What features do you wish modern otome games would implement?

[Brilith]

I've recently gotten back into playing otome games, and it's so much fun to see the characters actually blinking now! The ones I used to play back in the day were just plain, static PNGs lol. What kind of features do you wish devs would implement? I think Live2D animations for sprites would be amazing, and while I've seen character customization in a few otome games before, I really wish it would become more mainstream.

 

[icterine]

I'd like for all otome games to have a jump to next option / unread feature to cut on the skipping time LOL.
And a rewind to selected text in backlog option to prepare for when my hands blunder. (This is mostly a staple in most games now though)

 

[ninnikuryona]

surprisingly, the ability to properly show/hide heroine's side portrait! i heard un:logical doesnt even have a side portrait, despite the heroine having a fullblown design, and some other very new game had this "issue" too.. which is surprising, because why even bother giving her a design then if youre not even gonna showcase her?:0 its like they cant decide whether they want to attract specifically self-inserting girlies or not.. which is its own can of worms apparently...........
(and the mute button that actually works while we are at it)

also yeah jump to previous line would be greatly appreciated, because im a chronic screenshotter and i dont want to take screenshots of the logs all the time xdd

 

[Sacchie]

jump to next option sounds really helpful to full-comp some time consuming games!
other than that, I'd love some semi-animated sprites too, they just looks so pretty and mesmerizing, making me more immersed in the game <3

 

[Brilith]

I'd like for all otome games to have a jump to next option / unread feature to cut on the skipping time LOL.
And a rewind to selected text in backlog option to prepare for when my hands blunder. (This is mostly a staple in most games now though)

Man, a jump-to-choice feature would be a lifesaver. I feel you with that because even with the skip speed maxed out, waiting a couple of minutes just to reach the next decision is so tedious, especially when you're trying to find the correct choice and have to redo the story all over again T_T

 

[enren]

A back-log that shows previous lines even after you quit your run and return back to it later. Seen that once in Taisho x Alice. Wish every game had that.

 

[Violetta19]

1)Full voiceover for MC lines—enabling the main character's voice (with the option to disable it in the settings) to create the effect of a full-fledged audiobook. 2)Viewing ending conditions is a built-in hint system or affection counter, so players don't have to constantly search for fan guides online. 3)Villain or rival routes are a legitimate opportunity to delve into the "dark side" of the story, which is often ignored in classic otome games.

 

[Brilith]

I also forgot to say, but I think adding a jealousy system for the other characters would be really cool. It'd be great if their behavior actually changed when they notice you pursuing someone else.

Also, a personality test like the one in Cupid Parasite would be awesome for making things more interactive. Having the results change based on your choices would make the whole experience feel a lot more personal in my opinion.

 

[LapisWhale]

I also forgot to say, but I think adding a jealousy system for the other characters would be really cool. It'd be great if their behavior actually changed when they notice you pursuing someone else.

I second this!! I would love to have some games with a jealousy system :Ddddd

 

[lncogneato]

Yes on the Live2D! Somehow it makes me less trigger-happy with the next button while the voice actor is still going on. It helps me be a little bit more appreciative!

Other wish-to-haves:
- More personality flavor text dependent on player choices
- Voicelines calling player's or protag's default name
- The feature on some games to save certain voicelines (because some of them are just so good)
- Gacha-esque, turn-based or compelling fighting mechanics like LaDS and HSR (it's in idol/actor games for sure, but I'd love it if the protagonist was given more significance in the wider scheme of things)

 

[fr4pp3cinn]

Joining the jump to next/previous choice train! From all VNs I play, otome is by far the only genre that rarely has the option. I wish there was something like Nitroplus nitro-skip in them, specially for Switch titles :b

Another one I really wish was more common is flowcharts! Bad Apple Wars has one and it's so handy (for completionists like me lol)

 

[ShineAnRise]

Interaction!! i love reading, but if it just becomes a wall of text or the character are talking without stop i get distracted easily, even if im playing something that it can be interesting. Doesnt need to be something fancy, a pause every once in a while, a cool animation, a puzzle, a new image, making me click around helps a loot to keep me engaged with the story.

 

[puinnai]

As a comment already said, I'd also love mc with full voice over. It's pretty cool hearing MC's voice. The experience of playing changes completely for me. Love it

 

[Tenya]

What both @Brilith and @icterine said, honestly. ( ;´ - `;)

I also come from the ancient™ times of static character PNG visual novels, and them being able to blink actually makes a huge difference. I noticed it in the Illusion of Itehari (泡沫のユクロニアー) in particular and it makes the game feel much more alive. On top of that, the option to just skip to the next choice is huge QoL that has existed since... forever. (I vaguely remember playing Drammatical Murder back in the day and they had it, I'm fairly certain.)

