Radiant Tale is a fantasy adventure otome game developed by Otomate and published in English by Aksys Games for the Nintendo Switch.

Tifalia’s quiet life is turned upside down when she is invited to join CIRCUS, a ragtag group of performers. But when her companions are an excitable dragon, a tsundere clown, a shy magical conductor, a burly acrobat, a furball with a taste for booze, and a ringleader who is more concerned with aesthetic than logistics—Tifalia has her work cut out for her. Can they come together to make a winning performance or will they fizzle out?

Game Details

• Genre: Fantasy | Adventure | Romance
• Rating: ESRB T
• Developer & Publisher: Otomate & Aksys Games
• Where to Get the Game: Aksys Games | Amazon | Nintendo eShop
• Similar Games: AniCon: Animal Complex | Ayakashi Gohan | Cafe Enchante

Story

Tifalia’s comfortable life is turned upside down when a dragon crash-lands right into her! This triggers her first encounter with CIRCUS, a performance troupe that travels around the world to save their crown prince. After a dismal failure of a performance, CIRCUS discovers that Tifalia might be able to help them and recruit her to act as producer for their dysfunctional troupe.

Will they master the ring? Or just be mediocre?

A crazy dragon who’s more silly than scary, a prickly clown who won’t make you laugh, a mysterious conductor who doesn’t want to use water magic, an acrobat who doesn’t know how to entertain, a drunkard fur ball, an unmotivated leader, and an amateur producer who just joined.

Can you help this dysfunctional troupe create their greatest performance?

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Characters

Follow Tifalia on her journey across Escholtia with her companions: Vilio, an excitable dragon; Zafora, a jaded clown; Paschalia, a mysterious magic user; Ion, a stoic acrobat; Radie, an alcohol loving Fey Beast; and Jinnia, the troupe’s beauty loving ring master.

The game has five romanceable character routes (each with a Normal and a Happy end) and one extra non-romantic Common Route Normal end. At he start of the game, Vilio’s route is locked and can only be accessed after you finish the Happy ends for Zafora, Ion, Paschalia, and Radie’s routes.

While you can pretty much play the routes in any order I feel like this order has the best flow storywise:

Zafora or Paschalia > Ion > Radie > Vilio

Radiant Tale Walkthroughs

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Zafora (VA. Junya Enoki)

⚠TSUNDERE ALERT⚠ Zafora is an information broker from Cultura. He is prickly with others and prefers to work alone. He begrudgingly joins CIRCUS for reasons he doesn’t share with the others. He doesn’t suffer fools, so he tends to find excitable people like Vilio especially frustrating. Prickly is an understatement, Zafora can be rude AF, but deep, deep down he cares a lot about his friends. I like that despite how distant he can be Tifalia isn’t afraid to get close to him and even tease him. When he falls in love he becomes a blushing awkward mess.

As unfriendly as he is, it’s hilarious that he takes on the clown role during performances.

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Paschalia (VA. Yuuichirou Umehara)

Soft boi Paschalia must protected at all costs! 😤 Paschalia is a soft-spoken and handsome man from the countryside. He made a contract with a water spirit which drastically changed his appearance and gave him the ability to use water magic, though he seems hesitant to use his magic outside of performances. He is kind and supportive of his friends, but he is insecure about his abilities, something he and Tifalia bond over.

Since he is from a small town, he has always wanted to go on an adventure, so he seems to be the most excited about visiting new towns on their journey. Also, despite Paschalia and Vilio being complete opposites in every way they get along really well, to the point that I would call them besties.

Paschalia’s route definitely hits you in the feels, so make sure you keep a pack of tissues handy… you’ll need them.

