Once you’ve lived long enough there comes a time when home doesn’t hold quite the same meaning as it once did. We grow, progress, and experience. What once was a place of familiarity and security becomes a place of past memories. Ideas that once seemed impossible become reality. The future exposes itself in its rawest form… and you can never fully know what to expect.

Often enough we hear of people wanting to return to ‘simpler times’, but is that even possible? What it means to one person is not the same as what it may signify for another. Life is full of surprises; some good, some bad, and some otherwise. Explore a story full of anticipation, anxiety, and the titillation of the Taisho Roman time period that is revealed in the dating simulation/ visual novel game The Charming Empire.

“Maybe that’s what growing up means, in the end – you go far enough in the direction of – somewhere – and you realise that you’ve neutered the capacity of the term home to mean anything. […] We don’t get an endless number of orbits away from the place where meaning first arises, that treasure-house of first experiences. What we learn, instead, is that our adventures secure us in our isolation. Experience revokes our licence to return to simpler times. Sooner or later, there’s no place remotely like home.”

Gregory Maguire

Developer: OperaHouse Corporation

Publisher: D3Publisher

4 Hours played // Digital // Nintendo Switch Version – Review Copy // Price – $24.99

Icon is a collage of the characters with whom you will have the option of meeting, with the title/ logo centered at the bottom

Nindie Nexus Minute History Lesson: This story takes place in a past era referred to as the Taisho Roman period. “The term “Taisho Roman” refers to the cultural stylings of the Taisho Period of Japanese history (1912-1926), combined with the shortened form ‘romantic’. An appropriate English translation might be “romantic vintage”.”* It is at a time where heightened political tensions are looming on the horizon and western influence is being introduced into an otherwise very traditional culture. This is apparent in the narrative portrayed in the story, coupled with the style of dress seen in game. *http://bellecon.wikia.com/wiki/Taisho_Roman

When you embark on this visually captivating novel The Charming Empire, you are given the option to first go through the prologue. I highly suggest taking the time to do so. You will come to find you assume the role and thoughts of the main character, Amane Kosaka (or whatever you wish to name her), as you play out her life. What you learn here will set the stage, tone, and mood for the events soon to take place.

Described in the prologue, the background given in The Charming Empire tells of a happy and modest lifestyle adopted in the scenic countryside. All is well for a while, but as fate would have it you are urgently taken from your home and brought into the empire. Prior to your arrival you had heard that your father had passed away suddenly due to an unexpected illness, leaving a man named Soshi behind in his stead. You soon discover that not only is Amane the princess of the empire, but her ‘brother’ is Soshi Amazaki, the current ruler of said land. It has all happened so fast…

It’s been a long time since you’ve seen your brother. The last time you had had any sort of meaningful interaction was when you were both younger – simple children running around without a care in the world. Now you are essentially held captive and restricted to the grounds within your castle of a home. You are expected to establish a sense of comfort and find a way to assimilate to the unfamiliarity of the situation and your newfound lifestyle. Are there really so many expectations of a princess, or is it some sort of subconscious by-product of your own personal conflicts?

From the start, The Charming Empire shows that being a young woman in an era such as this, with a morally ambiguous brother, makes seemingly simple tasks tend to be easier said than done. Although you may be a princess, you are still but a mere young woman. However as the story starts to unfold, complexity is unveiled in the most unsuspecting ways. Your feelings may change as your progress, and what you thought you knew may prove to be anything but the truth. Never get too close, and keep your wits about you – as this story cunningly leads you down dead ends and paths you didn’t know you were taking until it’s too late…

As much as I’d love to say more, I can’t spoil too much for you, reader! So let’s switch it up and talk about The Charming Empire for the ‘game’ that it is. Please keep in mind this is a graphic novel released on a gaming console. If you’re expecting an emphasis on gameplay in the traditional sense, you will need to reevaluate. It is story and narrative driven, written in the first person. There are elements of choices to be made throughout the story, but it is not the main focus. Last but not least, there are also facets of a dating sim, but again, it is a partially voice acted first person account meant to be enjoyed as a good read rather than a playable ‘game’. That being said let us proceed!

The Charming Empire is actually a particularly fitting name. I would describe the graphics as exactly that – charming. They appear to be a mix between hand drawn and computer based in nature, and are in the traditional anime style. When switching scenes and chapters throughout the reading, the background will transition to soft, beautiful, appropriate sceneries. Occasionally these backdrops are accompanied by clean, hard lined characters from within the dialogue at that moment. It is noteworthy to mention not all characters introduced in game are revealed in the display. I believe it is an artistic choice, giving those that are actually displayed on screen a sense of importance. When you physically see a character, you know they play a vital role somewhere in the story.

Speaking of character roles, The Charming Empire incorporates competent voice actors bringing an additional sense of life to each interaction. Now, it is not fully voice acted, but rather sprinkled in throughout the conversations. It is generally heard in more emotional scenarios which work to amplify the passion and sentiments. As for the story and conversations themselves, the game is fully text based. I was unsure of how this would affect the game (as I’ve seen some very poor translations in other titles), but I must say the English iteration of the text is impeccable! It read exceptionally well, and I was more than impressed.

In addition to the artwork, voice talents, and text, the ambient soundtrack adds a coating of sheen to The Charming Empire. It is situational and melodramatic, adding just enough feeling to the scenes. The tempo and volume adjust with the tension, and relax with peace. My only gripe with the music is that it seems to be somewhat limited. You will hear the same tracks repeated throughout, and tend to become a bit predictable and tiresome. They aren’t bad by any means, but some more variety would have been nice when you are reading, what is, essentially a novel.

Being a graphic adaptation of what could be a book The Charming Empire is still marketed as a game. Therefore we still must take into account how it runs on our beloved Switch. That being said, there are no complaints here! Everything runs very smoothly and I have had no instances of graphical glitches or errors. The game starts up just as quickly as you can quit. You are given the ability to retrace your steps at any point in the story, and return to any point you have read. You can save at any time, and pick up exactly where you left off (think ‘digital bookmark’). The UI for the menu screens is slightly different than what I’m used to seeing in games, however it was an easy adaptation and have had no difficulty in saving or loading games. It’s always refreshing when a game allows you to easily take a break, switch games if desired, and pop right back into the story where you left off!

Overall, The Charming Empire surprised me. I initially jumped in with low expectations and was disappointed that it was not more in tune with a “choose your own adventure” style game. However after delving into the unexpectedly engaging plot, it was truly a serendipitous experience. The blend of art and music complemented the story nicely. The voice acting puts this game a notch above other graphic novels I’ve read. The sheer meticulousness put into translating the text into proper English makes this a story worth reading. The premise, albeit slightly cliché, opens up nicely into what is a complex plot full of twists and unexpected situations. I’m not sure if I would be able to say it justifies the $24.99 price tag, but there is surely lots of content! If there is ever a sale on this game and you enjoy reading, I can confidently say this is a game and story worth checking out!

What an unexpected turn of events! I hope you enjoyed reading this review and it helped shed light on a game you may have otherwise ignored and/ or missed! Thank you so much for taking the time to spend a few minutes with us here at the Nindie Nexus. We are greatly appreciative of our fans and strive to provide you all with the best non-biased reviews on Nintendo indie games on a forever ad-free site! If you appreciate us in the same way, please join us on our community discord, or subscribe to our growing subreddit r/NindieNexus. If you are continually ecstatic with our content and you look forward to seeing more whilst sticking around, let us know! Last but not least, consider becoming an honorary Nindie Die Hard by supporting us on Patreon. Whatever your choice, we love you guys! Until next time!