Note, these are not reviews, rather recommendations so your mileage may vary with some of these titles. This week’s post will include a brief synopsis and links to each game so you can add them to your gaming library! You don’t have to break the bank to enjoy your hobbies, so save a little bread and check out this week’s thrifty gaming picks!
Nekopara – Catboys Paradise
- Publisher: NekoWorks
- Genre: Comedy | Romance | Kinetic Novel
- Cost: Free
- Where to Play: Steam
Your grandfather has recently passed away and you end up inheriting his café and house. You intend to keep the café running as a tribute to your grandfather, but you have no idea as to where to start. That’s when a school gets in touch with you and asks if you are willing to host some trainees who have some experience in running a café. You take the offer without much hesitation. To your surprise, however, the trainees are not four humans but four humanoid cats! Humanoid cat workers aren’t that rare these days, but this is still your first interacting with one. And thus, your story begins as you work alongside four catboys!
– Synopsis
Nekopara – Catboy Paradise is a short fantasy otome game developed by NekoWorks and published by Sekai Project. The game started life as an April Fool’s joke, but after overwhelming interest, NekoWorks decided to make it a reality! While the game is described as being an otome game, Nekopara – Catboy Paradise is a kinetic novel—there are no choices and players can select which of the four routes they’d like to experience. The game features a cast of veteran Japanese voice actors, each of whom lend their voice to the four pursuable catboys. Nekopara Catboy Paradise takes about four hours to complete.
Nekopara – Catboys Paradise Review
Nekopara – Catboys Paradise is proof that if you wish hard enough, dreams really do come true! What started as a 2019 April Fool’s Day joke by Japanese publisher NekoWorks has been made into an actual game—live out all your catboy fantasies in this fun otome release!
Alkahest
- Publisher: Split Fate Studios
- Genre: Dungeon-punk | Suspense | Mystery
- Cost: Name Your Own Price
- Where to Play: Windows, Mac, and Linux
For Mello Kurosol, disaster is always one bad customer away.
When Logan Apollo, business partner to unlicensed alchemist Mello Kurosol, returns all wrong from a job far outside Lore City limits, Mello must brew deadly potions for the malicious entity possessing Logan’s body before time runs out.
Engage your friend in conversation to unwind the mystery of his capture, and brew your way out of a dire hostage situation before your alchemy lab becomes your tomb.
-Synopsis
Alkahest is a short 18+ dungeonpunk visual novel developed by Split Fate Studios. Take on the role of Mello Kurosol, an unlicensed alchemist caught in a dangerous cat and mouse game with an entity currently possessing the body of their friend. Your choices will determine who lives and who dies in this thrilling slow burn adventure. Through conversations with your companion, uncover more about the world and the truth behind the identity of your captor. Brew potions to appease your captor before the end of the night, but beware, one wrong move could mean the end for you and countless others.
Melanin Friendly Games – Alkahest
Alkahest is a bit different from the games I usually cover here, combining the gritty tone and storytelling of the steampunk and even, cyberpunk genres and applies it to the heroic fantasy world in an all new (or at least to me) narrative genre, dungeon-punk.
War of Roses
- Publisher: Jellyfish Parade
- Genre: Drama | Slice-of-Life | Romance
- Cost: Name Your Own Price
- Where to Play: Windows, Mac, & Linux
Rose [renameable] is ready to inherit her family’s five generation owned flower shop. Unfortunately, this generation of the shop is running low on funds and the lack of financial success has caused her grandfather to prepare for their family business to be signed over to the mega-corporation FloraCorp.
Save the flower shop! Romance a delivery guy, a CEO or a male model!
-Synopsis
War of Roses is a short slice-of-life indie otome/dress up game developed by Jellyfish Parade. Take on the role of Rose as she attempts to save her family’s flower shop while juggling the affections of three very different men. War of Roses incorporates elements of a dress up game, giving players a chance to not just customize the MCs physical appearance, but also her clothing to suit the needs of the story. Your choices throughout will raise affection with the love interests and earn you new clothing items to add to your wardrobe.
War of Roses Indie Otome Review
War of Roses is a short slice-of-life indie otome/dress up game developed by one of my absolute fave indie developers, Jellyfish Parade. Take on the role of Rose as she attempts to save her family’s flower shop by entering in a local flower competition.
That’s it for this week’s thrifty buys, but, don’t worry I’ll have more titles for in next week’s post, so be on the look out for that next Thursday! But, if all that extra money you saved is burning a hole in your pocket and you just can’t wait for next week’s list, definitely check out some of my previous Thrifty Gaming posts, there are tons of games for gamers who like me are ballin’ on a budget!
Thank you for reading and Supporting Blerdy Otome! If you like what you see be sure to drop a like or a comment to let me know your thoughts on this week’s Thrifty Picks!!
