We’re headed back to Burlone in Piofiore Episodio 1926 the follow-up to Otomate’s popular action packed, Mafia romance otome, Piofiore Fated Memories! Join Lili and the rest of the Prohibition Avengers as they face old enemies and new foes in this intense sequel. Danger is just around every corner and it will take everything these characters have to finally, FINALLY get their happily ever after! With it’s gorgeous visuals, dark storytelling, and compelling characters, otome gamers don’t want to miss out on Piofiore Episodio 1926!
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
Piofiore Episodio 1926 takes place one year after the events of the first game and follows Liliana and the members of the Burlone Mafia as they tackle new challenges. Return to the city of Burlone and experience three thrilling adventures.
Episodio 1926 －BURLONE－
The stage, following the Great War, in a southern town of Italy known as Burlone. Ruling the town is a triad of criminal organizations known as the Burlone Mafia.
Autumn, 1925… With the incidents that struck the quiet town of Burlone finally resolved, the heroine, Liliana, has been enjoying much-needed peace.
But the following year, 1926…
Still connected to the Burlone Mafia with whom she overcame those trials, she is dragged back into the world of the Mafia once again.
What awaits the Mafia, now facing the changing winds of the times…?
Episodio 1926 －ALTERNATIVA－
The incidents that struck in 1925 ended with the unconfirmed death of the mastermind behind them.
But the following year, 1926…
Burlone enjoys its well-earned peace, or so it seems.
The government and the Church have other plans. Now, a new enemy takes the stage to bring turmoil to the Burlone Mafia. They come together again to face an unknown enemy.
With the heroine at the center, she begins her journey with the Mafia once again.
Episodio 1926 －HENRI－
Days have passed since the end of the incidents that occurred in 1925.
After their escape from Burlone, they spent their peaceful days in France, but they must return to Burlone due to a certain matter of interest.
The story of how they finally fall in love begins.
Piofiore Episodio 1926 Characters
In Piofiore Episodio 1926, the Burlone Mafia boys are back with one addition, Henri gets his own full route. The story is divided into three parts, Episodio Burlone and Episodio Alternativa are both available at the start of the game and feature stories with each of the love interests from the original game. After completing one playthrough of Episodio Alternativa, Episodio -Henri- unlocks.
I recommend playing Episodio Burlone first, because the events of the later half of Alternativa are important in Henri’s route. For the best story flow play the Burlone stories for Gilbert – Orlok – Nicola – Yang – Dante, then Alternativa, and Henri last.
Gilbert Redford (VA. Showtaro Morikubo)
The three criminal organizations are in a truce, bringing about peace in the town of Burlone. Recently, Gilbert has been focusing on his business endeavors working with the Chicago Mafia who are trying to conduct business under the Prohibition.
I love Gil as a character, but his route this time around just did not work for me at all. Without the allure of being a locked route it almost seems like the writers didn’t know what to do with the direction of his character this time around. There is just a LOT going on at once and I think his route could have done with a bit of trimming down.
The story puts a lot of emphasis on Gil wanting to move his operations to Chicago, but it doesn’t really factor in until the very end (which is a waste). There is a bit of out of character relationship drama that seems very out of character for both Lili and Gil. Honestly, Gil really carried this route with his winning personality and I genuinely love how comfortable Lili and Gil are in their relationship (when there isn’t drama), but the rest of it just wasn’t doing it for me. In fact, I liked Gil more as a side character in the other routes than I did in his own story.
Orlok (VA. Toshiyuki Toyonaga)
He was spending his time in peace at the Church after losing his right arm, but when a series of deaths plague Burlone he and Lili are forced to return and face a demon from his past.
One of the biggest improvements from the first game is Orlok! Baby boy still gives me kid brother vibes, but I absolutely loved his route this time around. We get to learn more about his past as a disciple and get to see Orlok really come into his own after finally breaking free from some of his obligations from the first game.
Of course as it is with the rest of the boys he can’t fully escape the mistakes of his past, and his route mostly focuses on him trying clear his ledger and live a normal life with Lili. His relationship with Lili is still stuck in the cute first love phase, but I loved seeing the usually reserved Orlok getting a bit more open with his desires. Also I love how Gil and Oliver kinda adopt Orlok as their son in this route, it’s seriously the cutest thing in this route. (And no, he and Lili do not bump uglies in this route, which is the biggest tragedy, because baby boy earned some nookie.
