Step into the action packed fantasy world of Battlefield Waltz, the latest Switch otome localization from Idea Factory International. Take on the role of the Lan, a young woman who becomes the latest wielder of the Cursed Sword, a legendary weapon of immense power. Enroll at combat academy Nirvana to learn to harness the power of the sword to protect not just herself, but all of Orestia.
Game Details
- Genre: Fantasy | Historical | School-Life
- Rating: ESRB T
- Developer & Publisher: Otomate & Idea Factory International
- Where to Get the Game: Idea Factory International (Plus Edition) | Amazon | Nintendo eShop
- Similar Games: Princess Arthur | Even if Tempest | Birushana Rising Flower of Genpei
About Battlefield Waltz
A girl loses everything, all in one day. Her village, and even worse—her father…
In their place, she acquires a new power. When she takes up a sword to protect herself and her loved ones, she discovers that it is “cursed” and holds immense power. Having obtained something that could shake the very foundations of the nation, the girl has no choice but to live on the battlefield.
The ultra-nationalistic military academy, Nirvana, becomes her new home. There, young men and women who excel in combat gather to compete and sharpen their skills, regardless of their background.
She meets new people, forges strong bonds, and finds what she thought she’d lost: a place to belong. This is the story of the girl and the talking cursed sword by her side.
Characters and Routes of Battlefield Waltz
Battlefield Waltz has six romanceable characters and routes. Each route has three endings, one Happy End, and two Bad Ends. There are a few restrictions regarding the romance routes in the game. At the start of the game only Abel, Pash, and Lustin’s routes are playable. Nike’s route becomes available after playing Abel’s Happy End and Tifalet’s route unlocks after playing Lustin’s Happy End. After completing the happy ends for the five other LIs, Wilhelm’s route unlocks.
Play Order Recommendation: Pash > Lustin > Abel > Nike – Tifalet > Cursed Sword
I’m gonna keep it real with you, there isn’t much in the way of a connective story between the routes, so play order is kind of subjective (lock restrictions aside). It doesn’t matter what order you play Pash, Lustin, and Abel’s routes—so go with whoever catches your interest first. Nike and Tifalet’s routes don’t really have any huge spoilers that will hinder your enjoyment of the other routes, so you can play them as soon as you unlock them if you want. As expected, Wilhelm’s route is the canon route, so homie is locked for a reason, buuuut, it’s also the shortest route so it won’t take you long to get through it.
Abel (VA. Tomoaki Maeno)
The elite warriors at Nirvana acknowledge Abel as the strongest student among them. Since his enrollment, he has gone undefeated, besting even instructors with his overwhelming strength and ability to remain calm in any situation. His communication skills are not nearly as polished, and he often comes across as brusque and cold…but it seems he has a kind side, too?
Abel, or as I like to call him, otome Sasuke—you see it right? Super skilled in combat, brooding gaze, crazy bangs; man is definitely somebody’s long lost Uchiha cousin. But, I digress… Abel is very combat focused, preferring to spend his time alone with his sword as opposed to chatting it up with his classmates. Because of this his classmates respect him for his skills but give him a wide berth outside of training and battles. The man is more than a little intimidating and his lack of communication skills really don’t do him any favors—his flirting technique involves a lot of intense staring and grunting (true romance, am I right?)
The stoic, brooding, kuudere types are among my favorite otome boys, because they’re always the most fun to tease and Abel is no exception. Man becomes an awkward, flushing mess when he falls in love and it is absolutely adorable, watching him fumble through his feelings.
Abel isn’t my favorite character in Battlefield Waltz, but he’s an adorable little awkward bean and I love seeing a stoic, kuudere become a flustered blushing mess when he falls in love. His route has a really interesting twist that I was not expecting, so he’s worth it for that alone.
Lustin (VA. Kazuki Kato)
A prince from a small country. He has a carefree personality, and unbound by anything, he often sneaks out of the dormitory to indulge in the nightlife. He was sent to Nirvana in hopes of enhancing his military prowess for his country. He dislikes combat and prefers glamorous and enjoyable activities, yet his abilities are among the top in Nirvana.
I would like to be transparent here, blonde, flirty prince types are the bane of my existence, so Lustin didn’t really have a chance of being high on my ranking list. I mean how much more on the nose can you get with a guy with “Lust” in his name? He’s hot, he knows it, and he uses it to his advantage. Man is not really interested in being the best warrior, spending most of his time sneaking off to live it up in town. But, that’s just what he wants you to think. There’s a lot more to Lustin than meets the eye and while he’s not my favorite character, I did really like the duality of his character. He isn’t airhead he pretends to be, you just have to put up with a lot of shameless flirting to really get to know the true Lustin. Also, props to Lan for not putting up with his BS and calling him out when he goes overboard.
