The announcement of IFI picking up Charade Maniacs for localization is something that will likely go down in otome history as one of the worst title announcement flubs of all time. The PR stunt left many confused and infuriated with the amount of time wasted for the mere rolling of a trailer after more than 2 hours of waiting. Furthermore, the vague responses offered to eager viewers’ questions did little to placate the growing discontent.

But, now that I’ve put several hours into the game, I can see the original goal.

While I’m not one to easily anger, I felt a familiar sense of cluelessness from the announcement as I do now about the Charade Maniacs‘ world and objective. Tack on the constant warnings from others of spoilers for looking at anything relating to this game, and you’ll find yourself in a literal blackout of approved information. Once again eliciting a strange sense of déjà vu as I navigate Charade Maniacs through the eyes of Hiyori Sena, the story’s MC.

Fear not, fellow human! For I have compiled all relevant information of the common route without unwanted reveals or spoilers, so you can feel secure in accessing this data.

☆ Game Name: Charade Maniacs
☆ Developer: Otomate, Idea Factory
☆ Publisher: Idea Factory International
☆ Platforms: Nintendo Switch
☆ Age Rating: Teen (ESRB)
☆ Genres / Vibes: Otome, Mystery, Drama, Sci-fi, Social Deduction, Large Cast
☆ Price: $49.99
☆ More Info: Official Website, IFI Store, Nintendo Store

Drama Starting in 3…2…1

Can you trust someone who might be a traitor?

A mysterious figure abducts Hiyori Sena, transporting her to a strange world with nine other abductees and welcomes them to a world called Arcadia.

Everyone must act out “dramas” for a chance to escape, all whilst avoiding the trappings of a traitor.

Game Description

Hiyori and nine others are transported to a place that screams uncanny valley in imitation to the world they know. Everything seems familiar and yet there are two moons in the sky – an unnerving reminder that while things appear normal, this is not their true home.

The events leading to this situation are as bewildering as the welcoming committee, the promise of a wish granted, and the rules to the game that they are forced into playing. While the term “Death Game” is used, the objective is to act out dramas for viewers to earn points that will eventually lead to the escape of this place and return to their previous life. Fail to participate and they will be subject to “the punishment game” where their life could be forfeit.

It was an exciting and confusing series of scenes to get to this point, which is surprisingly still early in the common route. I wasn’t sure if it was the writing, the story flow, or the localization that made things so obtuse starting out, but I believe it to be a combination of all three now that I’ve reached the second major branching point to the game – the LI route.

The writing is vague enough that there doesn’t seem to be any hints to– well, anything. I don’t completely understand this futuristic world that Hiyori and the others are from. I don’t understand the place they are currently located at for this “death game” they’re playing. It seems I’m not the only one since characters in the game make comments about how they also can’t follow the logic of how things happen, meaning the hand-waving of dubious situations is intentional.

There is also so much to catch up on in this sci-fi future. Information is constantly thrown at us to give us an idea of how the world is supposed to work, but it seems lacking in parts and stressed past importance in other parts. I haven’t grasped the significance of noted behaviors yet, or if there even is any significance. For all I know, the parts the script draws attention to could be red herrings to make everyone and everything seem suspect.

The story flow is disorientating as well. It seems a large portion of time passes between most scenes, and while they note that during the scene itself, it can be confusing to transition without knowing when we’re transitioning to. This becomes more apparent the further into the common route you go. When choices on how to spend your day start sprouting up, there is no warning or explanation, just the option to choose a place.

Unfortunately, to top off the already choppy story and inexplicable excess or lack of info, the handling of the translation is also subpar. It appears that the script was ran through a machine translator and then cleaned up to make sense line for line, but not in context. On multiple occasions, I wasn’t sure if two people were involved in the same conversation because it didn’t flow naturally; each line made sense on its own, not together.

While I can understand the gist of a situation, some players are finding it hard to follow the idea of a scene and have since put the game down. I have also spoken to players who are not native English speakers, and they seem to be less bothered by the sentence structure, or seemingly incongruent conversations and lines of thought. I have certainly seen worse quality in games, and your mileage may vary depending on how firmly your interpretation is dependent on understanding the written language.

Improv is Best

The more seasoned members of the otome community will tell you the best way to go about playing Charade Maniacs is to avoid anything relating to the game. I’m serious.

“Don’t read reviews (except this one).”

“Don’t look up a route order.”

“Don’t even think about looking at art.”

It all seemed a little melodramatic to me, but since I already avoid all content for a game I plan on playing, it wasn’t hard for me to keep doing what I do. Welcome to playing blind! I like it here.

While I can understand the intense avoidance warnings, I do think that once you have played the game, it’s easy to find spoilers in things that are often left vague enough to mean nothing to the unsuspecting player. But if you’d rather be safe than sorry, go into the game with as little info as possible.

Yes, even route order could be a spoiler due to the social deduction part of the game. There is a traitor in your midst, so knowing which routes are recommended first or last will give away who it may or may not be. Maybe. At least that is what I’ve been told. From what I know, the game has a semi-forced order due to certain characters being locked, but you only find out one of those (possibly several?) characters that are locked by the time you end up on a route.

