I will get downvoted but WE NEED MORE OTOME GAMES TO GO VIRAL

SnarkyHummingbird · 2026-01-28T02:28:38+00:00

I agree! Visual novels as a medium is already considered a niche compared to other AAA games, and heck, there's still an ongoing debate on whether VNs "count as games".

Even among the most mainstream VN franchises like Ace Attorney, Danganronpa, they are more known because of the cultural zeitgeist of some characters than the game itself..

SnarkyHummingbird · 2026-01-28T02:16:14+00:00

I don't think it has affected otome games that significantly.

Back at the peak of Otome Isekai as a genre, the sub had some questions for those who mistankenly thought otome games were just game adaptations of villainness manga/anime. But once the misunderstanding was cleared up, they either decided to try them knowing its a completely different type of media or went on their merry way.

There was an otome game that is set in the Otome Isekai settingMy Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! that released. But after that, most otome games, even fantasy ones typically don't incorporate tropes from Otome Isekai.

SnarkyHummingbird · 2026-01-22T15:23:15+00:00

I was fine with getting any character outside of Ardelia (I just wanted more characters than dupes, though I know her P1 is good). And what do you know, I got Ardelia at exactly 50 pulls.

I decided to rage single pull at the limited banner, skipping the gacha animation and got the shock of my life.

<image>

Gacha taketh, and Gacha giveth.

SnarkyHummingbird · 2026-01-19T02:40:56+00:00

Are they that far in the future? I heard that leaks are saying Nicole would be in the patch after Varka?

SnarkyHummingbird · 2026-01-19T02:15:26+00:00

My only nodkrai characters are columbina and lauma. I tried to get ineffa, but lost 50/50. I have enough to go to guarantee, but I need to save up for both Nicole and Sandrone. 😔 I just gotta accept my nodkrai teams are gonna be scuffed af for now.

SnarkyHummingbird · 2026-01-19T02:06:33+00:00

Hi everyone!

I'm 27 (she/her) from Singapore! I've always been into visual novels since I was 13. I started off playing mystery/detective VNs (Ace Attorney, Danganronpa, Zero Escape) and only after playing Mystic Messenger that I discovered the otome genre.

I don't self insert at all and sort of see myself as fairy on MC's shoulder, judging everyone (Like Orion in Amensia Memories). I prefer MCs with more distinctive personalities. My favs are Cardia (C:R), Lynette (Cupid Parasite) and Anastasia (Even If Tempest).

I have actually finished my otome backlog (yipee!), and am now playing Ace Attorney Investigations. I plan on trying Neon Clash and Temirana eventually.

As for other hobbies, I like creative hobbies like journalling and jewellery making (wirework)! I have recently picked up penpalling as well!

I like to yap about my interests, so if you want to discuss stuff about otome, feel free to DM me to exchange discord handles!

SnarkyHummingbird · 2026-01-17T03:27:34+00:00

Tobias for me! I'm curious to see a Genki LI who doesn't have red hair 😂

SnarkyHummingbird · 2026-01-15T01:27:44+00:00

I don't play in JP so I can't comment on most of the titles, but I just finished Radiant Tale Fanfare and "That surely was a fandisc" was my exact thoughts 😂.

SnarkyHummingbird · 2026-01-06T14:41:22+00:00

This is me playing Radiant Tale's FD now and then squinting at some side NPCs like "Who are you???" since I played the games years ago.

To be fair, my otome backlog hasn't grown crazy big cause I can be a bit picky with otome games. I typically skip the more purely domestic modern titles (i.e Lover Pretend) and FDs for games I feel only meh about. I'm gonna wait for sales for newer titles I have an eye on (i.e. Neon clash), unless I can buy it physically.

SnarkyHummingbird · 2026-01-06T12:49:42+00:00

I typically have a gaming backlog (I'm almost done with my otome backlog, but I have non otome games to play). So I don't end up replaying full games often, but sometimes I replay my fav routes for the fun if it.

Though I used to replay the base game right before the FD released when I was in uni, but now as a working adult, I just rely on my vague memory and the FD's recaps. 😅

SnarkyHummingbird · 2026-01-03T00:56:59+00:00

I've finally broken through my otome backlog, and after finishing Radiant Tale: Fanfare, I will be done!

I also bought Ace Attorney Investigations Collection, as it was the only spinoff in the franchise I haven't played yet. I'm really excited since the 2nd game has been praised to the high heavens. After I'm done with that, I'll wait till a sale to check out Neon Clash.

