What is an otome game?

乙女ゲーム, otome game or maiden game are games created and aimed towards female audiences. These games are a form of visual novel games— a story based video game where the general goal is to romance one of the male characters in the game. Otome games are usually packed with more male characters than female characters, in an average ratio of 5:1.


It has been years since I was stuck in this rabbit hole like Alice being pulled into Wonderland by her curiosity and naivety— otome games have been a genre that defines my casual gamer status on atelierbymel. It felt like my love for hot 2D anime boys + gaming + reading merged into a single wish, presenting me a gift called otome game.


Most otomes games, and by most, I meant 90% of otome games are first Japanese before getting localized or translated to English to meet market demands. Compared to Japan, there are not many English otome games on the market but still enough to curb curiosities and indulge in the fantasy of being in love with various men. It almost felt sinful, to love these men so much.


Over the years of playing various otome games, only a few stuck close to my heart. From elegant, poised men to rugged, adventurous men, I have had my fair share of romancing them all in otome games. Let us take a look at a few of my favorite otome games.

4 of my best otome games by rank

1. Ikemen Sengoku (mobile/PS Vita)

Initially a mobile game which later on was introduced to PS Vita with additional characters, I have been obsessed with Ikesen for years, and never spent a single dime on this game. It's a free otome game but of course, if you are interested in getting more exclusive stories from their events/gachas, you'd have to pay. The name probably gave you an idea how the story was going to be. Your MC (main character, you) were accidentally transported back to the Sengoku era of Japan in a heavy thunderstorm— and from there on, your life as a châtelain in the Oda forces.


You may find very familiar names such as Oda Nobunaga, Date Masamune and Uesugi Kenshin in this game, where you can romance them. All of the Sengoku warlords are in your palms. Unlike other otome games, Ikesen’s two endings are both happy. Ikemen Sengoku will always be my no.1 otome game for its simplicity in character selection to blossoming stories and attractive artwork.

2. Nightshade (Steam/N.Switch)

This is my first ever Switch otome game— I had the game shipped in from Singapore, imagine how desperate I was to get a physical copy of this beautiful game. Similarly set up in the Sengoku era but instead of the warlords, you’re romancing ninjas who are hired to protect the warlords. The game is more lengthy compared to mobile otome games and each story is deeply developed. While Ikemen Sengoku is all about feel-good, giddy excitement, Nightshade carries the more serious, deep emotions of loss and lots of angst. MC is a ninja but also a sheltered princess as she is the daughter of the head of the ninja clan, her craving for more dangerous missions led her on a group mission where a murder unfurls a lengthy escape to survive.

3. Samurai Love Ballad Party (mobile)

Also set in the Sengoku era. Oh my, do you see a recurring theme going on here? With similar counterparts in Ikemen Sengoku, the personalities among similar characters are truly different. The MC is a woman running her family’s restaurant but was coerced into a marriage with a snobbish, old lord. While Ikemen Sengoku has better artwork and music, SLBP’s stories are more angsty, where it deals with character death (not spoiling but I did cry so much). It is also a free otome game where you pay only if you wanted their event exclusives. Compared to Ikesen, SLBP has more male suitors to romance including not only the warlords but also their ninjas.

4. Hakuouki (PS Vita, N.3DS, Steam)

The few best otome game on Steam and an otome fan favorite, Hakuouki is ranked no.4 in my list for the lengthy storyline. I usually lose interest even before I can get one route completed. Although the story is so well written and firmly held together by very fleshed out characters, I couldn’t help but just snooze off at some parts of the game. The MC sets out on a journey to search for her missing father but is drawn into the Shinsengumi and their battle against demons. The artwork and music is lovely and I’m a huge fan of the characters, just that their stories seem so long to the point where I lost interest.


The PS Vita is the best console to enjoy otome games for its many choices and Japanese localization while Steam and Nintendo Switch are getting more and more otome game ports coming up soon. As much as I’ve been enjoying JRPG games these days, it is always comforting to fall back to the familiar warmth of otome games.


Till then,
Melody

As much as I want to tell you to just fuck it, put away all your responsibilities and just game your day away, I will never encourage that. We hold so much responsibility in our life. Being an adult showed me that I have to manage myself, care for my pets alone, get to work and maintain a good social relationship with people. We need to learn that our lives will never be the same as when we are 10. We have responsibilities and we must prioritize them.

I have a pile of games backlogged, but I am in no rush to finish it. I can do both adulting and gaming with these 5 tips I’ve shared on how to manage my hobby as an adult. We might be too busy to share our passion for gaming, but don’t let that stop us.

Darling, connecting with your inner child can soothe your soul + mind. Find ways to connect with him/her once in a while. Even when life is tough, do the things that make you happy.

Towards more gaming days,