Otome games with life simulation gameplay

Life Simulation = You live some sort of life and pretend to be all strong and independent but all you really want is a nice boyfriend to depend on.
Yeah okay, not all the games in this category are like that, just 90%. But it should be 100% because wooing bishies is fun!

Advance warning: this post is over 9000 words long!

angelique duet cover1. Angelique
Japanese: アンジェリーク
Developer/Publisher: Koei
Story: The universe is ruled by a queen, all planets are in balance… but now, the power of the queen is weakening, and the universe is under the danger of destruction. A new queen is needed. One day, Angelique Limoges,saw something in the sky… someone riding on a horse in the sky. None of her friends saw it… she is the only one who saw it, the chosen one— the candidate to be the Queen. Another candidate was Rosalia-De-Catargena. Both of them come to the Holy Land, where the Queen lives… [from VNDB]
Gameplay details: To become queen you have to develop a brand new universe and make it prosperous. Well when I say ‘you’ I mean ‘the bishies’ have to do it, but you tell them what to do. By pouring the power of 12 bishie guardians into your new planet you try to make it develop faster and better than your rival’s planet. You can also woo the guardian of your choice, but getting a romantic ending means giving up on becoming Queen of the Universe. Who would make such a silly choice?
Gameplay Screenshots: Pending
Official website: https://www.gamecity.ne.jp/neoromance/angelique/
Platform: SNES (1994) PC-FX (1995) PC (1996) PSX (1996) Saturn (1996) GBA (2003) DS (2006) PSP (2015) PSVITA (2015)… it’s a very popular game.
English Reviews: Pending
Available at: Angelique Duet (DS) at Amazon
angelique special cover2. Angelique Special 2
Japanese: アンジェリーク Special 2
Developer/Publisher: Koei
Story: Angelique Collet, a girl who lives in the cosmos that the heroine of the first game now rules, is chosen as a queen candidate for a new cosmos. The count of male characters increases to include the nine Guardians, as well as three Tutors and three Collaborators.
Gameplay details: Instead of raising one planet you have to develop a whole universe, using the bishie guardians to create planets from scratch. You also have to maintain the stability of the universe by taking lessons from new guardians, otherwise your new planets will go poof (what’s implied genocide, mummy?). And be careful not to outstrip your rival Rachel too far, or she’ll start sabotaging you like crazy!
Gameplay Screenshots: Pending
Official website: https://www.gamecity.ne.jp/products/products/ee/Rlangs2.htm
Platform: PC-FX (1996) Saturn (1997) PSX (1997)
English Reviews: My impressions
Available at: Angelique Special 2 (PSX) at Amazon
Angelique trois aizouhen front3. Angelique Trois
Japanese: アンジェリーク トロワ
Developer/Publisher: Koei
Story: Angelique Collet, now queen of a new cosmos, is drawn into a pocket cosmos, Arcadia, with the rest of the Angelique Special 2 cast. She develops the wilderness of Arcadia in order to free Elda, a strange being she finds there.
Gameplay details: Since there’s no rival this time, you just (ask guardians to) plant houses willy-nilly on the landscape until the game decides you’ve had enough. Apart from that you just visit the guardians and date them on weekends until the 90-day limit is up. That’s it.
Gameplay Screenshots: Pending
Official website: http://www.gamecity.ne.jp/products/products/ee/new/ange3/
Platform: PS2 (2000)
English Reviews: My impressions
Available at: Angelique Trois at Amazon
angelique etoile cover4. Angelique Etoile
Japanese: アンジェリーク エトワール
Developer/Publisher: Koei
Story: The main character is a girl from the cosmos ruled by Angelique Limoges named Ange, who must save the cosmos as the “Legendary Etoile”. Includes all of the major characters from previous Angelique titles, plus three new “Holy Beast Cosmos” Guardians.
Gameplay details: Uhh… haven’t played this one. I’ll look into it and get back to you soon. Or better yet I’ll try to play it in the next month or two so I can give a first-hand report.
Gameplay Screenshots: Pending
Official website: https://www.gamecity.ne.jp/etoile/
Platform: PS2
English Reviews: Pending
Available at: Angelique Etoile at Amazon
arcobaleno cover5. Arcobaleno!
Japanese: アルコバレーノ!
Developer/Publisher: Otomate/Idea Factory
Story: Yuna is a student at a cooking college. She wants to be a cook because of a childhood memory: when she almost fainted from hunger after running away from home, she was saved by a cook who served her delicious pescatore. One day, she meets Haruto, a substitute teacher. Several days later, she eats pescatore at Haruto’s restaurant, Arcobaleno, and gets surprised. Yes, it is completely the same as the one she ate ten years ago. Yuna asks Haruto to let her work at Arcobaleno. All staff seem to object to it at first, but she is finally allowed to work there. But to check her skill, Yuna has to take a cooking test… [from VNDB]
Gameplay details: Seems to combine a cooking game with pics of real-life food with a stat-raiser. You have three stats to raise: heart (your thoughts for your customers), skill and stamina. You also have to deal with your Tension stats plus a Ranking based on your current stats, and all of these affect how well you do in the tests and what events you’re allowed to see. Cooking tests = cook what you’ve been told to cook, but first roam around town and the store talking to guys until someone gives you the recipe. [I’ll move this game to the stat-raising otome game section in a bit]
Gameplay Screenshots: Stats / Test / Map / Food
Official website: http://www.otomate.jp/arcobaleno/
Platform: PS2 (2009) PSP (2010)
English Reviews: Hinano’s blog / 4Shiki
Available at: Arcobaleno! Portable at Amazon / Arcobaleno! PS2 at Amazon
clover no kuni no alice cover6. Clover no Kuni no Alice
Japanese: クローバーの国のアリス~
Developer/Publisher: Quinrose
Story: *shrug* Dunno, dun care. Something about Alice in Wonderland but with a typical Quinrose (i.e. annoying) twist and typical Quinrose (i.e. annoying and unlikeable) characterization. Sequel to Heart no Kuni no Alice, but this time Alice moves to the country of Clover to chase more bishies.
Gameplay details: All everyone ever says is that the Heart/Clover/Joker Alice games have gameplay, but no one seems inclined to explain exactly what kind, so… yeah. If you know, do tell.
Gameplay Screenshots: World map / Mini-game
Official website (PC version): http://quinrose.com/game/alice_k/top.html
Platform: PC (2008) PS2 / PSP
English Reviews: Pending
Available at: Clover no Kuni no Alice PS2 at Amazon / Clover no Kuni PSP at Amazon / Clover no Kuni PS2 at Play-Asia / Clover no Kuni PSP at Play-Asia
kaikan phrase cover7. Datenshi no Amai Yuuwaku X Kaikan Phrase
Japanese: 堕天使の甘い誘惑 X 快感フレーズ
Developer/Publisher: FuRyu Corporation
Story: You play as Aine Yukimura, a shy high school girl who becomes the lyricist for the rock band Lucifer after meeting the vocalist of the band, Sakuma Oukouchi. You get to interact with the various male characters (members of Lucifer as well as other characters) and build potential relationships with them. The male characters will react in various ways depending on your actions and answers. There is also a musical mini-game. [from VNDB]
