Ciiko's Bridge (PC)

"I believe there is another world out there, a better word, and I'll be waiting for you there." 

Source: Screen Capture from Game

Ciiko’s Bridge is a visual novel, adventure rpg created by Skyharborr. You may remember Skyharborr from one of my demo blogs (this one *here*) where I talked about a demo for their new game “A Fox in the Hollyhocks”—which I loved. Ciiko’s Bridge is a story about an adventurous boy named Taku, and his protective older brother, Jinsuke.

On this day, Taku is preparing to go on another adventure into the forest to see what he can find. Before we go adventuring though, we need to eat some breakfast! Jinsuke sends Taku off to Kamiya general store to get some milk. Taku sets off and gets to the store. Once there, he talks with Shinji a bit. Shinji tells Taku that old man Eden is coming by and telling his famous stories today. Excited to hear old man Eden’s story, Taku takes the milk and hurries home. Sadly, it seems Taku missed his story, but Jinsuke fills Taku in:

When the fog is thick, if you take 2 and a half silver coins, hold them tightly in your hand and walk under the bridge, you’ll be transported to another dimension.

Taku is fascinated by this story, and he can’t wait to try it himself! The next day when the fog rolls in, Taku sees his chance. Jinsuke firmly protests, but after arguing, pleading and crying, Jinsuke relents, telling him to be careful. Taku agrees and off he goes to the bridge. Holding the 2 and a half silver coins in his hand, Taku prepares himself, then walks under the bridge through the fog…

Source: Screen Capture from Game

Once Taku passes under the bridge he finds himself in an unknown place. This new place is a stunning forest. As Taku tries to gain his bearings in this unknown place, he is greeted by a figure that greatly resembles Shinji. The figure tells Taku that he is the Passagekeeper, and explains a little bit about how the multiverse works. Such as, you can only travel to a world where “you” do not already exist. So Taku was able to come to this world, the forest of Caligo, because no other Taku exists here.  Caligo is also ruled by the Forest Lord.

 Taku also learns that to return home he will need another 2 and a half silver coins, since the coins are taken as fare. Silver does not appear common in Caligo, however, so Taku will have to try to work for it. So, Taku travels into the forest to find some of the locals to see what he can do to earn some money.

There are five others to meet in Caligo Forest. Prince Ratsu, who is a faun, Tanukawa, the racoon dog, Riku and Hare, the conjoined pair, and the Forest Lord. Using a bartering system, you’ll have to find ways to make everyone happy so that they will pay you.

Source: Itch.io Page

I really appreciated the bartering system. I love a good bartering system, and Ciikos does a good job, for the most part. You CAN barter yourself into a corner, and only a certain number of items will provide the needed reactions from Ratsu. I created different saves to help protect myself, and it look me about 3 tries to get the combinations and reactions down.

The artwork in this game is super adorable, skyharborr is quite a talented artist. The music and sound effects are also fitting and well done. The colors are soft, but vibrant, and the characters are unique and interesting.

Overall, I greatly enjoyed this game, despite the trouble I had a few times with the bartering system. There are a total of 5 endings, I believe, and I got two of them. Both of the endings I received were sweet and very heartwarming, so a heartwarming ending to a cute little game. The game is a bit longer, it took me about 45 minutes to an hour to complete the game the first time. If you would like to give this game a try for yourself, please download the game from its Itch.io page *here*.

As always, be sure to leave your words of encouragement or helpful criticism for the creator as well, to help them improve future creations.

Happy Gaming, Friends!

Bell

See the Gaming in Pajamas Compendium *HERE*

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Demos to Keep an Eye On #3

Hello Friends! Today I have brought you some more game demos to get a pick at the games that are upcoming this year(and maybe next)! Some of these games are a little mature, but I'll keep my commentary PG-13. Without further ago, let's get to it!

