PQube announced the release date for Bustafellows Season 2, the sequel to the adventure and otome game that originally appeared on the Switch and PC. It will debut on July 17, 2025, and we’ll see it both digitally and physically. There’s also a demo immediately available on Steam.

There are also details about physical copies and bonuses. As usual, the game will only be available physically on the Switch. If you get it at or just after launch, it comes with a character booklet. That will show concept art and offer insight on the game’s development from Nippon Cultural Broadcasting Extend Inc. There’s also already a photo showing how that looks

Here’s how the booklet with first-run copies:

Extend Shop is also selling the Deluxe Edition, and it does worldwide shipping. That costs ¥9,680 (~$68). It comes with a voice drama CD, soundtrack CD, pamphlet, Turtle Pizza shop card, and Turtle Pizza illustrated portrait inside a box that looks like a Turtle Pizza box. 

There’s also a new trailer for Bustafellows Season 2 that highlights characters we will get to romance in this otome game as we solve the new mystery. It prioritizes peeks at the different love interests.

Bustafellows Season 2 will come to the Switch and PC via Steam, and the global release date is July 17, 2025. 

The post Bustafellows Season 2 Otome Release Date Falls in July appeared first on Siliconera.

Romance games are all about beautiful people, bombastic storylines, and open bewildered eyes whenever your boyfriend kisses you. While many otome games are focused on murder mystery, or the supernatural, more realistic slice-of-life romance stories are making a comeback. Enter Him, the Smile & bloom, a romance game with four bachelors who all have links to the flower shop Fill Flower. Unlike most otome games that have one heroine all the guys can’t help but fall for, Him, the Smile & bloom tells four separate, concurrent stories with four different protagonists.

If you have played pretty much any romance game you will recognize our four handsome husbandos; Gin is the playboy, Wataru is the super keen puppy, Tenya is the fixer upper, and Hokuto is the childhood best friend. Routes within otome games usually intertwine so that you don’t get to see the full picture unless you’ve played through everyone’s routes, adding mystery beyond the basic romance. However, everything Him, the Smile & bloom does is at face value.

I’ve never played concurrent storylines before, and was excited by the idea of our four pretty protagonists meeting and interacting. They are all dating people who work in the same small shop, it would only make sense for them to talk, perhaps even double date or share their woes. However, these women never meet. In fact, they are never even alluded to in other routes. In one route I someone noting that I had met everyone working at Fill Flower, and was left wondering about my girl Serina. Consecutive stories could have opened up plenty of intrigue. 

What if Miku spotted Wataru buying something for Serina? What if Fuka called Ami to warn her she saw Gin with another woman? There are plenty of options that would allow us to see another side to both the boys and girls, as well as allowing the stories to intertwine. You don’t need there to be a murder for a story to hold some mystery. Finding out what some of the boys were doing at certain points we aren’t privy to, would have added a little depth to the stories below the surface.

Unfortunately, the characterization isn’t the only part of the story that is full of tropes. Most of the tension between the characters boils down to just not telling their partner how they feel. The boys are actually very emotionally open – with one exception – which was nice to see, but our lady friends appear to be tongue-tied when it comes to saying even the most basic human truths about themselves. This leads to frustrations, not only from the characters, but for the players.

The pacing also needs some improvement. While the stories are all fairly long, there is very little time for relationships to develop. The characters spend very little time together before they decide that they are madly in love, and the second half of each story mostly follows them happily dating. I don’t understand why the couples are so madly in love, and I’m not invested in their relationship as a result. Each husbando has three endings, but it took me a few routes before I realized which was meant to be the normal, and which was the best ending.

There were also technical issues that added to my frustrations. Him, the Smile & bloom launched in Japan with an English translation, but this was a very bare bones deal with many one-to-one errors. Publisher pQube stated that the Western release would see a new translation with full localization, but basic errors still persist. There’s an over usage of English idioms, very generic one-to-one translations, misuse of pronouns, and more. Generally, the speech feels stilted, or awkward, and otherwise didn’t make sense as an English language reader. It feels as if the localizers were asked to translate individual sentences out of context, losing the general flow as a work of prose.

Other technical aspects aren’t necessarily mistakes, but adds friction between the player and the game. When you make a dialogue choice there is no visual representation whether it was a good or a bad decision. It’s difficult to find the gallery, as it’s a menu nested in a menu, and there are only 11 CGs per boyfriend. The skip speed is fairly slow, and there is no way to jump in mid-story if you didn’t create a save. There is also a CG and Special Story linked to an additional DLC pack, and this is mixed in with the standard game so you feel like you haven’t completed everything. There are also no hidden routes that I could find, despite dangling two extra boys in front of your eyes through various routes.

That’s not to say that there isn’t anything enjoyable about Him, the Smile & bloom. The art is beautiful and there is a lot of variation as to how the characters move on the screen. The protagonists are also well written, and while they do share the trait of being unable to tell their partners what they’re thinking, they have distinct personalities and backgrounds. Which differentiates them from your standard blank slate. I also appreciated how open the boys are with their feelings, with no ambiguity to create unwanted tension.