Gameplay details: Interact with characters, unlocking events and scenarios depending on who you choose to befriend. Use the touch screen to poke at naked flesh during CGs. There’s also a musical mini-game that supposedly helps bind the members of the team more closely together.
Gameplay Screenshots: Musical mini-game
Official website: http://www.cs.furyu.jp/kaikan/
Platform: DS (2010)
English Reviews: Pending
Available at: Kaikan Phrase at Amazon
Duel_Love_cover_art8. Duel Love – Koisuru Otome wa Shouri no Megami
Japanese: デュエルラブ 恋する乙女は勝利の女神
Developer/Publisher: Bandai Namco
Story: The main character transfers to an academy that has a not-so-secret bishie fighting tournament. She gets to befriend one of 7 characters, acting as their second in battle and helping them win the tournament while working through their personal issues.
Gameplay details: Touchscreen activities like blowing steam away so you can leer at guys in the shower and wiping them down with towels and treating their injuries. Apart from that you just talk to your guy and answer his questions correctly until he’s head over heels in love with you.
Gameplay Screenshots: Conversation / Rub down / Shouting out love at the center of the screen
Official website: http://www.duellove.com/
Platform: DS (2008)
English Reviews: My impressions
Available at: Duel Love at Amazon / Duel Love at Play-Asia
duplicity cover9. dUpLicity ~Beyond the Lies~ [English]
Japanese: – dUpLicity~嘘の先にあるもの~
Developer/Publisher: roseVerte
Story: Yukina Kudou is a third-year high school student with a secret. Behind her daily sickly school girl act, she has important job to do. One day, she receives a warning that she’s doing her job terribly, and if there is no improvement upon her graduation, she will be fired. She has only six months. What is this secret position she holds? What is its true goal? (from VNDB)Gameplay details: Hang out with guys, study or gather information to better yourself and do your job more effectively. There are stats to raise, but you get the guys just fine by dating them frequently instead. However you need certain stats to unlock post-game secret routes.
Gameplay Screenshots: Activities / Stats?
Official website: http://www.roseverte.net/duplicity/
Platform: PC (2011)
English Reviews: Pending
Available at: On Steam. Free demo available.
elkrone cover11. Elkrone no Atelier ~Dear for Otomate~
Japanese: エルクローネのアトリエ ~Dear for Otomate~
Developer/Publisher: Gust/Idea Factory
Story: Meriela (a.k.a Meri) has inherited her grandmother’s workshop, and now it’s up to her to decide what to do with it. One day, the fairy Popotto pops up at the front door, asking her to create a mysterious item — the Blue Wakaka. Neither the client nor the alchemist have ever seen it, but since the fairy is in no great hurry, he decides to lodge with Meri to help her out with item synthesis, ingredient collection, monster fights and finding her soul mate. [from Play-Asia]
Gameplay details: Super-simplified alchemy where you match cards in a certain order to make the items you want. No evidence of battles. Game progresses daily. Meri takes quests from the people to get to know them better. At the end of the day she writes everything that happened in her diary and moves on to the next day.
Gameplay Screenshots: Alchemy / Map
Official website: http://www.otomate.jp/elkrone/
Platform: PSP (2012)
English Reviews: Pending
Available at: Elkrone no Atelier at Amazon / Elkrone no Atelier at Play-Asia
enkeltbillet cover12. Enkeltbillet
Japanese: エンケルトビレット
Developer/Publisher: Ichi Column/ Idea Factory
Story: College student gets stranded in a foreign country where she doesn’t know anyone and doesn’t speak the language. But who needs words when you’ve got the language of love?
Gameplay details: The game lasts the 10 days it takes you to get a new passport and head back home. Take a part-time job (10 different types) to earn money to buy cooking ingredients and recovery items. Do quests to raise your level. The higher your level, the more things you can buy. The game is divided into Complete Mode, which is where you can do all that walking around, and Story Mode where you just talk to bishies and other characters.
Gameplay Screenshots: Walking around / Complete mode / Quest explanation
Official website: http://www.otomate.jp/enkeltbillet/
Platform: PSP (2014)
English Reviews: Pending
Available at: Enkeltbillet at Amazon/ Enkeltbillet at Play-Asia
hanayaka nari waga ichizoku cover13. Hanayaka nari, Waga ichizoku
Japanese: 華ヤカ哉、我ガ一族
Developer/Publisher: Vingt et Un Systems/Idea Factory
Story: The Taisho period is one of the most romantic and interesting in Japanese history. Westernization brought about the prospering of many industries, which includes banking and foreign trade. The Miyanomori family is one of the corporations that benefited from the era. However, behind their glamorous front, a lot of conflicts are going on. The player becomes Haru, a country girl who gets recruited as a maid into the family. Get closer to the six potential heirs of the family and help them achieve their happy ending. [from Play-Asia]
Gameplay details: Raise stats as a maid to avoid getting kicked out. There are several optional activities you can take part in just for fun. More details here.
Gameplay Screenshots: See gameplay post above.
Official website: http://www.otomate.jp/hanaichi/
Platform: PSP (2010) PSVITA (2015)
English Reviews: My impressions
Available at: HanaIchi at Amazon / HanaIchi at Play-Asia
hanakaya nari kinema mosaic cover14. Hanayaka Nari, Waga Ichizoku Kinema Mosaic
Japanese: 華ヤカ哉、我ガ一族 キネマモザイク
Developer/Publisher: Idea Factory
Story: Kinema Mosaic takes place one year after the original Hanayaka Nari, Waga Ichizoku. None of the six Miyanomori brothers made it to become the new head of the family, and so Genichirou is holding the competition again this year. In addition, he also takes the seventh brother to live with them in the mansion — Mamoru. There are three modes in Kinema Mosaic: “second year mode”, “epilogue mode” and “informant mode”. (from VNDB) [Hanayaka Nari, Waga Ichizoku fandisc but with lots of gameplay in its own right. Also getting a VITA remake in 2015]
Gameplay details: Largely the same system as the original for Second Year Mode except you can take quests from the brothers themselves now. Epilogue Mode is a straight-up visual novel showing what happened after you got your lovey-dovey ending last time. Informant Mode lets you play as Kisuke Arita and see the world through his eyes. It definitely has gameplay, but I’m not sure what kind.
Gameplay Screenshots: Informant Mode / Laundry Mini-game / Mansion map
Official website: http://www.otomate.jp/hanayaka_kinema/HANAYAKA_HTML/hk_top.html
Platform: PSP (2011) PSVITA (2015)
English Reviews: My impressions
Available at: Kinema Mosaic at Amazon / Kinema Mosaic at Play-Asia
hanakaya nari tasogare polar star cover15. Hanayaka Nari, Waga Ichizoku Tasogare Polar Star
Japanese: 華ヤカ哉、我ガ一族 黄昏ポウラスタ
Developer/Publisher: Ichi Colomn / Idea Factory
Story: Set after the first year. Genichiro decides to buy a new vacation home even though there may be something fishy going on with it. And so all the brothers, their mothers and all the servants head there for a 12-day Christmas visit. What awaits them there? [Fan disc + sequel to the previous games, meant to be played in order]
