2022 has been a fantastic year for Western otome fans! We were literally swimming in otome localization releases and announcements and for the first time in forever, I had a hard time keeping up! Voltage Inc surprised us all with their first Switch exclusive otome title, Even If Tempest, and fan favorite publisher Aksys Games did not disappoint announcing games well into 2024! Of course it was a year of ups and downs, but for the most part, the otome fandom in the West has been getting fed! So, I wanted to do a survey to see what games the otome fandom thought were the best of the best in 2022!
I did something similar back in 2021, but for this year’s survey I wanted to expand a bit to include some new categories: Most Romantic, Best Story/Premise, Least Favorite Otome, and Best Indie Otome of 2022. In addition to those categories I thought it would be fun to have folks vote on their favorite otome characters! So there were categories for Favorite Otome Heroine and Favorite LIs (by game).
This was a huge undertaking, so I want to give a huge thank you to everyone that participated and shared the survey! So, let’s get to the results!
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Otome Localizations 2022
Best Overall Otome Localization
This section lists out the top 3 best overall otome releases in 2022 with thoughts from survey participants for these picks!

Birushana Rising Flower of Genpei
- Genre: Historical | Action | Romance
- Rating: ESRB T
- Developer & Publisher: Otomate | Red Entertainment | Idea Factory International
- Where to Get the Game: Nintendo eShop
- Similar Games: Hakuoki | Nightshade | My Vow to Liege

I’ve picked Birushana. While there was a couple of otome games I’ve enjoyed greatly in 2022, I particulary like historical/supernatural themes and this one had it both. MC was awesome character and I loved all LIs, especially Tomomori.
Thoughts on Birushana Rising Flower of Genpei 1
2022 was a great year for otome, but Birushana took the win for me. Shanao (MC) is physically, mentally and emotionally strong. We rarely get to see MCs so well-rounded and heroic. I also genuinely enjoyed all of the LIs and the MC had a strong role in progressing the story in each route.
Thoughts on Birushana Rising Flower of Genpei 2
Birushana caught me by surprise! I do not tend to like historical otomes (I didn’t like nightshade that much at all) as I find them boring but Birushana had me engaged with it’s routes!
Thoughts on Birushana Rising Flower of Genpei 3
Most Romantic & Best Story Otome Localizations
This section also includes Best Romance and Best Story/Premise picks and their runners up! I did not ask for additional feedback from participants on these choices.
Most Romantic
Despite coming in fourth overall in the best localization poll, the mafia boys of Piofiore Episodio 1926 managed steal some hearts, come in first for most romantic otome of 2022.
![]() | Variable Barricade – Aksys 2nd Place – 17.8% votes |
![]() | Lover Pretend – Aksys 3rd Place – 15.7% votes |
Best Story/Premise
Even if Tempest employed a unique linear narrative style that built up to larger overarching story, instead of self contained routes. Fans seemed to like this approach earning it the #1 spot!
![]() | Birushana Rising Flower – IFI 2nd Place – 22% votes |
![]() | Taisho x Alice All-in-One – Primula 3rd Place –18.3% votes |
Least Favorite Otome Localization 2022
This section lists out the top 3 least favorite otome releases in 2022 with thoughts from survey participants for the #1 pick!

Paradigm Paradox
- Genre: Action | Romance | Sci-Fi
- Rating: ESRB T
- Developer & Publisher: Otomate & Aksys Games
- Where to Get the Game: Aksys Games | Amazon | Nintendo eShop
- Similar Games: Norn9 Var Commons | Gilded Shadows

