For me, it's 100% the plot. I'm not a fan of stories that focus only on the romance and everything else is just a background to it. My favorites are always a mix of multiple genres, just like "Togainu no Chi" - BL visual novel about a guy who's falsely accused of a crime and is offered a trip to...
In all kinds of harem-like games, I usually only play the routes I know I'll like and skip the rest. I notice a tendency to have two or three favorite love interests, though I do have exceptions like "Togainu no Chi". There isn't a single character I don't like in this game. It's one of my...
This is gonna be a bit of a litany lol. I'm new here, but I become a chatterbox sometimes...
(There aren't any spoilers!)
The first anime based on an otome game I watched was actually an experience so bad that I started thinking it was some kind of a ragebait. Well, it was "Diabolik Lovers"...