Gameplay details: The game is divided into Vacation Mode and Informant Mode. Vacatin mode lets you hang out with the guy of your choice. You still have duties to perform, but you have to set them daily (broken down by hours) instead of weekly this time. You still get to take quests and collect items just like before. Informant mode lets you control Kisuke Arita. You set his daily schedule and play mini-games and pick up items you can’t get in the other modes. There’s also Memory Mode where you view scenes from the brothers’ pasts.
Gameplay Screenshots: Pending.
Official website: http://www.otomate.jp/hanayaka_polarstar/
Platform: PSP (2013)
English Reviews: Pending
Available at: Tasogare Polar Star at Amazon / Tasogare Polar Star at Play-Asia
hana yori dango cover16. Hana yori Dango – Koiseyo Otome!
Japanese: 花より男子 -恋せよ女子(おとめ)!
Developer/Publisher: Konami
Story: Hanayori Dango Koi Seyo Otome is a dating simulation adventure where you become one of the “commoner” students enrolled into Eitoku, a school for the rich and famous. Befriend your fellow commoner, Tsukushi and the F4 members. The F4s are the elite of the elite and a bunch of complete jerks if you ask me, but if you like the series enough to play a game about it you probably don’t mind. Their leader (and chief jerk) Doumyouji ended up with Tsukushi in the manga, but in this game you’re the protagonist, so feel free to pursue anyone you wish.
Gameplay details: The game is split into morning, noon and nights. Get ready for school in the morning and make sure you look good as you are going to meet the F4s. Go ahead and bump into them during school time and score lunch dates or get their email addresses. Make use of these contacts and ask them out on dates at night. Increase your affection level with them during dates, know their favorite pastimes and cater to them and you will soon have them wrapped around your little finger.
Gameplay Screenshots: Conversation / Calendar and map
Official website: http://www.konami.jp/hanadan/
Platform: DS (2008)
English Reviews: Pending
Available at: Koi Seyo Otome at Amazon / Koi Seyo Otome at Play-Asia
hoshizora no comic garden cover18. Hoshizora no Comic Garden
Japanese: 星空のコミックガーデン
Developer/Publisher: D3 Publisher
Story: Airi is a university student. She enjoys her school life, but she has something in mind. Yes, she wants to be a cartoonist. Ryo, her old friend, knows it and advises her to go for it. Airi makes up her mind and starts working as an assistant of a famous cartoonist. However, her parents get to know it and they oppose to it. Airi starts living with Ryo’s friends at Ryo’s house… [from VNDB]
Gameplay details: Game has 7 chapters, divided into Adventure mode and Comic mode. Spend the first 6 chapters shmoozing with the boys and get a character-specific 7th chapter depending on whose affection is highest. In Comic mode you use the touchscreen to play manga-drawing mini-games, e.g. inking and applying tones (even though such work is usually done with computers and tablets these days). Doing well in Comic mode raises bishie affection.
Gameplay Screenshots: Pending
Official website: http://www.d3p.co.jp/comicgarden/
Platform: DS (2008)
English Reviews: Important Importables
Available at: Hoshizora no Comic Garden at Amazon / Hoshizora no Comic Garden at Play-Asia
houkago no love beat cover19. Houkago no Love Beat
Japanese: 放課後のLove Beat
Developer/Publisher: HuneX/D3 Publisher
Story: The main character is a high school girl trained in classical piano who has just transferred to a new high school, Aobadai Gakuen. On her first day, she gets lost and meets 4 boys there who are secretly practising as a band. She eventually becomes the songwriter for the band, using her classical background to create fresh melodies for the band to build on. There’s a rival band, Kamui, that also plays a couple songs during the game and provides some plot devices regarding a big band contest with a recording contract as the prize.[from Wikipedia]
Gameplay details: The narrative element involves the main character having conversations with other characters, making choices that affect the storyline. The ‘live part’ is a rhythm minigame where the player uses the PS2 controller to affect the performance of the band during various songs. If the player does a good job, the song is performed well, and if the player misses a lot of cues, the band performs badly. This in turn affects how well the band is received, whether they get a contract, etc. [from Wikipedia]
Gameplay Screenshots: Pending
Official website: http://www.d3p.co.jp/lovebeat/
Platform: PS2 (2004)
English Reviews: Pending
Available at: Houkago no Love Beat at Amazon / Houkago no Love Beat at Play-Asia
issho ni gohan cover20. Issho ni Gohan.
Japanese: いっしょにごはん。
Developer/Publisher: Otomate/Idea Factory
Story: Meshikesou is a student hostel (and the player is the landlady) inhabited by a cast of handsome men. Some of them are mischievous, some are innocent, and some are cold and polite, the only thing they have in common is that their names are some kind of pun on a food item. Players can guess their personality by reading their names and choose accordingly. However, be sure to sample the unfamiliar boys, for they might have hidden flavors that surprise you. [from Play-Asia]
Gameplay details: The game lasts 8 months, from September to April. In addition to the affection meter which changes with your dialogue choices, it also has a cooking skill meter which also affects your endings, raised by cooking minigames and quizzes.
Gameplay Screenshots: Map / Hostel map / Quiz and mini-game
Official website: http://www.otomate.jp/gohan/
Platform: PSP (2013)
English Reviews: Tsukihana / Chocolatemix / Hinano’s Blog / Otome Jikan / Evey
Available at: Issho ni Gohan at Amazon / Issho ni Gohan at Play-Asia
joker no kuni no alice cover21. Joker no Kuni no Alice
Japanese: ジョーカーの国のアリス~
Developer/Publisher: Quinrose
Story: This time the game is set in the Country of Joker. In this country each of the four usual areas have a different season and there is now a circus with a new character called Joker. Since the circus is here, Wonderland enters “April Season” which is when the residents are allowed to lie. As the protagonist is already acquainted with all of the characters, what will happen to their relationship in April Season?
Gameplay details: Dunno, dun care. But I’m told the PC version at least has some kind of gameplay. *shrug*
Gameplay Screenshots: Some kind of choice
Official website: http://quinrose.com/game/alice_j/top.html (PC version)
Platform: PC (2009) PSP (2011)
English Reviews: Pending
Available at: Joker no Kuni no Alice PSP at Amazon / Joker no Kuni no Alice PSP at Play-Asia
kaiketsu gakuen nandemoya cover22. Kaiketsu! Gakuen Nandemoya
Japanese: 解決!学園なんでも屋
Developer/Publisher: Princess Crown
Story: There is a rumor at Seihou Academy that that if you tie a request to the sakura tree, a mysterious club will come and undertake the request. That night, I saw a strange dream… flavored with desire and then sadness… Voices whispered from the plants and animals, awaking lost memories… I was able to meet an important person… [from DLsite]
Gameplay details: The MC belongs to a club that takes and solves requests. Pick a request, then pick a bishie to be your partner then solve the quest (method differs depending on the quest). On weekends you can go shopping. At night you can call guys and ask them out on Sunday dates – which you can stand them up on if you don’t feel like going any more. It’s basically Tokimemo with quests instead of stats.
