English Vita otome games: a guide

In the years since Hakuoki: Demon of the Fleeting Blossom made its English debut in 2012, otome games have enjoyed a surge of popularity worldwide. The genre went from an unknown to one that received multiple releases on various platforms each year. Sony handhelds have long been a haven for such titles, with people who own a Vita enjoying the fruits of this bevy of releases.

On the PlayStation Vita

The PlayStation Vita has become something of a haven for otome games worldwide. There are plenty of titles that are either full-on romance games or just happen to have a sprinkling of love in them.

Amnesia: Memories

Region(s) available North America, Europe, Japan and Australia
Genre: Visual Novel

Amnesia: Memories is a game that explores multiple timelines. In each one, the heroine is an amnesiac who must keep her condition secret, even from her boyfriend. It provides an opportunity to fall in love all over again while trying to find out exactly what happened to her.

Bad Apple Wars

Region(s) available North America, Europe, Japan and Australia
Genre: Visual Novel

Death is not the end. Rather, it is the opportunity to find yourself in a school in limbo. Players are able to decide between following the rules or being a bad apple and attempting to find their way back to life. In either situation, you find yourself with multiple love interests from different periods of time.

Collar x Malice

Region(s) available North America, Europe, Japan and Australia
Genre: Visual Novel

Terrorists are causing trouble in the city of Shinjuku, and the group has placed a lethal collar around your neck. Your only hope is to work with some detectives in an attempt to suss out the murderous members of the group. While it is a thriller with some investigative elements, romance is first and foremost in this adventure.

Code: Realize ~Guardian of Rebirth~

Region(s) available North America, Europe, Japan and Australia
Genre: Visual Novel

You are a young woman who is seemingly ageless and cursed with a poison touch. One evening, a thief breaks you out of your mansion cage. Suddenly, you are able to live again, though you are also being chased for who and what you are. By the way, you get to romance a thief, a mad scientist, a zombie and a vampire!

Code: Realize ~Future Blessings~

Region(s) available North America and Japan
Genre: Visual Novel

~Future Blessings~ is what is known as a fan-disc in the otome genre. It contains a supplemental epilogue that offers side stories and a continuation of the tale told in the original Code: Realize. It will come to the Vita in North America on March 30, 2018.

Hakuoki: Kyoto Winds

Region(s) available North America, Europe, Japan, Australia and Korea
Genre: Visual Novel

Hakuoki is fast becoming a tale as old as time in the otome community. This is the story of a young woman, named Chizuru, who disguises herself as a man and joins up with the Shinsengumi in order to find her missing father. There’s a supernatural edge, as some of the members take a special medicine and become vampiric Furies. Kyoto Winds cuts the story in half, focusing on Chizuru and the Shinsengumi’s time in Kyoto while adding Shinpachi, Keisuke, Susumu, Hachiro, Kazue and Ryouma as additional bachelors.

Hakuoki: Edo Blossoms

Region(s) available North America, Europe and Japan
Genre: Visual Novel

The second half of Kyoto Winds, this follows the segment of the story set in Edo. As with the previous part, Shinpachi, Keisuke, Susumu, Hachiro, Kazue and Ryouma join Toshizo, Souji, Hajime, Heisuke, Sanosuke and Chikage as bachelors. It will come to North America and Europe on March 13, 2018.

Hatoful Boyfriend

Region(s) available North America, Europe, Japan and Australia
Genre: Visual Novel

Love is for the birds! Seriously. In Hatoful Boyfriend, players are a young woman at St. PigeoNations Institute, a school for birds. You can fall in love with your fine feathered classmates and teachers. Naturally, it is a comedy. (It also happens to be a cautionary tale!)

Norn 9: Var Commons

Region(s) available North America, Europe, Japan and Australia
Genre: Visual Novel

People who love stories about teenagers with special powers may want to look to Norn9. This unusual otome has three heroines who can be your avatar, each with her own storyline, unique ability and three bachelors to pursue as they undertake an important mission only those with such skills can complete to aid their world.

Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines

Region(s) available North America, Europe, Japan, Australia and Korea
Genre: RPG

Oreshika is not exactly an otome, as there isn’t any real dating, but it has some unusual properties that might interest those who enjoy the genre. Players’ characters are part of an exceptionally powerful family whose members die young. They must breed with the gods. So, as you play, you get to pair off your characters with gods and goddesses to create a multigenerational line of heroes.

Period Cube: Shackles of Amadeus

Region(s) available North America, Europe, Japan and Australia
Genre: Visual Novel

If you have heard of and enjoy Sword Art Online or .hack//, Period Cube may be an otome for you. In this game, a young woman finds herself trapped in an MMO after searching for her missing brother who was a major player. It turns out a serious war is being conducted in this virtual realm, with peoples’ lives at stake. You might just find love with one of the other trapped players as you search for answers and a way out.

Summon Night 6: Lost Borders

Region(s) available North America, Europe, Japan and Australia
Genre: Strategic-RPG

Summon Night 6 does not offer as much romance as past Summon Night games, but there is some relationship building here. After most major battles and story segments, the main characters can enjoy rooftop conversations with party members to build up a bond. While Amu does not have many romantic options, you can still watch her get close to other people as you play.

On the PlayStation Portable

The PlayStation Vita is a backwards compatible system. This is great, because it means you can avail yourself of PlayStation Portable games with otome elements too!

Fate/Extra

Region(s) available North America, Europe and Japan
Genre: RPG

In Fate/Extra, players are participating in a virtual war for the “Holy Grail” and to learn who they are. You get to choose the gender of your protagonist and a Servant to aid you in the fights ahead. Archer is the only male option, with Saber and Caster also available. There are some mild relationship elements as you get to know your Servant partner better.

Hakuoki: Demon of the Fleeting Blossom

Region(s) available North America and Japan
Genre: Visual Novel

Remember Hakuoki: Kyoto Winds and Edo Blossoms up there in the Vita section? Well, this is the original version of the game that started it all. It does not have all of the bachelors or events present in the later installments, but is a good place to start if you want the full base game all at once for an affordable price!

Harvest Moon: Boy & Girl

Region(s) available North America and Japan
Genre: Simulation

For many, Harvest Moon was the first introduction to otome game elements outside of Japan. Players choose an avatar then tend a farm, perhaps falling in love with one of the villagers along the way. Unfortunately, if you choose a female protagonist and get married to one of the bachelors, your game ends. (Male avatars do not have that problem.)

Persona 3 Portable

Region(s) available North America, Europe, Japan, Australia and Korea
Genre: RPG

Persona 3 Portable is a remake of the original game with the option to play as a female protagonist. There is a hidden hour every night, during which Shadows walk the world and cause trouble for people. Only a group of high schoolers are able to fight them and investigate the dungeon that appears during this time. This version of the game opens up entirely new social links, including new romance options, and can even slightly alter the fates of certain characters due to her personality and slightly different storyline.

Star Ocean: Second Evolution

Region(s) available North America, Europe, Japan and Australia
Genre: RPG

Star Ocean: Second Evolution is a sci-fi RPG taking place on a fantasy world. When a human’s space ship crash lands, he meets a strong young woman and gets caught up in serious events on her planet. Should people decide to play as Rena in Star Ocean: Second Evolution, her private action moments with certain characters could lead to a romantic ending. For example, building up affection with Claude, Ashton or Dias could lead to them becoming lovers. However, the game itself is biased toward certain pairings, which means Claude and Rena is considered canon. You need to balance everyones’ affection levels to get the endings you want!

Summon Night 5

Region(s) available North America, Europe, Japan and Australia
Genre: Strategic-RPG

In Summon Night, you choose a male or female protagonist and spend your days working with Eucross to depend to defend a city. At nights, you can head up to the roof of your house and talk with your party members to form bonds with them. Depending on how close you get, you might trigger some romantic conversations!

Sweet Fuse: At Your Side

Region(s) available North America, Europe, Japan and Australia
Genre: Visual Novel

Sweet Fuse is a neat and hilarious game. Your character is the niece of Keiji Inafune. (Yes, that Inafune.) She is attending his new theme part when a terrorist takes it over and holds her and some attractive men hostage. You need to go through the attractions and find a way to survive and escape. (While also finding love with one of the men also trapped in the part.)