Get whisked away with Over RequiemZ, a dark retelling of the beloved classic, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Follow Yuhiru, an apathetic high schooler who gets swept up by a mysterious tornado to the mysterious land of Oz. There she is sentenced to death and forced to travel with a group of death row inmates, to investigate mysterious ruins teeming with monsters. But, monsters are not the only dangers you’ll face, each of your companions is harboring a dark secret that threatens to consume them. Will you overcome that darkness together or will you succumb to to it.
Game Details
- Fantasy | Dark | Drama
- Where to Play: Nintendo Switch | Aksys Games
- Price: $49.99 (Standard) | $59.99 (Online Exclusive Edition)
- Gameplay: 40+ Hours
About Over RequiemZ
Whisked away by a tornado to a faraway land, Yuhiru finds herself alongside a group of murderers on a perilous quest
After being caught up in a terrifying tornado, you have wandered into a faraway kingdom ruled by four witches and a king. But you are not welcome. Sentenced to death upon arrival, you are ordered to investigate mysterious, monster infested ruins, along with four murderers on death row and their secretive supervisor. Your only choice is to escape your death sentence and discover a way home.
In this dark reimagining of the classic tale, high school student Yuhiru finds herself lost in Oz. Unjustly sentenced to death she must now travel with four convicts and their supervisor. At the mercy of her fellow travelers, Yuhiru will face many hard decisions along the way, but there’s one thing she must bear in mind: No one is lost forever, no matter how far they’ve strayed.
Characters and Route Breakdowns
Yuhiru (Heroine)
Yuhiru is a high school student who gets swept into the Land of Oz through a rift in time and space. Because of her dark hair and eye color she is mistaken for one of the cursed, Bedeviled and is imprisoned. As part of her sentence, she is forced to explore the Ruins of Oz alongside fellow death row inmates and subdue the monsters that reside there. Given the connection the Ruins have with Japan, Yuhiru is hoping they hold clues to help her get back home.
She is steadfast and optimistic in the face of everything she experiences on her journey, facing every hardship head on. In contrast, she felt listless in her life in Japan, as if she was simply following a path that was decided for her by society. Being in Oz gives Yuhiru the chance to make her own choices and thrive in a way she never would have in the real world.
Because of her age (and general lack of experience) she can be a bit naive, but I honestly found that endearing. She quickly became one of my favorite otome heroines.
Molly Woodland (VA. Kaito Ishikawa)
Molly is an undertaker from the West. Handsome, courteous and polite, Molly is the very image of a fairytale prince. That is until he opens his mouth, man has a morbid sense of humor. He takes a “tough love” approach with others, delivering brutal honesty to those around him (usually unsolicited). He is accused of murdering traveling merchants in his village.
I played this route first and I am still not sure if that was a good thing or not, because a particular aspect of his route almost took me out. But, I like Molly as a character he likes to pretend he could care less about others, but in reality he is the person who cares the most. He can be a bit of a weirdo, think Mozu and his love of bodies…same energy. Molly can be a bit blunt with his words, but it comes from a place of love. Affectionate negging if you will. I was genuinely surprised at how much I loved him and his route! His love language is quality time.
Noil Bestia (VA. Ryota Suzuki)
Noil is a knight and the lieutenant of the Order of Ozian Knights, with a reputation for being a bit of a hothead. He is very down to earth for a noble, preferring to handle things through his own merit rather than relying on status. He is often shunned by his peers, and while he tries to pretend it doesn’t bother him, he’s very sensitive the opinions of others. Noil has a strong sense of justice, a quality that serves him well as a knight. He is accused of murdering his entire platoon after an expedition to the Southern Ruins.
Noil is a himbo with a big sword, of course I love him (though I HATE his stupid braid). He is everything I wanted from a himbo archetype and more, sweet, protective, and dumb. Also, he cooks, may we all be blessed with a man who cooks us delicious meals everyday. Noil is someone who knows himself very well and makes a conscious effort never to give in to the darkness inside… which made his Dark route all the more heartbreaking. If I had to compare him to another otome love interest, it would be Ignis from Cafe Enchante. His love language is acts of service.
Claude Grain (VA. Makoto Furukawa)
Claude is an ex-researcher from the Oz Royal Academy, with a keen interest in the ecosystems of the Ruins. Raised in a close-knit farming village, he is very community focused, serving as the supportive pillar of the group. Because of this, he keeps his own hardships and inner turmoil to himself. Outwardly, Claude is charming and kind, which attracts the attention of women everywhere he goes. (The girlies were literally throwing themselves at him.) Three years ago he brutally murdered all of the villagers in his hometown, including his own family.
Claude is probably the character I related to the most and I am not ashamed to admit that. He’s the strong friend, who support everyone around him, but never ask for help when he needs it. Aware of everything around him, and yet somehow oblivious about himself. His route was so sad, I just wanted to hug him and support him, if not to take a bit of the load off his shoulders. He is by far the most affectionate of the LIs. His love language is acts of service.
