Once Upon an All Hallow’s Eve
^{Windows, Free}

【 ✘ 】 This game is a classic-style visual novel about a girl who gets lost around Halloween time and stumbles upon a house that she cannot leave. There is an element of mystery and three love interests.

The art and love interests are average; having played two out of the three routes, I found neither to be memorable. Truly, I did not like the game at all. The solution to the mystery was blatantly obvious, and although it was nice that the ending avoided tragedy, giving absolutely no explanation for it felt like the worst type of Deus ex Machina.

Outlander - Fantastic Princess
^{Android, Freemium}

Outlander - Fantastic Princess is made enjoyable for its beautiful art, range of love interests, and original gameplay. In each level, a visual novel-style scene precedes simple battle mechanics, as the protagonist and her growing entourage of (dateable) companions travel around to defeat evil. You can also heal your companions, decide who to level up in order to beat the game, and collect assorted outfits for the protagonist.

Most love interests are lovable in their own way. There are two different endings for each character; achieved endings can also be replayed from the main menu.

If there is one negative aspect about this game, it’s the poor translation. Although it has an energy limit system that recharges over time, that wasn’t, in my opinion, particularly frustrating. It is also possible to buy energy using real currency, as well as an extra route with the villain as a love interest.

Pacthesis Games
^{Browser, Free}

An old series of simple browser-based games each with a different theme, such as Alice in Wonderland. All the games involve repetitive stat-raising that can stop the player from getting a good ending, although there are unlockable cheats and online guides that can help with that.

The art isn’t great, having a simple and cutesy style. There is not much of a plot for each game, but some love interests can be adorable, and the games give off a nostalgic feeling from back when otome games in English were hard to find.

Paths Taken
^{Windows, Free}

【 ✘ 】 A short visual novel that allows the player to choose the protagonist’s gender and some details about their appearance, and features two male love interests and two female ones.

The story is shallow and incredibly rushed, but still a little confusing at times, and the characters lack any actual depth or interest; furthermore, the sprite art and background art don’t match well, and there is only a single event illustration for the whole game. The final result is a boring, bland game not worth playing.

Pink Rage Otome
^{Windows, Commercial}

【 ✘ 】 This visual novel might be one of the worst games I ever played. Not only does the translation make it impossible to understand the story, but it feels like the writing was poor even in the original.

There are four love interests, and the premise - as far as I could tell - is that they must participate in a trial in order to return to the real world. The characters, character design, and art are all mediocre at best. The only vaguely positive thing is that the (many) achievements are easy to get.

(P)lanets
^{Windows, Free}

This visual novel tells the adventure of a highschooler who develops telepathic powers and is sent to study at an academy for people with special abilities. The game has three possible love interests, each with their own separate route, and a fourth, hidden one.

It’s a nostalgic game that I wouldn't necessarily revisit today. The art isn’t the best, although it does have several event illustrations, and the writing - and excessive drama - feels like it is meant for a younger, teenage audience.

Princess Debut
^{Nintendo DS, Commercial}

【 ♥ ♦ 】 A combination otome and rhythm game about a girl exchanging places with her alter ego from another dimension - a princess who has a month to win a dance competition.

The game is in every way adorable and wholesome. There are seven possible love interests, which are the protagonist’s dance partners. They have two alternate good endings each - one where the protagonist chooses to stay in the princess’ dimension and pursue dancing, and another where she goes back home and meets her partner’s alter ego.

Aside from interacting with characters and practicing dance, there is also a feature to collect accessories so the protagonist can magically transform her appearance. Unlocked accessories and illustrations are recorded after each playthrough as easily accessible extras.

Princess Nightmare
^{Windows, Fanmade Translation Patch}

【 ♦ 】 While playing this vampire-themed visual novel, I had the feeling of watching a shounen anime series, imagining each chapter as a different episode. Both the art and characters are over the top in a way that makes them fun, and there are written battles and animated transformation scenes. The protagonist is both hilarious and able to stand up for herself, while the love interests are all different enough that it would be difficult to dislike them all.

