazy but no one is posting about it so sad.

rn im back in the falzone’s torture chamber 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻 going to finish piofiore and then bustafellows bc im playing both

then idk…picked up some new games hehehe. probably will either play collar x malice next or maybe tengoku struggle…idk yet.

i also did break down and preorder 9rip so im excited for that!! im gonna post a review of it when i get it like i did for hanakare :D

my goal is to cut down the backlog significantly so i can replay routes without feeling guilty abt it…i miss ukyo i wanna see him again

[atopearth]

Piofiore: Episodio 1926 Part 7 - Henri Lambert Route & Overall Review

Henri wearing glasses showing a gentle smile is so beautiful. I honestly wish for him to be happy so I'm looking forward to this route! Henri working as a translator is so nice! It's something I would love to do as well, so it makes me like him even more haha. Seeing them get to live peacefully is nice, and they're so silly but I can understand why they would think they shouldn't try to "change" their relationship but c'mon Henri!! No girl leaves her home and everyone she cares for, for a guy she doesn't love! The two of them holding hands and eating lunch together is cute~ I hope they get to live more openly without fear of being chased soon. The more excited Lili was to return home, the more obvious that the Phantom probably killed the children, but I still hoped that it wouldn't happen. They were such a happy little family. I know they need a reason to leave and face their problems, the Phantom and everything, but this is just so so cruel. I feel terrible for Liliana. I can't imagine how it must feel for her, she's the one who cared for the children the most and saw them the most, and she had to be the first to witness the bloodied house and see their bodies, I can't imagine the devastation. But I also feel bad for Henri knowing that their deaths were because of him.

Honestly, it's crazy to think that in the first game, I really felt nothing for Henri. But after seeing more of his story in 1926, his feelings and now seeing many more thoughts and emotions from him, I can't help but wish that Henri can be happy despite the things he has done. Otherwise, it's really sweet to see how happy the guys are to see her well. I always appreciate how kind Gil is in expressing how much he cares for Lili and how he's always willing to help her if she needs help. Even Yang's roundabout way of telling her he's happy to see her well was cute. I understand Henri's reasons for leaving Lili with the Falzone but I'm still hurt😭 He's too considerate for his own good, he doesn't care about himself enough. And I agree with Nicola, if I lived Henri's life where his family all died because of this Key Maiden thing and the Falzone, and then I was forced to live with distant relatives of the Falzone that hated me, yeah I don't think many people would not want revenge. Lmao at Lee being surprised at Yang saying he cares about needing to protect all the innocents dying in Burlone. You could feel Yang's sarcasm😂 Wow, Sebastiano actually killed every single former employee of the casino, all those poor people.. I actually really like how Lili isn't recklessly wanting to go look for Henri and instead just asked Orlok to give him a letter for her, I think that's very sweet since she understands everyone wants her to stay safe. I never knew I needed this, but a little Nicola and a little Henri playing together all the time back in the day is the cutest thing ever, I want to cry at the potential of how happy and sweet Henri's life could have been if he stayed at the Falzone manor with him. It just breaks my heart seeing them smile so happily.

I'm so glad Sister Sofia showed Lili the letters Henri sent to her. Lili always put Henri first and never sent any further letters back to Sister Sofia after the first one because she wanted to protect Henri and prevent any chances of people tracing his whereabouts, but Henri always put Lili first by constantly updating Sister Sofia of their lives and apologising for taking Lili away from her. He's such a thoughtful and silly guy😭 Dante, Nicola, Orlok and Sister Sofia planning a way to help Lili meet Henri without him running away was the sweetest thing ever. Everyone knows how hard she's been trying to fake being cheerful, so seeing them care so much for Lili is really heartwarming. I love how they all helped her meet Henri, and I'm so happy that he's realised how important it is for Lili to stay with him. Lmao when Nicola was making fun of how Sebastiano said Yang wasn't beautiful😂😂 It must have been difficult for Henri to go back to the Falzone manor, but I'm glad Giulia welcomed him so warmly and he can have some happy memories here. I'm glad Nicola helped Lili understand that she loves Henri, like lady, no one abandons their whole life for sympathy! It's so sad that Sebastiano dug up and stole Chloe's (Henri's sister) remains but Henri only thought about how it's good that Sebastiano is focused on him and not Lili. Honestly, I do enjoy how crazy Phantom is in this route. The fact that he killed beautiful women who looked like Chloe to gather parts of them to make the perfect Chloe is just so insane but very fascinatingly him.