I didn’t dislike my time with His, the Smile & bloom. I had no strong feelings towards it whatsoever. I didn’t feel emotional, or care about the characters, but I wasn’t bored either. Playing this game is like eating a chocolate bar – not your favorite chocolate – but one you wouldn’t say no to if offered by a friend. You enjoy it while it lasts, but you’re not sad it’s over, and you won’t be thinking about it for the rest of the day.

Him, the Smile & bloom is out now, and available for PC and Nintendo Switch.

The post Review: Him, the Smile & Bloom is a Simple, Comforting, and Forgettable Experience appeared first on Siliconera.

Appearances can be deceiving, and Genso Manege is an otome game that is a prime example of it. While it involves a young woman working at a shining amusement park, magic, and colorful characters and environments, the backgrounds and storyline can sometimes get pretty dark! Everyone has an involved background, so much is going on, and there are serious moments, yet the aesthetic means there’s still fantasy and hope present in any possibly grave times. 

Emma is a young woman who ended up orphaned when her father died years ago. What exactly happened? She’s not sure. She doesn’t . However, he left behind a manege (merry-go-round) music box for her that she treasures. She’s been living with her childhood friend Arnaud ever since and hiding the fact she’s a witch, something feared and hunted down. She takes a chance and visits the La Foire du Reve amusement park that’s in town after hearing about it, even though there are rumors about people dying en masse once it leaves. 

It’s after Emma visits that she learns the truth. Almost everyone working at Reve isn’t just doing so for fun. They have to. They’re trapped. A witch’s spell bound everyone to the park. Because of an interaction Emma had with the manege at the park, the man in charge named Hugo realized she’s a witch and could potentially set them all free. That is, if she trains and works at it. Her magic is unstable and unprepared. So she ends up working at the park in Genso Manege the hopes of breaking this spell, and naturally finding love with one of the otome game’s love interests in the process.

Right from the outset, I loved the direction Genso Manege takes. What’s happening in Reve is serious business, gilded in varying pastels. While characters might seem merry and bright when at work, like Crier, Hugo, and Lyon, there’s more going on! The pacing is handled well, so secrets trickle out in satisfying ways. What’s going on isn’t blatant, so I even felt a bit surprised by some of the twists and turns in the routes. Also, while some characters do feel like they were designed to appeal to certain otome game love interest “types,” like Arnaud, Crier, and Serge, I feel like the execution of their storylines and personalities helped them feel more unique than others of their ilk. I often find myself only really loving two or three routes in most dating sims, but this is one where I generally like everyone.

The art direction is also honestly amazing. The quality of the CGs is really lovely, so much so that it’s one of those games where I didn’t want to take too many screenshots for a review for fear I’d “spoil” it for anyone reading. The character designs all fit the storyline, time period, and feel right in place with everyone else, even given the nature of their experiences and how they ended up at Reve. It’s ephemeral, in a way, and all feels very magical. 

As much as I like it though, there is one thing that I feel holds Genso Manege back and keeps it from being an otome game I can read for hours. The UI isn’t great! The text boxes are shades of purple, and the font is white with either dark purple shadows or outlines. Regardless of which one you choose, it can be quite difficult to read for extended periods of time! I wish there’d been an option to make it a solid, darker shade of purple, as the transparency option doesn’t help even at its highest level. There are also a lot of times when you’ll have a huge text box space that goes unused, and I almost felt like a slightly larger font might have helped.

Here are some examples, showing how the border and shadow font options look both with no transparency and fully transparent text boxes with some non-spoiler text.

Also, while the story is great, the "minigame" element isn't. There may be times when Emma is focusing and collecting her power. The first time this happens, it means tapping on the Switch touch screen to hit enough stars within enough time, then tapping "A" when a star outline overlaps with a star. It isn't fun and adds nothing to the experience. The visual novel elements here? Great! Anything else? Eh. It's fine and I'll go through it to keep going, but I'm not going to probably even there was a minigame element in here when I think back on it three to five years from now.

I really wish the UI in Genso Manege had been handled a bit differently, as it ended up being an otome game I both really enjoyed and couldn’t often play for extended periods. Some minor adjustments would have made a big different in of readability. However, it is absolutely a wonderful story with charming characters in every route. Mages did a wonderful job with it, and I’m so glad it’s a title PQube picked up.

Genso Manege will be available on the Nintendo Switch and PC on January 31, 2025. 

The post Review: Genso Manege Is the Brightest Dark Otome Game appeared first on Siliconera.

The PQube Asia Showcase just revealed games we’ll see from the company in 2025, and there were a lot of new otome titles and visual novels in the collection. In addition, it also picked up the Class of Heroes 3 Remaster of the familiar JRPG and action games like Gal Guardians: Servants of the Dark and Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds Ultimate.

The presentation involved a mix of completely new reveals and updates on games we already knew were in development. Many of the PQube reveals involved new otome games, visual novels, or titles with dating sim elements. To make things easier, here are all the reveals for those types of games. 

