In this otome, visual novel focused on romance with boys, we travel to Kyoto in the middle of the Edo era. In this dangerous city full of ronin, we meet twelve handsome boys of the Shinsengumi, an organization of samurai whose goal is to protect the shôgun, the current government of Japan. Amidst so many skilled swordsmen, it’s easy for the protagonist to forget her goal… to find her missing father!
Game Story
The Edo era is among the most popular and well-known in Japanese history. A period of many changes in the country and with some very recognizable and interesting characters. Because of this, a huge number of anime, manga, and video games have been based on this tumultuous historical period.
In the city of Kyoto, the streets are full of ronin, samurai who have disowned their lord and seek a living by robbing innocent people. Other of these ronin decide to join the Shinsengumi, with the purpose of protecting the shogunate against the opposing forces, who demand a change of government.
In this context appears the protagonist of the story, Chizuru Yukimura (although we can change her first name). She does it dressed as a boy so as not to attract the attention of bad people wandering around the city. Chizuru is looking for her missing father, a doctor who traveled to Kyoto and who has not responded to her letters or shown any sign of life since.
When the protagonist arrives in the city, she finds herself involved in a supernatural incident with bloodthirsty beasts. Luckily, she is saved at the last moment by the Shinsegumi Corps, who now holds her captive. On revealing her background, the organization decides to help her in the search for her father, also a defender of the shogunate.
Staying captive she will gradually get to know the members of the organization as they search for her father, discovering at the same time the secrets hidden by these dark presences that populate the city. A multi-pronged story that capitalizes on the popularity of the historical period while including paranormal elements embellishing the plot.
Gameplay
The game consists entirely of reading lines of text accompanied by illustrations and making decisions to advance the plot. What is a visual novel of all life, come on. We will be able to review conversations and go back to earlier moments, such as when you left the page saved in the “Create Your Own Adventure” books.
We have at our disposal a total of 12 available romances, which will be unlocked depending on the decisions we make throughout the game, creating a greater bond with some of the boys.
Although it may seem that romance is the main focus of the game, the plot stands on its own and is interesting without the need for these elements. So much so, that the game itself gives the option to disable the romance if desired.
Game Endings
While in the first few chapters, we are building up the various relationships with the boys, it is not until the final chapter that the story really changes, depending on the level of relationship we have with certain characters.
There is no less than one route for each boy, with 3 different endings to each of them. This makes Hakuoki a tremendously replayable game, though somewhat overwhelming if you want to explore all the available options.
Once the game is completed, the player is given the option to start the story from any chapter, as well as to save and load the games we want in case we regret any decision.
The ending of the game is left a bit open due to the fact that it is the first part of a story that takes place in two cities, Kyoto and Edo (present-day Tokyo). The second part has not yet been announced for the West, but a compilation of both installments for PlayStation 4 will be released next July.
The Hakuoki Saga
The Hakuoki franchise is one of the most prolific in the otome genre, with over twenty titles for a multitude of platforms, as well as several manga and anime adaptations. Despite the fact that the genre is just beginning in the West, bringing such well-known sagas to these lands is a good step to gradually establish this genre of games in our territory, where there is more and more demand for everything that has to do with Japan.
Graphics
Being the genre that it is, it is obvious that the title must enter through the eyes. The design of all the characters is very careful and covers a whole spectrum of characters, covering the tastes of the more players the better (the guy with glasses, the strong and nice guy, the mysterious guy with long hair…). It is quite easy to find a character that you like to engage with more than others.
The illustrations that we find as we progress through the story are also good, even if in some the perspective fails a bit. As we see them, they will be unlocked in the game’s gallery menu, where we can also listen to tracks from the game’s soundtrack.
Sound
The game’s melodies accompany the moments of the story very well, supporting the feelings in each moment (joy, fun, tension…), although being a game that requires a lot of reading, they can get tired. The dubbing, on the other hand, is in Japanese and its quality is on par with any current anime.
The characters are played by voice actors who match their personalities, bringing a great charisma to every sentence.
Conclusion
This is a quintessential otome visual novel that represents this genre to perfection. A title that has a story that manages to engage and a number of endings that makes it highly replayable.
In addition, their designs and dubbing will entice us to continue with the story and create relationships with the interesting guys of the Shinsengumi.
