I’ve long refrained from getting the Japanese version of Tengoku Struggle -Strayside- ’cause the game is known to use heaps of old kanji, which would simply be beyond my proficiency level. Hence, I feel incredibly grateful to have the opportunity to review the English version! Below, you’ll find my personal thoughts on this highly anticipated release.
Disclaimer: The route overview section contains minor, out-of-context spoilers – reader discretion is advised. To skip to the spoiler-free summary, click here.
Contents
✿ Dev/pub: Idea Factory (Otomate) x Aksys Games
✿ Platform: Nintendo Switch™
✿ Language: Japanese, English (available separately)
✿ Audio: Japanese
✿ Director: Watanabe Wataru (Olympia Soirée, Nil Admirari no Tenbin)
✿ Scenario writer: Katagiri Yuma (Olympia Soirée, Nil Admirari no Tenbin)
✿ Character design: Satoi (Olympia Soirée, Nil Admirari no Tenbin, OZMAFIA!!, Diabolik Lovers)
✿ Genre: Comedy, Fantasy, Mystery, Slice-of-life, Historical, Romance
✿ Rating: CERO D (17+) / ESRB M (Mature) / PEGI 16+
✿ Japanese: 天獄ストラグル -strayside-
Visit the official website here (JP).
Synopsis and setting
From Aksys Games:
“
It is year XX of the Reiwa era. Through an agreement between the Human Realm and the Hell Realm, Asakusa was transformed into a tourist attraction where the living can meet the dead. One day, the Spider’s Thread was dropped from Heaven down into Hell, allowing many of Hell’s prisoners to escape.
King Enma thus orders his novice Hell Guardian daughter, Rin, to capture the escapees along with Goemon Ishikawa and a few other trustworthy prisoners. When they descend to the Human Realm for their mission, their investigation leads them to an event held by a former prisoner of Hell, Shinobikuni, where she reveals a pardoning app that will forgive people for their sins. What is Shinobikuni’s goal? And what will become of the humans who were promised entry into Heaven?
General trigger warning (click to reveal)
Misandry, misogyny, cult, death, blood, violence, rape, prostitution, mass manipulation / mind control, abuse, cannibalism, paedophilia, human trafficking, suicide, sexual innuendo, dubious con, scamming and stalking.
Main characters
Rin Enma
✤ Voice actor: Not voiced.
✤ Adoptive daughter of King Enma.
✤ 19 years old. Serious and hard working. Has no memories of her past life.
Kikunosuke Uga
✤ Voice actor: Saitou Souma
✤ Same voice actor as Mineo (Collar x Malice), Shungen (Birushana), Kyoya (Charade Maniacs), Outarou (Winter’s Wish), Vlad (Ikemen Vampire), YOFY (Sympathy Kiss) and many others!
✤ 17 years old. He possesses a unique ability to transform his body into a wolf. A big eater.
Yona Murakami
✤ Voice actor: Suzuki Ryouta
✤ Same voice actor as Kouyou (9 R.I.P.), Ash (DesperaDrops), Lucas (Mistonia no Kibou), and Ginnosuke (Hanakare)
✤ 23 years old. He was a warrior prior to his death. He is a halfie (mixed blood).
Sharaku Toushuusai
✤ Voice actor: Ishikawa Kaito
✤ Same voice actor as Dante (Piofiore), Adam (BUSTAFELLOWS), Lucien (even if TEMPEST), Chika (Side Kicks!) and many others!
✤ 18 years old. Before his death, he was an Ukiyo-e artist. He loves making money and is an extremely tidy househusband.
JacK
✤ Voice actor: Furukawa Makoto
✤ Same voice actor as Yoritomo (Birushana), Dazai (Charade Maniacs), Adage (Steam Prison), Crius (even if TEMPEST), Kazuma (Lover Pretend), and Joseffy (TsuiTsui).
✤ ?? years old. A popular singer-songwriter. He’s incredibly multitalented, but his private life is shrouded in mystery.
Goemon Ishikawa
✤ Voice actor: Yashiro Taku
✤ Same voice actor as Raul (Cupid Parasite), Adolphe (Shuuen no Virche), Amir (Money Parasite), and Tweedle Dee (Shiro to Kuro no Alice).
✤ 20 years old. Known as the greatest thief in the world prior to his death. He fell to the lowest level of hell.
Key side characters
The game has heaps of side characters; I’ll only highlight a few main ones!
