Since yesterday’s post was about my least favourite games, I figured it was only right to introduce everyone to the five games that I enjoyed the most. If you’ve been reading this blog for a while then I’m sure none of these are a surprise, haha~
Something that I found interesting was that, despite playing so many games, most don’t end up leaving a long-lasting impression (which probably expains why I give out scores of 7 a lot). This made compiling the list easier than I thought, although it perhaps could’ve been extended to a top 10 (maybe another time!).
Again, this list is very subjective & is my own personal opinion. Of course everyone has different preferences and looks for different things in their games so please don’t be mean to me for my trashy opinions, okay?
5th Place – Kokuchou no Psychidelica
I feel like this is probably the most controversial of my picks, mainly because of how different this game is compared with your typical Otome game, both in style and structure. You’re probably going to love this or hate it. The game places much more emphasis on its common route & in my opinion this creates one of the best common routes in any visual novel I’ve read – the twists were foreshadowed so well!
Whilst the common route alone could easily catapult this game further up my favourites, the character routes are definitely on the weaker side overall. I still cry over one of the routes though,
Other highlights of the game include the soundtrack, the fact the protagonist is voiced & the artwork which creates a colourful contrast to the dark backgrounds.
If you’re a fan of mystery and actions stories then this is an absolute must play!
4th Place – Collar x Malice
Whilst the above game is very much skewed towards its common route, Collar x Malice is the other way around, with much of the game’s focus on its long and well-written character routes. The game is incredibly well balanced between good character development, fluffy romance & of course discovering just who could be behind all the terrible crimes going on.
That brings me to what could be considered the game’s only downfall – it’s just too easy to figure out who is behind everything! However, despite sounding like a major design flaw, this doesn’t actually take away too much from the experience of the game.
Overall, this is probably the most accessible game in this list content-wise and would be a game that I’d recommend to anyone with an interest in Otome games or would just like to try the genre out. The fandisc is also worth a play if you have the time!
3rd Place – Black Wolves Saga ~Weiss und Schwartz~
Is picking the port containing both Black Wolves Saga games cheating? No because they both tell different versions of the same tale & I’d recommend playing both to really get an understanding of the world.
If amazing world-building (or guys with animal ears) is your thing then look no further than BWS, featuring the fictional country of Weblin that is currently suffering the effects of a deadly plague (wow, totally just like real life, haha). Anyways, this game features great characters, including the infamous brothers Mejojo & Auger whom are probably some of the most interesting love interests to be shoved into an Otome game. Julian is hands-down my favourite & one of my absolute all-time top guys (his true route in Bloody Nightmare is just too good!).
On the downside, this game doesn’t shy away from dark subjects and can be pretty gruesome at times but if you can look past that then a great game awaits!
I would definitely recommend this game to those who enjoy dark fairytales in particular.
2nd Place – Ken ga Kimi
Ken ga Kimi is hands-down the most balanced game on this list – literally everything in the game was done to a high standard. This includes (but not limited to) the story, worldbuilding, characters, artwork, music, voice acting and even the little fortune-telling mini game at the start. There’s literally just not a single thing I could fault in this game, with the character routes all being equally enjoyable and even the common route doing its job as a good introduction.
It’s been almost a year since I played it and I still can’t quite believe that rejet (of all companies) managed to release a game of this quality and coherence without deviating to their usual violence and “unique” characters.
The only downside to this game is that since it is historical, the language used is a bit on the archaic side which means I would advise against this being an early foray into Japanese otome games. However, if you’re comfortable reading “normal” JP otoge then definitely jump into this – just keep a dictionary handy!
1st Place – Taishou x Alice all in one
Two of my favourite things in the world are puns & fairytales, which is essentially the entire premise for this. Objectively, KgK is probably the better overall game *but* subjectively I prefer Taishou x Alice. Again, I don’t think putting the port of all the games is “cheating” since you really need to play all four to get a complete understanding and appreciation for the story.
This game is strong in many departments, but what stands out the most is the characters – each is likable in their own way and put a clever twist on the fairytale character that they’re meant to represent. This game also has the best heroine (Yurika) out of the ones listed here & is one of my all time favourites due to how bemusing she can be. The actual writing style of this game is a bit more unusual which I personally enjoyed + the change in tone from the first to second episode was equisite. Despite this game strongly focusing on its overall story, each of the individual character routes were still very enjoyable – Kaguya’s route was one of my personal favourites!
Basically, I think that most otome game fans would enjoy this game, especially those who enjoy fairytales. The games are a good mix of romance, comedy and mystery with a twist that is sure to surprise you!
So that’s my five favourite games (as of 2020), all I can say about myself is that I clearly have a bias towards more serious topics and favour games outwith the typical school setting (while certain games here do briefly feature schools, it’s not their main setting). Considering how many games Otomate make, it’s no surprise that 3/5 games were either developed or produced by them & I find it funny that only rejet games made it onto both my favourite + least favourite lists.
Do you have any Otome game recommendations? I’d really love to know!
Zettai Renai! 
Nice list! I wish I could’ve loved Black Butterfly but a lot of it enraged me. I really loved Ashen Hawk though and would love to play more games set in this universe. Def agree with you on BWS and I hope to some day be able to play Ken ga Kimi. The kanji is scaring me lol.
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That’s totally fair – I enjoyed Ashen Hawk too (Jed was such a great heroine!) but chapter two of the common route let the game down for me. I’d love Otomate to make a third game too, maybe one day!
Oh my gosh, you’re literally translating a game so I’m sure you’ll be fine with Ken ga Kimi 😛 (I’d bet your Japanese is better than mine to say the least)
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And totally fair there as well! I can definitely see why chapter 2 can be a hit or miss. Definitely would love to see a third game ❤
Haha you're too sweet thank you! Sadly KGK is really too far above my level right now but hopefully someday! And you got this!!! I just got lucky with jisho lol
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