What are the boundaries you would or would not tolerate in an otome game?

[Yashalun]

I can tolerate almost anything, but in my case, the limits I wouldn't accept would be extreme physical violence against the main character—I just can't tolerate that. Another limit would be extreme denigration And finally, I'd say infidelity or NTR—I would never, under any circumstances, forgive the latter. If any of these boundaries are crossed, I end up hating or strongly rejecting that route. What about you? What are your limits—what would you tolerate or not tolerate in an otome game? I'd love to read your opinions and experiences.

 

[Gaiasheart]

I cannot tolerate Grape or Gore. They're absolutely despicable and disgusting, and yet there are some otomes who put it. I don't know what goes through the dev's minds to even add things like that!!! EW, ew, ew!!!

 

[orionsbestie]

Also NTR done to us/heroine like. Why... Most other things I'd forgive but why... I wouldn't tolerate that at all.

 

[Daisy Magnus229]

Second with gore.
I rarely see it in otome games, but it does show up sometimes in BL games or drama cds. Hearing blood splatters or seeing something gory happen always succeeds in making my skin crawl. Sometimes I even need to take a break before continuing the game or drama CD.

 

[motyu]

Overly disturbing or graphic content that doesn't feel necessary to the story. I'm fine with darker or more serious themes when they serve a purpose, but I don't enjoy content that seems to exist mainly for shock value.

 

[エブリン]

I totally agree with your limits NTR and straight-up abuse toward mc are instant dealbreakers for me too! On top of those, another huge boundary for me is when mc is written to be completely helpless, has zero say in anything, and just lets everyone push her around without ever standing up for herself.
I also really hate fake 'redemption' arcs where a li treats MC like absolute garbage for 90% of the route, and then the game expects us to forgive him just because he gives a half-assed apology at the very end. If a guy is going to be toxic, the story needs to actually work to earn that character growth! Crossing any of these just ruins the whole route for me

 

[Moonblink]

Also NTR and non-con situations. Otherwise i think i'm ok with almost anything

 

[minny]

I do not tolerate anything triggering done without purpose

 

[Euclase]

I'm okay with a little jealousy or slightly questionable behavior as long as it fits the character and works within the story. But once it crosses the line into genuinely controlling or hurting the other person, it's probably too much for me. After the ending, I just want them to live happily ever after!

 

[Pancito]

I think I tolerate a lot more things in games than I would in real life, because obviously I understand that I'm experiencing a story and not a real situation. I can enjoy morally questionable, jealous, toxic characters, or characters who make really bad decisions if the story does something interesting with them.
But there are certain things that make me immediately rule out a character. For example, I don't like when they're excessively violent toward the protagonist, whether physically or verbally, or when they insult, degrade, or have very misogynistic attitudes toward her. In those cases I usually just think, "Okay, this character is definitely not for me."
I also think there are things that bother me much less in a game than they would in real life. For example, I would never tolerate cheating in real life, but in a game I can take it much more objectively. That doesn't mean I would forgive the character or continue liking him—I'd probably completely rule him out—but I can understand that it's part of the story. (⁠٥⁠↼⁠_⁠↼⁠)