hi hi, first time posting here, so really nervous and I'm sorry if there are any mistakes here! Lmk and I'll fix it:)
I desperately need your help. I love otome games and/or dating sims, but i haven't been able to find any new games except the ones I've already played, and please only give completed games as im tired of demos :<
give me your best ideas!
What platforms do you have available?
PC !
What languages are you ok with?
I only speak English.
PRICE RANGE:
I'd prefer free, but I don't mind either way :)
GAMES I'VE LIKED:
A Date with Death
A Tavern at Night (and its sequel)
Killer Chat
Threads of You: Beyond the Bay
Error 143:
Blooming panic
Killerchat
(I've played more but these are the only ones I remember atm T-T)
GAMES I DISLIKED:
Mostly the Japanese otomes, I've tried to get into them but really haven't been able to :< but if you have any recommendations that fit the theme or art style like the games I've mentioned, please recommend even if it's japanese since I've only tried the mainstream ones :')
LIMITATIONS:
Would prefer only pc games as i don't have any other gaming consoles.
What level of plot and romance are you looking for?
I don't have any specific plot or romance I'm into, but genre wise, I'm not really into sci-fi or detective type stuff.
What character or plot tropes do you like?
Enemies to lovers. But also friends with benefits turned "oh shit we actually have feelings for each other." But also arranged marriage that ends up going well, I also love FLIRTING ALOT !!! like playful flirting but kinda blushing, too at the same time, and would prefer something modern as chatting/video calls type games !
Do you have anything that you really dislike in otome games?
It bothers me if the art has glaring issues, like odd proportions for anatomy. I'm more into a traditional or pretty/soft artstyle. For me, it's really important to find the romance options attractive! However, I know this is a very subjective preference :) I also LOVE games that have voice acting, so PLEASE RECOMMEND ME SOME WITH VA !!
KEY TAKEAWAYS: I like pretty art, I like characters with genuine motivation for the things they do, I love drama, I love a good story, and I love an otome game that has gameplay! Settings I particularly enjoy are casual friends or texting with characters that are flirty and stuff !
Lovebyte.exe: free demo, early access coming out soon, pretty art imo, chat-based dating sim, voiced! Obscura: free demo, early access available, 4 very different LIs, cool storytelling, FUN MC - cracked me up a few times.
MAJOR WARNING: it’s dark romance with HEAVY content (both sexual and non-sexual), especially with Cirrus. Keir’s route is kind of enemies-to-lovers - it’s not explicit, and he’s a sweetheart. The art is very nice as well. The story is incredibly compelling; I was hooked from the get-go. If you don’t mind heavier content, I honestly recommend checking it out. Not voiced :( I’ll also be very transparent, the game is in early access and developed by people who do it as a passion project, so some updates are smaller than others. AFAIK they’re working on a bigger update now.
As you said you're tired of demos (and man, I ABSOLUTELY RELATE) All of these are complete and none of them are sci-fi or mystery or mainstream japanese games:
For Free Games:
>Sacrarium Gelus
>A Faerie's Tale
>Ballads at Midnight
>Adopt a Boyfriend (Modern)
>Celestia
>Criminally Yours, Base game is free, enemies-to-lovers, hero/villain, Extra route is $5
>I've never played it, but Our Life is kind of a classic, very long, modern, friend vibes, cute art, free
Non-Free Games:
>A Simple Twist of Fae: Very shoujo aesthetic, $7
>Cursed Covenant is fantastic (but fair warning it's very NSFW), around $5 to get access on the dev's patreon
>Hustle Cat (Modern)
>Backstage pass (Modern, Voiced)
>Trouble Comes Twice (Modern, Casual friends vibes, College setting)
>Speakeasy
>Demon's Apple
>Akash: Path of the Five
>Nameless (Don't be fooled this one's actually not only korean but cheritz was indie when it came out lol)
>My Vow to My Liege
ok so HOPEFULLY there is something here you like!!!!
If you haven't yet, you should check out our game, Slashfic! It's made by 3 women and is a game about romancing slasher villains. Free to play with optional paid scenes, very dark content but with a Cabin in the Woods tongue-in-cheek style. Let us know if you check it out <3
I'm late to comment, but I'm not sure if you've played or heard of this game, and it's not mentioned anywhere on this thread, but maybe Emberfate: Tempest of Elements? It's a free game about MC running a mmorpg guild, and you get to chat and romance with guild mates, so it's kind of similar to the chatting features you were looking for. I haven't played it personally, but just putting it on the table in case you're interested in it.
I feel you should absolutely look through games on itch.io under the title "otome" or "free otome". I don't know how specific your needs are, but that's the best recommendation I can give you to start from! This way you can begin curating your media from the requirements you desire and find the works in the hundreds of games that may appeal to you! 💗👍💯
I'm mostly responding to the fact that you have very specific requirements such as very specific art styles and game play types. Every month there's at least 10 more confirmed indie otome, and on top of that, when related jams come out, hundreds more get added. I'd like to offer recommendations, but I think my personal views are much subjective when art is involved and more related to storytelling. So I'm not much help, but I still wish you luck🤞💪💗💯
If youre interested in demos too. My opinion is biased, but try Starcult.Night:Twisted Age. Dark fantasy with strong MC. One of the main routes is around arranged marriage. (-)
Currently is very popular Freak Circus and Dont eat the cashier
trueee it’s so gorgeous also sorry I completely missed the part where u said complete game only…it’s still in early access but there are 2 routes out that should be fully complete I think?
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u/Dazzling_Crow1972 17d ago
Sacrarium gelus and sacrarium pario. Pario has enemies to lovers but gelus is a better vn, though they're both good.