Nicola Francesca (VA. Ryohei Kimura)
After the Lao-Shu’s demise, he has been working with the Visconti Family to bring peace back to districts that were affected by the conflict, but…
Okay, I will say this once and one only—I have a new respect for Nicola. When he isn’t scheming and slinking around in the shadows he is an absolute sweetheart! He is so affectionate with Lili and I swear he is ALWAYS horny. I think he and Lili spend most of his route in bed and when they aren’t doing the devil’s tango, Nicola constantly giving Lili tough (his love language is 100% physical touch). Now, that said, Nicola can be a bit OVER PROTECTIVE which is just his big bro energy coming through, but lord is he one bad day away from locking Lili in a cage. Also, please protect your hearts, Nicola’s bad ending had me in tears (all the bad ends will), his just HIT different.
Fated Memories hinted that Nicola might not have had the best childhood and oh boy do they make sure to show just how much he went through in 1926. It explains a LOT about why he is the way he is and I honestly felt bad for him. He needs lots of love and affection. He had it rough.
Yang (VA. Nobuhiko Okamoto)
After eliminating the Falzone Family and the Visconti Family, Yang is ordered by the Liu Huang Hui to go to London, but he decides to stay in Burlone. In doing so he faces a much more dangerous threat from his past…
The thing I loved about Yang in the first game is that you never know if he’s gonna fuck your brains out or fuck your life up. The danger is the biggest part of his appeal. And technically he keeps his claws in Episodio 1926, but I dunno, he seems… softer. He’s the same Yang he always is, just “in love”, if you can call what he and Lili have “love” (I mean Lili is in love with him). Their relationship is 80% physical, but there are these moments where he really lets his guard down when they’re together. He’s more like an overgrown kitten than a ferocious lion with Lili… and it’s cute.Like Orlok we learn about Yang’s past and boy did he live a sad life (I’m convinced all these boys need a big hug.
His route has a lot of action and drama, after the events of the first game the Lao-Shu is in the crosshairs of their parent organization. So Yang has to contend with an even crazier person looking to take him down. I didn’t think there was anyone could be wilder than Yang, but new side character, Yuan is on a whole different plane of existence. But, ya know, the chemistry between Yuan and Yang is insane and even when they’re trying to kill each other I couldn’t help but see that as some weird foreplay (I SHIP THEM HARD). ALSO, YANG IN A SUIT IS TOO MUCH FOR MY HEART! I NEED MORE OF IT!
Dante Falzone (VA. Kaito Ishikawa)
After the Lao-Shu’s demise, Dante has been working with the Visconti Family to bring prosparity back to the town of Burlone by bringing peace to the districts affected by Mafia conflicts. But with the changing political climate in Rome, Dante and the Falzone Family find that the days of the Mafia are slowly coming to an end…
Being the boss of the Falzone is rough. Dante cannot seem to catch a break in this route, between navigating Mafia politics, literally fighting fascism, and the church’s BS, he kind of has his hands full. But, unlike in the first game where he keeps his emotions hidden, he is so much more open in his relationship with Lili this time around. To the point it had me wondering where the heck this Dante was in Fated Memories! He skips out on work to spend some extra cuddle time with Lili, he takes her on dates, and he has this super cute side (he’s afraid of birds…BIRDS)! His bromance with Gilbert is my favorite relationship in this game, there’s a point where they have a falling out and Dante actually gets upset. He might not have locked himself in his room with a bucket of ice cream and rom-coms, but it was damn near close.
But, of course when he has to, Dante knows how to handle business! I thought there wasn’t much else to learn about the Key Maiden situation, but this route has a few big reveals in that regard, which I liked.
Henri Lambert (VA. Shinnosuke Tachibana)
After their escape from Burlone, they spent their peaceful days in France, but they must return to Burlone when Henri’s past misdeeds become too great to ignore. A threat from his past threatens to end his budding relationship with Lili and the city of Burlone is caught in the crosshairs.
Okay, Henri’s route is intense and not just regular Piofiore blood and violence, but like pay attention to the content warnings and take breaks intense. This sad French man comes with a lot of baggage and it’s a bit too much. His route starts off on a horrifying high and keeps ramping things up until the end (even in the GOOD END). On paper, Henri and Orlok are very similar, both experienced trauma in their childhoods and are dealing with the consequences of their past actions. But, unlike Orlok who had a decent support system, Henri was left to fend for himself, so he doesn’t quite deal with his trauma in healthy ways. I am going to say this with my whole chest: Henri needs a goddamn therapist and not a girlfriend.
His relationship with Lili is kinda scary, since she spends the whole route trying to “fix him” with the power of love and in order for that to work the writers had to take out a few of the ol’ brain cells. Her entire being is wrapped up in caring for Henri and loving him to health and it’s kind of maddening. The romance is there, and there were some genuinely sweet moments between Henri and Lili, but given his past, I honestly think this route would have been stronger without romance. I honestly feel like Henri is not in a place in his life where he can be in a relationship with anyone. His route makes the conflicts in the other routes look tame in comparison. The writers knew the only way Henri would work as a love interest would be to introduce someone more fucked up than him. And boy do we get the mother of all antagonists in this route. We do learn a lot about his past and his connection to the Key Maiden, but then everything goes off the rails and becomes a murder mystery.
