Piofiore: Fated Memories Review

Piofiore: Fated Memories is wild y’all and I can’t believe I’ve been missing out on all the hype! I mean, who doesn’t want a group of hot Mafia boys fighting over them? So, with its sequel, Piofiore: Episodio 1926 coming out later on this month, I finally sat down and finished Fated Memories! With its intense, action packed story and complex characters, this is definitely an otome game that’ll keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. Follow Liliana, as her peaceful life in the church is thrown into chaos, when she is pulled into the conflict between three of Burlone’s most powerful crime families. Delve into the seedy underbelly of the city and get to know the dangerous men that run Burlone, and along the way uncover secrets that could change the fates of everyone.

Game Details

• Genre: Action | Romance | Mystery
• Rating: ESRB M
• Developer & Publisher: Otomate & Aksys Games
• Where to Get the Game: Aksys Games | Amazon | Nintendo eShop
• Similar Games: OZMAFIA | BUSTAFELLOWS | Collar x Malice

Story

Many secrets lie dormant in this town…

During the 1920’s, as the world is beginning to recover after World War I, the protagonist lives in a town in southern Italy known as Burlone. The area is controlled by three criminal organizations commonly knows as the Burlone Mafia. Our protagonist, living peacefully in the city finds herself unexpectedly dependent on one of the families.

Why is she being targeted? What do they want with her?

Unknowingly a key player in the deadly turf wars, she is thrown into the midst of the extraordinary….

Piofiore: Fated Memories Characters 

In Piofiore: Fated Memories there are five love interests (and one secret unlockable LI): Nicola Francesca, Gilbert Redford, Dante Falzone, Yang, and Orlok. At the start of the game only Dante and Nicola’s routes are open, but after you finish one of those, Yang and Orlok’s routes unlock. After you finish those four routes, then Gilbert’s route is available to play. Then, after you finish all of those routes the Finale and the Secret LI routes are available (they are offshoots of Gil’s route so it makes sense story wise). The recommended play order is Nicola, Yang, Orlok, Dante, Gilbert, and then the Finale/Secret LI. But, I switched out Dante and Orlok and there was no issue with the flow of the story—though I will say any route you play after Yang will seem lackluster in comparison.

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Nicola Francesca (VA. Ryohei Kimura)

Nicola is Dante’s cousin and the second in command of the Falzone family. He and Dante were raised together and have a strong brotherly bond, with Nicola especially treating Dante like a baby brother. Fiercely loyal and protective of Dante, Nicola will lay down his life for the family and he isn’t above getting his hands dirty if the situation calls for it. Nicola is known for being a bit of a flirt, though we never actually see his womanizing ways in the game. He is one of the most approachable and least threatening looking LIs in the game, but with his ever present smile it’s kind of hard to know what he’s really thinking. He doesn’t really let others get too close, but once you break through his defenses he’s really quite sweet and 100% a tease.

Nicola isn’t my cup of tea, but he and Lili had some sweet genuine moments and I love how he lets himself be vulnerable with her throughout his route.

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Yang (VA. Nobuhiko Okamoto)

Yang is the leader of the Lao-Shu and one of the most dangerous men in Burlone. While the Falzone and the Visconti have a code of honor when it comes to running their criminal enterprises, Yang has no such sentiments, running the Lao-Shu based on his whims. You never really know what his true goals are and he will not hesitate to throw someone in the line of fire just because he can. He is literally what happens when someone’s Id goes unchecked. Yang lives life in the moment and most of his actions can be seen as cruel, but when he does take an interest in someone he can be extremely possessive (and affectionate(?)). This is probably the steamiest route in the game, though, some of the intimate moments have dubious consent (at best) so be mindful of that.

I honestly thought I’d hate Yang, he’s a bad guy and he doesn’t pretend to be anything else, he shows Lili his worst and doesn’t care how she perceives him. But, there’s something kind of appealing about a guy that could literally take me out without warning and I kinda appreciate his honesty.

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Orlok (VA. Toshiyuki Toyonaga)

Not much is known about Orlok other than he acts as an informant for the Burlone crime families. He always seems to be in the background of everything going on in the city and he possesses an almost inhuman fighting ability. He is a man of few words and he can be a bit naïve about the ways of the world, but he occasionally reveals that he knows more about Liliana and her connection to the Falzone than he initially lets on. Orlok is extremely pious and takes his faith very seriously, which is a point of connection between him and Lili. He can be a sweetheart, but when Lili is in danger he won’t hesitate to kill to protect her.

So, Orlok is the youngest LI of the bunch and while he’s cute he seems to be a bit too innocent—which is perfect for Lili, since she’s lived a pretty sheltered life and could do with someone more on her level. But, on the flipside I couldn’t take Orlok seriously as an LI, he felt more like someone’s kid brother. Though, his route definitely had me bawling the most.