Gameplay Screenshots: Screenshot / Club activity / Shopping
Official website: http://prcr.info/kai_index.html
Platform: PC (2006)
English Reviews: Pending
Available at: Buy from DLsite.com / Direct link to free demo (48mb zip).
kanuchi_front23. Kanuchi: Futatsu no Tsubasa
Japanese: カヌチ 二つの翼
Developer/Publisher: Idea Factory
Story: A girl named Aki is possessed by the spirit of a legendary queen, brought back to find answers to a great tragedy that occurred 1000 years ago and possibly to bring lasting peace to two nations that have long been at war. If they can round up some bishies while they’re at it, well that’s just icing on the cake. Originally released as two separate PS2 games (Shiroki and Kuroki no Shou) but now available on the PSP in handy region-free format (though it’s actually cheaper to buy the two PS2 games separately if you have a Japanese PS2).
Gameplay details: Cooking and blacksmithing simulation game. Take requests from people, go out foraging for items and then fulfill the requests to get money. Both gameplay aspects are technically optional, but you do have to make a certain amount of money every couple of months to pay your rent and other expenses, otherwise insta-bad end.
Gameplay Screenshots: Smithing / See my post about the gameplay here.
Official website: http://www.otomate.jp/kanuchi/futatunotubasa/
Platform: PS2 (2008-2009) PSP (2011)
English Reviews: My impressions
Available at: Kanuchi PSP at Amazon / Kanuchi PSP at Play-Asia
kimagure strawberry cafe cover24. Kimagure Strawberry Cafe
Japanese: きまぐれストロベリーカフェ
Developer/Publisher: Vingt-et-un/D3 Publisher
Story: You play as Ichigo Mizuhara (default name) and your luck left you when your parents suddenly decided to go on a year-long trip. Things couldn’t get any worse, because now you are in charge of your parents’ cafe. Well actually things aren’t so bad, because you have a childhood friend and your cute underclassmen to help you run the place.
Gameplay details: Game lasts a year, until Ichigo graduates from high school and her parents return from their trip. Balance studying with running the cafe (assigning people shifts, watching their stress levels) and looking for love. The main element of gameplay seems to be a cake-baking mini-game. Select ingredients and combine them to make up to 590 (!?) different cakes. Price your cakes and add them to the cafe menu to make more money.
Gameplay Screenshots: Pending
Official website: http://www.d3p.co.jp/kimagure/
Platform: PS2 (2003)
English Reviews: Pending
Available at: Kimagure Strawberry Cafe at Amazon
koibana days cover25. Koibana Days
Japanese: 恋花デイズ
Developer/Publisher: Idea Factory
Story: A flower-loving girl moves back to town and transfers into high school with gardening course because she loves flowers that much. On her first day she is tasked with growing a mysterious seed so she can take part in a flower contest.
Gameplay details: Game lasts 1 year. There’s standard visual novel stuff where you talk to people, invite guys to walk home, trigger versus mode by dating two guys who don’t like each other, etc. Then there’s the gardening part where you grow flowers. The kind of flowers you grow affects your romantic options. You can also decorate the garden with presents received from boys and enter your flowers into contests.
Gameplay Screenshots: Garden 1 / Garden 2
Official website: http://www.otomate.jp/koibana/
Platform: PSP (2013)
English Reviews: Pending
Available at: Koibana Days at Amazon / Koibana Days at Play-Asia
koi wa rule ni shibararenai26. Koi wa Kousoku (Rule) ni Shibararenai!
Japanese: 恋は校則に縛られない!
Developer/Publisher: Kadokawa Shoten/ASCII Media Works
Story: English title: Love is not Bound by Rules! In this game the heroine is suddenly appointed as the president of her school (not of the student council but the school!) She can change school events and rules, but the student council has a say as well and can either agree or oppose her decisions. Part of this game is trying to make the student council acknowledge you as the president. [from Lijakaca’s blog]
Gameplay details: Talk to students to get hints on new school rules to make. Then hold discussions with the student council and get them to pass the new rule. During the discussions you have to use the PSP buttons to make choices in a limited time so you can sway as many people as possible to your side of the argument. Majority wins the vote.
Gameplay Screenshots: Proposals / Map / Discussion / Discussion 2 / Random
Official website: http://d-game.dengeki.com/koishiba/
Platform: PSP (2013)
English Reviews: Pending
Available at: Koi wa Shibararenai at Amazon / Koi wa Shibararenai at Play-Asia
last escort cover27. Last Escort
Japanese: ラストエスコート
Developer/Publisher: D3 Publisher
Story: The story is about our heroine Akari whose father owns a host club “Gorgeous” that she decides to start visiting. Her father ironically isn’t too happy about this but she still decides to help them become top hosts by making them sweaters, earrings hats, scarves… Will she manage to make them fall in love with her? [from VNDB]
Gameplay details: Game lasts 1 year. Take part time jobs during the week to earn money and raise your stats. What do you do with your hard-earned money? Blow it all on gifts for the guys (involves a crafting mini-game) and on hanging out with them and buying them drinks on the weekend. I guess Akari’s dad was too busy with his host club to teach the poor girl any common sense. Or maybe, maybe she’s just hungry for a father’s love since daddy never played with her as a child. Okay, now I’m sad.
Gameplay Screenshots: Part-time jobs
Official website: http://www.d3p.co.jp/escort/
Platform: PS2 (2006)
English Reviews: Pending
Available at: Last Escort at Amazon
last escort 2 cover28. Last Escort 2 ~Shinya no Amai Ibara~
Japanese: ラスト・エスコート2 ~深夜の甘い棘~
Developer/Publisher: Vingt et Un Systems / D3 Publisher
Story: Serika just works hard every day. One day she meets a man. His name is Reiji and he lives in the same apartment building. She takes him to her room and cooks a meal for him because he’s too hungry to move. That’s the start of a rather unusual relationship. Several days later she goes to a host club with her co-workers and meets Reiji there. He smiles and says, “Welcome, this is your first time, right?” She can’t even say a word. “Please cook a meal for me again…,” he whispers…. [from VNDB]
Gameplay details: Game lasts 6 months. The MC has a regular 9-5 job, so you only get to pick what she does on weekday evening and weekends. At night she can practice her hobbies to raise her parameters so she can have more to talk about with the guys. She also has a PC where she can send emails, visit the club homepage and buy and sell stuff in auctions. On weekends she can go to the host club or to other clubs or visit the hosts she likes in their apartments. At the host club she can order drinks and play minigames with the hosts to get closer to them. Basically wasting money galore in the hopes of getting some pathetic guy to pay attention to her.
Gameplay Screenshots: Schedule / Menu / Minigame / Auction
Official website: http://www.d3p.co.jp/escort2/index.html
Platform: PS2 (2008)
English Reviews: Pending
Available at: Last Escort 2 at Amazon / Last Escort 2 at Play-Asia
