Birushana Rising Flower of Genpei is a historical fantasy otome game developed by Otomate and Red Entertainment, and localized by Idea Factory International. Raised as a man, Shanao is the youngest surviving heir of the… More
Voices of the Community – Game Devs on LGBTQ+ Representation in Games
Hey Blerdy Tribe! It’s Pride Month and that means every site and major company is decked out in all their rainbow colored branding and for one short month the LGBTQ+ community is on the front page of everyone’s newsfeed. It’s a time of celebration for how far the community has come over the years, but also for how wonderfully multifaceted the LGBTQ+ community is and continues to be.
Throughout the month, queer people and stories have been at the forefront of everyone’s consciousness, with companies using queer individuals to promote their products and brands. But, for many in the community they don’t have the luxury of being able to speak on their own behalf or the safety to be their true authentic selves. Or worse, people from outside of the community will do the talking for them…
While we’re making strides to create safe spaces for folks, there is still a ways to go especially in some nerd spaces and fandoms. The gaming sphere is especially notorious for being unkind to folks who aren’t white cishet men. So I’m glad that more folks are starting to branch out and create their own independent projects.
This Pride Month, I wanted to take a step back and create a space for folks from the LGBTQ+ community to speak their truth–because Blerdy Otome is and always will remain a safe space. So, I did a call for Queer game devs/folks working in the gaming industry to participate in an “interview” where they shared their thoughts and their experiences on being queer in the gaming community. The response was overwhelming and I want to thank everyone who lent their voices to this project–you all are the real MVPs! So, enough of me, let’s turn things over to the amazing folks!
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Birushana Rising Flower of Genpei Benkei Musashibo Walkthrough
Official Website: Japanese | English
Where to Buy: Nintendo eShop
General Tips
- Only the Happy End and Tragic Love End have unlockable CGs. All other paths are optional (CW included where necessary)
- Completing Benkei’s Happy End Unlocks Sub Character – Tadanobu End.
- This end unlocks an Other CG.
- Recommended play order: Noritsune Taira ➤ Shungen ➤ Benkei Musashibo ➤ Yoritomo Minamoto ➤ Tomomori Taira
| Benkei Musashibo | Voice Actor | Character Bio |
 | Yuichiro Umehara | Previously a monk at Mount Hiei, Benkei was expelled from that temple after an incident with the Heike. Since then, he has been stealing the swords of Heike officials in response. After being defeated by Shanao, he pledged to become Shanao’s vassal. Kind, gentle, and good-natured, Benkei and Shanao both share a history of growing up in temples and a dissatisfaction with the brutal rule of the Heike. |
Birushana Rising Flower of Genpei Shungen Walkthrough
Official Website: Japanese | English
Where to Buy: Nintendo eShop
General Tips
- Only the Happy End and Tragic Love End have unlockable CGs. All other paths are optional (CW included where necessary)
- Completing Shungen’s Happy End Unlocks Sub Character – Tsugunobu End.
- This end unlocks an Other CG.
- Recommended play order: Noritsune Taira ➤ Shungen ➤ Benkei Musashibo ➤ Yoritomo Minamoto ➤ Tomomori Taira
| Shungen | Voice Actor | Character Bio |
  | Soma Saito | Born a child of Shigenari Minamoto, a vassal of Shanao’s father, Yoshitomo Minamoto, Shungen was brought to Kurama Temple upon the death of his father at the same time as Shanao. Because the two have been together since they were very young, Shungen is aware that Shanao is a woman. Like Shanao, Shungen was raised at Kurama Temple by Kakunichi. While not as skilled with a sword as Shanao, Shungen is extremely bright and well-read. Despite his small stature and kind appearances, Shungen is extremely brave and protective of Shanao. |
Birushana Rising Flower of Genpei Noritsune Taira Walkthrough
Official Website: Japanese | English
Where to Buy: Nintendo eShop
General Tips
- Only the Happy End and Tragic Love End have unlockable CGs. All other paths are optional (CW included where necessary)
- Recommended play order: Noritsune Taira ➤ Shungen ➤ Benkei Musashibo ➤ Yoritomo Minamoto ➤ Tomomori Taira
| Noritsune Taira | Voice Actor | Character Bio |
 | Kengo Kawanashi | Nephew of Kiyomori Taira, and son of Norimori Taira, Noritsune holds nothing but contempt for the soft, decadent clan the Heike has become. Though he may not like the present aristocratic nature of his clan, he takes deep pride in his role as a samurai and is said to be one of the clan’s finest warriors. Unlike Tomomori, Noritsune does not see the gathering storm on the horizon for the Heike. Being the same age as Shanao, he feels a deep sense of competition with her. |
Birushana Rising Flower of Genpei LE Unboxing
Otome gamers are living the dream in 2022! With literally more games than we can play, we are getting fed–and I am here for it! Idea Factory International came out of the gate strong with Cupid Parasite last year, and the announcement of Switch ports for Amnesia Memories and Later x Crowds caught everyone by surprise. But, before that, the lovely folks at IFI are hitting us with the historical fantasy otome game, Birushana Rising Flower of Genpei!
Wanna know more about Birushana? I got you covered!
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Games I’m Most Excited About From Wholesome Games Direct 2022
The Wholesome Direct 2022 showcase dropped this past weekend and with it a whole host of upcoming indie games! This year I participated as one of the Wholesome Games content creator partners by co-streaming the event on my Twitch channel, and y’all I was blown away by all the amazing games on the horizon! But, just in case you missed my live reactions, here are some of the games that I am most excited for from the Wholesome Direct 2022!
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