This is one blog I’ve been meaning to write because I find myself getting asked for otome recommendations every so often! So today I’m going to share with you some of my favorite otome games. No need to worry about spoilers as I will keep things broad.
I’ll also include my own personal best boys and favorite routes which, surprisingly, don’t always overlap. Remember that this is all a matter of opinion, folks!
Hatoful Boyfriend / Hatoful Boyfriend Holiday Star
The game that started it all! And by that, I mean my dive into the world of otome. Back in 2012, otome was way less accessible (especially since I didn’t own a PS Vita). I happened upon a Cracked article about the “Weirdest Dating Sims” out there and Hatoful Boyfriend was listed on it. I adore birds and desperately needed a laugh since I was struggling with the death of my beloved childhood cat so I hunted down the free demo. However, when Mr. Nanaki the quail told me that he felt it was better to love everyone around you just a little bit so it wouldn’t hurt so much when you lost them…I knew this game was so much deeper than a “weird dating sim” and asked my mom if she could buy me the full version off of a shady website (it would not be available on Steam until years later). One credit card flagging later, I had it!!
In Hatoful Boyfriend, you find yourself as the sole human student at St. PigeoNation’s, an avian academy for gifted birds. Despite its comical premise, the game has a dark underbelly and each character comes equipped with their own devastating backstory. There is so much emotion in this game and the writing that you will soon forget that you’re looking at frozen images of pigeons and start projecting your own emotions into their beady little eyes. The game is on the short side, but I believe its sheer memorability makes up for it.
I would also highly recommend Hatoful Boyfriend Holiday Star, the sequel/fandisk. While it doesn’t have the branching routes of its predecessor, it’s still an immensely enjoyable experience, especially if you’ve grown affinity for the cast. I also loved the life lessons found within it and carry them with me to this day.
I’d recommend Hatoful Boyfriend to any fan of Band Camp Boyfriend because this is where the game got its roots. This is the only game on the list that I played before starting work on Band Camp Boyfriend. Both games have that humorous yet dark tone, and I learned about the various tropes found within otome through this pigeon parody. It often goes on sale on Steam for just a few bucks. I would highly recommend grabbing it or adding it to your wishlist. I often joke, “Best $6 I ever spent!” …Or my mom ever spent. Thanks Mom!
Best Bird: Sakuya Shirogane Le Bel.
Probably not the most popular bird, but this fancy fantail’s story hit hard, especially since it was about his love of music. I’m also a sucker for snooty rich boy tsunderes. I appreciate how he steps up and becomes a man (er, bird) of action when things turn dire. He definitely contains main character energy. His flirty brother Yuuya is a close second.
Favorite Route: Bad Boys’ Love.
The final route of Hatoful Boyfriend is unmatched. After an insane twist, the plot really goes off the rails, but in a good type of way. Everybirdie shines in this tear-inducing rollercoaster of a final route.
Purchase Hatoful Boyfriend Here.
Purchase Hatoful Boyfriend Holiday Star Here.
Code Realize: Guardian of Rebirth
This is my favorite otome game I’ve played to this day! I was so thrilled when it finally came to Switch in 2020 because I had heard so many good things about it. I danced as that opening played, I was so excited! And it did not disappoint. I hope that one day I’ll be able to encounter another game like this that makes me feel things.
In Code Realize, you play as Cardia, a girl with poisonous skin that burns away anything it touches. She awaits the return of her father in an isolated mansion, with few memories of anything else, but who should come for her but the mysterious phantom thief, Arsene Lupin! From there, she meets other literary heroes from the public domain: the genius engineer Impey Barbicane, sweet scientist Victor Frankenstein, vampire hunter Abraham Van Helsing, and the mysterious Count Saint Germain.
There are so many things I love about this game! One aspect I really enjoyed is the main character, Cardia, who grows from an emotionless doll into a strong woman who learns about the world around her and finds love in her heart. Sometimes, otome games choose to create blank slate protagonists with little to no personality so that you can “project” your own upon them. I find this somewhat unrealistic and would much rather have a well-rounded character with her own story and emotions. Cardia’s development helped contribute to my enjoyment of the game.
Every love interest loves and supports Cardia, even if you don’t choose him. Their chemistry with one another is also super fun and just as enjoyable as the romantic moments with Cardia. I also like how each route is unique, with a different villain. My one little nitpick is that some routes could have used a little bit more fluff! But I suppose there is plenty of time for feelings to form in that long common route.
Best Boy: Impey Barbicane.
It’s a razor thin margin between Impey and Saint Germain (who happens to be my sister’s favorite), but I managed to break the tie by asking myself who I would bring to life, hahaha. Impey’s positive outlook on life is so admirable and he never fails to make me laugh! His ability to withstand roasts is also quite impressive, since he is often the butt of his friends’ jokes, but he handles everything with a cheeky smile or joking complaints. Whenever I’m overly anxious, I try to imagine Impey cheering me on because he’s just that much of a positive force!
Favorite Route: Saint Germain.
His route was such a rollercoaster and quite possibly the only one to ever make me cry (not counting Band Camp Boyfriend because that makes me cry all the time). It was terrifying, it was romantic, and his story felt so unique.
Code Realize has two fandisks: Future Blessings and Wintertide Miracles. I really enjoyed Future Blessings, the second installment. Wintertide Miracles is worth grabbing if you adore the cast and want to see more of them, but my favorite part of it was the two-on-one dates.
Look at that, they’re all currently on sale for 50% off! What a steal!
Amnesia: Memories
This game is often considered the “baptism by fire” among the otome community and can often be grabbed for cheap during Steam sales. After Hatoful Boyfriend, I scraped the Internet for tastes of otome, playing free demos or painstakingly logging into My Candy Love each day to build up action points. I consider Amnesia to be my first “official” otome in which I was able to play the whole game and romance real men rather than pigeons or half-animals (sorry Dandelion: Wishes Brought to You).
