Charming Empire -- No Spoiler Review
Charming Empire
System: PC, Switch, Mobile
Price: $29.99, $24.99, Pay per route (Unknown price)
Voice Acting: Yes (Japanese)
ESRB Rating: M (17+)
Overall Rating: Stole 5.5/10 ♥s
Pre-Game Perception: Young girl goes to the capitol on orders of her brother and gets romanced by all the big wigs living there.
Morning-After Reflection: Country bumpkin stumbles into romance after being kidnapped and whisked away to the capitol.
Story: “Our heroine, Amane Kosaka, was living a simple yet happy life in the countryside until one day she was suddenly taken away to live in the empire, summoned by her brother Soshi Amazaki -- the current ruler. Though she was unaware of the underlying circumstances, she finds herself brought to this lively and palpable central city.
Living in the immaculate royal palace, our heroine comes to learn that the empire might not be as joyful as it seems. Her brother is no longer the gentle man she once knew… A corrupt organization secretly runs things behind the scenes… The heroine’s fate guides her down the path of love.”
Interest Rating: 5/10. I bought it for the VA names I recognized while on sale.
MC: MC’s name can be changed, but let’s go with the default when referring to her. She has a sprite by the text box, and is drawn in most CGs, but is not voiced. Amane is a 16-year old girl who acts very young, I would say more in line with an uncertain 12-year old. In the prologue you’re given the impression that she’s going to fight against this sudden change in her life, much to my dismay, this attitude doesn’t hold up throughout the game. I can’t imagine what it’s like to be taken from the home you know and shipped somewhere else against your will, but I do know that the fight she puts up quickly dies down on the long car ride.
As soon as Amane reaches the palace, she becomes demure to the point of being unable to speak up even when she desires to say something to practically anyone. I’m not against uncertain, demure heroines, and can understand that not all 16-year old girls are as… boisterous as I was at that age, especially in the time period the game is held in, in the country the game is held in. But I find her constant “um”ing, looking away, and on the verge of tears behavior troublesome when the writers stream her consciousness as wanting to speak at every missed opportunity. When she finally does come around to throwing her weight as a princess around, she’s met with everyone clearly ignoring her. It seems she's a princess in name only.
Likability Rating: Ka. Too immature for her already young age.
Plot: To be honest, I don’t know why this has a M rating, as there are no sexual themes, and although there is violence, there are no graphic descriptions of blood. I can’t recall any cussing, and I’m not sure there are any alcohol or drug references either.
The plot is very same-y in each route. Obviously, the beginning of the game starts the same. After the prologue you’re able to choose one of five Love Interest paths to pursue. From there the story diverges as if to say that it isn’t the same thing happening each time, but it follows the same conflict to conclusion just with different players and slightly different reasons based on the LI chosen. It appears that the only constant characters in the game are Soshi Amazaki (Amane’s brother and current ruler), and Kagemitsu Togawa (Soshi’s primary advisor) who actually barely shows up in most routes, but at least exists outside of his own path. I suppose Amane’s unnamed maid is the same throughout, and Amane has the same tutor for at least two routes.
The stories are so similar that even major events are repeated in each, as if to say that no matter who you choose to romance, these moments are destined to pass. Fixed point.
Replayability Rating: ★★★☆☆ Different stories, but predictable after the first.
Love Interests: In this game there are five romanceable options all available at the start of the game. Each LI has two endings, a Happy and Tragic ending. After the prologue, you’re brought to a screen where you simply pick the LI path you wish to go down, and from there the story continues, ultimately determining your ending based on your decisions when presented. There is a suggested route order, though it’s largely irrelevant due to the plot being very same-y, and once revealed, there are no big spoilers from one to the other. Let’s meet our eligible (though most not emotionally so) bachelors!
First recommended LI is Kei Yoshimine, voiced by Toshiki Masuda (増田俊樹). He’s an angsty 18-year old that hates Soshi, and by proxy Amane (you). There’s no surprise here, he reveals this fact the moment you meet him, and why shortly afterwards. However, forced to serve as your tutor, I guess he warms up to you because you’re the typical pure-hearted MC that just wants to be friends. I suppose this route is more a mutual loneliness where two characters come together for comfort and support. To be honest, the whole romance felt rushed and strange with how quickly it went from enemies to lovers with seemingly little reason. Granted, Amane never was Kei’s enemy, but it’s Kei who expresses his feelings and drives the relationship, not Amane.
Next up we have Koichiro Sera, voiced by Takuya Eguchi (江口拓也). Serious. Super serious. He is a man on a mission, and you are just a cog in the machine, or are you? Basically, Sera is introduced as Amane’s body guard, who, in this route only, is attached to her side practically 24/7. Maybe more like 18/7 due to not having to be there when she’s sleeping. Once again, Amane attempts to befriend the only person she actually interacts with, being Sera. Eventually, feelings appear to bloom, mutually, between the two of you; though well aware of his position in regards to yours, it is more a star-crossed romance.
Ah, Toki Tanba, what a pleasant character. Voiced by Tetsuya Kakihara (柿原徹也), he brings the sunshine in every scene. When out in the city (by yourself) you run into this charismatic flirt. Apparently knowing everyone, and known by everyone, he quickly takes Amane under his wing and shows her what life is all about in the big city. It’s a good route to save for the middle of the game to cleanse your palate of the grumpy boys beforehand. He claims from the moment he meets you, that you’re special and different from all the other women that he apparently is more than friendly with. It’s easy to see why Amane falls for this delightful man, why Tanba falls for Amane is a little more hard to discern.
