Sympathy Kiss is a slice-of-life office romance otome game developed by Otomate and published in English by Idea Factory International. Move over Voltage Inc., Otomate is coming for your bag! Balance work and play with Akari and her coworkers at Estario in this mature office romance.
Game Details
- Genre: Office Romance | Modern | Slice of Life
- Rating: ESRB T
- Developer & Publisher: Otomate & Idea Factory International
- Where to Get the Game: Idea Factory Intl (SE) | IFI (LE) | Amazon | Nintendo eShop
- Similar Games: Oops I Said Yes?! | Everyday Love | Irresistible Mistakes
About Sympathy Kiss
About a year has passed since you started your new job as a designer at Estario, a mobile app company.
Just as you were finally getting used to your job and the routines that came along with it…You were suddenly asked to switch departments and join the product team for a failing app that’s slated to be discontinued.
Switching into this new role, you find yourself surrounded by some of the most highly qualified (and highly eccentric) men Estario employs.
To add to this new work challenge, you even have to pair up with one of them!You and your idiosyncratic partner will be working together to revamp the app and get it back on track. This is all so new to you, and things are moving so fast… Will you be able to handle it?
And who knows, maybe by the end of the project, you’ll find yourself with more than you could’ve ever imagined…
Characters of Sympathy Kiss
Sympathy Kiss has a total of six romanceable love interests and two hidden romanceable characters. All of the love interests either work at Estario or you meet through your job. Saotome, Minato, and Kobase all work with you at Estario on the Estarci team. While, Yoshioka works at a rival app company, Tempesty; Usui is a bartender at the local bar, Evergreen; and you literally pick Tainaka up off the street.
Saotome, Minato, Yoji, Tainaka, and Yoshioka‘s routes are all unlocked at the start of the game. While Usui‘s route is playable after playing through at least one of the first five routes. The two hidden romance routes are playable at anytime and are off shoots of Yoshioka and Tainaka’s routes.
Mitsuki Saotome (VA. Fakuto Kajiwara)
Saotome is a genius at work, creating hit app after hit app for Estario in his short time with the company. He is extremely casual with his coworkers and doesn’t seem to care for the usual office politics. He is quick to joke or tease, especially the MC and Minato (their bromance is so good, I 100% ship him and Minato). On paper, he should be great, but then he opens his mouth and IDK if I want to slap him or yeet him off the office roof. Saotome is the king of subtle negging. His tough love advice comes off completely disrespectful and downright insulting. He is a friggin child, and I’m no one’s mom. I’m not here to raise nobody’s son…
Saotome is the best at what he does and he knows it, which is part of the problem—the ego on this man is insane. He is usually the smartest in the room. So instead of “wasting” time explaining the method to his madness, he’d rather just do everything himself. Which gives off the impression that he thinks everyone else is too dumb to function, which inevitably rubs most of his colleagues the wrong way. But, because he’s so good at what he does, no one can really complain… It’s an uphill battle for Akari to prove that not only is she capable at her job, but also a good partner for him. Honestly, it feels like Saotome is a dick solely to facilitate the MC’s growth as a character.
He is the “I” in Team. If mansplaining and negging is your kink, you’ll love Saotome. For the rest of us, this man is insufferable. Though I did like how his awful personality pushes the MC to be more emboldened in her work… so win?
Kohei Minato (VA. Yuuichirou Umehara)
Minato is not here to work as efficiently as humanly possible. He has his routine and it has served him well in his career. Minato is not one for mingling with his coworkers, only interacting with them when necessary—so having to “babysit” the MC throws a wrench in his 5-year career plan. He is initially very hands off with her, she handles her tasks and he handles his, only interacting when she has a question. But, in the name of efficiency, smaller details fall through the cracks, so he has to learn to rely on the MC, who is much more careful and detail oriented. They surprisingly make each other better.
Minato isn’t one to mince words, but he is never rude. Unless Saotome is involved, because he does not hold back with him. To everyone else, he’s pretty respectful. While he can come off pretty stiff, Minato is surprisingly playful. Once he’s comfortable with the MC he lets his guard down and becomes such a little tease! He is super playful and a bit possessive. It’s always the quiet ones that you gotta look out for, because Minato has some pretty kinky thoughts in his POVs (and a biting kink). This man is a damn househusband. He cooks, he cleans, he sews, and he’s good with kids. Wife him up!
Favorite route all around! A nice balance of work and play, and Minato is written so well! He is husbando material! While his conflict was kinda dumb, Minato and the MC’s relationship more than made up for the iffy plot. Also, gotta love a gentleman in the streets and freak in the sheets.
Yoji Kobase (VA. Kazuyuki Okitsu)
Yoji Kobase is the department head of the Estarci team, he handpicked every member of the team. As your boss there is a huge power imbalance, the man controls your paycheck and his intimidating demeanor makes it hard to get close to him. Yoji doesn’t hold his position over you, treating everyone with respect in the office. But, he can be a bit stern and blunt, so it’s not easy to go to him for help. Anyone who has ever worked with a supervisor knows how hard it can be to bridge that gap. But, working under your boss can be a great learning experience. The MC grows so much in this route, seriously the best part of this story is how confident Akari becomes.
