Advertencia de contenido: Charade Maniacs tiene un segmento que analiza la agresión sexual de un menor durante una de las rutas de los personajes y una escena que representa la automutilación con los efectos de sonido correspondientes. Puede encontrar más información sobre esto en la sección Inclusividad y temas problemáticos de este artículo.
Tabla de contenido
- Detalles del juego e ilustraciones del juego
- Tráiler del juego
- Trama
- Arte y música
- Como se Juega
- Caracteres
- Historia
- Localización
- Inclusividad y temas problemáticos (spoilers menores)
- Veredicto
- Compra el juego
- Créditos
Detalles del juego Charade Maniacs
Género: Otome Novela visual, romance, aventura, ciencia ficción
Plataforma: Nintendo Switch
Fecha de lanzamiento: 27 de junio de 2023
Clasificación ESRB: T para adolescentes (violencia leve y temas sugerentes leves)
Sitio oficial del juego: http://ideafintl.com/charade -maniacs/
Desarrollador y editor: Idea Factory e Idea Factory International (Ver más créditos )
Tráiler del juego Charade Maniacs
La historia de Charade Maniacs
¿Has oído hablar de la Corriente del Otro Mundo?
¡Sí! Dicen que si participas, se te concederá cualquier deseo.
Hiyori Sena ha escuchado los rumores, pero como muchos otros, en realidad nunca ha visto Other World Stream. Eso no impide que esta leyenda urbana siga generando rumores, y no impide que Hiyori imagine lo que desearía si alguna vez se encontrara participando.
Desafortunadamente, no tendrá que pensar en ello mucho más.
Un día, después de la escuela, Hiyori y su mejor amigo de la infancia, Tomose, son abordados por un extraño que lleva una máscara y, antes de que puedan decir o hacer algo, se desmayan. Al despertar, Hiyori y Tomose se encuentran en un mundo extraño con otras ocho personas.
“Esto es Arcadia. Este es el lugar donde los sueños se hacen realidad. Sí, es una utopía. ¡Tus deseos son nuestros para hacerlos realidad!
Con esa declaración, a estas diez personas secuestradas se les dice que deben participar en transmisiones dramáticas para llevar entretenimiento a los arcadianos que viven en el Otro Mundo. Si les va bien y obtienen buenas calificaciones, sus deseos se cumplirán, incluido el de regresar a casa. Pero si lo hacen mal o se niegan a actuar, serán castigados. Como si las cosas no fueran lo suficientemente difíciles, les dicen que el cerebro detrás de Other World Stream está entre el elenco, y si pueden descubrir cuál de ellos es el traidor, pueden regresar a casa inmediatamente. ¿Podrán Hiyori y los demás regresar o quedarán atrapados en Arcadia por el resto de sus vidas?
Arte y música de Charade Maniacs
Me encantan muchas cosas: buenas historias, voces sensuales, chicos guapos en 2D con los que puedo salir, galletas recién horneadas. Aunque mi Switch no tiene una configuración de horno, tiene la capacidad de brindarme las otras tres cosas en esa lista, y Charade Maniacs cumple.
Teita, el mismo artista de la serie Norn9 y Nightshade , hizo el arte de Charade Maniacs , y es mi trabajo favorito hasta ahora. Me encanta lo vibrantes que son los colores y lo diferentes que se ven cada personaje entre sí. Desde peinados y ropa hasta poses y expresiones faciales, cada uno parece destacarse. Estaba tomando captura de pantalla tras captura de pantalla de estos chicos para convertirlos en fondos de pantalla del teléfono.
Aunque la música no fue nada espectacular, la disfruté. Muchas de las canciones son olvidables y no podría decirte cómo suena la música del día a día, pero las melodías más alegres que suenan durante eventos emocionantes y grandes revelaciones son geniales y emiten una vibra más futurista que encaja con ellas. la configuración de hora 2148.
