Otome games, dating sims targeted at a female audience, are my guilty pleasure. They are my version of the trashy romance novel. As a millennial who is disenchanted with modern dating, I cannot help but enjoy the romantic trials and tribulations of people who don’t actually exist. In this regard, The Amazing Shinsengumi: Heroes in Love delivers. Take five, hot anime dudes, throw them in Edo period Japan, make me choose between them, and I’m sold. Despite never quite transcending the niche nature of the genre, The Amazing Shinsengumi works as a modern equivalent of a Harlequin Romance novel.

Developer: Dogenzaka Lab

Publisher: D3Publisher

2 hours played // Review Copy Provided // $11.99

The Amazing Shinsengumi follows a simple story. The protagonist’s house catches on fire. When the ineffective fire department fails to do its job, five captains of the local, secret police force show up to fight the fire instead. These men are members of the Shinsengumi. Naturally, they are handsome, cool, and collected as they take care of the situation.

Though they manage to extinguish the fire, the protagonist’s home is destroyed. Taking pity, the Shinsengumi invites her to live with them. It is at this point that the player makes the most important choice of the game: who will they romance first? Each of the five men has his own style, personality, and story.

For my first playthrough, I went with the cutie on the right: Sanosuke

Having chosen the man I wished to romance, Sanosuke, I was taken on a journey that lasted a little over an hour. As you get to know your chosen partner better, you are faced with various decisions. Your choices can increase your “likeability” with him; this is a stat that is measured in the menu. That said, these decisions are ultimately low-risk. Which, for the genre, is a good thing because if your likeability doesn’t go up, players can easily go back through their history and try the alternative. This made the game feel like an adult Choose-Your-Own-Adventure book. And it’s not without reward: maintaining high likeability will unlock special scenes with your chosen partner.

By maintaining a high likeability, I got this steamy scene

Given that there are five romance options, this game has a lot of replay value as well. For my second playthrough, I found myself romancing Soji, who was a jerk in the Sanosuke route. Naturally, I was eager to learn why he acted the way he did. Although I am only halfway through that storyline as of writing this review, his story is already very different from the one I have completed. This makes for a nice variety of romantic tales.

Although I have been thoroughly enjoying the story, it is important to reiterate that this is the video game equivalent of a typical romance novel. If you are looking for complex themes or an exceptional amount of subtext, this is not the game for you. However, if you want to date some hunks with katanas, this is absolutely a good fit. The story can be cliche, but it is entertaining.

I swear he’s talking about cutting my hair

While I had a good time playing through The Amazing Shinsengumi, the aesthetics leave something to be desired. The characters are well-designed, but they only have a handful of poses. In the one and a half stories I have played through, I have only seen a small collection of different background images. Beyond that, the settings menu uses a font that is less than visually appealing. Likewise, the music of the game is mediocre and repetitive at times. However, much like picking up a paperback romance novel, I wasn’t really expecting to be wowed by these features. The focus is, after all, on the emotional roller coaster of dating these historical hunks.

The aesthetics of the menu are astoundingly mediocre

There are some amazing otome games out there. They can be beautiful, aesthetically charming, and many delve deeper than The Amazing Shinsengumi does. That said, if you are an avid dating sim fan, this game is worth a look. It is indulgent and, at times, a little silly. But, it is ultimately fun. I really hope that this is just the beginning. I’d love to see more dating and otome games making their way to the Switch. It is an underappreciated genre that I will always have a soft spot for. However, for now, I suppose I’ll just keep dating handsome samurai.





Like historical fiction, but would never touch an otome game with a ten foot pole? Consider checking out 1979 Revolution: Black Friday for a more somber experience. Want to nerd out about otome games with me? Join our Discord! Please remember, Nindie Nexus is powered by our lovely readers. Every donation to Ko-Fi and Patreon goes to keeping our site ad-free. If you enjoyed this article, consider tossing a dollar or three our way!