Yoji really cares for his team and he believes in the potential of everyone. He wants his subordinates to grow in their roles, so he challenges them to pursue tasks outside of their comfort zone. While he can be intimidating, he does work tirelessly behind the scenes to make sure everyone on his team comfortable, even if that means he has to do more work. However, once you get Yoji out of the office look out, boss bae is a horny beast. This is the type of guy who will take you out for a nice dinner and then blow your back out. The sexual tension in this route is insane! Yoji is literally ready to smash at every opportunity, but because he’s you’re boss he kind of has to keep his hands to himself (he fails… repeatedly).
Who’d have thought dating your boss would be so horny. 🤔 If you were looking for a steamy route, this is it! Yoji is DTF! His route is probably the best overall in the spice department, even if his route conflict was kind of ridiculous and contrived.
Rokuro Yoshioka (VA. Seiichiro Yamashita)
Yoshioka is the son of the President of rival tech company Tempesty and the point of contact for the Tempesty/Estario partnership project. Handsome, rich, personable, and diligent in his work, Yoshioka is a modern day Prince of the office. Women literally throw themselves at him, but he only has eyes for his work. He is kind to everyone and is super accommodating. In his route the MC when she is chosen to be the liaison between Estario and Tempesty.
Yoshioka is a SIMP! This man is devoted, showering the MC with all the love and affection. It’s honestly hard to not like Yoshioka, he’s an all around great guy. So if you like being wined and dined, this is the route for you. Which is great, because the conflict in this route is on par with the juiciest, angsty-est K-drama.
This route has K-drama levels of drama, literally, I feel like this is the plot of one I’ve seen before. The romance is well written and Yoshioka is a delight! I’m not super thrilled by how long the drama drags on in this route, but it’s surprisingly handled well. Yoshioka and the MC’s relationship is super solid and I was invested.
Nori Tainaka (VA. KENN)
Okay, Tainaka’s route is unique. Tainaka is a wandering sugar baby stray you pick up off the street one night on your way home from work. Because this is an otome, you let this strange (handsome) man live in your house rent free. Though the MC mostly treats him like an abandoned puppy. This is literally Tramps Like Us (Kimi wa Petto). Office lady takes in stray pup and they eventually fall in love.
Tainaka is a sweet talking who knows what to say to get you to let down your guard. He molds himself into whatever you need, whether that’s a friend, a confidant, or a lover. He doesn’t ask for much, just a place to stay and food… like a pet. And after dealing with a hard day of work, sometimes just knowing that someone or something is at home waiting for you makes it all kind of worth it. The MC isn’t really looking for love, rather companionship. Someone to listen to her complain about her day and give her cuddles and Tainaka fills that role perfectly. Back massages, bubble baths… the whole nine.
But, Tainaka is careful to never reveal anything about himself. Mysterious and alluring, the MC is immediately drawn to Tainaka and tries to break down his walls and get closer to him. Both the MC and Tainaka go through a lot of great character growth in this route.
If you’ve read Tramps Like Us, that’s pretty much the whole dynamic between the MC and Tainaka. He’s sweet and loveable like a puppy and if they’d stuck with that everything would have been fine. His route conflict was kind of meh…
Shuya Usui (VA. Yuuya Uchida)
Shuya Usui is the 45 year old owner of the bar, Evergreen. He’s mature and handsome and always there to lend an ear when his patrons need someone to talk to. And that’s pretty much all there is to Usui.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate Usui. But, Otomate has a really hard time diversifying their “mature” love interests. They all read the same. Old man starts to feel an attraction for a younger MC. But, rather than letting it play out naturally. They push the MC away because they believe someone as young and beautiful and talented as the MC should be with someone her own age. So the MC has to convince the old man that yes, she wants him in a romantic way and YES it’s okay for an old man to be happy with a younger woman. Wash, rinse, repeat.
Thankfully, this route is super short. Because the writers had no clue what to do with this man outside of the age gap romance. That said, I really liked that Usui’s reluctance to admit his feelings forces the MC to be much more aggressive in her pursuit of him than the average MC. Akari is down bad for Usui from jump. So she creates situations for them to be alone together (much to his frustration). But, because Usui is so against it, the romance feels very one-sided and kind of sad. However, I will admit that this route had some of the best endings that force Usui and Akari to look realistically at their relationship without sacrificing their careers.
This route could have been an email. Usui could have been an interesting character but he gets bogged down by the predictable premise.
Hidden Character 1
Click for Details on Hidden Character 1 (Spoilers… obviously)
YOFY (VA. Soma Saito)
YOFY is the programmer Estario contracts to help with their programming projects. He’s a genius programmer, but no one has ever seen his face and he only communicates via email. In this route, Akari is made liaison between Estario and YOFY. Her first act as liaison is to immediately disregard the status quo by scheduling a virtual meeting with him.