1.Blood for the Blood God(In development)

Source: Screen Capture from Demo

Blood for the Blood God is a visual novel, dating simulator game in development by Crimson-Chains. You are a servant created by the Blood God for the purpose of hunting down and killing 3 of his former servants. If you choose to accept your task, you are sent into the world to find them. However, in order to kill each of them, you may need to take the time to befriend—perhaps romance?—each of them, so that they will drop their guard and give you the opening that you need to stab them in the back, or wherever you can get to.

The 3 servants are Asstaroth, Beelzebabe and Lucifine. They are all so attractive, and the art style is wonderful. Each of them has a very different personality, different story, and I really wanted to play more after the demo ended. I’m looking forward to the full release of the game, which is estimated to be in December of 2017. You can download the demo to try for yourself *here*. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

2. Lethe(In development)

Source: Screen Capture from Game

Lethe is, from what I can tell, a romance mystery visual novel written by Pacermist with the efforts of Red-Baby, Shortycake, Alteredgingerr, and Akka. You play as a character who has retrograde amnesia after an incident that involved falling off a roof with another student. The other student seems to have died. With no idea what has happened these last 3 weeks of your life, you must now try to piece it back together with, hopefully, the help of Jaden and Cameron. You remember Jaden, he is your friend, but Cameron is a stranger to you… or is he?

I enjoyed this demo quite a bit. At times it can seem unrefined(some of the CG images), but I find the story interesting and our MC(main character) is relatable. I think some sound effects (doors, footsteps when a character runs, etc.) may have been nice to have as well. There is a lot of mystery, and I am eager to solve it! Hopefully there will be plans for a full game release soon. If you want to try the demo for yourself, you can download it from Itch.io *here*.

3. Sentimental Trickster(In development)

Source: Itch.io Page

Sentimental Trickster is an 18+ only visual novel style romance game created by Lazuli. It’s BL/yaoi, so be warned. There is nothing 18+ in the demo, but you get to meet the characters and get a bit of story. Haru is moving out of his parent’s home and going to live in a boarding house where he can learn to be independent, and also attend art school.  He’s living with 3 other gentlemen with varying personalities, who we get to refer to as: the mean one, the hot one and the gently old guy.

I thought the demo was well written, had beautiful art, and wonderful music/SFX. The demo is very high quality so I am certainly looking forward to seeing more of the game as it is released. If you want to try the demo for yourself, you can download it from Itch.io *here*.

4. BestLuck (In development)

Source: Itch.io Page

BestLuck is a bit of an enigma. The game is in development by Jae Hyun Yoo, and is a puzzle adventure game. The demo is agonizingly short, and involves only 2 puzzles, but give you a decent idea of the mechanics behind the game. You have to open doors, and what you see when you look through the door frames may be different than what you see outside. I think it’s a creative way to do puzzles.

The demo is yet unrefined. There needs to be camera controls, and the character movement can seem off. Otherwise, this game has a relaxing atmosphere about it, which I love, and puzzles, which I also love. The game is set to be released around March 2017 right now, so hopefully I can do a full review soon. You can download the demo to try for yourself *here*.

As always, be sure to leave your comments of encouragement, or helpful criticism, to help the developers improve their skills and craft. 

Happy Gaming, Friends!

Bell

Happy Valentine's Day! Let's Talk Romance~

Happy Valentines Day, Friends! Today, in honor of the holiday of celebrating love, we are going to look at some of my favorite Otome and Eroge games! Some of these games are 18+ but I’ll keep it PG-13 just in case some tiny eyes come looking (I have an 8 year old daughter so I get it). Some of these games are also still in development—but they fit the theme so I am sharing them anyhow because they look amazing. So, without further delay, here are some Otome and/or Eroge games that I either have enjoyed, or think look amazing.

