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Anotome game[a] (Japanese:乙女ゲーム,Hepburn:otome gēmu;lit. "maiden game") is a story-based romance video game targeted towards women with a female protagonist as the player character. Generally one of the goals, besides the main story goal, is to develop a romantic relationship between the female main player character and one of the secondary lead characters, who are male.
The firstotome game is generally acknowledged to beAngelique, released in 1994 byKoei in Japan for theSuper Famicom, and created byRuby Party, an all-woman development team division of Koei.[1] The game was originally designed for pre-teen and younger teenage girls, but became unexpectedly popular with older teenagers and women in their 20s.[1] In 2021, the series continues withAngelique Luminarise, in which the protagonist is a 25-year-old office worker.[2]Angelique is credited with "set[ting] up the specifics and conventions of women's games: a focus on romance, easy controls and utilizing other multimedia."[1] In 1997 the secondotome game,Albaria no Otome was released by Gimmick House and Magical Craft for PC-FX and later for PlayStation. The game has a very similar dynamic to its predecessorAngelique, with the protagonist Ashanty, a young woman who will have to choose between being the new sacred protector of a kingdom, or falling in love and living happily with one of her knights who will help her during the game.[3] In 2002,Konami released its very successfulTokimeki Memorial Girl's Side, which brought many new fans to the still-new genre.[1] In 2006,Famitsu's listings for the Top 20 selling love games included sevenotome games.[citation needed] Early games borrowed heavily from the iconography and story conventions of "retro shoujo manga", "the archetypical girly heroines, the emphasis on pure, sexless, tranquil romance and on a peaceful, stable setting", but as the category expanded, other narrative and gameplay elements were introduced, including action, adventure, combat and plots in which "the heroine can 'save the world' and 'get the guy' at the same time".[1]
McKenzie & Co (1995) fromAmerican Laser Games andGirl's Club (1992) fromPhilips Interactive were simulation games for girls developed and released in the US in the past. The first Japaneseotome game to be officially translated and sold in English was the visual novelYo-Jin-Bo in 2006 for the PC.[citation needed]
In 2024, the first3Dotome gameLove and Deepspace was published byInfold Games [zh].[4]
Some publications that regularly coverotome games includeB's LOG andDengeki Girl's Style.
The genre has many style elements in common withshōjo manga andjosei manga,[1] and plotwise they are often similar toharem manga.
Otome games that are released on console and handheld platforms contain no pornographic content, as companies such asSony andNintendo do not allow it. There are games released on a PC platform which are rated 18+ for theirsexual content. Some games were originally released for the PC with pornographic content, and were later toned down and re-released for game consoles.
Other common elements inotome games are the importance of voice acting,[1]CG stills, and a small epilogue or set scene at the end of the game when a character is successfully finished.
Traditionally, the goal of these games is to have the desired partner fall in love and have a relationship with the player character, but the requirements for gaining a "good end" differ from game to game. While the plots ofotome games differ greatly, there is usually a single female main character, and several good-looking males of varying "types".
Gameplay occasionally does not particularly focus on romance, even if there are several characters whose "routes" can be followed.
In thevisual novel examples of the genre, the player proceeds in the story by selecting dialogue or action choices which affect their relationships in a decision tree format. Insimulationotome games, there is also other gameplay which affects the plot, either by playing minigames or by raising stats. The main character often has several parameters, such as looks, style, intelligence, talent, etc., that can be raised through various activities in normal gameplay. The potential partners usually require a certain parameter or parameters to be at a certain level for them to fall in love with the main character. There is also often a pure dating aspect of gameplay in simulations. This involves asking or being asked on dates by the love interest, doing an activity with them, and responding to their questions or comments. The player has a choice of responses, and a correct answer will raise your standing with that character.
One feature that has become common inotome games is "full voice" (フルボイス,furu boisu), which is to have voice acting throughout the entire game. The love interests are often voiced by well-knownvoice actors. At certain points, or when the player passes certain requirements, special events can occur, often with a "CG" (computer graphic) as a reward. This CG is a set picture featuring the love interest and sometimes the main character in a pose, and some dialogue.
Mostotome games' heroines are not voiced, due to the budget concerns of voicing all their dialogue. However, there are some games featuring fully voiced heroines, such asNorn9 orHaruka: Beyond the Stream of Time.
Inotome games, the main female character is generally categorized as either self-insert or non-self-insert.[1] Self-insert does not have personality and backstory, giving players space to insert themselves into the game. In contrast, the non-self-insert main character has a more vivid personality and detailed story, whose characteristics do not depend on the player for existence.
However, in either case, the main character in mostotome games has a fixed image. Usually, the game unfolds from the protagonist's first point of view.
In general, it is difficult to represent the female protagonist in simple terms, because the game character as an avatar of the player is ambiguous and complex, a state where subject and object coexist: they are both the player's "shoes" and admirable icon.[1]
The main men characters who can develop a romantic relationship with vary from game to game. In general, however, the appearances of main male characters who can develop romantic relationships are conventionally handsome and attractive.
Typical male character archetypes inotome games include international tropes like the childhood friend, and anime-specific ones such as thetsundere.
Otome games have strong links withshōjo manga, with popular titles often spawning a manga series (e.g.Neo Angelique andMeine Liebe), and popularmanga series getting adapted tovideogames (such asNana). Some examples of simultaneous releases of a manga andotome game also exist, such asAngelique andFull House Kiss. It's also common to finddōjinshi featuring popular characters fromotome games.
Some popular games have also been adapted toanime,OVAs, or series, such asAngelique,Diabolik Lovers andUta no Prince-sama.
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