Piofiore: Fated Memories - Nintendo Switch

This is one of the best otome games I've played in a long time. I found that the story was engaging even when not on the romance. I found myself sucked in during mafia meetings and action sequences. They have "meanwhile" stories that show you what's happening with other characters while you're playing as well as after stories and extras. I also really enjoy the art for the most part! The best and good endings are wonderful and I appreciate the pacing in this game. The love between the MC and the love interests came about very naturally to me and I could understand how their affection for each other developed. There's a lot of content per route and I love the UI. Definitely looking forward to the sequel being localized (I hope it does!). I found each of the love interests interesting and likable (or entertaining, at least) in their own ways. The side characters were also pretty great too. Certain topics touched upon to look out for are human trafficking, non-con, and drug abuse. If you are not able to handle that sort of thing then I'd stay away. As others have said, the bad endings are pretty brutal.

Bought it for my daughter (14) and she loved it! Perfect for any anime lover!

I originally hesitated to buy this because the style and setting didn't really appeal to me, but I'm glad I ended up buying it. The storyline is vast, and I appreciate the fact that you don't know if you've stumbled into a certain ending or other until it actually happens. This is far more enjoyable than most of the other otome games that I've played, in which it's pretty obvious when your selection causes the story to go down one ending or another. Compared to everything else I've played since catching the otome game bug, this is a masterpiece of storytelling and imagination. All the quibbles I have with the art style are just that: quibbles. If only all otome games were this intricate and well crafted!

Before picking up piofiore, you should learn to pick up some context clues for what you’re going to be experiencing in this game. One, the player character is a normal innocent church girl and two, all the love interests are in organized crime. With that in mind it’s quite obvious that this game isn’t going to be all roses, sunshine, and fluff, so if you enjoy any of that, then I’d recommend that you turn away now because this game will not be for you. That isn’t to say that this game has no romance, no, it does but it’s not at all what you’d see as healthy or even romantic. This is one of the few games that honestly deserve to have ‘TRIGGER WARNING’ slapped on the front in neon lights because there are a lot of sensitive topics that normal otomes usually don’t touch upon. The game has torture, kidnapping, sexual assault and even human trafficking, and all these can easily destroy anyone’s experience especially when you know that most of the love interests take part in it, remember that all the love interests are criminals, so it’s not all that surprising honestly, but it could easily take any sensible person off guard. I apologize for starting my review this way but I feel like it’s necessary to put all of these things out here for a safe gaming experience or just to know what games to avoid playing. Regardless, this game is an enjoyable experience to me since I’ve liked a lot of mafia-themed works in the past. If none of the aforementioned content warnings bother you to a horrifying degree and you share my interest in mafia-themed entertainment, then you’re in luck! this game is definitely worth it. Some routes does romanticize the mafia however so look out for that, but I was satisfied with most of the game especially Yang’s (red-haired guy) route which really impressed me with how much depth there is in his character. I do hope this review enlightens you on the nature of this game and if you choose to buy it knowing what you’re getting into, then I hope you enjoy this game as much as I did. happy gaming! ☺️

Before I bought the game, the only thing holding me back were the reviews I saw. I wish I could have played it sooner! I think this game has so many components that other otome games struggle to cover! Probably one of my favorite parts about this game is that not every ending is perfectly "happy", even if it is the best ending. I can't really elaborate for spoiler reasons, but I think it's really refreshing to have good endings where it's not just all sunshines and rainbows if you know what I mean. I think every love interest is very special in their own way, and you can really get attached to them. I honestly have to say that I enjoyed some of the characters' "good endings" rather than their "best endings" because they were so realistic, while still being happy. This game does a really good job executing their bad and tragic ends, because WOW it's a lot... in the best way possible lol. I honestly think the otome game community could use some more crime-themed games like this one. I love myself a good fluffy romance, but something in me really needs stuff like this to fill that void in my heart. I hope you give this game a chance because I love it a lot!

