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Otome game

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An otome game (乙女ゲーム, otome gēmu) is a video game that is targeted towards a female market, where the basic goal is to develop a romantic relationship between the player character (a female) and one of several male characters. This genre is most established in Japan, and otome (乙女) literally means maiden in Japanese. The label includes both visual novels and simulation games. As of 2007, the most representative otome game title available in English is Hirameki's Yo-Jin-Bo for the PC. This genre is also referred to as GxB games by Western fans (Girl player and Boy characters).

History

The first otome game is generally acknowledged to be Angelique, released in 1994 by Koei in Japan for the PC. In 2002, Konami released its very successful Tokimeki Memorial Girls Side, which brought many new fans to the still-new genre. In 2006, Famitsu's listings for the Top 20 selling love games included seven otome games.

One possible English-developed otome game commercially available in 2007 is Fatal Hearts. McKenzie & Co(1995) from American Laser Games and Girl's Club (1992) from Philips Interactive were simulation games for girls developed and released in the US in the past.

Style

The genre has many style elements in common with shōjo manga, although plotwise they are similar to harem manga. There are also games targeted towards females that are focused on romance between males, called boys' love games (ボーイズラブゲーム, bōizu rabu gēmu), and sometimes there are boys' love elements in otome games, but the two genres are usually kept separate.

Otome games are usually targeted towards the teenage market, and thus have little sexuality in them. This is also due to the fact that many otome games are released for the PlayStation 2 platform, on which no pornographic content is allowed by law. Some games that were originally released on a PC platform with some sexuality (e.g. Dessert Love), were later toned down and re-released for the PS2.

Other common elements in otome games are the importance of voice acting, CG stills, and a small epilogue or set scene at the end of the game when a character is successfully finished.

Gameplay

The goal of these games is to have your desired partner fall in love with you (with a confession of love or proposal at the end) and have a relationship with them, but the requirements for gaining a 'good end' differ from game to game.

While the plots of otome games differ greatly, there is always a single female main character, and several good-looking males of varying 'types'.

In the visual novel examples of the genre, the player proceeds in the story by selecting dialogue or action choices which affect their relationships in a decision tree format.

In simulation otome games, there is also other gameplay which affects the plot, either by playing minigames or by raising stats. The main character (the player) often has several parameters, such as looks, style, intelligence, talent, etc., that can be raised through various activities in normal gameplay. The potential partners usually require a certain parameter or parameters to be at a certain level for them to fall in love with you.

There is also often a pure dating aspect of gameplay in simulations. This involves asking or being asked on dates by the love interest, doing an activity with them, and responding to their questions or comments. The player has a choice of responses, and a correct answer will raise your standing with that character.

One feature of otome games that has become common is 'full-voice', or having voice acting throughout the game, not only at major plot points. The love interests are often voiced by well-known seiyuu or voice actors, and sometimes having well-known voices takes precedence in the development(and budgeting) stage over interesting characters, polished graphics, or an engaging plot.

At certain points, or when the player passes certain requirements, special events can occur, often with a 'CG' (computer graphic) as a reward. This CG is a set picture featuring the love interest and sometimes the main character in a pose, and some dialogue.

List of otome games

List of Dōjin GxB titles

Otome games have strong links with shoujo manga, with popular titles often spawning a manga series (e.g. Harukanaru Toki no Naka de and Meine Liebe) or short story, and popular manga series getting adapted to videogames (such as Nana and Lovely Complex). Some examples of simultaneous releases of a manga and otome game also exist such as Angelique and Full House Kiss. It's also common to find doujinshi featuring popular characters from otome games.

Very popular games may also be adapted to anime OVAs or series, as Angelique has.

  • GxB English-language games on the Ren'Ai Archives: original free English-language visual novels with female protagonists pursuing male characters
  • B's Log: Japanese language magazine focusing on female-targeted games
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