Over the past few years visual novels are becoming more and more common as publishers are taking more risks and gamers warming up to the genre. Otome games in particular have been on the rise, especially on mobile/portable platforms. One of the first Otome games that I experienced was a game called Hakuoki Demon of the Fleeting Blossom back in 2012 for the PSP. It was about a young girl by the name of Chizuru Yukimura who travels to Kyoto during the Bakumatsu period searching for her father disguised as a boy. As she is looking for him, she is chased by two men and is saved by members of the Shinsengumi. They take her in and assist her in looking for her father, as the Shinsengumi are also searching for him as well. This is as far as I’ll go since I do not want to spoil the story for newcomers. The game then saw an “HD” update in the form of Hakuoki Stories of the Shinsengumi for the PS3. This was a combination of the original game and a game called Hakuoki Zuisoroku, which feature side stories of the characters that take place during the main story of the original. Stories of the Shinsengumi was released in 2014.
Now Hakuoki fever is back again when Idea Factory announced at their annual press event that Hakuoki Kyoto Winds will be making its way to the West in Spring 2017 for the Vita. Here’s a trailer that was released during the press event:
So what’s the difference between this version and the PS3 version? For one this version of the game includes several brand new characters, love interests and side characters that were not in the PS3 version. Experience the tragic love story again when Hakuoki Kyoto Winds is released Spring 2017.
