Tengoku Struggle Strayside is a comedic fantasy adventure otome game developed by Otomate and published in English by Aksys Games. Created by the team behind Olympia Soiree, this game is a wild ride! Follow rookie Hell Guardian, Rin Enma as she attempts to wrangle a bunch of sinful prisoners on a dangerous mission in the human realm.
Game Details
- Genre: Supernatural Romance | Historical | Comedy
- Rating: ESRB T
- Developer & Publisher: Otomate & Aksys Games
- Where to Get the Game: Aksys Games (SE) | Amazon | Nintendo eShop
- Similar Games: RE: Birthday Song | Olympia Soiree | Variable Barricade
About Tengoku Struggle Strayside
It is year XX of the Reiwa era. Through an agreement between the Human Realm and the Hell Realm, Asakusa was transformed into a tourist attraction where the living can meet the dead. One day, the Spider’s Thread was dropped from Heaven down into Hell, allowing many of Hell’s prisoners to escape.
King Enma thus orders his novice Hell Guardian daughter, Rin, to capture the escapees along with Goemon Ishikawa and a few other trustworthy prisoners. When they descend to the Human Realm for their mission, their investigation leads them to an event held by a former prisoner of Hell, Shinobikuni, where she reveals a pardoning app that will forgive people for their sins. What is Shinobikuni’s goal? And what will become of the humans who were promised entry into Heaven?
This is a story that encompasses Heaven and Earth—what fate awaits this world?
Official Synopsis
Characters of Tengoku Struggle Strayside
Tengoku Struggle Strayside has five love interests, four of which hail from among some of the worst prisoners in hell. In life they were heinous criminals renowned for some of the worst acts a person can commit—from theft to murder and everything in between. And then there’s Jack, the only seemingly “normal” human of the bunch.
At the start of the game, Kikunosuke, Yona, and Sharaku’s routes are playable. Jack’s route unlocks after you finish the first three routes. While Goemon serves as the finale to the game and unlocks after completing Jack’s routes.
Tengoku Struggle Strayside Walkthroughs
Kikunosuke Uga (VA. Soma Saito)
During his life Kikunosuke was a master thief known as Benten Kozo, earning him a place in Black Rope Hell after his death. Kikunosuke is obsessed with the arcade game, Hell Macabre Party even ranking among the top 10% of players. His Desire gives him the ability to transform into wolf. Not gonna lie he is so cute and fluffy in his wolf form, I am so glad they gave him a wolf form sprite! Kiku is the youngest in the group and can be a bit on the immature side, and I’ll admit I wasn’t super excited for this route. But, Kikunosuke wound up being my favorite in the game!
Because of his age he can be a bit rough with his words and actions, which leads to a few misunderstandings early on. But deep down Kiku is a sweetheart and he really does mean well. Though his inexperience led to some of the cutest moments between him and Rin. Kiku falls hard and fast and whenever he gets flustered his wolf ears pop out (which happens a lot). There’s definitely a cute first crush vibe to their relationship, so expect a lot of awkward blushing and sweet romantic moments. But, don’t let his cute looks fool you, Kiku gets just as horny as the other guys.
While I don’t usually go for the younger LIs, Kikunosuke ended up being my favorite in the game! He is such a sweet bean and his relationship with Rin was so cute. His conflict felt the most well thought out and I was honestly the most invested in it overall.
Yona Murakami (VA. Ryota Suzuki)
Yona is a former pirate who was sent to Revival Hell for committing several murders in his lifetime. Despite that he has a strong sense of justice and dated convictions, which often puts him at odds with more modern ideals and sensibilities. He is literally a warrior in an age where warriors aren’t needed and he struggles to find a purpose for himself.
Early on, Yona is definitely the most aggressive of the group. He does not hold back about his hatred of women and says some of the most truly awful sexist stuff to Rin early on. He is headstrong and hot tempered, which often leads him to pick fights with folks well outside his weight class. The man is a menace, but despite all his bluster you realize pretty early on that all his macho dude-bro energy is masking a really sweet and genuine heart. Yona is so much fun to tease! He has a surprisingly cute side, whenever Rin shows him even the smallest bit of kindness he becomes a blushing, sputtering mess! And don’t get me started on his praise kink!