last escort club katza cover29. Last Escort -Club Katze-
Japanese: ラストエスコート -Club Katze-
Developer/Publisher: D3 Publisher
Story: Izumi is 21 years old. She has been working hard every day. One day, the owner of a host club appears in front of her and offers her a job as a planning consultant for his new host club. It is a well-paid offer, but there is one big problem: she has never been in a host club before. Still the offer is good enough that she steels herself and visits “Club Katze” a famous host club. There, a sweet and beautiful world she has never experienced awaits her (says the official material, but it’s really all too stupid for words) She gradually gets addicted to the world…
Gameplay details: Year-long game with weekly schedules. Practice a hobby to raise hobby parameters and score points with guys who have the same hobby. Give the guys gifts and buy drinks at the club to boost their rankings and make them like you more. Minigames, auctions and room decoration have been taken out, gameplay apparently very shallow compared to predecessors.
Gameplay Screenshots: Drinks menu
Official website: http://www.d3p.co.jp/lastescort/
Platform: PS2 (2010) PSP (2010)
English Reviews: Gamertell / Otome Gaming Diary / Hinano’s Blog
Available at: Club Katze at Amazon / Club Katze at Play-Asia
loveandorder30. Love & Order [English]
Developer/Publisher: Winter Wolves
Story: In the smallest district of Montreal, the Crown Attorney relies on the legal expertise of its lawyers; backed up by the support of a single hard-working secretary. This is the story of Dana Larose, a young woman starting her career as a secretary in the Crown Attorney’s office. The office is both overworked and understaffed, so you’ll have to work out whose projects you help with accordingly. Will you be able to unravel the mystery being covered up, balance the stress of juggling overtime for everyone, and still manage to find love…?Gameplay details: Deal with many different kinds of work to help everyone out around the office. Put in overtime for extra money, but be careful to balance work and pleasure or you’ll crack under stress! What secret is being covered up by the Crown Attorney’s office? Follow the clues… [from official website]
Gameplay Screenshots: Office map / Work projects
Official website: http://www.winterwolves.com/loveandorder.htm
Platform: PC (2011)
English Reviews: Pending
Available at: Click on ‘Buy’ at the official website
meine liebe cover31. Meine Liebe Yuubinaru Kioku
Japanese: マイネリーベ 優美なる記憶
Developer/Publisher: Konami
Story: An enhanced fully-voiced remake of Tanbi Musou Meine Liebe (see below). In Kuchen, an island off the edge of Europe, there exists an elite boarding school: The Rosenstolz Academy. Meine Liebe explores the lives of five students who are Strahl (or scholars who aid in protecting the kingdom) candidates.Gameplay details: Game lasts 2 years. Study, raise stats while trying to fulfill all the obscure requirements needed to get the guy of your dreams. Go shopping, hang out with guys, join an extra-curricular club and do everything possible to make your chosen bishie ask you to dance at the graduation party.
Gameplay Screenshots: Stat-raising activity
Official website: http://www.konami.jp/products/meine_ps2/
Platform: PS2 (2004)
English Reviews: Pending
Available at: Meine Liebe at Amazon / Meine Liebe at Play-Asia
meine liebe 2 cover31. Meine Liebe II ~Hokori to Seigi to Ai~
Japanese: マイネリーベII ~誇りと正義と愛~
Developer/Publisher: Konami
Story: Continues where the first game left off. Set in the fictional country of Kuchen in the 1930s. You play a girl who attends Rosenstolz Academy, a boarding school for the scions of the rich and powerful. Hang out with the usual 5 bishies + 1 new guy at the elite academy.
Gameplay details: Details pending, but the wooing part consists of talking to the guy and choosing very carefully because the wrong choice can throw off your whole game. Failing at mini-games will also affect your routes. There don’t seem to be any bad endings though, just happy endings and best endings.
Gameplay Screenshots: Important choice
Official website: http://www.konami.jp/products/meine2_ps2/
Platform: PS2
English Reviews: Pending
Available at: Meine Liebe II at Amazon / Meine Liebe II at Play-Asia
meshimase rouman sabou cover32. Meshimase Roman Sabou
Japanese: 召しませ浪漫茶房
Developer/Publisher: Vingt-et-Un/D3 Publisher
Story: The main character’s parents run a store selling Japanese confections. To fulfill her dream of opening her own store one day, she has to win the national sweets tournament. Her parents allow her to enter on condition that she also spends a year managing the family store and making sure it doesn’t go bankrupt.Gameplay details: Game lasts 1 year. Spend time learning how to run a store or go out and buy, gather or grow ingredients to make up to 884 (!!) sweets to sell in your store. Be sure to find time in your busy schedule to hang out with the guys. And keep track of your finances so rival stores don’t steal all your business! Your ultimate goal is to get a confession from a guy and win the contest at the same time. Fan reviews say it’s harder than it sounds.
Gameplay Screenshots: Growing crops / Finances / Inventory / Ingredient store
Official website: http://www.d3p.co.jp/roman/
Platform: PS2 (2004)
English Reviews: Pending
Available at: Meshimase Roman Sabou at Amazon / Meshimase Roman Sabou at Play-Asia
nana ps2 cover33. Nana
Japanese: -ナナ-
Developer/Publisher: Konami
Story: Nana Osaki is a punk singer who wants to debut with her band, Black Stones (BLAST for short), where she is the lead vocalist and her boyfriend, Ren, is the bassist. Nana Komatsu, the other Nana, has a habit of falling in love at first sight all the time and depending on other people to help her. The two Nanas meet on a train by chance, both on their way to Tokyo. After a string of coincidences, they come to live together in an apartment numbered 707 (nana means “seven” in Japanese). Despite having contrasting personalities and ideals, the Nanas respect each other and become close friends. [from Wikipedia]
Gameplay details: In this game you play their next-door neighbor. Hang out with the girls and their friends, learn about their love lives and discover your own future in the big city. Pick what to do hour by hour. Decisions include working, sleeping and meeting the cast of the manga. There’s a dress up component as well. Not sure whether you can romance the guys yourself or whether you’re just stuck watching the Nanas sleep around.
Gameplay Screenshots: Schedule / Schedule 2 / Shopping
Official website: Pending
Platform: PS2 (2005)
English Reviews: Pending
Available at: Nana PS2 at Play-Asia
nana daimaou omochibiki cover34. Nana – Subete wa Daimaou no Omichibiki?!
Japanese: NANA すべては大魔王のお導き!?
Developer/Publisher: Konami
Story: Nana is (was?) a popular shoujo manga about two very different women with the same name (Nana) who meet on the way to Tokyo, become friends and move into apartment 707 together.
