I think otome games are pretty great; then again, I’m a woman, so I’m also their target audience. Regardless, the more the merrier! It’s especially nice when a game is launched that may have been overlooked at first due to its platform. And that’s kind of how I feel about Charade Maniacs; it was originally released on PS Vita in 2018, long past the date most people used the Vita (sorry, Vita fans, I loved it too). Which is why it’s great that Idea Factory International will be bringing the game to Nintendo Switch in the west later this year! (Other than its original release, Charade Maniacs has seen other launches: Nintendo Switch in Japan in 2021, and for iOS/Android in 2022.)
Hiyori Sena is kidnapped and transported to a strange world with nine other abductees. Arcadia. Everyone has to act out dramas in order to escape, while also avoiding the traitor and their traps. Hiyori will conduct her own investigation, search for clues… and maybe even find love.
All of the other abductees become love interests for Hiyori. She can practice lines with them, but has to watch out for that tricky traitor. With nine love interests, there are nine storylines to carry out. There’s a helpful Flowchart features that keeps track of where stories branch off, so it’s easier to return to those specific points and go in another direction.
Related reading: For another otome title that got re-released, check out Amesia: Memories.
The game will be available both digitally and physically. There will be two physical editions, standard and limited. Both are on sale now through Iffy’s Online Store (Europe here, North American here). Contents of the limited edition haven’t even been announced yet, though, so if you order it you’re taking a bit of a risk! All physical editions will include an exclusive trading card.
Developed by Idea Factory and published by Idea Factory International, Charade Maniacs will be released for Nintendo Switch in the west during Q3 (or, “this summer”).