Okay, I loves me a cute, dumb, hotheaded redheaded boy, so I was ALL OVER Yona from the first time I laid eyes on him. This man checked off all the boxes and then some! This route ended up being one of the most emotional ones for me and a lot of that has to do with how well Yona is written. You feel all the emotional highs and lows and I won’t lie he and Rin had the best chemistry!
Sharaku Toushuusai (VA. Kaito Ishikawa)
Sharaku is a former ukiyo-e artist who was condemned to the Crushing Hell for committing lewd acts during his life. This man is the biggest tease, I swear this man is always horny. He’s like a cat in heat, constantly flirting with the Rin. The man knows no shame—the second-hand embarrassment was strong with this one. There’s no subtlety to anything he does, he just goes right for the raunchiest shit, with no class or charm. It’s cringy af. He’s not a bad guy, but his aggressive sexual advances are just so much, it really takes away from all his good qualities. He needs to chill.
When he isn’t trying to get into Rin’s pants Sharaku is the official mama hen of the group. This man is obsessed with cleaning and doesn’t hesitate to spend tons of money on cleaning supplies and heaven help anyone that scuffs his freshly waxed floors. He’s also the most astute of the Sinful Posse, he is great at reading people and always seems to be quick to pick up on other people’s BS… such a shame he can’t turn his own off.
Sharaku is a character I really wanted to like, because of how fun he was in the common route (and as a side character in everyone else’s routes). But as the main love interest he just wasn’t doing it for me… Don’t get me wrong I love his route as a whole, but Sharaku is one bad touch away from ending up on the registry.
Jack (VA. Makoto Furukawa)
🔒 Locked Route 🔒
Jack is a super popular idol and singer in the human realm. There is an air of mystery surrounding him, since despite being a human he seems to be working with the escaped prisoners Rin and co. are tasked with capturing. Rin first meets him after she discovers him trying to jump down a well and soon discovers that he has an unusual fascination with Hell. He is also obsessed with cats…
This route is locked for a reason, so I won’t go into too much detail here. Jack is a trained showman, so it’s hard to tell when he is putting on his idol act and when he is being genuine. You don’t really know what his motivations are, you’re always a smidge on edge when he’s around. Also, Rin fall pray to his charms fairly early on in the route, and her pining for him just didn’t sit right with me. That said, there are some interesting things going on in this route, that expand on a lot of the lore of the game. But Jack can be a pretty polarizing love interest. You’ll either love him or want to punt him into the sun—I was the latter.
Such a waste of such a hottie! Jack just didn’t do it for me. In fact in this route, I was MUCH more interested in one of the side characters than I was Jack. Which is a shame, because I really liked a lot of the ideas in this route, but the execution just wasn’t hittin’ it for me.
Also, Jack got what he deserved…
Goemon Ishikawa (VA. Taku Yashiro)
🔒 Locked Route 🔒
Goemon’s route is the true route of Tengoku Struggle Strayside, a fact that the writers make sure you know from the start. My guy gets an extended cutscene in the prologue and the last lines of the common route are literally him professing how he still loves Rin. They lay it on thick. Because no matter how happy you are with the other guys in their routes, there’s always the knowledge in the back of your head that Goemon is secretly in the background pinning for Rin.
That said, it’s kind of criminal not to like Goemon, my guy puts in the work to make Rin’s time in the human realm as smooth as possible. He is literally the only guy to treat her with respect and he goes out of his way to mediate between Rin and the other guys. He goes above and beyond the call of duty to do sweet things for her, a fact that all of the other guys point out at several points in the story.
There is definitely a tragic undertone to his and Rin’s relationship, and trust me when I say they really make them work for their happy ending. At times, Goemon’s route can feel a bit too plot heavy, delving into a lot about Rin’s past and their relationship. It’s a very emotionally dense story, so make sure you have a box of tissues handy.
This is the true route and don’t you forget it! An emotionally charged and exposition heavy route that hits HARD. Goemon is a sweetheart and I really liked him as a character, but the whole star-crossed/fated lovers trope really undercut some of the magic of their relationship, because you know they’re supposed to be together in the end.