This route is the embodiment of “this meeting could’ve been an email”. I don’t know why this route exists or who gets off on this, but it’s a whole NO for me. YOFY is a creepy stalker and a yandere to boot. Nothing about his actions is redeemable and I feel worse off for having read this route.
I hate it. I didn’t want this. No one asked for this… and how dare you drag Soma Saito into this dumpster fire. If you like baby yanderes this is the route for you.
Hidden Character 2
Click for Details on Hidden Character 2 (Spoilers… obviously)
Tsukihiko Higa (VA. Kohsuke Toriumi)
Tsukihiko Higa works in the sales department at Tempesty. He’s more of a background character in Yoshioka’s route so you don’t really get to spend much time with him in the main game. But, he is super sweet and hands down the best guy in the whole game. This is what I expected from an adult, office romance game, an actual route with adults dating!
Higa is a single dad so he has to balance his work, raising his son, and a potential romance with the MC. It’s a delicate balance, because unlike the other LIs he can’t just jump into a relationship, he has to consider what’s best for his son. I love everything about this route, my only complaint being that I wish it was longer! It’s awkward and sweet and so wholesome. This route made me cry a little, I felt so many emotions. PLEASE PLAY THIS ROUTE!!
After the YOFY route I was ready to completely write of this route—I am so glad I didn’t skip this one. Tsukihiko is the best love interest in the game. This is how an adult romance route should be!
Sympathy Kiss Review
Sympathy Kiss is a modern office romance otome game from the team behind Lover Pretend. There isn’t a deep overarching plot like some of the other Otomate titles I’ve covered, instead it offers a more casual slice-of-life vibe. Honestly, Sympathy Kiss reads like a Voltage Inc. game, each route focuses on a self contained character driven story with no overlap between routes. So, you can pretty much pick a route and run with it without having to worry about play orders or spoilers.
In the game you play as Akari, a young woman who works as a designer at a mobile app company, Estario. She is chosen to work on a special team tasked with revitalizing the company’s failing flagship app. The team consists of the best and brightest of the company. As the newest edition, Akari is given the chance to partner with one of her teammates on a project to save the app. This is made all the more challenging, as each of her teammates has their own “interesting” quirks that make them a smidge difficult to work with. Akari will have to work hard to keep up with her new workload and her eccentric partner.
As someone whose 9-5 involves working in an office setting, I was a little on the fence about how much I’d enjoy Sympathy Kiss. I play games to get away from the stress of my job, so playing a game that revolves around office politics and work is not high on my fantasy immersion bingo. There’s a lot of business lingo and office politics/dynamics at play—for better or worse. Some of the office meetings are boring and when they’re talking about the technical aspects of creating a business proposal, scheduling meetings with clients, and drafting emails… It all reminded me too much of my own job so I kind of zoned out a bit.
There was a specific scene in Yoji’s route where Akari is overwhelmed by all the tasks she has to complete so she falls short on some projects. In the midst of her crisis she gets chewed out by Yoji for messing up a project. That whole situation hit a little too close to home and I had to walk away from my Switch.
But, outside of the basic setup and framework of the routes working on the app really doesn’t factor into most of the routes all that much. Like we follow Akari and her partner through their day to day interactions, but the central conflict is more often than not a personal thing that the pair have to overcome together.
Sympathy Kiss is a very low stakes otome game. There aren’t really any bad endings. All of the conflicts are resolved by the end of the route. Which after the angst fest that is Virche Evermore is a welcome change of pace.
In a unique twist, this game is more of a self-insert story. Akari doesn’t have eyes and she doesn’t really have dialogue. All of her speech is expressed as thoughts that the LIs respond to. It’s very much like how the MC is handled in Amnesia Memories. It’s a bit weird at first since I’m used to more dynamic heroine characters, but I didn’t hate it. As a Black woman I rarely feel like I’m being represented in otome games. So I kind of viewed it as an interesting gimmick and let it go.
Though, the game really works hard to make this feel like it’s your story, by including more personalized choice gameplay mechanics. Most of the choices exist to kind of craft Akari’s personality rather than raising affection.
The Emotion Select system lets you react to character actions by choosing between two different emotional responses: happy face, anger face, sad face, etc. And depending on the choice you make it effects conversations between you and the LI later on in the game. Like, in Yoji’s route, he brings you a black coffee, you can choose to be happy about it or sad about it. I personally hate coffee, so I went with the sad face option. A few chapters later when the two of you go on a date Yoji remembers this and brings you a sweet latte. It’s really cool and makes it feel like the guys really get you.