King Enma
✤ Voice actor: Koyasu Takehito
Rin’s father, or as he said, “Daddy” (Japanese ver.: “Papa”). He has many pets, including the love interests…
Ono no Takamura
✤ Voice actor: Nojima Kenji
Has been working for King Enma even before he died – a “corporate slave.”
Tamao
✤ Voice actor: Satou Gen
He was lost in hell and rescued by Rin, and has been attached to her since.
Route impressions
Kikunosuke
“Why are you stopping? Come on, pet me…”
✤ Gamer x big eater x toshishita
✤ Wolfie 🐺
Kiku, affectionately dubbed Pochi by King Enma, has a penchant for indulging in food and frequenting the arcade. He is the number one culprit of making a mess at home, which drives Sharaku crazy. Assigned to Black Rope Hell for his involvement in thievery, Kiku possesses the unique ability to transform into a wolf, a trait shared by his sister. As children, they faced ostracism due to their perceived abnormal abilities. His route focuses on the involvement of Kiku’s sister with Shinobikuni, and the journey to resolving their strained relationship.
ROUTE IMPRESSION
You know, younger characters usually aren’t my cup of tea, but Kiku was so so adorable! I think those wolf ears won me over. His enthusiasm for games felt ultra relatable, and although he expresses his feelings in a somewhat indirect manner, his sincerity always shines through. I’ll admit his personality feels a tad generic, but I had fun nonetheless. If you’re a fan of tsundere-ish toshishita charas, you’ll definitely have a blast with him.
As for his route, the story was decent, albeit a bit predictable. However, his past with his sister was unexpectedly dark! Starting with his route as my first in this game, I wasn’t prepared for the sudden shift from the lighthearted and goofy common route to waves of angst and misery. I did find the narrative following his bad ending to be a little odd, especially with the portrayal of Rin… you know. It’s hard to explain without spoiling, but if you’ve played it you probably know what I mean, haha!
Route trigger warning (click to spoil)
Misandry, misogyny, cult, death, blood, violence, abuse, cannibalism, paedophilia, human trafficking, prostitution, suicide.
Kikunosuke’s route rating: 7/10
Yona
“What’re you doing with my wife, fool?!”
✤ Tsundere
✤ Blushy baby
Yona was raised in Innoshima. He is of mixed ancestry and has unique hair and eye colour. Referred to as Aka by King Enma, he was condemned to Revival Hell for murder. He takes great pride in his extensive knowledge and experience of the sea. However, his absent-minded nature often leads him to wander around the house shirtless, which gets him scolded by Rin (and the guys). His route delves into the challenges he faced as a halfie and uncovers the truth behind his sinful past.
ROUTE IMPRESSION
This game is certainly filled with tsunderes, but Yona takes the cake, for sure! He may be harsh with his words, but deep down, he’s a real softie. Personally, he was my favourite in terms of both looks and personality. The way he blushed at the slightest things was incredibly endearing. I also adore how, for Rin and Yona, their love language seems to naturally involve gift-giving. And can we talk Suzuki Ryouta… with me liking Yona, there’s definitely some seiyuu bias at play here, I must confess. Those kissy sounds were absolutely delightful and made me super shy—10/10 voice acting!
Similar to Kiku’s route, I found Yona’s route somewhat average. Honestly, I didn’t find his past all that compelling—it was the least tragic of all the love interests. It felt like his route lacked depth in terms of lore, which was a bit disappointing. However, it was packed with romantic moments and adorable banter between him and Rin, which I thoroughly enjoyed. So all in all, I do have mixed feelings about it….
Route trigger warning (click to spoil)
Misandry, misogyny, cult, death, blood, violence, murder.
Yona’s route rating: 7/10
Sharaku
“Darn, and here I thought there was finally an excuse for you to sleep with me.”
✤ Crude x pervy x sassy
✤ Clean freak malewife
Sharaku’s signature style is his blunt dialogue laced with sexual innuendos. He’s sassy and unapologetically straightforward. King Enma refers to him as Shiro. He’s the one in the house who constantly nags everyone to clean up after themselves, always striving to keep the house tidy. Before his demise, Sharaku worked as an Ukiyo-e artist, though little is known about his past beyond this. He was condemned to Crushing Hell for the murder of 13 women. What could have led to such a gruesome act?
