Otomes are one of my favorite game genres. Trying the latest one from Idea Factory, Sympathy Kiss was natural. As I mentioned, Sympathy Kiss is an Otome game (a story-based game mainly for the female audience). One of the main goals of Otome games is to build a romantic relationship with one of the various male characters. Sympathy Kiss is just that.
I have played many otome games, and Sympathy Kiss’ story felt straightforward compared to others in its genre. The main character is moved to a different department, introduced to the romance options, and begins building a relationship with your romance choice. One aspect of Sympathy Kiss is that it is set in a more mature and realistic workplace environment where many romances can and do happen. Of course, with romance, you have to have drama that comes along with it. Each romantic partner has a drama involving an outside person from the company, but with the drama, you have character development and understanding of them. The story is broken into chapters, with each character plus a side chapter. Each chapter is a decent length, so it doesn’t drag on or leave you hanging too much. Most otomes are played in a chapter format, which is generally how most otomes are played.
Another aspect I noticed is the male romance options. Right away, you looked into your possible love interests’ personalities before the player could choose who they wanted to romance. I felt that limited choices were a good and not-so-good thing when it came to romances.
Otomes generally have a lot of reading with multiple-choice options for players to direct their romance. Sympathy Kiss is no different; however, one thing that makes it unique from other otomes is that you can respond using a ‘happy’ or ‘sad’ face in certain situations that affect your romance. Based on what option was picked, your romance option will respond accordingly by doing or not doing the thing you responded to.
Sympathy Kiss also maintains a healthy relationship between work and love. These meters will determine how your romance will play or if there will be a romance! Maintaining balance or focusing on one thing and not the other will affect your romance’s ending. Balance is key! I also appreciate that most, if not all, of the dialogue is voiced. The voice actors did a fantastic job, with just the spiciness to make your ears wiggle.
I really like that after each main chapter, there is a side chapter that shows what the romance of choice is thinking, how he feels/feels, what his plans are, etc. Instead of having that at the end of the entire game, they show it right after the episode, which I greatly appreciate. It gives the romance options more emotion/feeling as the romance blossoms between the main characters and the romance choice.
The art style of Sympathy Kiss is your standard otome art style when it comes to various backgrounds. However, the character designs and CGs are gorgeous, the team did a fantastic job, and even the supporting characters are well done! Even some background characters have faces, which they do not have in many games. Sympathy Kiss added those faces, which I appreciate. I also noticed that each romance character has a set style and colors that play into their personalities and what their romance will blossom into.
There weren’t many things I came across playing Sympathy Kiss. Mostly, they are things that can be overlooked by anyone who is looking to enjoy another Otome. What I saw was the fact that the romance progressed quickly, perhaps in 2-3 chapters. Even with a more mature setting, I felt the story was simple because of how vibrant the romance options are. It reminded me of the early stages of the mobile otomes by Voltage and Cybird, which is nothing wrong with. The story just felt a bit simple at some times and could have been better in some aspects. Sympathy Kiss could be a quick play for some veterans and a new look at a more mature and realistic setting for Otomes. If you’re looking for something new, mature, and realistic, or if office-setting romance times are your thing, I recommend trying Sympathy Kiss. It’s fun, cute, and amazingly voiced.
Check out our Unboxing of the Sympathy Kiss Collector’s Edition. Available Clicking Here
