To say I was looking forward to the otome game Over RequiemZ would be an understatement.

It’s one I had been hoping would get localized ever since it was announced for Japan, and I even named it one of my top 5 most anticipated games of 2026.

So, did it live up to my hopes?

Yes, yes it did. In fact, it blew past them, because even as much as I was looking forward to it, I didn’t expect to enjoy it this much.

Over RequiemZ is an otome game about a girl named Yuhiru who is caught up in a tornado and awakens in another world, in a kingdom called Oz. Yes, this has loose Wizard of Oz inspirations. Since Yuhiru has black hair and black eyes, which in Oz is considered the sign of a “Bedeviled,” she is arrested and condemned to death. Death row prisoners in this kingdom have a chance to clear their sentences, however, by being sent on an expedition to monster-infested ruins to defeat the monsters there.

Since the ruins appear to be pieces of modern-day Japan, Yuhiru doesn’t fight her sentence but accepts it and sets out on a journey alongside three convicted murderers and the man overseeing their expedition.

Now, the one thing I dislike about Over RequiemZ is that it barely has a common route. A few quick scenes set everything up and introduce the love interests, and then you choose whose route you want to do. I much prefer having a long common route to get to know the characters before your choices determine the route, so that disappointed me.

I also expected to be disappointed that most choices don’t “matter,” in terms of influencing your outcome. Basic dialogue choices are just for flavor, and questions that do have a correct choice reward you with bonus voice lines to listen to later. Instead, each route has one key choices that splits it into the “Fact” or “Dark” route, and another key choice at the end of each to determine which ending you get.

But you know what? I actually ended up enjoying that system. Maybe it’s because I’ve been playing so much Hundred Line, but I found I appreciated the game branching based on key decisions.

(Plus, that let me pick some wilder dialogue options, like saying I enjoyed the one love interest trying to scare me, without worrying that it might give me a bad ending.)

So the thing that had me so intrigued about Over RequiemZ is that instead of just having dark endings, each character gets a whole dark route. The route splits halfway through based on your choice, so each ends up feeling like a complete, satisfactory experience. On the “fact” route, you clear up all the route’s mysteries and questions and get a sweet, heartfelt romance. All of these were good, with some great moments that really made me appreciate the writing. If only the fact routes existed, I’d have found it to be an enjoyable otome.

But the dark routes are where it really shines.

On the dark route, circumstances cause the love interest to spiral into obsession and madness. These characters, who are (mostly) kind and normal on the fact routes, become scarier than a lot of yandere routes I’ve seen. If you like that sort of thing, especially the thrill of being in danger from the love interest, it’s so good.

The fact routes felt like the main game, while the dark routes felt like a special treat.

On top of that, the route plots were pretty good (aside from some weak villain writing), and the love interests were fantastic. I love them all, and I really hope there’s a fandisc someday.

If Over RequiemZ had a longer common route with choices to branch out onto the routes, it would easily be one of my all-time favorite otome games. As it is, it still ranks right up there, because I had so much fun playing this one that I didn’t want it to end. Leading up to Over RequiemZ, I said it had been a long time since an otome game really got its claws into me, and this one did exactly that.