1. Quest Failed: Chapter One

Source: Itch.io Page

Quest Failed is an adult dating sim, visual novel style game created by FrostWorks, with the help of others with the music, background art, and so forth. This game is in the 18+ category, for nudity and explicit sex. You play as a young man named Matthew who has dreamed of becoming an adventurer for as long as he can remember. He will finally get to prove himself! So, he picks up a quest at the local guild and heads out to do great things! However, as he encounters his first monster, he realizes that this may prove more of a challenge than he first thought…

In Chapter One, there are five different monster girls to encounter, each with a unique personality. Jilly is sweet and innocent (with a gooey center), but has a temper and is rather possessive. Nefertari is easy going and relaxed—in fact, she’s so relaxed she might just fall asleep wherever she is. Ruby is full of fire, and would be a dominatrix in the real world, I’m sure. Lucille is a real snake in the grass, but is probably my favorite of this group. Finally, there is a mysterious girl who you encounter—a real doll if you ask me. Okay enough of my silly allusions to the kind of monster girls that you’ll see.

Quest Failed has fully voiced h-scenes (those are the sexy bits), which was interesting. It was the first game I really played of this nature. I mean, I had played the Seduce Me series, but the naughty bits were text based without the explicit images like Quest Failed offered. The girls are attractive, and the art style is attractive. I wasn’t too impressed with the music, but that’s more of a personal preference. Overall, I enjoyed the game. The choices you make only really effect the h-scenes(types of sex), and the game is rather straightforward.

This game is enjoyable if you like women taking charge (fem dom), monster girls, or eroge in general. The game is on Itch.io for $12 (a fair amount for the content if you ask me) and it can be bought *here*. If you enjoy the game, FrostWorks is currently working on Chapter 2 (Yay!) and you can see sneak peeks and updates, or pledge on their Patreon page *here*.

2. Monster Girl Island

Source: monstergirlisland.com

Monster Girl Island is an eroge game in development by Redamz. This game is a little different than what you typically see in these kinds of games because it’s 3D! You actually walk/run around, complete small quests and then of course see what trouble you can get into with the local monster girls. This game is in development still, so there is only the demo available to play for the time being, however it looks interesting. In the demo you meet 3 of the characters, and get a lewd scene as well.

The graphics look nice, and the girls are really cute. Each has a unique look, although you don’t really spend too much time with any of them so I can’t say much else about them yet. The animation looks smooth and the environments are nicely done—although I did have some issues in the game trying to go where I wasn’t supposed to and got stuck in a rock for a while…

During the h-scene you get in the demo, there are many options that give you control over how the scene plays out, which was interesting to me. Variety is always nice, yeah? I played through twice, just to try the other options. This project looks promising, and if you pledge on the creators Patreon *here*, even just a dollar, you get to help vote for the next monster girl to be introduced. You can download the demo on Itch.io *here*.

3. Seduce Me

Source: Itch.io Page

Now I know I covered this game before, but I’m bringing it back, cause it’s Valentine’s Day, and it’s still one of my favorites.

Seduce Me is a dating sim, visual novel created by MichaelaLaws that follow a high school girl who inherits a mansion from her Grandfather, Harold Anderson. Her grandfather was the CEO to Anderson Toys, so the fate of the company is also in limbo. The MC decides to move into the mansion that her grandfather left her, and she arrives there to find 5 wounded guys inside. She soon finds out that these 5 guys are all Incubi, and princes at that. A group of misfits has attacked them, and they sought shelter in the mansion. In sympathy, the MC offers to let them stay in the manor until they are healed up. The mansion is large after all, and she could use some help with the upkeep.

The five boys are Incubi. And Incubus is a demon that consumes and uses the sexual energy of humans to survive. None of them want to force the MC into anything, but throughout the game, the MC might feel herself growing closer to one of them. The choices you make throughout the game with determine which of the five brothers you grow close to. I really liked all the boys, but I think James would be my favorite.

The artwork of the game is great, and the colors are beautiful and fitting. All the boys are drawn attractively, but are unique in their own ways. Their personalities also set them apart from one another. Even though their personalities are the typical tropes you see in a lot of otome type games, the game is still very enjoyable. The music isn’t bad, and the voice acting is very well done.

