Otome Game Review ~ Be My Princess for GREE [Android]

English Title ~ Be My Princess for GREE
Creator/Company ~ Voltage Inc.
Original Release ~ June 4, 2013
Genre ~ Mobile Otome Game, Shoujo, Princes, "Commoner" Protagonist
Personal Completion Date ~ N/A

Before I get into my personal assessment of this mobile otome game, it's probably best if I explain how it works.

Tutorial ~ This game is outfitted with a tutorial that not only walks the user through the basic items of the game, but it also leads into the prologue of the story. Which is that the MC [Main Character whose name you provide, as there is no default] opens by lamenting with a friend from college over another rejection from another fashion designer's office. They both then caught the eye of a large jumbo-tron which is displaying the six main princes and their recent visit to another country. Their conversation proceeds as normal for the friend at least as the MC doesn't demonstrate much interest at all in the princes. But they bid their farewells to one another and the MC returns home to her mother holding a thick envelope for her which just arrived in the mail.

The MC then, thinking it's another rejection urges her mother to open the mail only to find out that she's been accepted to Monsieur Pierre's designer label. So, of course, she wastes no time and packs her bags for France. Upon arrival at the airport, she makes her first official run in with a prince. Prince Wilfred [the blond] who helps her pick up her things after they spill from her bag before leaving easily without offering his name [the MC only figures he's a prince after his butler comes to collect him].

This proves to be only the first of numerous run-ins for the MC as Pierre later sends her on an errand to Nobel Michel, a famous castle in the country, which is hosting a party tonight. The MC essentially is supposed to bring a dress to a client for the party but the client refuses to attend and instead dresses up the MC in her clothes and make-up as a stand in.

Which basically brings about the main part of the prologue/tutorial as she becomes acquainted with all six princes at the party and then later at a fashion show in which Pierre offered her a place to display her own fashions. It is at the fashion show that a prince of the user's choice becomes intrigued enough that he sends her a notice to become his royal fashion designer and essentially begin the main plot of each route...

Basic Game Movement ~ This part is rather elaborate so I'll section it off within this branch.

• Love Passes ~ In order to advance each chapter of a specific story, you need a love pass. This allows you read anywhere from 5 to 10 lines of the specific chapter [and at times, some are repeated from the previous chapter/story]. There are mainly two ways to obtain them. Through generation: everyday at 9am EST [I can't recall the PST or whatever main timezone they went by or the hour. I just know mine reset at 9 every morning.] This will restore the full 5 you can use at one time and allow you to continue. Another way is through purchase: you can buy anywhere from 1 to 20 passes with their special online currency that you can buy with your money and convert for use on any of their GREE apps [not sure if they work on all Voltage otome games]. However you can still only load 5 at a time.
• Love Factors ~ At points in the game, you will be asked questions with two answers to pick from, not only do these answers affect the users game ending but they also affect the love factors or "closeness" of the prince and the MC. At certain points in the game, you can only advance if you have a certain number of these factors. They can be raised in various ways which I'll explain as I continue.
• Royal Party ~ This is one of the ways to obtain love factors, as well as Cruz [in game currency as opposed to using real money for items] and Gacha points during their bonus events. It's basically a mini version of the party sped WAY up. You win by being more "attractive" then your opponent. You can also enlist help from a Princess Mate to increase your charm and aid you.
• Charm ~ The "attractiveness" factor that stipulates the winner of the royal parties. This can be raised through items that your "avatar" wears, each giving a specific amount of charm or through the furniture you use in your room.
• Princess Gacha ~ One of the means of obtaining furniture for your room. As you collect items of a set from a particular Gacha, you are awarded items to put in your room to raise your charm. More Gacha are unlocked as you proceed through each route. Each Prince has at least one specific to him. 
• Missions ~ At various points in each route, you'll have to meet certain requirements in order to continue. Some missions will allow for two different versions of the next special chapter. One being the "normal" where it's from the MC's POV or the "sweet" where it follows the prince's POV. There is always a price different between the two sets. However some route require a certain amount of charm or love factors and don't have any changes to how the next part is viewed.