Jugabilidad de Charade Maniacs
Como la mayoría de los juegos otome, la mecánica de Charade Maniacs es simple y va al grano: los jugadores tomarán decisiones para avanzar en la historia y llegar a un final. Hay términos de diccionario para recopilar a lo largo del camino, así como materiales. La sección Material actúa como un diccionario secundario, pero tiene imágenes que acompañan a la descripción. Los materiales también tienen una descripción más personal que el Diccionario y serán útiles para los jugadores que toman descansos prolongados entre partidas y necesitan un repaso de lo que está sucediendo.
Hay un total de 9 intereses amorosos con los que se puede salir en Charade Maniacs , que es bastante más que los cinco habituales. Sin embargo, el tiempo total de reproducción para cada ruta también es bastante corto comparativamente. Me tomó poco más de 30 horas completar el juego al 100% usando una guía cuando estoy acostumbrado a acercarme a 50. La división de finales definitivamente también ayudó a contribuir a este tiempo de juego. A diferencia de muchos VN, muchas de las rutas en Charade Maniacs solo tienen un final en lugar de los tres o más habituales. Sinceramente, esto me gustó. Si bien desearía que las rutas individuales tuvieran un poco más de contenido, me gustó no tener una docena o más de malos finales aleatorios por los que pasar, especialmente porque soy el tipo de jugador al que le gusta hacer de todo. Tampoco soy masoquista, por lo que verme obligado a ver un final deprimente que no contribuye a la historia no es algo que disfruto hacer. Te estoy mirando, Código: Date cuenta …
Los controles y opciones de Charade Maniacs son estándar y nada destacó por ser único o útil. El juego carece de la opción “pasar a la siguiente opción”, lo que hubiera sido realmente bueno. Existe una opción para desactivar las notificaciones de afecto, aunque las notificaciones en sí parecen bastante inútiles. No todos los conjuntos de opciones tienen una opción que genera afecto en la ruta de un personaje, y hay muy, muy pocas que lo hacen en la ruta común. Tampoco hay una página de medidor de afecto ni cambios de color para realizar un seguimiento de qué opciones afectan a qué personajes, por lo que encontré que todo el sistema está infrautilizado y es ineficaz.
Otro aspecto similar al género otome son las rutas cerradas. De los nueve personajes, algunos están bloqueados hasta que se cumplan ciertos criterios. Como este juego tiene un gran énfasis en su aspecto misterioso, revelar cuáles están bloqueados sería un spoiler. Dicho esto, sé que algunas personas (como yo, soy algunas personas) quieren saberlo antes de jugar para no quedarse estancados tratando de buscar un marido y descubrir después de horas de juego que aún no está disponible. Entonces, para esos jugadores, aquí tienen:
Mostrar spoiler Mei Dazai, Souta Gyobu y Takumi Haiji están bloqueados desde el principio. Para desbloquear Dazai y Gyobu, se debe completar 1 ruta de cada grupo (limpiar, cocinar, investigar). Para desbloquear a Haiji, se deben completar el final de Gyobu y los dos finales de Dazai.
Personajes de Charade Maniacs
Hiyori Sena
Hiyori es la típica protagonista otome: linda, pero un poco tonta e ingenua. Aunque está desesperada por volver a casa con su familia y volver a criar a sus cuatro hermanos menores, no puede decidir si debe confiar en todos en Arcadia o no. Hiyori cae en el tropo de la ‘heroína virginal pura’, que odio, y esto hace que tome una decisión tonta tras otra. Pero bueno, el amor verdadero lo soluciona todo. Honestamente, si no fuera por su lindo diseño, probablemente ya me habría olvidado de ella.
kyoya akase
(CV de Soma Saito – Deseo de invierno: Espíritus de Edo , Collar X Malice , Kitty Love – Manera de buscar el amor )
Akase es el tipo de personaje que reúne al grupo y trata de darles dirección. Tiene un fuerte sentido de la justicia con un toque de exceso de confianza. Akase quiere creer en todos, y esto alimenta muchos de los sentimientos de Hiyori al respecto, pero su convicción a veces parece endeble y sus acciones no siempre coinciden con sus palabras. Como el elenco está atrapado en el Otro Mundo, este aspirante a Superman tendrá muchos desafíos que enfrentar y la verdad sobre él será revelada.
