Review: Charade Maniac Involves a Lot of Moving Parts

Every once in a while, you get an Otomate and Idea Factory otome game that feels like the companies tried to attempt too much, and Charade Maniacs for the Switch is a perfect example. The setting is interesting and promising, both in terms of the futuristic nature and the characters forced to perform or face penalties while trapped in a space with a traitor. However, there’s just so much happening and so many love interests that it could keep you from connecting with the cast or getting all the answers you might want. If you enjoy the company’s games, especially the more futuristic ones, you may still have a good time! But it isn’t as universally enjoyable for everyone in the same way as its other Switch otome games are.

Charade Maniac is set in a futuristic world in which everyone wears a bangle on their wrist that helps provide them with the most important information they need for their daily lives. Hiyori and her childhood friend Tomose are basically going about their school lives as usual, preparing for a summer break and trip. However, when the two are walking home, a strange individual captures them both.

The next thing they know, Hiyori and Tomose are in a strange place known as Arcadia. They are there with eight other individuals named Keito, Kyoya, Mamoru, Mei, Mizuki, Ryoichi, Souta, and Takumi. They’re informed they’ll be performing drama, earning points as they do. Fail to perform well or refuse, and they’ll be erased from existence. Other penalties can affect their wellbeing and ability to essentially function, and only successful performances will earn them points that might help them break the cycle. However, one person there is a traitorous producer behind it all, and finding him could result in freedom.

Oh, and also there’s this thing where it starts with Hiyori morning the “death” of an AIBO-like virtual dog and this Morpheus satellite project that crashed and burned years ago keeps coming up. Essentially, a lot of stuff comes up!

Since this has a sort of Danganronpa effect, with the threat of people losing parts or elements of themselves if they don’t “perform” properly and there’s a traitor, Charade Maniacs definitely has a darker tone. It’s handled pretty well! I also like how that is juxtaposed against sleek, vivid character designs and modernistic environments. It suits the situation. However, someone going in should be advised that the mature elements don’t just extend to the hazardous situation at hand. Some of the characters’ backstories have some dark elements or abuse in them. It’s not on the same level as some of Piofiore’s, but it can absolutely be a more mature story.

I suppose part of what kept me from really enjoying Charade Maniacs too is the lack of cohesion in the story. There are some plotholes here, which I felt really stood out in one love interest’s route. In others, it could feel a bit rushed. With one romance option, it seemed like there was a bit too sudden a connection to push a sort of star-crossed lovers tale, which left me feeling a little disconnected. Not to mention there’s the classic issue with these sorts of games that also involve a deeper mystery, which is that many storylines aren’t going to offer satisfactory answers.

It sort of comes down to the same issue that could come up with Norn9: Var Commons. This is a recipe with too many ingredients. It’s great to get to choose between nine love interests! But at the same time, the connection and opportunity to connect suffers because there are such a wide array of options. There are certain characters that feel like they got more attention than others, like Takumi or Tomose. It also means that one I might have wanted to learn more for, say, someone like Mizuki, but didn’t.

What also doesn’t help is that Charade Maniacs’s localization felt off as I read the visual novel. There’s repetitive language (at one point I counted how many sentences in a row had the word “moon” in it), incorrect verb tenses used, and generally stilted language and awkward phrasing. Which is odd, considering Idea Factory International usually does a great job with its English releases. The Switch otome games Amnesia: Later x Crowd, Birushana, and Cupid Parasite were all handled so well. It broke the immersion at certain parts. If it was happening with lines just one or two characters, say someone like Tomose or Keito, I’d consider it a personality quirk. But at times I’d wonder if there was no QA read-through to check through the translated script or the localization was rushed.

The concept of Charade Maniacs is honestly pretty great. It’s just the execution isn’t quite there. The background and lore is fascinating, but so much is implemented and sometimes left there that you can’t really appreciate or get all the answers you might want. Likewise, the size of the cast and pacing means some love interests’ stories feel like there was more to explore or flesh out both because they deserved that extra attention and it would better explain what’s going on. Combine that with a localization that doesn’t feel like it’s on the same level as past Idea Factory International otome games, and Charade Maniacs falls a bit flat.

Charade Maniacs will come to the Nintendo Switch on June 27, 2023.

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