Toraware no palm Refrain

The first time I’ve heard about the Toraware no Palm series was on twitter, about an year ago, when the original game was released on Switch: I thought the art was great, but since it was developed by Capcom, I was worried that it could be very different from the typical otome game I’m used to (I mean, basically a VN without minigames, missions, stuff like that) and I didn’t know if I could enjoy it too.

During quarantine, I was watching a random video of seyuu playing games, and I was mostly interested in KENN playing Bustafellows. What a surprise, when he also started playing Toraware no Palm Refrain! It looked really amazing, I was completely blown away!

I did a quick research, I read a few reviews, and since Refrain can be played without knowing about the original game, I decided to start from that.

A few months passed since that day, other games and stuff went in the way, but here I am, finally!

I don’t want to talk much about the story, I’m not here to spoil, so I’ll just talk a bit about the system and my experience.

You get to play as the heroine (no default name, I randomly called her Tsuki Yume), who finds a collapsed man (later named Chiaki) on the street; from that moment, you’re assigned to him while he’s in prison.

He’s detained because he could be a criminal, but he claims to have lost his memory.

Your role is basically to gain his trust, while you also investigate on your own.

You have to send him messages every day, make sure he’s fine and give him presents, to get closer to him; who knows, maybe he actually remembers everything, but he’s pretending to be innocent!

You have to explore various places (the more you progress, the more new places will open up) and talk to people who live there, so you obtain conversation topics.

You will also receive Chiaki’s phone calls from time to time; and even if it’s creepy, you are allowed to spy him from the jail’s security camera.

What makes the plot progress, is talking to him personally, when he starts to tell more of his life.

As you meet new people, you also get more clues that will solve the mystery.

But when you’re tired of “serious” stuff, there’s also a pocky minigame which is basically pure fanservice: you can decide which clothes he wears and he’ll cosplay for you saying embarrassing lines (I guess you can imagine me dressing his as a butler most of the time).

At some point, he literally gets closer to the screen and you almost kiss.

Yeah, that’s good stuff, everyone should try once!

There are also other special talks and phone calls, about romantic stuff like Valentine’s Day.

But I’ll warn you, Chiaki is too cute when he blushes, it may be painful for your heart.

I don’t think is necessary to talk about the amazing art, you have eyes too.

Since I wasn’t using a walkthrough, I was afraid I could end up in a bad ending; and honestly, at some point I thought it was going for the worst. But then, a sudden plot twist!

Apparently, I was lucky enough to unlock the best ending!

After you’re done with the first run, “endless mode” will be playable: you can talk to people in the island and Chiaki as long as you enjoy it, he will always answer your messages and people will always find something new to talk about.

There are also 2 cute Side Stories, which I enjoyed a lot.

So, would I recommend this game? Obviously yes! Absolutely YES!

I think every otome game player should try it, since it’s a different and unique approach to the genre. It’s weird and ridiculous to say, but…. he’s actually moving! Not only his mouth, his whole body is moving, getting closer to the screen and even touching it with his hand!

Which is stating the obvious, from the point of view of an outsider, but as a person who plays only otome games, it’s really different and worth mentioning.

Also, playing only a character, instead of different routes, creates a special relationship with the guy, which feels deeper and exclusive, since… well, I’m not going to kiss another guy later, it’s only him in this game. This is HIS story. The only datable guy.

I know, you’re probably thinking that you prefer to choose among 5 different characters, who’s your favorite, instead of just sticking to one; I understand, since I usually don’t prefer canon guys too, in normal otoge. But I guarantee, Chiaki is worth it.

Since I loved this system, the art and basically everything, I’ll surely buy the original Toraware no Palm too, in the near future. I guarantee, a review will come next year!