Black Wolf Saga

**Japanese Level Required to play: **N1 (no less than N1, there's a lot of politics and very unusual words that come up even in the dictionary)

English version?: Thankfully there's a patch for the Bloody Nightmare version of the game on PC.

Plot: Weblin is a small country surrounded by forests. It is populated by humans and humanoid races called collectively Ajin. The Kyashi, humanoid cats, are in currently the ruling class. 10 years ago a horrible disease called Zodiva started ravaging Weblin. It was believed that another race, the Wolves, were responsible for it and a genocide had been called on them. Now, small bands of survivor Wolves attack the countryside and all unsuspected villagers. In Charmessen, one of the country's provinces, a tall tower stands. Within it, Fiona, the daughter of the reigning duke has spent most of her life due to her having a weak constitution since birth. The crown prince of the country, Mejojo, wants her as his fiance. Fiona's fate is intertwined with Weblin and with the Wolves. How will the tale unfold?

General thoughts: One of the best stories I've ever read. I would recommend it without a second thought to anyone who likes darker stuff (including torture, incest and psycological abuse). The romance on this is very light, to the point where I'd argue it is not an otome but a visual novel with some romance elements. The major drawing point for this is the story and the psychosynthesis of its characters. The twin cat princes are some of the most horrible LIs I've seen and yet they are so intriguing. The PS Vita version has both the Bloody Nightmare and Last Hope versions of the game. They're basically alternate retellings of the same story (with different ends each). Bloody Nightmare is darker because it focuses on the cats but it is also the superior one. I liked Last Hope but it wasn't as exciting compared to Bloody Nightmare (which has an English patch out so go play it now lol). Rath, the Wolf boy is my favourite guy (he's precious ). Again I'll say it. This game is unbelievably dark. It's not for everyone. But if you can stomach it, it's one of the best stories the genre has to offer.