 Now onto what actually matters: my opinion of the whole thing. Heh heh. <3

Well, really...I was initially confused by all the various parts that made up one simple mobile game as well as oober obsessed with the game itself. Both faded quickly. In their places, came one critical question of the game. Which prince would I start with? 

From left to right and then top to bottom: Wilfred, Keith, Roberto, Glenn, Joshua and Edward.

 
From what the base page of the game told me, most picked Wilfred, which didn't suprise me too much. A blond prince is what most think of [for one reason or another] but I personally always found their personalities to be like their hair. Bright and shiny. So I was like "pass." 

Next was Keith, the arrogant playboy of the princes. Instant rejection. Not interested in another stereotype to the whole "prince" idea. [Although I knew they all were stereotypes of some sort, but still. xD]

Roberto made the initial cut because I liked his mischievous and playful nature and he would have been my formal pick to start but someone else stood out more after the prologue.

Glenn was the youngest and he just didn't make it due to his age. Not much reason beyond that as I did find his reactions to the things the MC did in the prologue to be adorable. If only he was older. *Sigh~*

Joshua had been my pick at first glance and who I almost went with, until he displayed that horrid tsundere attitude at the party. Not that I mind tsunderes...but I need to see the cute in him too. He only showed the douchebag side. </3

So who does that leave? Edward from Charles Kingdom.

Or as I thought of him, "The Teddy Bear Prince".

Undoubtedly the most mature of the princes, he was completely mindful of and tender with the MC at the party. At one point he took a glass of rose wine away from her after he noticed her cheeks started to blush. Following it, he utters an adorable line about the roses that were used to make the wine paled in comparison to the ones blooming on her cheeks.

[/MASSIVENOSEBLEEDALLOVERMYANDRIOD] 

Yes! I'd finally found him! My cheesy, beyond words adorable, mature prince! From that line on, I was utterly smitten. I wanted him to be fucking real damn it. I'd corrupt the shit out of him while he remained hopeful about my true tenderheartedness existing somewhere underneath it all. That's just the sort of prince he is. [Sucker~]

His route only got better when I actually started it. Apparently, the MCs first assignment from him was to design a new pair of glasses for him. That's right. The silvery-haired, violet-eyed wonder...wore glasses in private. Because he's EXTREMELY shortsighted. Seriously, he couldn't see shit. xD Which only made him more adorable to see him totally not know what was going on right in front of him.

However, his route came with a rival whose name I can't and don't care to remember. But she was somewhat important still. For several reasons. In Edward's route, his country was dual-run in a sense. There was the monarchy [the king and queen] and then there was the Royal Commission. EVERYONE fucking hates the Royal Commission. Apparently, everyone spent most of their time trying to pacify this one elder from it, who was the grandfather on the rival. [When the elder first appears, he makes not only Edward's but also his parent's expressions, tighten.]

Where was I? Oh right. The bimbo. Well, she's also important in that she forces Edward and the MC to confront their feelings for one another. Specifically after one incident when she demands a kiss from Edward like she claims he always give her. At getting over his shock at the request, he obliges with one on the cheek. Thereby forcing the MC to reason with why she only has had Edward kiss her hand and inevitably resist him the very next time he tries to do so.

The pain of her rejection stirs Edward to his heart and in the very next story, he rejects the rival claiming his feelings for the MC outright. [/innersquee~]

His proclamation also leaves consequences in its wake, as the paparazzi of Charles Kingdom nearly publish the story and the King demands that Edward and the MC be apart for some time to allow things to cool down and for him to gain the approval of the Royal Commission in regards to his relationship with the MC.

Honestly though, as far as what happens after that...I only know from reading someone else's explanation. That's right. I ultimately choose to abandon his route. And for one reason only.

In order to finish the mission I was stuck on, it would have taken me another month or so. With hardcore playing and obsession motivating me. Why, you ask? The mission required that I have 80k love factors. I had total about 36k. After about a month or so of playing. And each royal party would only gain me about 100 to 150 and with full energy [300 to 350 during events]. Not to mention that I could only do about 10 parties in a full day with regular checking. As 1 energy took 3 minutes to regain and you needed 25 to 30 per party. See the complex math at work here?

