The PS Vita reigned supreme as the go to otome console, but after years on top, Sony finally pulled the plug on the much beloved handheld. Sure, the Nintendo Switch has picked up the slack, supplying us with a flood of new otome games. Publishers like Aksys Games and Idea Factory International are keeping us fed with a number of highly anticipated releases. Virche Evermore: Error -Salvation- just released earlier this month and My Next Life as a Villainess All Roads Lead to Doom -Pirates of the Disturbance- is on its way to the Switch later this month.
There have even been some big surprise announcements of Vita titles being revived on the Switch! Just recently, Norn9: Var Commons and Amnesia: Memories were revived on the Nintendo Switch. That alone gave many in the fandom hope that maybe other previously Vita exclusive otome games might see their own Switch ports in the near future!
Of course, a few have seen a revival on PC via Steam, like the Psychedelica series and 7’scarlet, but there are still a few that are in danger of being “lost” in the wake of the Vita’s absence. So here are some of the Vita exclusive otome games that I would love to see pop up again on the Switch (or even on PC).
Period Cube ~Shackles of Amadeus~
- Platform: PS Vita (Physical and Digital)
- Release Date (NA): April 28, 2017
- Publisher: Aksys Games
Period Cube ~Shackles of Amadeus~ is literally Sword Art Online the otome. The MC, Kazuha’s (totally, 100% NOT blood related) older brother Shiki, goes missing under strange circumstances. So she does some investigating and discover he’s trapped in an MMO. Since Kazuha is a noob when it comes to MMOs, she enlists the help of her gamer bestie to help her fight through the game to save her sweet onii-san. What should have been a simple in and out mission turns dark when it’s revealed that players that die in the game are dying IRL.
Period Cube Shackles of Amadaeus Review – First Impressions
Period Cube ~Shackles of Amadaeus~ is a fantasy/RPG Japanese otome game developed by Otomate. The game was…
With its gorgeous art, fun characters, unique sci-fi fantasy premise, and a mystery with enough twists and turn to keep you guessing through each route; Period Cube more than deserves a revival on the Switch (or PC). Sure, the “trapped in an MMO” trope is everywhere, but somehow seeing it in an otome game kind of puts a fresh spin on the idea. And it’s clear there was a lot of effort put into mimicking the MMO gameplay in a visual novel style story. There are short turn-based battles and since Kazuha isn’t a “gamer” we kind of learn about the world of MMOs alongside her. Of course Period Cube isn’t perfect, there are some “interesting” choices made in the finale, but it’s still a heck of a ride. Here’s hoping we get a surprise announcement in the future (I’ll even settle for a PC port).
Bad Apple Wars
- Platform: PS Vita (Physical and Digital)
- Release Date (NA): October 13, 2017
- Publisher: Aksys Games
I will admit, I was not the biggest fan of Bad Apple Wars when it was released in 2017. There were some BIG issues with the localization *cough* the choice to not translate the skinship scenes *cough*. BUT, seeing the work Aksys Games put into the Norn9: Var Commons Switch port, I’m confident enough in their growth to give them another crack at this one.
Set in NEVAEH, a high-school purgatory, newly deceased MC, Rinka has to choose between following the rules of the school as a “Good Apple” or letting anarchy reign by joining a group of delinquents known as the “Bad Apples”. Each faction believes their methods will help them escape NEVAEH and return to life among the living, but which side is actually right? Navigate the politics of the afterlife, get to know your fellow classmates, find love, and hopefully get the hell out of purgatory… not like you can die trying.
Bad Apple Wars Bite-Sized Review
It’s been awhile since the last Bite-Sized Review and trust me when I say this won’t be the last, I have a lot of dropped games in my backlog so expect a few of these bad…
Bad Apple Wars deals with some heavy topics, but that’s expected, it’s a game about the afterlife. But, that said BAW is kind of a chill school life otome, that just happens to be about death. Gripes about the original localization aside, this game had some really interesting characters. Delving into their lives before NEVAEH and their motivations for wanting to leave is among the best things about BAW—especially the stuff involving the side characters. I can see this one doing well with a new updated port.
Sweet Fuse: At Your Side
- Platform: PS Vita (Physical and Digital)
- Release Date (NA): August 27, 2013
- Publisher: Aksys Games
Please, save this game! Please! Sweet Fuse At Your Side was one of the first otome games I ever played and while it’s technically a PSP game, you could get it on the Vita through PSN—so it still counts! Sweet Fuse is hilarious and campy, with a dynamic cast of characters and it would be a huge loss to the fandom if this game stays locked into a long dead console. I don’t even need a Switch port, I’ll take a PC port, mobile, just anything to keep Sweet Fuse from going gentle into that good night.
Sweet Fuse At Your Side Mini Review
So I came across Sweet Fuse At Your Side back in 2013. I remember all the hype surrounding it, but at the time I didn’t have a PSP. So I wasn’t able to join in the first wave of players. When…
By otome standards, it’s not heavy on the romance, giving off the same vibes Zero Escape or a less intense, Danganronpa. Saki Inafune, the niece of famed game developer gets trapped in a video game theme park with a group of hotties by a deranged pig. I know it sounds insane, but trust me when I say this game is everything! Saki and her harem of hotties, which include a pop star, a detective, a jaded reporter, a host, a gamer shut-in, and a psychic, have to navigate deadly traps, solve puzzles, and outwit Count Hogstein and his piggy henchmen if they hope to get out of the park alive. And if there’s time, maybe find love along the way.
I love everything about this game and I desperately need more people to play it! Saki is a heroine who was ahead of her time, sis literally beat these boys into submission and she has a quick wit that puts everyone around her to shame. Sweet Fuse is seriously amazing!
🙏🏿Please save these Vita Otome 🙏🏿
I know we are getting fed with new Switch otome releases, but I still want to see these Vita otome get some love from new otome lovers. Especially, after seeing Anmesia: Memories and Norn9 AND their fandiscs get Switch ports! It’s probably a longshot, but we can still keep our fingers crossed that maybe, one day these older Vita otome games will get a chance at revival, either on the Switch or on PC.
Sweet Fuse is still one of my favorite otome! I thought of all three of these honestly, with Period Cube being the first on my mind. So thanks for getting the word out again on these poor lost games!
I have a copy of Bad Apple Wars that’s still in my backlog and I didn’t know about the ski ship scenes. Wonder why they didn’t translate them?
I played through bad apple years ago without knowing about the skinship scenes. Seems like a waste with how funny the touch mechanic was already. Would defined love to see period cube re-released though
I haven’t played any of these, but as an avid Zero Escape fan, Sweet Fuse sounds right up my alley! The art style actually looks kinda similar to that of Zero Escape Virtue’s Last Reward…the description also sounds similar to the description/vibes of the new game, DesperaDrops, which I think was released in Japan recently. I really wish they would port more of these kinds of games 😭
Yes! Sweet Fuse is a game that cannot just die. That game is too amazing to let go.
I want the expanded Hakuoki games for the Vita. I never got to play the second game because my Vita was stolen. I know they’ve been ported often but I want it on my Switch.