ROUTE IMPRESSION
Oh, Sharaku, the fastidious malewife I never knew I needed. If it weren’t for Yona, he might have been my favourite character. I adore his character development, from spouting the most outrageous, perverted remarks to Rin, to… well, still spouting the most outrageous, perverted comments (not much changed there, he’s still a big tease). But that’s part of his charm! I also find it hilarious how adept he is at maintaining a facade, especially regarding his feelings for Rin. Once Rin broke down his walls and they confessed their feelings, he became lowkey clingy and possessive, which was immensely satisfying for me. I also can’t help but laugh every time he gets annoyed with the kids (aka Yona and Kiku). And can we talk about the fact that he’s a scammer too?? This man’s truly a phenomenon. 😂
Sorry for rambling on about him–I just find him so fascinating and entertaining. As for the story, it was decent! I quite enjoyed the lore, and it had just the right amount of f*cked up, lol. His route also had more hints of various events related to the true route (aka Goemon), which kept me intrigued. I particularly enjoyed his bad ending – the continuation story was beautiful! Sharaku remains Sharaku, regardless of the era…
Route trigger warning (click to spoil)
Misandry, misogyny, cult, death, blood, violence, sexual innuendo, dubious con, prostitution, scamming.
Sharaku’s route rating: 7.5/10
JacK
“For your gift…how about me?”
✤ Enemies to lovers
✤ Sus af
JacK is a renowned singer-songwriter, admired for his multifaceted talents, which even extend to tea ceremonies! Unlike the other male leads, he’s the sole character who hasn’t experienced death. Beyond his public persona as “JacK” the artist, he remains enigmatic, with little known about his true self. He plays a pivotal role in supporting Shinobikuni and the cult in their agenda, making him a natural enemy of Rin and the other four guys.
ROUTE IMPRESSION
JacK was suspicious from the very beginning, and honestly, that suspicion lingered throughout most of his route. 😂 While I’ve seen plenty of criticism towards him, and I can see where they’re coming from, I actually quite enjoyed the air of menace he brought! Honestly, he’s not THAT bad. The only thing I didn’t appreciate is how unnatural his change in personality/stance towards Rin felt. It was very abrupt – and for me, his route had a strange pacing.
Initially, I did feel that he stands out too much from the rest, and his presence a bit forced. However, I ended up appreciating him because his storyline offered a refreshing perspective and tied in sensibly with the overarching plot. While it may not be my favourite enemies-to-lovers route that I’ve come across, it was still an enjoyable read. I particularly appreciated how the boys united in this route to protect Rin from him. Also, brace yourself for the countless hints about the Goemon route being dropped left, right, and centre!
Route trigger warning (click to spoil)
Misandry, misogyny, cult, death, blood, violence, murder, stalking.
JacK’s route rating: 7/10
Goemon
“Even now… I love you.”
✤ Poster boy route
✤ ANGST
Goemon, also known as Taro (courtesy of King Enma), was condemned to Eternal Hell for committing various heinous sins. During his lifetime, he gained notoriety as a renowned thief, famed for his Robin Hood-like actions of stealing from the rich to give to the poor. In the household, he assumes the role of the coffee maker and is the calmest of the bunch, often approaching situations with rational thinking. With his inherent charisma, he naturally garners the respect of the other guys. Despite keeping it lowkey, he appears to be fond of Rin, although the reason behind it remains shrouded in mystery.
ROUTE IMPRESSION
Sure, Goemon is definitely the calmest among the hectic bunch, but he can be mischievous too! I thought he would end up being my favourite since Akaza was my favourite in Olympia Soirée (done by the same team), but for some reason, he didn’t hit me as hard. He definitely received the Akaza treatment, appearing in nearly all the guys’ routes… especially JacK. 😂 But it wasn’t as overwhelming as Akaza, I’d say.
Goemon’s route was absolutely MAGNIFICENT, Y’ALL. The amount of angst and longing had me on the edge of my seat; I really couldn’t put the game down. For me, it was truly worth playing the game until the end just to experience this route! I’m also a sucker for the “we met before and fate reunites us” trope; I would devour that ish ANY DAY. Plus, I just can’t resist another Yashiro Taku charismatic, protective poster boy character… Adolphe from Virche Evermore, Shion from Cendrillon palikA… Yes, Goemon isn’t my oshi, but Yashiro Taku’s voice when voicing these types of characters just really calms me down 😌 I need more.
Route trigger warning (click to spoil)
Misandry, misogyny, cult, death, blood, violence, murder, rape, prostitution, mass manipulation / mind control.
Goemon’s route rating: 9/10
Rin
✤ Serious x straightlaced
✤ HORNY
Horny protagonists – is this a Katagiri Yuma thing? I love it! Rin is serious and straight-laced, yet knows how to have fun and be flexible. As the valedictorian graduate of Hell school, she strives to lead the four menaces – Kiku, Yona, Sharaku, and Goemon – to the best of her ability. Despite initially being treated poorly by them, she remains patient and eventually wins them over. They all become fiercely protective of her, even after she starts dating one of them.
