Visual novels are huge in Japan, but they have been presented with several challenges in bringing those novels to the West. Visual novels have not really taken hold of western audiences, but Aksys hopes to change that perception by releasing the first entry in one of the most popular visual novel franchises in Japan; Hakuoki. Hakuoki: The Stories of the Shinsengumi is an otome-style, historical fiction visual novel or a dating sim as it is more commonly known. You play as a young girl name Chizuru who travels to Kyoto in search of her father who has gone missing. When she arrives she is attacked by a group of men, but it promptly saved by a group called the Shinsengumi. The Shinsengumi bring her to their headquarters to question her, and after learning who her father is, allow her to stay with them while they look for the missing doctor.
There is a name people caught up in the otome game craze should know: Otomate. This is the branch of Idea Factory that devotes itself to making games for women. These tend to be visual novels with dating sim elements, though Library Cross is a mobile RPG and I Will Protect You was an Otomate Forte Metroidvania. Lots of Otomate games have been released in English for people to enjoy! Depending on the system you own, you could have at least one title to try.
Hardcore Gamer: There’s only one thing better than playing games and that’s collecting every piece of merchandise tied to them. There was nothing like flipping through your favorite gaming magazine and seeing a profile of a limited edition collectible or discovering a piece of memorabilia from a beloved game in an overlooked corner of a shop and it’s a feeling we strive to replicate every month as we look through our own collector’s cabinet and dig out items new and old to show the world.
GP: "Hakuoki: Stories of the Shinsengumi is a good otome game, but it will not be everyone's cup of tea. Those that are willing the take the plunge into a game steeped in Japanese history and sometimes strange demon plots will find deep and multifaceted characters and stories that are worth experiencing."