There are two different storylines in the game, the second having to be unlocked by getting one of the good endings. I would recommend using a guide as well. Achieved endings can be reviewed from the main menu, a feature I appreciate, but it was still disappointing that some routes don’t get a happy conclusion.

Pyrite Heart
^{Windows, Commercial}

The premise of this visual novel centers around a tsundere princess facing the real world for the first time to prove her superiority. There are two love interests - her servant/childhood friend and a new classmate who becomes her rival.

The art is beautiful and the love interests are nice, but the protagonist prevented me from enjoying the story. She comes across as annoying and childish, and ultimately weak and helpless despite her belief. It’s not a terrible game overall, but I can’t say I would recommend it either.

Re:Alistair++
^{Windows, Free}

【 ♦ 】 This visual novel tells the story of a student trying to figure out which of her classmates stole her item in a MMORPG. The story takes place in both the real world and the game, with cute scenes between the character’s avatars.

There are three love interests, and all of them are likable and manage to be cute in different ways. The art is quite nice, and I especially appreciate the still cohesive contrast between the ‘real world’ and the ‘MMORPG world’. Plotwise, the mystery element is intriguing without being overwhelming, and the romance matches the pace of the plot.

Red-Handed Robin
^{Windows, Free}

【 ♦ 】 This visual novel has some of the most surprising plot developments I have seen in otome, and I mean that in a great way. The thief protagonist is also one of the most original protagonists I have come across, as she’s witty, brave and self-assured.

The story starts with the protagonist and her friend (who is also one of the two possible love interests) boarding a luxury train out of the country, an escape route after her stealing a case of jewels. What starts with simply keeping her lies straight eventually turns into a life-threatening situation involving the existence of dark magic. Reaching a good ending is pretty difficult; however, there is a guide for players to use once they start getting frustrated.

I loved the flashbacks and scenes from the point of view of the love interest. Jay’s route was very sweet. The art is also great - I only wished there was more than one event illustration per route.

The Radiants
^{Windows, Commercial}

【 ♦ 】 The plot of this visual novel/stat-raiser focuses on a (renameable) protagonist who is sent to a parallel world after she receives magic powers. The game spans 12 weeks, in which the protagonist attends a university to learn about her new abilities and must defeat an unknown enemy.

There are four main love interests, plus a female one and two ‘secret’ options. Each of them is a different kind of magical creature. All are interesting in their own way. The story is not particularly original, mostly due to the school setting, but it is entertaining and manages to introduce the magic world without over-exposition.

Depending on their stats, the protagonist is able to choose between a few different career endings, which result in an ending card and short epilogue. After an update, there is now an image gallery in which to collect the ending cards, or even event illustrations. The skip function is not the best, but it is enough. On a more positive note, the art is pretty, with a nice semi-realistic style, and animated sprites and backgrounds.

Red String of Fate
^{Windows, Free}

As its title suggests, this visual novel is inspired by the legend of an invisible red string that links a person to their soulmate. Valerie, the protagonist, is able to see such strings, although she lacks one herself. Still, she is able to find love with one of two love interests, each with their own separate route.

The story is decent, though it drags a bit at times, and the characters are likable, though not particularly memorable. The art is also cute - I especially liked the style used for the chibi illustrations. Overall, this is not an outstanding game, but it is definitely not a bad one either.

Renting Love for Christmas
^{Windows, Free}

【 ✘ 】 Set on Christmas time, this short game has the protagonist choose one of four love interests to ‘rent’ through a dating app. Each gets a separate route, with its own bad, good, and best ending, easily achievable thanks to helpful affection trackers,

I was iffy on the premise from the start, and gave up the game after I realized there were not any plot twists lurking in wait. The writing isn’t terrible, but what little romance there is feels forced. As for the art, I would not call it bad, but there are some issues with face proportions that are difficult to overlook.

The Rose of Segunda
The Thorns of War
^{Windows, Commercial}

The Rose of Segunda is a visual novel in a historical setting, featuring themes such as political intrigue and duty to family. The (renameable) protagonist attends a competition to find a wife for the prince, though she may decide on a different path. The player’s decisions also shape the heroine’s personality, which I enjoyed.

