Birushana: Rising Flower of Genpei
^{Nintendo Switch, Commercial}

【♦】 Set in the 1100s, this visual novel follows a (renameable) protagonist who becomes involved in a war against her late father's enemies, whilst having to pose as a man. There is a short common route that branches into one of five separate ones depending on the player's choices. A couple of them include low fantasy elements, and each reveals different secrets regarding the characters' backstories. Four minor endings for side characters are also available.

Although the plot is nothing extraordinary, I still found it entertaining enough. The characters are also well-written, even if they simply play into the usual tropes; I'd say Noritsune's route is the exception to this, since it did feel fresh and original in some ways.

On a more positive note, this game stands out for the animation and creative use of sprites, which is possibly the best I have encountered in over a hundred otome games. The art is also beautiful, and the flowchart feature is very practical. The game also includes image, video, and music galleries.

The Blind Griffin
^{Windows, Free}

A game with great art and a detailed alternate-history setting that shows a lot of care was taken with worldbuilding. Out of the three love interests, I played through Alexei and Emilio's routes, both of which were fairly entertaining, though not particularly remarkable.

Overall, there was a lack of focus on romance that I wasn’t too happy about. In the end, what stands out as original and well-done are the group bonding moments, and the aforementioned feeling of a live setting that still spares the player of any info dumps.

Blue Rose
^{Windows, Commercial}

【✘】 Blue Rose is a standard visual novel type game with average art and storyline, set in a fantasy world. Romance is downplayed in favor of an action plot that fails to feel adventurous and exciting, and there is nothing relevant to say about any of the characters.

Despite a fairly promising premise, I found the final product frankly uninteresting, probably due to how bland the handful of love interests and endings came across. In the end, it might not be the worst game I have ever played, but it falls flat and is entirely forgettable.

Blood Blush
^{Windows, Free}

This visual novel focuses on a (nameable) vampire and a human who visits her workshop. Although it is a very short game, it’s incredibly charming, with all custom art in a distinct style and amusing banter between the protagonist and her love interest. The game has four endings, though it also bears note that getting the best one is needlessly complicated.

Blood Code
^{Windows, Commercial}

This visual novel/stat-raiser-hybrid tells the story of a magic student trying to find the vampires behind her father’s death. Despite this seemingly interesting premise, both the story and writing turn out to be completely insipid, with several inconsistencies and plot threads that go nowhere. Although the translation was not the worst, several in-game letters containing key plot information were simply left untranslated, which I consider inexcusable.

Aside from the grueling stat-raising, the main character can also go on dates, give gifts to her chosen love interest, and even collect different outfits that boost her stats. Unfortunately, most of it does nothing to help the repetitive feeling of the game; for example, the same ‘date’ scenes are repeated over and over.

The art is the best aspect of the game, as it is quite nice to look at. There are four love interests, all of them fairly likable, if lacking a bit more depth. The game is also voiced, though only in the original Chinese.

All things considered, this is not the worst game, but neither is it particularly worth playing.

Blush Blush
^{Windows, Freemium}

【✘】 Blush Blush is an idle game with visual novel moments about dating boys who were accidentally turned into animals. One can play for free with the option to pay to speed up the game or unlock some bonus content.

I will not criticize the idle game mechanics in themselves; I may not enjoy them, but that is due to personal preference and not a fault of the genre. Everything else about this game, however, I can criticize. For example, its art style, which has to be one the most unappealing mixes between anime-style and cartoon-style I have ever seen.

The ‘self-insert’ main character is, for no discernible reason, a featureless blob. Their personality is equally amorphous, if it exists at all. The writing is juvenile and all its attempts at humor are equally so. Although, I usually try to be lenient about free games because one gets what one pays for, but there is nothing about this that makes it worth one’s time.

Boku no Shokora
^{Windows, Fanmade Translation Patch}

Centering around a protagonist who is forced into making chocolates for the only love interest, this game plays out as a typical visual novel.

Despite my love for otome games with cute, simple stories, I found this one difficult to enjoy. The protagonist is annoyingly indecisive, the love interest alters between vaguely endearing and utterly frustrating, and the would-be fluffy moments fall flat. The endings for both the main and after story feel abrupt and unsatisfactory.

On the positive side, the art is nice and there is an overall polished look to the game. Achieved endings get listed to be easily replayable, a feature I wish showed up in more games.

Cardinal Cross
^{Windows, Commercial}

This visual novel with astrology motifs focuses on an adventure in a sci-fi setting. There are only two love interests, and neither felt particularly appealing to me; I ended up playing only Egon’s route, and had no interest in a second playthrough. Romance is a secondary concern in “Cardinal Cross”, and its otome aspects did not win me over in the end, though I will admit this game has a lot of great qualities overall.

There’s beautiful artwork, complex worldbuilding that's still easily understood after the first minutes, and plot twists I didn’t see coming. Every character has their own personality and motivation, side characters and antagonists included, which makes for both insightful dialogues and hilarious banter. How you interact with one character might also change others attitudes towards the protagonist, along with the choices between chaos and order.

Castaways
^{Windows, Free}

A visual novel featuring a group of plane crash survivors trying to survive on a deserted island. The gameplay is straightforward but includes a somewhat original aspect in that the player decides at the start which four (out of six) love interests will be present in that playthrough, which results in different dynamics during the story. Still, later playthroughs may feel a bit repetitive.

Despite the premise and other themes related to some characters’ backstories, the game is fairly light-hearted. The art is average, but there are many event illustrations for a game of this length, and most love interests have engaging individual stories.

Castle Chase
^{Windows, Free}

Review pending...

