Metascore
69

Mixed or average reviews - based on 6 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 6
  2. Negative: 0 out of 6
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  1. Jun 23, 2023
    79
    Charade Maniacs isn’t a perfect game, yet I wouldn’t call it terrible. Even though I’m lukewarm about some of the character routes, I genuinely enjoyed others. Plus, the overall mystery is compelling enough that I wanted to solve all the mysteries presented to me. Charade Maniacs might be worth a few playthroughs if you’re a fan of suspenseful mystery otome titles, so long as you don’t go into it expecting greatness.
  2. 70
    Charade Manicas is two individually brilliant games that, combined, are the lesser sum of their parts. I can see why the developers would be intrigued by the combination of the otome and death game mystery genres. I can see the commercial appeal too, given what a runaway success the death game genre continues to be. However, despite excellent production values, a great cast, and a well-written mystery, this particular combination chills rather than delights.
  3. 70
    I wasn’t really feeling the romance elements in Charade Maniacs, though that may have been because I was trying to figure out the meta-story anyway. It’s a solid read that I’ll probably rip through again in a few months when they actually SLOW DOWN with these games.
  4. Jun 28, 2023
    70
    Charade Maniacs is an engaging visual novel with a rather sinister story, but it just doesn't let you make enough decisions while you play.
  5. Jun 23, 2023
    70
    Charade Maniacs is a visual novel otome game with some drop-dead gorgeous characters and an intriguing story. However, with fewer choices than I’d like and numerous ambiguous endings, it may leave you feeling a little confused.
  6. Jun 23, 2023
    55
    Charade Maniacs has so much potential, but the cast becomes bloated, and the conclusion comes way too early without any level of fanfare to cap off the routes. The narrative ends up tripping over itself as it tries to balance all the relationships, causing Sena to be more of an everchanging object for plot progression instead of her own character. The translation also comes across as questionable due to the inconsistencies within the cast. Sadly, the few memorable routes aren’t strong enough to carry enough the flimsy plot.