Ikémen Sengoku is running a limited-time event where you can purchase exclusive stories from the ‘Clash of Passion’ set. These stories are saved to your collection, so you can read them even after the event is over, and come with unique art that you can use in the ‘His Room’ feature, a.k.a the art featured on the home page of the app.

I actually purchased these stories the last time they came on sale, so I thought I’d write a quick review to let you know what you can get for your money, and help you decide whether or not you want to splash out on these passionate stories with your favourite warlords.

Clash of Passion: Vassals vs. Lords
Event type: Story Sale
Ends: 29/07/2021 6:00pm PST

There are multiple sets available; one ‘Special Set’, and four ‘VS’ sets, each focused on one of the four available pairs (note: Masamune vs. Mitsunari is only available in the full version). The full set comes with all of the Clash of Passion stories, 14 attire items, and 4 unique themes for ‘His Room’. It looks like these themes are only available in the ‘Special Set’, as they’re not listed in the contents for the ‘VS’ sets.

Each ‘VS’ set contains two chapters with both of the featured love interests, one following chapter with each of the two warlords, and one epilogue (only one warlord in each pairing gets an epilogue). If this is a bit confusing, don’t worry, I’ll explain each of the available options in more detail below…

Nobunaga vs. Mitsuhide

Compete with Nobunaga and Mitsuhide in a battle of wits where the winner gets a special reward…

Mitsuhide is my favourite character in the game, so I was a little sad that the epilogue was for Nobunaga instead, but I still very much enjoyed this event story. Nobunaga and Mitsuhide are consistently two of the most popular characters in the game and they have a great dynamic, with both of them understanding each other on a deep enough level that they can communicate teasingly and casually without offending each other. If you want two hot, intelligent, dangerous warlords to duke it out over you, then Nobunaga vs. Mitsuhide will be right up your alley.

Ieyasu vs. Hideyoshi

An unforeseen accident has led to a difficult decision, but you can only choose one of these warlords to help…

The premise of this story is a little bit out there, but if you accept the story at face value and just go along for the ride, you get some really cute interactions with both Hideyoshi and Ieyasu. This wasn’t my favourite of the ‘VS’ sets, but I still had fun, and I liked the glimpse you get of Ieyasu’s character. If you haven’t played his route and want to get a feel for what to expect, this is a good snapshot without spoiling too much of his story. Ieyasu is the one who gets the epilogue in this set, but Hideyoshi fans still get to be pampered by Azuchi’s favourite big brother in Chapter 3.

Yukimura vs. Shingen

You’re shopping at the markets when you bump into Shingen and Yukimura. Shingen proposes a strange idea, but once the competitive fires are lit, there’s no stopping this vassal and his lord from going all out…

As with the Nobunaga and Mitsuhide set, I’m a bigger fan of Shingen than Yukimura, so I would have preferred for him to get the epilogue. In fact, Shingen fans may be a little disappointed, as there aren’t too many opportunities for romance with him. However, I still enjoyed the story for what it was, and I really like the dynamic Shingen and Yukimura have between them. Without spoiling anything, all I’ll say is that the way the premise was set up made the decision between Chapters 2 and 3 feel a little skewed, whereas the other stories felt more like they could go one way or the other.

Kenshin vs. Sasuke

Kenshin and Sasuke honour a promise they made to each other during the previous night’s drunken revelry, one that you somehow managed to get caught up in…

Kenshin and Sasuke have one of my favourite relationships in the game, so I had high expectations for this story and BOY did it deliver. Any scene with the two of them is basically guaranteed to make me laugh, and this was probably the funniest set out of the four. While I adore Sasuke, he is the kind of character that I can accept as a friend in any route, so I didn’t mind too much that he didn’t get the epilogue. Kenshin, on the other hand, well… He’s just very Kenshin in this story, and I enjoyed it a lot. While I would still pick the Nobunaga vs. Mitsuhide set out of the four individual options, that’s mostly because they’re my two favourite characters. If I instead made a recommendation on which was the most enjoyable story, it would be this one.

Special Set

Special Set – Everything and more!
Cost: 4,800 coins
Contains:
☆ Everything from the 4 ‘VS.’ sets
☆ Clash of Passion Masamune vs. Mitsunari
☆ Special Photo (‘His Room’ theme) x 4

This set contains all of the stories mentioned above, as well as the Masamune vs. Mitsunari chapter and matching photos (No Masamune and Mitsunari photo, though). If you want more than one of the sets, this option is much better value, as it costs a little over two of the ‘VS’ sets and includes other exclusive bonuses.

The Masamune vs. Mitsunari story is just one chapter, but it’s sweet and funny and Mitsunari acts like his usual innocent and naïve self. Masamune also acts in a very typical ‘Masamune’ way, that is, seemingly dangerous and feisty but actually very reliable and caring. Despite the short scene, it’s a nice bonus for the ‘Special Set’ and while I wouldn’t recommend getting this set purely for the Masamune or Mitsunari content (it’s not romantic at all and quite short), it’s still a fun extra if you were already considering choosing this option anyway.

Final Thoughts

Each set in the Clash of Passions Story Sale is entertaining, as each premise highlights the unique dynamics between the warlords. Plus, having them fight over you sets the stage for some more romantic and passionate scenes in the endings. They tend to lean more towards the spicy side, rather than sweet, but this varies from character to character and I think, on the whole, that Ikémen Sengoku did a good job of maintaining a balance across each of the available options.

If you already know your favourites, then I recommend getting the set they feature in, as the price is actually pretty reasonable for the amount of story you get. The concept is fun and even if you’re not that into the warlords featured in that particular set, the dialogue is full of the classic banter that gives Ikémen Sengoku its signature style.

Personally, I purchased the ’Special Set’. I prefer to spend money on story sales like this than other events as you get to keep everything, even after the event ends. I also really liked the art, which seems to only be available in the full set, and each pairing had a character I liked in it. The price is also pretty low compared to some other story sales I’ve seen, as there aren’t a bunch of items padding out the price, so if you really just want some bonus stories with your best boys, then this is a solid option as you get a lot of story for your money.

The special set is also good value compared to buying all of the ‘VS’ sets individually. Each of the smaller sets is 2,000 coins, but to get all four of them (and more), it’s only 4,800. Unless you really only want one, I recommend getting the full collection, even if it’s just for the art and Masamune vs. Mitsunari chapter.

You’ll like the Clash of Passion stories if you like: Sexually-charged competitions, love interests fighting for your attention, witty banter, trash talk, that sacred bond between lord and vassal (if you like shipping the warlords together, this set is definitely for you), extensive saved stories that you can re-read whenever you want, and exclusive art that you can interpret in a BL way, if that’s your thing…

Game name:
Ikémen Sengoku: Romances Across Time
イケメン戦国・時をかける恋
Producer: CYBIRD / Ikémen Series
Platform: Mobile
Available to download: here!
Age Rating: 17+ (Google Play) / 12+ (Apple Store)

Note: All screenshots are taken from the free preview that can be accessed from the event page in the app – none of the screenshots or other images are from any scenes that require purchasing.

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