Gameplay details: A board game starring NANA characters! You start off as either Nana or Hachi or a customizable, and play a board game where you must collect an item, gather 100 affection points, and reach the goal before your opponent(s). Gather, buy, and use cards to give yourself a boost or to stall your opponent and talk to other NANA characters to raise your affection level. But don’t forget: when payday comes, your bills are right behind it! As you play, you can unlock bonus characters, buy accessories to decorate playable characters or your room, watch game endings, listen to game music, and more! Featuring 3-D chibi characters, voiceovers, and adorable manga/anime-style animations, NANA: Subete wa Daimaou no Omichibiki is a load of fun for any NANA fan. [from Play-Asia] [must move to misc game section later]
Gameplay Screenshots: Screenshot
Official website: Pending
Platform: PSP (2006)
English Reviews: Pending
Available at: Nana Subete wa Daimaou at Amazon / Nana Subete at Play-Asia
onigokko royale cover35. O*G*A Oni-gokko Royale
Japanese: O*G*A 鬼ごっこロワイアル
Developer/Publisher: Idea Factory
Story: Onigokko (tag) has now been declared an official sport, and the heroine was chosen as the manager of the onigokko club of her school! On a special training trip she’ll meet more guys and will have to balance between love and a perfect schedule! [from VNDB]Gameplay details: There’s a practice match at the end of every game day. You don’t get a gameover for losing, but you do miss out on special events. As manager your job is to brief the players ahead of time and help them come up with a strategy, but as far as I can tell you don’t control the matches. However you can change strategies mid-match and you do get to choose what a player does when they bump into a member of the opposing team. There all kinds of flashy special attacks they can use on each other.
Gameplay Screenshots: A match / Timed choice
Official website: http://www.otomate.jp/oga/
Platform: PSP (2013)
English Reviews: Pending
Available at: O*G*A Oni-gokko Royale at Amazon
palais de reine36. Palais de Reine
Japanese: パレドゥレーヌ
Developer/Publisher: Kogado Studio/Interchannel/Gungho
Story: The player acts as the young princess of a kingdom who never expected to ascend to the throne. In the last year, her father died, and her older brother went missing. During the coronation ceremony, some of the leaders of the 12 provinces in the kingdom say they don’t believe she can lead the country, and refuse to give their allegiance. [from Wikipedia] The game has two fan disks known as Palais de Royale and Palais de Carnaval.
Gameplay details: The aim of the game is to win over enough leaders over a year to be accepted as the kingdom’s ruler. This can be accomplished through different ways, including sending gifts, having your knights challenge the leaders to jousting competitions, and trying to assassinate them. You must also keep your kingdom fairly prosperous and quell civil disturbances and unrest. While doing this, you can also ‘romance’ characters, including the 12 leaders and your knights. [from Wikipedia][must move to misc game section later]
Gameplay Screenshots: Activities / Taxation
Official website: http://www.gungho.jp/cgame/game/palaisdereine/
Platform: PC (2006) PS2 (2007)
English Reviews: Pending
Available at: Palais de Reine at Amazon / Palais de Reine at Play-Asia
Princess_Debut_Box37. Princess Debut [English]
Japanese: お姫さまデビュー
Developer/Publisher: Cave/Natsume
Story: You step through a portal into a magical world where you’re a princess! Can you master your dance moves and woo one of the six handsome princes in time for the big ball? It’s part rhythm game and part adventure game.
Gameplay details: In the game, you find yourself in a fantasy world where you have 30 days to get ready for the big ball; you’ll have to master a variety of dances and pick a partner from one of six charming princes. You’ll meet and woo the princes of your dreams through the game’s large, branching storyline and involving event system. Once you’ve convinced a prince to be your dancing partner, it’s time to go out on the dance floor!You’ll use the Touch Screen to guide your character gracefully across the dance floor while matching your partner’s rhythm. All of the dances in the game are taken from motion-captured professional dancers, so the game is just as impressive to watch as it is fun to play.Princess Debut offers four modes of play including Story, Ballroom, Practice, and Movie. With 20 outfits to find, 14 unique endings to experience, and 18 different kinds of music and dance styles to choose from (including Waltz, Latin dance, Tango, Ballroom, and much more), there’s no shortage of things to see and do! [from official website]
Gameplay Screenshots: Screenshot / Dancing / Dancing 2
Official website: http://www.natsume.com/current_game/games/princess_debut/
Platform: DS (2008)
English Reviews: My impressions
Available at: Princess Debut at Amazon
rea_logo38. RE: Alistair++ [English]
Developer/Publisher: Mugenjohncel/sakevisual
Story: Merui loves video games, especially her favorite MMORPG, Rivenwell Online. Merui also has a very short temper, so when some JERK named Alistair steals a rare item from her, she’s determined to exact revenge on him. Unfortunately, she has no idea who he is in real life. But hey, that’s never stopped anyone, right?Gameplay details: Take control of Merui and make new friends, balance schoolwork and fun, go shopping, search for the culprit, and maybe even discover a new romance.
Gameplay Screenshots: Status / Story screenshot
Official website: http://www.sakevisual.com/realistair/
Platform: PC
English Reviews: Pending
Available at: Free at official website
reijou tantei office jiken39. Reijou Tantei ~Office Jiken~
Japanese: 令嬢探偵 〜オフィスラブ事件~
Developer/Publisher: D3 Publisher
Story: You play a woman who is lucky enough to be hired at the same detective agency as an older friend you really respect. But right before you take up your new role, you hear that your friend has killed herself! It’s your job to balance your job with interacting with others while looking for clues behind your friend’s mysterious death.
Gameplay details: Game takes place in daily installments with each day divided into 4 parts, the first 3 of which are spent at work. Getting a guy involves roaming around the office all day looking for him so you can chat him up. Sometimes people will ask you to pass on a message or deliver something to the guy you like. When you get to know the guy better he lets you in on a case he’s working on, whereupon you can question people for clues or use your ‘cellphone’ to take photos that can be used as evidence. The ending you get depends on how well you do on the detective parts.
Gameplay Screenshots: Pending
Official website: http://www.d3p.co.jp/reijyou_tantei/
Platform: PS2 (2007)
English Reviews: Pending
Available at: Reijou Tantei at Amazon / Reijou Tantei at Play-Asia
renai banchou cover40. Ren’ai Banchou! Inochi Mijikashi, Koiseyo Otome! Love is Power
Japanese: 恋愛番長 命短し、恋せよ乙女! Love is Power
Developer/Publisher: Otomate/Idea Factory
Story: Our heroine is pissed off that she can’t find her special someone while everyone else seems to have found theirs. She decides to try the school legend: tie a yellow handkerchief on the school roof that will make a Ren’ai Banchou come and help her with her love issues. However, she ties 7 of them and 7 Ren’ai Banchous come to help her. Maybe one of them is her destined someone… [from VNDB]
Gameplay details: Pick one of the 7 Banchous and spend a year together with them learning about love. They take you to various places and ask you all kinds of questions to get you to understand what love really is. Seems very quiz-like.