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Changeling
^{Windows, Commercial}

【 ♦ 】 This visual novel follows a nameable protagonist who finds out she is not human and joins a group of paranormal students at her school, while trying to uncover a mystery about her past.

There are six love interests, each with their own distinct personality and separate route, and many interesting side characters. The characters and their relationship dynamics are definitely one of the strong suits of the game, along with the plot and original approach to lore. The writing itself is also good, although the protagonist’s concerns about the supernatural go from being understandable to sounding annoying after a while.

The art is nice, if bordering on uncanny valley at times. On the bright side, the convenient image gallery allows the player to replay the scene that matches each event illustration, which is always a great feature for a game to have.

Cinderella Phenomenon
Cinderella Phenomenon: Evermore
^{Windows, Free/Commercial}

The first game is a free visual novel following a cold-hearted princess who is cursed to have everyone forget her until she can complete three good deeds. As she meets other cursed people, including the five possible love interests, she is also forced to confront secrets behind the situation and her past. There’s a different route for each love interest, each having a good and a bad ending, although the base plot remains more or less the same.

The second game is a commercial sequel taking place two years after the events of the original. The plot is a lot more lower-stakes; again, each love interest has their own individual route, but this time there’s only a good and a best ending.

The writing gets a bit repetitive and cheesy at times. All the characters are interesting, including the side characters - I really liked the cute knight couple! - and the sprite art is beautiful. The event illustrations are also nice, despite some odd anatomy at times.

Cinders
^{Windows, Commercial}

【 ♥ ♦ 】 A visual novel with an intriguing fairytale-inspired plot and a great protagonist, this is one of the most aesthetically pleasing games I have ever come across. The story, a retelling of Cinderella, is somehow both realistic and magical. There are four types of endings, and each has several variations that depend on the choices you make throughout the game. Unlocked variations can be mixed and matched as an extra feature.

There are three love interests - the prince, the protagonist’s best friend, and the guard captain. All characters are well-crafted, whether they are love interests, helpful side characters, or antagonists, although the line between friend and foe is not a definite one. That, too, is one of the strengths of this game.

Something not usually seen in games, the achievements system is fun but at the same time only unlocks extra symbols in the main menu, so you will not be blocked from bonus content if you decide not to go for certain endings.

Clockwork City
^{Windows, Free}

“Clockwork City” is an incredibly short visual novel that can be played in a few minutes. It has a steampunk theme, some worldbuilding, and cute art.

There are two love interests - one male, one female. There is not much to be said about this game, only that it might be a decent way to kill some time.

Code Realize ~Guardian of Rebirth~
Code Realize ~Future Blessings~
Code Realize ~Wintertide Miracles~
^{PS Vita, Commercial}

【 ♥ ♦ 】 Set in a compelling steampunk version of London, this visual novel follows a (renamable) protagonist with poisonous blood as she unravels the secrets behind her existence. There are five love interests, and each route reveals different aspects of the story, while still being able to stand on its own.

The common route before the love interests' stories can be a bit too extensive at times, taking a while to skip through in subsequent playthroughs, but this is somewhat mitigated by a feature that allows players to start the game at any chapter that has already been cleared. Other extra features include side stories and an image and music gallery.

The art is beautiful, with many event illustrations, and the plot and characters are well-crafted. The protagonist is one of the best in the otome genre, having a clear personality and even showing different development depending on the route the player takes. I enjoyed all the routes - Saint-Germain's route remains one of my favorites across the genre - despite being annoyed by the game constantly highlighting Lupin over the other love interests, to the point I was convinced to avoid his route altogether. Even the side characters are remarkable, each with their own engaging background and motives. The game is also fully voiced, and has a noteworthy soundtrack.

The sequel introduces a new love interest and a platonic route for the heroine's brother; a random side story that honestly felt a bit pointless - and that I skipped through; and lovely epilogues for the five happy endings of the first game. Although there is little gameplay and some noticeable spelling mistakes, I very much enjoyed the glimpse into the character’s future.

As for the third game, it consists of yet another pointless side story, epilogues for the two routes of the previous title, five Christmas-themed alternate stories for the original love interests, and little ‘date’ snippets. Again, there is very little gameplay, and the alternate stories were underwhelming, with nothing of what made the original routes interesting. That said, upon clearing all of this, the player unlocks five short after stories for the epilogues in the previous title. As these were lovely finishing touches to everyone’s happy endings, I came to appreciate this game a bit more.

Crossroad
^{Windows, Commercial}

【 ♦ 】 A traditional-style visual novel, this game features five love interests, interesting world-building with no infodumping, and a whole array of endings, ranging from fluffy to sad, or just plain humorous. The story is fairytale-like and I found I liked all characters in some way, be they the protagonist, a love interest or part of the supporting cast, which is definitely an indicator of a good game.

Both the art and writing are pretty good, and the game includes some amusing extra content. The one possibly negative point is that unlocking every ending might require a guide, or at least a lot of saves and trial-and-error.

Cute Knight
^{Windows, Commercial}

A stat-raising life simulation, this game follows the protagonist between the ages of 18 and 21. The rest of her life - the possible endings - is based on the final stats and activities she chose; there are also some event endings that imply completing a certain task.

It is very entertaining to try and find all the different outcomes, and to meet different characters, even if there’s not a lot of interaction or personality to them. The art is not the best, but not eye-burning either, and ending illustrations are collected in a gallery along with a review of achieved endings. Overall, it makes for a fun game experience, and you can get interesting results by playing around with the stat-raising - although I’d recommend a guide for the most complex endings.