Congratulations otome gamers, we’ve got more English titles coming our way! Aksys has just announced three fresh localisations for Nintendo Switch as well as the release date for Tengoku Struggle -strayside-. I’ve put together all the key information you need – read on if you’re interested.
Jump to:
Radiant Tale FD | Virche Evermore FD | DesperaDrops | Tengoku Struggle
Radiant Tale ~fanfare!~ (2024)
Radiant Tale ~fanfare!~ English localisation by Aksys will be released in Summer 2023. The game will feature Jinnia and Liyan as love interests!
There are three parts to this FD (adapted from B’s-LOG):
✤ After Story
Tifalia’s story after completing her journey with “CIRCUS” with her chosen beloved. This part involves the five main LIs from the original game. The story starts from each LIs’ Happy Ends.
✤ If Story
After Tifalia’s journey with “CIRCUS”, she begins a “new life” as a secretary to Jinnia. It starts from the Common Route’s Normal End in the original game. This part is where we get to romance Jinnia and Liyan.
✤ Interlude
Scenes that happened between the stories, shown from various perspectives. This part is a collection of episodes that are “lively, fun, and provide a brief respite.”
Virche Evermore -EpiC:lycoris- (2024)
Virche Evermore -EpiC:lycoris- English localisation by Aksys will be released in Fall 2024. The game will feature two new sub-characters. One is a castaway Eastern man aka the Drifter (CV. Nakamura Mitsuki), who is well versed about Lycoris. The other is Spinel (CV. Kondou Yui), a strong and fierce woman.
The fandisc will comprise several parts (adapted from B’s-LOG). Here’s a brief rundown:
✤ Interlude
This part will contain around 40 untold stories, including interludes, “what if” scenarios and stories from the past as well as scenarios after Despair (bad) ends.
✤ Side End -Encore-
An alternative story which will branch off every love interests’ route, and will lead to another “eternal conclusion.”
✤ Virche de La coda -Émotion-
This part will depict what happens after the Salvation (true) ends in the first game. There is also a story which takes place after the Despair end featured in the first game’s limited edition booklet.
✤ Tradition -Drifter-
A story about the ‘Drifter’ or castaway. I won’t go into details because of spoilers from the first game, but it is a tale set 100 years before the beginning.
✤ Virche de La salut -Ankou-
A full route featuring Ankou. It will focus on the romantic relationship between Ceres and Ankou.
DesperaDrops (2025)
Aksys has announced they will also be localising DesperaDrops, a crime and suspense adventure otome game by D3P and Red Entertainment. We will have to wait until 2025 though!
I feel like this game is not talked about enough in the English otome game community, so I’m gonna pull various information from my old news posts here. If you’ve seen them before, just scroll through.
The story is set in various locations in Europe and follows the journey of Amamine Mika, the protagonist, who is unjustly pursued for crimes she did not commit. The game features six love interests, comprising five males and one female character.
The character designer is Kozaki Yusuke, known for his work as the lead designer for Fire Emblem characters. This was his first involvement in an otome game! The scenario writer for DesperaDrops is Yoshimura Ririka, with other works including Cupid Parasite and Jakou no Lyla.
It is not yet clear to me whether the recently released DLC will be included in the upcoming localised version.
Here’s the game synopsis.
Summer of 2028.
The protagonist, Amamine Mika, is studying abroad at a university in Bologna, Italy. To celebrate the end of exams, she takes a short trip to Rome with her friends. However, during the trip, they become witnesses to a murder and, shockingly, Mika is arrested as the prime suspect.
While being transported in a police vehicle, an accident causes the car to overturn, granting Mika her freedom. She finds herself now a fugitive, along with six other criminals who were also on board during the accident.
Furthermore, a mysterious assailant, intent on obtaining the power that Mika has, appears, leading to a pursuit by both the police and the assailant’s faction, making it a group of seven fugitives.
Unraveling the secrets behind Mika’s power, the true identity of the assailant, and the real truth behind the initial murder incident—can they solve these mysteries and reclaim their peaceful everyday life?
Protagonist, a Fugitive Falsely Accused
“No, it’s not true! I didn’t kill anyone! It’s all a misunderstanding!”
Name: Amamine Mika *Last name fixed, only the first name can be changed
Voice actor: Okamoto Mika
A Japanese university student studying abroad in Italy. While in Rome, she becomes a witness to a murder and is wrongfully arrested as the culprit. Since birth, she has the ability to read strong emotions and memories of those she touches. She always wears gloves to avoid unintended readings.