There are other choices that are more or less flavor text, since they have no bearings on the plot, but still convey (at least on a surface level) a sense of personality. Like choosing to be more accommodating or just smacking a character for being rude (guess which options I chose). Usually being more aggressive in an otome is a sure fire way to land a normal or bad end. But, you aren’t punished for being yourself in Sympathy Kiss. It’s very much the same as the indie game, Our Life Beginnings and Always. It encourages you to really craft your own experience and make Sympathy Kiss your own. You really can just kind of play Sympathy Kiss at your leisure.
Of course this is an otome game, so you do have to raise affection with the LIs. In keeping with the office theme, these choices are divided into Love and Work stats. Life is about balance and unlike other otome games where you spam the “romantic” choices to bag the best end with your bae. In Sympathy Kiss you have to actually maintain a healthy work/life balance to get the best end. Keeping the Work and Love meters even will net you the Perfect ending, where Akari manages to find love with her partner AND fulfillment in her career.
Though, you aren’t punished for favoring either Love or Work. Each option yield their own unique endings. The Love ends favor Akari’s romance and usually involve her work life taking a small hit. While the Work ends prioritize Akari’s career and show her reaching new heights in the workplace. It’s a cool concept and very fitting given the setting.
Storywise, Sympathy Kiss is somewhere between a K-drama and a run of the mill Voltage Inc. otome. Not a dig at Voltage, but some of the routes feel a bit half baked, if you know what I mean. There are a lot of clichés and unnecessary dramas in the game, so you’ll either find it entertaining or frustrating. While I loved most of the characters, some routes work better than others. While some just felt kind of one note. Because the routes are short, some of the problems are wrapped up too quickly without fully dealing with pesky things like consequences. And others just go nowhere.
Because Sympathy Kiss is a slice-of-life story, there really aren’t any huge stakes. So, the conflicts don’t always have the appropriate weight to them because you know from the start that everything is going to end on a high note regardless of the drama in the routes. The writing in the individual routes is at times inconsistent, some routes are really good and others could have done with a little more time in the oven (or not exist at all). Sympathy Kiss kind of feels more like a pay per route mobile otome game than a bigger budget Otomate release. Which has its charm, but can be a bit frustrating if you’re expecting a more polished story. So, you’re mileage may vary.
As far as romance goes I was expecting a more mature, and by mature, I mean adult romance. It’s an office romance, everyone is an adult, so having a steamier story would have been perfect. I hate to say it, but was expecting something like, Voltage’s Irresistible Mistakes and Liar Uncover the Truth. Where you have grown adults balancing real world problems with the highs and lows of adult dating. Sympathy Kiss does a great job of exploring Akari and the LIs navigating their careers and their budding romance.
However, the story kind of falls flat in regards to giving us a more mature romance story. Voltage has really found their stride in balancing the sensuality and drama of mature romance stories, that are both believable and entertaining in a way that Otomate (at least in the titles we’ve gotten in the West) still struggles with. Sympathy Kiss reads like a regular Otomate game. I wanted more spice from Sympathy Kiss and sadly, they decided to play it safe with the T rating. With a bit of tweaking, this easily could have been an M level otome release.
To be clear, I’m not asking for smut, but give me a little something. If you’re looking for “spice” Yoji’s route is by far the most sexually charged. I wasn’t lying when I said boss bae is horny. Usui’s route also had some nice sexual tension too and surprisingly Minato’s route. But, even those toe the PG-13 line. There are some and I say this loosely sexual scenes with each love interest. In most routes, it happens only at the end. The writing does get steamy, but it’s not really descriptive enough and left me wanting more.
The Verdict: Is Sympathy Kiss Worth Playing?
Overall, Sympathy Kiss is gorgeous! The art is beautiful and the CGs are stunning! This game has a very modern, polished look to it that really makes it stand out. The slice-of-life story and lower stakes make for a more relaxed experience. I love the commitment to the theme, the Work/Love choices are a fun touch that really make you think about how you want to prioritize your gameplay. While the self-insert heroine may not be everyone’s cup of tea, I have to give credit where credit is due, they do attempt to make Sympathy Kiss feel like it’s your story. It gives a lot more autonomy than your typical otome games and I’ll be honest, there were times where it felt more like an indie game (the highest complement I can give) because of how immersive the experience felt.
So, yeah, I do recommend Sympathy Kiss. It’s not perfect, and it’s not my favorite game. I probably won’t stay awake at night thinking about it, but it’s fun and that’s really all that matters in the end. A very solid office romance that’s a welcome change from the usual fantasy otome releases.
Thank you to Idea Factory International for providing me with a copy of Sympathy Kiss for this review.
can’t wait for this one 😈 it being a shorter game just means I might actually finish the whole thing too 🤭
You’ll definitely finish this one in a weekend give or take… and then I can finally tell you how I really feel about Tainaka lol
I have a thing for office romance and the art is gorgeous so I’m sold ! I’m glad to have a shorter game, I usually can’t do all the routes.
Oh this is definitely one you’ll be able to full clear over a weekend, I was kind of surprised at how quickly I finished everything.