There are four male and two female love interests. One routes can only be unlocked after completing all the others, which I did find a bit unfair as I am not interested in yuri routes. It is also an incest route, and I was shocked to find there was no indication of the characters not being blood-related - I still wonder if they saved that for the sequel.

On the bright side, the plot was interesting, the writing was good, and I liked the various characters and the dynamic between them. The art is decent, and there is a gallery for unlocked event illustrations.

The sequel is set two years after the original, and sees the main character and her chosen love interest face new challenges. Although some routes are yet to be released, the game will eventually feature all the previous love interests and two new ones. Each route has several endings and a few minor variations.

It is fairly rare to see a game that sees the main character already married, and the romantic moments are very sweet. On the other hand, this is a very plot-heavy visual novel, and though I will admit I skimmed through most of the political intrigue, I can appreciate the care and detail that was evidently put into worldbuilding.

Royal Alchemist
^{Windows, Commercial}

This stat-raising visual novel game follows a nameable male or female alchemist who becomes the magic tutor for three princes for a year. There are three possible love interests with very different personalities. The side characters are also intriguing and relevant to the story, which has a well-thought out and well-written fantasy court intrigue plot.

A lot of care was put into the artwork for this game, from character sprites to event illustrations to the interface details. The gameplay is also not too tasking despite the heavy stat-raising and managing elements, and requirements are fairly straightforward in easy mode.

On the other hand, all the routes merge together, which makes replays tedious. The romance content is also quite sporadic and takes too long to build up, especially considering how long you have to spend reviewing the same plot and stat-raising content upon starting over. Although this is overall a good game, I can't say I didn't have higher expectations of it.

The Royal Trap
^{Windows, Commercial}

【 ✘ 】 In this visual novel, players take the role of a prince’s guard who must protect him - and herself - from the suspicious circumstances surrounding his arranged marriage. Romance is secondary to the plot in this game.

The art is good, but not good enough to make for the game’s shortcomings. Although I liked the protagonist and the prince’s romance route, I think it does not work well as an otome. There are two other love interests, but one felt like a joke and the other like a creep. The game does not seem to have much regard for happy endings, and most of them I would in fact not call good endings at all.

Ruby Dreams: Immortal Promise
^{Windows, Free}

【 ✘ 】 Being a mix of visual novel and 3D adventure, this game felt very promising before I played it, but turned out to be a failure in most aspects. The story follows a girl who is hired as a maid at a vampires’ mansion, but the writing is poor, neither properly explaining the backstory nor resolving the plot points it sets up.

The 3D adventure sequences are the best part of the game, having beautiful settings and even voice-over lines, but they ultimately become repetitive. The visual novel aspect suffers due to frequent misspellings and punctuation errors, incongruent dialogue, and event illustrations that are just slightly altered duplicates of each other. Not only that, but the save system and skip feature are fickle and difficult to use, making it a chore to go through multiple playthroughs.

Rune Factory 4
Rune Factory 5
^{Nintendo 3DS/Windows, Commercial}

【 ♥ ♦ 】 A beautiful fantasy RPG and life simulation series featuring amnesiac protagonists and lovely characters. Aside from the main plot, which will involve saving the world somehow, there is always a neverending assortment of things to do in this game, such as exploring, farming, fishing, crafting, taming monsters, or participating in different festivals.

The player can choose between a male and a female player character, and will always have six characters of the opposite gender as possible romances. It is also possible to romance different characters simultaneously, and break it off automatically once you marry one of them. There is a lot of fluffy romance dialogue both before and after marriage, and having a child (there is a choice between a son or a daughter) unlocks even more events.

Rune Factory 4 Special is a port to PC from the 3DS original that also adds extra romance content. The true highlight of the game is the wholesomeness of its NPCs. The sheer amount of dialogue and the random events between the villagers are amazing, and you’ll want to befriend everyone. I also loved the cute monsters, collecting all the items, and the action combat mechanics.

Rune Factory 5 makes a switch to 3D graphics and unfortunately lacks the sheer amount of NPC events and overall character depth of its predecessor, but it still has more than enough fluffiness to be worth playing.