Leonardo is the kind of man everyone loves, but no one truly knows. There are some things that are obvious upon first impression; he’s intelligent, reliable, and kind – if a little cheeky. No matter your problem, the genius ‘Renaissance Man’ will have a solution. But, for some reason, whenever the conversation gets personal, he becomes evasive, doing everything he can to distract you and change the topic, leaving you wondering how someone so warm and caring could also seem so mysterious and lonely…

Character

Similar to: Date Masamune (Ikémen Sengoku), Sirius Oswald (Ikémen Revolution), Yanagi Aiji (Collar X Malice)

Leonardo Da Vinci has a mature, wolfish type of appeal that makes even the other vampires admit he’s attractive. Described as having broad shoulders, a broad back, and large hands, Leonardo is a reliable, self-proclaimed, ‘master-of-all-trades’, making him somewhat of a role model to both the townspeople and the other residents of the vampire mansion. This dependability contrasts with the innocent, childlike curiosity he’s managed to maintain, despite his extended lifespan.

Leonardo also has an intriguing aura of mystery. He initially gives a ‘lone wolf’ type of impression, but once you get to know him, you find he actually loves to be around people. Yet, you sense a strange distance that you can’t quite understand. He’s cheeky and playful, sweeping you off your feet and showing you all sorts of exciting things, so much so that you forget your time-travel worries. But, there’s a sadness hidden behind his golden eyes that contradicts his seemingly carefree nature, drawing you in and tempting you to decipher the enigma that is Leonardo Da Vinci.

Oji-san / Tensai (Genius)

Tropes: ‘Oji-san’ means ‘Uncle’ but it’s also used more generally to refer to older men. Leonardo is one of the eldest vampires in the game, and the large gap in age and life experiences between him and MC becomes a recurring theme in his route. Initially, MC is frustrated with Leonardo’s habit of whisking her away to follow his whims, but she soon sees that he’s actually caring for her in his own, eccentric way.

Story

“You’re a unique one. You’d make a fascinating study – for my research.”

– Leonardo Da Vinci (Ikémen Vampire)

Unfortunately, while I love Leo’s character, I can’t help but find his route a little frustrating. In the beginning, he seemed like an adventurous guy who would be all fun and games, but around halfway through his story, the tone shifts completely, becoming angsty and serious in a way I wasn’t expecting. It also introduced Ikémen Vampire lore that contradicts other routes. I’m not sure if this will be cleared up in other parts of the game, but the mechanics of the time-travel door don’t currently seem to be consistent across all of the different stories.

This isn’t to say that I don’t enjoy melodramatic stories, and I empathised with the source of the emotional conflict, but I just wasn’t satisfied with the way Leonardo handled the situation. Instead of letting MC solve the problem with him, Leonardo’s knee-jerk reaction is to decide the correct course of action on his own, and it’s up to MC to come around to his way of thinking. This stubbornness is a recurring trait of his that I found could come across as a little condescending at times.

I didn’t choose Leonardo’s route for a bittersweet, tragic romance filled with philosophical quandaries around mortality and the meaning of life, but that’s what his story ultimately turned into. That being said, on my second playthrough I didn’t feel as frustrated by Leonardo’s actions, so it may have been more to do with my expectations; that is, not expecting so much angst and drama from a character I thought was going to be solely fun and exciting.

In the end, Leonardo’s route is still a compelling, romantic story with plenty of the witty dialogue and poetic imagery we’ve come to expect from Ikémen Vampire. I especially liked how aspects of ‘Leonardo Da Vinci the historical figure’ were incorporated into the scenes, particularly the painting techniques used as metaphors for the different stages of the developing romance. So long as you’re prepared for Leonardo to get just as moody and serious as the other vampires, you can still enjoy his route as an emotional, bittersweet story of star-crossed love that transcends the barriers of time.

Story Options: Premium vs. Normal

Story branches: at several intervals in the main route, you will be prompted to choose between a ‘Normal’ and ‘Premium’ story option. The normal story is cheaper and can be purchased with in-game resources, whereas the premium option is purchased with ‘Diamonds’, an in-game currency bought with real money. The appeal of premium stories is that they are longer, typically more romantic, and saved to your collection, meaning you can return to re-read them at any time.