Rin’s painful and shocking past had me in the feels – I was angry, I was sad, god, my poor girl! Her ability to take on someone else’s pain is quite special, and it made me wonder why they bothered with the whipping skills since they never seemed to help her. 😂 Her denseness did frustrate me at times, but her character growth is one of the best aspects of Tengoku Struggle. If you love heroine with personality, you won’t be disappointed. The only thing I’d wish they’d done is make her a voiced heroine, ‘cause her mouth was animated, and it was a bit odd to not hear anything from her!
Route order
There are two locked routes (JacK and Goemon). JacK’s route will unlock after clearing Kikunosuke, Yona, and Sharaku. Goemon’s route will unlock after clearing JacK’s.
According to the scenario writer, the first three routes can be played in any order. Below is my route order recommendation.
Kikunosuke ➸ Yona ➸ Sharaku ➸ JacK (locked) ➸ Goemon (locked)
I wrote a walkthrough for the game; click here!
✤ Ending types
There are two types of endings: Happy and Bad. The Bad endings include CGs.
After completing the Bad endings, you’ll be prompted to read a continuation story. These endings ultimately conclude on a positive note, so overall, this game doesn’t truly have “bad ends,” which is good news if you’re not comfortable with them.
Now, here are my final rankings and favourites.
Vira’s route ranking:
- Goemon
- Sharaku
- Kiku
- JacK
- Yona
Vira’s favourite endings:
- HAPPY: Goemon
- BAD: Sharaku
Vira’s favourite character(s):
- Yona
Game features & experience
Notable features
✤ Decision blood seal
Each decision point presents two choices, each marked as either “Happy” or “Bad.” In my experience, achieving a “Bad” end typically only necessitates selecting one “Bad” choice. You have the option to disable these markers in the game’s Options menu.
✤ Bonus contents
The game offers a plethora of bonus content, with one standout feature being the “Memory” system. This includes memoirs from all the characters, including side characters, as well as bonus content with the love interests (including additional CGs), and mini short stories featuring the love interests and some side characters.
You can also unlock the “Report” feature, which gradually reveals information about the love interests as you build Blood Bonds with them. All their information will be fully disclosed once you reach 100% Blood Bond. Achieving this simply requires progressing through the story with them until the end.
✤ Customisable home screen
You can customise the home screen with your choice of character, background, and costume. As you progress through the story and complete routes, you’ll unlock more options. Of course, I gotta have Yona with his bath towel… because science.
Art and graphics
As always, Satoi’s art is beautiful! I do find her character design more on the “cute” side. This was especially true for Goemon (his sprite with the sword immediately comes to mind). But their bodies are *chef’s kiss* sexy as hell. Yona is most appealing for me look-wise, and paired with that punkass goofy personality – I am in puddles. Also I hate to be a critic but I initially didn’t like Rin’s design – she just looks too…generic? But she really grew on me anyway and given her past life and everything, I think her long black hair design does suit her.
I really enjoyed the game’s UI – it’s clean and the warm orange/red themes really fit the whole “hell” theme. I absolutely adore the animated emojis used throughout the game! It adds a bit of dynamism and fun. I also like the mini character squares that appear when they are speaking but they’re not the main focus – I think it’s a cute alternative to stuffing everyone’s sprite into the screen. There are also mini “movies” which play at the start of the game and when continuing the story after Bad ends, which I do find fun and unique since not a lot of otome games do these!
Music
The opening song titled ‘I Will Go Where I Please’ is performed by Syounen T, and similarly, the ending song ‘Beautiful’ and the BAD END version ‘Wishful Thinking Theory’ were sung by the same artist. I particularly love the HAPPY ending song! I did wish they had included the song in the ‘Music’ section within Hari’s Archive.
The BGMs were also quite enjoyable; my favourites include ‘Constant Naraka’ because it’s the main BGM and plays frequently so it’s naturally stuck in my head I guess… plus its tune is super chill and relaxing! I also liked ‘Hope of Light Daytime’ for its traditional sounding tunes.
Length
It took me 35 hours to complete the game. Honestly, I read through it quite quickly because of the abundance of banter between characters, which I enjoy, but at times, it felt a bit overwhelming, so I had to skim through unless it was a particularly engaging part. If I had read properly, for example, using the Auto function, it probably would have taken me 40-50 hours, which is a decent length.