You can find Seduce me on Steam *here* or on Itch.io *here*. The first in the series is free on both platforms, but the second game in the series, which is even better than the first, is 9.99, also on Itch.io or Steam.

4. Seiyuu Danshi

Source: Itch.io Page

Seiyuu Danshi is an 18+/BL-Yaoi visual novel game in development by Meyaoi Games. In Seiyuu, you play as Haato(or whatever you want to name him). You’re lazy and would rather spend your time watching Magical Ponpon than doing anything productive—like work. The problem is… you’re broke! Also, your rent is due and you’re about to be evicted. So, you have to return to work, with the help of your stern new director, Shibusawa Toshiyuki—or Tocchan as Haato likes to call him.

The demo is short and gives just a brief view of what the game looks like and how it will operate. The game has a lot that the developers are hoping to implement. The game is planned to be highly interactive, without the usual restrictions given by some dating sims. If you don’t want to work, slack off. Don’t want a boyfriend? Stay single. Just remember that every action has a reaction, and accept the consequences of them.

Other features planned include: a foreplay mode before sex, reversible roles (seme/uke or top/bottom), dress up(The developers state that there will be 500+ kinds of clothes in all styles, and also underwear choices), Room decoration, NPCs to chat with if you’re bored, and a town with plenty to do—a mall, café, book store, cinema, park, and more.  

Something that I like about this game’s plan is that as the developer states: “Unlike other dating sims, in which the game ends after the main character gets a lover, in this game you can still play even after you get a lover! Not only experiencing the intimate moments, you also get to argue and fight like actual couple!” Because it’s not all sunshine and daisies, right?

If you’re interested, you can try the demo by downloading from Itch.io *here*. The game can currently be pre-ordered for the price of 24.99. I already pre-ordered e_e;; It’s slated for release in December of this year, as there is still much work to be done to ensure the game comes out as promised.

Here are the honorable mentions and links for the games that didn’t quite make it into the main entry:

• Sentimental Trickster
• Kiss the Cock (18+, really.)
• Love and Romance- A Study ofIntimacy
• Cute Demon Crashers
• Rose of Winter: I actually reviewed this game before, so I linked to the entry.
• Mr. Massagy: I also reviewed this game before, so I linked to the entry.

As always, thanks for coming. It means a lot that so many people come here to read my inane ramblings about games. Hope to see you next time!

Happy Gaming, Friends!

Bell

SUPER HOMO!!! Magical Girlfriends! (PC)

“All women are lesbians, except those who don’t know it…” -Jill Johnston

Source: Screen Capture from Game

SUPER HOMO!!! Magical Girlfriends is a cute visual novel styles simulation and time management game created by lunicole. You play as Pumpkin, one half of the crime fighting witch duo that is Pumpkin Spice. Your nemesis Candy Cane, has just been defeated by you, but he swears he will be back in 15 days, more ready than ever to finally get the upper hand and win.

It is your job as the player to help Pumpkin manage her daily tasks to make sure that she is sufficiently ready when Candy Cane returns. Using a planner, you decide what Pumpkin does in the morning, afternoon, and evening. Each choice affects a stat for Pumpkin: Intelligence, Magic, and Strength. Raise intelligence by attending class, studying, or calling Spice. Raise your magic by attending work, meditating, or baking. Raise your strength by skateboarding at any time.

I liked the idea of this kind of time management. You see it in some other VNs that I have played, and it’s used in the Persona games also. However, the use of it in SH!MG seems somewhat less intuitive. It was easy to figure out which skills I needed to raise and how to do it, I was maxed long before day 15. Skateboarding is the only way to raise strength. I wish there had been other options for activities. The dialogue for each activity is also repetitive. Every time I go to work(except one when Spice was there), she repeats the same dialogue, “I work here to pay for school.” I get it, saying it once was enough. Variety would really make a difference here.