I chose Paradigm Paradox as my least favorite because I felt it was oversaturated with routes that weren’t well fleshed out. The romance was an afterthought to the sci-fi plot and a lot of the routes felt very stilted and unnatural when it came to developing feelings. Plus, why make a game that includes gender-bending LIs and not even make it a little Bi???
Thoughts on Paradigm Paradox 1
Paradigm Paradox – for a game with so much of the story taking place during fights, there was almost no unique sprites for action scenes, so it felt boring and stilted. Also the romances didn’t feel like they were well-developed or earned, and there weren’t enough CGs to make the romances feel rewarding in that capacity. The premise was really interesting and fun, but it was underutilized. Multiple playthroughs felt like a slog and were repetitive and boring. I will happily sink 80 hours into an otome game to get all the endings if that’s what it takes, even if I don’t LOVE the game, because I enjoy being a completionist, like unlocking a final route with more lore and story reveals, and especially love collecting CGs, but after maybe three routes in this, I just could not keep playing. It was so boring and repetitive.
Thoughts on Paradigm Paradox 2
![]() | Variable Barricade – Aksys Games 2nd Place – 13.3% vote |
![]() | Amnesia Memories (Switch Port) – Idea Factory Intl 3rd Place – 7.8% votes |
Takeaways on Otome Localization 2022 Results
Overall there were 337 votes for Best Overall Otome Localization 2022! Because there is so much more variety in the types of otome localizations I decided to expand on this category. Most people look for two major things in their otome games; the romance and the story, so I added options for Most Romantic and Best Premise/Story. Games included in this year’s survey:
- Variable Barricade
- Piofiore Episodio 1926
- Paradigm Paradox
- Lover Pretend
- Birushana Rising Flower of Genpei
- Amnesia Memories
- Amnesia Later X Crowd
- How To Take Off Your Mask Remastered (Eroolia Series)
- How to Fool a Liar King Remastered (Eroolia Series)
- How to Sing Open Your Heart Remastered (Eroolia Series)
- Taisho x Alice All-in-One
- Taisho x Alice – Heads & Tails
- Butterfly Poison; Blood and Chain
- Even if Tempest
- Irresistible Mistakes
- Seduced in the Sleepless City
Unsurprisingly, both Piofiore 1926 (Most Romantic) and Even If Tempest (Best Premise/Story) also ranked within the top 5 of the Best Overall Otome Localization category. Though I was surprised to see that slice-of-life otome, Lover Pretend didn’t sweep the Romance category–though that could be due to the timing of the survey. In the Character ranking for Lover Pretend, 40.3% of people admitted to having not played the game yet.
Birushana Rising Flower of Genpei winning the #1 spot for Best Overall Otome Localization 2022, isn’t much of a surprise, historical romance tend to do pretty well overall. As for the Least Favorite Otome Localization 2022, I can’t argue with Paradigm Paradox. It’s a game that had a lot of great potential that ultimately fumbled on execution.
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2022 Otome Character Rankings
Favorite Otome Heroine 2022
This section lists out the top three otome heroines from the 2022 otome releases! I also included my thoughts on the results at the end of the section.

Shanao – Birushana Rising Flower of Genpei (Idea Factory Intl)
Born the youngest daughter of Yoshitomo Minamoto, Shanao was brought to Kurama Temple upon the death of her father in the Heiji Rebellion. There, the monks were instructed to raise her as a boy who could one day grow strong enough to overthrow the Heike. Trained and raised by Kakunichi, Shanao exceled in matters of military strategy and in combat. Despite the expectations of those around her, Shanao has always dreamed of a quiet, peaceful life. Having been torn away from her family at a very young age, she yearns for the love of a family.
Community Thoughts on Shanao
Shanao – she’s talented warrior and has likeable personality, I loved how she stood for herself and fought for her future
Thoughts on Shanao
*Folks really did not have a lot to say about Shanao, despite her winning in votes. There were way more comments about Yurika from Taisho x Alice.
Anastasia – Even If Tempest

This was another really tough one, because I absolutely adored three of them. But Anastasia is probably the grittiest, most realistic, stubborn, pure, and amazing otome heroines in any game I have played.
Thoughts on Anastasia
Hibari – Variable Barricade

