“Is Despera Drops a mystery game?” is a question I asked myself as we got closer and closer to May.

It’s probably stretching the definition a bit, but it’s a crime story and it begins with murder, so I say it counts.

Despera Drops is an otome visual novel about a young woman named Mika who finds herself falsely accused of murder and chained to six actual criminals in a prison van. When the van overturns, the seven of them go on the run together.

Now, learning who actually committed the murder isn’t a goal here; Mika knows who the true murderer is. But the people who framed her gathered these seven together as part of an unknown plot, and figuring out what they’re up against and what their enemies want becomes the heart of the main story.

The cast of characters is great, and their interactions are the best reasons to play this game. My favorite is Ash, quiet and distant and convicted for assault, but they’re all great characters in their own way.

They have an excellent group dynamic, and it’s fun to see these strangers gradually come to view one another as a team. Mika coming to terms with working alongside actual criminals and committing crimes while on the run is a big part of it, as well.

A lengthy common route serves to build up that team feeling, and there are some fun details like the glossary/encyclopedia having the characters give their own thoughts on the term or topic rather than just a definition.

To contribute to the crime/heist atmosphere, there are a handful of missions where you need to watch security camera feeds and make choices to get through successfully. This is interesting because you actually need to pay attention to what the camera feeds show and make decisions accordingly. On subsequent playthroughs after you’ve finished the common route once, you can skip this part, so that’s a nice feature.

Outside of missions, your choices on the common route determine whose route you end up on. While the routes are short compared to the length of the common route, they spend enough time on the relationship to make the romance and character arcs feel believable. Even for the characters I didn’t prefer as love interests, I still enjoyed their routes.

The same can’t be said for the main plot. In every route, the main plot elements felt like they got resolved a little too quickly, and it’s not much better on the true route. Parts of the main plot have probably already vanished from my memory because it’s just… not that great.

Here’s how I view it. The plot of Despera Drops is an excuse to bring this group of characters together. It forces them to interact, get to know each other, and forge lasting bonds. The sinister organization controlling events from the shadows might not be as compelling a villain group as it should be, but it sets up the catalysts for each character to go through an interesting arc in his own route and lets the romance flourish.

In short, I wouldn’t recommend Despera Drops for its main plot, but if you’re looking for great characters with solid arcs and fun interactions, enjoyable romance routes, and a crime story that has both heists and humor, then it’s one you should look into after all.