• BUSTAFELLOWS Season 2will come to the Switch and PC in 2025.
• Death Match Love Comedy will come to the Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC in 2025.
• Genso Manege will come to the Switch and PC on January 31, 2025.
• Him, The Smile & Bloom will be on the Switch and PC in February 2025. 
• Iwakura Aria will come to the Switch and PC in 2025. 

Of those, Death Match Love Comedy is especially notable, as it is a Kemco visual novel about avoiding finding love and being paired up. 

As for the other PQube games, they fall into a mix of genres. For example, we have action games like Gal Guardians and the new Phantom Breaker. Class of Heroes 3 Remaster is a JRPG dungeon-crawler with an academy setting. Meanwhile, K-Pop Idol Stories: Road to Debut is somewhat Idolmaster like, as you are building up a K-Pop group.

Here’s the full list of those reveals:

• Class of Heroes 3 Remaster will come to the Switch, PS5, and PC in 2025.
• Gal Guardians: Servants of the Dark will come to the Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC on March 27, 2025. 
• K-Pop Idol Stories: Road to Debut will come to the Switch, PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC in 2025. 
• Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds Ultimate will come to the Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC on February 13, 2025.

You can watch the full presentation with news below:

The next PQube release will be the new otome game Genso Manege on January 31, 2025, and it will be on the Switch and PC.

The post New PQube Games Include Otome Titles and Visual Novels appeared first on Siliconera.

Just before the turn of the millennium, a workhorse studio named KID took a chance on creating an original visual novel game for the PlayStation after years of mainly working on action games and PC game ports to consoles. Memories Off was a coming-of-age romance story with surprising depth to its characters. It broke a few unstated rules of the genre, and perhaps in part because of that it found an audience. KID spent the next several years making follow-ups to Memories Off along with other assorted visual novels, none of which were localized because… well, visual novels tended not to be localized back then.

KID collapsed in 2006, with its former staff scattering to various corners of the Japanese games industry. Some key ended up at MAGES, a developer mainly known for visual novel games like Steins;Gate. As for KID's intellectual property, it bounced around from company to company until it ended up with MAGES. Oh hey, that's convenient. As the star of the package, Memories Off wasn't on the bench long. MAGES picked it up almost immediately, producing more sequels and spin-offs. The franchise seemed to largely peter out as the Science Adventure series rose up on the back of the popularity of Steins;Gate.

SINce Memories: Off the Starry Sky is a spin-off of the main series. Its story largely stands alone, but fans of the previous games should be able to spot a number of connections as they make their way through. In an unexpected move, this installment was picked up for localization by PQube. This marks the first time the series has seen an official English release. On paper, it makes a lot of sense for this game to take that role. It's the newest release after all, and its story requires absolutely no knowledge of prior games to enjoy.

In practice, I really wonder if this is the best introduction to Memories Off. It certainly carries a lot of the qualities of those beloved early games. It too is a coming-of-age romance story that deals with loss, grief, and acceptance. The protagonist, Junya, is an actual character rather than a mere player stand-in. The heroines might seem like tropes at first, but they almost all defy those expectations over the course of their respective routes. The game's pace is extremely slow, particularly in the opening handful of hours as it sets up all of its pieces. The real punch of a Memories Off game comes in the pay-off for all of that, though. It's in that respect where I'm not sure Off the Starry Sky does what it needs to.

SINce Memories: Off the Starry Sky follows the story of Junya Mizumoto, a young university student who works part-time at his family's handyman business. One year before the start of the game, he was involved in a car accident while riding with his older brother, Takaya. While he survived, Takaya did not. On top of that, Junya's memories of the incident seem to have been mostly lost outside of a few flashes here and there. What really happened that day? The answer to this serves as the main mystery for the story, and one that gets more fully explained in some routes than others.

Junya's brother was something of a local hero in the town of Sumisora, and Junya constantly wrestles with survivor's guilt as a result. He feels he can't possibly measure up to his brother, and that he should have died instead. This inner conflict is another aspect that gets explored to varying degrees depending on which route you opt to follow, but it's one whose resolution I wasn't terribly satisfied with after all was said and done. Junya's spotty memories make him an unreliable narrator, but even with that I feel like some of the jumps his character makes could have been set up better.

Off the Starry Sky is like that across the board, though. It feels like almost every aspect of its is a few steps away from being great, but instead has to settle for middling to decent. What's missing from each element isn't even consistent, which makes for a frustrating aftertaste. Some things are over-explained while others don't get enough explanation. Some characters have interesting personalities with weak storylines, while the ones with more interesting plots are less appealing as characters. The only convergence here is in Hinata's route, a dreadful combination of a bland character and a story that is downright poor.

Otherwise, you're dealing with contrasting flavors. If you want the real plot nuggets, those are sitting in the routes of childhood friend Chihaya and Azusa, the fiery stranger who barges into Junya's life. You'll probably want to save those routes for last, as they pretty much spoil the whole mystery. Those two were the routes I enjoyed the most overall, though I can't say I really cared much for either character. Chihaya is the daughter of a wealthy family. She's headed for an arranged marriage when she graduates but is more or less allowed to do what she wants until then. Her dream is to convert her grandparents' old house into a cafe, and she ropes Junya into it. This one goes about the way you would expect, but it was written well enough to keep my interest.