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Ion (VA. Yohei Azakami)

DADDY. I mean, look at this man, in his crop top! 👀 Ion is a former member of the Public Safety Forces who joins CIRCUS on orders from his superiors. He’s an imposing figure so most folks think he’s scary or dangerous, but in reality Ion is a big ol softie! He is initially against Tifalia joining CIRCUS out for concern for her safety, but he eventually relents. He isn’t the most talkative member of the group, but when he does voice his opinion on something you can be sure he’s given it a lot of thought.

100% househusband material. He is an amazing cook and he is especially good at making sweets. His route definitely has one of the darker storylines in the game, so keep an eye on the content warnings. His Normal end was especially hard to get through.

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Radie (VA. Nobuhiko Okamoto)

No thoughts, just wanna pet the floof. Radie is a Fey Beast that lives and works with Tifalia and Spirea at Liber. He is a born performer and takes on the role of CIRCUS’s mascot. While most Fey Beast can transform into human forms, Radie can’t (or so he claims). Outwardly he’s a personable and easygoing ball of fluff with a taste for good booze. But, he cares deeply for Tifalia and would do anything to make her smile (even if that means putting his needs last).

Radie’s relationship with Tifalia is complicated by the fact that she sees him as a family member and he feels responsible for her like an older brother would. Because of this they struggle to accept their growing romantic feelings for one another. So expect a lot of “romantic angst”. Of the unlocked routes, Radie is the one you want to play last, because there are a lot of big reveals that you want to save for just before Vilio’s route.

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Vilio (VA. Yuma Uchida)

I had my eye on Vilio from the very beginning: cute and dumb with a smile that’ll make you melt—this boy is my ideal! Vilio is an energetic and excitable dragon who joins CIRCUS to learn more about the world. He’s from an isolated island, so he’s not as knowledgeable about the world and is prone to getting overly excited by new things. He can transform into a his dragon form, though he can be a bit too enthusiastic at times, which causes his magic to get out of control.

Vilio gets along well with everyone and doesn’t seem to let anything get him down. It’s hard to be in a bad mood when Vilio is around, he’s an all around sweetheart! He and Tifalia are a lot alike, so their chemistry is unmistakable, which makes their romance so damn cute and wholesome.

Throughout the game it’s very clear that there is more to Vilio than he lets on and everything comes to a head in his route. Vilio’s route has more of an epic, fantasy adventure vibe to it and should be considered the true end of Radiant Tale. Everything gets revealed, all the questions get answered and it is worth the wait!

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Tifalia

Tifalia is everything! Even though she is a late addition to CIRCUS, Tifalia is the heart and soul of the troupe. Stepping in as the producer she is responsible for planning the themes of their performances. While she doesn’t have any special abilities or skills like her fellow CIRCUS members, Tifalia more than makes up for that with her can do attitude. She can be stubborn at times, especially when it comes to defending her friends or fighting for what’s right.

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Radiant Tale Review

Radiant Tale is a bright and wholesome fantasy adventure otome game that feels like it’s been plucked straight from the pages of a fairytale or a Disney movie.

Follow Tifalia as she becomes the newest member of the performing troupe, CIRCUS. By royal decree, CIRCUS has been tasked with traveling across Escholtia to put on performances in each of the country’s major city. Each successful performance should generate enough joy to bloom magical flowers that will be used melt the crown prince’s frozen heart. Along the way the troupe spends time in each city, uncovering issues that are creating an imbalance between humans and the magical beings that live in their world.

In the past the people of Escholtia had a deeper connection to the spirits and one another but over time these connections have deteriorated. As negative sentiments grow in the hearts of people, sightings of monsters called Fiends begin to increase, spreading disharmony across the country. So, CIRCUS travels to each of the five major cities in Escholtia learning about the people of their world and spreading good vibes with their performances.

Calidia, the Scholar City, founded by Celius, the Great Spirit of Earth. Cultura, the City of Harmony, founded by Libera, the Great Spirit of Wind. Oriens, the City of Love, founded by Leve, the Great Spirit of Water. Ferus, the Duel City, founded by Valen, the Great Spirit of Fire. And finally the capital city, Artheir, founded and named after the first king of Escholtia. The lengthy common route takes its time exploring the nuance of each city, delving into the distinctive histories, attributes, and issues inherent in each location.

