Welp, I figured I’d add my thoughts to one of the latest otomegames released overseas. Also, I hope it’ll encourage more players to join this niche gaming community :3c

Platform: Vita

Release Date: 10/20/2015 (NA)

Play Time: 30+ hrs

Official Site:Aksys Games

Guide? Not required

It’ll be a brief overview of the game vs complete route summaries which have been doneelsewhere.

Main story: Cardia has lived in isolation due to her "curse" of being poisonous via skin contact until one day intruders enter her mansion under military orders. However, before she completely understands what is happening she is rescued by a gentleman thief Arsene Lupin. And so our adventure begins as we meet our new friends.

Our main protagonist and who we will be following on our adventures. Fortunately, she is one of the more assertive heroines of this genre.

The first person we meet after the intro and a rather mysterious figure who originated from France. Arguably, the main guy and his route only will unlock after clearing the other 4 characters.

Lupin’s friend and partner. He’s a self-proclaimed genius engineer who creates new tech to pull off various escapes from run-ins with the police and government. Yes, he’s really awkward towards Cardia pretty much all the time.

A former member of the Royal Alchemists who seems to be on the run lately for crimes against the state. Despite his knowledge of medicine and science fields, he seems to lack self-confidence towards everyone.

A war hero from the Vampire wars but seems to have unresolved conflict with the heroine and they run into each other during an outing. A man of few words and skilled marksmen.

Lupin’s mysterious patron and host in Britain. He tends to have a sardonic personality and rarely speaks about himself with company. Mostly known to be unflappable regardless of the dire circumstances.

Although it’s marketed as a "romance game" I wouldn’t consider that 100% accurate. I’d say it falls under adventure game with some romantic elements. Also, it’s set in alternate Victorian London because why not.

Typically, one of the main selling-points of otoge is the focus on the female main character’s interactions with the environment. Although Cardia starts out doll-like slowly her expressions change over time to reflect her moods. However, I won’t say that she is redeemed by love or anything silly like that. I’d compare it to a hero’s journey. I admit, I’m biased towards voiced MCs and it would’ve been nice if they offered this option here.

Another factor which attracted me to this game would be Miko’s art style which is similar to shoujo minus the flowery backgrounds. Most of the event CGs fit with the scene and no odd missing images.

The overall story is fairly whimsical but at times it can feel very slow as there’s gradual build-up from the beginning Common Route to the individual endings. Hmm— I figured I should mention there are rather dark aspects later on. Although 13+ is the suggested rating it’d be closer to 15+ IMHO.

The UI and Vita controls work well and the in-game glossary is nifty for specific terms JIC you need a refresher on your playthroughs. I didn’t use the touchscreen much as there are no mini-games other than branching choices. This is my 2nd otoge on Vita and I find it more convenient than PC/tablet.

The OST is mostly instrumental and works well with the different scenes. I didn’t find it particularly unique but suits the game’s overall tone.

Finally, I’d recommend this game to fans of the genre and newcomers. Then hopefully they’ll localize the fan disk too.