If Tanba is sunshine, Kagemitsu Togawa is a warm blanket on a chilly night. Voiced by Toshiyuki Toyonaga (豊永利行), Kagemitsu is written well for his character. Being a trusted advisor for Soshi, and apparently childhood friend of both Soshi and Amane, he is the right amount of calculated seriousness and friendly comfort wrapped into an easy package to fall for. There are hints that Kagemitsu has had feelings for young Amane since childhood, and time did nothing to change his views on the young girl she was. This is likely the first route that you not only get to know the LI but also Soshi, since Kagemitsu is closely tied to him. It’s clear he cares deeply for… well, practically everyone, which luckily includes you.
Finally, Soshi Amazaki brings up the rear. Voiced by the delicious Kenjiro Tsuda (津田健次郎), I find it hard to complain about Soshi when I’d listen to anything Kenjiro has to say. All day. Every day. Ahem. That aside, it is not an incest route. Japan tends to slide in a reason that characters are not blood related when sibling romance comes up, and this is the case here too. Though Amane (and most everyone else) refers to Soshi as her brother, they are by name only, the story revealing he is likely adopted based on his first meeting with Amane when she was very young. Slight spoiler, I know, but also needed to keep people from being instantly skeeved by the thought of romancing a sibling. By this point in the game, you should have an understanding of what type of character Soshi is, and I find it hard to express who he is, and what he’s about without giving away plot reveals. He’s authoritative. Serious. Cautious. His route is a constant back and forth like a game of chess. Amane is the most inconsistent in this route, which is a shame, since I think it makes the romance feel forced on her end.
Boy Crazy Rating: 80% I’d date them but I wouldn’t husbando them.
Romance: Mild. That’s the easiest way to sum it up. Considering the time period. Considering the age of MC. Considering the focus of the story. Considering the length of the game. The romance is not non-existent, it simply is just something that has to happen in order for it to be a romance game. If the MC had no romantic relationship with any of the LIs, the plot could unfold very similarly, and I find that unfortunate. However, the small splashes of romance that there is is acceptable, and I wouldn’t say it’s completely missing. I just don’t feel much of an emotional response with most of the characters. It certainly has more of a focus than some games I’ve played, but also seems to be added for additional conflict rather than making a game where love is central to the characters.
Heart Palpitation Rating: D+. I think I felt something. Once. Maybe.
Spice: You want spice? This game is about as spicy as an ice cube. Okay, there was probably one spot that I had to take a breath because I was getting a little warm, but really, there’s nothing that should earn that M ESRB rating. Looking for more than idle glances cut short? Pass on this title.
Cold Shower Rating: Fail. Your shower is the only thing steamy in here.
Angst: It feels like it would be a rather angsty game from the start of it, but it’s low on the angst scale.
Drama Llama Rating: 4/10. Drama llama petting zoo. Some broody LIs and angsty plot save this from being cottoncandy.
Voice Acting: I don’t speak Japanese, which means I might require a little more emotion in the voice acting than if I understood the language. I can’t catch the nuances, but I can still read the translation and listen to the way it was said. Some seiyuus have just got it, while others come off rather flat. The voice acting in this game is… very middle rung. I love Tetsuya Kakihara in Code: Realize, but he didn’t live up to his own talent here. He wasn’t bad, but I felt it was all just the same tone and tempo and I felt like I was just listening to the lines rather than feeling him bring the character to life. Kenjiro Tsuda being in every route, even for the briefest of encounters, really pushed me forward in the game. Wrapping up the game with Soshi’s route, voiced by Tsuda, probably left the game with a higher impression than I would have had if it was left to some of the others. Honorable mention for Toshiyuki Toyonaga, as he did just fine in my book. Nothing awe-inspiring, but again decent enough that I really wouldn’t complain.
Expression Rating: Ryo. Nothing noteworthy in either direction.
Art: I can’t complain here. I’m a fan of many different art styles and I’m not too picky as long as proportions seem reasonable. The art was well done, all in all. I liked the character designs. The CGs are pretty good. I may have taken a few screenshots of cute characters. Nothing seemed off in coloring or sizing. A-O-Good in my book.
Still Picture Rating: ★★★☆☆ Many dressed. Such sprite. Very picture.
CGs: Probably the best part of this game. There aren’t a lot of CGs, since the game is so short, but what you do get is good quality.
Look at this Photograph Rating: 90% I’d browse my pictures again just to enjoy this part.
UI/Mechanics: I played the Switch version, and the UI was easy enough to navigate. There was a point or two that less knowledgeable players might have issues, like saving or loading while in the game. I know I almost loaded a few times instead of saving, but caught myself because there are very slight differences on the file section between save and load. It isn’t the most intuitive system, but it certainly isn’t super confusing either.
What’s this button do? Rating: B. Not likely to delete your game when intending to hit next.
Errors: Little to none. As far as translations go, this game either had so few that I don’t recall where they were, or they were non-existent. Nothing was glaringly obvious, and it was all coded well, so I’d give this a big thumbs up in this regard. It’s not easy pleasing us English speaking heathens.
Here there be Bugs Rating: Pass. Exceptional editing saved this title from exercising my eyes from rolling them.
Background Music: I play my games with BGM on unless it poorly portrays the tone of the game, and there have been some games like that. This one is not. Each LI had their own little themed BGM, so it was fun to hear those when the scene changed to focus on that character. I wouldn’t buy the OST if it was available, but I also thought the game was just fine with the way it was scored.
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