Banjo tomoso
(CV de Kenichi Suzumura – Oshi no Ko , Danganronpa V3 , Brothers Conflict , Sweet Fuse )
There is only one thing in the real world and the Other World that Tomose cares about, and that’s Hiyori. Someone wants to talk to him that’s not Hiyori? They can go away. Someone besides Hiyori needs help? Nah, that ain’t his problem. But the moment anyone looks at Hiyori with their eyeballs, Tomose is ready to stab them out. His devotion borders on obsession, and he’s determined to make Hiyori realize he’s the one for her.
Mamoru Chigasaki
(CV by Daisuke Namikawa–Winter’s Wish: Spirits of Edo, Collar X Malice, Reine des Fleurs, Brothers Conflict)
Quiet, soft spoken, sweetiepie Chigasaki couldn’t hurt a fly even if it was attempting to murder him. He’s got a gentleness about him that makes it easy to relax and he’s happy to go along with the flow of the rest of the group. Unless it’s cooking. Please, do not put this boy in the kitchen.
Mei Dazai
(CV by Makoto Furukawa–Lover Pretend, Cupid Parasite, Steam Prison)
If Akase is a superhero, Dazai is the supportive best friend. He’s smart, kind, and helpful, and he doesn’t like being in the spotlight himself. Instead, he seems happy to help others shine and lead the way. Though he’s not one to take charge, he’s also not afraid to speak what’s on his mind, especially if it’s important to him.
Keito Ebana
(CV by Tomoaki Maeno–Winter’s Wish: Spirits of Edo, Lover Pretend, Daibolik Lovers, Collar x Malice, Code: Realize, Period: Cube ~Shackles of Amadeus~, Kitty Love – Way to Look for Love, Brothers Conflict)
Ebana is an angry little hedgehog with his eyes narrowed and his spikes ready to impale anyone who gets too close. He thinks everyone around him is dumb for attempting to trust anyone else, which he says to their face. Loudly. Every day. And though his insults are legendary, his cooking is even more so. This little tsundere just can’t stop making whatever anyone asks of him. Ebana may hate everyone, but he makes sure they’re fed. Just don’t ever be late for a meal.
Ryoichi Futami
(CV by Tomokazu Seki–Demon Slayer, Jujutsu Kaisen, Hakuoki, Steins;Gate)
As one of the eldest members of the group, Futami is seen as the elder brother figure by Hiyori. He’s kind, but doesn’t take crap; thoughtful, but ready to say it like it is; and a leader, though only if the situation calls for it. He isn’t the type to stick to a wall, but he’s also not one to mince words. Instead, Futami straddles the line between static and dynamic like a trapeze artist on the rope.
Souta Gyobu
(CV by Yoshitsugu Matsuoka–Master Detective Archives: Rain Code, Olympia Soirée, My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!)
Gyobu is obsessed with games. Word games, card games, board games–if it has the word ‘game’ associated with it, he’s done it. But this boy takes the term player to every extreme, except when it’s combined with the word ‘team’. Gyobu is lazy and nonsensical at times, but like a flipped switch, he shows just how intelligent he can be. It’s obvious that this boy has his own agenda at work, but all actions have consequences, and this isn’t the sort of game that lets you start over if you get a Dead End.
Takumi Haiji
(CV by Nobuhiko Okamoto–Horimiya, Cupid Parasite, Variable Barricade, Piofiore: Fated Memories, Collar X Malice, Code: Realize, Period: Cube ~Shackles of Amadeus~)
No one is more head empty, no thoughts than Haiji. He’s been thrown into a strange place? Ok. He’s forced to act in weird dramas so he doesn’t die? Sounds good. He can’t get back to his family? That’s fine, as long as there’s ice cream. At times, it feels like if his head wasn’t attached to his body, he’d probably lose it. Despite his lack of a personality, he’s sweet and tries to help in his own way. But, wait.. what’s his age?!