The common route was on the longer side, but not excessively so—it didn’t feel like it was dragging on forever (I’m looking at you, Cafe Enchanté, DesperaDrops, and many others…). Anyway, long common route is a hit or miss for me, but Tengoku Struggle wasn’t too bad!
Localisation
I think they did a great job! I can’t give a full review on the accuracy of the translation since I didn’t properly listen to all the voice acting (and I feel like I’m unqualified to do so anyway…), but the translations did read well. I also like the use of “Daddy” from “Papa” in the Japanese version – I think “Daddy” really captures the quirkiness of King Enma in a localised context (aka the Western way).
While I was reading through the text fairly quickly, I did notice some glaring errors that broke my immersion a bit. For instance, I heard Sharaku say “my girl” in Japanese, referring to Rin, but this wasn’t conveyed in the translation. This omission might impact those unfamiliar with Japanese, missing Sharaku’s sense of “possessiveness.” I also spotted one or two errors referring to the wrong subject. There were minor typos too, but they were rare and forgivable. The use of “Sensei Nono” felt odd since it’s technically “Nono-sensei” in Japanese, but it’s not the end of the world, just me being picky!
Summary
✤ When past collides with present; fantasy meets contemporary realism
The game presents a captivating blend of historical fantasy with a modern twist, as well as mystery elements with excellent world-building. I love how the characters are brought to the present and must navigate a world that was once different from theirs. I also enjoyed the incorporation of cult-like elements from the antagonist’s side, as I find those aspects genuinely fascinating (albeit terrifying).
✤ Rich characters (and side characters) with endless fun banters
While I had fun delving into the characters and uncovering their (often very dark) pasts, I must admit that I found the overarching story somewhat bland, at least until JacK’s route. However, Goemon’s route (aka the “true” route) truly delivered everything I needed: the angst, the pining, the suffering; it had everything. I believe it would have been even more satisfying if there were more revelations sprinkled throughout the first three routes to prevent them from feeling so flat. Most of the reason I kept going was because of the love interests were so fun, but I’m glad I did cause I am now quite fond of this game.
I also found the dynamic among the housemates to be enjoyable! It was fun getting used to their quirks and habits throughout the game. Initially, JacK did seem somewhat out of place, but I found the way he was integrated into the overall narrative to be sensible. I’m not a staunch supporter of JacK, but I do feel he receives more criticism than he deserves!
Rin is a great protagonist! She knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to go after it (well, at least she’s not afraid to be horny, haha). While there were occasional misunderstandings due to her denseness, they weren’t the frustrating kind that would make you want to pull your hair out. If I had to complain about anything, it would be about how pointless her whipping skills are.
I also want to express my appreciation for the side characters. I think the NPCs in this game really add value and depth, rather than simply being there. My favourite has to be Nono-sensei! My man is always secretly cooking something behind the scenes, I love it.
✤ Worried about the misogyny?
I’ve noticed a lot of concerns about this, so I’d like to share my perspective. Short answer is, I believe this will largely depend on your tolerance level.
Frankly, yes, there were multiple moments where the love interests made sexist remarks. However, when you consider the broader context, it all seems rather superficial, especially as you get to know the characters better. They have their reasons for their attitudes towards women, and to be fair, Rin reciprocates these sentiments towards men. All the guys (except JacK) do display tsundere tendencies, and they often say things they don’t mean. So, if you don’t take these remarks too seriously, you’ll be fine. It’s a bit rough in the beginning, but just keep going ’cause their stories are worth a read, I feel!
✤ Things to consider
At the end of the day, a review is merely one’s opinion and what you’ll experience will likely differ from mine. However, here are some relatively “objective” factors you might want to consider to determine if this game is worth your investment:
- You’ll be rewarded with incredibly romantic endings, some of which can get quite spicy.
- There is story continuation from the bad endings, and they are resolved satisfactorily, so you can fully enjoy them even if you struggle with bad endings.
- There is a wealth of bonus content available, and the customisable home screen adds a nice touch.
- Be mindful of occasional misogynistic and misandric remarks, particularly in the common route and early in the character routes.
- While the game may seem lighthearted on the surface, it delves into some dark and disturbing themes, with events in both the past and present taking on a sombre tone.
+
- Well-developed characters with fun personalities
- Great heroine
- Lots of fun banters
- Side characters add depth to story
- Good balance between story and romance
–
- Some parts can be slow or draggy
- Some routes can feel a little flat due to little to no “reveals” or “hints” of overarching plot