Premium Story: Chapter 4

Chiaroscuro

Sweet: 4/5
Spicy: 1/5
Recommend: Yes

The extra portion of the scene you get with the premium option makes it much cuter, plus it includes a bonus voiced line that you don’t get to hear in the normal option. This scene takes place before any romantic development has happened between MC and Leo, but it’s still flirty, sweet, and playful. The bonus part of the scene and the extra voiced line make it worth choosing the premium option.

Premium Story: Chapter 10

Sfumato

Sweet: 3/5
Spicy: 2/5
Recommend: No

While this scene is one of the more memorable moments from Leonardo’s route, the premium option isn’t actually that different from the normal one. If you’re a Leonardo fan and you’re more interested in having the story saved to re-read later, then I would recommend this one as it’s a great scene from his route that I remembered long after finishing my first playthrough. However, if you’re more interested in the bonus part of the story and how it impacts the scene, then you can still have the same experience with the normal option.

Premium Story: Chapter 15

Atmospheric Perspective

Sweet: 4/5
Spicy: 1/5
Recommend: Yes

The extra part of these scene makes it much sweeter so I definitely recommend choosing premium. It’s not my favourite of the premium stories as it’s bittersweet and emotionally-heavy, but the extended version was much more romantic and just generally more enjoyable to read than the normal one.

Premium Story: Chapter 19

Morbidezza

Sweet: 3/5
Spicy: 0/5
Recommend: No

This scene is important for the growth of the relationship between MC and Leonardo, but it’s also around the point of the route where it starts to get serious and where I started to feel frustrated with the direction the story was taking. I don’t feel the need to go back and re-read this premium story and the bonus portion of the scene doesn’t make much of a difference to the overall experience. The premium part essentially just explains something that’s already implied in the normal version, so you won’t miss out on much by choosing the normal story option here.

Premium Story: Chapter 24

Silverpoint

Sweet: 5/5
Spicy: 5/5
Recommend: Yes

I definitely recommend choosing the premium option for ‘Silverpoint’. It’s much longer and the bonus section occurs in the spicy part of the scene, so players who are here for the steamy content have even more reason to go premium. Leonardo’s route has also been updated with extra voicing, and there are several lines you will only hear if you choose the premium version as they appear in the bonus section of the scene. Even without these extra features, ‘Silverpoint’ is simply a romantic, sexy, climactic story that I recommend having saved in your collection.

Endings

If you’re not sure which ending to choose, I recommend Leonardo’s dramatic ending, as, while they’re both similar, I found this ending had more emotional impact. Plus, it includes a little bit of spice, providing a more ‘climactic’ finale to a surprisingly bittersweet story.

Final Thoughts

Leonardo was my first love in Ikémen Vampire and he continues to be one of my favourites in the game. I was disappointed with the direction of the latter half of his route, but the rest of his story and character design were more than enough to make up for my minor annoyance at a plot point.

In short, Leonardo Da Vinci is a thoughtful, reliable, sexy ‘Renaissance Man’ who takes MC under his wing and shares his aged vampiric wisdom to help her with any and all problems she encounters. Furthermore, he’s voiced by Tsuda Kenjiro (one of my all-time favourite voice actors), who has an iconic, deep, gravely voice that’s bound to win you over if you haven’t fallen for Leonardo already.

If you want to be swept off your feet by an attractive, cheeky, genius vampire, then you’ll find exactly what you’re looking for in Ikémen Vampire’s Leonardo Da Vinci.

You’ll like Leonardo Da Vinci if you like: mature ‘oji-san’ love interests, cats, being carried like a princess, Tsuda Kenjiro, suave Italian grandpas men, top-tier spicy scenes, tragic romance, and mysterious vampires.

Voice Actor

Tsuda Kenjiro (津田 健次郎)

Also voiced:

Game Info

Game Name:
Ikémen Vampire: Temptation in the Dark
イケメンヴァンパイア・偉人たちと恋の誘惑
Producer: CYBIRD / Ikémen Series
Platform: Mobile
Available to download: here!
Age Rating: 17+ / Mature

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