Gameplay Screenshots: Answering a question / Answering a question 2
Official website: http://www.otomate.jp/renai_bancho/
Platform: PSP (2010)
English Reviews: Pending
Available at: Ren’ai Bancho at Amazon / Ren’ai Bancho at Play-Asia
renai banchou 2 cover41. Ren’ai Banchou 2: Midnight Lesson!!!
Japanese: 恋愛番長2 MidnightLesson!!!
Developer/Publisher: Rejet/Idea Factory
Story: Same story as the previous game: girl wants a boyfriend so she goes through a ritual (throwing a rainbow handkerchief off a rooftop) and 8 supposedly-handsome guys appear to help her find love.
Gameplay details: Same as previous game. Pick a guy, spend a year with him, answer all kinds of questions to get his affection high, get one of 3 endings depending on how well you did. Sounds like a glorified visual novel to me.
Gameplay Screenshots: Answer a question
Official website: http://www.otomate.jp/renai_bancho2/
Platform: PSP (2012)
English Reviews: Pending
Available at: Ren’ai Banchou 2 at Amazon / Ren’ai Banchou 2 at Play-Asia
ripple no tamago cover42. Ripple no Tamago ~apprentice magician~
Japanese: リプルのたまご ~Apprentice magician~
Developer/Publisher: HuneX / D3 Publisher
Story: Step into the persona of an up ‘n coming sorceress named Crim who has been tasked with conjuring a cure to reawaken a sleeping prince who has been cursed with a spell. Along the way, interact and contact with fellow mages.
Gameplay details: Your aim is to defeat your rival Lucille in card battles and raise the sleeping prince. The game lasts 100 days and you have a card battle every 10 days. Train with 6 foreign princes to raise your magic power, thus leveling up your cards. You can also fuse similar cards to make them even more powerful.
Gameplay Screenshots: Pending
Official website: http://www.d3p.co.jp/s_20/s20_074.html
Platform: PS2 (2003)
English Reviews: Pending
Available at: Ripple no Tamago at Amazon / Ripple no Tamago at Play-Asia
saikin koi shiteru43. Saikin Koi Shiteru?
Japanese: サイキン恋シテル?
Developer/Publisher: D3 Publisher
Story: 17 year old nameable heroine transfers to Seiran Gakuen and falls into the deep pool that’s just sitting right at the entrance, and meets some…mitochrondria? Turns out everyone she meets has them but only she can see them. She names them Saikin and uses them to manipulate other peoples feelings (with…good intentions).[from VNDB]
Gameplay details: Use the touchscreen to ‘catch’ Saikin and attach them to bishies to change their personalities. A sad Saikin will make the guy melancholy, an angry one will make him more aggressive, and so on. The theory is that you get to know them better by making them expose sides of themselves they wouldn’t normally show you so you can get new events and move your relationship forward. Psychological manipulation is love <3
Gameplay Screenshots: Screenshot / Playing with saikin
Official website: http://www.d3p.co.jp/saikin/
Platform: DS (2009)
English Reviews: Pending
Available at: Saikin Koi Shiteru? at Amazon
shin tennis no oujisama 3ds cover44. Shin Tennis no Ouji-sama ~Go to the top~
Japanese: 新テニスの王子様 ~Go to the top~
Developer/Publisher: FuRyu Corporation
Story: Based on the “New Prince of Tennis” anime: The Japanese U-17 (under 17) High School Representatives Selection Camp. The protagonist is a rookie female reporter. She gets selected to become an interviewer for a project. The project, “New-Generation Players Grand Prix”, will involve 30 of the U-17 Japanese Representative Player Candidates fighting for the #1 spot in both name and substance. Within a limited time frame of 7 days, the reporter is to completely cover and collect information on the players and publish it as an online article. The #1 player will then be selected by the readers’ votes. [from VNDB]
Gameplay details: Pick a guy, hang out with him, write a report on him every day. The level of attention the players receive fluctuates and changes on a daily basis, as does their ranking, all depending on the quality of the report you send. There’s also a feature that allows you to direct and “shoot” a promotional video featuring the guys, which can also affect their ranking. Who will be the #1 player on the final day? And what will their relationship with you be?
Gameplay Screenshots: Map / Report-writing / Shooting video
Official website: http://www.cs.furyu.jp/tenipuri/
Platform: 3DS (2015)
English Reviews: Pending
Available at: Shin Tennis no Ouji-sama – Go to the Top – at Play-Asia
spirited heart promo45. Spirited Heart [English]
Developer/Publisher: Winter Wolves
Story: There is no story. It’s a “fantasy life simulation game”.
Gameplay details: Create a character, pick a job for the character, interact with people and maybe win the heart of one of 6 handsome guys. Your choice of partner is limited by the character you create, encouraging you to replay the game with different starting characters. There’s an optional dice minigame as well. Each game lasts 10 years and the game over all has 20 possible endings + 12 marriage endings. [must move to misc game section later]
Gameplay Screenshots: Stats / Relationship menu
Official website: http://www.winterwolves.com/spiritedheart.htm
Platform: PC (2009)
English Reviews: Pending
Available at: Click “Buy” on the official website.
tanbi musou meine liebe cover46. Tanbi Musou Meine Liebe
Japanese: 耽美夢想マイネリーベ
Developer/Publisher: Konami
Story: Set in the fictional country of Kuchen in the 1930s. You play a girl who attends Rosenstolz Academy, a boarding school for the scions of the rich and powerful.
Gameplay details: Raise stats and try not to miss the obscure events that you need to get the guy you want. Playing with a FAQ is highly recommended.
Gameplay Screenshots: Screenshot
Official website: http://www.konami.jp/products/tanbimusou_gba/
Platform: GBA (2001)
English Reviews: Pending
Available at: Tanbi Musou Meine Liebe at Amazon
prince of tennis girls be glorious cover47. Tennis no Ouji-sama: Doubles no Ouji-sama – Girls, be Gracious! [has English patch]
Japanese: テニスの王子様 ダブルスの王子様 – Girls, be Gracious!
Developer/Publisher: Konami
Story: Join the doubles championship with the princes of tennis! Featuring teams from the anime series, choose a partner and play against the others. In the doubles championship, you need to train with your partner, get to know him better and get closer to him. [from VNDB] It has a partner game called ‘Boys, be Glorious‘ but that has a male protagonist so it doesn’t count. You do have to play both games to get access to the full Prince of Tennis cast, though.
Gameplay details: Choose a partner from the multitudes of teams from the series, and play against all the others. In a doubles championship, you need to train with your partner, get to know him better and closer to him. This generous mixture between sports and dating will give you intimate glances of the lives of the princes. The closer the two of you get, the more quotes you can extract from them. Collect these quotes and ask other princes to recite them for a different flavor. [from Play-Asia]
Gameplay Screenshots: Tennis match / Tennis match 2
Official website: http://www.konami.jp/tenipuri/game/doubles/
Platform: DS (2009)
English Reviews: Pending
Available at: Girls, be Gracious! at Amazon
prince of tennis motto gakuensai ds cover48. Tennis no Ouji-sama ~Gakuensai no Ouji-sama~ [has English patch]