Source: Screen Capture from Game

The music was nice. I like both of the main songs used separately, but so little time is spent in each place that the songs end up cutting back and forth frequently and it give the music a choppy quality.

I really like the character design of this game—both Pumpkin and Spice are unique in appearance, as is Candy Cane. I would have like more background on the characters, though. My connection to them felt very superficial because I didn’t know much about them. It’s a short game so I know that I can’t ask for much, but I know next to nothing about either of the characters except that they are witches, and Spice is really smart.   

The backgrounds are alright. They appear like pictures that were taken and then altered through a filter to make it appear more artsy. I’m not opposed to these types of backgrounds, but in some cases the character sprites and the background proportions don’t seem quite right. For example, like the picture below, the bed looks entirely too large compared to Pumpkin.

Source: Screen Capture from Game

Overall, this game, while enjoyable, feels incomplete to me. I feel like this game could be so much more, with some touch ups. As it is, the game is still enjoyable, if a little monotonous due to the repetitive dialogue during activities. The game is short(I completed in about half an hour), but I did enjoy the game. You can find the game on Itch.io, and it is free to download and play *here*.

If you play, be sure to leave a comment on the Itch.io page for the developer, and let me know what you thought too!

Happy Gaming, Friends!

Bell

See the Gaming in Pajamas Compendium *HERE*

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Syrup and the Ultimate Sweet for PC

“When people ask for candy I am eating, I give them the flavor I don’t like.”

Source: Itch.io Page

Syrup and the Ultimate Sweet is an adorable about making friends and accepting each other. I suppose it is sort of a dating sim game, but honestly I found it more innocent friendship than anything else. It certainly isn’t hot and heavy romance like I’m used to. In any case, Syrup and the Ultimate Sweet was created by Nami, and this game exists within the same universe as some of her other games involving a wolf girl named Treat! I have played through the Treat series games, and I will review them another time(2/19/17 keep an eye out!).

In the game you play as Syrup, the candy Alchemist. Syrup has forsaken the ways of Magic and uses purely science and her own two hands to create delicious candies, as opposed to a witch like Butterscotch who creates candy by using magic. Syrup sells her science candy in her sweets shop, Atelier Sweets, with the help of her assistant, Pastille. Syrup is sort of a hermit(hey, a character I can relate to!), and she spends the majority of her time in her lab working on sweets while Pastille runs the shop.  

One day, Syrup enters her lab to find an adorable pink candy golem waiting for her! The only problem is that in order to create a golem, magic is required. Since Syrup is completely opposed to magic of any kind… who created the golem, and why? The answer to this question is actually pretty obvious after about 2 minutes. Anyhow, this is where the game really begins. Every choice you make matters towards your ending, and there are plenty of endings to try to get. I managed to get the romantic endings with Gumdrop(the golem), and Butterscotch, as well as an ending with Syrup getting rich, bad endings 1 and 2, and the Candibal ending. I really wanted the romantic ending with Pastille, but I just couldn’t get it right!

Source: Sandbox-Adventure

One of my favorite things about this game was the overly adorable sprites and artwork. The big eyes and bright colors get me every time. The characters themselves are also likable. Syrup was a relatable character for me, but each character is well crafted and realistic(in personality). I also love the music. The music the creators chose works well for the scenes that they accompany.

Overall I greatly enjoyed this game. There is a good amount of game play time, and a decent amount of endings(for a free game). I wish I had been able to get the other endings, but I didn’t want to use a guide(I’m weird and prefer to win games on my own merit). The game can be found for free on Itch.io *here*. I highly recommend giving it a play to see what you think—and as always, be sure to leave some kind words or helpful criticism to help the developers further… develop.

Happy Gaming, Friends!

Bell

See the Gaming in Pajamas Compendium *HERE!*

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Demos to Keep an Eye On #1

Some games, while still in heavy production, release demos to give potential buyers a taste of what the game will hold in the future. Demos should make you want more of the game, enough to either pledge money to the production, or buy the game at its release. Itch.io and Steam hold many demos available to play, and I’ve gathered some of them together to share with you. Please check them out for yourself, and support them with words of encouragement, or by pledging if you’re able to do that.

