Cardinal Cross, Ascension, the ascension sequel that got dropped, the one modern hacker game that got dropped, what I’ve seen of Oathbreaker has some similar characteristics…
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I agree that the author follows similar patterns in all her stories, but in my personal opinion, Oathbreaker is better and you should give it a try. You’ll find similarities, yes, but Oathbreaker’s MC has very valid reasons to be edgy (unlike Cardinal Cross’ MC, for example, who I found completely obnoxious). The plot is also way better than in the other games, and the art in OB2 is gorgeous. And the music!
Mind you, I share your opinion that the same things over and over get old fast, and I would love to see something that wasn’t so similar to her other works. I did love Ascension when it was released, although the writing has aged poorly and I’m sure it’s much better in the remake. I was very disappointed with CC for several reasons, but Oathbreaker makes me really happy in general. I encourage you to give it a chance 
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Agreed, Mim, you know how much I dunked on CC back in the day, also Ascension, but OB is like the redeeming act lmao. This MC is honestly great, and with this one you can tone down the sarcasm and sassiness quite a lot through the different role playing choices. The romances are also great, some are even rather… surprising, ah. And while the art on OB is pretty meh, the upgrade on OB2 is to die for.
Also, both games have a nsfw version with interactive sex scenes lmfao. I would actually recommend the nsfw version to like… everyone, because the conversations they have during them are honestly very emotional and vulnerable one way or another?
To give an example, on OB2 I am doing multiple playthroughs, one of them consisting of romancing two of the ROs at the same time because I like pain. And oh god, it hurts so much, especially during the sex scenes. Like, the things Virion says to you during them if you are romancing him and someone else are a punch to the gut. Also, is worth noting there are exclusive CGs and scenes that belong to this type of path and boy, do they hurt like a bitch. As well, the dialogues on the scenes change if you have certain characters as your main romance, so for example, you wouldn’t get the same dialogues on the NSFW scenes if your main RO is Virion and are also romancing the King, vs the other way around.
Lots of choices to explore and regret, no doubt!
Edit: Forgot to mention that OB one has an exclusive scene on the NSFW version for Raelan that honestly… it shouldn’t be locked behind that, considering the author insists on how the NSFW are just extras and don’t affect the romance at all. It is a HUGE scene for that romance that really shines a very different light on his character, and not being able to play some type of variation for it on the SFW version does feel very lacking.
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XD Ahhh my girls Mei and Kir.
Y’all know how fussy I am, I tried the OB demo and kinda shat on it in the beginning, but I guess I’ll give it an eye?
I trust y’all. XD 
Thanks peeps.
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Here I go browsing through itch.io again for otome games. Here’s what I came across that I think may be of interest.
When an ordinary college student witnesses the death of a young woman, she is thrust into a world she never knew existed – a world alongside her own filled with magic, danger, and a cast of unbelievable characters. Forced to take the place of the woman she tried to save, she must prove herself by passing the trials of the Radiant Council or risk losing her memories forever.
It’s a stat raiser, though from what the creater said, that will not close you off or negatively negatively impact the romances. So far the ROs only seem to be men, but they said they’re considering adding the roommate as an option. So here’s to hoping that becomes a reality. 
The hero’s journey
You are a hero; the Hero, in fact, who has just put an end to the Villain terrorising the island, ending your long quest. But you remember nothing of it; not the quest, not the woman claiming to be your fiancée, not your amazing deeds and immense riches. Five years have been wiped clean from your mind. When the Villain’s minions continue to cause trouble, you must travel once more, this time in search of your forgotten memories. But the more you remember, the less the stories ring true.
The Hero’s Journey is a visual novel/otome set in a medieval fantasy setting. It’ll feature two separate routes that, while following the same journey, will offer different choices and a different set of companions.
I’m always on the lookout for more adult themed otome games so this one caught my interest. Enjoyed the atmosphere of the demo.
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Not sure if it was rec’d already but A Tale of Crowns on itchio is a pretty solid fantasy/romance IF that updates every couple of months. Chap 6 was just released and the game is slated to be free afaik
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My Vow to My Liege is a really great game! I personally really love how independent and strong the mc is! Its also not as expensive as other vn, so its worth the money!
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After five years this one has finally been released. It looks like they did a really nice job
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So romance club has some great games released. While these games have paid choices I don’t want anyone to pay. Romance Club is pretty generous on the diamonds. If you keep logging in once a day, they will give you 6 diamonds per day. You can also watch an advertisement every 2 hours to get 2 diamonds. They update every 6 weeks so it’s easy to accumulate enough diamonds to not pay for your choices. I like romance club because I feel like your choices do mostly matter.
Here are a few:
In shadows of Saintfour, your character comes back to a town that she hasn’t been in 10 for a funeral. It’s a supernatural thriller with a touch of horror. You go flash back to when she was a teenager, find out the paranormal things that happen in that town and find out you left town 10 years ago.
" Laia Burnell , a fine art restorer, is on holiday in Bucharest, Romania, with her sister Millie. She is tasked by her boss to pick up some 15th-century Ottoman paintings from a museum. When she touches the paintings, she travels back in time to 1444 (and subsequently to 1446 and 1448) and finds herself at the court of Sultan Murad, in the body of his niece, Lale Khatun . There, she meets Vlad and Aslan, who bear a striking resemblance to people she knows in her present life."