So all in all, I was beyond pissed. Especially considering that I had at least another 30 chapters [3 stories] to go. So I just resigned myself to youtubing it in completely off-put bitterness.

Now I'm just starting over on Joshua's route until it locks me out too and I'll just finish the princes to the best I can in that manner until either I finish with them all (as far as it lets me) or get so fucking annoyed I uninstall it. So given all of this...

Final Rating ~ 4/10 [For the 40k+ factors I was missing. D<]

Otome Game Review ~ Hitofuta Kitan

 Japanese Game Title ~ ひとふた奇譚
English Title ~ Hitofuta Kitan
Creator/Company ~ Profitrolle
Original Release ~ March 30, 2012
Genre ~ Otome, Shoujo, Boring Male Lead, Ayakashi
Personal Completion Date ~ September 23, 2013? [I can't specifically remember anymore, actually. Lol]

 Although I have already posted a mini version of this on my facebook, I do feel the game is worth more than just a bunch of lines bashing Kazuki while simultaneously drooling over Nana-chan. So to elaborate...

It's first worth noting that I didn't play the "bad" endings, if there were any. Lol. That's right...I play with walkthroughs. NO SHAME IN ADMITTING IT. Sure some may be like "dafuq? what's the point in playing then?" To those I say. BLAME HAKUOKI. Oh yeah. When the English version of Hakuoki: Demon of the Fleeting Blossom came out, I just winged it. AND EVERYONE FUCKING DIED. Even Kazuma wasn't around for this shitty ending I somehow walked into while still hoping for my starry-eyed romance and despite the dick Kazuma was, I would have welcomed any sort of moves on Chizuru. That's how desperate I was. o.o;

So yeah, that one ending forever ruining my ideals in experimentation. I know, I'm so pathetic for letting one experience ruin my true gamer spirit. But do otome games count towards that? I'm not facing a harsh death and possible game over...just a poorly written ending. Lol. Which is weird, considering that I don't typically go to walkthroughs for my regular console games unless I've been sitting there for HOURS, repeating the same shiz over and over...

Okay, my bad. I'm rambling. I tend to do that. Back to Hito Futa...

Umm...I'll start with Kazuki's route...To call his route "good" would be an insult to otome games. Not only was there NO visible romance for the greatest chunk of his route, but he's an absolute yandere. My least favorite personality type. Sure, some might argue that he hasn't really a yandere but then what would you call that complete shift from refreshing personality to abrasive dick with the latter being used if he was only around other classmates. Psh. 

 

One of the few moments, he wasn't an utter disappointment.

Still, he first appears when Chie [I kept her default name] needs someone the most in that old schoolhouse, so I guess that's props for him. But it was all downhill from there as he then transfers into the one she just transferred into and she easily notes his split personality. He of course, ignores her confusion and chooses to stick to his image projection but decides to ultimately aid her in restoring the 12 Zodiac spirits to the calender she became the master of. At first he isn't really much help as it does take them FOREVER to even get just 2 spirits: the Rat and the snake. And the snake was more accident than anything. [They were attracted to Yoshihisa-kun's bishounen face. xD]

So they continues along in the game and he does aid our dear heroine into sealing the Dragon by lending her some wooden knife infused with spiritual power. But really, that entire night was a long running ass-kicking for all three. However, it's only during Summer Break that ANYTHING begins to really happen for Chie and Kazuki but before she finds him in "helpless bitch pose" in his own house after having been rendered pointless by some talismans that his brother slapped on him. [Pfft.Wimp.]

Why not have used some of that power you boast about as an Omyouji, huh!?

Anyway...the route drags along as obviously the longest of the game and when I finally hope for them to get together and end my misery...HE SPRINGS THAT HE'S LEAVING AND TAKING HER POWER WITH HIM. I nearly lost it and uninstalled it right fucking there. However, I calmed myself and maintained...ONLY TO BE REWARDED WITH THE LAMEST CG OF THE FUCKING GAME.