1. Dr. Frank’s Build-A-Boyfriend (In development)

Source: Itch.io Page

I’ll be upfront, this is a yaoi visual novel, meaning that is boy on boy love isn’t your thing, you may want to pass. I found the demo to be downright hilarious, my sides actually hurt from laughing! The general premise is this—your boyfriend has stolen your research on resurrection, and is going to present them at the prestigious Hindenberg University Conference! So, you decide the best way to deal with it, is to make your own boyfriend who is even better than that jerk! We could even gather the prime specimens… That way you can make him jealous and prove your research principles at the same time!

You get to actually pick the look of the boyfriend (however you don’t get to SEE the boyfriend because the demo ends after that) but I love the ideas presented. The music is good, the dialogue is laugh out loud funny, and the art is nice as well. It’s a win all around for me! You can try to demo for yourself for free on Itch.io *here*.

2. Fox in the Hollyhocks (In development)

Source: Itch.io Page

First thing is first here, Fox in the Hollyhocks is another yaoi game, so if you got problems with boy on boy love you can just skip over this game too. The demo is short, but we get to meet our main character, Hunter, and the guy who seems familiar, but Hunter isn’t sure why—Renard. Your choices do make a difference here, so be mindful of how you answer. Not much comes about from the demo, but I like that it leaves a lot of mystery. I did fill out a survey and offer to help test the game release, so I’m kind of hoping for it. If not, I’ll still be excited to play the full release!

The music is beautiful piano music, and the art style is just lovely. I think Hunter and Renard both are drawn very well. Anyway, you can try the demo for yourself by downloading it from Itch.io *here*.

3. Inspirited (In Development)

Source: Itch.io Page

Inspirited is an adventure RPG, reminiscent of Dragon Quest, or the older Final Fantasy games. I also want to mention that this game was made for Yuri Jam 2016(the demo anyhow) so if girl on girl isn’t your thing, then pass. Created by picoburger, this delightful RPG follows Mica, a wanderer who has found herself in the Kingdom of Crusia—a kingdom with no spirits. Spirits were believed to just be fairy tales until a mysterious young lady by the name of Cyrille comes to show them how wrong they are. Cyrille wants to bring man and spirit back together again to restore balance to the good and evil or the world. Mica decided to help on this quest and together they get to work, opening the spirit gates.

I did really enjoy this demo. The art is attractive, the music and delightful, and the dialog, while nothing special, works. There were some issues with this demo, including text and character names overlapping in dialogue boxes, and white lines would sometime appear next to sprites(like a break in the image). However the reason I was unable to finish this demo, despite really wanting to, is because the item that is supposed to be used to revive your character if they die doesn’t work. I did comment to let the developers know, so hopefully the full release will run smooth and without issues. Despite the issues, I still enjoyed the demo and I plan to get the full release when it is finished, which it may be by the time this is scheduled to be posted to my blog. If that is the case there will probably be a full blog entry about it sometime. Anyhow, you can try the demo for yourself by downloading it for free from Itch.io *here*. Just take care not to die!

EDIT: I did let the developer know about the issue so hopefully it will be remedied soon! :)

4. Heartthrob Café: A Close Up (In development)

Source: Itch.io Page

Heartthrob Café is an adorable looking tech demo involving a diverse array of humanoid animals. Since this isn’t a play demo, I don’t want to comment on plot or anything, since this may be a completely unrelated thing—like a filler episode in an anime, it can be nice but completely unrelated to the actual plot.

So instead I’ll comment that the art is adorable. I mean really. I’m not into furries, but these humanoid animals are cute. There isn’t any music either. I like the dialogue though. Conversation has a good flow and it mimics how people really talk, so it doesn’t seem stiff or out of place. I even got a few chuckles.