I love how the guys encouraged Lili to give Henri a kiss to cheer him up lmao, but dang was she brave to actually do it! I felt so bad for Lili, Henri is really an idiot😭😭 I know he thinks nothing of himself and that's why he doesn't believe Lili could ever love someone like him, but that was sad. Nicola laughing at Henri for restraining himself was funny though, made me feel a bit better. I love seeing Henri interacting with all the guys, they're all so different and fun. Lmao at all the guys picking on Henri for having not done anything with Lili this whole time even though they eloped and lived together for so long. I died when Yang said he was a eunuch😂 I love how even Dante shyly joined in taunting Henri into doing the job of disqualifying Lili from being the Key Maiden haha. Henri is the best kind of partner for food outings! He'll notice when you can't decide between your options and just chooses both for you and he'll let you eat the best one while he eats the leftovers of the one you prefer least. Lili is so lucky🥹 I loved their date and I loved the confession. Henri expressing how much he loves her and how he thought he didn't deserve her but couldn't help but continue to want her was very sweet. Henri kissing Lili over and over again, and teasing her so gently was so nice to see, so happy for them🥹 Henri feeding her breakfast was the cutest thing ever! I didn't want to remember the pain of those poor children getting killed by someone as insane as Sebastiano, but it was also heartwarming to see Henri finally give Lili the handkerchief they sewed for both her and Henri.

Even though Sebastiano is a nut, I do recognise that his actions were probably the best way for him to force Henri to become the version of him that lived on hatred and vengeance again. And by doing all that, Sebastiano would be the focus of that hatred, so it would make him happy that Henri is so focused on him and constantly think about him. In his own twisted way, it must have made him so happy to see Henri think about him so much this whole route. It was obvious that by this point, there's no way Henri would still be super hung up over Chloe and her remains, but it was nice to see him actually say it to Sebastiano and make him die knowing that Henri will never be who he wanted him to be. It's sad that Chloe's remains will never be truly found since Sebastiano either hid it somewhere they can't find, destroyed it or locked it in that box that will explode if touched in the wrong way, but I think it's fine. The dead will remain dead and there is never any guarantee they are resting in peace as bones anyway. I loved the ending, it was so sweet seeing them smile so happily together freely in France continuing the peaceful life they had, the flower ring was beautiful! Honestly, definitely the best route and highlight of this game haha. The tragic ending was pretty cruel to have Henri go with her on such a happy date (that I enjoyed too!) and then have him end the night telling her she needs to sleep with someone and that he wouldn't recommend Yang and refuses to be the one even though she clearly expressed that she wants him. That ending was definitely much more devastating than I expected. I felt so terrible having to think of Dante's torture and Henri's mental breakdown. The only solace that could be found was that Gil died in a way that he would have liked and Orlok got to die with Rosberg, whereas everyone else was forced to die at the hands of things or people they hated the most and were forced to die with extreme regrets. But I guess I feel the worst for Lili because she will continue to live being imprisoned, shackled, raped and broken by the hollow shell of the man she loves and the crazy guy who will never let them go. Probably the most tragic ending in this game tbh and now I feel too down about this whole thing to go sleep lol! Lmao at the bad ending where Sebastiano uses a saw to cut Lili's head off, what a guy.

Overall, I kinda wish I did the tragic ending before the good ending because that shit was brutal LOL. Now my impression is that I finished this game with everyone dying haha! Anyway, it's all good, I'll live because even though it was a tough ending to swallow, I liked it because it truly was a tragic ending compared to some of the other ones. Basically, Henri's route was wonderful and exceeded expectations. I really didn't know what to think about him when I first started this route because I didn't like his route in the original game and felt it was too shallow in terms of story and just the whole running away with Henri thing. But dang did Henri's existence and personality change my mind not long after hahaha. Not only was the plot engaging with how Henri fended against Sebastiano along with getting to know a bit more of their history together and Sebastiano's obsession but the romance was so beautiful too. Innocent and filled with the desire to be together but feeling like it's better to not be together, but then in the end still choosing to be together, I love that shit hahahah. It was also really fun to see all the guys appear alot throughout the whole route because their interactions were just so fun and supportive! Sebastiano was also a much more compelling villain this time around and his insanity just went off the charts which I loved. I feel like the reason why I didn't like him in Alternativa is because Sebastiano's character was basically made for Henri, so without Henri, his character feels like "nothing" which is probably what he himself feels like too lol. Very satisfying in all aspects imo. I would totally read this route again.