Azusa takes the bull by the horns. Junya runs into her while out on a job, and she does a double-take when she sees him. She quickly becomes angry and accuses Junya of murdering his brother. She clearly knows some things no one else is privy to, and while I can't talk much about her route without spoiling things that are best left unspoiled, I will say that this route is where the biggest plot movements happen in SINce Memories: Off the Starry Sky. Unfortunately, Azusa is a really unpleasant character for much of her route. That's by design of course, as she has a bone to pick with Junya. It doesn't make her any easier to deal with for those hours before she starts to warm up, though.

As I've already mentioned, Hinata's route is a complete wash. She's another of Junya's childhood friends, and also Chihaya's attendant. While she puts up a strong front, she's actually deeply insecure. She's also a closet geek. I really don't know how to describe how off the rails this route goes. It feels like it was written by someone else entirely when compared to the rest of the game. The way events happen and how the characters involved behave both come across as forced.

Chunyu Huang is a Chinese exchange student at Junya's university, and it's hard not to fall in love with her immediately. She's a fun, vibrant character who has plenty of potential to drive a great plot. Her peppy theme music is also my favorite piece in the game. I was extremely dismayed when her route's story turned out to be really weak. Another heroine barges in frequently and at points it comes off like it's her route more than Chunyu's. Perhaps the writers had difficulty creating a satisfying arc for Chunyu because she's more put-together than the other characters from the get-go? I'm not sure, but it's a waste of a great character.

Finally, we have Yuriko. You won't even meet her until several hours into the game, and her late entrance ends up hurting her story a little. She's an idol who is taking a break from show biz, and she's trying to decide if she wants to go back or not. She knew Junya's older brother, as he actually encouraged her to reach for her dream, and she is grieving him in her own way. I like Yuriko. She's a decent character, and while I don't think her route does much for the main plot, I think it's a good breather. Since she comes into the story far later than the other heroines, her arc doesn't get as much time to develop as the others. Somehow, it sticks its landing anyway.

Overall, I found myself somewhat torn by the writing in SINce Memories: Off the Starry Sky. It was engaging enough that I wanted to finish almost all of the routes (not you, Hinata), but I it that finding the motivation to sniff out all of the endings was hard. Each heroine's route has two endings, and you need to be very careful at literally every choice that comes up in the game. Sometimes things you couldn't possibly imagine would have an effect on the ending will muck everything up. You've got room to make a lot of saves; I strongly recommend you exercise that option.

When I reflect on the parts of the plot that I liked, I can it there's a lot to appreciate in this game. The problem is that there is just so much build-up that doesn't properly deliver on its promise. Some of the characters misfire, some of the sub-plots misfire, and even the main mystery's resolution doesn't exactly feel like it was worth the squeeze. I think it's okay for a game to take it slow and really set its scene before pushing the drama, but SINce Memories: Off the Starry Sky asks too much for how little it gives back.

At least with the presentation, it's hard to fault the game. The art is fantastic. The music is terrific. You get full Japanese voice acting, and it's good stuff. Even side characters are treated with care, and it helps create a very believable setting. Sometimes visual novels feel like they have a few sets with only five characters in the whole world, but SINce Memories: Off the Starry Sky goes to great lengths to bring its setting alive with plenty of locations, incidental characters, and an excellent soundscape.

I wish the localization matched that level, though. While it does a decent enough job with the broad strokes, the text needed more editing. Typos abound, along with grammar tense mistakes, incorrect pronouns, and outright translation errors. It's not bad enough to sink the game, but it's frequent enough to be noticeable. A slight blemish, but a blemish nonetheless. In a game where you do this much reading, it's really essential to make that prose sing, after all.

SINce Memories: Off the Starry Sky has its good points. The production values haven't been skimped on, the setting is well-realized, and some of the characters are very interesting to get to know. Sadly, the writing on the whole is very uneven, leading to a lot of routes that don't pay off properly and a couple really poor characters. There's some potential here but the game ultimately fails to realize it, despite taking a very long time to get everything into position. It's an inauspicious Western debut for such a beloved franchise.

SINce Memories: Off the Starry Sky is available for PS4, Switch, and PC. 

The post Review: SINce Memories: Off the Starry Sky Is a Slow Burn with a Weak Pay-Off appeared first on Siliconera.

I love mobile rhythm games like Love Live School Idol Festival, Hatsune Miku: Colorful Stage, and I-Chu. The idea of collecting character cards, building them up, and using those decks to ensure I’m strong enough to clear song stages has always been thrilling. Plus, Japanese idol music is pretty good. I-Chu: Chibi Edition seemed like exactly the type of game I’d want, since it is all that minus free-to-play nonsense. Except even though this is a single-purchase game, so much of those mobile trappings get in the way. Not to mention, the translation is shockingly awkward.