So, I have to ask have you played the Voltage office romance games? They’re all really good and have a very similar vibe to SK
Thanks for the review! I want to try the game myself and then I’ll let you know my comments to see if we share the same opinions (I’m especially curious about Kobase!
Thank you for popping in and giving the review a read!! I completely understand, I love going into games blind too. Also, Kobase is a winner for sure!
Oh my, gotta love a spicy megane! Thanks for the info<3
We need more spicy megane LIs in our lives!
I’ve bee waiting for this game since original release! Definitely gonna weekend binge it.
The art looks pretty and KENN! Always glad to see him in things.
I’m most excited for Tainaka OVBS can’t wait to sweep that boy up off dem streets
I CAN’T WAIT FOR YOU TO PLAY HIS ROUTE! I knooooooooooooow you’re gonna blow my phone up with commentary lol
Really cannot wait to play this one!! In need of a more easygoing storyline after virche and even if tempest :’)
Oh, yeah Sympathy Kiss is very chill compared to those. This feels like the year of chill otome releases
omg office romance? and u can flirt with your boss? but jk i think I lean most on yoshioka Roku to 🥹 rivals always GETS ME UGH
Lissen, when the boss looks like Kobase, wanting to jump his bones is a given! lol Yoshioka is less a rivals to lovers route and more a princely LI route. For a more rival like vibe, Saotome’s route is a must… it starts off a bit antagonistic and slowly develops to more.
Thanks for the review! I love the art style and the aesthetics, I feel like in the past only sci-fi or fantasy Otomate games were localized but I’m excited to play office romances now! I’m most excited to play kohei, he seems sweet ❤️
That part! I am really excited that we’re getting more variety in our releases. I hope we get more slice of life stuff in the future too.
Crystal, you are a person of TASTE! Minato is my FAVE LI!! I love everything about him! He’s a bit of a prickly bean, but can be so sweet once he opens up more
I am so excited for this since it’s fully self insert, it’s going to be so fun! I’m excited for Yoji since he is my type!
The self insert was an experience lol but, definitely fun. I liked being able to do what I want without worrying about getting a “bad end” Also, Yoji is bae, sexy, sexy boss bae~
Always a big fan of your blog 🙂 Been looking forward to this release! Sometimes it’s nice to just get a cute office romance instead of an epic tale. I’m looking forward to Minato and Yoji the most!
Thank you for the review! This makes me want to buy the game even more than before. I’m excited because I’m not sure who I’ll end up liking! At first glance I’m totally into Yoji and Nori, but now I could see myself falling for Minato/Yoshioka. Also, I had no idea there were two secret routes!
Thank you for your lovely comment!! 💜 Mission accomplished 😈 Sympathy Kiss is so much fun, so I hope you enjoy it. All the LIs have their charm, so I can’t wait to see who your favorite ends up being!
I didn’t realize either! IFI did a really good job of keeping the hidden routes under wraps!
I hope you stop by again!
Aww thank you Samantha!! 💜 I can’t wait to hear your thoughts once you play it!!
Right, there is def a space for more relaxed games, so fingers crossed we get more of them. Minato and Yoji were my faves of the main LIs, so I hope you love them too!!
I’m not super big on the self insert, but the LIs look interesting enough to enjoy the game. I am looking forward to the megane, Kobase.
I’m the same way with self insert games, but they really did a great job making Sympathy Kiss feel more immersive. It really feels like it’s your story. Also, welcome fellow megane appreciator! You are among kindred spirits
I’m so excited to play Kohei and Yoji, I love lighthearted comfort otome like this!
TASTE!! Both of those boys are winners!
22/02/2024
Yes. I am just commenting because the giveaway(I always am shy for these interactions Blog Posts and not in Twitter/Instagram, know? For me it’s kind of different, and I am not so confident with my english at all) but, I swear – I read when I can your reviews and follow your big reactions freaking out with daring otome games👉🏻👈🏻😚
Looks so funny and enjoyable Sympathy Kiss – The concept App Company Team, the emotions choices, the chaos maybe I will find in that team. And, a nice addition – Lucky in Love & Lucky In Business, looks a nice and fitted try to the concept and make more fresh because it’s a new festure that I never saw….Well I didn’t played so much maybe is there in another game? For me, it’s a little exclusive✓ And change welcome✓
I was in love at first sight just by the AMAZINGGGG PRRETTIESST INTERACTIVE WEBSITE – the first image I took as my laptop wallpaper for months. It was hard take off😭💔
I am not gonna lie, by visuals+voice, I am expecting good news from All of these men. Really, I can’t decide just one, Iam curious about everyone >~< (Until her, the lady showed in screenshots; WHO ISSSS SHEEEEE, OUR FRIEND? OUR ENEMY? OUR LOVE INTEREST? OUR BOSS? WHOOOO DAT LADY) – PS: I didn't read the spoiler info/Review included.