As the title suggests, you one day wake up without your memories, face to face with a young spirit named Orion, who apologizes for colliding into your soul and knocking all your memories and personality right out of you. Remember how I mentioned the blank slate protagonist earlier? This girl is a good example of that! A lot of players have expressed frustration for her tendency to be a confused doormat with little reaction to things, but honestly, I don’t find myself complaining about it? They give a good reason as to why her personality is numbed. You have Orion there to provide fantastic commentary on everything. I also think it’s quite impressive the writers worked around such a quiet, unengaged protagonist. I love to complain, but this nameless heroine is not one of my targets.
The plot here is much simpler than the other games on this list, but it still holds your attention as you work to regain your memories and figure out your relationship to the cast around you. I adore the soundtrack, particularly the songs with relaxing piano, and I find the sketchy backgrounds so unique. They suit the mood as you try to find your way in this strange world you have no memory of.
Best Boy: Ikki.
Poor Ikki usually comes in last place on popularity polls, but he’s still my favorite! I tend to love the flirty boys and was immediately entranced by his eyes when he first appeared. I also found myself desperate for more kindness while playing this game (some of the boys are so cruel to this poor girl), and Ikki showed more kindness than anyone. One scene that really stuck with me was his drunken phone call in which all his feelings come through. I also might have enjoyed a certain bad ending a little too much!
Favorite Route: Ukyo.
Ikki might be my personal favorite, but Ukyo is truly the best match for the heroine of the story. He’s a tragic figure, a sweet little cinnamon roll, and a modest final route boy that did not disappoint with his story.
Purchase Amnesia: Memories Here.
As a funny side note, Discord mistook this game for Amnesia: The Dark Descent and told everyone that’s what I was playing. I had multiple people messaging me how brave I was. Ahaha um…yeah…sure.
To be fair, you have to be very brave to play Toma’s route.
Collar x Malice
Collar x Malice is a crime drama that I was very excited to see come to the Switch not long after Code Realize did! While I did have some major issues with the plot, and felt a lot of routes/characters didn’t live up to their full potential, I still enjoyed the ride so I’ll put it on the list.
In this story, you play as officer Ichika in a crime-riddled Shinjuku that is currently living under threat from the terrorist group, Adonis. One day, you’re kidnapped by Adonis and they put a deadly collar on your neck that listens to your every move and can kill you at any moment. That’s when you meet a group of attractive men working in a detective agency, investigating the terrorist group separate from your police organization.
I was super thrown for a loop going from Code Realize, where the men treat you like a princess, to Collar x Malice, where all of the men treated me like a suspicious criminal at first! But just like Code Realize, the cast interactions were very fun to watch. I often see Ichika receiving a lot of criticism for being a bit of a pushover and only knowing how to cook, but there are way worse offenders in the genre where all they do is cook and clean (COUGH Liliana from Piofiore COUGH Ceres from Virche Evermore), but at least my girl Ichika is out here firing a gun and getting drunk at a bar! Some routes she does act like more of a pushover while in others she has more bite, which is definitely preferred.
Best Boy: Okazaki.
I love this soft marshmallow with the rock-hard abs. When all of the other guys are treating you suspiciously and holding you at arm’s length, he takes your hand and walks you home. As an added bonus, he’s voiced by the great Yuki Kaji.
Favorite Route: Shiraishi…almost had it.
He could have even had the crown of best boy. I was so blown away by his route, the writing, the pacing, the slow perfect burn of romance…only for the whole thing to be thrown into the trash by a last-second plot twist and a dissatisfying “good” end. I was ready to declare this the best route I had ever played. Instead, I could barely look at Shiraishi after the writers of his route betrayed me. So I guess I’ll give Okazaki favorite route!
Purchase Collar x Malice Here.
I’ll be honest, I have brainrot for one of the undateables in this game, but I won’t go giving the best boy crown to someone without a route even though I was very tempted to! He just had so much potential…sigh.
Variable Barricade
I’ve mostly recommended older games so far, but here’s a newer one for you! Though Variable Barricade’s routes weren’t the most memorable and certain topics weren’t handled with sensitivity, I adore the art style and think this game certainly made the top 3 for number of laughs! I was especially going through a rough time with some post-surgery health problems and the lighthearted laughs were extra appreciated. This game helped take my mind off things.
In it, you play as spoiled rich girl Hibari, who was actually quite memorable with her tsundere personality and full voice acting! Her eccentric grandpa declares that she needs to get married and presents her with four problematic suitors that she is now going to live with. I honestly think this would make a fun and whacky rom-com anime. There are a ton of silly moments, romantic CGs, and ADORABLE chibis!
This one wasn’t received super well by the otome fandom. I think a lot of people had complaints about the flawed characters and these otome men actually reminded them too much of real men!! Wow! But hell, I love flawed characters and at the end of the day, this is fiction and otome men can’t hurt me…unless their name is Shiraishi. Dangit.
Best Boy: Shion.
I feel like Shion was done dirty by his route, but I really enjoyed his character. He’s so gentle and patient, but not without his flaws. He’s easy on the eyes. His theme song is as beautiful and calming as he is. And he’s a plant dad.
Favorite Route: Common Route.
Like I said earlier, I don’t think the main routes are anything to write home about. The conflict and romance wasn’t my favorite. Instead, I most enjoyed the common route in which you just hang out and experience all the chaotic shenanigans of living with a bunch of crazy guys!
Purchase Variable Barricade Here.
That’s all I’ve got! Thanks for listening to me ramble on about my favorites. Good luck finding your next favorite otome game–it’s out there somewhere!
Lovebird Game Studios | Official Site 