Overall Review

All in all, I would give this game an 8/10 just for Henri's route itself haha, it was so good. Otherwise, I really enjoyed the romance in Nicola and Gil's routes. I will always be weak to Gil the gentleman haha. I would rate Nicola's route above Gil's just because Teo's struggles were nice to see and much more understandable compared to what he does in other routes, whereas I just wanted Gil's dad to disappear every time he appeared lol. Yang's route was nice and sweet but that wasn't what I signed up for with Yang, so even though it was nice, it felt kinda lacking. However, in terms of side character interactions, I probably loved the route the most just below Henri's because I actually really liked Rui and his story when it came to Yuan. I thought I would love Yuan more but I honestly fell for Rui instead haha. It's actually adorable how cute he was with the twins and how much of a good guy he was to admit his mistakes towards judging Lili and respecting her afterwards. I have to say though, I also like Lee much more in this game because his interactions with the twins in Alternativa was so fun haha. As usual, when it comes to Dante, even though I did enjoy the route much more this time around, I do think the story with Raul and the Falzone was pretty weak and bland, it doesn't help that other than being pretty, Raul is pretty much useless as a person with no personality lol. I also warmed up a bit more to the romance between Lili and Orlok but it's pretty outrageous that Orlok doesn't get any steamy scenes or just more romance focused CGs, but yeah as usual, Orlok isn't my type so I wasn't really into it anyway. So my favourite to least favourite route would be Henri, Nicola, Gilbert - Yang, Dante and then Orlok. Definitely recommend playing this game even if just for Henri's route tbh, it was so worth it haha. It's got pretty similar vibes to the original game and I'd say even though there are quite a few boring moments too, I still very much enjoyed it, 8/10.

[loosesodamarble]

14 and 19 for the ask game?

Oooooohhhhhhhh~! Thank you for asking, Anon~!

14) Exceeded expectations

Thank you for asking this one, Anon! Because the games that exceeded my expectations are fun ones!

So one of the games that went beyond what I thought they would give me is Variable Barricade~!

I bought Variable Barricade on a whim while buying other otomes to add to my library. I read a non-spoiler review, saw some art, and thought it would be a very light rom-com sort of otome. Something to balance out darker stuff like Collar x Malice and Piofiore.

It turned out that the men were more than just quirky, they were fucking dumpster fires and weirdos! Each one approaches life differently and is flawed in that way. I’ve only played one route through to completion and while the guy wasn’t my favorite, he is still highly entertaining. It’s honestly a lot of fun playing the game and seeing the clash of personalities and thought processes of each character. The main character Hibari is stubborn and harsh at times (which apparently gets her flack from a Japanese audience but has endeared her to the West from what I’ve gathered), but deep down she’s a person who wants to find a worthwhile love. I love seeing her struggle to understand her suitors, help them change, and open herself up to optimism and romance.

There are some more intense subject matter in a couple routes which are handled… not the best.

But VariBarri is still very amazing. And it blew away the mediocre expectations I had for it going in. The art is gorgeous. The characters are engaging. The story arcs had me hooked. And I loved many of the twists and surprises.

19) Favorite villain/conflict

Before I answer, I must make it clear that I will be discussing spoilers of a game so…

Spoilers for Cafe Enchante! Proceed with caution if you don’t want to be spoiled for the dating sim Cafe Enchante!

Anyways!

While not a villain outright, Solitus from Il’s route in Cafe Enchante is one of my favorite villains.

He’s really more an antagonistic force than villain. God is the real villain of the route but God isn’t as cool or memorable as Solitus. Solitus has this deep bond of devotion with Il and it’s heartbreaking to see the lengths he’d go for his (non-romantic) partner. He can be mean with how he explains aspects of Il’s existence. But he gets redeemed in the end because it’s made clear that the whole time, he cared and was hurting from missing his friend.