But, after your review I read a while ago, I think go for Kohei Minato • I'm truly fan of Shoujo Genre Manga/Animes/Doramas, and yeash of course that includes Korean Dramas, books/manhwas and pounds of cliché. So, ya, thats my thing you know; So I am more more excited by his K-drama side on this plot🙆🐁❣️
That’s fine! I really appreciate you writing such a wonderful and thought out comment. I completely understand being a bit shy about interacting with folks on socials (I get nervous all the time about leaving comments, so I completely understand). This is totally a safe space and seeing sweet comments like yours really does make my day, so comment when you feel comfy!
You perfectly explained everything that made Sympathy Kiss so much fun for me and I hope you have fun playing it when it’s out! Oh I agree, this game is so pretty, I can definitely understand snagging some of the art from your computer wallpaper!
Oh, all of the LIs are really good (even the ones I didn’t like all that much). So the woman in the CG is Oe, she’s one of your coworkers/work friend and she is super sweet! I kind of wish they would let us date her too lol
PS. No worries, only read the spoiler hidden stuff after you play, it’s more fun that way 😉
Thank you again for the awesome comment!! 💖
22/02/2024
Looks so funny and enjoyable Sympathy Kiss – The concept App Company Team, the emotions choices, the chaos maybe I will find in that team. And, a nice addition – Lucky in Love & Lucky In Business, looks a nice and fitted try to the concept and make more fresh because it’s a new festure that I never saw….Well I didn’t played so much maybe is there in another game? For me, it’s a little exclusive✓ And a welcome addition✓
I was in love at first sight just by WONDERFUL NO FLAWS WEBSITE – the first image I saw was my pc wallpaper. It was hard to change🥹
I am not gonna lie, by visuals+voice, I am expecting good news from All of these men. Really, I can’t decide just one, Iam curious about everyone >~< (Until her, the lady showed in screenshots; WHO ISSSS SHEEEEE, OUR FRIEND? OUR ENEMY? OUR LOVE INTEREST? OUR BOSS? WHOOOO DAT LADY) – PS: I didn't read the spoiler info/Review included.
But, after your review I read, I think go for Yoji 🙆🐁❣️
Ps²: If my comment be similiar to another one, I am very sorry, It's mine too but because for some reason the wordpress deleted my comment and I can't see?-? Said "Duplicatr comment" and was like😱?
I found out my old WordPress account and I am trying comment with it. That's my truly opinion, I really wanna you see it👉🏻👈🏻
I love office romances so I think I’ll love this! And I’m looking forward to older characters 😇 I think I’m most excited for Kohei’s route!
Thank u for review! I was hoping for real adult romance but :\
and super sad how bartender route is all about “i can’t be with u, u’re young”
Yeah, Usui’s route was a bit of a letdown overall, but he’s a nice character… I just wish they did right by these mature LIs. 😭
I was on the fence, but this definitely tipped me into interested. Maybe it’s just because I could use a little more low stakes romance in my life. Either way, I’m looking forward to the second hidden love interest. He seems very much up my alley.
SUCCESS!! Sympathy Kiss is definitely a middle of the road otome, but after all the BIG DRAMA and ANGST of last year’s releases, it’s the story we needed.
The 2nd Hidden LI is everything good about SK! I love him to bits!!
Thanks for the review, Blerdy! And this is weird, I went from planning to skip this game to counting the days towards release like crazy… I watched the characters introductions and those designs and personalities really appealed to me, and then your youtube short about the boys on Valentine’s clinched the deal ^^; Talk about marketing genius. :DDD
I’ve been hankering for some light office fluff after being emotionally drained by UUULTRAC and P3P, too, so this comes at precisely the right time – hope the eyeless self-insert heroine though doesn’t catch on in other games, though. I’m relieved it didn’t seem to be too disturbing for you, though!
… So I’m taking a stab at your contest, while I’m at it (I put in an email I look at a bit more regularly instead of the old one I’ve been trying to phase out, but it me, still!) Hope you aren’t *too* tired of seeing me in those comments…
And since you asked: the LIs I’ve been looking forward to the most are Kobase (simply because he’s one of my favourite VAs, and honestly, learning that the route is steamy is the cherry on top of that particular sundae) and Usui (I love me a mature and attentive LI and will surely cherish this man even if his route is paper-thin).
… Not gonna lie, I also want to experience Hidden Character 1 to see just how (HIDDEN PARTS OF REVIEW SPOILER)
trashy his route can get. But that feeling isn’t exactly excitement, is it? Oo
Glad you’ve found the game mostly fun and looking forward to delving into it myself! (and thank you for the giveaway! good luck to everyone reading :))
Hey hey Friend!! Always good to see a comment from you here, they always make me laugh! Glad I could help lighten your pockets once again lol I had so much fun with that Valentines Day video, but I KNOW that’s exactly how they’d celebrate the “holiday”
Oh yeah, ADELTA games take a lot out of you, so you’ve earned the break (I’m slowly playing through P3R now).
I kind of think they were just trying something different with the heroine in SK, its an interesting gimmick, but I def prefer having an actual character and following HER story.