And also what Brilith said about the jealousy system... I feel like that would be really cool as an opt-in? It's definitely not for everyone but it's an idea! That being said... I feel like something that would interest me is actual interaction with the characters? I'm thinking of Love and Deepspace here, but even is a 'typical' visual novel-type otome game, we could tap on the character's face, or body, and they would react, either with a voice line or some sort of visual cue... I feel like that could help the game feel more alive as well.

And I'm firmly with the fully-voiced MC crowd. I personally don't really care much for self-inserts; I can do it, sure, but the way I treat stories is more of a... well, story, LOL. I'm just following along even if I could potentially imagine myself in MC's position. ⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝♡

 

[plumtree]

Text enlargement! I find a lot of the text size in otome games is too tiny for me to read comfortably... which is a problem considering the whole gameplay of VNs depends on it

Pro tip for other eyesight challenged baddies: Newer Ren'py VNs usually have a hidden accessibility menu with built-in text scaling

I usually just suffer through other PC and Switch otome though

 

[Hebiss]

The ability to skip already-read text. Surprisingly, not all games have this feature. If it's a mobile game — increase the text size, because reading tiny font can be uncomfortable. Sometimes — disable extra animation (some games really overdo it with various falling leaves, rain, and all that stuff).

 

[Lynettee]

Well, I've played several modern otome games that already have this "skip to the next option" or flowchart feature, but honestly, now that I'm playing older otome games, the change is drastic. It's really tedious when the game branches off from a common path and you have to change all the options. I also noticed that changing the font size and type is a plus, especially for people like me who have vision problems.

 

[Lukeo]

Text enlargement! I find a lot of the text size in otome games is too tiny for me to read comfortably... which is a problem considering the whole gameplay of VNs depends on it

Pro tip for other eyesight challenged baddies: Newer Ren'py VNs usually have a hidden accessibility menu with built-in text scaling

I usually just suffer through other PC and Switch otome though

What fonts do you really prefer?

 

[plumtree]

What fonts do you really prefer?

Anything other than cursive fonts, I guess. Some games use cursive fonts to imitate handwritten letters but I just find it annoying and hard to read. I feel like there's been a rise in devs including dyslexic-friendly fonts like OpenDyslexic which I find encouraging even though I personally don't need them.

 

[Eir]

Flowcharts and jump to next choice, I can't believe how many VNs (not necessarily otome) still don't have them. And voiced MC please..... it makes the whole experience feel much more complete

 

[kamilya5]

Flowcharts and jump to next choice, I can't believe how many VNs (not necessarily otome) still don't have them. And voiced MC please..... it makes the whole experience feel much more complete

The same here ...
The skip button (to jump through choices) when replaying the game

 

[甘味鎮痛剤]

Auto-save, delete save files, and the ability to skip to the next choice even on unread text.

 

[甘味鎮痛剤]

surprisingly, the ability to properly show/hide heroine's side portrait! i heard un:logical doesnt even have a side portrait, despite the heroine having a fullblown design, and some other very new game had this "issue" too.. which is surprising, because why even bother giving her a design then if youre not even gonna showcase her?:0 its like they cant decide whether they want to attract specifically self-inserting girlies or not.. which is its own can of worms apparently...........
(and the mute button that actually works while we are at it)

also yeah jump to previous line would be greatly appreciated, because im a chronic screenshotter and i dont want to take screenshots of the logs all the time xdd

Both games from the publisher LicoBiTs don't include a sprite for the MC — I guess that's just how they do things.
Seeing the MC's expressions change is definitely part of the fun, but I don't mind games without an MC sprite either. I'll just have to rely on my imagination.XD

 

[Lilia16]

I wish modern otome games had a better skipping feature for replays

 

[Meringue]

Moving backgrounds! I've seen a few otome do them before (Bustafellows and Black Wolves Saga come to mind) and every time I'm impressed even if it's just minor things like clouds~

This one may be too niche, but personally I wish menu sfx were a different audio slider from other in-game sfx. Sometimes I start going insane with the multiple jingly chimes necessary to open and close the backlog or dictionary in some games. I never want to turn of sfx though in case I miss out on story relevant car whirrs or footsteps though lol

Otherwise I think we should bring back the "panic buttons" in old eroge for all otome, for no reason other than my amusement