Etoile Vie School is a school for young men of varying ages to attend to become idols. They train in different courses to ideally become strong performers. Where do we come in? We’re the producer who helps them on the way. Though that really means we collect character cards to form teams, use those decks to earn points as we play through rhythm-game songs, and read extremely short visual novel chapters that go over their journey to stardom. 

Basically, here’s how the gameplay loop goes. You play through a song on easy with your crew of five “talents” recruited from the gacha. (These cards can be combined or leveled up to become stronger.) After beating certain songs, you can read through a handful of story chapters. A new track then opens up, you beat it, and you can read more story chapters. 

Now, before we go further, know this isn’t an otome game. While your “avatar,” who acts as a producer, is a woman, there’s no romance here. All of the side stories that had those elements in the mobile game are absent in the I-Chu: Chibi Edition. I was incredibly disappointed to hear about that, so it’s best to know that before you pick it up. 

You’re, as far as I’ve seen, locked into the “easy” difficulty to unlock more of the story in I-Chu: Chibi Edition. Which you need to advance to unlock more of the gacha banners. The easy versions of songs are honestly too safe sometimes, and I’ve yet to not get a full combo on one. Especially since all of the virtual “friends” you can select for assistance have maxed out parties.

Though honestly, skipping the story might not be a bad idea. The localization is bad. There are so many awkward phrases here and strange word choices. The punctuation and spacing between letters is incorrect at times. It isn’t as bad as what happened with The Villainess is Adored by the Prince of the Neighbor Kingdom, but there are times when it feels close. Which is weird, as I’ve found PQube translations to typically be rather solid. 

I was also disappointed by how much unlocking there is for a console version of a mobile game. At this point, someone is paying $30 for I-Chu: Chibi Edition. At the very least, all of the songs should be available immediately in the free-play section, so you can jump right into any tracks you enjoy. But no. They’re not. You need to go through the story to unlock them. Similarly, not all the gacha banners are available either. Again, you need to unlock them. 

Speaking of which, I have a lot of issues with how the gacha is handled in I Chu: Chibi Edition in general. The odds seem as bad as they would be in a mobile game. After five hours of playing, I only have one LE card, and it is for Li Chaoyang. You’d think that, given this is completely offline and pulled from the mobile version, the rate could be increased so I’m not swamped with Rs and RRs. It’d be nice to see LEs more often.  

Which is all a shame, since the rhythm game portion of I-Chu: Chibi Edition is quite fun. Once you do start unlocking a substantial number of tracks — let’s say around 10-20 — you’ll start finding favorites! I felt a lot of them were catchy, and the vocalists performing them all seemed pretty talented. The Normal and Hard difficulties start to feel enjoyable, and Maniac can be genuinely challenging. 

I like the idea of I-Chu: Chibi Edition, as having a one-purchase version of a mobile game that grants you to access to almost everything is appealing. However, the way it forces you to unlock everything, the awkward localization, and the still frustrating gacha system hold it back. The music is good! The rhythm game element is pretty solid! Once you get some decent cards, you can make some strong teams! It’s just all of the other stuff surrounding it bogs it down.

I-Chu: Chibi Edition will be available for the Nintendo Switch on October 3, 2024.  

The post Review: I-Chu: Chibi Edition Is Bogged Down by Its Mobile Roots appeared first on Siliconera.

PQube announced the release date for its next dating sim game, confirming we’ll see SINce Memories: Off the Starry Sky on October 23, 2024. The visual novel will be available digitally on the PS4, Switch, and PC, and physical Switch and PS4 for $49.99 each.

While this is a dating sim, it is also a serious game about a tragic event. Junya’s life changed forever when his brother Takaya died, but he’s still uncertain about what happened. As we follow the story, we discover how he moves forward after that event, discover more about exactly what happened, and potentially find love with one of the game’s heroines. The five cheracters Junya can meet and develop relationships with are Azusa, Chihaya, Chunyu, Hinata, and Yuriko. However, these five women are also dealing with their own issues, and some of them might not exactly be friendly or welcoming to Junya after what happened with Takaya. 

Here’s the latest trailer for SINce Memories: Off the Starry Sky.

This game is tied to the Memories Off series of dating sims. That franchise began in 1999 on the PlayStation with the original Memories Off. It originally debuted in Japan in 2021. We haven’t seen the series appear in English before. 

SINce Memories: Off the Starry Sky will come to the PS4, Switch, and PC worldwide on October 23, 2024. 

The post SINce Memories: Off the Starry Sky Dating Sim Debuts in October appeared first on Siliconera.

There are certain otome games that might end up feeling a bit generic, even if they are generally fine, and Celestia: Chain of Fate is a perfect example. It features a limited number of love interests who generally adhere to certain tropes and don’t feel terribly unique, a story with a Mary Sue sort of lead, and an artistic direction that may come across as a bit bland compared to its contemporaries. It borrows a lot of concepts from other fantasy stories as well. The end result is a somewhat bland, harmless love story where the only element that stands out is how surprisingly easy it could be to earn a bad end. It isn't bad, mind you, but it might not stand out enough to catch a potential player's eye.