Hibari was voiced so of course she gets brownie points. Aside from that, she’s very head strong, opinionated, and doesn’t change herself for other people. It’s rare to see an otome heroine with such a distinct personality. Usually they’re super kind and friendly and avoid conflict,,, but Hibari doesn’t quite fit that image. She’s independent and amazing but also equally flawed because of her naivety and close mindedness. This level of complexity is a rarity for female leads.
Thoughts on Hibari
Takeaways on Favorite Otome Heroine
In 2022, there were a lot of fantastic leading ladies to choose from for favorite otome heroine. My personal favorite Yurika from Taisho x Alice didn’t make the top 3, but the ladies that did are all pretty amazing in their own right. I didn’t do a Least Favorite Otome Heroine option, because I feel like there’s enough negativity about otome heroines out there without me adding to it.
Jump to Game: Variable Barricade | Piofiore Episodio 1926 | Paradigm Paradox | Lover Pretend | Birushana Rising Flower of Genpei | Amnesia series | Eroolia Series | Taisho x Alice series | Butterfly Poison; Blood and Chain | Even if Tempest | Irresistible Mistakes | Seduced in the Sleepless City
Favorite Love Interests By Game
This section lists out the character rankings for the love interests in each game! I also included the total number of votes for each game and percentages. I did not ask for additional feedback on these choices.
Variable Barricade

![]() | 2nd Place – Nayuta Yagami – 19.6% votes |
![]() | 3rd Place – Ichiya Mitsumori – 16.1% votes |
![]() | 4th Place – Shion – 12% votes |
Piofiore Episodio 1926

![]() | 2nd Place – Dante Falzone – 15.4% votes |
![]() | 3rd Place – Nicola Francesca – 12.9% votes |
![]() | 4th Place – Gilbert Redford – 10.1% votes |
![]() | 4th Place – Orlok – 10.1% votes |
![]() | 4th Place – Henri Lambert – 10.1% votes |
Paradigm Paradox

![]() | 2nd Place – Hyuga – 6.8% votes |
![]() | 3rd Place – Tokio Takato – 5.1% votes |
![]() | 4th Place – Yukinami – 4.8% votes |
![]() | 5th Place – Ayumu Mamiya – 3.9% votes |
![]() | 6th Place – Ryo Tomitsuka – 3.5% votes |
![]() | 7th Place – Mihaya Araki – 3.2% votes |
![]() | 7th Place – Kamui Saiba – 3.2% votes |
Lover Pretend

![]() | 2nd Place – Kazuma Kamikubo – 13.1% votes |
![]() | 3rd Place – Harumi Makino – 12.1% votes |
![]() | 4th Place – Yukito Sena – 9.9% votes |
![]() | 5th Place – Eiichirou Asagi – 7% votes |
Birushana Rising Flower of Genpei

![]() | 2nd Place – Noritsune Taira – 26.3% votes |
![]() | 3rd Place – Yoritomo Minamoto – 16.3% votes |
![]() | 4th Place – Shungen – 4.8% votes |
![]() | 5th Place – Benkei – 4.4% votes |
Amnesia Memories/Later x Crowd

![]() | 2nd Place – Kent – 22% votes |
![]() | 3rd Place – Shin – 14.9% votes |
![]() | 4th Place – Toma – 13.9% votes |
![]() | 5th Place – Ikki – 11.1% votes |
Eroolia Series

![]() | 1st Place – Ludovic – 6.6% votes |
![]() | 2nd Place – Ronan – 3.9% votes |
![]() | 3rd Place – Juli – 3.6% votes |
Taisho x Alice All-in-One/ Heads & Tails

![]() | 2nd Place – Wizard – 11.5% votes |
![]() | 3rd Place – Cinderella – 11.2% votes |
![]() | 4th Place – Red Riding Hood – 10.6% votes |
![]() | 5th Place – Kaguya – 7.7% votes |
![]() | 6th Place – Gretel – 5.4% votes |
![]() | 7th Place – Snow White – 1.3% votes |
Butterfly Poison; Blood Chains