Kaize Ozma (VA. Yohei Azakami)
Kaize is the second prince of Oz, because of his dark hair and eyes he is feared as one of the cursed, Bedeviled. He spent his whole life shunned by his people and even his own family, so he tends to keep to himself. Because he doesn’t have a lot of experience with others he can be very awkward and easily flustered with others. When nervous Kaize adopts a cold sadistic way of speaking to deflect (it makes him sound like an anime villain), which leads to a lot of hilarious second hand embarrassment. But, in reality Kaize is a sweet, lonely, shy bean who just wants to be close to others. Six months prior to the story he murdered his own father, the king.
I wanted to play Kaize’s route first, but I am so glad I held off! This sweet, awkward cinnamon roll must be protected at all costs. He is so sweet and sad, and he gave me all the doki dokis. His route had me so emotional, because all baby boy wants is to be loved and despite all of the hardships he’s faced he is just such a good person. He has an instant attraction to the MC because of their shared hair and eye color and works hard to protect her from the prejudices they face on their journey. When he cried, I cried. And when he smiled, I couldn’t help smiling too. Y’all love him. Please! His love language is physical touch.
Dorothy (VA. Shun Horie)
Dorothy is the Witch of the North and the person responsible for overseeing the death row inmates’ expedition to the Ruins. He is a bit absentminded and unreliable, but well meaning. Dorothy is very protective of the MC despite not knowing her prior to her appearance in Oz. In contrast, while he is kind to others, he tends to keep them at a distance. He is skilled in medicine and often treats the members of the group when they are injured on their journey.
From the minute Dorothy let slip that he got excited seeing Yuhiru behind bars in the prologue I knew he was a lil freak. And boy howdy was I into it! This route should be played last because of some of the things that happen in it. It gives a lot of context for his actions in the other routes and insight into the weird goings on in Oz. I fear saying too much will spoil the experience, but I really love Dorothy. This man would burn the world down for you if you asked.
Over RequiemZ Review
Over RequiemZ is the otome release I have most been looking forward to this year, and it did not disappoint! Loosely based on the classic ‘Wizard of Oz’, this otome takes players back to the land of Oz, but trades in some of the whimsy for a much darker experience.
Much like her literary counterpart, Yuhiru is isekai’d by a rogue tornado to the faraway land of Oz. But, instead of being heralded as a liberator for killing an evil witch, she is instead branded a criminal and thrown in a cell. Unbeknownst to Yuhiru, her distinctive Japanese features (dark hair and eyes) are seen as a bad omen and she is promptly sentenced to death. Which is an absolutely insane way to start off a Japanese otome, but we move.
Of course killing off the heroine five minutes into the game would put an end to the story a little too quickly, so there is a loophole. All convicts in Oz have the chance to overturn their sentence by completing an expedition to the mysterious monster infested ruins scattered across the kingdom. The ruins are remnants of buildings from Japan that have made their way through the void and into Oz over the years. These distorted spaces have become a breeding ground for monsters and are generally avoided by most people for safety reasons. So, being sent to the ruins is considered a death sentence anyway, just a more drawn out one. But, given that Yuhiru recognizes the ruins for what they are, she sees this as an opportunity to uncover clues to help her return home. So she happily jumps at the chance to put her life in danger (for the plot).
Joining Yuhiru on her journey are four of the most dangerous (and honestly smashable) men in Oz and their overseer, Dorothy, the witch of the North. If they are successful on their mission they’ll be acquitted of all charges, no pressure, and free to offend again. And so begins Yuhiru’s journey through Oz with her merry band of murderers, along the way get to know your companions and uncover the truth behind their convictions. But, tread carefully, everything in Oz is not quite what it seems and some secrets are not meant to be revealed.
Rather than being an exact play by play of the classic story, Over RequiemZ takes elements from its source material to create a unique fantasy experience. The all powerful witches of Oz are essentially politicians in this world (and just as useless as their real world/literary counterparts) and each of the main love interests are inspired by characters from the original story. For example, Claude is meant to represent the Scarecrow, the character that canonically believed themself to be in need of a brain. But, in Over RequiemZ, Claude is a researcher and probably the smartest person in the group. It’s a bit on the nose at times, like making the Cowardly Lion is a seemingly fearless knight, but it’s a fun subversion of these character archetypes. And, the writers do explore the nuance of these tropes within the context of the different routes.
It is no secret that Over RequiemZ is “the yandere otome”, and to be honest I was prepared to see these men do some twist stuff to Yuhiru in this game and believe me they do. But, I was genuinely surprised at how balanced the story of the game is overall. Each route has two distinct story paths to explore, the Fact paths offer a more balanced romantic story, while the Dark paths are exactly as the name suggests. But, rather than the Dark paths being a cesspool of all the most unhinged yandere shenanigans, the story delivers a more nuanced look at these characters and the circumstances that could push someone to darkness. Showing us the exact moment that the love interests break and become the very thing they were fighting against. It’s heartbreaking and makes a lot of their actions much more palatable because you understand what put them on their doomed path.