I do not believe you can bad end before a route is set– but I don’t know! It didn’t happen to me, and since no one is talking about it, I just have to assume it isn’t possible.

Note: The flowchart shows which routes are locked if you search through it past the common route. Thank you Fawn Dew for discovering this unfortunate bit of info for us.

Starring

Hiyori Sena (MC)

☆ Name: Hiyori Sena
☆ Pronouns: She/Her
☆ Voice Actor: N/A
☆ Personality Traits: Big Sister, Naïve, Virginal, Unwavering Moral Compass, What are Consequences?

I don’t know what role Hiyori is intended to fill in this story. Hiyori is the type of MC that is perfect for a self-inserting player, except the game doesn’t allow us to react or express ourselves while in her shoes. Most choices we get through the common route are picking who to spend time with or talk to. There is no way to drive Hiyori’s emotional state.

You’d think that, because of this, she would have a strict set of personality traits or strong feelings on most topics, but once again, that’s lacking in her character, leaving me wondering what type of MC she is supposed to be. She’s too empty to be a fully fleshed out MC that drives a story. She’s too scripted to be pliable enough for the player to control her personality. To me, she feels like she’s an observer in this play, meant to narrate the story and only passively impact it.

Hello Chizuru from Hakuoki, it has been a while.

The only things I do know about Hiyori are that she is used to taking care of her siblings, who she thinks about a lot; that being touched by a man causes instant blushing; we’ve been told that she is naïve; she refuses to budge on something she sees as morally wrong; and she doesn’t consider consequences for actions, even when warned what it will entail, she will continue to pursue the path that will lead to unnecessary danger and drama.

Main Cast

Kyoya Akase: The hot-blooded young man that strives to do his best and what he considers right. He tends to say what first comes to mind, often reacting on emotion, but when he has time to cool down and think about his actions, he shows an understanding that speaks of a maturity beyond his early adult life.

Tomose Banjo: The younger, childhood friend who wants to be seen for the man he is, not the kid he used to be. He’s overprotective and clearly into Hiyori, but she can’t seem to see him as anything more than the guy she used to be close with – something that has changed in recent years as their relationship has grown strained.

Mamoru Chigasaki: The guy that just wants everyone to get along. He’s timid, and kind to a suspicious degree, but maybe he’s just used to fawning to survive. One thing is clear, he’s concerned about everyone in their predicament and seems to do his best to keep things running smoothly.

Mei Dazai: Is that social anxiety or does he just really not like you? It’s social anxiety. He is way into Hiyori even if she can’t tell. The man of few words seems to always be watching, observing his surroundings and waiting for the right time to speak up.

Keito Ebana: The passionate tsundere. Maybe. One thing is for certain, he’s mad at the world and he’s making it your problem. The gap moe is strong in this one; you’ll soon find out that even though he’s still a high schooler, he’s the ultimate male wife. He cooks. He cleans. And if you say thank you to him, you’ll probably see him blush.

Ryoichi Futami: The older man. A college student who is charismatic and aims to be the caring big brother of the group. If you have a problem, go to him, he’ll help you though it. It’s probably the artist in him talking, but the way he speaks has such a romantic ring to it.

Souta Gyobu: The mischievous class clown. Always seriously joking, you never know if he’s telling the truth or not. Is this another game for him, or is this the real him in this moment? Before you can figure it out, it’s on to the next game, joke, or bit of entertainment. Boredom is his worst enemy.

Takumi Haiji: The odd duck. He’s slow to speak, slow to react, and slow to warm up to anyone else. Clearly an outcast, this teen floats around in the wings, waiting for his big moment – whatever that moment is, we’ll have to wait and see.

Mizuki Iochi: Flashy, fun, and full of life; Mizuki is a mystery with a mask befitting that of an entertainer. They’re quite intelligent with a flirty flare, one of those teasing characters that always know more than they’re saying.

That’s a Wrap

I was expecting much more from Charade Maniacs than has been delivered on thus far, leaving me feeling generally underwhelmed as I wrap up the (lengthy) common route. I feel this is a story that would be difficult to tell in the best of circumstances, and with the way Hiyori is written, we’re given a front row seat to the show, but we’re left just passively watching for the most part.

The lens is too wide in the common route, in my opinion. We’re learning about the world, the secondary world, the rules of the game, and also trying to get to know nine other people who are all suspicious of each other, so everyone is tight-lipped about their past and themselves.

It wasn’t until I was on a LI route that I found myself unable to put the game down. The shift in focus from so many cast members to the budding relationship with a single person brought a whole new intensity to the story that I found breathtaking. I am deeply in love with this person and I don’t know how I’m going to recover.

I do hope that each route manages to capture my obsession attention as much as my first has done. And I am looking forward to running through it all again to see if it holds up, but at least now I know what to expect from the general script, and where the drama really starts to get juicy.

Game Info

☆ Game Name: Charade Maniacs
☆ Developer: Otomate, Idea Factory
☆ Publisher: Idea Factory International
☆ Platforms: Nintendo Switch
☆ Age Rating: Teen (ESRB)
☆ Genres / Vibes: Otome, Mystery, Drama, Sci-fi, Social Deduction, Large Cast
☆ Price: $49.99
☆ More Info: Official Website, IFI Store, Nintendo Store

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