I am never gonna be tired of seeing your messages! 💜
Hidden character 1 is wild… and I can’t wait to see how you feel when you play his route!! Also, good luck!!
Agree with some of the other comments, sometimes you just want a little low stakes entertainment~! I like the concept of the Work endings, myself. Looking forward to the Yoji route!
The work endings were a lot of fun, I appreciate the writers focusing equally on the MC’s growth and the growth of the LIs. So many games neglect the MC, so it’s a nice change of pace.
The yume aspect is not my cup of tea, buuuut the characters look gorgeous *.* I’m willing to give this a try!
I was on the fence about it too, but I ended up enjoying the game. It’s not my fave, but it was a lot of fun! I hope you enjoy the game!
Thank you for the review <3! I love office romance! I am so excited for this otome game.
It’ll be my first yume game since forever super excited! We need more low stakes modern otomes tbh. Thank you for the review!
I’m glad to see a positive review on this title despite your not having expected to enjoy it. I, myself, didn’t anticipate this release too much for some reason. It does read a lot like the other Voltage otomes/follows that format, but looks slightly more polished with beautiful art and voice acting. Which is strange because I actually play a few of them and don’t really mind the MC not having a face lol (I’ve quite enjoyed Her Love in the Force and Kissed by the Baddest Bidder, and recently started Star Crossed Myth). I think the trivial/ridiculous conflicts are probably just a staple of Voltage storylines 😅 but sometimes I don’t mind it too much, especially when I’m in the mood for something short and quick vs. The typical convoluted and interlocked storylines we get with some mainstream titles. Sometimes I am in the mood for the intricate plots and plot twists, which tend to motivate me to push through the 30-40 hours of game play. I haven’t completed Lover Pretend yet, but the two routes I’ve played were kinda uneventful and had too many unnecessary bad endings. Hopefully, this one won’t be like that. I’m one of those people who dread bad endings, so I’m looking forward to playing something without horrible bad endings for once 😭 (hence why I haven’t touched Virche yet). Radiant Tale’s normal endings were pretty tame, albeit somewhat sad in some instances (and thinking about the implications of what really happens to the LIs you don’t end up choosing), so I was not expecting the Code Realize normal endings…
Anyways, now I’m really looking forward to playing once my game arrives, as I ended up pre-ordering at the last minute because of the limited edition set. I’m just a sucker for these limited editions. When I started getting back into otoge in the past year or two, I didn’t realize the company sites would have these limited edition sets, so I pre-ordered most of mine from GameStop or bought the digital copies 🙃 now I’m trying to find the sets (just got Birushana and working on Amnesia), but they’re pretty expensive since they’re out of print now. Then, I end up with multiple copies of each game.. 😔
Forgot to add earlier that I’m most excited for Yoji, and it seems like I shouldn’t be too disappointed 😏 something about a megane character and the superior/subordinate trope (when done tastefully) is just so appealing to me 😆
Can’t wait for the Game! Mitsuki is best Boy for me! :3
Goodness originally(based on looks and vibes alone I will admit)I was excited for Usui, after reading the review and other comments.. eh not as much unfortunately. It’s really disappointing they seemed to drop the ball with the routes of mature characters. Of course I’ll still give him an honest try but won’t have such high hopes for his route.
Thanks for the review! Always love your rekommendations <3
Nice review. I’m most excited for kobase!
Shuya Usui is definitely the one I am most excited for. Bartender daddy yes please.
Thank you for the review! The art looks wonderful and although I prefer when the game has a bit more of a plot, I think I’ll give it a chance. I need something short and silly, because all those longer titles are still waiting for me 😅. I’m just sad that Saotome is such an irritating character – I love red heads and wanted him to be my no 1. And the lack of spicy content also makes me a bit sad – I’m an adult woman, playing adult MC, so I need some adult content in my life 😁.
Pretty excited about this one! Was most excited about Usui at first glance but based on your comments I’m leaning more towards Kobase now… Btw, love how you lay out your reviews especially the comparisons to similar love interests!
I’ve been eager to play this game since I heard about it. Sad to hear it’s not as mature in its themes as it could’ve been, but it still looks interesting. The art is also super pretty.
I’m definitely interested in the boss more after your review. It’s sad that the ossan character fell flat though. I wish there were more well-developed older men love interests in romance games, I’d love to pursue more mature characters.
On an unrelated note… your reference to Liar! Uncover the Truth made me so nostalgic. I was heartbroken to hear the game shut down recently and I don’t think you can play it at all in English anymore. Voltage is really good at making more mature heroines, but it’s sad more than a few of their titles aren’t accessible anymore.