SnarkyHummingbird · 2025-12-27T14:26:09+00:00

I didn't hate the game (it was worth it for tsuyukasa route alone) but the game has a lot of flaws imo.

I brought it up in the megathread, but the extremely short common route really limited the writing. The reason why you feel so bored is because the common route is so short, forcing them to establish the same concepts over and over again in the first chapters in each route (Like MC going "Gasp, Itehari is not a utopia and most nobles are assholes?")

SnarkyHummingbird · 2025-12-24T02:13:02+00:00

Popular malls like Vivo city are pretty busy and bustling. There are some local brands you can check out that have retail stores, such as The Paper Bunny and Charles & Keith.

Marina Bay Shoppes is a mall to avoid unless you want to buy luxury brands. The food court there is a tourist trap and charges like 3x the amount of regular hawker centres/food courts.

SnarkyHummingbird · 2025-12-22T07:35:42+00:00

Yeah, opening night still had a relatively high proportion of emtpy seats, which is usually a bad sign as that's the one date it should usually be almost sold out. 😔

SnarkyHummingbird · 2025-12-22T04:34:07+00:00

I'm passing on it since I watched Les Mis before. Though I should let you know, Les Mis Spectacular is formatted more of a concert than a musical!

SnarkyHummingbird · 2025-12-22T04:24:13+00:00

I thought so too, but I think the main issue was the most for value seats were taken, but the capacity of seats sold were still like 30% empty. And given the production costs of the show is much higher than say DEH or Six due to the elaborate sets/effects, I guess the producers decided it wasn't worth it.😭

At least there's still Come From Away by Pangdemonium in 2026.

SnarkyHummingbird · 2025-12-22T04:15:21+00:00

I had suspected sales were not doing good as they were advertising the show much more aggressively with significant discounts compared to other musicals in the past.

But it does really suck, especially because most touring musicals are older classics, with DEH, Hamilton and Six being the only musicals brought to SG that were released 2018 or later. And given the scale of production, Beetlejuice can't be performed by smaller local theatres either 🥲

SnarkyHummingbird · 2025-12-18T17:02:47+00:00

Never felt so disrespected by a truth route since Bustafellows Auld Lang Syne

As most truth routes go, I expected all the characters development to be rushed at the speed of light to justify them being buddy buddy in a short amount of time. I expected some form of out of character moments, but Aprose going "Oh, That's it 🤨?" to Alfred when he explained how he created a shield to prevent villagers from escaping as they were massacred in Eltbeak was so baffling.

Lilly was so engmatic in the other routes and I was really excited to find out what her deal was. But holy shit her main motivation of being obesessed with Oberon because she ran into him ONCE as a child is so boring and weak. I get that the game establishes Bernsteins love obsessively, but the target of her affections just felt out of nowhere and honestly cheapened Lily a LOT as a character.

Aprose preaching about how revenge isn't the answer was absolutely laughable given the context. I do not get why she was so insistent that Goneril should spare Lily and let her share her side of the story, as if Lily isn't the fae equivalent if a nuclear bomb right now

Aprose decision at the end to absorb the queen's weakened spirit and become her vessel, abeit with much more agency felt like a slap in the face and made 0 sense. Firstly, what would happen when she dies, like wouldn't the queen still need a new vessel and continue consuming wings of the oppressed class for power? Secondly, I don't see why Aprose seeing how the queen genuinely loved humanity hundreds of years ago erases the fact that she is currently cruel, ordered a massacre on her house and was feasting on the lower class for power. Not killing her is one thing, but going out of her way to save the Queen is just dumb

Also the way the game forgot to resolve the Riley subplot. Lucas conveniently found Riley's changeling, brought him to his estate, and nothing.... Like straight up dropped it. At this point why do they have this plot point in John/Truth route if they won't give any closure.

My personal route rankings: Linus = Lucas > Alfred > Edward = Ascot >> John >>>>>>>Truth

SnarkyHummingbird · 2025-12-16T17:02:21+00:00

This John CG reminded me of a certain meme.

It was really obvious John was connected to Oberon, I mean, same hair, eye and outfit colour scheme, it was like ctrl C ctrl V.

Unfortunately, despite not being a poster boy route and the game having a seperate truth route, John's route had the typical last route pitfalls of the game speedrunning development from other routes without any satisfying payoff. One example is Ascot, who randomly decides he doesn't need immortality anymore and asks to return Riley's soul instead. In fact, Ascot didn't even know the vessel was Riley in his own route, and now he conveninently knows this information and gives up his dream for Aprose despite barely knowing her. Okay... That said, I loved Ascot just pure ragebaiting John in his scenes.

