Want to feel connected with a digital prince and find your way to his heart? If you do, then Otome games on Nintendo Switch are for you.
In Otome games, you’ll encounter complete visual novels geared toward women in this new world of romance affairs. Otome genre games also play as dating sims and life sims.
Switch offers an excellent collection of Otome games. But which one should you choose? That’s where we come in as we list the best Otomoe games on Nintendo.
Let’s get started.
What are Otome Games? What Makes them Unique?
Otome games (maiden games) are romantic games aimed at women where the female protagonist explores romantic interests and find the love of her life. Due to the core idea of romance and dating, the visual design revolves around fantasy or visual novels with vibrant environments and surreal music that evokes romantic emotions.
Otome games are not new. The first Otome game history goes back to 1994 when Koei in Japan released Angelique. The game was created by a women’s team, aimed at younger and pre-teen girls.
As for style, the Otome game inspires heavily by Josei and Shojo manga. Plot-wise, Otome games offer enough variety — getting inspired by Harem manga which consists of anime, light novels, etc. Despite a different take, Otome games don’t contain any adult content, especially if it is on Switch, a kids-focused console. However, these themes can get intense, which may only be ideal for some.
The gameplay revolves around the protagonist (primarily a girl/woman) trying to fall in love with a player character (especially men). However, it is not as straightforward as it looks. The player must navigate through complex web romance with access to multiple partners. The choice options mean multiple story routes and associated endings. Apart from these, you also get minigames that can affect the plot.
As a main character, you must maintain specific stats, such as style, intelligence, talent, and looks, to keep partners interested in you.
Overall, Otome games let you explore romantic interests, surrounded by plenty of choices, excellent visual novel design, and fully-voiced characters.
Now, let’s look at the best Otome games on Nintendo.
Code: Realize ~ Guardian of Rebirth ~
Code: Realize lets you explore 19th-century London, where you play Cardia, a strong female protagonist. She is intelligent and quick-witted but also looking for love in the steampunk visual-styled novel.
Along her path to finding love, she must deal with many problems, starting with managing her amnesia. Due to amnesia, she cannot remember anything beyond two years. She also suffers from toxins in her veins, making her untouchable.
The story revolves around men trying to help her, which includes historical characters such as Abraham Van Helsing and Victor Frankenstein.
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Code: Realize Guardian of Rebirth - Nintendo Switch Standard Edition | Buy on Amazon |
The whole game settings are perfect for long game sessions, and you’ll need 50 hours to see all the endings. You also enjoy its vivid game style created by famous Japanese artist Milo.
So, can you make Cardia find her love?
- Developer: Otomate
- Estimated time to complete: 12 hours for the main story and 36 hours for the completionist.
- Release Date: February 6, 2020
Collar X Malice
In Collar X Malice, you play Ichika Hoshino, who is trying to save the city of Shinjuku from a dangerous shadow organization known as Adonis. The story starts with the protagonist’s abduction. She gets blackmailed before setting free, but with a lethal collar around her neck.
In all this chaos, you meet five mysterious strangers. Now, it is up to you how you interact with them and find the truth behind all of this.
The work behind the game is phenomenal. It offers a gripping time-sensitive story and showcases work from the best in the industry, including artwork genius Hanamura Mai, Japanese rock band Plastic Tree, and top-level voice actors, giving life to the characters.
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Collar X Malice - Nintendo Switch |
$27.00 |
Buy on Amazon |
Even though Collar X Malice falls under the Otame genre, it is not for everyone. Its dark theme means you see a lot of bloodshed and violence. So, only pick Collar X Malice if you’re okay with its dark theme.
- Developer: Idea Factory
- Estimated time to complete: 11 hours for the main story and 51 hours for the completionist.
- Release Date: June 25, 2020
Doki Doki Literature Club Plus!
Are you looking for romance in physiological settings? If you do, then check out Doki Doki Literature Club Plus! The game offers a unique take with physiological elements as you navigate the terrifying romantic world. As a protagonist, you can write poems to your crush and reverse them with your abilities to try to pave the path to a perfect ending.
However, the psychological world is not for everyone, especially for children disturbed by the themes of homicide, suicide, and depression. This is the opposite of what the visuals might portray.
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Doki Doki Literature Club Plus! Premium Physical Edition – Nintendo Switch |
$33.49 |
Buy on Amazon |
You get six new side stories with the extended Nintendo Switch version and the main quest. You also get to collect 100 unlockable game art.
- Developer: Team Salvato
- Estimated time to complete: 5 hours for the main story and 15 hours for the completionist.
- Release Date: June 30, 2021
Cupid Parasite
Cupid Parasite is perfect for those looking for a more traditional Otome experience. It offers a visual novel surrounding romance and comedy set in Paradise 5. Here, you play as Lynette Mirror, Celestia’s Goddess of Love, Cupid. Her job is advising people on their perfect bridal match while sitting at the top of Cupid Corporation.
At the core of your task is to find soulmates for the boys and men of Parasite 5. You give them practice dates so that they can succeed in the future when the time comes. As each partner has their personality, you must think twice before making choices. To improve gameplay, you use a flow chart for progression keeping.
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Cupid Parasite - Nintendo Switch | 302 Reviews |
$49.99 |
Buy on Amazon |
Overall, Cupid Parasite offers a fun gameplay loop with endless possibilities. It also provides New Game+ mode for a more controlled approach. So, can you fulfill the role of Cupid in the fascinating world of Parasite 5?
- Developer: Team Salvato
- Estimated time to complete: 24 hours for the main story and 66 hours for the completionist.