Lots of shameless flirting and bedroom eyes from Lustin in this route. Of all the routes in Battlefield Waltz this is the one that had the most overt romantic tension. Kabedons, lusty looks, dates… the whole nine. This man knows how to woo a gal. Man is very Fiyero coded.
Pash (VA. Kaito Ishikawa)
He comes from the military nation of Daigroth. Following the orders of his family head, he came to Nirvana to hone his skills. In Daigroth, women customarily train as warriors, so he’s only met women who are stronger than him. As a result, he gets nervous around women who do not fight and slightly distrusts them. He acts tough and claims to solely be interested in fighting, but of course, he’s just as interested in women.
If you ever wanted to romance a shounen protagonist, this is your chance! Pash is somewhat of an underdog at Nirvana. Despite having the same battle prowess as Abel and the others it’s made painfully obvious that he’s not quite up to their level. Which causes him to develop a huge inferiority complex and instead of training to improve his skills, he spends most of his time skipping class and eating snacks. Of course this doesn’t go over well with his instructors and homie is one step away from being expelled from Nirvana. Since Lan knows what it’s like to not live up to expectations, she befriends Pash and encourages him to train with her under the guise of helping her improve. Their relationship develops gradually shifting from a genuine friendship to a crush to…something more and it just feels so natural! Pash’s route is the one I enjoyed the most, because he and Lan are kind of on the same wavelength emotionally and skill-wise. They really feel like friends
The writers really understood the assignment with this route, everything just worked! Pash gives kid brother vibes, so he doesn’t feel like a romantic lead in the same way the other guys do. But, I love how naturally his and Lan’s relationship develops and because Pash is such a relatable character, it made the emotional beats that much more impactful.
Nike (VA. Kensho Ono) 🔒
A shy, gentle, and compassionate boy. He dislikes fighting and has little talent for it, so he is perceived as an underachiever and is perpetually stationed at the medical unit in Nirvana. However, this doesn’t seem to bother him. He goes into the forest to pick medicinal herbs almost daily.
Everyone else at Nirvana is a trained warrior, and then you have soft boi, Nike who prefers to brew medicines and frolics with the butterflies in the forest. If that ain’t suspicious, I don’t know what is! From the start, this man felt out of place with the rest of the cast and I was not disappointed. This route was insane! All I have to say is prepare your heart, because these writers did not hold back. As far as the romance goes, there were a lot of sweet, innocent moments that will make your heart flutter. But, at what cost.
This route hit harder than it needed to… So many emotions, the bad end in this route actually caught me off guard. I’m still not over the emotional rollercoaster this route was…
Tifalet (VA. Tetsuya Kakihara) 🔒
He’s so naturally handsome that women are drawn to him without any effort on his part. This often gets him into trouble. He genuinely dislikes the attention and complains about it, wishing that people would leave him alone. Additionally, Lustin regards him as a rival.
Okay, I’m gonna be honest Tifalet is just an older, more jaded version of Lustin (and that isn’t a compliment). Tifalet is a mage/fortune teller who lives in town, renowned for his wicked good looks and that’s pretty much it. Tifalet is the fantasy version of Kei Okazaki, he’s hot and sad and those are a dime a dozen in otome games. His route is a bit of a departure from the others in the game, because Tifalet isn’t a student at the school, so Lan has to go to town to see him, which means we don’t see much of her training, and the Cursed Sword is pretty much forgotten for the majority of the route. I wish I could say I cared about the romance, but I didn’t. Tifalet is a hot older guy trying to slide up under a 16 year old…and yeah, not for me.
I think the writers forgot the plot of their own story for a sec with this one. Tifalet’s route feels like a side quest that someone tried to shoehorn into the main plot… it’s long, drawn out and I really didn’t care about any of it. At least Tifalet is easy on the eyes.
Wilhelm (VA. Yuichi Nakamura) 🔒
A mysterious young man who shares a name with the cursed sword. Both his relationship with the sword and his background are shrouded in mystery.
The writers made me work for my big titty red-headed himbo and after kissing all those frog, I got my prince! I am used to otome games dropping the ball with their finales, so I prepared myself for disappointment, but honestly, Wilhelm route was so worth the wait! Not only does it explain everything about the Curse Sword and its connection to Lan, but also Wilhelm is just a fun character. Unlike the others at Nirvana, Wilhelm is a true warrior—he’s much more at home on the battlefield than he is in a classroom, so he struggles to adjust to a more peaceful existence. He doesn’t see a life for himself outside of battle and that causes a rift between him and the other characters. But, despite his more prickly tendencies, Wilhelm is desperately looking for a place that he belongs. Which is something he and Lan have in common.