From the very outset in Celestia: Chain of Fate, Agate establishes that the player character in this otome game is special. Aria’s mother was an angel and her father a devil, here referred to as Angelus and Daemon, and their union resulted in her. However, they were also forced apart. She was completely in the dark about this until she came of age, with the only thing setting her apart being the ability to sense intentions based on colors on the wind. She was raised in a powerful, noble family, which turned out to be made up of other Angelus and Daemons and an individual who would be one of her teachers at the Celestia Academy. Because as a half-breed, her magic is also special and strong, and she must attend the school for a year. If she attends and becomes the best, she can have a wish granted.

Given the type of otome game Celestia: Chain of Fate is, Agate doesn’t shy away from quickly making Aria the center of attention and drama. Immediately after her adopted brother/future teacher Damien takes her to a secret train station to board the magical train to the otherworldly academy, she gets the opportunity to interfere in the assassination attempt on the human prince Ash’s mother. When she leaves the train and arrives, before she can even get to school, she ends up involved with an attack that also provides an opportunity to meet the romanceable Angelus Luke and Daemon Val as the two of them work alongside Ash to mitigate the damage. 

I think I’d be a bit more forgiving of Celestia: Chain of Fate’s tendencies if it didn’t suffer from a few fatal flaws. For example, the game is very big on telling, not showing. After knowing Val for a total of five minutes and seeing one example of him handling an altercation and dangerous situation well, you’re fawning over him and calling him “awesome” repeatedly. Compliments in either direction end up feeling a bit hollow. Characters aren’t too well developed, with things that should be reveals Agate leads up to being tossed out. The localization also features a lot of awkwardly phrased sentences, which hurt the immersion. Phrases like “Besides, if you manage to become the best graduate of the academy, they will grant you one wish” and “As soon as the staff’s words were heard, my surroundings became noisy” are prime examples. The generic nature of the love interests, translation, copying of elements from other magical academy works, and fact that Aria can suddenly feel like one of the most important people in the world all kept me from really connecting with things. By the end, I liked Val enough, but didn't feel like I needed to go back to pursue the others like in other otome games.

The one thing I found really unique is the degree of bad ends you can encounter in Celestia: Chain of Fate. In the introductory moments, you can even trigger one via certain choices. It surprised me a bit, given the general tone doesn’t feel that dark. That sort of thing feels like it’d be more at home in otome games like Piofioreor Virche Evermore. It’s fine, and just means taking a bit more time to save before decisions. 

I also encountered two times in which the game froze after story events involving major transitions in the story. Both happened fairly early on. One was after the altercation upon leaving the train where Aria got involved in seeing Ash, Luke, and Val respond to a hostile attack. The other happened after a scene with Aria and Val recovering a notable woman in town’s missing pet. In each case, I’d saved fairly recently before the instances, and the game didn’t freeze after reloading. Still, it might be something to be aware of as you play. These were minor hiccups that didn't come up again after those initial incidents, so you may not even experience any issues.

Also, Celestia: Chain of Fate is lacking some common otome game quality of life elements. I couldn’t figure out how to see the backlog for conversations, to see story segments I’d missed. Checking the relationship values to see if you’re on the right route doesn’t give you the clearest answers. There also aren’t the obvious visual or audio cue options to let you know how your choices are received. There are unlockable side stories, however, which appear as you get through the chapters, which is a pleasant option. 

Celestia: Chain of Fate is an okay enough otome game for those in search of a game with Harry Potter-like academy, magic, angels, and demons. However, it doesn’t really do much to stand out otherwise. The character designs aren’t as striking as those in its contemporaries, there is awkward phrasing in the script, the story involves some common situations and tropes, and there are certain absent quality of life features. 

Celestia: Chain of Fate will come to the Nintendo Switch and PC on September 12, 2024. 

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B-Project Ryusei Fantasia is a fascinating sort of visual novel. It’s not an otome game, though you do get to spend time with and send messages to 14 single young men who seem to adore your character. It’s not like most visual novels, as many of the choices are tied to earning stories for the singers in the group and there aren’t many decisions influencing the endings. Also, while it involves an idol group, there’s no rhythm gameplay like in Jack Jeanne. Add in the fact that you really do need some awareness of B-Project to really enjoy it, and you’re left with one of the most niche games I’ve played in a while.

In order to really understand how big of a deal B-Project Ryusei Fantasia is in a way, you have to understand exactly how big the whole property is. It’s been running since 2016, after all, with Mages starting it with an anime and manga. Since then, there have been CDs, multiple games, and stage shows. A lot of it hasn’t been localized! Though if someone wants to prepare and get familiarized with the world and its characters, Crunchyroll does have B-Project: Zeccho Emotion and ion Love Call streaming on the service.