The world of Radiant Tale is melting pot of cultures and ideals that while unique to each city come together to create a rich fantasy world. Which is only made more real by the gorgeous art! Radiant Tale is one of the most beautiful otome games I have played in a long, long time. Full of imaginative backgrounds, lush vibrant colors, and stunning character designs, it’s a feast for the eyes!

Of course, you would expect the cast of Radiant Tale to be as equally unique as its setting and the game does not disappoint! From the members of CIRCUS to the colorful extended cast, every character in Radiant Tale is an absolute delight. I don’t think I hated a single character! Each member of this expansive cast has their own special charm that brings the world of Escholtia to life.

The eclectic members of CIRCUS are of course the stars of the story. Prickly information broker, Zafora acts as the troupe’s clown. The beautiful and soft-spoken Paschalia delights crowds with his water magic. Ion can be a bit imposing at first, but he will absolutely win you over with his amazing cooking. Fey Beast Radie has been Tifalia’s constant companion since she was a child and despite his love of alcohol, he’s a sweetheart. Then there’s the naïve and ever upbeat dragon, Vilio who serves as he heart of the troupe. And who could forget Jinnia CIRCUS’s eccentric (and drop dead gorgeous) leader.

Not to mention recurring characters like Tifalia’s loving aunt Spirea; the cute and a bit shy, Prince Colivus; and the flirty owner of Cheers, Liyan, who support CIRCUS on their journey. And what makes it all better is everyone feels like one big family! They share meals together, bicker, hang out together, it’s just so wholesome!

But, the soul of Radiant Tale has to be the leading lady, Tifalia. She is an absolute gem of a heroine! While she may not be as powerful as some of her companions, she more than makes up for it in heart. She is the glue that holds everyone together. Tifalia is the main reason I love this game so much! She is such a genuine character and it really comes through in her relationships with the other characters.

There is such a feel-good vibe in this game and that is a huge part of the romantic relationships in Radiant Tale. It may seem light to folks looking for a bit more spice in their otome games, but trust me; the romance in this game will give you all the heart flutters! Radiant Tale delivers on all the warm fluffy feels of puppy love, and I could not stop squeeing over every blush, every smile, and every hug. Even characters like buff daddy Ion, turn into a bowl of mush when they fall in love with Tifalia. But, hands down, best romance routes in the game were Radie and Vilio. Maybe it was the higher stakes in their routes that made the romance more satisfying, but they just hit different.

While the overall tone of Radiant Tale is pretty lighthearted, it does delve into some darker themes and storylines. There are a range of issues simmering just under the surface, from human issues like government corruption to environmental issues like a loss of connection with nature. The story takes its time delving into each issue while not glossing over the darker elements. In fact the story fully embraces the good and bad experiences that make up life.

Bad things happen. People can be selfish. Hardships are an unavoidable parts of life, and rather than letting these negative aspects of life consume us or worse, trying to cut ourselves off from them, we should embrace them by finding solace in the everyday joys of life. Sharing a meal with friends and family. Working a job you enjoy. Meeting new people. Radiant Tale‘s message is that it’s the little things that make life worth while. It’s a simple message, but it’s this ideal that makes Radiant Tale, such an unforgettable and heartwarming experience.

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Is Radiant Tale Worth Playing?

YES! Playing Radiant Tale will improve your mood, bring joy to your life, and even clear your skin!

But seriously, this was such a fun, wholesome experience from start to finish. With it’s vibrant fantasy setting, gorgeous visuals, and heartfelt message, Radiant Tale is a the feel good otome game I’ve been waiting for! This is an otome game you don’t wanna miss out on!

Thank you to Aksys Games for providing a copy of Radiant Tale for this review.

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