ALL OF MY STRUGGLES...FOR THAT!?

Alas, my frustrations nearly reached a breaking point but instead of going hulksmash on my new laptop...I just opted to retry with another possible love interest.

Which leads me to my second [and ultimate favorite] choice...Kairi Nanao [Or as Yoshihisa-kun and I called him "Nana-chan." ♥] [/insertmassivenosebleedhere] OMG. He was lovely. Despite his possibly repressed boner for his best friend, Tatsumi-sensei, he was the most attentive to Chie. And I adored every single second of his route. Even the down moments. [I might have skipped through some of the stuff I'd already seen~]

His route came with a few surprises and numerous answers to questions that popped up in Kazuki's route [which only further proves how little Kazuki cared about Chie, to not even explain some of the more awkward things going on...]. Apparently though he and Tatsumi-sensei are Kazuki's retainers and have powers similar to Kazuki's omyouji ones. However, Nana-chan's have a dark origin. His powers are blood-based and in order to use his power, he is constantly harming himself. [I really wish I had taken a screenshot of THAT particular CG. So tragic...] This comes to be very important during the epic battle of the game.

Not the most important CG or relevant, but it was cute.

Also, you learn the reason Nana-chan wears glasses AND IT ISN'T THE OBVIOUS ONE. Lol. Apparently, he wanted to simply look cooler next to Tatsumi-sensei, as he thought that Tatsumi looked far more approachable and blahblah. Whatever his reason, I thought it was so adorable to have them depict a man insecure about himself. Besides, megane or not, he was smoking hot for a teacher. [I'M FAILING MATH, NANA-CHAN. EXTRA LESSONS MAYBE ARE IN ORDER?]

So things come to a serious development in the main battle against Kazuki's grandfather, who'd been missing up to this point and had somehow managed to get his ass possessed. He also had control over the main force that was consuming the other [so far uncollected] 7 other Zodiac ayakashi. During this fight, Nana-chan took the brunt of the grandfather's powers, especially when Tatsumi-sensei started taking hits. So then Nana-chan would simply retake-up the initiative to draw him away from his secret bromance partner best friend [about all the same isn't it? Lol]. Not to mention that all of Nana-chan's attack drew on the same blood that the grandfather was spilling with his own hits. 

The couple that almost was~ Heh heh. :3

Not so surprisingly, Chie during the bigger part of this fight was no help; however, in a twist from most heroines, she was desperate to help but had been sealed off from the fight by Nana-chan. That is until he grew so weak that his blood barrier collapsed. So of course, Chie stepped up to the plate...ONLY TO GET BLOWN NEARLY TO PIECES. Yep, that's right. She didn't even get a chance to get a hit in. Instead she sacrificed herself to protect Nana-chan from an exploding talisman that the grandfather wanted to throw to effectively end him. Still, there was an up side to being a target for her. Nana-chan, between gargled bloody words about her foolishness, kissed her full on in the midst of battle. While there was no CG of this undoubtedly moving moment, it was just fine by me. That's what my imagination was good for, after all. :3 [No doubt far raunchier in my mind anyway. Fufufu~]

Alas, the kiss had a main point beyond a flat out statement to all the other potential love interests of the game equivalent to "THIS ONE'S MINE, ASSHOLES" [as almost all were present in some sense or another], he did it to give her his last remaining power before collapsing into a non-responsive heap.

[/insertypicalbattleendinghere]

From that the route proceeds as expected, save for the aftermath. That's when it gets cute again...heh heh. Basically, after waking up and what not, Chie goes off in search of her possessive-teacher bloody-knight new lover. She finds him, only to watch him struggle in trying to eat before she does the natural thing...and feeds him. ♥ And so not long after...normalcy resumes for all. With one sexy exception. The shining moment of the game occurs in their epilogue where Nana-chan asks...THAT question.

While I can't remember exactly how the conversation went, here's my rendition [possibly modified due to my overactive imagination. LOL.]

Nana-chan ~ "Do you want me to continue being your teacher?"

Chie ~ "Yes! Absolutely!"