Mizuki Iochi
(CV by Megumi Ogata–Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair, Neon Genesis Evangelion)
Like Futami, Iochi is one of the eldest members of this group of 10. They don’t quite take on a leadership role like Akase does, but Iochi is an active participant in discussions, planning, and working. They’re smart and funny with a quick wit ready to take on anyone. Despite their dreary circumstances and growing fear, Iochi is able to bring a little bit of laughter and lightness to the situation. Though underneath the pretty face and sweet words, there’s a cunningness that hides.
Charade Maniacs’s Story
Charade Maniacs’s main scenario is written by Uta Amemiya. Veterans of the otome gene will recognize the name from titles like Psychedelica of the Black Butterfly, Re:Birthday Song, and the remake of the very first otome game, Angelique Retour.
With so many recent otome releases revolving around historical time periods, it was so refreshing playing one set in the future. From the casual discussions about holograms and robots to AI and societal advancements–the world building felt engaging and interesting. I enjoyed seeing someone’s idea on how the world may look 125 years from now, and if I’m being honest, the best part was not having to read all of Wikipedia about the rise and fall of the Edo period. Again.
Charade Maniacs is reminiscent of mystery VNs like Zero Escape and Danganronpa. Though it is an otome at heart and doesn’t have any exploration modes or actual mysteries to solve to progress like the examples (nor is it nearly as dark as them either), the idea is still there. I enjoyed going through the common route while trying to suss out who the mastermind was, and gaining a bit of knowledge about the overarching plotlines each route helped to differentiate the love interests and endings more. I used Otome Kitten’s guide and recommended playthrough order, and I really enjoyed it. As far as story pacing and reveals go, I don’t think I would change much with her ordering, if anything.
All this isn’t to say that the story was great. Like any game, it had its fair share of problems. Scene transitions and time progression were both particularly rough, and I was more often than not having to reread the log to try and guess at how much time had passed, or where I was. There were very few, if any, visuals to indicate a change of scene or time, and I had to use context clues to guess. This made it especially jarring when the characters started treating their daily lives and the dramas they were forced to participate in as a usual, totally normal, fine thing to do. Though they all talk about saving up points to get home and how that’s the goal they’re working hard towards, their laidback attitude about it all a few chapters into the game was so confusing. By the end of my first route, I still didn’t know how long Hiyori and the gang had been in the Other World, and if it weren’t for the dialogue explicitly stating it towards the end, I would have never known.
As much as I liked the design for most of the characters as well–and this pains me a bit to say–they were mostly forgettable. A few stood out to me for various reasons (Dazai and Iochi are best boy/them) but more felt generic and bland during their routes. I did like how differently characters would act depending on which route I played. Seeing someone full of hope turn into a pit of despair did a lot of heavy lifting for the game, and while I may not have enjoyed an LI during one part or another, there was usually one route for most of them that stuck with me.
The same can not be said of the MC.
Hiyori is the type of female lead that makes me shake my head before banging it into a wall and going on a rant about how sexism is alive and well today in every form of media, including the ones aimed at women. She is such a textbook case of the virginal heroine, never doing anything wrong, always believing the best in people, being scared of her own shadow so there’s a reason for a big, strong man to come along and be her knight in shining armor, which is usually accompanied by his redemption arc that could only have been perpetuated by her pureness. For real, it was exhausting at times to read Hiyori’s internal thoughts. Everything is a conflict for her. She doesn’t want to suspect anyone and wants to get along, but she also wants to go home and take care of her siblings since their mother is basically MIA, but she also doesn’t want to do anything like holding hands or kissing in the dramas because that’s embarrassing and she’s never done it before, but she also doesn’t want to cause problems for the other characters by taking a punishment game and making them all worried, and ohhh nooo whatever will she do?? Teehee! As bad as all of this was, the worst part was how naive she was. She’s stuck in a strange place with 8 (9?) men, all of whom but one are complete strangers, and she has to be told by half a dozen people to take simple precautions for herself like locking the communal bathroom door. As much as I wish we lived in a world where no one had to worry about things like sexual assault ever happening, we don’t. Neither does Hiyori. And at some point I can’t just say that characters like her are naive, because it doesn’t explain enough. They’re just plain stupid, and I’m kinda tired of seeing it.