Piofiore Episodio 1926 Review
I am usually wary of sequels, since sometimes there really is nowhere for the characters to go after their original story concludes. That is not the case with the Piofiore series, at the end of each route in the first game, sure Lili and her chosen bae have beat the odds and found love, but everything else is kind of a mess. Sure, there’s a hopeful tone to the best endings with everyone preparing to face their futures with their heads held high together. Many of the routes end with huge casualties and political upheaval, so you know this is just the beginning for Lili and co.
Most of the routes did a great job of creating space for Lili and the love interests to grow from their introduction in the first game. Orlok, Nicola, and Yang especially benefited from having their backstories explored more fully in Episodio 1926. And this goes a long way towards giving context to some of their questionable choices throughout the series. So, if there were some characters you weren’t feeling at the end of Fated Memories trust, you may feel a bit differently this time around. Though, in the case of some characters like Gilbert, I feel like the writers weren’t sure what they wanted to do with the story and the overall route felt kind of bloated and unfocused. But, I love that with the addition of the ARIA side stories, you get a bit of a sneak peek into each love interest’s thoughts during key scenes from the first game!
Lili is once again a bright spot in the story, really coming into her own after the events of the first game. She’s just a normal young woman who has been drawn into this dangerous Mafia world and she always rises to the occasion! She doesn’t let her own insecurities hold her back and I loved seeing her growth in Episodio 1926. I think she is at her weakest in Gil and Henri’s routes because she is a bit too clouded by her love for those two to the point that she makes a few very out of character decisions. But, those hiccups aside, she really has shed some of her innocence and grown into a true woman of the Mafia!
But, where Piofiore Episodio 1926 really shines is with the side characters! Oh my, goodness! Y’all there are so many simp worthy characters to thirst over in this game—some OVERSHADOW the main cast! The side characters have always been especially strong in this series and I’m happy to see they keep that up in the sequel, because having a strong supporting cast really does a lot towards filling out the world and giving more weight to the relationships among the main cast. And while you still can’t date any of them, there are some cute day-in-the-life short stories in the Advent Calendar that lets you spend a bit of time with old favorites like Leo and the Twins (and there are CGs).
This a fully realized world the extends outside of the personal drama of Lili and the Mafia and it’s nice to experience that organically. Some of the strongest moments weren’t the romantic scenes but the more casual everyday interactions between the characters. There is a nice chemistry among the main cast and I love any scenes where they’re all together and their personalities are playing off of each other. The Episodio Alternativa really takes advantage of this by having the Lili and all the Mafia baes teaming up like some Prohibition Era Avengers to solve a gruesome murder mystery. I love when the boys get together and I even outside of Alternativa for mini team ups in the “main” story as well.
The Verdict: So, is Piofiore: Episodio 1926 Worth Playing?
Piofiore Episodio 1926 has a lot to offer and works as a fitting follow-up to the first game. Piofiore Episodio 1926 really ups the ante! If you thought the first game earned it’s Mature rating, I can assure you Episodio 1926 is on another level. The stakes are higher and the bad endings are just plain devastating! Lili and the Burlone Mafia baes have to really earn their happy ending as they contend with even bigger obstacles. From contending with the rise of Mussolini’s fascist regime to the internal politics of Mafia life (and even a bit of romance drama), Burlone is once again at the center of major conflict. And just like in the the first game, not everyone is going to make it to the end alive, so protect your hearts!
I’ve been playing this game and its so fun! My main man Nicola got even better and I’m so happy for it!
Yes! I was not feeling him in the first game, but they mad this man SHINE in 1926!!
Your opinion about the characters sure has changes from your previous review. Gilbert that was the best in your previous review now got side-eye alert, and then Nicola and Dante got everybody horny and best romance instead. Lol
And I can see that everyone is surprised with Yang here, some even asking if this is really Yang. Not that I can blame them, but I am satisfied with how he is in the sequel. (^///^)
And just curious, what do you think about the bad ends in the sequel compared to the original game?
I was surprised too! Gil’s route was just so lackluster this time around. I love Gil, but his route just wasn’t the best. But Dante, Nicola, and Orlok’s routes were really good and I love what they did with the characters in the sequel.
YANG ACTUALLY CATCHES FEELINGS!! LOL I was NOT expecting that at all. But I love him more!
So the bad ends in 1926 were definitely pretty dark, some moreso than in the first game. Henri’s whole route was worse than any bad end in this game or the last. Tho, Nicola’s bad end had me bawling like a baby!