Otome has a long history, as vibrant and complex as any other video game subgenre. For decades, most of that history has been obscured in North America. The good news is now is the best possible time to get into Otome. The massive success of Love and Deepspace has more than proven that there is a huge audience for games focused on romances with men, and more of these games get translated (and made in English) than ever before. And, should you get interested in retro offerings, there are now fan translations aplenty, making it significantly easier to play through many of the genre’s best offerings.
For the purposes of this list though, we’ll focus on games that are commercially available on Steam, Nintendo Switch, and/or mobile with official English translations. If Love and Deepspace’s controversies have turned you off, or you just want to get away from its microtransactions, this list will give you plenty of alternatives to choose from.
Mystic Messenger
You could describe this as the original Love In Deepspace, in that it borrows an Otome structure and packages it into a free-to-play mobile game. But where Love in Deepspace is a sci-fi epic with a massive budget, Mystic Messenger is a charmingly low-rent game focused around texting. The game operates in real-time, which means it can slot into your regular phone use and might be a bit less of a concentrated time-sink than the other Otome games on this list. In fact, Mystic Messenger is designed around a phone’s unique properties and assets. It’s cutesy, joyful, and intimate in the way only texting a crush can be.
Taisho X Alice
As you might guess from the title, Taisho X Alice is an Alice in Wonderland riff, but the population of its looking-glass world are a bevy of gender-swapped princes, like Cinderella and Red Riding Hood, who vie for your affections. But don’t let its lush art fool you. This is also one of a few Otome on this list that trade in darker themes. If you are looking for something with all the bittersweet edge of a fairy tale, Taisho X Alice is preparing a tea party just for you.
