Review: Virche Evermore -EpiC: Lycoris- Tells More Sad Stories

The original Virche Evermore -Error: Salvation-is one of the saddest and darkest otome games I’ve ever played. It is a lot. When going into the fandisk Virche Evermore -EpiC: Lycoris-, I hoped there would maybe be some happy endings for Ceres and her love interests after going through so much. For the most part, there’s not, and Otomate continues to make the lives of these characters difficult. Which, if you loved the original, might be exactly what you’re looking for in this follow-up.

When you first hop into Virche Evermore – EpiC: Lycoris-, four “paths” are open to you. Side Story: Interlude is a selection of short stories that go over things that mostly happened during the original ErroR: Salvation. There are exceptions to this! But they are brief moments between Ceres and other characters. What’s handy is the UI for these lets you know who will be involved, if you get to make choices as you play, if you can earn CG images for characters, and whether or not you’ve read it. It’s a handy way to take short breaks between longer offerings here, and I especially liked how I could focus on reading stories involving characters I liked.

The Side End: Encore area in Virche Evermore -EpiC: Lycoris– is basically a prime spot for getting your heart broken again. This is because it consists of alternate endings and options for the main game. Sad ones, too! I went through my favorite character’s section here first, and both endings for the Encore left me feeling horrible for Ceres and her love interest. The new scenario fit in well with what I remembered for it, as well as for other bachelors. They’re well executed! Just know going in that things could very well get quite dark here.

The Virche de la Coda: Emotion section is where Virche Evermore – EpiC: Lycoris- really gets into what you’d expect from an otome game fandisk, as it builds off of Virche Evermore -ErroR: Salvation- endings. This can prove incredibly satisfying for some characters, especially when Salvation endings are built up upon. (I mean, Despair ones are going to be an even worse time than before sometimes, which is a bit shocking!) The follow-ups are good, and a few of the CGs are really appreciated after everything the characters had been through.

It’s with Tradition: Drifter and Virche du Salut: Ankou that Virche Evermore – EpiC: Lycoris- gets really interesting. These two are tied together, as you need to finish the Drifter storyline before you can get into this new storyline for Ankou. The former is honestly fascinating! It helps get more into the island’s history, Yves’ past, and everything going on. While our time with Tamaki is short, it is fascinating. It also ties in to characters from Virche Evermore -ErroR: Salvation- in ways I didn’t expect, which helps the otome game further.

It’s the Virche du Salut: Ankou route that made this collection for me. The integration of the original Virche Evermore -ErroR: Salvation- storyline into this new Virche Evermore – EpiC: Lycoris- otome game route is executed so well. I think it felt pretty seamless. I also really loved this character in the first game, so seeing this new story for him and getting this new resolution felt so satisfying. It made everything I went through feel worthwhile. I think it’s the real highlight of the fandisk and reason to play it.

So yeah, you probably are still going to experience a lot of heartbreak going through Virche Evermore – EpiC: Lycoris-! Surprise! But I absolutely think it is worth it, especially considering the new Drifter storyline and Ankou route. The execution of the fandisk is also rather interesting, since it really does a solid job of taking us into the past, present, and future, with all of these extra stories and moments with the characters so well organized. That does mean that it is 100% not a standalone experience, but you have to expect that from otome game follow ups and Virche Evermore -ErroR: Salvation- players will enjoy this for what it is.

Virche Evermore -EpiC: Lycoris- is available for the Nintendo Switch.