Olympia Soirée Review (Nintendo Switch) (spoiler free)

Olympia Soirée Review

Release date: 2020 (Japan), 2021 (International)
Staff : Otomate, IDEA Factory, Aksys Games
Available on : Nintendo Switch
Themes : Romance, fantasy, mythology
Rating : 18+, Trigger warning : Yes.

(Please, keep in mind that this game has trigger warning due to several sensitive topics such as violence, death, rape and more)
Official website : https://www.otomate.jp/olympia/
Trailer : https://youtu.be/QnpP_l8EK3Y

Synopsis 

‘With her entire clan wiped out years ago, Olympia has been isolated for most of her life. Now she lives as the only person on Tenguu Island who can perform a ritual that restores light to a world shrouded in darkness. The heads of each Primary district– Red, Blue, and Yellow– lead a society governed by the island's rigid class structure. If she can find the person destined to be her soulmate, she will finally be able to open her heart and reveal her true name, continue her bloodline, and save the world before it is destroyed.’ ( Source : Aksys official website)

Visual

 I was blown away by the visuals of this game, the quality and the art scenes. You could literally use them all as wallpapers. It was so interesting to see the use of the different colors due to the context and color classes. At the same time, you don’t feel overwhelmed by the colors, it’s just enough, not too little and not too much.

The backgrounds looked like a painting ! The different places were well used and represented. I really felt like traveling through this world.

 The chara design is just chef’s kiss (thanks to the talented Satoi). I literally took more than one thousands screenshots 😂 I thought that all the characters were amazing. When I play a game, I always find myself thinking some are good looking and others not really my cup of tea but this one! They all had their charms that would make them fall in love with them! I pay for a game so looks are important too! 

Scenario 

The context highlights social problems such as discrimination without being politically overwhelming. It was interesting to learn more about the historical context of the Island. There was a lot of specific vocabulary that was well explained.

What I like about the story is that even having my hypothesis and trying to guess what was going to happen, I still ended being surprise and just 😮. The story goes at a great speed. Everything is well balanced between main story, side stories, lighter moments and deep story moments.

Characters and routes 

Here is my recommended route order :
(Himuka and Akaza are playable after you’ve done all the other routes)
I sorted them from lightest to heaviest and relevant to better understand to the main story and avoid spoilers :

Riku > Tokisada > Yosuga > Kuroba > Himuka > Akaza

What surprised me is unlike most games, the route is not decided by choices made during the common route. The CM does not contain any choices and you will have to choose the path of the character you want yourself. Which can be an advantage if you don't feel the need to start the story from the beginning. You can just save at the right moment and you will only have to play the routes directly. Moreover, every character has 3 endings.

• The Main character : Olympia 

ISFP

Survivor of the White clan

Determined to change the world

Against injustice

Not scared to speak up

Savage and iconic

Relatable

• Akaza

INTJ

Voiced by Yoshitsugu Matsuoka

Wants to change the class system

Loyal and reliable

Charismatic

Finale route

• Kuroba

ENTP

Voiced by Tomokazu Sugita

Doctor

Kind and shiny

Funny and flirty

Wants to help others

• Riku

ISTJ

Voiced by Nobunaga Shimazaki

Soldier

Duty first

Cutie behind cold face

Most challenging romance route

• Tokisada

ENFP

Voiced by Yuto Uemura

Natural cutie

Sunshine

Friendly

Loves mint choco ice cream

Be aware of what a smile can hide

• Yosuga

ENFJ

Voiced by Yuma Uchida

Flirty

Leaderlike

Voice of wisdom

Owns a bath house

Always down to help others

• Himuka

INFP

Voiced by Shun Horie

Shy but don't mess with him

Quiet but observant

Appears when you least expect him

The heaviest route in terms of information

Sapphire's conclusion :

OS is my favorite otome game so far. Just watching the trailer and listening to the OP made me want to play. It gave me everything I was looking for. I went through all the emotions: joy, sadness, surprise and others. It took me a month to complete ( I worked 50h/week). 

It’s one of the longest games but it doesn't get boring.

Although I had character preferences, I was really happy and surprised for each of the routes. The more I advanced in the story, the more I wanted to know more about all the mysteries. The characters are all iconic, and the MC is the one I've been able to relate to the most. 

This game is for me a real balance between romance and a deep context that addresses sensitive topics. I happened to play games where unfortunately it was often either the romance or the action. The story is very unique due to its fantastic world.

The game system is easy to access and easy to understand. Olympia soiree was the second Otome game I bought on switch and I had no problems. 

The music takes us into this fantastic universe and stays in the head.

For the moment, no game has managed to dethrone Olympia evening in my heart! #1!

Would I recommend this game? Absolutely.

I directly suggested it to my own friends. I told them about my journey and they were just as excited as I was to find out what was going to happen.

I think I'm a pretty demanding person, especially because a lot of super popular games didn’t affect me much t. But I can assure you that Olympia had one job and wonderfully achieved it.

If you like fantasy and are looking for a game where the romance is mature, steamy and not put aside, where there is a real balance, this game should please you!

Thank you for reading this review :)

Written by Sapphire.

Credits to Otomate, IDEA Factory, Aksys Games.