Operation Backlog Completion 2025

Hakuoki SSL ~Sweet School Life~ is Coming West This Year

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Apr 072025
 

Eastasiasoft held its spring showcase today, and it started out with quite an unexpected announcement for otome fans.

It was a little over a year ago that Eastasiasoft announced Hakuoki: Chronicles of Wind and Blossom, the Switch version of Hakuoki that combines Kyoto Winds and Edo Blossoms into a single game.

With a new publisher handling it, I’d wondered if that might lead to more Hakuoki localizations later on down the line, since there are fandiscs and spin-offs.

Well, it must have been a hit for Eastasiasoft, because Hakuoki SSL: Sweet School Life will be coming to the west for the first time later this year!

Hakuoki SSL originally came out in 2014 for the Vita and was ported to the Switch in 2023. This is the first time it will be getting an English translation.

It’s an alternate universe spin-off that puts the characters in a modern day school setting instead of the historical era of the main series, so it sounds like it will be a lighthearted, fun twist on the story.

They also announced a Limited Edition that contains the game, a manual, the soundtrack, an art book, acrylic standees, and a few other bonuses, with preorders going live at Play-Asia on April 10.

I haven’t played Hakuoki: Chronicles of Wind and Blossom yet since 1) my backlog is huge, and 2) it’s a long game, but now I’m motivated to play it before this spin-off comes out! It’s planned for Quarter 4 2025, so at least I have some time…

Are you interested in Hakuoki SSL: Sweet School Life?

Two New Otome Release Dates: The Red Bell’s Lament and Arcana Famiglia Rinato

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Mar 192025
 

We’ve got two new otome game release dates to add to the calendar!

First, Voltage and AmuLit revealed that their upcoming vampire otome The Red Bell’s Lament will be released on June 5.

It’s a worldwide release, so that release date is for both its Japanese and English versions.

I’ve been interested in this one since it was announced under the working title Project Code Vampire Hunter, but my interest has wavered after seeing concerns that they might be using AI-generated art for its backgrounds. So I’ll probably wait to see what the final verdict is there before deciding if I want to play it or not.

Meanwhile, Dramatic Create revealed a July 24 release date for La storia della Arcana Famiglia Rinato.

This one was originally a PSP game that got a Vita version with more content, which is now being ported to the Switch and PC (although the release date appears to be only for the Switch version). While it was never localized before, this new port lists English among its supported languages.

This one looks pretty interesting to me, so I’m looking forward to it. However, I’m going to wait to see reviews of its translation, since Meiji Tokyo Renka was localized by the same publisher and turned out… well… questionable.

It’s strange to have two release dates confirmed for games I like the looks of and yet both are firmly on a “wait and see” list for different reasons, but at least I have plenty to play in the meantime. What do you think of The Red Bell’s Lament and Arcana Famiglia Rinato?

Bustafellows Season 2 Demo Out Now

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Feb 242025
 

There are always a bunch of demos that go live whenever Steam holds its Steam Next Fest celebration, and this time Bustafellows Season 2 is included.

Bustafellows Season 2 is the sequel to the mystery otome game Bustafellows, which we discussed back in 2023. Despite their use of “season” in the title, each is a full game.

I enjoyed Bustafellows enough to pick up the sequel, so I probably won’t play the demo.

After all, despite being called a “gameplay demo,” it’s a visual novel. A demo would only give a sample of the story and characters, and I already know I like the characters enough to see more of them. As for the story, while that was my biggest criticism of the original, a demo won’t be enough to draw any conclusions.

Bustafellows 2 is due out later this year. Although no release date has been given yet, its listing at VGP says it will be out on July 17.

(Meanwhile, I keep getting confused because DesperaDrops, another crime-focused otome that reminds me of Bustafellows, comes out on March 6.)

This year hasn’t been quite as packed with anticipated games for me as the past few years have been, but I still feel like all of these release dates are sneaking up on me and my slow backlog progress! It’s better than a lack of games, though!

Are you planning to try the Bustafellows 2 demo?

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