![]() | 2nd Place – Junichi Shiba – 10.1% votes |
![]() | 3rd Place – Mizuhito Nomiya – 6.5% votes |
![]() | 4th Place – Hideo Ozaki – 5.5% votes |
![]() | 5th Place – Hitoshi Fujita – 2.3% votes |
Even if Tempest

![]() | 2nd Place – Zenn Sorfield – 17.2% votes |
![]() | 3rd Place – Crius Castlerock – 13.7% votes |
![]() | 4th Place – Lucien Neuschburn – 8.9% votes |
Irresistible Mistakes

![]() | 2nd Place – Shunichiro Tachibana – 5.6% votes |
![]() | 3rd Place – Toshiaki Kijima – 4.6% votes |
![]() | 4th Place – Go Okubo – 4% votes |
![]() | 5th Place – Taku Hayama – 2% votes |
Seduced in the Sleepless City

![]() | 2nd Place – Mirai Kageyama – 6.9% votes |
![]() | 3rd Place – Yuzuki Kitaoji – 3% votes |
![]() | 4th Place – Chihaya Koda – 2.6% votes |
![]() | 4th Place – Noel Aijima – 2.6% votes |
Takeaways on Love Interest Rankings
I’m always curious to see how other gamers rank the characters in each game. Our favorite characters say a lot about our individual tastes. Well, looks like folks really love their trashy, problematic faves. That’s the only explanation I can think of for Yang, Ukyo, Tomomori, and Alice, all being chosen as #1 in their games. Though, I don’t know if I can talk, seeing as my bae, Taiga took the #1 spot in Variable Barricade.
Because there was such a huge variety of otome game releases in 2022 that meant a lot of folks had the option to pick and choose which releases they played, so I thought it might be helpful to include a “did not play option”. I was genuinely surprised to see that the majority of the otome games on this list over 30% of their votes went to the did not play the game option. The number of people who chose to forgo playing a game was especially high among the Voltage Switch ports (73% Seduced in the Sleepless City and 73.5% Irresistible Mistakes) and for the Eroolia series games (84.9%).
The Eroolia games aren’t as well known, and lean more towards the indie side of Japanese otome releases, so their higher no-play status isn’t a huge surprise. And given the fact that the Voltage Inc. games are ports of mobile games, so folks have probably already played them years ago and aren’t up for rebuying the Switch version.
Page Jumps: Otome Localizations | Character Rankings | Best Indie Otome | Otome Games 2023 and Beyond | Top
Best Indie Otome Game 2022
This section lists out the top 3 best indie otome games from 2022! Participants picked these from a list, but due to the sheer number of indie releases I also included a write-in option.

Our Life Beginnings and Always – Derek’s Story
- Genre: Slice of Life | Romance | Comedy
- Developer: GB Patch
- Where to Get the Game: PC (Windows & Mac) | Steam
![]() | Gilded Shadows – Steamberry Studios 2nd Place – 8.8% votes |
![]() | Error 143 – Jenny Vi Pham 3rd Place – 5.8% votes |
Takeaways on Best Indie Otome 2022
The Best Indie Otome Game is a new category to this year’s survey, but an important one considering the boom in indie otome games these past few years. Because of the sheer number of indie games that released in 2022, I thought it was appropriate to include write in votes for any titles I may have missed. These were the Titles (including write in) from the 2022 survey:
- Guilded Shadows
- Error 143
- Under Maintenance
- An Everyday Love
- Of Frost and Flowers
- The Spanish Privateer
- Ballads at Midnight
- 3 Seasons
- Mythic Meetup
- Pocket Love
- Hummingbird’s Crown
- Impolite Society
- Travellers Road
- Our Life Beginnings and Always Derek’s Story DLC
- Teachers with Love and Passion
- Teisatsu
- PreOdyssey
- Heart and Soul
- Mind Rite
- The Hero’s Journey
- Reimei no Gakuen
- Adopt a Boyfriend
- He@rtstrings
- The Winter Tower
- Demonheart: The Ice Demon
- Wrapped with a Kiss
- Once Upon an Earl
- Flamebait Dating Sim
- Yukar from the Abyss
- Heart Fragment Book 2
- College Craze
- Blooming Panic (revamped)
- Pitstop in Purgatory
- Obscura
- My Love for You is Evermore
But, despite the growth in indie otome games I am surprised to see that a majority of otome gamers still aren’t giving indie games much attention. Of the 330 people that voted in this section, 55.5% admitted they did not play indie otome games.
Page Jumps: Otome Localizations | Character Rankings | Best Indie Otome | Otome Games 2023 and Beyond | Top
Otome Games 2023 and Beyond
What 2023 otome game localization are you most looking forward to?
This section was a completely write-in category, there were over 300 entries, some of which listed out multiple games.




