Otome games are immersive visual novels in which the player becomes the main character. Romance is an important aspect of these games. The player can choose different routes depending on the character he wants to have a relationship with. Still, love stories aren’t the only reason these games are so appealing.
Otome games have intriguing stories that are so different from the player’s everyday life that it offers a fun form of escapism. Many otome games have a top-notch, believable world build that makes players feel like they’ve been taken to a new world. Still, there are plenty of downsides to playing otome games.
10 Some players may be uncomfortable with the amount of suggestive content in Otome games
Since many other games revolve around romance, it’s not surprising that there is evocative content in the games. While many fans appreciate this aspect as it makes the game more mature and suitable for older players, some may feel uncomfortable with this content.
There is no way to turn it off. It is impossible to avoid it in some games. Many games also contain dark content and even put the player in abusive situations, which can be triggering for some people. While many other games spare players the details, it’s still clear enough to see what’s happening.
9 The happy endings sometimes feel contrived
Many otome games give players two options for their chosen route. They can choose a happy ending or a sad ending. Many players want to go for the happy ending and save themselves from the impending heartache.
Still, some of the happy endings in otome games aren’t anything to drive home about. Many of them feel contrived. The build up to some of them makes it seem like whoever wrote the story was rushing and desperately trying to tie up all the loose ends.
8 Finding official merchandise can be hard to find and expensive
Many fans become so attached to their favorite characters from other games that they want to buy merchandise. Whether it’s key rings, t-shirts, or even body pillowcases, fans want to represent their favorite love interests. Unfortunately, this proves difficult, especially for international fans. Some games have little to no official merchandise, allowing fans to create their own products or purchase handmade products from other players.
If a game has official merchandise, it can be expensive and hard to find. Japanese otome games in particular are particularly difficult to buy merchandise for, as most of them sell out right away. Fortunately, some physical otome games come bundled with merch, although it costs more than just buying a standard copy.
7 The sad endings range from generic tearjerkers to potentially triggering and brutal
While the happy endings in otome games try to end things with sunshine, rainbows and a neat little bow on top, the same can’t be said for the sad endings. Many of them are just generic tearjerkers in which the relationship between the character and the love interests doesn’t work. Others, however, are violent, brutal and downright triggering.
In Piofiore: Predestined MemoriesFor example, Dante’s bad ending shows the player being shot. The screen goes black as creepy opera music plays. While these shocking endings aren’t necessarily a problem, it’s more of a reminder that players should know their triggers and recognize what kind of fictional world they might be immersing themselves in before purchasing the game.
6 Mobile Otome games are money pits
Many people play gacha games on consoles, such as the Nintendo Switch. Others play on their PC at itch.io or Steam. However, mobile otome games gave the genre more accessibility and an even larger audience of potential players. Unfortunately, many otome mobile titles are just money pits.
Players have to spend real money to buy gifts for their love interests, buy more time to talk to them, or even reach certain endings or unlock specific characters. At that point it becomes more of a gacha game. What players do with their money is their own choice, but it’s not fair to the average player who doesn’t want to spend exorbitant amounts of money on fictional characters.
5 Many of the protagonists have the same old recycled personality
A common complaint among fans of otome games is how much protagonists look alike. Players don’t have a lot of selectable dialogue choices to work with in the first place, so it would be nice to see some different personalities among the other protagonists. They don’t all have to be good cooks or highly empathetic heroines that even the most cold-blooded killers understand.
Fortunately, a few games have broken the mold with their protagonists. For example, Kotone from Cafe Enchante has a funny comment about everything. Lucette from Cinderella Phenomenon starts out cold-blooded, selfish and angry at the world. jed van Psychadelica Of The Ashen Hawk has unparalleled survival skills.
4 Not every love interest is everyone’s type
Players can choose which love interest they want to start a relationship with. However, some games are better played by going through the route of each love interest one by one in a specific order. When players do that, they may be able to learn more about the game’s world and avoid spoilers.
Unfortunately, not every love interest is every player’s ideal type. Some players find dealing with a particular character’s route tedious or annoying because they don’t like their personality, appearance, or overall role in the plot.
3 Otome games are addictive
Some people play otome games to fill a void in their lives. Many use them to cope with a lack of socialization and use otome games to compensate. Others have colorful social lives and even committed relationships, and still play other games because they love good love stories and want to immerse themselves in as many fictional worlds as possible.
Unfortunately, it’s easy to get addicted to other games. Players start a game and want to finish every single route, be it the happiest endings or the most heartbreaking conclusions. Plus, it’s hard to buy just one other game; many players finish one and immediately pick another to become obsessed with.
2 There is always at least one poisonous love interest that makes the players question their morality
Love interests in otome games usually range from sweet cinnamon rolls that would never hurt a fly to cold-blooded killers who are piles of walking red flags. There’s always at least one morally ambiguous love interest in any lineup. More often than not, these are a little more toxic than the rest. However, their sweet actions towards the player make their behavior redeemable.
Yang from Piofiore: Predestined Memories is the ruthless leader of the Lao-Shu. He will take people down with a creepy smile and get disappointed if there is no violence. However, he eventually falls in love with Lilliana and even buys her a stuffed panda, which was enough to make fans forgive him.
1 Otome games set players’ standards too high for real relationships
Many avid otome game fans can relate to the idea that the romance in the games sets their standards too high for potential relationships in real life. Whether this is a fault of the games or of society is up for debate. Still, the parasocial relationships formed in the game can be beneficial in some ways, but detrimental in others. They are useful because they can provide a sense of camaraderie when someone is lonely. Plus, immersing yourself in these games is a fun pastime.
However, they can be harmful as they give players a distorted view of how relationships should be, for better or for worse. Some otome games maintain a dangerous relationship dynamic that borders on abuse. However, it doesn’t hurt to enjoy the game’s healthier relationships while taking the toxic ones with a grain of salt.
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