If you have played a game by Dogenzaka Lab before, you know what you are getting into. However, if you haven’t, be prepared for an otome game with a moderate amount of gameplay that was originally made to be a mobile game. While it may have been ported to the Nintendo Switch, don’t set your expectations too low! Dogenzaka Lab has a decent track record when it comes to games, so you never know what you’ll get with each otome game released!

Originally a mobile game, The Amazing Shinsengumi: Heroes in Love comes to you from Dogenzaka Lab to bring yet another otome title to the Nintendo Switch! Now, Nintendo Switch has quite a number of otome games thanks to D3 Publisher, so we were quite excited to check out The Amazing Shinsengumi: Heroes in Love. If you are a fan of stories about the Shinsengumi, a group that fights for the shogunate, then you shall be in for a treat here! We have yet another romanticized fiction about the Shinsengumi here for you. Don’t be so quick to compare it to Hakuoki, though. This one is not as story heavy and focuses more on romance, so proceed with caution!

It’s 1864 and the city of Kyoto has had issues with fires, which if started, are difficult to extinguish. One day, your home has been set ablaze and while trying to put out the fire, the Shinsengumi arrive to help extinguish the fire that is burning down your neighborhood. Homeless and without options, you’ll have to turn to the Shinsengumi for help. Just whose heart will you turn to first?

If you have ever played a visual novel or an otome game, you should be familiar with the format of The Amazing Shinsengumi: Heroes in Love. For the most part, gameplay involves a lot of text with the occasional ability to make choices that affect the trajectory of your game. At these points, you will affect the amount of affection your selected lover has for you, which you can see when you open the menu. It’s really easy to see how positively your choices affect the outcome of your gameplay.

When it comes to the characters, they feel similar to Hakuoki at first glance. The personalities are similar so it doesn’t feel like you are being slapped with new characters altogether. All the same, the storyline feels very different. The Amazing Shinsengumi: Heroes in Love is significantly less plot heavy and has less historical points than Hakuoki. Instead, The Amazing Shinsengumi: Heroes in Love focuses more on the romance and the parts with your significant other with brief plot dumps involving the Shinsengumi. This paired with the fact that the game is extremely short makes it out to be rather rushed. This is especially noticeable in the plot progression as characters literally fall in love with you within seconds.

This is rather unnatural feeling and really put us off, especially during certain routes. What might be moe for some comes off as rape-y in The Amazing Shinsengumi: Heroes in Love as characters literally force themselves on you while you are worried about people dying all around you. This is unsettling and left a bad taste in our mouths. Suddenly, the honorable Shinsengumi became a group of rather scary men who takes advantage of vulnerable young girls. Let’s not forget that the actual game sets the stage with your house burning down so for some reason, you get to share a room with a Shinsengumi member because there are no other choices. Talk about a weak plot.

The only real thing The Amazing Shinsengumi: Heroes in Love has going for it is its art. The CGs are beautiful and this has got to be one of the beautifuler otome games released by Dogenzaka Labs for Nintendo Switch. This was what got us so excited at first for the game. It’s not enough to redeem the game, but it’s a plus point.

Overall, The Amazing Shinsengumi: Heroes in Love lacks plot and pacing, which just makes it very frustrating to play. It feels like you are a weak female main character who lets herself get taken advantage of, but again, the main character has no personality whatsoever, although she does have heart. The other characters are very frustrating and have very few redeeming characteristics. In the end, this just isn’t an otome game for us.

Well, there it goes, this is our latest otome review for the Nintendo Switch. Will you agree with us or will you cry out against our opinion? Well, we are all ears so be sure to share your thoughts. Once again, thank you for joining us here at Honey’s Anime for another article. We want to thank you for all your support! Till next time 🙂