“Unless the concept of the game is set in Japan, though, we want to make it as universal as possible.” Chan cited cultural and environmental differences as the largest barrier for western audiences, noting that “even though some otome games are localized in English, the elements of Japanese culture remain intact.” It’s natural that those who are exposed to otome games are also those who are very much into Japanese ACG (anime, comic and game) culture,” said Sue Anne Chan, founder of Weeev, the team behind Purrfectly Ever After. Purrfectly Ever After was designed specifically with a western audience in mind, with the team referring to the game as an effort to “bridge the gap between Japanese-centric otome games told from a not-so-Japanese point of view and storyline.” Their method of reaching out to a western audience mirrors that of another otome game, Purrfectly Ever After, which follows a burglar cat-turned-girl, trying to live as a real human while navigating her new city life.
These notable titles have overcome the cultural barrier, with many players and reviewers alike celebrating their distinct art styles, varied story routes and, in the case of Amnesia, expert localization for an English-speaking audience. That being said, some otome games have broken the barrier, finding their foothold in the west.Īmong those chosen few are games like Alice in the Country of Hearts, a romantic reimagining of Lewis Carroll’s classic Hakuoki, a game following a protagonist disguised as a man in search of her father and Amnesia: Memories, a game in which the main protagonist awakens with no recollection of her past. Even breakthrough titles in the otome genre usually meet small niche popularity when compared to their male-oriented counterparts. Not only do they struggle to market towards women in countries where dating simulators are less of a cultural staple, but the games’ protagonists and stories are often coated in a Japanese context, causing some of the magic to get lost in translation. Otome games-visual romance novels targeted at women-don’t often find a wide audience outside of Japan.
This article is part of a collaboration with iQ by Intel.
0 kommentar(er)