PROFILE
Age: 21 years old
Height: 162cm
Hometown: Yokohama (Japan)
Crime: Murder
The Lone Wolf Living in Rejection
“Such a hassle… I prefer being alone.”
Name: Ash Meyer
Voice actor: Suzuki Ryota
A young man who left his hometown and lives a nomadic life. He enjoys solitude and rarely engages in conversations with others. Due to his unfriendly appearance, he frequently gets into fights. He has a strong attachment for vehicles, especially motorcycles.
PROFILE
Age: 22 years old
Birthday: October 13th
Height: 182cm
Hometown: Baden (Switzerland)
Crime: Bodily harm
The Fraudster Who Conceals His Own Heart with Lies
“Hey, hey, are you serious? You’re really such a naive person.”
Name: Hamiel Luís
Voice actor: Katou Kazuki
He appears as a playboy-style fraudster. With his friendly demeanor and skillful persuasion, he is great at manipulating people’s hearts. His strong self-assertion often leads to troubles with others. He is also skilled at cheating in gambling and disguising.
PROFILE
Age: 26 years old
Birthday: June 7th
Height: 185cm
Hometown: Blanes (Spain)
Crime: Fraud
The Silent Sniper Pursued by the Police for Killing a Colleague
“Wait… Refrain from acting recklessly.”
Name: Gib Baltzer
Voice actor: Takeuchi Ryota
A former police officer on the run, suspected of killing a colleague. As an officer, he was a skilled sniper in a special forces unit. He is the leader among the fugitives. He is pragmatic and serious, and struggles to keep up with the younger generation. He has been married before and is a widower.
PROFILE
Age: 38 years old
Birthday: November 17th
Height: 191cm
Hometown: Rothenburg (Germany)
Crime: Murder
The Century’s Great Phantom Thief Who Never Misses His Target
“No, no, I’m not just a pickpocket. I am the century’s great phantom thief, Lord Rami.”
Name: Rami Carrière
Voice actor: Uemura Yuuto
A thief who primarily targets the rich. Highly skilled in sleight of hand, pickpocketing, and lock-picking. He is agile and has cat-like movements, skilled in acrobatics, capable of leaping over walls and more. He has a friendly and bright demeanour. He hates being touched by others.
PROFILE
Age: 19 years old
Birthday: July 16th
Height: 172cm
Hometown: Annecy (France)
Crime: Theft
The Love Warrior Protecting Beautiful Nature, Fighting Evil
“Ar-are you talking to me? Is it… a Yamato Nadeshiko from Japan!?”
Name: Camu Einhard
Voice actor: Tachibana Shinnosuke
He is an activist who goes by the title of Love Warrior. He is a student at an engineering university and has a strong interest in Japanese culture, anime, and other forms of pop culture. He is immersed in his own world most of the time and suffers from social anxiety, and lacks friends of his own age.
PROFILE
Age: 25 years old
Birthday: February 7th
Height: 180cm
Hometown: Hallstatt (Austria)
Crime: Vandalism
The KAWAII-style Hacker with Zero Guilt for Crimes
“Of course! Sally is a genius hacker, after all. There’s no information that I can’t get my hands on.”
Name: Sally Del Testa
Voice actor: Itou Kanae
A genius hacker who loves Japanese Harajuku-style fashion. She conducts various cybercrimes. She doesn’t like being referred to as a “cracker” due to her lack of guilt about her actions. Due to a past incident, she has developed a fear of elevators.
PROFILE
Age: 18 years old
Birthday: April 20th
Height: 156cm
Hometown: Chiusa (Italy)
Crime: Cybercrimes
Tengoku Struggle to be released on April 4
Finally, onto the last information in this Aksys announcements round-up. Tengoku Struggle -strayside- will be released on April 4, 2024!
Don’t forget to pre-order the game if you haven’t.
How are we feeling, otome gamers? I’ve noticed many of you expressing expectations for more, but with Aksys, there’s likely more in their bag for us! Let’s be patient.
Honestly, DesperaDrops wasn’t on my Aksys localisation bingo list. Not because I doubted this game would ever be localised; I just hoped D3P would take matters into their own hands for an English patch since I already have a Japanese copy. 😂 I have yet to finish the whole thing but it’s a fantastic game, especially if you enjoy otome games with a compelling plot, crime-suspense and slowburn romance. I’m thrilled more people will meet my grumpy loner, Ash Meyer!!! Also, happy to see RadiTale and Virche fandiscs coming West since the first games are so well-loved.
Looking forward to future announcements and hope to see you there!