Do you care more about the heroine's character design or the romanceable characters'?

[nekoky]

I think the overall tone of a game lies in the heroine, because she spends much more time with me than the male leads do. So for me, the heroine's personality matters more than the male leads'. The male leads' personalities should complement the heroine's to create chemistry. That said, when it comes to visual design, the male leads are more important — after all, this is a female-oriented genre.

 

[lst]

I care a little more about the heroine, honestly. That's why I prefer heroines with strong personalities. I mean, I spend the whole game reading their thoughts and watching their actions, so I need them to be likable and/or interesting for me to stay invested in the story.

 

[nekoky]

I care a little more about the heroine, honestly. That's why I prefer heroines with strong personalities. I mean, I spend the whole game reading their thoughts and watching their actions, so I need them to be likable and/or interesting for me to stay invested in the story.

Yes, only when the heroine is interesting does the whole game become interesting, with dramatic conflict.

 

[marchlion]

While I do think the male leads are important, I find that when I grow attached to the female lead, I end up enjoying the entire story even more. If I like her personality and emotional arc, the story feels more enjoyable. The more I get to know her, the more immersed I become in the evolving relationships between the characters.

 

[Cove]

I rarely care for how the female lead looks since at times I don't even see her, for me the most important part is the men. If I don't like how the men look, I don't buy the game.

 

[kyoko867578]

A good heroine design can actually be the main reason I decide to play a game.

 

[fr4pp3cinn]

As the main point of otome is the male leads, I think their character design is more important than MC. That's not to say the MC can be sidelined though! But visually the LIs are kinda the driving force for otome lol

I'm more concerned with MC personality than her design :)

 

[nekoky]

As the main point of otome is the male leads, I think their character design is more important than MC. That's not to say the MC can be sidelined though! But visually the LIs are kinda the driving force for otome lol

I'm more concerned with MC personality than her design :)

Yes, maybe I didn't phrase it clearly—personality is included. Visually, the male leads do have a more important effect than the heroine, even though I really like seeing the heroine's facial expression changes. But after all, some games don't even have a visible heroine sprite. When it comes to personality, the heroine must be carefully designed, because she is the core of the story, and the male leads revolve around her.(๑•﹏•)

 

[ryuntsai]

I've been thinking about it…
If the heroine has a very good character design but then the LIs are not that attractive?... it will let me think about ''why there is not a Heroine ending'' like no one deserves her lol, let her shine by herself. But if the heroine has a numb or dumb character and then the attractive LIs still fall in love with her, it really depends on how well the writer describes the psychological changes.

I mean, having a flawed heroine isn't a bad thing, but the writer needs to know how to write her story well—so the audience can understand why her personality turned out that way, what the core motivations behind her actions are, and so on. Even if her personality is terrible, I think it's still fine as long as the writer helps the audience understand why she became like that.

But… if all the love interests are not attractive..., do you think people would still keep playing the game?
So... for me, i think romanceable characters design are more important.
That's the first thing i see when a game releases, the visuals and the first impression.

 

[nekoky]

I've been thinking about it…
If the heroine has a very good character design but then the LIs are not that attractive?... it will let me think about ''why there is not a Heroine ending'' like no one deserves her lol, let her shine by herself. But if the heroine has a numb or dumb character and then the attractive LIs still fall in love with her, it really depends on how well the writer describes the psychological changes.

Yes, if the heroine has her own independent character growth arc or even her own independent ending, that would be great. That way, we can see her personality change after falling in love with the male lead, and it also makes her character more three dimensional.

I mean, having a flawed heroine isn't a bad thing, but the writer needs to know how to write her story well—so the audience can understand why her personality turned out that way, what the core motivations behind her actions are, and so on. Even if her personality is terrible, I think it's still fine as long as the writer helps the audience understand why she became like that.

But the reality is that many Japanese otome heroines these days are too perfectly kind. I really want to see more heroines with flaws and stronger personalities. However, many games aren't willing to break away from the usual formulas, so we end up with a lot of template heroines. Of course, a skilled writer can still make old tropes shine, but people should try new things, don't you think?