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Dante Falzone (VA. Kaito Ishikawa)

Despite his young age, Dante is the head of the Falzone family. While he is a capable leader and respected by the rest of the family, he is very aware of his own shortcomings and works had to be worthy of the title. He is loyal to the family and leads his mean the level-headedness one would expect of someone in his position, and at times he can go a bit overboard to maintain his strong tough-guy act. But deep down, Dante is a sensitive and caring man who prefers sweets and cakes to bitter espresso.

Dante just fell flat for me, he’s much more subtle with his affections and after the rollercoaster that is Yang’s route, he was very underwhelming in comparison. Don’t get me wrong, he is sweet as pie and one of the most caring LIs in the game. It just takes too long for things to “heat up” between him and Lili (though for those in the know, Dante’s dick is 100% the 8th Sacrament).

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Gilbert Redford (VA. Showtaro Morikubo)

Gil is the progressive, charismatic leader of the Visconti family. Unlike Dante who inherited his position, Gil earned his through his own efforts. He is brimming with confidence and good vibes, and he isn’t really big on tradition. Gil has a strong sense of justice and he has a deep love for the city of Burlone and its people. He is beloved by all and is always there for a laugh and a good time. Gil is respected by his men and the people of Burlone and always makes time to walk around town and chat up the locals. He is extremely generous regularly donating to the church and when he needs odd jobs done he turns to the poor, paying them much more than expected. Gil is a perfect gentleman, he is respectful of others and ALWAYS asks for consent with his partners!

I LOVE Gilbert Redford, he is the perfect LI, PERFECT. He is the only LI that doesn’t just snatch Lili off the street, he gives her a choice and he is always careful to respect her wishes and keep her informed of what’s going on. He is a big ol’ softie and he is super sweet. Gil is just such a lovable dork. They really saved the best for last.

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Secret Character Route

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Liliana Adornato

Has been living at the church for as long as she can remember. Becomes involved with the Burlone Mafia due to a certain incident… Has little to no knowledge of her family or childhood. 

Piofiore Fated Memories Review

There is a lot to take in with Piofiore: Fated Memories and trust me when I say it more than earns it’s ESRB M rating. It’s about the Mafia, so there are more than a few violent situations, characters can and will die (especially in the Bad and Tragic ends) and there are a few intimate scenes that fell more into the dubious consent category. Yang’s route was especially bad about consent early on since he kind of just takes what he wants without bothering with asking. So, a lot of his steamier encounters with Lili can feel a bit icky. He does get better as the route progresses, but there is always that underlying consent issue. But, the worst offenders are the Bad ends which do not hold back on some of the more triggering stuff, so please tread with caution.

On the flipside of that I love that Piofiore doesn’t shy away from the darker elements. This is a game about dangerous men, you expect a bit moral ambiguous-ness. All of the LIs (except Orlok) are criminals, they run crime families and they are not shy about the things that they do. Most of the LIs have a strong moral code so they go out of their way to not intentionally put Lili in harms way, but then there are others *cough* Yang *cough* who don’t care if she gets dinged up a bit.

In Yang’s route he takes Lili on a ship full of trafficked women like it’s nothing and in Dante and Orlok’s route you see them kill more than a few folks in broad daylight most of the time. So, if you’re expecting something cute and sweet and full of fluff, this ain’t the game for you fam. But for all the sus stuff the guys do there are plenty of sweet moments. Like Dante secretly buying Lili a kitty so she won’t be lonesome at the Falzone estate or just about everything Gil does in his route—he is the perfect otome LI.

Granted for all potentially uncomfortable situations, Piofiore is a damn good story that will have you eagerly clicking along! The game hits the ground running, Lili is snatched from her comfortable life at the church and thrust into the dangerous world of Burlone’s Mafia. She becomes privy to the innerworkings of their enterprises and has to navigate the delicate relationship the Mafia has with the city of Burlone. Sure Lili is a bit naïve and she goes in expecting the best of everything, but that doesn’t mean she takes everything lying down. She has a strong sense of self and despite being in the company of the most dangerous men in Burlone, she doesn’t hesitate to speak her mind and that really made Lili work where other heroine fell flat.

Of course she isn’t completely removed from everything and she does have her own special role to play in events. There is more to her than meets the eye and the closer she gets to the Mafia the closer she gets to the truth about her identity and the secrets of Burlone. Spoiler Alert: It involves the church. I am a sucker for good worldbuilding and lore and the writers do a fantastic job of fully immersing us in this world. I found myself wanting to know more even if that meant staying up into the wee hours of the morning.

The Verdict: So, is Piofiore: Fated Memories Worth Playing?

Absolutely! Piofiore: Fated Memories more than lives up to the hype. This a much more mature story with plenty of twists and turns to keep you on clicking till the very end. All of the love interests were a lot of fun, yes, even the ones I wasn’t fond of, and I liked seeing them pop up in each other’s routes in supporting roles. While the story can get pretty dark, there were more than enough romantic and lighthearted moments to balance out all the angst. But, if you’re going to play Piofiore be mindful of the content warnings. All in all I had a great time with Piofiore: Fated Memories and I can’t wait to dive into Piofiore: Episodio 1926!

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