alias_sqbr

So I bought this otome game on the Switch because I'd enjoyed the couple of routes I'd played for free on Love365 (which aren't included in this version) and liked the characters. Mostly it's the fluffy tropey romance I was expecting but to my complete surprise there's ACTUAL QUEER CHARACTERS?? And two of the love interests are ambiguously shippy???

Unfortunately I have VERY mixed feelings about how this is all handled, but don't remember any queerness whatsoever in any other Love365 game, so overall I'm not sure how I feel.

Anyway. The premise is that the heroine is a journalist whose mother has just gotten married to a guy with a son her age...who turns out to be a workmate! And also her housemate! And NOBODY MUST KNOW!!

I've played three main routes and some side stories. I'll probably play the others at some point when the premise feels fresh again.

Akiyoshi: Your strict but decent boss, like a slightly bossy older brother. This was very cute.
Kaede: An awkward, stand-offish kuudere with Secret Pain. This was also pretty cute. Also he was weirdly shippy with Chiaki, who'd seemed creepy so I'd not been intending to romance him, but I got curious...
Chiaki: Charming sadistic manipulator who secretly hates women. CONSENT ISSUES AHOY. He was interesting but also awful. He gets nice by the end but ehhh. They actively avoid addressing his feelings about Kaoru.

The remaining dudes are a nice guy and a sharp tongued tsundere.

The side stories have to be played one after the other, the couple I've done were ok but didn't add much to my experience. It's stuff like the plot from the guy's POV and various sequels.

The port to Switch was competently done, it works fine on a big screen being played all at once with a console controller.

Ok so that's my review. Now for my reactions.

Content note: Consent issues, mixed treatment of gay/bi characters
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I happened to notice a few at like 75-90% off and it's easy to miss Switch sales.

Abzu $3: lovely underwater exploration

My time at Portia $11: a fun farming/gathering sim

The Room $3: an atmospherically creepy Myst-like puzzle game

My Brother Rabbit $2: I have heard this is a fun puzzle/adventure game

Also a bunch of Voltage Love365 games are 30% off. I bought "Our Two Bedroom Story" which is the least rapey of the bunch but don't really rec them to anyone not into VERY cookie cutter otome. If you're into het involving thinly written douchebags you may enjoy Bought By The Baddest Bidder (criminals own you) or Enchanted By The Moonlight (mythological creatures want your babies).

So my gamer side finally won over my skinflint side and I got a Nintendo Switch! So far the only game I've bought is Animal Crossing.

If you've somehow missed the hype, Animal Crossing is a very chill, cute game about helping settle a deserted island. You wander around gathering wood for construction, catching bugs for the museum etc as well as talking to the villagers and making everything pretty. I'm having a lot of fun so far even if I sometimes stop and go "this is fun, but is it [ridiculous quantity of money spent to get to this point] amount of fun?"
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