Solitus doesn’t get a lot of focus outside of Il’s route but he gets enough attention when he does show up that I got attached real quick and enjoy his story, even if he acts against the heroes for most of the route.

[otome-mondays]

Piofiore: Fated Memories Review 🔫

(Ignore the fact that’s a water gun ty)

Another one I’m late to reviewing, but also another one I finished years ago. I first started this while in the middle of Collar x Malice and at the end of my senior year of high school. I finished this one shortly after graduating. Now this game is very rough so if you are triggered by violence, mafia, graphic descriptions of torture, drug abuse, human trafficking, suicide, and catholicism, please put yourself first and don’t play this game. I’d also recommend looking up a full list in case I have missed anything. Also, as with all of my reviews, these are my own opinions about the game. You may agree with me, you may not. I’m open to discussions but please be respectful! This review will contain general game spoilers, as well as spoilers for the secret route.

Piofiore takes place in 1925 Italy, in the small fictional town of Burlone. Burlone is run basically by the mafia, split up into 4 parts. There are 3 different mafia within the town, who each control a district, and then there’s a neutral fourth district. The Falce district is run by the older and more traditional Falzone mafia, the Creta district is run by the younger Italiant mafia the Visconti, and the Veleno district is run by a faction of the Chinese Lao-Shu mafia. We play as Liliana Adornato, an orphan raised in the Catholic Church by the nuns. Lili lives a very simple life and enjoys it, not really leaving the neutral district unless with members of the church. That is until all of the sudden she gets targeted by the mafias and now we start the game. This seems kind of early, and to be fair I did skip a lot of the prologue details for a few reasons. One, the prologue changes more as you complete more routes. It expands and gets longer and adds more choices. Two, the prologue is honestly a little long and boring to me. It’s only two chapters long if I’m remembering correctly, but it was ridiculously painful for me to get through after the first time. You are introduced to all the known love interests during the prologue though, and your answers to questions determine which route you are playing. Most routes are locked at the start and I had very minimal info on a definitive route order, so I decided to specifically follow the one on Otome Kitten’s review. Like my last review, I’m going to go in order I played.

Spoilers Ahead

Nicola Francesca ☕️

First up we have Nicola, the underboss of the Falzone mafia family. Underboss basically means second in command, and he definitely fits the roll. Nicola’s route honestly served as the perfect introductory route to this game. We get to learn about many different terms and explanations as to what the mafia are doing without giving an information overload. We also see how the mafias work within the city of Burlone and have some minimal exploration of the world of Piofiore. I have seen very mixed opinions on this route, but Nicola’s routes was one of my favorites in the game. Nicola is also one of the few consistently written characters and it makes me enjoy him as a character even more. So in Piofiore, every route has 3 big endings: best, good, and tragic. Unlike Collar x Malice, you’ll generally know what route your on because you can get completely different chapters and some are shorter than others. The best and good endings here are great and really give a nice wrap up to Nicola’s route! They’re more on the lighthearted sides which helps ease you into the game. Meanwhile the tragic ending…the writing it great but oh boy is this ending twisted. Bit of a spoiler but warning, this is a yandere end. Now, most the tragic endings are very jarring and twisted, so if you don’t like that don’t read them (but also you really shouldn’t be playing this game if that’s the case). This isn’t even anywhere close to being the worst tragic ending in terms of twisted-ness, so brace yourself for the next ones. This route gets an 8/10 for me!

Yang 🐼

Congratulations everybody, we’ve made it to the incredibly twisted route. Do you like trash characters who don’t pretend to be morally correct? Then Yang is gonna be your guy! So Yang here is in charge of the Lao-Shu, which are typically the antagonists of the routes. He’s the one that basically pushes the story into motion too, having the Lao-Shu abduct Lili at the start of every route. In this route, he’s successful and keeps Lili with him in the Lao-Shu. I don’t know why I keep feeling the need to bring this up, but if you are looking for any cute romance stories this is not the game and this is definitely not that route. Yang’s route honestly probably has the best writing for both characters and story, and it makes a very interesting playthrough. All of Yang’s endings are also very interesting and Lili behaves differently as a character throughout them too. It’s interesting to see all the sides of Yang and because of this he’s my favorite character based purely on writing. Now as an actual love interest, my god I hate him. But I would 1000% replay this route and enjoy it. 9.5/10