- Release Date: November 5, 2021
My Forged Wedding
My Forged Wedding takes you on the journey of faking a marriage for a month. During this period, you get to know your partner and decide whether to stay with them.
From the onset, you get to choose from 10 characters, including Yamato Kougami — a Physics teacher, Ren Shibasaki — a scientist, Takao Maruyama — a lawyer; Yuta Kajima — a comedian and Takamasa Saeki — an author. Each of them has a personality. For example, Yamato is bullheaded and self-indulged while being very soft towards her wife. While Takamasa Saeki likes to see her girls suffer but is sensitive inside.
With plenty of choices, you can get excellent replay value to find your best partner. So, if you’re looking for a challenge, try My Forged Wedding!
- Developer: Voltage
- Estimated time to complete: Unknown
- Release Date: September 17, 2020
➡️ Check it out on the Nintendo Store.
Persona 3 Portable
Persona 3 Portable (P3P) is one of the best Switch RPGs with some Otome-ness. It lets you play a fully-fledged role-playing game where you can play as a female protagonist. It allows you to have a love ending while having relationships with multiple male characters in the game.
The RPG world is set in Dark Hour, where shadows roam around the city, only to attack the protagonist one night. Just like any other Persona game, you get to live two lives. The first half is spent in the Gekkoukan high school, where you participate in classes, activities, and field trips. However, at night, the Dark Hour starts when you have to take on the Shadow monsters and people who get transformed into coffins. Also, the school changes to a looming tower, Tartarus, which you can climb and fight off the Shadows.
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![Persona 3 Portable Standard - Nintendo Switch [Digital Code]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41tDneW44XL.jpg)
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Persona 3 Portable Standard - Nintendo Switch [Digital Code] | Buy on Amazon |
As this is a mix of RPG and Otome elements, you get to level up characters, unlock abilities and do quests. The Otome experience starts when you can create your romantic relationship with any of the three guys (or all of them, it’s your choice), including Sanada Akihiko, Aragaki Shinjiro, and Amanda Ken.
So, what’re you going to do?
- Developer: Atlus
- Estimated time to complete: 65 hours for the main story and 125 hours for the completionist.
- Release Date: January 19, 2023
TAISHO x ALICE ALL IN ONE
TAISHO X ALICE ALL IN ONE is a heart-warming Otome game where you play a fairytale to save your Prince Charming.
As the main protagonist, you play in “Country of Mirrors,” where everything is flipped, including genders. Here, you can witness the gender-flipped Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, and many more colorful casts.
Also, you get to enjoy each of these characters with their stand-alone character paths to reach a happy ending. The visual novel offers access to four episodes and a fully voiced cast, including Daisuke Hirakawa for Cinderella VA, Toshiki Masuda for Kaguya VA, etc.
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Prototype Taishou x Alice All in One NINTENDO SWITCH REGION FREE JAPANESE VERSION |
$56.49 |
Buy on Amazon |
The game comes in two versions. The base version is only in Japanese, while the other contains an English Text Mode Add-On Bundle. So, pick the one that fits your preference!
- Developer: Primula
- Estimated time to complete: 21 hours for the main story and 44 hours for the completionist.
- Release Date: April 14, 2022
Takimeki Memorial Girl’s Side 4th Heart
Girls Side 4th Heart is one of the finest Otome games. It is the fourth installment of the popular Takimeki Memorial Girl’s Side series.
The game takes place in Habataki city, which offers a beautiful setting surrounded by mountains and sea. Here, you play a female protagonist in the Habataki Academy, where youth is celebrated. As you explore the school, you’ll find a new crush and meet with exciting personalities, including students and teachers.
As part of the academy, you get to do studies and activities based on your crush’s liking. There’s plenty of trial and error before you get dates and win the love of your life.
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ときめきメモリアル Girl's Side 4th Heart | $75.92 | Buy on Amazon |
Takimeki Memorial Girls Side 4th Heart brings back characters from previous iterations, giving fans the best way to enjoy the game. Moreover, the game is beginner friendly as well. So, if you never played an Otome game, pick it up to learn how the Otome game plays.
- Developer: Konami
- Estimated time to complete: 22 hours for the main story.
- Release Date: October 28, 2021
Yoshiwara Higanbana
Yoshiwara Higanbana is a popular Otome game that lets you follow the beautiful Orion love story.
In this game, you explore the story of a courtesan’s pure love. Her love is full of promise but also fragile to keep up with changing circumstances. The visual novel is also fully updated with new CGs and all additional PS Vita content.
Yoshiwara Higanbana takes place in the Edo period, where you explore the red-light Yoshiwara district. There’re plenty of characters to explore, including Shigure, the Oukaya brother owner; Sakuya — the hairdresser, Akito Kauraya — the rice broker; and the Shinobu Ootsuki– the Samurai.
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Yoshiwara Higanbana Kuon no Chigiri | $45.73 | Buy on Amazon |
On the art side, it is beautiful. Ranpumi maintains the visual novel’s artwork with sound work done by Riryka.
Yoshiwara Higanbana offers a unique take on Otome games with its challenging setting. Hence, it is not ideal for everyone, especially children.
- Developer: Prototype, MariaCrown
- Estimated time to complete: Undetermined.
- Release Date: December 20, 2018
Conclusion
Otome games are a unique genre that targets people who love exploring romantic settings. These games are primarily aimed at women but can also be enjoyed by men interested in this genre.
Before you pick up any of the Otome games, read its description carefully, as each one offers a unique experience and might not be ideal for sensitive people or children who don’t want to get exposed to adult themes.
Also, if you love games based on anime and own a PS4 as well, check out our list of the best PS4 anime games!