Simply put, it’s a lot to take in. The best advice I can recommend going in, if you aren’t familiar, is to know the general premise. Haruhi and Yuduki Teramitsu, Akane Fudo, and Miroku Shingari were in a group called Killer King. Ryuji Korekuni and Tomohisa Kitakado performed as a duo called KitaKore. The group Moons consisted of Hikaru Osari, Kazuna Masunaga, Mikado Sekimura, Momotaro Onzai, and Tatsuhiro Nome. Finally, Thrive was a trio made up of Goshi Kaneshiro, Kento Aizome, and Yuta Ashu. Gandara Music decided to bring them all together as one big group, and the player character is essentially in charge of them. The visual novel follows you helping them prepare for more shows, while also offering a brief flashback at the start to help familiarize players with the situation.

You’re going to know in the first hour of playing B-Project Ryusei Fantasia if it is for you or not, which makes it a blessing that a PC demo is available on Steam. I’m not the biggest fan of the execution, but feel like it might work better for fans. Basically, it begins in the thick of things. You watch as four boy band idol groups called Killer King, Kitakore, Moon, and Thrive perform as the supergroup B-Project. As you celebrate with a number of young men who all are praising you, an artist & repertoire expert who worked with them come together, you flash back to the beginnings. It’s honestly throwing a lot at you at once, with no introductions to the characters or groups immediately, which may put off people unfamiliar with it. I watched some of the anime on Crunchyroll ahead of time to prepare, and I had trouble following and recognizing some people. 

I will it that there are some minor production decisions for B-Project Ryusei Fantasia that started to get to me the more I played and added to the issue, with some being on Mages part and the other a result of a means needed to make the game work. While in the CGs and certain segments, you can really see how each member of the cast stands out, there are times when the portraits for characters have this uniformity that feels a little off-putting. Like if someone dragged and dropped pair of eyes A and hairstyle B in certain colors onto a sprite to create one person, and then pair of eyes A with hairstyle D for another. Characters are distinct, but when dealing with such a large cast I started to notice commonalities.

The other involves the text boxes. There are times when the font is a perfect size and there are two or three lines in a box. Things look fine! But then, there will be an especially wordy explanation or long-winded response. Since PQube is working within certain confines, it means getting three lines in a box and it gets difficult to read. 

However, aside from that, the execution of B-Project Ryusei Fantasia is quite fun. Using the heroine’s cell phone as the UI works well. Especially when you get text messages, calls, and voice mails. It helps with the immersion in the moment. The general art direction is very crisp. While some music can feel a bit generic, actual B-Pro songs sound great. The pacing of the story, once you get past the introduction and flashbacks, is also good. I’d even say once you get to personal stories, it feels a lot stronger.

B-Project Ryusei Fantasia is one of those games that is ideal for what it is for those who are aware of B-Pro and the many projects tied to the series. If you “get” it, you’ll love how it handles things and the chance to more closely interact with your favorite characters. For those who aren’t aware of this Mages project, the entry barrier is pretty high! Not impossibly so. I think it feels like PQube was aware of this and released the demo so early ahead of launch as a result to help people prepare. For those who love the series, it’s a lot of fun. I do think people curious about it should give the free trial and anime a chance, as both would really help you when it comes to deciding to pick it up.

B-Project Ryusei Fantasia will come to the Nintendo Switch and PC on July 15, 2024. 

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Bustafellows Season 2, the sequel to the otome game, appeared in Japan on the Switch and mobile devices in May 2023. Now after much teasing, PQube confirmed it picked it up for a worldwide English release on the Switch and PC in 2025. 

As in the original otome game, players will work alongside Teuta and Helvetica, Limbo, Mozu, Scarecrow, and Shu to solve a crime in Bustafellows Season 2. However, in this situation since it is a sequel, relationships are already established as it begins. So like in otome fan discs, players will see the romance continue to build after the events of the first game. In addition to continuing routes, a flowchart will also be added to make it easier to go through and backtrack.

PQube released the first trailer for the game. Rather than an opening movie, which can be common for otome game announcements, the Bustafellows sequel sets the stage for the new investigation and role the team will play. After a brief introduction, we get to see snippets of each major character again.

The Steam product listing for the game is already live. It features eight screenshots highlighting different characters. However, system requirements aren’t available yet.

PQube did already note that there will be digital and physical Switch copies available.

Bustafellows Season 2 will come to the Nintendo Switch and PC in 2025, and it is already available on the Switch and mobile devices in Japan.

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Back in February 2024, PQube confirmed it picked up the Switch and PC versions of B-Project Ryusei Fantasia, and now we have a release date for both and PC demo. It will launch outside Japan on July 15, 2024 on digital storefronts, though the physical Switch copies won’t appear until July 26, 2024.

As always, this also means a new trailer. This time, it’s a peek at the opening movie. It offers a chance to see the idols we’ll be working with in the game, as well as hear the main theme song. Though the cast is large, official character for each one appears alongside their name during the segment. It’s also identical to the announcement trailer, save for the B-Project Ryusei Fantasia release date at the end.

There will be 10% pre-order and launch discounts. In the case of the Switch, that applies between July 7-14, 2024 in the eShop. On Steam, the launch sale starts on July 15, 2024.

