Diabolik Lovers Haunted Dark Bridal

Diabolik Lovers Haunted Dark Bridal was one of my first otoge, and I’m still emotionally attached to it and this series in general; I was so unaware of Rejet’s madness back then, it feels like this game stole my innocence! It was such a shocking experience, I still remember it clearly.

First of all, the characters are so different from the nice boys you can usually play in a normal otoge: they are not caring, not gentle, and they don’t even love the heroine in the end; or most of them, at least.

There’s so much abuse and violence in every route, both physical and psychological, that makes you want to throw your console out of the window, when things get really bad.

So, the question is: why do so many people love this game?

Well, I can only talk about myself.

I’ve always been interested in creepy atmospheres and characters: bright scenarios and smiling boys can’t attract my attention; I’m not even a romantic person, even if it may seem strange if I think about all the otoge I’ve played in my life… but if I look at my favorite characters, from every game, I can always see some common points: the creepier, the better.

It makes me laugh, when I see people hating on Dialovers and their fans because “you shouldn’t support those wifebeaters! Would you love a guy like that in real life?”

Of course not. But this is a game, not real life. My boyfriend, obviously, doesn’t act like that. Never.

But I enjoy playing games because I can experience something different from real life, and it would be pointless to me if I could just date a nice guy in the 2D world too.

I think everyone should respect other people’s tastes, but I guess this can never happen… whatever!

This game has many strong points:

• Satoi’s art is amazing.

  This was my first approach to her style, and I fell in love immediately; she’s still my favorite artist! I just wished there were more CGs.

• The music is great.

  I loved the opening song, I think it fits very well the game and also the characters. I also appreciated the BGM.

• The Dummy Head Mic is bliss.

  The first time I’ve realized that someone was whispering in my ear, I admit that my reaction was crazy! I wish more games had this feature, it’s really great.

• All the characters are interesting.

  They all have a different personality, and their own mental issues; everyone would need a good psychiatrist, but it’s interesting to see how far they can get.

• The seiyuus did an amazing job.

  Kaji Yuuki’s acting impressed me most of all, Kanato’s madness is really difficult to portray.

• If you decide to give it try, you won’t forget it easily.

  With so many otoge released every year, many of them are just mediocre or forgettable. If you play this game, you’ll end up loving it or hating it, but it will leave you a strong impression anyway.

• The endings are not predictable.

  Besides the many bad endings, which are really bloody and cruel, the good ones are quite original too; they’ll leave you wondering if the guy really loves Yui, or is just using her for her blood.

Now, let’s talk about the characters.

Ayato seemed to be the canon in the anime, and I really hated this decision: the adaptation made him look way more gentle than he actually is in the game, changing his personality too much in my opinion; the “real” Ayato was more obsessed by his mother, and I think he was just using Yui to become the legit new head of the family. I couldn’t feel any love in the ending, just his satisfaction to finally be the number one.

Laito wins the price for the most perverted character, but when you know something more about Cordelia, it’s not a surprise. Poor boy, growing up with such a mother as an example completely ruined his innocent mind… I pity him, somehow.

Kanato has probably the worst mental issues, because he has terrible mood swings: he keeps yelling, then crying… I was really afraid of him, I had no idea of what to do. He pierced my ears so badly……… his ending were also the creepiest!

Reiji was probably the most mature, but his obsession for perfection and his strong complex towards Shu made him paranoid and quite oppressive. Also, how could he be so cruel with Edgar? I still can’t believe that his pointless revenge involved an innocent child, that scene made me cry and dislike him very much.

Subaru was probably the only route that felt like a real otoge, because he has a nice tsundere side. Obviously, there were some random moments of violence too, but he’s not bad at all, compared to the others.

Shu was my favorite, no doubt! He was also a nice surprise, because I thought that it would be a quite boring route: he spends most of the time sleeping or listening to music, isolated from his brothers, so I was not expecting some interesting plot twist. But there was so much drama in his past, and so little violence, that he was like an angel! Also, I appreciated the fact that his route was completely free of Cordelia’s presence, I was sick of her.

Would I recommend this game?

Not to anyone, of course. But in general, I’d like people to give it a try, before judging.

This game is also the best of the series, so far; More Blood was way worse for various reasons, but I’m going to explain it in the next review.