Nana-chan ~ "Agreed. I look forward to teaching you new things in the time to come."

Chie ~ *Smiles~* "Yes. I can't wait."

Nana-chan ~ "Unfortunately, you'll have to. However, for only a year and a half. Then the new lessons begin and I am eager to see your progress." "*Gives a devilishly pervy serene smile~*

Chie ~ *Blinks, thinks and then blushes~* "I...look forward to the experience."

YEAH YOU WOULD CHIE. I THINK WE ALL WOULD. LOLOLOLOL~ [/shot]

Anyway, yeah. That's their official ending. The good one anyway. I wouldn't have been able to take a bad one for them. So I ran with my new-found high and considered who to try next. I figured if one teacher was that adorable, the other had to be at least somewhat the same. With that in mind...I moved onto Tatsumi-sensei.

Only to be promptly disappointed. I mean, I won't go into too much detail as his route wasn't so different from Nana-chan's, except in that he gave a very "fatherly" feel to everything he said to Chie and not so much that of a capable lover. Which was one of the more hilarious aspects of Tatsumi-sensei. If he was ever called "Otou-san" or "Papa" [as Yoshihisa-kun did like twice in the game, hilariously], it would completely crush his spirit. No exaggeration. He would just shut down and slink out of the room as drearily as possible. Once he even asked Chie if he really looked old enough to father kids that might even be her age.

Daddy, is that you? Lawl~

Even his prologue was disappointing. Like, no kiss, no hug, NOTHING. Which may beg the question how Kazuki ranked dead-last, right underneath the father-figure wanna-be lover? Easy. At least Tatsumi-sensei gave a love confession. Indeed. In only the last few lines of his route, you get his sleepy muttered confession which was initiated by Chie who said it because he looked so cute sleeping or something. I dunno, I wasn't paying to much attention to the translation at that point. I was sort of over his route but not quite as disappointed by it as Kazuki's. So he ranks second to last out of those I played. I'm just not one for awkwardly implied "family-like" relationships.

Which brings to be the final route I played, Sakon Yoshihisa's. The only route with references to western exorcists. I know, it threw me when I found out too. I was like "DAFUQ? IS THERE ANYONE NORMAL IN THIS GAME!?" Considering what I know about Toa-kun and Akira-kun, that's going to be a no. Despite my awkward reservations about his route [mostly since he was as great as mystery as Nana-chan was with all the previous unexplained inklings before their respective routes], I felt game for it by then. I say "by then" because at first, I flat-out found his ass annoying as humanly possible. Always throwing himself on Chie, whining like a little bitch because he wasn't seen as cool or popular...Bleh. Such a foul taste he crammed in my mouth.

Which I guess begs the question, "why play his route?" Since the whole idea of this review blog was days after I'd finished playing, it wasn't for that reason. Instead, I just got curious what was being left out. That and he grew on me, ever so slightly through everyone else's route.

Still, as I played...I felt completely torn on my feelings about his route. Because there was a near equal amount of pros and cons. My favorite pro was how bold Chie became during his. Even though Yoshihisa-kun felt comfortable hugging her whenever his emotion surged with happiness, he was always stumbling and embarrassed when she took charge and said he was fine to use her legs as a lap pillow or whenever she boldly proclaimed her feelings through a kiss. These moments often left our most talkative male...at a loss for words. [Finally.]

SURRENDER YOURSELF TO CHIE'S WILL, LOVER BOY.

Fufufu~ Surprisingly, I found these moments to be the highlight of his route. Mostly since after a while, his doubt of her potential to do anything became the nasty undertone to everything. See, it comes to light about halfway in his route that he's originally from England and part of a society of [as Kazuki put it] "western omyoujis." Lol. As in "exorcists." Not only him though but also the school nurse and some weird dude Chie meets briefly outside of the dorm one day [Toa]. All three of them after a particularly bad run-in with the Rooster spirit, urge Chie to give up the calender and it's remaining ayakashi to be sealed, to another. [Which really, was Yoshihisa's fault since SOMEONE had to protect his ass and Chie jumped in right as he was about to bite the dust.] This frustrates her [and me] and she refuses. [No surprise there.]