As for the B-Project Ryusei Fantasia demo, it is only available for the PC version via Steam. Windows owners can test it out. As this is a visual novel involving preparing performers for the B-Project idol group, you only get to go through the first chapter here. This is a limited demo for Steam Next Fest, so it will be gone starting on June 17, 2024. 

B-Project Ryusei Fantasia will come to the Nintendo Switch and PC digitally on July 15, 2024. Physical Switch copies launch just over a week later on July 26, 2024. The PC demo is available now on Steam.

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PQube announced it picked up a second otome game called Celestia: Chain of Fate. Like Genso Manege, there’s no release window beyond “soon” and it will appear on both the Switch and PC via Steam.

In this otome game, it turns out that in addition to humans, angels and demons also exist. Those more supernatural beings are set apart, with their offspring attending the Academy of Celestia school. Players step into the shoes of Aria, a young woman who learns she is both part angel and demon, rather than just human, and suddenly finds herself attending the academy and dealing with new truths about herself. While also going through her school life, she’ll also get the chance to grow closer to, and possibly even romance, some of the other students there.

The first trailer for Celestia: Chain of Fate is already live, and you can watch it below. It begins by introducing the academy and showing some of the people we can romance as we play. Some are human, like Ash Winterlight. There are also angels like Luke Alastair and demons like Val de Lucifer.

Here are the first screenshots from the next PQube Switch and PC otome game.

Agate is involved inthe game’s development. Previously, it worked on Valthirian Arc: Hero School Story and its sequel.

Celestia: Chain of Fate will come to the Switch and PC via Steam worldwide, with Switch physical copies confirmed.

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About four years after its Japanese debut, PQube announced it picked up the PC and Switch otome game Genso Manege. The Mages title is “coming soon,” with physical copies confirmed for the Switch. 

Emma has the ability to use magic, but she is suffering from amnesia and isn’t able to properly use them. However, a situation involving people trapped in an amusement park gives her the chance to learn how to access her abilities and put them to good use. In the process, she’ll also get the chance to fall in love with six possible love interests named Arnaud, Crier, Hugo, Luciole, Lyon, and Serge. There will also be minigames to assist in her growth. 

Here is the first English trailer for the Switch and PC otome game.

You can also see the trailer for the Japanese opening movie below:

A few English screenshots for the game were also shared with us.

This is one of multiple Mages games PQube will release outside Japan. It also picked up B-Project Ryusei Fantasia. That will come to the Switch and PC as well.

Genso Manege will come to the Switch and PC via Steam “soon.” The game appeared on the Switch in Japan under the name Rever d’un Manege back in January 2020. 

Image via Mages, Love&Art, and PQube

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B-Project Ryusei Fantasia, the Japanese MAGES Switch game based on the anime and manga, will be released in English worldwide and get a PC version. PQube announced it picked up the visual novel and will release it “soon.”

It’s been quite a while since B-Project Ryusei Fantasia released in Japan. It first showed up on the Switch there in September 2021. A mobile release then followed a few months later in February 2022. As there’s no exact release window yet beyond “soon,” we don’t know exactly how many months and years it took for it to be picked up. The Switch version will be available digitally and physically. The Steam page is already live for the title.

In the game, players are an Artist & Repertoire er helping 14 singers from the groups KiLLER KiNG, Kitakore, MooNs, and THRIVE become one group: B-Project. Your decisions will determine which of the two endings you’ll get. You’ll also be able to go through epilogues for all 14 of the characters. 

Here’s the B-Project Ryusei Fantasia English trailer. It’s the opening movie that also introduces all the main characters and the theme song “sung” by the idols.

PQube also shared the first six English screenshots for the game, which we can go through in the gallery below.

B-Project Ryusei Fantasia will come to the Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam worldwide soon. It is available on the Switch and mobile devices in Japan. The anime is streaming on Crunchyroll worldwide.

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PQube announced that not only is White Day 2: The Flower that Tells Lies is heading to the PS5 and Xbox Series X in 2024, but it will do so in a Complete Edition that offers all three episodes at once. Back when it appeared on PCs, people needed to go through each installment one at a time.

White Day 2 essentially tells the story of three people, rather than just follow one person like White Day: A Labyrinth Named School did with Lee Hui-min. So in the first episode, people follow Jung Soo-jin and her crush as they’re trapped at Yeondu high school. The second covers Kang Seo-yeon trying to undo a ritual at the school. Finally, the third episode ties into the first game by having Yoo Ji-min trying to help Han Na-young. 

Here is the first trailer for the console release. It also confirms that there will be a physical PS5 version of the game available, in addition to the digital PS5 and Xbox Series X ones.

In addition to giving people access to the full game at once, White Day 2 Complete Edition will have a few other extras. There will also be seven costumes people can change characters into. The guards who are enemies in this installment can put on attire inspired by ones worn by the janitors in the first game.

White Day 2: The Flower that Tells Lies Complete Edition will come to the PS5 and Xbox Series X in 2024. The game is already available on PCs.

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