This one is one of the most popular games and it’s finished:
" I died and got into the Angels and Demons Academy. Hellish lectures, angelic guys, and a temptation to break Heaven’s rule - what else awaits in this fantastical yet dangerous world?"
Legend of the willow is a gorgeous game and one of my favorite games:
" This story follows a young woman who is learning to become a Geisha in Japan. During an intimate ritual Mei accidentally transforms into a fox discovering that she is a Kitsune. Now she will have to learn to how to control her new magic ability while being chased by humans and other mysterious forces."
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I’m unsure if anyone has posted about Maybe: Interactive Stories before, but they’re a VN portal mobile app. There’s not a ton of stories yet (unlike, say, Chapters), but on the flip side it’s easy to read everything if you’re a completionist. The stories vary in art style and narrative quality, which is nice because you can pick something depending on your mood.
My only major quibble is that, while it’s free-to-play, you must pay to win. If you don’t choose the paid options, you can’t get any of the happy endings for your PC, and the bad endings are…super bad. Like “PC and/or the love interests die horribly” bad. I read one where your favorite love interest got obliterated from existence. Yikes. Because the game’s library is on the smaller end and the paid options are expensive (each paid option is 12-34 in-game currency, with 2-4 paid options per episode), it’s difficult to grind. I’m good at grinding, and I’m struggling to get enough currency for 2 books, let alone the 7 I’d love to not die in.
On a happier note, art pretty
From The Sweetest Thing, a rivals-to-lovers bakers mlm romance
From Flower Lane: A Record of Romance, a wlw sweet college romance. Yurimother reviewed it here, and there’s a sequel releasing now.
The Tyrant’s Bodyguard is a mlm thriller romance where the PC is a bodyguard for a prince on the run. Blurring for extremely naked boyos, but this is my only picture from the game 
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According to the info on their itch storepage, it’s actually got two protagonists, a man and a woman.
Dont know if anyone has mentioned it but here’s a rec for a romance VN Renpy game called Arcade Spirits on steam and here (itch). They have just released a demo for their second game on steam set for a 2022 release.
Character/pronoun customisation and 6 non genderlocked romances in the original. Its a fun and heartfelt game where you start working in a retro arcade and have to fight to keep the arcade and its occupants dreams alive, and they will fight to help you find your dream.
(And Percy is my teddy bear)
Just finished playing through the demo for The Dream Alchemist. Had a good time. And I feel pretty equally curious about each love interest. You play as a woman with the ability to visit the dreams of people, influence them and learn their secrets. You’re just living in a castle, using your ability…until things get a bit complicated!
Oh and one of the LIs is a man who can transform himself into the body of a cat and his cat form is very cute and I love it so much. He even can’t help but purr in his human form sometimes. 
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Thanks for reccing this, I am such a fan of this setting now.
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Oh hey! The Radiants is my game 
I’m a long time lurker of the COG forums, so my writing style and stat system was influenced a bit by the COG games.
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I used be an absolute otome fanatic and I still like otome games but because I only have a weak PC with some working emulators, my choices are limited. But my all time favourites are Ayakashi Gohan and Nightshade
Ayakashi Gohan (more info here) doesn’t have a official English release but it does have a full free English patch made by dedicated people (you still need the OG Japanese game tho) It’s pretty and a bit emotional but lighthearted game. Would recommend if you have some spare time, like Japanese mythology and just want to try some new otome game with voice acting~
As for Nightshade (more info here), it’s a bit tragic and deeper story (depending on which route you take) compared to Ayakashi Gohan and also a lengthy one, but I really enjoyed it and I think if you like Japanese historical theme and a bit of dark and tragic plot/concept then you should totally check it out^^
In general you should totally keep an eye out for Japanese official otome games, the more popular/known and old the series, the more likely there will be fantranlations or become localised~ The localised ones are usually released for Playstation consoles and the Switch as of right now but occasionally there will be one for the PC!! Sometimes new Japanese otome mobile games will also have fantranslations^^
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Hey everyone! Hoping all is well with you guys!
I’m a sucker for romance, and i just finished a really good game in that area and i thought it might be a nice addition to this thread!
It’s called Blooming Panic and its free (i can’t believe this at first lol) and finished! Definitely in top 5 of my rank in romance-based game! Hope you’ll enjoy it as much as i do, and if you do, you can share the love with the creator there too 
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Flowering Nightshade, a sequel to Blooming Nightshade, was released on Steam. It is a FxF game for those who care about such things, and even better it is free.
Below is more of a point and click adventure game, but it is also free.
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Oh my God! Thank you for helping me find this gem! I just played nightowl’s route and I’m in love. Such a cool concept, the VA are great, the menu song, the art and the ROs of course. I felt butterflies lol I think I even blushed irl. What a great game for all otome fans! 
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So, little fun thing: Blooming Panic is part of the 2021 Otome Jam, which is filled with a lot of fun, free, simple and sweet otome games! Please check out the other submissions if you’ve got the time, too!
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