So, I'm a bit older than the usual otome target audience (35), but an avid gamer who enjoys a wide variety of genres. I've just recently begun playing in the otome genre (starting with Code Realize). And the plot, pacing and bonus content of Piofiore has me *super* impressed. It's definitely more mature than most otome as far as violence and sexual content, but it made the game feel much more fleshed-out than the "we love each other but won't touch each other because this game is for teenagers!" aesthetic that a lot of otome have. And, for the hopeless romantics - there's a TON of adorable content that will fulfill your fluff needs. Some characters' routes are more romance-heavy than others, and some of the romance definitely explores some themes that are problematic for IRL relationships, but let's be honest - this is fantasy. And so, exploring some of these more problematic relationship themes is more in the realm of deliciously indulgent escapism. (I will add that if you're sensitive to themes of violence, abuse or exploitation, or have trouble with fictional situations of trauma, this game will probably make you uncomfortable, at the very least. I could fill an entire page with content warnings, but my personal take is that none of these elements made the game any less enjoyable for me, personally.) Short take: I LOVE this game. It's excellent. I hope any future fandiscs maintain the same level of storytelling and depth.

I was a bit hesitant to buy a VN at the hefty price of $50, but I was pleased to find that Piofiore had a LOT of content that clocked me in at 40+ hours to 100% it all. On top of a great cast, story, and visuals, I would say the full price was definitely worth it. The soundtrack is surprisingly good too (great, even; I have the tracks stuck in my head for days) and the voice-acting (in Japanese only) is stellar. Admirably, the suitor characters each had distinct personalities and trials to deal with and felt like much more than just love interests. It was really interesting to see how their choices and even their personalities could change depending on the circumstances they faced, and while the contrasts ranged from tear-jerkingly sweet to horrifying (you’ll know who I’m talking about), it was never boring, and I appreciate a game putting that much thought into them instead of just “hot dudes, that’s it that’s the tweet.” The game does have a few noticeable typos, but considering the length of the script(s), they weren’t enough to really bug me. My only real complaint is how vague (that is, nonexistent) the guidance in the game is. Other than a status screen with very vague hints as to what path you’re on for that route (best, good, or tragic) you have virtually nothing to indicate what choices were good or bad until it’s too late, and it becomes a game of loading various save files (save often!! you have 99 slots for a reason) to try and guess where you went wrong. There’s also little indication of which suitor’s route you’re on at the start, since it depends largely on what often feel like irrelevant (and sometimes misleading) dialogue choices. Fortunately, I circumvented the frustration of trial-and-error by doing my first run of each route blind, and then using a walkthrough to help me get the other two endings. Not ideal, but eh, still fun at the end of the day. The fast-forward feature is also VERY helpful and practical, since it knows to only pass over dialogue you’ve seen while automatically stopping for anything new, since the data across all your saves is synced. So if all that sounds good to you, you’re a fan of visual novels, and you like the idea of a mildly mystical and mafia-themed story, give it a shot! Be warned that the M-rating is very much deserved, and while this isn’t as dark as some otome out there, some of the bad endings and other details, while always off-screen, can be very difficult to swallow. If you’re triggered by themes of sexual assault/abuse, especially, you might want to avoid this one. All in all, I give it a 9 out of 10! (Gil is bae and you can’t change my mind)

I just got back into Otome games and while doing some searching, I came across Piofiore in the eshop. I have been a fan of Mafia themed storylines for a long long time, especially when it comes to romances. I love the artstyle, environment, and the casting was so amazing. I have recognized 2 of the VAs. The first who voiced Gilbert Redford also voiced Souji Okita from Hakuoki, which is my favorite otome series. And the VA for Yang also voiced Bakugo in MHA. He did an amazing job, everyone in this cast brought out the personality and edge on what I look for in characters. As you to through each guy, you learn something new about the entire story that keeps on building and building onto the MC. Next point is this by far has been my favorite MC in any otome game I have played. She was strong, determined, and the choices was right what I would be thinking if I was in a situation. The other characters was also amazing and lovable. My favorite route and love interest is Gilbert Redford💕👀This is such a great game to sit down and relax to. I have ro admit I did cry in certain parts. I also was surprised to receive a copy with the character cards and are a new addition to add to my new collection.