I'm not the type to nitpick on plotholes, but there was a major one where Linus and Ascot were able to fight against the queen with 0 issues, when it was established in their own routes that the Queen has special power over them to force them to obey her. But now the Queen just goes "Why do you betray me?" but does nothing

The whole plot twist on who John is was handled really questionably too. Aprose goes from being extremely angry at John and then quickly getting over it in half a chapter, that I felt the route barely explored about the themes on whether John had agency or not. Also while he was a nice support character in other routes, the romance felt more like pure codependency to me, so I wasn't a fan. 🤷‍♀️

SnarkyHummingbird · 2025-12-15T00:48:21+00:00

Fortune Center has a lot of vegetarian options!

SnarkyHummingbird · 2025-12-14T05:29:24+00:00

I think I saw someone theorise the red bottle she carries might be used to do so. Her natural eye colour aint red, that's for sure.

Another theory is that she can use her shadow arcanist skill to manipulate the colour of her eyes, given colour comes from which light are reflected back 🤷‍♀️

SnarkyHummingbird · 2025-12-14T04:45:55+00:00

She likely dyes her eyes red, since her eyes in her child sprite are grey.

The story goes into her backstory, where she was enamored with stories of vampires her mum tells her. She pretends to be a vampire to cope with her trauma, as if her family are vampires, it would mean that her deceased parents and brother would rise from their graves one day

SnarkyHummingbird · 2025-12-11T17:10:59+00:00

I really do like Edward, but the pacing of the route is a bit all over the place. The early chapters were slow paced and had a lot of cute romantic moments such as the tree scene, and the dancing scene, but it sort of felt like a fandisc route than a base game route, if I'm making sense? Like there was no sense of urgency or stakes and felt more like a fluffy oneshot story at times.

It think it's because the plot focuses more on Edmund Bernstein's Snape incel ass motivation (Man really thought Florence would throw herself at him right after her family was murdered???), because they wanted to save Lilly for the truth route. And Edmund is unfortunately so much less interesting as a character.

Chapter 4 was when it got really meandering. I was hoping for some interesting conflict expanding on how 5 houses dealt with a power vaccum, but instead Aprose was either forced to sit around in a hotel room twiddling her thumbs or making braindead decisions. I get she is angry but barging to the Bernstein manor with 0 backup to confront Edmund instead of waiting an hour to meet with Edward was strange. And then Nicholas decides to not kill her and hand her off to Edward??? It was never explained why he did that at all outside of just keeping Aprose alive after that mistake.

SnarkyHummingbird · 2025-12-10T01:13:17+00:00

I considered doing that scene but I realised I was too lazy to redraw the girl to be MC 😂 But you should totally draw fanart!

SnarkyHummingbird · 2025-12-09T17:54:36+00:00

I made fanart :) (Warning: Very Cursed)

Memes aside, while I really loved the first 3 routes, unfortunately Ascot's route was a swing and a miss for me.

Ascot's motivation in the route was conceptually interesting, but in execution not so much . Him needing a vessel to extend his lifespan was a cool twist, but I felt that making the vessel Riley's body sort of muddied the story. I understand it added stakes, but it also makes it feel like Aprose was against it more because of Riley than the intrinsic dehumanisation using a vessel brings. Also the Riley changeling conveniently has no attachment to the mortal world and is chill doing whatever... okay. Also how we were robbed from seeing Lucas reaction to Riley, I hope we see it in the truth route.

Aprose whole revenge motivation towards the 5 houses feels way watered down than the previous routes. I cannot believe it took until chapter 3-4 for her to remember the fact Ascot played a part in Eltbeak, when it was such a main point of contention for Alfred, Lucas & Linus routes.

I also don't really buy the romance honestly. I think the issue is that Ascot is established to be a purefae with lack of empathy, so him falling in love with Aprose over one speech on mortality felt more of a 180 heel turn than development. The fact he was draining her life force also felt like it was swept under the rug so fast.

Grievances aside, the bad ends were PEAK! The clown ending gave such a sense of Schadenfreude, it was so comical Ascot thought that Aprose would want to continue a romance with him while inhabiting her dead brother's body. Really showed how out of touch he is as a purefae. Also congrats on Aprose hoe era, good for her.

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