After a while though, Yoshihisa relents due to Kazuki's reminder that regardless of how they feel Chie will do as she pleases. [Shocked me too. Never though Kazuki would defend her, even if awkwardly.] So he then basically serves as a protector to Chie for the rest of the route, claiming he doesn't want those he cares about to be harmed. Which may seem like a loose confession but Yoshihisa is WAY insecure and to make a long story short, it's not. Only after the final battle, into the epilogue do we have a formal confession made. WHICH THEN TOOK SO MUCH LONGER THAN NECESSARY.  Sheesh. Chie tries to confess and Yoshihisa is like "nuwai, it's all a lie, you dun like meh. I'm so pathetic~." To which Chie finds that the only way he'll believe her is with some physical contact. Heh heh. So she grabs his face and kisses him. [No CG of that either, sadly.]

Either way, all in all his route wasn't horrid. Kind of cute really, minus the constant doubt he had about Chie's own ability.

Now to answer the one lingering question I know those with some loose knowledge of this game may have...What happened to Akira's and Toa's routes? 

Ehhh...well, really, I just didn't play them. [/dodgesbullets] Sorry. I just wasn't instead in the gloomy underclassmen or the narcissist. I will say this about Akira's route though, for those that want something to go on. 

This CG made me so glad I didn't play when I found it on google. Mega emo, ftw~

The information that I did gather about Akira is that in every final battle scene for all the route I did play...he was the main force compromising the 7 other "eaten" Zodiac ayakashi. Each time, it was simply that he was being manipulated by Kazuki's grandfather and the energy or "magic" of the spirits turned him into a crazy beast bent on destruction. As a side note too, there is a small scene in the main part of the routes that demonstrates that Akira is possibly on-par with genius-level intellect but somehow sucks at taking tests. Lol.

Sadly [or not so, depending on your interest in overly self-assured blonds], I have almost no info to provide on Toa. So boo-hoo. Don't care. His attitude and love of random English phrases turned me off.

All-in-all, a rather nice otome. I've no doubt played better and it SO BADLY needed more romance but still, cute for what it did contain. Honestly though, it was mostly Nana-chan that saved his game for me as not having been a complete time waster. Just so fucking adorable he was...*Sigh~*

Final Rating ~ 7/10

A hop, skip and odd trip down the rabbit hole~

Mostly at a dear old friend's behest, I started this blog. I've never been the best type for these things, though I do enjoy reading others from time to time. It's not that I have no interest in writing...no, no. Far from that. But more that...

To be frank, I'm SO forgetful. Like seriously. The type that can set her keys down on the kitchen counter, make a response to one of my roommates and then COMPLETELY forget where I put the keys.

Ya, you know the type. Not quite air-headed but damn near close. Which is hilarious considering that I'm way compulsive about my room and the placement of things.

[/shotforbeingofftopic]

Ahem. Yes, to continue, [I also ramble and more than just a little], I will try my very best to keep up with this. Mostly because even I need a place to spew my very opinionated ramblings to like-minded individuals [since I think my roommates have grown tired of being the victims in that realm.]

As for what will be here, uhhhh...mostly anything and everything. YAY FOR SPECIFICITY. [/shotoncemore] Lawl~ No. Well, yes. I dunno. Probably just a random massive whirlpool that will suck all of those that even glimpse this blog into it's chaotic depths.

Won't that experience be fun?

No? Damn. Well, let's see...Otome games [as they're my current binge]. And they'll be for all platforms that I manage to deduce enough of a translation from to get a gist of what's going on. Also, manga. The super popular ones and maybe those you've never heard of. Like the way out-there ones that you're like dafuq is this? Perhaps some anime from time to time, as it's not too much my forte anymore. Umm...my purchases probably? Lol. I buy a lot of paraphernalia. So many wallscrolls~

Other than that...it'll just be dotted with arbitrary shiz. I dunno. Dun ask me. I wasn't prepared for a questionnaire.

So yeah...just...enjoy~!