D3 Publisher | Blerdy Otome

[Bite- Sized Review] The Charming Empire was kind of DULL

Published on March 23, 2020April 23, 2022 by Blerdy2 Comments

Hey guys! I know I’ve been kind of silent lately (I’ve been making the best of my extended time at home), but this past weekend I finally got around to playing The Charming Empire and let’s just say it left much to be desired. I’m, no stranger to Dogenzaka Labs and their rather… interesting otome game localizations. I played both Men of Yoshiwara games, and while I find them entertaining, they have many, many flaws. I’ve also played a few of their mobile releases, which are best enjoyed after a few glasses of wine…

For those of you that don’t know, Dogenzaka Labs has been the main localizing company for most of D3 Publisher’s English otome releases and I’m gonna be real with you guys they’re all pretty basic. The Men of Yoshiwara is by and large the best of the bunch, and over the years has garnered quite the fanbase in the west, however, they’re not what I’d call top tier otome. They’re entertaining, sure, but there’s just a little something missing that keeps them from being truly “great”.

Most Dogenzaka Labs games deliver a very surface level otome gaming experience, with characters and stories that while enjoyable, are largely forgettable. If you look at their games on Steam, aside from Yoshiwara, you’ll find that most have pretty mixed reviews from fans. Most fans know to set the bar fairly low before diving into another one of their games, so, I didn’t go into Charming Empire expecting this to be on par with any of the Otomate/Idea Factory releases. However, I was still pleasantly surprised by how completely underwhelming this game was as a whole.

Game Details

Available for Steam, Nintendo Switch
Price: $29.99 USD
5 pursuable male characters
Gameplay Length: 2-10 hours
Full Japanese Voice Acting

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Bite-Sized Review – Nightshade

Published on January 15, 2020April 23, 2022 by Blerdy2 Comments

Where to Get the Game: Steam

A little while ago I went on a recovery mission into my backlog and I “rescued” a few titles from the depths. One of those titles was Nightshade. When this game was originally released I didn’t have the money to purchase it, so a friend of mine from an otome group I’m in gifted it to me on Steam. Even then, I didn’t immediately play the game, and I have to wonder that if I had played it back then when the entire otome games community was hyped as hell for this game, maybe, just maybe my opinion might have been different. But, I didn’t and I’m gonna be upfront with you guys, I did not enjoy this game and the only reason I even finished the game was out of a moral obligation to the friend who bought it for me the game.

I went in expecting Nightshade to be this epic historical fantasy on par with the much beloved otome darling Hakuoki, but what I got was a bland and largely forgettable gaming experience. Everything was just so meh, it just didn’t WOW me the way I thought it would. The premise was okay, the characters were okay, and the story itself was just… you guessed it, okay. It just didn’t stand out at all. Everything was just so predictable and unoriginal, HELL if you’re looking for a better game with shinobi, I highly recommend the mobile game Destiny Ninja it has its moments, but at least it’s FUN. Nightshade just played it too safe.

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[New Release] Nightshade is HERE!!

Published on April 12, 2017April 12, 2017 by Blerdy11 Comments

Back in November, D3 Publisher announced that they would be releasing their historical otome game, Nightshade, well it is now available for purchase on Steam for just $27.99 (20% off until April 18th)!! Regular retail $34.99! The game is only available in English for the Steam client, so you will need to create an account to play it!

*Disclaimer: While the writing is mine, the images used in this post are not, they belong to D3 Publisher and Red Entertainment!*

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[Guest Blogger] Jilted: Men of Yoshiwara – Hayabusa | Main Story Review

Published on February 11, 2017May 25, 2022 by Blerdy7 Comments

Hello Heroes and Travelers, today we have a special guest post from my blogging buddy and newest otoge recruit, Hazel from over at Archi-Anime!! This is her first ever otome game review and I am so happy that I was able to drag her into otoge hell with me! *rubs hands together* So join me in welcoming her to Nice Job Breaking It, Hero and without further ado, I’m gonna turn things over to Hazel!!

Good afternoon bloggers! Hazelyn here from the anime blog Archi-Anime. Today Naja and I are bringing you a very special collaboration post! This will be my first Otome game review ever, and a very first collaboration post. Hooray for firsts! I’m a bit late to the otome game, but hey, better late than never!

A few months ago I befriended Naja, whom as of late has become a really good friend of mine, I would like to say! I call her the otome queen and my Otome/BL Senpai. I have much to learn, and she has already dragged me down into backlog hell with the amount of games that ~~must~~ are to be played.

I’ve always wanted to write a review of an otome game, so when Naja senpai approached me to write a collaboration on a route I was both ecstatic and flattered she wanted to do this. She had already gotten me hooked onto Voltage games (bye money!) and I was still fairly a n00b to otome. So far I’ve been spoiled with a lot of great routes! So we decided to try a game neither of us had barely any experience with. I had played one route on the mobile version (Iroha), but I ended up buying it on steam during the Winter Steam Sale because it was more cost-efficient than paying per route.

The game we ended up choosing was The Men of Yoshiwara: Kikuya. There are a total of two Men of Yoshiwara games, the other being The Men of Yoshiwara: Oghiya, in which our MC is vastly different-but more on the Kikuya version of her later.

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Love is in the Forecast: Storm Lover Kai Review

Published on November 29, 2016May 25, 2022 by Blerdy11 Comments

In 2012, D3Publisher released Storm Lover Kai, a remake of their 2010 hit Storm Lover. The game boasts improved graphics, more CGs, and a slightly expanded plot. But, since I’ve never played the original Storm Lover, all of these improvements are kind of lost on me. So my opinion of the game is based solely on SLK. On the surface it’s just like any other High School stat building, event based otome game, relentlessly stalk your crush until he succumbs to your girlish charm.

I am a sucker for high school romance stories, no matter how cheesy and cliché they are, I always find myself captivated by the innocence of the stories. On the surface Storm Lover Kai is your typical high school romance fluff; girl meets boy, girl dates boy. But, there is so much more to this game than that, the player has the power to craft a love story all their own. You can be a monogamous Mary Sue or a heartbreaker, in Storm Lover Kai, the choice is up to you!

Game Details

Genre: Slice-of-Life | School Life | Romance
Rating: ESRB T
Developer & Publisher: D3Publisher

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Dangerous Relationship Taiga Saeba Review

Published on August 15, 2016May 2, 2022 by Blerdy6 Comments

I don’t know what’s wrong with me, but I must be a glutton for punishment. If you don’t remember my first foray with D3Publisher’s Dangerous Relationship. Relive my rage induced review of Kei Toyonaga’s route. *clears throat* I was growing a bit bored with my Voltage backlog, so I decided to switch gears a bit and check out some of the other mobile otoge on my iPad. Unfortunately, my curiosity got the better of me and I found myself clicking the Dangerous Relationship app once again.

After the tragedy that was Kei’s route, I willingly dove head first back into the fast paced world of celebrity drama with another playthrough of Dangerous Relationship.

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Dangerous Relationship Kei Toyonaga Review

Published on June 6, 2016May 1, 2022 by Blerdy21 Comments

Dangerous Relationship is a celebrity dating otome game published by Dogenzaka Labs for PC and Switch. Kei Toyonaga is a rising actor, who is known in the industry for his mercurial temperament and womanizing ways. As a reviewer I always try to find at least one redeeming quality about every game. But, I had a really hard time finding anything good about Kei’s route in Dangerous Relationship.

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