If you have been waiting to finally get the truth behind the Cursed Sword, everything is explained. Wilhelm is a sweetie who has been through a lot in his life, so he needs a little extra lovin’. But, Lan is more than up to the task and their romance was very sweet and genuine. Because of their unique situations, they really understand each other on a whole different level. No notes, just vibes!
Lan (Heroine)
After her village was suddenly attacked, she lost both her father and her homeland. While fleeing, she accidentally became the wielder of a cursed sword and ends up joining Nirvana. Although she struggles to master the power of the cursed sword, she finds a new place for herself supported by her companions.
Girl has been through it! Her village gets burned to the ground, her daddy killed, and to top it all off she fuses with a super powerful magic sword inhabited by the soul of an angry child… Before she can fully process her situation she is whisked off to Nirvana, a combat school where she is “encouraged” to use her new power for the sake of the entire country. It’s a lot of responsibility to put on someone’s shoulders and despite everything she’s been through she works hard to live up to the expectations of those around her. While everyone sees the Cursed Sword as a weapon to cut down their enemies with, Lan would prefer to use the sword to protect others without unnecessary bloodshed. Which puts her at odds with the spirit of the sword’s more impulsive nature.
Lan is hardworking, with a strong sense of justice. When compared to her more battle hardened peers she can come off naïve and overly optimistic, but that’s what makes her such an interesting character. Many have been driven mad by the power of the sword, but because Lan maintains a pure heart, she isn’t corrupted by its influence. I can’t say many would be able to resist the bloodlust of the sword.
Battlefield Waltz Review
Battlefield Waltz is an interesting otome experience—it’s a nice mix of the action-packed storyline of Birushana and the slice-of-life school romance of Celestia Chain of Fate, but with the feel of a shoujo fantasy anime. Follow Lan, a young woman who finds her peaceful life uprooted when her village is attacked by another village looking for the legendary Cursed Sword rumored to be hidden somewhere nearby. In the conflict her father is killed and Lan and others attempt to flee only to be stopped by enemy forces. While Lan does have a bit of skill with the sword, she is no match for their attackers and in her desperation she calls out for help. Her pleas are heard by the legendary Cursed Sword which comes to her aid helping her defeat her enemies before she passes out.
When she awakens, she discovers that she fused with the sword, which manifests as an angry small child named Wilhelm. Because the Cursed Sword holds so much power, she is taken to the combat school, Nirvana where the next generation of warriors train to protect the country. Despite not being a seasoned warrior the Cursed Sword makes her a huge target for other nations looking to use her to usurp power, so the powers that be strongly encourage her to enroll. So, Lan becomes a student at Combat Himbo High Nirvana to learn how to harness the power of the sword to protect the peace of the country… and maybe snag a boyfriend along the way.
The story mostly follows Lan’s day to day life at Nirvana as she trains alongside her classmates, going into battle, and uncovering the truth behind the Cursed Sword. I fully expected the game to gloss over the more brutal aspects of war, but nope! Lan and her classmates aren’t just studying the theory of war, they are right there on the frontlines fighting for their lives on the battlefield. People get injured (and in some cases even die) which adds some weight to the story, as each time they are called into the field it could mean the end of the line Lan or any of her companions.
There is a surprising amount of political intrigue going on behind the scenes. Because of her status as the latest owner of the Cursed Sword, Lan finds herself drawn into a lot of the behind the scenes power struggles. But, don’t worry, Battlefield Waltz isn’t all doom and gloom, the bulk of the story focuses on Lan’s life at Nirvana. Hanging out with her roommate Yuriana (seriously, best girl), exploring Frontier, and spending quality time with her handsome classmates (even the non-romanceable ones).
Now, as characters, I really enjoyed the cast of Battlefield Waltz. Each of the love interests are a lot of fun to get to know and while I don’t outright hate any of them, some had weaker romances than others. But, there is a really great platonic chemistry among the cast that really carries the story. You really see everyone (except Richard, that man can kick rocks) kind of embrace Lan bringing her into their circle. Whether that’s training with her during sparring matches or just grabbing lunch in town, the friendship is probably the best part of this game. Even the side characters feel more present in the story, having their own motivations and conflicts that you can explore. Asaka is one of my faves! Man is just so sweet and supportive, there were times that I wished he was romanceable. And don’t get me started on the super sexy megane king, Serazar who is single by the way!! So many tasty forbidden snacks in this game…
The world of Battlefield Waltz is a cultural melting pot drawing inspiration from a number of real world locations. While many of them have been changed to fit the fantasy setting the writers make sure to showcase the diversity among the main cast, particularly in combat. Each of the characters has their own unique fighting style and use weapons that match their in game cultures. Lan and Abel use more traditional long swords in battle while Pash comes from a clan of warriors and uses a clawed gauntlet, then there’s Asaka who uses a katana (he’s definitely coded Japanese). It’s really cool to see this type of representation in a Japanese otome game.