I am not a fan of cage-kun, I like my freedom a little too much. But I really loved the Dark endings in this game. It’s not violence for the sake of the gimmick the way I have seen in other games, *cough* Virche Evermore *cough* but rather a natural progression for these characters and the story. I know some folks like to skip the bad endings when they play otome games, but in Over RequiemZ you’re doing yourself a disservice if you skip the Dark paths, they are some of the best otome writing I have seen in a long time.
However, as a caveat, please be mindful of your triggers, all of the Dark paths touch on some truly awful things and I will admit they might not be for everyone. I’m talking about some twisted stuff that had even me needing to take a break between routes. So, take care of your mental health and know your limits.
But, perhaps the most interesting part of Over RequiemZ are the choices themselves. In other otome games the choices can spell the difference between riding off into the sunset with your chosen fictional bae and dying horribly. Otome games are built on the premise of molding yourself/the heroine into the ideal partner for the love interests for the sake of your happily ever after. But, in this game there isn’t an affection meter to raise and for the most part choices don’t really matter outside of very obvious route branching choices. In Over RequiemZ there are three types of choices: Normal choices, Reward choices, and Branch choices.
Normal choices affect dialogue between Yuhiru and the love interests. You can choose to be thirsty AF, serious, or pick the most unhinged choice imaginable and just sit back while the LI react to it with no consequences! I went out of my way to pick the most delulu and horny choices imaginable and seeing the LIs absolutely at a loss for what to say back tickled me to no end! I have never felt more free in an otome in my life and now that I have had a taste, I need more autonomy in my otome choices! I demand these fictional men love me in all my freaky, unhinged, and horny glory!
The Reward choices unlock special voiced lines in the extras. There is only one choice that unlocks the voiced lines, but again, there are no consequences for picking the “wrong” choice. In some cases it’s funnier to pick the “wrong” choice, because the reactions are HILARIOUS. Lastly there are the Branch choices that determine the route (Dark/Fact) and the ending branches. There are only two options for these and it is 100% obvious which choice leads to which outcomes.
Also, all of the routes are unlocked at the start of the game, so you can choose whoever you want in whatever order you want with no real consequences. The individual routes are pretty self contained experience with little in the way of connective threads, so you don’t have to worry about spoilers. But, there are some fun nods to things about the characters in the other routes that you would only pick up on if you already played a character’s route. It doesn’t affect the story, but they are kind of like fun little easter eggs. All of that said, I would 100% save Dorothy for last, because of some of the reveals in his route. But, even with that said playing him early won’t really ruin your experience, just put some things into perspective.
Visually, Over RequiemZ is gorgeous, like, absolutely stunning. It has a distinctly low tech fantasy architecture, flowy and elaborate costuming, and softer more rounder character features. I am used to seeing more angular faces and body types so it was nice to see the softer art direction. This also contrasted really well with the unique painting-like technique used in the monster designs. Oh, and the artists added a sinister yandere eye shadowing to the sprites when the characters are at their most unhinged that really sells the “oh crap, I’m in danger” vibe in some of the more tense scenes. And don’t get me started on the CGs! Oh my gosh! Vibrant coloring and lighting. A mix soft cute moments, dark nightmare scenes, and even a few steamy images. Everybody had great CGs, not a single one that I hated. Beautiful work all around.
Is Over RequiemZ Worth Playing?
Yes! ABSOLUTELY! I don’t think I am premature in saying this now, but Over RequiemZ is the best otome game I have played this year! Over RequiemZ is a dark fantasy retelling done right, delivering the perfect blend of homage and original storytelling to create a truly unique experience. The ‘Wizard of Oz’ is a story that has been done to death, but somehow felt fresh and exciting as an otome game. I fell in love with the world of Oz and all the characters and I was genuinely sad to finish the game because I wasn’t ready to say goodbye.
Now, the unique choice system may take some getting used to for some folks, but I quite liked the freedom and autonomy it added to the gameplay. I was more invested in the romance because it felt like the love interests actually liked me and not the character I had to craft to woo them. I fell hard for all of the characters (though Noil and Kaize are my faves) and seeing their Fact and Dark routes really made me love every aspect of them.
Over RequiemZ is a game that gets pretty dark, these boys are definitely of the yandere persuasion, so be mindful that some story elements might not be for everyone. But, this is one of the few otome games where making every choice and playing every ending only enhances the experience. So, don’t wait for a tornado to whisk you off to Oz, be sure to pick up Over RequiemZ for yourself when it drops on the Nintendo Switch on August 20th!
Big thank you to Aksys Games for providing a copy of Over RequiemZ for this review. Receiving a review copy did not affect my opinions expressed in this review.
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