My Otome games awards 2020!

Hello everyone! Somehow, we managed to survive through 2020, so congratulations to all of us for being still here, while trying to be optimistic in these difficult days!
I expected to play less than my usual standards this year, but then Covid came, destroyed our lives, quarantine happened… so I ended up changing my plans and completing 16 otome games.
As I do every year, it’s time for my personal awards!
This will consider all the games I’ve played in 2020, even if they weren’t released this year.

BEST FANDISK AWARD: Taisho Alice Heads and Tails

Finally a great fandisk, this is exactly what I wanted from this game.
There were cute and funny after stories, but also new “routes”, which explained the plot of the main game from a different point of view. I think it was an amazing idea!

HISTORICAL GAME OF THE YEAR AWARD: Hana Oboro

When I get to play an historical game which has a good balance between war and romantic scenes, I’m always really happy!

MYSTERY OF THE YEAR AWARD: Charade Maniacs

I had fun suspecting everyone to find the traitor; the ending was kinda disappointing, but overall this game was able to keep my interest up, despite the huge number of routes.

SPARKLY GAME OF THE YEAR: Tlicolity Eyes

I’m not even kidding, those guys were literally sparkling while trying to seduce the heroine!
It was really funny, sometimes awkward, but overall an entertaining game I’d recommend to everyone who is just looking for a simple romance.

WAY BETTER THAN I EXPECTED AWARD: Diabolik Lovers Chaos Lineage

I know, I keep saying that I’m done with this series, but I always come back; I expected this game to be boring, since there’s nothing more to add, but I surprisingly still enjoyed most of the routes.

OLD BUT GOLD AWARD: Gekka Ryouran Romance

It’s been years since I first played this masterpiece, I’m glad I decided to replay it now, that my japanese knowledge allows me to fully appreciate it. Absolutely recommended.

MOST DISAPPOINTING GAME AWARD: Arcana Famiglia

I expected a lot, since I enjoyed the anime, but the amount of incest and the huge age gap were too much for me to accept.

MOST BORING GAME AWARD: Sanada Ninpou Chou

I get it, historical games don’t have much time for romance; but this was too much, endless battles made me fall asleep most of the time.

WORST FANDISK AWARD: Shiro to Kuro Alice Twilight Line

The writers had no idea of what to do and they didn’t even try to make this game interesting: everything was boring, from the after stories to the new characters. Absolutely not recommended, save your money.

BEST ROUTE OF THE YEAR: Akaza, Olympia Soiree

I loved the huge gap between his stoic attitude while he’s working and his charming personality when he’s alone with the heroine, enjoying romantic dates.
Everything else about him is a huge spoiler, so I can’t say more… but he’s husbando material, no doubt.

MEMORABLE CHARACTER OF THE YEAR: Chiaki, Toraware no palm Refrain

I’ve never played an otome game which allows me to date only one character, so I was a bit hesitant at first: what if I don’t like him? But I guess it’s impossible, Chiaki is great and it was amazing, to spend so much time with him, dedicating all my attention to one person for a whole game.
I suggest everyone to give this series a chance!

COMEDY OF THE YEAR: Cupid Parasite

I had so much fun, these guys are weird and their interactions are comedy gold!

BEST PLOT OF THE YEAR: Olympia Soiree

At first I was thinking: “the heroine must get married at 18 and have children immediately, what a mysogynist plot”, but when I actually started playing, I realized there was way more to discover.
Every character has a special charm, every route reveals bits of the hidden mystery and it makes you even more curious about the truth.

And now, the most anticipated award!

I’m sure most of you already guessed which was my favorite game…………..

If you didn’t see my livetweets, maybe you got it while reading my review………………

Yes, it couldn’t be anything else!

GAME OF THE YEAR: Olympia Soiree

Well written plot, interesting characters, original setting and beautiful art: what else could you ask for? There’s nothing I’d change, even the villains were fascinating in their own craziness.
I’ve been through an emotional roller coaster: angst, frustration, happiness, romance, relief, pain… all these feelings pile up while you play, until they reach the perfect ending in Akaza’s route, the last to unlock. I was crying.
I highly suggest everyone to play this game!

Well, it’s over.
Overall it was a good year, I wasted some money as usual, but I was also lucky enough to play great otome games too. I have high expectations for the new 2021 releases, or for some of them at least, but I’ll talk about it soon in another post.
Thank you for reading my reviews in this wild 2020, let’s hope 2021 will bring us happiness and great new games to talk about!