Rin Enma
A whip totting, man hating MC… Rin Enma is an otome icon!
Rin Enma is the adopted daughter of King Enma and a rookie Hell Guardian. She died at the age of 19, but unlike other souls in Hell she doesn’t have any memories of her life prior to her death. She is a straight laced, no nonsense kind of girl. After years of dealing with the absolute worst of the worst in Hell, she develops a hatred of men. Rin doesn’t have a lot of friends, but she is close with Tamao, a talking cat who is also an aspiring Hell Guardian and Oshichi, a bubbly and outgoing model prisoner.
Rin has a strong sense of responsibility, which can make her a bit of a buzzkill. She is motivated by her single-minded desire to be a full fledged Hell Guardian. Because of this she’s denied herself a lot of fun. So it was really nice to see her loosening up and just enjoying life…er death(?) with the LIs.
Tengoku Struggle Strayside Review
In Tengoku Struggle Strayside you take on the role of Rin Enma, the adopted daughter of the King of Hell and a rookie Hell Guardian. Unlike most souls in Hell, Rin is a bit of an anomaly as she doesn’t retain any memories of her life prior to her death. But, that doesn’t stop her from giving it her all, literally whipping the sinners of Hell into shape. Her life in hell is pretty peaceful, but when a group of Hell’s most dangerous criminals manage to escape to the Human Realm, she is given the task of rounding them back up again. Of course, she won’t be alone, King Enma is sending a harem of trusted prisoners from some of the worst levels of Hell to help her complete her mission.
They’re tasked with going to the Human Realm and figuring out what the escaped prisoners are plotting. Should be easy enough, except there’s just one catch—Rin hates men and the harem of hellish hotties are filthy misogynistic incels and they refuse to make things easy for her.
A man hating woman and four incel dude bros have to live together and deal with each other’s baggage—sounds like the setup of a hilarious sitcom. And that’s kind of the vibe you get from the game early on.
Tengoku Struggle Strayside is a unique story that blends humor and tragedy. On one hand, everyone is dead and some of them lived pretty tragic lives, so they have lots of emotional trauma to sort through. The bulk of the individual routes involve Rin getting to know each of the boys and helping them work through their unresolved regrets. But, instead of being depressing AF like Virche Evermore, Tengoku Struggle is so much more fun. There are so many laugh out loud moments and with their witty banter and teasing, the main cast feel more like family than coworkers.
Everyone has such unique personalities that mesh so well when they start living together and lead to a ton of hilarious moments. Like Yona and Kiku deciding to create an indoor beach in the living room. The boys lounging around the house in varying degrees of undress. Bickering over chores. Shopping for groceries at the local store. There is a distinct slice-of-life vibe to the common route as everyone acclimates to their new normal.
Of course the plot has to plot. The group’s main task is to hunt down a group of dangerous escaped prisoners, each with their own reasons for wanting to stay in the Human Realm. It becomes apparent early on that each prisoner is connected in some way to each of the LIs and is involved with their “unfinished business”.
There are so many hot side characters in Tengoku Struggle Strayside! So many forbidden snacks to tempt us with and I’m not gonna lie, I wanted some of the side characters more than the actual love interests. Sexy (daughter obsessed) daddy, King Enma; corporate slave, Takamura; married hottie, Sanasaburo; and that’s just the guys! There is so much eye candy in this game and they all have their own backstories that get explored throughout the story.
Tengoku Struggle Strayside has such an expansive world! Set in a world where Hell and the Human Realm are connected, the city of Asakusa is transformed into a tourist destination where Humans can interact with the the dead. Model Hell prisoners live and work in the city and there are several attractions themed after things in Hell. Amusement parks modeled after Hell tortures, Hell themed merch and restaurants. Everything in Asakusa is so enmeshed, which creates this unique space where Humans have a reverence for life and death.
Much like Olympia Soiree there is a lot of lore and worldbuilding which can be pretty dense. But they make it easily digestible with Tamao explaining everything with these cute fourth wall breaking lesson style info dumps. I am a sucker for good worldbuilding, so I liked learning about the different levels of Hell and how someone might wind up there in the first place. Some of the logic is questionable, but it’s clear there was a lot of thought put into the lore, which borrows heavily on Buddhism.
