Welcome to Otome 101, a brief introduction to the wonderful world of otome games.  Originating in Japan, these romantic games are designed for young women and girls as a video game that reads like a book.  Although there are a few gaming systems that you can play these games on, including the PSP and Nintendo Switch, for the sake of ease,  only those found on Google Play and the App Store will be looked at.  

There is a good chance that you have heard of, or come across, an otome game, whether that is on your Facebook news feed or Twitter account, or just as an ad or part of the Anime/Manga culture, and it caught your attention.  These games look a lot like an interactive manga that allows you to choose how you would react to a situation and what the outcome will be from that choice.  The majority of these games have three different endings based on your choices: a Great End, a Normal End, and a Bad End.  The more correct answers you choose, the higher your score becomes, and the better your ending will be.  Consider this a “Choose your Own Adventure” book and the more you play, the better choices you make and the better ending you will get.

For mobile devices, there are several companies both in Japan and the United States that cater to these types of games including Voltage INC, CYBRID, and Genius INC to name a few. Once you have chosen your particular genre, (and there are a lot to choose from) you will either pay per story or receive five tickets a day to play.  For example; Voltage INC has an app called Love 365: Find Your Story that includes all of their previously released single apps into one.  Here you can find 49 different worlds for you to join, all with attractive men that can be yours for the right choice.  Each main story is around $5.49 CDN and then any side stories are $2.79 CDN.  Once purchased with coins, these stories are yours to keep and play as many times as you want, and each time you play you will have a different experience and a different ending, once again, depending on your choices. In Love 365 there is a section for free stories as well as chances to win coins and tickets to help you play along while being a bit kinder to your wallet.

If you decide that paying for each story is not for you, that is completely fine. Voltage INC also has another style of otome games called PARTY that is completely free to play, although they do offer in-app purchases. These games are based on a ticket system where every day you will receive five tickets to run through five parts of a chapter.  Once you have read these five parts there will be a challenge for you to complete.  These challenges might include fashion  where you can use the free coins given to you during the story to buy an item of clothes or you can purchase pearls and get a different outfit.  Once the outfit has been purchased, there is a free story that comes along with that outfit and does not cost you a ticket to read.  The other challenge is a skill test that will require you to play the “train skills” option to raise your points. Every ten tickets will require a skill test. This option is completely free to play, and there are many options to choose from including 7 Husbands, Samurai Love Ballad, Love Tales, Eternal Vows, SSS, Orient Bride, and countless others. 

This class is barely scratching the surface of otome games and all the men and worlds that you can choose from. Whether you want to pay for the stories or play others for free, the choice is yours, but no matter your choice, it is guaranteed to be an enjoyable way to pass a few hours. After learning more about otome games and what to expect, a whole new world is available at your fingertips.   Now, go out and get lost in the world of otome games.