Crimson Waves on the Emerald Sea: Amaranthine Moon

My reviews are usually semi-coherent private notes just for me, but leaving a public review here because I think this game deserves more attention. What I enjoyed about this game: - A fantastic MC, who is amazingly kick-butt but also wonderfully 3D and flawed. - Every single love interest! I enjoyed every route - and that is definitely not always the case for me. Each love interest became more interesting and likable to me as his route progressed. - A MC who both saves and is saved by the LIs; if anything, she does slightly more saving, I loved how balanced the relationships felt to me. - The MC and LIs all get to blush! - A truly spooky forest as well as several murders to investigate. The forest was so, so, so much spookier than I anticipated and I LOVED it. It only really appears in one route, but it definitely made a big impression on me. If you're looking for a pure mystery game, this might not be the best fit: it doesn't have the extended cast of suspects or twists and turns and fake-outs of the most complex mysteries. But if you're interested in well done character work and romance alongside a dash of mystery and an intriguing fantasy world, I definitely recommend it.

Please gather ALL the love in the world and give it to Rowan. Please.

I love how packed this otome game is with mystery. There's murders to solve, but also there is so much to uncover about these boys and the nuances of their lives. There's a great mix of real world mystery and fantasy intrigue here. The challenge of being an otome fan is how underwritten the female lead can be and what makes Lucie refreshing as a protagonist is how present she is, determined and self-possessed, so much so that the romantic leads often lean on her for support. The male leads are each distinct with an interiority that makes you curious to learn more about them. While this game is a sequel, you don't need to have played the first game to enjoy this one (though I do think it's very fun that one of the romances is a character from the previous game). I'm really looking forward to playing the different romance routes and seeing how the different romantic leads engage with the events of the plot!

It's always a pleasure to have otome games mixed with a variety of genres. I would love more murder mystery otome games! I liked the story and characters and it worked well on the Steam Deck (fullscreen recommended). If I had one constructive criticism, I think it would be more engaging to have each route be fully different from each other. While each love interest has his own story, the overall narrative is the same and it felt repetitive multiple times over. However, I understand that creating this would be a huge undertaking to write and implement and may not be the creative intention in the first place. The two Crimson Waves games were my first exposure to this studio and I look forward to more of their projects.

I finished Elm's route with vampire Lucie the whole way and really loved it! The art, writing, music, and scene direction work together to create a world that feels really lived in. Every character feels like they're living their own lives outside of what Lucie is up to, which enhances both the mystery and romance plots. On that note, I'm not usually a mystery or an otome game player but I had a lot of fun trying to solve the mystery and getting to know Elm. The two plots are woven together in ways that enhance each other. Getting to know Elm means gaining pieces to solve the mystery and solving the mystery brings you closer to Elm, and both feel very rewarding. I'm very excited to play more and get to know Rowan and Cecil better. I have been very charmed by my beloved Elm and the glimpses I got of Rowan and Cecil from his route make me want to experience their sides of the story. Overall, this was a really fun game. I really liked it. Everyone should play it and fall in love with Elm

A cute and charming Otome game. Cecil was my personal favorite character and route, helped by getting to know him as a viewpoint character in the prequel (which I would encourage reading even if it's not required). As a side note, the developer was very helpful when I contacted them to report an issue I had (which was quickly resolved). If this looks interesting to you, I encourage reading it. The prequel title is freeware if you want to dip your toes into the setting. There's also a demo for this so that's an option too, though I'm not sure how much it covers. Oh also the protagonist is a chaotic gremlin, very entertaining.