Bonnie Bear Saves Frogtime features the same heart and humor as other Bonte Avond games. Even better, it pairs that with a strategy game that might seem simple, but gets more involved as you find frogs. It’s incredibly charming, and Bonte Avond proves adept at making someone smile and tear up within the span of a few hours.

I applaud the fact that Voltage does preserve its mobile otome games with Switch ports like Court of Darkness: Temptation’s Kiss, but wish there was more to this one. It’s a really fun story involving magic and school life, and the heroine actually has a personality and speaks up so she isn’t a total blank slate. The love interests included are interesting too. Unfortunate, we aren’t even halfway into each of the routes for the characters who are present, and people need to head to another source and potentially spend more money to find out what happens next.

While Otome Daoshi: Fighting for Love’s story isn’t as exciting as I expected a martial arts otome game to be, there are some romantic routes here. Playing it safe isn’t a bad thing, though it does mean it might feel a little more predictable than other titles in the genre. I wish it featured some quality of life titles from other Otomate titles. However, the way it does go with the theme and include the same sort of ambiance and elements as martial arts anime and manga is a nice touch.

Bubblegum Galaxy is a bright delight of a game with a distinct design direction and captivating storyline. The characters all look fantastic. There’s a fun script, complete with some positive messages. I relished getting to explore the office and take in the character and environmental models. The actual tile-based planet-building is pleasant enough too, though I didn’t find it as challenging or memorable as contemporaries like Dorfromantik. It’s a solid and relaxed puzzle experience that can feel quite cozy.

Shinehill is an unexpected delight, and it offers a Resident Alien sort of twist on the farming life sim genre. Is it still cozy even when you’re infiltrating a community and carrying out not-always-moral objectives? Shockingly, yes! It is a little buggy in its current state, but it feels stronger every day and is absolutely an unusual approach to a traditional type of simulation.

I love the idea behind Volontes and think the character designs are gorgeous, but it isn’t a strong otome game. The focus feels much more on the lore and mysteries surrounding Ombrelle and its Moon Witch. Combine that with a localization that sometimes reads a bit awkwardly, short paths, and an overall presentation that sometimes feels like it was thrown together in Ren’Py with little fanfare, and it is a bit disappointing.

I think I’d have appreciated A Storied Life: Tabitha more if it was only about packing things up and didn’t include the jumbled narrative. It being a puzzle game, rather than a simulation, is absolutely fine and not the issue. What category pieces fall into is very clear. The thing is that the story doesn’t end up feeling satisfying due to that Mad Libs element. The words you get result in some really boring takes on Kettlewell’s life. And if you do go in initially not completely committing to one direction or genre, then the ending is atrociously bad and unfulfilling.

The thing is, I can think of ways Dissidia Duellum Final Fantasy could be fixed. Give everyone immediate access to all characters, and make the Character Tickets unlock the additional costumes. Fine, have the Abilities on the gacha banner, but perhaps offer an option to outright buy the four unique skills for each character in the shop. Instead of making the story feel so reliant on going through multiplayer battles, instead tie them to the Challenge mode so we don’t need to wait around for a full party or invest in a competitive mode we might not enjoy. Focus on making it enjoyable and not so reliant on other people and RNG to succeed. Of course, the amount of retooling means we’ll probably see the title fail, rather than get adjusted and relaunched as something that feels far less greedy. But hey, at least we got some great music and fantastic character designs!

At launch, HoloVillage: Our Cozy Days is too broken and limited to recommend to folks looking for a Hololive Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley sort of experience. There’s too little interaction with Vtubers. The grind is real. The game might just freeze or break on you. For a game that should be packed with personality, thanks to all the performers represented in it, it’s instead incredibly bland. Maybe in a few months, patches could improve some of the issues and you might be able to play without fear of being frozen in place. But it is not at that point right now.

While InKonbini: One Store Many Stories is pleasant, I wish there was more impact associated with some of my actions. It is very much about the vibes of working at a desolate convenience store in a small town filled with warm people. However, I’m not sure if it was tied to bugs or the idea of ensuring every shift is comfortable, but it seemed actions made during my shift often didn’t matter or like knowledge I had and certain situations never took effect in certain situations. I suppose I would have liked a little more agency, not to mention more time engaging in certain sorts of assignments in that role.