Dante Falzone ✝️

Welcome to the long route…buckle up this one takes a bit. Dante is the boss of the Falzone family, and unfortunately very boring to me at least. At this point in me playing the game, I genuinely don’t have any problems with him other than he’s just kinda bland to me. Dante is a very straightforward and straight-laced man, and is an extremely devout Catholic who follows his beliefs better than most people I know irl who fall into any Christian denominations. Other than besides, ya know, murdering people and doing criminal stuff with the mafia. Anyways, Dante’s route has a lot of lore! A lot of lote that basically becomes meaningless outside of this route. Unfortunately for Dante, his endings didn’t stand out as much compared to others in this game. His best ending is a pretty basic happy ending, his tragic ending is another basic sad ending. As for the good ending? I genuinely do not remember it and I’m not going back to re-read it. Now for most of the good endings I have had to go back to look at the CGs to try to remember what happened and even doing that for Dante didn’t jog my memory so idk what happened there. At the end of Dante’s route, he’s left still an ok basic character. Unfortunately for him it won’t stay that way by the end of the game. 7/10

Orlok 🗡️

Oh boy here it is, the saddest route in the game. Orlok easily was my favorite and I was so excited for his route. Orlok is a very mysterious character seeing as he isn’t in any mafia family, but rather working as an assassin for the church. And oh boy, he has so much religious trauma. The church tends to shove most of their dirty work onto him and any unlucky soul forced into this position. His route makes me so mad, because while there is great writing and even minimally talks about having to balance religious trauma with spirituality, lots of characters are just butchered for the sake of angst. And not in a good way. Dante and Gil specifically are like 2 entirely different characters who are both incredibly stupid and way more aggressive than before…which is saying something. The best and good endings give Orlok and Lili some peace, but the tragic endings is one of the most brutal endings. I hated reading it too because of how it just shouldn’t of happened if we kept the proper characterizations of the others. Nicola’s the only one who doesn’t get his character assassinated. 8/10

Gil Redford 🥃

Need something to cheer you up after Orlok? Well, it’s a good thing we’re on Gil’s route! This route is surprisingly more easy-going than most of the other routes. Gil here is the leader of the Visconti, but he’s very friendly with all the citizens of Burlone regardless of their district. He’s really easy-going too, and I felt like he was the only one to really see Lili as a person rather than a target of the mafia. After Orlok’s route, I thought I’d hate him like I hate Dante, but he proved to have an actually entertaining and good route that redeemed him. His route also is nearly perfect, but because of the supposed need of a Finale we get some more “this would never happen” crap. Unfortunately I don’t remember his good ending, but his best ending and tragic ending were great! 9/10

Spoilers Below!

Finale 💶

The secret final boss, the finale route! This one functions a bit differently than the others. This route is also longer than the rest like Dante’s, and it was even less necessary! Unlike the other routes, this one has 2 major endings: Finale end and Henri end. Let’s start with the good one. The finale ending is very unique because it’s not a romantic one! This one rather ties up loose ends and solves the biggest mystery about wants going on in Burlone and who is orchestrating everything. Genuinely a good ending and if anything, could be considered the true ending. 8/10. Now the bad. Henri on the other hand…oh boy. Sorry to any Henri fans, but I hate this guy. Henri is the biggest man-child I have ever seen in a romance based game that I’ve played. That is really bad. Instead of doing any work on his trauma, he just blames everybody else for anything and everything bad that happens to it. It’s never his fault. The dude actively does bad things and throws a whole fit when bad things happen because of that. Maybe I’d understand it more if he wasn’t in his 30s! Even Yang would be a healthier partner than Henri at this point and that’s saying something. Literally 1/10 I hate this so much.

Overall Thoughts 🔫

Believe it or not I did enjoy this game, but it is definitely not for everybody! I am still upset years later about how Orlok’s route was handled and the fact Henri is even a part of the game. There’s bonus post-route stories for both the best endings and tragic endings, and Henri gets his own as well. The good ending ones specifically set up Piofiore: Episodio 1926 (which when I was playing had yet to be localized). As for a route order, I do recommend Nicola -> Yang -> Dante -> Orlok -> Gil -> Finale. At minimum play Dante’s route before Orlok’s because I feel Orlok’s route ruins Dante. This also follows the least to greatest lore drops and developing lore as you go along. Even with its issues, I do recommend this game for anybody who can handle it. 8/10

EDIT: I decided to add in my rankings for LIs and routes to my reviews!

