Yay or Nay: Scandal in the Spotlight (Otome Game)

So firstly, before I begin this review, I want to link my readers to the awesome parody of this game I found by chance on YouTube. It's by the creator TheVictorianK, and I need you all to watch this. Why? Well, if you do you'll have a much better idea of the review I'm about to do! 

No pressure or anything. It is pretty funny though. You can watch "Anime Dating Apps in Real Life" here

Seriously. I just about died watching it. If you actually do play games like these a lot, you'll also have a laugh at it. 

So, to the review! What's the premise of this game?

The Story 

You get tickets to see the boy-band "Revance" from a man who serves you at a cafe you go to. You're an aspiring screenwriter, and you often go to this cafe to write scripts. By chance, you've written a song, and after thinking you misplaced your "writing notebook", you go to this concert with your friend only to hear Revance sing a song you swear sounds similar to yours.

Well, it is. After pissing off a high-ranking corporate pervert who hits on you at an afterparty, you're turned down from every writing job you apply for (because this guy bad mouths you because you didn't want to sleep with him and embarrassed him in front of the whole party, which was much deserved in my opinion), you're invited up to a room in a hotel. To your surprise, the band "Revance" has called you. Turns out the seats the server gave you was actually the sixth "ghostwriter member" of the band, Ryo. He's disappeared, and until he's found, they want to employ you. If you don't accept they swear that you'll never find work in the entertainment industry again, and if you do, they'll use their influence and connections to make sure your previous issues (with corporate perv-dude), is cleared up. 

So, let's first comment on this story. Is it far-fetched? Hohhhhh yeah. But as a writer myself...is it something I secretly wish would happen as a fantasy? Hohhhhh yeah.

So from a guilty pleasure standpoint, I freaking love this story. From a "is this realistic" standpoint? Yeah not so much, but still, it's an otome game and one that immediately had me pulled in from the start because of its BGM (background music). 

Seriously, I have the standalone app. Not so much anymore since I had to transfer over to Love 365, but it immediately pulls you into the atmosphere. It feels like you're in a club, with pulsating lights, an engaging opening movie, and some upbeat pop music (and a crowd cheering). That...actually really helped get me into everything. It's true. The music and how they engage you makes a big difference in your impressions of the game. I think right at first Voltage put a lot of effort into this one, as they did with another highlight of theirs, that I have reviewed, Star-Crossed Myth. 

And so, after agreeing to write for Revance, specifically, their tenth-anniversary single, you have to live with them, in their shared house. You go to take a bath, and "someone" walks in on you. Whoever you decide to pick to be your love-interest is the one who's in the bathroom with you. 

My Thoughts (Kyohei Rikudoh's Route)

So I think I chose the canon route, Kyohei Rikudoh. He's the main vocalist, and producer for Revance. This boy-band is his life, and for the first few chapters, it's mainly him being flirtatious/ jerky, and trying to convince the MC that she can actually write a song for them. 

Seriously, at one point he asks her to meet him in Shibuya to see her song beloved by all the fans. 

But while we're looking at a CG, here's another bonus. The MC has eyes! EYES! I love it! If you don't play these games, a lot of the MCs do not have eyes (the reason being that they want you to put yourself in MC's place). This actually makes her look human! As for the art, well, it's decent, and everything looks good, and Kyohei wears the most convoluted clothes (flamboyantly out there), I have ever seen. Not so much in this CG, but it's there. Still not the most flamboyant (I refer you to Shall We Date's Hero in Love, which is a great game btw!). 

I digress. So, Kyohei? Well, he's got a decent story. I think he is the only one I've seen with a legitimate love-triangle. His band, as I've said is his life. If MC can't write a song that tops the charts, their band could flop. He's been producing for the band, as he inherited the company from his father, who was also in a legendary boy-band. I'm still trying to think of how this would work, as his father would have to be a legendary 80s-90s boy-band, and, his father would have to be fairly young when he had Kyohei to have him be the age he is now. Being born in 96, I can only think of NSYNC (I'm really not spelling that right), and Back-Street Boys, of which CDs I would steal from my older sister. I was only four at the time I did this, but to this day I can sing most of their hits by heart. Also, Kyohei's father was 27 at the time...and oh my god I just figured out how this made sense. Kyohei's father died saving him when he was a child from drowning in the ocean and died in the attempt. So, Kyohei has been trying to outdo his father to prove his worth and make his father proud. 

There's a hitch though. Kyohei's producer friend Shinya, also wants MC to write for him and his company, promising to help her career take off. Evidently, he also falls in love with her, but it gets a bit creepy, and black-maily from here. He becomes the villain of the story, because he also wants to produce for Revance, but can't, because, you know Kyohei is also doing that.

Most of Kyohei's story is MC following him around and seeing what the life of a superstar is like. That, and Kyohei trying to "set the mood" for MC because he's decided that the theme of their tenth anniversary single should be "sexy". Go figure. As per most MCs, she doesn't really know how to write a song like that on the spot (understandable), but also probably hasn't had much sexual experience either, so Kyohei tries a lot of innocent roleplaying. 

Every now and again I get some good "fan service". For context, Kyohei was doing a commercial by the ocean which is where MC finds out some stuff about him. 

That smolder though. 

But, now that we're on the topic of the MC, I have to say she's likely my favorite Voltage MC. As clueless as she may be about songwriting, she's got a great attitude that takes no shit. As well, she's really dedicated to her work, and she can actually prove that she knows what she's doing. That is a fresh breath of air. Her downfall? She's too..."Innocent", and pure. The end of Kyohei's story, she dramatically leaves her song in a letter detailing some [spoilers] I won't mention here. Their interactions together, while at first professional and somewhat friendly, soon becomes love. My favourite scene of this transition was perhaps when a really big plot-point happens and MC goes to Kyohei's room and asks him to have sex so she can write him the song. It's sad and melancholy (for reasons you'll have to play to discover), and he doesn't do it, but instead, they spend the night together. 

Why do I like this? Well, I thought Kyohei's backstory was realistic in its own way and believable to this story. At this point here, the MC and Kyohei have an understanding about each other that they didn't before, and Kyohei's real personality comes out, to which that transition from beginning to end isn't too radical. I thought it was well-paced and well done in that regard. Which makes the big climax of the story all the more tragic. This route took it's time and did well by letting me, as the reader, get to know both MC and Kyohei in-depth. So that, when they decided to let the twists come, I have an emotional connection to them. 

The last ending CG, and the signature pose. 

And the ending is nice too. MC here's the new song she wrote come on and gets to stand on stage with the band while it's happening (which let's be honest, we all wish could happen with our favourite bands). All's well that ends well.

So, was it like an over-the-top-super-mega-awesome-story? No. BUT, I think it's a very popular fantasy for a lot of people. I think the whole premise is. Girl gets chosen to live with a popular band and has one of the members fall in love with her. The story has an appeal to the audience, which plays a big part in how it's received. On top of that, they keep the believability within the confines of the story's limitations. They create twists with it. They create emotional investment with it. Altogether, these create a great story, and that's probably why I enjoyed this game so much. 

My Rating 

Well, with all the reasons mentioned above, it's a decent game. It's had some great moments and great stories. So my rating is: 

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Definitely worth a download! Go check it out for yourself! 

~Meghan