First off, if you haven't played the original Cupid Parasite Otome games don't mean much Sweet and spicy darlingThis sequel does have one new route, but even that assumes knowledge of the background established in the first game, and the little flashbacks serve more as reminders of what happened in the game released years ago than as sufficient background knowledge for new players. This is a fan disc, a game aimed at fans of the original, and it feels exactly that way.
However, if you enjoyed it Cupid's Paradise, Sweet and spicy darling is worth playing. The game has seven full routes and one mini-route featuring characters from the previous game. Each route has a main story, a bonus story (unlocked after completing the main story), and a completely new route, and the playtime is longer because it assumes an ending where Lynette/Cupid did not end up with one of the six men from the previous game. This ending is provided from the beginning. Despite being an after story and therefore ostensibly an epilogue, each route is pleasantly fulfilling, and the six original men route has three endings: sweet, spicy, and a combination of the two. It is fair to say that the “sweet and spicy” ending is the true ending, although the game does not necessarily set it up that way. Still, the balancing act required to get there is the most difficult gameplay dynamic. It consists of making choices in dialogue options, which is standard for visual novels, but you have to go back and forth between “sweet” and “spicy” choices to achieve it. (Merenice has a good ending, a bad ending, and a best ending.) The large number of save slots means you can quickly change your choices to get him all three endings without overwriting your old save.
© 2023 Idea Factory
A completely new route will feature Melenis Levin (voice actor: Hayato UemuraMelenis meets fortune teller Lynette Melenis when she heads up to the Bethore Tower with her coworkers. The Bethore Tower is an upscale Los Angeles building with a maze of stairs that no building should have. Local rumor has it that the only way to meet Melenis is to wander around the stairs and accidentally bump into him, which Lynette does naturally. Melenis attempts to read her “destiny” (future) but is shocked when he can't. He quickly becomes infatuated with Lynette and assumes that his inability to see her future means she is his soulmate, because, as he first guesses, she can't actually be a Greek-Roman god. (Lynette remains a god for not being with one of the first six men.) He soon joins the Cupid Corporation and pursues her, earning him the nickname “The Parasite of Destiny.” From there, the story progresses much like the first game, even offering a “reunion” episode of the in-world reality show. Parasite House It will feature cameo appearances from other characters.
© 2023 Idea Factory
Like its predecessor, the sexiness level is middling. There are sex scenes that are not graphic, images that are more suggestive than graphic (Ryuki's CG is the most extreme), and kisses that are more graphic than the actual act. The art is very attractive, although some may be put off by the use of Hopi imagery; the game is clearly inspired by Hopi Kachina lore, which may not be considered culturally sensitive. It's not so much a problem that the game has a slight lack of understanding of American cultural norms, but it's more funny than anything. And, honestly, Many There are so many donuts in this game, you might want to run to your nearest donut shop.
© 2023 Idea Factory
On the downside, the menu design is too cluttered. I like the horn sound effect that goes off every time you make a selection, but the menus are cluttered and confusing. You can easily highlight the items you want to select, but the winding road design is counterintuitive. All the art is uniformly cluttered, with many competing colors and shapes, mostly in near-neon hues. There's a splash screen before you get to the title menu, which is a bit annoying, but at least it doesn't have the dizzying array of fonts used in the aforementioned menus. As players of the first game will know, this design choice is nothing new (though I find this one a bit more difficult). But it does fall under the vaguely ironic heading of “it's certainly a choice.”
Luckily, this one is a lot of fun, and it's fun to reunite with the characters and see the different hurdles they faced at the end. Cupid Parasite Issues are ironed out, and even if some of the storyline takes strange twists, it still feels fundamentally natural. The special edition also comes with a variety of extras, including an artbook, two drama CDs (in Japanese, but there's a dedicated link to a PDF of the English translation), and other collector's items, making it feel like it's worth the extra money. If you enjoyed the first game, this one is an easy recommendation, especially if you like donuts.
