I've loved this series ever since I've stalked the Shinsengumi Kitan anime for weekly updates back in 2010. It was my first exposure to otome and visual novel, and I was drawn in to the whole political, historical fiction mixed in with demons, violence (c'mon they're warriors, they can't prance in a field of flowers all day), twists, and dark aspects of it. The story is fantastic and it's more than just your typical "fall head over heels in fluffyland" otome game.
Besides, what better way than to learn your (albeit a bit inaccurate) history AND have great oto-men?
( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ
//slapped
Anyway, this story is basically about the rise and fall of the Shinsengumi with a dating and
demon twist. You might be going "EW HISTORY", but trust me, it's more interesting than it sounds. The anime helps in understanding, but as always, the game is much preferred. If you know your history then basically you know how 90% of this game will turn out... EVERYONE DIES (≧∇≦)ノ彡｡.:*･゜☆ *throws confetti* Also, the only one surprised to find out Chizuru's a chick is Kondou because everyone else had already figured it out, as opposed to the anime where everyone is shocked and BL implications get thrown about. Multiple other people throughout the game see through her disguise as well: Kazama & his gang, Kaoru, Sei, Otori, and some random Imperial Army dudes. Even though they're trying to hide her true identity from all the other Shinsengumi members, they still make her run around serving tea, because that totally doesn't scream femininity LOL.
Before I start. . .
- What's really nice about this game is that if you're not familiar with Japanese history, there's an encyclopedia that'll give you info on words highlighted in red.
- Each character has about 3 endings: A Bad End, Good End w/ High Corruption, and Good End w/ Low Corruption. The "corruption" levels are determined by how often you choose blood or endure or give medicine
- To get all said endings, it's best to have multiple save files starting from chapter 5, or just remember where choices branch off. I use about 1-2 per dude
- Do remember that this game was originally on PS2 in 2008 before it was ported to PSP in 2009. And that was only Japan. The English version wasn't released until 2012. So yes, you'll have to wait a bit longer for it to save/load compared to more recent otomes.
- Although the English translation is "Fury", I'm used to "Rasetsu". However, the terms are interchangeable. Same with "Ochimizu" and "Water of Life"
- The original title is Hakuouki: Shinsengumi Kitan. However, it was translated to Hakouki: Demon of the Fleeting Blossom *cough* Hijikata *cough*
- Artist is Kazuki Yone 8D
Because I'm lazy, I won't mention all the historical things, like the battles. Feel free to Wikipedia or whatever the Shinsengumi battles though. 8D Since the game's English, I can play a route in about one sitting or so, so I can breeze through this game rather than taking a million years like everything else I play. Therefore, I'll just shove all the guys on one page. \(^o^)/ (Keep in mind though, the game is a bit long) The review will be in the order I played in.
As always, spoiler and image heavy, so if you don't want any of that, jump to "Conclusion"