Because Battlefield Waltz is a fantasy game it’s already pretty visually interesting, but with the culturally distinct styles of the characters it makes the world of the game feel more expansive!
While I love the look and feel of the story and the characters, the romance and pacing can be a bit all over the place in this game. The main point of an otome game is the romance and it’s just okay in Battlefield Waltz. I know I said I loved the chemistry among the cast, but that’s mostly on a platonic level. They all respect Lan as a fellow classmate and value her skills on the battlefield, but the romance just didn’t have the same emotional weight that I would expect in an otome. Maybe crush level, but seeing the boys practically proposing at the end of their happy ends felt kind of forced. Like the romance wasn’t quite at that level by the end of their routes, so I was confused to see everyone suddenly declaring their undying love.
The pacing could do with a bit of work, some routes like Tifalet’s seemed to drag on forever, while others like Nike’s didn’t seem long enough to fully flesh out the conflict. It’s definitely not the worst, but it needed a bit more polishing in some places… Also, I’ll be real I was only really interested in Wilhelm (himbo red-heads are my catnip), and having to play through five other routes and read through all of the Ancient Memories just to get to him is criminal. I should not have to work that hard! But, that said, it was worth the wait because it is the “big finale”. I’m used to otome games dropping the ball with the final route, but I love him and I really enjoyed the direction they took the story in, man is 100% the canon route!
Gameplay and Features
Explore Frontier and Nirvana with the Map feature
During the common route you can acclimate yourself to the world of Battlefield Waltz by exploring the Map feature. During exploration mode you can visit locations around Frontier and Nirvana and interact with the other characters. Learn more about the world and spend one-on-one time with both love interests and sub-characters wherever they may appear on the Map.
Keep Track of Your Progress with Chronicle Mode
Flowcharts are the norm in otome games and in Battlefield Waltz this feature is called Chronicle Mode. Use this to track your progress within the story or to revisit completed scenarios and relive the magic of your journey. By selecting a specific scenario and choosing a route, you can start the game from that point. This can make multiple playthroughs a bit easier.
Unlock Special Images and Scenerios from Xiaolei’s Secret Shop
Norn9 Var Commons has a similar shop feature where you can buy extra scenarios and images to expand on the story. Well, Battlefield Waltz has its own shop, Xiaolei’s Secret Shop where you can use accumulated Magic Stones (earned by completing endings) to purchase a few extras. Completing Happy ends earn 200 Magic Stones, while Bad ends earn 20. By completing all of the endings you will earn enough to buy all the shop items.
The images are cute and I like the short report styled scenarios, so it’s a fun little extra to expand on the characters, especially some of the sub-characters.
Uncover the Secrets of the Cursed Sword through Ancient Memories
As you complete the Happy endings for each route a gemstone will light up on the cover of the book located in Ancient Memories. Lighting up all of the gems will unlock the Cursed Sword’s Memories which you can read to learn more about the spirit of the sword. This is a requirement for unlocking Wilhelm’s route.
Is Battlefield Waltz Worth Playing?
Absolutely! Battlefield Waltz made me nostalgic for early 2000’s fantasy shoujo anime. It follows a normal girl who gets pulled into an epic quest because she is the “chosen one” and she gets a harem of himbo hotties with swords–tell me Battlefield Waltz wouldn’t make a banger anime series! It’s giving Prétear and Red River energy and I am here for it! I fell in love with this immersive fantasy world and the characters to the point that I was sad that the journey was over by the end. (I need a season 2) But, I think players will love playing as Lan, she is a capable warrior in her own right and while she favors peace over battle, sis absolutely is on the frontlines swingin’ her sword. While the romance was lacking for me, the chemistry between the characters is undeniable and I really liked that the writers balance the darker story elements with more slice-of-life interludes, especially with how involved the side characters are in the story.
So overall, Battlefield Waltz is sure to be a welcome addition to your otome collection, especially if you’ve been craving something on the scale of an epic fantasy anime series!
Thank you to Idea Factory Intl for providing a copy of Battlefield Waltz for this review!