There are a lot of great games coming out this year, but these four were the ones listed most often in the survey!!
What are some otome games you would like to see get a localization in the future?
This section was a completely write-in category, there were over 300 entries, some of which listed out multiple games.
Click to reveal list of games
- Utakata no Yuukuronia
- Shiro to Kuro no Alice
- Hanayaka Nari, Waga Ichizoku
- Arcana Famiglia
- Nil Admirari
- Clock Zero
- Ken ga Kimi
- Sweet Clown
- Shinigami to Shoujo
- Cendrillon Palika Reine des fleurs
- Charade Maniacs
- Yunohana spring + fan disk
- Kamigami no asobi
- Klap kind love and punish + fan disk
- Dance with devils
- Juuzaengi engetsu sangokuden 1 + 2
- Birushana fan disk
- Shinobi koi utsutsu
- Shuuen no virche epic lycoris
- 9 RIP
- Cupid parasite fan disk
- Utakata no Uchronia
- Jakou no Lyla
- Black Wolf Saga
- Amnesia World
- Diabolik Lovers
- Hakuoki Sweet School Life
- Angelique luminarise
- R18 games
- Arcana Famiglia
- Brothers Conflict
- Bustafellows season 2
- Clock Zero
- Uta no Prince-sama
- Beastmaster and Princes
- Sweet Fuse (for Switch)
- RE Birthday Song
- Sympathy Kiss
- Yoshiwara Higanbana
- Jyuzaengi Engetsu
- Ikemen Sengoku Toki wo Kakeru Koi Aratanaru Deai
- Koroshiya to Strawberry Plus
- Mojyutsukai to Ojisama Flower & Snow
- Tlicolity Eyes
- TokiMemo 4
- Gensou Manege
- Shinigami to Shoujo
- Club Suicide
- Murderous Plaza
- Shinigami to Shojo
- Ayakashi Gohan
- Chou no doku hana no kusari
- Hanayaka Nari Waga Ichizoku
- Binary Star
- My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!
- Tokei Jikake no Apocarips
- Meiji Katsugeki Haikara Ryusei Gumi
- Kiniro No Corda Octave
- Ruby Party games
- Kenka bancho otome
- Princess Arthur
- Moshi Kono Sekai ni Kami-sama ga Iru to Suru Naraba
- Starry Sky series
- Temirana Koku no Tsuiteru Hime
- Toraware no Palm
- Wand of Fortune
2022 was a very good year for otome gamers! This past year alone there were 16 releases (including Switch ports of existing games) from a wide range of publishers! Sure, the quality of a few of them was a bit hit or miss. But, the fact is that these past few years have been a boon for otome gamers in the West!
Not only are we getting more games, but publishers are actually putting in the effort to interact with the otome community and get our insight on what we want to see now and in the future! So, it’s especially important to let our voices be heard! So, to everyone that participated in this year’s Otome Localization Survey, thank you!
I’ll be sharing the results of the survey with a few otome localization companies, so they can see what you all had to say!
I hope the Toraware no Palm series gets localized. Capcom almost never puts out otome/dating sims so im very curious what it’d be like to personally play and how it’d be officially released, hopefully on switch.