Charade Maniacs’s Localization
Bluntly put, Charade Maniacs’s translation and localization are kinda bad. When I started the game, I was taking screenshots after screenshots of examples of poor or incorrect wording, of duplicate text boxes, missing words, and just plain confusing sentences. The whole thing felt like it was translated by a machine and given a glance by another machine to check for errors. I luckily didn’t run into many coding issues or glitches, with only one line of dialogue exceeding past the text box and one other missing half of what should have been written in it.
At first, I thought the writing might be a way to indicate the futuristic setting and I gave it a chance, but it quickly became apparent that wasn’t the case. After completing a couple of routes, I found myself noticing it less, but I can’t say if that’s because it got better, or I became numb to it.
Unfortunately, bad translation, localization, and editing have plagued the Otome genre for a while. While more recent releases have done a much better job of correcting the issues before release, Charade Maniacs reminds me that there’s still plenty of work to be done.
Inclusivity and Problematic Themes (Minor Spoilers)
Some of the information in this section contains minor spoilers for the common route and minor to major spoilers for some of the endings. I have tried to keep the spoilers centric to inclusivity and problematic subjects, but some of these issues do have ties to the story. This section is broken up by inclusivity and problematic issues to avoid unnecessary spoilers.
Inclusivity Themes
When I first picked up Charade Maniacs, I assumed it would be a typical Japanese otome with next to no inclusivity for LGBTQ+ people, let alone any for people with physical disabilities. That being said, I was pleasantly surprised by what the game actually contained in these regards.
It is revealed during the common route that one character has a prosthetic arm and another is blind in one eye. The MC and others do not treat these characters any differently, and these characters are shown to live perfectly normal lives (or as normal as a life can be trapped in a strange place and forced to act out the whims of those in control). Due to the nature of the story, these disabilities don’t always last. The character with the prosthetic only has it while in the Other World, and in some endings this character regains the use of their original arm while in others they do not, but they don’t lose their arm. The character with a blind eye sometimes gains the use of it back, and in others they don’t. There is another character who becomes an amputee. This happens in almost every ending this character is featured in, and the character even gets a new sprite depicting the change.
Another character is genderqueer. From the beginning, their sex and gender is questioned. For example, when the MC is going to take a shower, they offer to join her. The rest of the cast makes a statement, trying to ascertain if this character is actually female, only for them to flip the question around to the other characters, asking if they saw them as male or female, or if they had a preference on their gender. Though the confusion the LI’s have regarding this is slightly comedic, the genderqueer character is always the one to take control of the conversation, often making the other characters feel embarrassed for asking. I thought this was a really powerful statement. Though the character themself turns the situation into a joke, the comedic effect is always from the other character’s confusion or embarrassment and not themself. The internal dialogue for the MC is also really inclusive towards this. While at first, she questions whether the character is male or female to gauge her interest in them, she eventually comes to the conclusion that she doesn’t care what they are, she just loves them. Even at the end of this character’s route, their gender is never revealed. When they ask the MC how she feels about this, she says that it doesn’t matter, and it won’t change who they are nor why she fell in love with them. To date, this is the best and most well-done route regarding LGBTQ+ representation in a Japanese Otome that I’ve ever played.
Problematic Themes
As a whole, there aren’t many issues in Charade Maniacs; however, there is one instance where a character attempts to mutilate themself, and it is revealed that another character is the victim of sexual assault.