Japanese: テニスの王子様 ~学園祭の王子様~
Developer/Publisher: Konami
Story: The Atobe Group has decided to sponsor a school festival which involves local schools’ tennis teams. You are a 14 year old heroine who is in charge of managing a team and the festival. You’ll have to get in contact with the members of the team so they can lend a hand, get to know one another, chat with them, and maybe even develop an intimate relationship with one of them…
Gameplay details: Game lasts 2 weeks. Arrange activities and organize people. Looks like you just roam the map looking for guys to hang out with every day. Hmm, does this really have gameplay?
Gameplay Screenshots: School map / Talking to guy / Minigame
Official website: PS2 (http://www.konami.jp/gs/game/tenipuri/gakuensai/) DS (http://www.konami.jp/tenipuri/game/gakupuri/)
Platform: PS2 (2005) DS (2010)
English Reviews: Pending
Available at: Motto Gakuensai no Oujisama at Amazon
prince of tennis survival ds cover49. Tennis no Ouji-sama Gyutto! Dokidoki Survival Umi to Yama no Love Passion
Japanese: テニスの王子様 ぎゅっと!ドキドキサバイバル 海と山のLove Passion
Developer/Publisher: Konami
Story: The Princes of Tennis are going to an isolated island to train for the National Championships, but on their way, their ship runs into a storm and capsizes. Together with the princes, the captain’s daughter and her friend ride the lifeboats to the island. Choose between the two girls: the captain’s daughter is a gentle, quiet girl while her friend is a lively tomboy. Each has her own way of attracting a prince. Besides dating, get the boys to work. The island has very few supplies, so its up to the princes to learn to use the tools to keep themselves alive.
Gameplay details: Sort-of survival game where you have to find your own water, food, firewood and other essentials (*snf* I miss Lost in Blue). Each day is divided into morning, afternoon and night and you pick what you want to do in each time period. Most of your time is spent finding guys to talk to to get their affection up. You also pick up conversation ‘keywords’ to use in conversations… blah. Blah.
Gameplay Screenshots: Touch system / Conversation choices
Official website: http://www.konami.jp/tenipuri/game/dokisaba_ds/
Platform: PS2 (2006) DS (2011)
English Reviews: Pending
Available at: Gyutto! Dokidoki Survival at Amazon
winter in fairbrook50. The Flower Shop – Winter In Fairbrook [English]
Developer/Publisher: Winter Wolves
Story: The heroine, Natalie, is a college freshman who desperately needs a job for winter break. Thankfully, her roommate, Clara, knows a certain flower shop that could really use an extra pair of hands. And so Natalie heads off to Fairbrook to help with the holiday rush of orders that are pouring in. Unfortunately, she’s kinda lazy, completely scatterbrained, and this is her first job ever. Not really the best combination. Maybe the residents of Fairbrook can help her figure things out.
Gameplay details: Mix between dating sim with farming sim gameplay. Raise your flowers and sell them at the market. Plan how you spend your time with the weekly scheduler. Customize each week, spend time with who you like, or ignore everyone and work all day. Don’t forget to take a break once in a while, or your health will suffer. Relationship system: each character has a relationship value that affects gameplay. [from official website]
Gameplay Screenshots: Flower Garden
Official website: http://www.winterwolves.com/winterinfairbrook.htm
Platform: PC (2011)
English Reviews: Pending
Available at: Click “Buy” on the official website
tokimeki restaurant logo51. Tokimeki Restaurant ☆☆☆
Japanese: ときめきレストラン☆☆☆
Developer/Publisher: Koei-Tecmo/Konami
Story: The story of the game is that you are a girl who just got a job at a cafe which happens to be next to a idol dormitory. In Japan idols are young attractive celebrities that do one or a combination of singing/acting/modeling. In Tokimeki Restaurant (tokires for short) there are two boy musical groups called 3 Majesty and XIP. Both have three members and you meet them all in the intro story. [from VNDB]
Gameplay details: Set in the same Habataki City as some of the Tokimemo Girl’s Side games. Cook, learn new recipes, manage a restaurant, customize your store. The bishies at the dorm next door like to come over to eat, so the better your store is the more you see of them and the nicer the events you get. Doing stuff drains stamina, which refills at a rate of 10 stamina every 10 minutes. Cooking gives you EXP, enough EXP makes you level up and leveling up raises your max stamina. This seems like the kind of game that goes on forever so you never actually get a romantic ending, though… might move to misc section later.
Gameplay Screenshots: In restaurant / In restaurant 2 / Menu / Level up!
Official website: http://www.gamecity.ne.jp/tokires/
Platform: iOS/Android (2013)
English Reviews: Guide to Gameplay
Available at: Google Playstore / App store
vitaminx psp cover52. VitaminX
Japanese: ビタミンX
Developer/Publisher: HuneX/D3 Publisher
Story: The game is set at Seitei Gakuen, an elite private academy that teaches every level from kindergarten until college in Tokyo. Minami Yuuri is starting her second year of teaching here, and she is now moving up from teaching middle school students to the assignment she had sought after: grammar for high school students. Unfortunately, she gets assigned to “Class X,” an infamous group of seniors; it is said that all of their previous teachers have retired due to ulcers or neurosis. Minami must try to reach out to these students and get them into college. Vitamin Y and Vitamin X to Z are fandiscs.
Gameplay details: Your students make stupid comments and you have to use Action Points to either point out the stupidity (tsukkomi, a.k.a. Studying) or just let it slide (through, a.k.a Love). Love raises your student’s love for you, Study improves their grades, so you have to balance the two…I think? But if you go too far in either direction the student’s portrait changes accordingly, which sounds interesting. At the end of every chapter you also take quizzes based on stuff any Japanese high school student would know. Doing well unlocks bonus events and makes your students smarter as well. I’ve passed up on Vitamin X for years because the art turned me off, but now I want to try it.
Gameplay Screenshots: Quiz / Through or Tsukkomi
Official website: http://www.d3p.co.jp/vitamin_x/
Platform: PS2 (2007) DS (2008) PSP (2010) 3DS (2014)
English Reviews: Pending
Available at: Vitamin X Evolution (DS) at Amazon / Vitamin X Evolution Plus (PSP) at Amazon
vitaminz cover53. VitaminZ
Japanese: ビタミンZ
Developer/Publisher: HuneX/D3 Publisher
Story: Sequel to Vitamin X. Takes place five years after the original. Kitamori Manami is assigned the F class in 3rd year, the so-called “Class Z”, which also has its lot of problem children. Vitamin X to Z and Vitamin Z Graduation are fandiscs.
Gameplay details: Same as the previous game. Your student makes a stupid comment and you either show Love or make him Study. Same quizzes at the end of every chapter as well.
Gameplay Screenshots: Through or Tsukkomi
Official website: http://www.d3p.co.jp/vitamin_z_revo/ (watch out for annoying music)
Platform: PS2 (2009) PSP (2010) 3DS (2013)
English Reviews: Pending
Available at: VitaminZ Revolution (PSP) at Amazon / VitaminZ Revolution (3DS) at Amazon
vitamin r cover54. VitaminR
Japanese:
Developer/Publisher: HuneX/D3 Publisher
Story: Nishino Yuuna is an ordinary girl who lives in Shirakaba city that is known for it’s music talents and elite Avenir Music School. Though she knows nothing about music, she enjoys listening to daily practices of Avenir students she can hear through the windows of library she works at. But one day Yuuna’s called to become a teacher of a group full of genius troublemakers from a special class R known as W6 (The Bad 6). Her goal is to make at least one of them graduate in a period of year. And so, her new life  begins… [from VNDB]
Gameplay details: Same as Vitamin X and Z. Choose whether to ignore or chastise your student when they say something stupid. Your choice either makes them smarter or makes them love you more, because you obviously can’t have both. Ah, Japan. And yes, the chapter-ending quizzes are back again. The only new thing is a lottery whenever you load up the game that gives you some kind of bonus or another.
Gameplay Screenshots: Quiz question / Lottery
Official website: http://www.d3p.co.jp/vitamin_r/ (watch out for obnoxious music)
Platform: PSP (2013)
English Reviews: Pending
Available at: Vitamin R at Amazon / Vitamin R at Play-Asia

8 thoughts on “Otome games with life simulation gameplay

  1. Rae says:

    Thanks for this list :3c

    I admit I played quite a few retro titles lol. Would something like Princess maker count? Technically you’re her father role but most of the time your daughter would date different people depending on the route.

  2. Davzz says:

    That opening paragraph made me spit my coffee.

    Well, actually I don’t drink coffee so my soda.

  3. Rae says:

    Almost forgot what about the Tokimemo: Girl’s side games?

  4. madao says:

    I’ve played the original Heart no Kuni no Alice PC game and there’s no gameplay, it’s your basic visual novel, so perhaps you can strike them off the list ^^;

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