Although I can’t say much, I’m looking forward to the full release of this game(if they haven’t already released by the time this blog is scheduled to post.) I’ll be sure to keep updated so I can let everyone know when it happens for any of the demos listed so that you’ll have the opportunity to try them for yourself as well, *here*.

As always, be sure that if you play the game, you leave some encouragement, or even some helpful criticism if needed, to help the creators further develop the game.

Happy Gaming, Friends!

Bell

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Rose of Winter for PC

“It was rather beautiful:

The way he put her insecurities to sleep.

The way he dove into her eyes

And starved all the fears

And tasted all the dreams she kept coiled beneath her bones.”

--Chris Poindexter

Source: Steam

Rose of Winter is a charming visual novel style game, developed and published by Pillow Fight. You get to play as Rosemary, an aspiring knight who left her home farm to follow her dream. The game begins in a tavern, and Rosemary is trying to find some work. Lucky for Rosemary, there are four princes who need a knight(or rather a mercenary), to assist them across the mountain. What adventures, and possible romance, await?

The art style is very charming, and I’m a big fan of each of the characters’ designs. The colors also have a soft quality to them, giving this visual novel a very fairy tale appearance—to me anyway. Rosemary isn’t your typical small, helpless otome girl. She’s got a little meat on her bones, she’s tough as nails and she isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty. This is a girl I can relate to! The princes are each also unique—different races, stories, and personalities. I've seen in some forums where people complained, or wondered about Rosemary being a bigger girl. I look at it this way, if Rosemary were an RPG character, she would be the Tank. She needs to be a bigger lady to handle that giant Cloud-esque sword, right? Plus, she's adorable. 

Each of the Princes has a happy and a sad ending. I have played through and gotten the happy endings for all of the princes, and replayed to get the sad ending for the dragon prince. Each of the princes has their perks, but the dragon prince, Tirune, would have to be my favorite prince. Tirune, Crow, Kuya, Falkner would be the order of my princes. Falkner would have been higher on the list if he hadn’t acted like such an insufferable jerk most of his arc.

Tirune

Source: Screen Captures from Game

The music also was also wonderful, and fitting for the game. The title screen music is dramatic and sets the tone for the game. Once you start, the music changed to something more upbeat and bouncy—fitting the introduction of Rosemary.  For sentimental moments, there is charming harp like music that plays, setting the scene just right. Pillow Fight really did a marvelous job with the music selections.

Kuya

Source: Screen Capture from Game

  

The stories are all a good mix of romance(of course), drama, and comedy. No two stories are alike. Each ending was unique, and I didn’t mind replaying them to get the endings (or even again just for fun!). There is an achievement for playing through the Crow arc 5 times, and I enjoyed each one. While Tirune was my favorite prince, I am a sucker for dragons after all, I enjoyed Crow's story the best, and Kuya's story made me laugh the most. 

Crow

Source: Screen Capture from Game

Overall, this game was so enjoyable. I would go as far as to say that it is one of my favorite otome games I have ever played. The only downside for me is that it is so short. I have about 4.5 hours worth of gameplay in, with all the endings and achievements. If there was a sequel or spiritual successor to this game, I would buy it so fast! Anyhow, you can try the game for yourself, it’s available on steam *here*. 

Happy Gaming, Friends!

Bell

See the Gaming in Pajamas Compendium *HERE!*

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Seduce Me the Otome-- for the PC

“Seduction isn’t making someone do what they don’t want to do;
Seduction is enticing someone into doing what they secretly want to do already.”
 -Benjamin T. Russell

 I am going to beg, that as you read this review, don’t judge me too harshly. We all have our guilty pleasures, and one of mine happens to be dating simulators, or dating sims as they are called sometimes. I’ve played good and bad dating sims, and I picked up Seduce Me the Otome in the steam store because it was free! And free is always good. Because it was free, I didn’t expect much out of it. I was, in some ways, pleasantly surprised. First, let me explain what an Otome is. Otome literally means “maiden game.” These games are typically geared towards the female market, where a female character can form relationships with several other male characters. The opposite of an Otome is a Bishojo game, where it would be a male character with several women. I like to play both…

Seduce Me the Otome is a visual novel written by Michaela Laws, and brought to you by Seraphim Entertainment. It has recieved greatly positive reviews on Steam and Itch.io.