Route: Yang > Gil > Orlok > Nicola > Finale > Dante >Henri

LIs: Orlok > Nicola > Gil > Yang > Dante > Henri

Resources 📝

I went and took pictures of the CGs use above, but I also got my walkthroughs from Otome Kitten. I also interacted with the otomegames subreddit for thoughts on the game.

[hellcatinnc]

Piofiore Fated Memories - Yang Review

Includes Spoilers....

So I know you hear so many people all happy about Yang and love him the best. After sticking through his route which has dragged out to the point of boredom for me I'm finally done. That being said Nicola I was interested every step of the way but Yang just annoyed me. The only thing he has going for him is his looks because damn he is hot. However I wouldn't even say when he is mean that he is even one bit flirty ever and he isn't a tsundere because there really is no niceness in this man, he is very cruel. Yandere probably fits thoroughly like people say I mean I'm sure you see it in his bad ending more but I refused to be scarred by this man. Bad enough the one time I accidently chose the wrong thing got him trying to rape Lili and that was just enough for me I'm just thankful it wasn't shown it was just the writing talking about what he was doing.

I don't understand why so many like him especially if its the darker elements they like about him. He is honestly just a freakin psycho in my book. Even Lee the guy who is trying to kill him and take over as the leader is hot but bat shit crazy. You spend most the time with kids' that guard you and their voices annoying like nails down a chalk board. God forbid you step out of line they will tell you how cute you are and then that they will kill you and its like WTF crazy ass kids.

Lee above..... The Hot Psycho/Crazy Kids

I waited so many times to get sweet moments and even when there was a glimmer of it he would fall back to a selfish act right behind it making me dislike him all over again. I really hoped even on the good ending he would say he was in love with her or say I love you but nope never get it. I also hated watching him kill Dante, Nicola, & Gil it broke my heart. In all those ways he was a coward as well he spent every time throwing Liliana on the ground first not caring if she got hurt when he did it just to get their attention since unlike him they were all gentleman so they thought to look at her first. Well everyone but Nicola's fight his was about getting vengeance for Dante. Worst part is I can't say I hate Yang he was true all the time to Lili that he was a monster a horrible man who didn't care and even in his declaration in the end it wasn't romantic. It was just that he wanted her, she couldn't leave or he would kill her but if he gets bored she can fuck off. Like seriously how is this show love.

Then on top of it everyone wants to know this mans name and he chooses to whisper in her ear yet leaves it on the note we still don't know. It might come around later but the point is it didn't end his story with it which irritated me. Then after killing all the mafias in the area instead of having a sweet quiet life with her its not good enough now he is off to London with her to kill and take over more. This is the only life that will come with this man. Now granted not gonna lie when he kisses her its passionate but just because he is good in bed doesn't mean he is a life soul mate. Honestly my opinion he is probably one of the worst written love interests I have seen in a game yet. He should have been chalked up to good sex life while with him then move on from there because to have fell in love with a man who she even says she can't condone what he has done and doesn't accept it yet loves him makes no sense to me.

What made me real mad is when both Gil, and Dante tried to reach out to her to protect her and she is like I don't trust you and calls them monsters yet she is standing by the man who sells women after he kidnaps them, allows drugs to run ramped and kill people, and will rape or kill a woman if he just feels like it. I swear when she is with him she has Stockholm syndrome its the only thing that makes sense. I can't imagine anyone in this game I will dislike more than Yang but time will tell and if it changes I will make not of it as for now he is at the bottom.

The last pictures are to prove my point on this is his romantic gesture of love to her here is my WTF moment because honestly I stick with most these men even the broke ones with the thought love can change them but not this man.

UPDATED REVIEW OF OTHER ROUTES CAN BE FOUND HERE!

