Collar X Malice

by Aksys and Otomate

Platform: Switch/PSVita

Character Routes: 5 (Sasazuka, Kei, Enamoto, Yanagi and Shiraishi)

Bad Endings: Yes

Category: Otome Visual Novel/B x G

Explicit Adult Content: No

Personal Favorites: Sasazuka, Akito, Kazuki and Yanagi

MC, a rookie police officer, finds herself in the midst of a terrorist plot when she wakes up with a collar on her neck that threatens to kill her if she attempts to remove it or tells anyone about it except for the small unit of former detectives that now manage a local private agency. This game is, hands down, definitely one of my favorites. With perfect amounts of intrigue and mystery, interesting characters and just a drizzle of amusement, this game has hit the trifecta.

The MC annoys me from time to time, she is through and through a rookie and I wish she’d do a bit more for herself. The mini game of shooting targets is fairly easy, and helps to break the monotony of clicking through. However, as far as the investigative element, I wish there was more to it - sure, I can point and click for clues, but it feels like it is kind of on rails, and therefore might as well be guided. In the end, the game makes you guess the culprit and type out the name, and for the record - I was completely fooled. They did a great job framing one character in particular, in my opinion.

The fan disk, Unlimited, is due to launch in August 2020, and I already have it pre-ordered. I was not going to miss this!!!

Ratings: Art: 10 Characters: 9.5 Storyline: 10 Gameplay: N/A Overall: 9.5