During Chigasaki’s route, the issue of one of his arms comes up, and it has special meaning to him and the story. During his route, the meaning behind his arm becomes an issue, and he takes a knife and attempts to cut it off. There is no blood during this scene, but there is a detailed description, there are sound effects for stabbing, and Chigasaki is screaming in pain during the scene.
During Ebana’s route, he discusses how he hates women. He never quite comes off as misogynistic, but there is obviously something going on. As it turns out, he was sexually assaulted by a woman. Ebana recounts to the MC how his parents divorced and he went to live with his father. At some point, his father started dating a woman who would say things and act inappropriately towards Ebana. This eventually leads to the woman forcibly kissing him. There are no images depicting what happened, but the game does make it known that Ebana in no way consented to this situation and he was a minor and the woman was an adult at the time of the assault.
Both of these plot points blindsided me during the story as there was nothing to indicate such an event would happen during the game, and so I felt it prudent to discuss it here so that people with sensibilities concerning these subjects can make appropriate decisions for themselves.
Verdict
Is Charade Maniacs the best otome ever? No. Nor does it have the most memorable story, the swoon-worthiest LIs, the best MC, or a fantastic translation. And though it gives you almost twice as many datable characters as other games, it cuts the playtime by more than a third of average games.
What it does have going for it that other otome don’t is a type and level of inclusivity that I wasn’t expecting. To have a genderqueer character be taken seriously in the story and not used as comic relief, to see characters with physical disabilities not be gawked at or babied and instead treated with common decency and respect was not what I was expecting to get out of this game, but I did. As someone who has many LGBTQ+ friends (and even an uncle that lost an eye), seeing accurate representation and descriptions felt refreshing. I always clench up when non-straight cis characters are introduced because I’m worried they’re going to be inaccurate or harmfully depicted, but with each route I cleared, I could feel my shoulders loosening back up. And though I wouldn’t say Charade Maniacs has the greatest representation of minority groups ever, it has one of the best I’ve seen. We’ve got to start somewhere, and this is a pretty nice place to do it.
All of this being said, I still really enjoyed my time with Charade Maniacs. It didn’t have the best characters or translation, yet I liked it in spite of that. Maybe it’s the mystery lover in me calling out to Charade Maniacs in a way that no other otome has invoked before. Or maybe it’s the fact I didn’t have to go through a dozen or more random bad endings every route to see the happy ending. Whatever the case, the time I spent playing Charade Maniacs was enjoyable, and it has earned its spot on my shelf.
Purchase the Game
Standard Edition
- Purchase on Nintendo Store
- Purchase on Idea Factory International’s Website
- Purchase on Amazon
Limited Edition
- Purchase on Idea Factory International’s Website
Charade Maniacs’s Credits
Illustration and Character Design by Teita
Main Scenario by Uta Amemiya
Sub Scenario by Ayano Orihara
Directed by Asami Saito
BGM by TOKYO LOGIC Ltd.
Development by Hyde,Inc.
Production and Sales by IDEA FACTORY
English Localization Staff
Produced by Jack Niida
Localization Manager Nobara Nakayama
Translated by Labaamen
Lead Editor Alex Valles
Localization Editor Joshua Vargas
Proofread by Gregory Ritchie
Localization Assistance by Alex Childs and Maya Hirota
Quality Assurance Testers Anna Brown, Ashley Jackson, William Jackson, Rooney Marchand, and Alicia Young-Gumero
Developed by IDEA FACTORY
Published by IDEA FACTORY INTERNATIONAL
Thanks to Idea Factory International for providing a free review copy. Receiving a free copy has in no way impacted the thoughts in this review.
The Good
- Interesting and detailed Sci-Fi mystery story
- Varied characters and storylines
- Includes LGBTQ+ and representation of people with physical disabilities
The Bad
- Translation and localization is very rough
- MC falls into the ‘virginal heroine’ trope
- Poor scene transitions and lack of information on time passage makes it hard to follow the story
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