I’ve been pretty excited about this since I heard a lot it, but I wasn’t able to pre-order it as planned. I just got a switch as a gift so I’ve been very cautious picking games because they aren’t cheap. I was hoping it would have a bit more heat but it still sounds like a good game to play without having too many stakes on the line in each route. Your character likes and dislikes are pretty much the same as mine. I was hoping Usui’s route would have been more unique than how it seems to have played out. I’m tied between Minato and Yoji as the two I’m most excited about. I still plan on playing everyone. I didn’t look at your spoilers so I will have to come back and comment after I’ve played. Thank you for so much detail and effort without spoilers. It helps alot when having to sift through so many choices.
Thanks for the review!
I was initially most excited about Usui, but your comment about Tainaka’s dynamic with the MC being similar to the one in Tramps Like Us has me suddenly extremely interested in him 👀
I hope I can pick this one up soon bc I need a game that’s a bit slower to rotate in with all of the more angsty visual novels in my backlog.
There’s so many routes in this game! I’m really intrigued by all the different characters, like Rokuro and a certain secret route.
Thanks so much for your review!!! I was already interested the most in the 2 hidden characters, but your review hyped me even more!! Btw what did you think of the localization? I’m sorry if you mentioned it already and I missed it! 🫣
Hi there!! Thank you for popping in! 💜 I hope you’re enjoying the game (sorry for the late reply). The hidden characters are a mixed bag, but I loved Hidden Bae 2, he is perfection!
The localization was surprisingly good, IFI really stepped up since Charade Maniacs. Sympathy Kiss is modern without feeling dated and I liked the dialogue/inflection choices for all the characters.
😭 I got so excited just knowing there’s a dilf there Lol
I was worried about a faceless heroine but Im glad she has a personality! Cant wait to play
Great review! I like how it has an office setting & the emotion select system is cool!
I received my copy on Friday. From the trailer/previews Shuya was the one I was most interested in. What can I say, I’m in my 30s and love mixology. I held off on his route for as long as I dared to get… That. ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?! What a waste!
I played Kohei first though, so overall I feel like I shot myself in the foot. Thank Otomate our director is willing to risk his career on sheltering female employees!
I’m a sucker for well made otome games with characters with a nice face
Glasses man I’m coming for you 👀👀
Thanks for the review. The RiNG and emotion select system sounds neat.
I’m recently playing this one, I found the self-insertion a bit strange, the heroine not having eyes was also some negative points for me. I’m still able to enjoy the game a lot, but I admit that I have greater positive points the more the protagonist has a personality and a clear face (laughs), I started on Nori’s route and I admit it was purely because of the voice actor, KENN torments my heart since from Scared Rider Xechs, Ken ka Kimi seemed like a shadow and every character he voices always haunts me. Almost finishing his route and I agree, the climax of his route is pretty weak in general, but cute. I had a lot of fun with the game, I plan to start Virche after it and apparently I’m going to have to prepare my heart very well.
My comment is a little to the left of the main post, but in your review of Tainaka’s route, you mentioned the manga Tramps Like Us. I’d never heard of it before and the concept of a career woman taking in a man off the street stuck in my head. This past weekend, I took the plunge and absolutely devoured all 14 volumes. What a fascinating series! It really teases out every nuance of prioritizing a career and leading an individual life as a woman, instead of subsuming oneself into caring for others. My eyes were glued to the page. The way Sumire like, performs her relationship with Hasumi (acting as expected instead of like herself) and then comes home to Momo and acts like the chain-smoking tough animanga nerd: the contrast is breathtaking. Reading Tramps Like Us isn’t what I was supposed to take from your post, but thank you all the same for the indirect recommendation. Have a great rest of your day!
Okay, this comment made me smile! If I could turn someone on to Tramps Like Us, I have done my job! It’s an older series but it still holds up for all the reasons you mentioned. It may not have been the takeaway I intended when I wrote this review, but I am so glad you found a great new read!
you know what, there is NO OTOME GAME that I definitely jump head first like this game once I saw your review. Yoji hits almost my bingo cards, Megane + dependable + Stoic/Serious + Kind…….if he have long hair ill cry……BUT GOOD LORD, HORNI? i never thought i have to make another bingo card where Serious + Horni specifically combined. im gonna cry waiting for another character with this specific combination. (nah i usually dont like just horni alone, but Kind/Serious+Horni? i sold my soul for it, and also yeah i JUST LOVE how you describe him like “type of guy who will take you out for a nice dinner and then blow your back out” im open for otome suggestion to find this similar character
yeah you’re right, his conflict is silly af, I just giggling like an idiot instead of emotional LMAO i mean, I thought Yoji killed wrong person and now his life in danger to the point MC would have to move out……but IT.JUST.THAT? WHAT? ITS NOT EVEN HIS FRICKIN FAULT? and also how he tell MC that he made a mistake, my train of thought like “Wait, then isnt that sounds like an accident?” why all sudden you guys gloomy like end of the world?
Appreciation for secret LI 2 aka one of the few times the conflict was well done in this game 😂!! Tho it definitely accomplished it’s goal of being cute and chill and I also had a great time overall. Also nice to see someone share my thoughts on secret LI 1 because it really was going so well up until that part 😔