Source: Steam Store

In Seduce Me, you play as Mika Anderson, the granddaughter of Harold Anderson, CEO and founder of Anderson toy company. Sadly, Mika’s grandfather has just passed away. At the reading of the will, Mika is surprised to find that her grandfather left her his entire estate and all its contents. Mika’s father is upset over this, but says its best if she moves there immediately so she can prepare to go to business college. Mika’s father and her grandfather never had a good relationship, and her father is visibly upset that her grandfather did not name him the next CEO of the company. When Mika moves out of her parents’ home into her grandfather’s manor, she is shocked to find 5 boys collapsed in the lobby. These 5 boys turn out to be Incubi who are on the run from a Devil who means them harm and sought shelter in the manor. Mika is in shock and doesn’t believe them. After one of the boys proves that they aren’t lying, Mika faints. In the morning, Mika awakes and starts to learn about the strange boys who were found in her grandfather’s manor…

 Mika also has trouble at school, but her two best friends, Naomi and Suzu, have her back no matter what. Naomi and Suzu may not always agree completely, but they’re as close as friends can be. I was surprised to find that Naomi and Suzu were also love interests in the story. However, it was also nice to have some extra variety in pairings.

Source: Itch.io

 The five boys are, admittedly, a little cliché. But, let’s be honest… most games and tv shows have those clichés. We have James, the eldest and the brains with his cute glasses and tie. There’s Sam, the rough and tumble smart ass. Damian is the quiet, mysterious guy. Matthew, the childish and innocent of the bunch. Last, there’s Erik, the insufferable flirt. Although their personalities are the typical anime clichés, each of them has a different reason for leaving the demon world to start anew in the human world. I won’t spoil those.

 Now that we’ve discussed story and characters, let’s talk the game itself. The game plays like a visual novel, as many Otome do. The graphics are like an anime, and are, mostly, pleasing to the eye. Some angles have a weird appearance at times, like when you wake up and Diane is standing over you. Although as such an angle it would be hard to appear flattering. The colors are bright and pleasing to the eye as well. The soundtrack isn’t terrible, although it can get repetitive, and you can sometimes hear where it breaks to loop again. Some of the piano tracks are actually very pretty.

There are some minor issues I have with the dialogue, I did spot a spelling error or two. There was also a time when Diane asked us which boy we were talking about and Mika replies with the boys age, “The oldest…”, “The third…”, etc. However, this was never discussed between Mika and the boys before this scene(unless I missed something), so Mika wouldn’t have actually known. I thought Matthew was the youngest, until I found out it was actually Damian. They were small instances, but caught my eye a lot as I replayed the game about 40 times to get all the endings.

Source: Anime2Mira

I’ve gotten all of the endings except for 4, but I’m still working on it. Some of the dialogue can get repetitive, as some passages are the same, save a name change. This is particularly true for Suzu and Naomi. Leading up to their confessions, the exchanges are almost identical. It may also take a couple tried to get everyone’s “true” ending. You can get a happy ending, but each character has a special ending that you are rewarded with for making the correct choices and raising that particular person’s affection to the max. This may seem monotonous, but after you get through the game once, you get the options to do a rapid text skip through the parts of the game that don’t change. So that makes it more palatable.

I can’t complain too much, as Seduce me the Otome is free for download on Steam. The game is good for what it is. Otome and Bishojo aren’t to everyone’s liking, but I do really enjoy them and the visual novel style. For free, though, why not give it a shot?

P.S. There is a Seduce Me 2: The Demon War that I plan to pick up as well!

Happy Gaming, Friends!
Bell

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