Depending on the types of sins a person commits in life they are sent to different levels of hell specific to their crimes. Sexual sins get you sent to sexy hell, Crushing Hell, thieves go to Black Rope Hell, and the worst sinners go to Eternal Hell where they’re tortured for well, eternity.
While sinning is a “bad” thing, in Tengoku Struggle its implied that not everyone in hell is evil. As you explore the backstories of each character you learn that more times than not there were extenuating circumstances surrounding their “crimes”.
The main characters are supposed to be some of the most heinous criminals of all time, but when you get to know them more intimately, they’re just regular guys. Kiku plays video games and loves to eat, Yona is a sweetheart who loves reading, Goemon is supposed to be an evil criminal, but he’s the sweetest, most selfless guy around.
It’s these little inconsistencies that make the characters so intriguing, because they aren’t the villains you’re told they are. Sure, they’re not perfect, they made quite a few questionable choices in their lives. And the misogynistic BS in the beginning is a lot to swallow. They go a little too hard with the sexist comments at times. There’s even a point in the common route where the guys are so bad they make Rin run crying to her room. But, believe me when I say they do get better as the story progresses.
Of course, the game never excuses their actions, but it’s definitely a more nuanced approach to sin and wrong doing, than you see in most Christian ideologies. There is a strong emphasis on redemption instead of condemnation. And even when confronting the true villains of the game, the story is much more sympathetic towards their actions than you’d expect.
There are bad ends in Tengoku Struggle, but they’re honestly not that bad. I’d liken them to a normal end in any other otome game. You should not be afraid of the bad ends, in some cases they’re actually better than the good ends. So, so with that what you will.
In the romance department, Tengoku Struggle Strayside definitely hits the mark. The relationships between Rin and the LIs are different from route to route, but they’re equally satisfying. Kiku and Yona’s routes are more cute first love stories, while Sharaku’s has more mature undertones to it. Goemon is literally canon bae, so his romance route is a bit more dramatic than the others. Jack…. is Jack. The romance fits the characters involved and I really love that about this game. Instead of taking a one size fits all approach to the romance, each relationship develops at a natural pace for that particular couple.
I have my favorites, of course, but there are plenty really sweet moments in each route. Tengoku Struggle Strayside does give a lot of good fanservice, so plenty of nipless half naked sprites and hot tub scenes to ogle at. The game does get pretty steamy, but its not as explicitly sexual as Olympia Soiree. They do smash in each route. The boys are plenty horny for Rin, but its more sensual touching and kissing. This isn’t a bodice ripper novel, but they do fuck and there are CGs.
Also, I love the aesthetic of Tengoku Struggle, it’s so bright and colorful and eclectic and in your face. It has a very anime-esque style to it that really plays up the fun comedic side of the story. Like in addition to their expressions the characters have emotive speech bubbles that highlight strong emotions. There are a lot of other design choices that I really loved, like the Battle VS title cards that pop up before big fight scenes and dynamic character bio cards that pop up when new characters are introduced.
Also in the style of mobile otome games, you can choose one of the LIs to greet you from the title screen. I chose Yona and as you progress through the story you unlock new outfits to change them into (of course I had him shirtless). A perfect use of character sprites if I do say so myself.
Is Tengoku Struggle Strayside Worth Playing?
Overall, Tengoku Struggle Strayside is a lot of fun! I know some folks might be put off by how sexist the LIs come off in the beginning of the game. But, do get better as the story progresses. There’s a real genuine familial bond between Rin and the LIs that’s super sweet.
While the overall tone of Tengoku Struggle Strayside is pretty lighthearted there are some darker themes and heavy topics that crop up from time to time. So be mindful of your comfort levels while playing. But, don’t expect this to be another Virche Evermore, this game is too much fun for that.
On paper this should be a hot mess, but it kinda works and I really love this game! I was most looking forward to this release and it more than lived up to my expectations! 10/10 would recommend.
Thank you to Aksys Games for providing a copy of Tengoku Struggle Strayside for this review.
