How many love interests do you think is the ideal number for an otome game?

[osanajimimi]

I must say i like when we have a lot of love interests, but sadly the writing loosens up, and the characters don't shine as expected. For example, 9 R.I.P. Despite loving the game, the overall quality isn't consistent.

An ideal number for me is five, where the LIs can get their time to shine and develop. Here I'm referring to console games. What about you? What do you think?

 

[mikiuu]

I personally think five is already quite a lot, though it really depends on how the game is structured. Take Sangoku Rensenki ~Otome no Heihou!~ for example—it has a huge cast of romanceable characters, yet the overall plot flows smoothly without the common route feeling messy or overcrowded.

My sweet spot is 2 to 3 love interests, like the cast in Butterfly series. With fewer routes, every character gets ample screen time and in-depth personal development. I also really enjoy games that split the love interests into separate story arcs,like Blackish House. That format works incredibly well for tight, well-polished character writing.

 

[Liiiii]

I think 5-6 LIs is ideal. But it always depends on the writhing and overall length of the game. I also love it if a new LI is added in the Fandisc, even if his route is shorter than the rest.

 

[MsFangtasia]

2 to 3 love interests with 3 being the max is ideal for me.

 

[SmallEagle]

3 or 4. So that there is diversity in the routes, but it's still manageable enough to give proper depth to each route.

 

[Xyer]

Whenever I play otomege or vns in general, what I look forward the most is reading compelling characters, so I prefer a low number of LIs with compelling characterization. I'm okay with even a single LI if I end up liking him, but If I'd have to come up with a fixed number for a good balance between variety and character depth, it would be 4. Games that have much more than that usually end up with a shallow plot and unsatisfying character arcs, or at least that's my experience.

 

[dogiwall]

Depends on both the length of the game and the budget. I would rather have a few good routes rather than creators biting more than they can chew and creating some routes that aren't as well written as the others. Anything more than 5 or 6 is a bit too much, unless they were either split into multiple games, between different MCs, or, in rare cases, they managed their resources wisely between them.

Though, when it comes to live service otome games, I would rather them stop at 4 or 5 and focus entirely on the writing and content. They are not meant to be like one of those RPG gachas where they need to constantly release new characters that will eventually stop being irrelevant at some point until their reruns lol

 

[totallyamanda]

From my reply a little while ago: I think it depends on if the characters are there from the start to romance or if they're added later as DLC.

For DLC love interests, I wouldn't care how many if they each get a fully realized, fleshed out route that isn't a face swap with another character's storyline. ٩(๑❛ワ❛๑)و

For the main story or starring love interests, I feel like six is the absolute max I could feel that each character has been given enough time and quality control to have a meaningful story and conclusion for its game upon release.

There's never too many if the world allows it, the characters and their story routes are varying and interesting and of course, written well and designed. ദ്ദി◝ ⩊ ◜.ᐟ

 

[Daisy Magnus229]

Maybe 5 or 6, because sometimes more than that the plot either feels half-bake or too short. I'm fine with the LI more than that, but maybe prefer the game split into parts like Starry Sky (12 LI, split into 4 games).

Because I remember exhausted playing Diabolik Lovers: More Blood. I'm not suitable playing that many LI in one game.

 

[moonyuki]

I think it would be better to have about five characters in the first part. Later on, such as FD ，new characters can be added to expand the content. If there are too many characters in one game, the production cost will increase, the workload will also grow, and it won't be suitable for a single scriptwriter to handle all the content. This might affect other aspects as well.

 

[joaoka]

+1 for 5-6 love interests, I think it's ideal!!

 

[starlight7]

I like 4-5 too. If it's less than that I feel like there's not much volume and the game ends too soon

 

[joaoka]

Do you know any game with less than 4 love interests ? It's so uncommon I'm curious what it's like ! I think the latest primula game had a single love interest too haha

 

[myfrral]

Like you, I really like the theme and individual male leads in the 9 R.I.P. game, but because there are too many male leads, there is no highlight of the male lead's shining points, and the story plot feels very cramped.

I think the number of male protagonists in the game should not exceed 6, preferably within 6, as the overall feeling will be better. If there are too many male protagonists, the story will appear to have few plot points, the plot will be cramped, and some important plot points of the male protagonist will be missing. When I play games, there are usually two or three male protagonists that I am interested in. I think the most important thing for a male protagonist is quality, not quantity.

 

[藍色水珠]

I value character development, especially their emotional shifts and inner depth, more than the number of characters I can romance. Appearance is secondary; personality doesn't have to be perfect—it can have flaws, be compassionate, or even eccentric. I've romanced more than nine characters at once.

With a good script, I have the patience to listen to every line and reach all of a character's endings. Too many characters, but a shorter, inconsistent story, simple explanations, and brief endings, will leave me feeling completely unmotivated.

比起攻略數量，我更重視人物塑造，尤其是心境變化、內涵。外表其次，個性可以不完美，有些缺點、有點人情味、甚至特立獨行。我最多追過9人以上。
好劇本，我有耐心聽完每句台詞，通關所有該人物結局。人數多，但故事品質變短、標準不一致，甚至簡單交代、簡略結局，會讓人毫無動力：哭泣：

 

[MariPZ]

Max 5? Beyond tha it becomes difficult for the writers to weave all the stories from each route's into the main plot. Sometimes there are so many guys and different writers involved that things end up feeling anticlimactic, or the character's personality changes (like Kuroba from Olympia or least that's how I felt when playing his route, especially *that ending*).

 

[moçoroca de abacate]

I think 6 LIs are enough! If there are too many, several of them end up being sidelined, and the company tends to focus on the one with the most potential to become the game's most popular character... I wish the number of love interests didn't affect the quality of the story or narrative, but unfortunately, it often does.

However, if the game is well-made and focuses equally on all the love interests – without favoritism or leaving anyone out–, then I'd want as many of them as possible!

 

[Pancito]

For me, the ideal number is between three and five love interests. I think that's enough variety to appeal to different tastes without sacrificing the depth of each route. When there are too many characters, I sometimes feel that some routes don't get enough development and end up feeling a bit more superficial than others.