But… if all the love interests are not attractive..., do you think people would still keep playing the game?
So... for me, i think romanceable characters design are more important.
That's the first thing i see when a game releases, the visuals and the first impression.

I agree. The art style really sets the first impression we have of a game, and the appearance of the romanceable characters is very important.

 

[Marrychan]

It might seem strange, but I don't think the heroine's visual appearance impacts me that much. Of course, there are some designs that are perfect to me at first glance! Others I grow fond of as the game progresses, Nanami (UtaPri) was one of those cases for me. I didn't like her design that much at first, but as the game went on I grew fond of her overall. Liliana (Piofiore), I would like her more if she weren't blonde (?), she's in a pretty neutral zone for me, but that's more my preference regarding blondes. I think it's the male characters that have a bigger impact than the female ones themselves.

 

[Luminetta]

To be honest, I care more about the heroine's design than the LIs. I usually check if the heroine fits my taste first, and then I'll look at the LIs later.

 

[mikiuu]

I care more about the heroine's character design. It's way more fun when the heroine has a distinct personality and her own backbone, rather than just being a blank slate for the romance.

 

[Violetta19]

I'm more interested in what love interests look like.

 

[hashi]

I prioritize the design of the love interest.
After all, the heroine is usually very cute.

 

[YummyYum]

LI design is more important to me than the heroine. I mean this for both visual and written aspects. Don't get me wrong, I love heroines who are fleshed out, have one of the not stereotypical personalities that a lot of heroines do in this genre, has super a cute design, but I am also fine playing games where they aren't like that. Reminds me of the Dot Kareshi games, where the MC is somewhat non-existent lol. The main thing that draws me to otomes are the LIs in the end, so a super awesome heroine that would be my total ideal is cool and all, but if I'm not interested in any of the guys I'm probably not going to play much of it. I would be more likely to play another one of the many games out there where the MC is somewhat unlikeable if I like the LIs and think the romance is good.

 

[tsuki09_]

Hmm, I often pay more attention to the LIs designs over the MC designs (I'm far more interested in the LIs as I have a tendency to self insert if I like the character enough fdkjgdsg), but a good MC design definitely drags me into more otome games :)
this is partially how I got into Code Realize and TaiAli: their MCs are very pretty, and I also happen to love dresses and long hair :D
there's also the case of Mistonia where I like the MC design more than the LIs' designs, but I have yet to read it

 

[skipstar]

MC's character & personality is of less interest to me than the ML because ML's design is the first thing that will grab my interest.

 

[LapisWhale]

Personality for The MC and visual design for LIs.

MC is the way we interact with the story, she needs to be likeable, understandable. In my case, I care about the MC's personality more than the game overall (including the LIs) just dont make me frustrated and then they're good to go =)))

About the LIs, I would like their personalities complement the MC's in the way that creates good and interesting chemistry. Also, the LIs' visual design is important too, I dont care much about how the MC looks.

 

[Gyte]

I usually decide whether to buy an otome game based on whether I like the heroine first. The LIs definitely catch my attention too, especially their VAs and the art style, but the heroine is the one who stays with us from beginning to end, so she matters the most to me overall. She really shapes how I experience the story and the romance yk

And honestly, heroine designs in otome games are often gorgeous. Cupid from Cupid Parasite is still my favorite heroine design ever

 

[eoeoao]

I care more about the love interests than the heroine. If the love interests are my type, they immediately catch my attention and make me want to play the game.

 

[shironyan]

Both! I want my heroine is pretty, and a cool/pretty man as well.
But, if i can only choose one, then it's the heroine. I always like otome game with heroine's sprites, so the heroine design is very important to me.

 

[Aerith]

I care more about the LIs' designs, tbh. I don't care that much about the heroine's design, but I really care about her personality. If she's too submissive, that probably means I won't enjoy the VN fully, even if the LIs are really likable.

 

[thetigerlily]

I care about the heroine's design but the li's designs are what determine whether i'll play a game or not

 

[myfrral]

What I value the most is the male protagonist, because when playing a game, the character design of the male protagonist determines my expectations for the game, followed by whether the game story attracts me