[ayaspen]

Otome Games Masterlist

Hi,Welcome to my Otome obsession phase! 🦋

Olympia Soirée Review 💮

Piofiore Review 🔫

Collar X Malice Review 📌

Cupid Parasite Preview 🧁

Even If Tempest Review 🔮

(Links to Reviews will be added as I write them after finishing the games or starting new ones)

[ponyolvr]

hi! <3 (navi)

i don't really know how to make my tumblr page super cute (hopefully coming soon) but i just wanted to make a psa on how my messy blog is currently organized! click the tags to sort through all my posts :)

currently reading: enhypen, haikyuu, marvel, jjk, harry potter, acotar + more

fics reblogged atm: enhypen, haikyuu, marvel, avatar, pjo, exo, txt, nct, jjk, harry potter, piofiore, acotar, ateez, seventeen, six of crows

#fic rec to look through all my recs! or #tbr to look at my tbr list

to search fic types: #smau, #one shot, #shorts (hcs, scenarios, etcs)

#a's gc for my complaints, rants, and more! #a's favs for a list of my fav fics or #andra reviews to see reviews on random things

disclaimer!! for any authors that i constantly reblog, once i find a fic that i rly like i often go through the author’s masterlist and read more of their works (leading to a lot of reblogs at times) i don’t mean to spam reblog and i hope it’s not bothering anyone!

[otome-corner-cafe]

After completing one character route per game (getting good and bad endings), here are my thoughts on the otomes that I’ve been playing.

These aren’t comprehensive reviews I’m giving but just quick rambles of my thoughts based on just the common route and a single character route per game.

Variable Barricade: Honestly the one that I didn’t put much thought into when I bought it. It was added to my purchase on a whim because the art looked cool and one reviewer’s description of the LIs was weird enough to stick with me. However, I was pleasantly surprised by how the game made me invest in Hibari and the whack job suitors. I think the story progression being cut up into scenes across the barricade boards was well done as it gave me varying chunks of story to read through without anything feeling like it was too short or overstayed it’s welcome. Ichiya as a first route was delightfully wild but I do worry that none of the other men will quite match the energy. But I still have faith that some fun hijinx will be delivered.

Collar x Malice: I ended up liking this game a lot more than expected. And that’s despite a lot of the translation hiccups and the weird name bug within Takeru’s route. The game balanced despair and hope quite well in my opinion. And I do love it when stories can indulge both my desire to see darkness and still lead towards a bright and happy ending. Now I reached Mineo’s tragic ending before resetting my game after encountering the name issue in Takeru’s route so I will touch on both of those. Both romances develop pretty suddenly (when you’ve got less than a month’s timeline to work with, it’s inevitable) but both still made my heart flutter. Though I believe Mineo’s route was done better. I’m also very fond of Ichika who has thus far consistently shown to have kind ideals but doesn’t quite have much experience to guide her but her desire to help gets her through it. I’m very interested to see how the other routes handle the discussion of justice and challenge the characters’ resolves.

Piofiore: Taisho Era Italy game had decently high expectations and lived up to them. I like how the game doesn’t shy away from the brutality of the mafia while still making the LIs seem good (at least for Nicola, Dante, and Gilbert. Jury is out on Yang and Orlok). While I prefer more action oriented girls like Cardia and Ichika, Liliana’s position as an innocent lady suddenly being caught up on the business of the mafia didn’t feel like she was merely a damsel surrounded by men doing all the action. She’s adapting the best she can, asking questions and putting her effort towards showing the people around her kindness. Even though she’s naive to the world, she doesn’t run from it and instead tries to understand it (to varying results in Nicola’s endings). I’m looking forward to the future routes and getting more insight on what the deal is with the church because something is up there.

Cafe Enchante: The game I looked forward to the most and, because of that, the disappointment feels stronger. The cafe setting and the magical LIs got me excited. But that common route… Oof. Granted, Code Realize also has a common route that’s eight chapters long but it didn’t feel nearly as draggy (and I am replaying Code Realize right now so I can very easily compare). And when it came time to actually do a route… the pacing for Kaoru’s was fumbled I feel. I think the route might’ve needed one more chapter to give a little more time for the romance to develop and to prevent some tonal whiplash between that and the… actual plot of the route. I think it’s a good game. The art is lovely, the themes of belonging and finding understanding despite differences resonated with me, and characters are all charming in their interactions. The pacing is the only real issue I’m having thankfully.