Birushana: Rising Flower of Genpei Review (NINTENDO SWITCH) (SPOILER FREE)

Birushana: Rising Flower of Genpei Review

Release date: 2022 (international)

Staff : IDEA FACTORY/ RED

Available on : Nintendo Switch

Themes : Romance, fantasy, historical

Rating : T/12/12/M. Trigger warnings : war themed, violence, harassment, incest.

Official website : http://ideafintl.com/birushana/

Trailer : https://youtu.be/oPuCajU3Ylw

Synopsis

'Fifteen years after the Heiji Rebellion, the Heike clan has reached the height of its power, while the Genji clan remains devastated by defeat. Hidden deep within the mountains of Kurama lives Shanao, the youngest surviving male heir to the Genji name. However, Shanao harbors a deep secret known by very few. The youngest heir to the Genji name is no man' (Idea factory official website)

Visual

One thing I pointed out pretty quickly is the diversity of backgrounds. There are a lot of movement in the story and the sets follow. We travel between Kyoto and Hiraizumi, passing through the forest, the rivers and the scenery immerses us into the journey.

About the art scenes... Thank you Koji Haneda. The illustrations are some of the most beautiful and striking I've seen since playing Otome games and watching anime. The colors, the changing facial expressions of the characters. 

I found it crazy how through an image it was possible to understand exactly the feeling that the character was experiencing such as distress, fear, amazement and more. The illustrations really made me vibrate throughout my journey. They were very well placed according to the events. They were also adaptive. Several versions of the same illustration changed throughout the scene. They really came to life and weren't just there to be displayed.

Scenario

First, I personally felt that there was a lot of choices to make, that we really had an impact on the story and that was representative of the fact that the MC is really the central point of the story. She is not a spectator or a victim of the events.
The story is punctuated with action moments from the start, and sweeter moments without being boring. The more political side of history is not complicated to tame. These topics have brought a lot of vocabulary throughout the story that have been well explained. The context of the two families and the secrets they hide are brought to light and revealed little by little.

The endings were satisfying to watch and I can tell you that the tragic endings didn't steal their name. Each time I said to myself 'What could be more dramatic and depressing than that?' but I was still only more stunned. It was interesting to see the characters act in completely different ways depending on the gravity of the moment.

Characters and routes

Here is my recommended route order :

The developers actually recommended this order and it's the most one relevant to better understand the main story and avoid spoilers :

Noritsune > Benkei > Shungen > Yoritomo > Tomomori 

The common route is pretty similar for all routes with slight differences. But I would say that the story really changes from chapter 3 which is quite fast. Especially if you use the Skip option that allows you to jump directly to the unread or new section. 

What surprised me is unlike most games, we could actually have a glimpse of what could happen if side characters were involved in the romantic side of the game through 'If endings'. I think the length of those stories were reasonable. 

Each characters has 4 endings : a good one, a tragic one and 2 bad ones and i honestly thought that the developers made great efforts on simple bad endings too. In some games, I felt that they would put a lot of different ending to add more content and length to the game but were poorly written and predictable. Here they were more constructed and developed.

• The Main character : Shanao

ISTJ

Genji 

Bold

Leader

Powerful

Relatable

• Shungen

ISFJ

Voiced by Saitou Souma

Genji

Childhood friend

Possessive

Careful

• Yoritomo Minamoto

INTJ 

Voiced by Furukawa Makoto

Genji

Grateful

Tormented

Responsible

• Benkei Musashibo

ESFJ

Voiced by Umehara Yuuichirou

Monk

Wise

Protective

Fatherly 

• Noritsune Taira

ESFP

Voiced by Kawanishi Kengo

Heike

Stubborn

Competitive

Independent

• Tomomori Taira

INFJ

Voiced by Fukuyama Jun

Heike

Determined

Intelligent

Mysterious

Sapphire's conclusion :

This game has taken a high place in my top Otome games. Visually, it's just stunning.

It's been a long time since I've had so much fun and been so invested in one. (and I can tell you that I bought all the super famous and recommended games) The story, the secrets, the revelations, the characters, the main character, everything kept me spellbound.

Speaking of the MC, I think she was one of the best I've seen. She is just real in her feelings and actions. She's not just a doll without opinions or reactions. She has real reflections, real existential questions, and reactions that any normal human would have. She is sometimes very savage and really it was iconic to see.

The love interests really each have their own style and really differ from each other. They don't look alike at all and have opposite ways of thinking. But they all manage to take our heart in their own way. Having characters who are literally our enemies is very exciting and interesting since we wonder how the transition will be done.

For the story, the tone is set quickly. Action and tension are present from the start. The war and political side is not overwhelming. The romance is not the focus but is well represented and I can tell you it was sometimes spicier than some games that are rated. It really had different ways of existing depending on the characters.

I had apprehensions as I already played another historical game (Nightshade). But the game is completely different besides its story resemblance and the rivalry between two families.

If I have things to complain about, it's more the form of the game than the content. Sometimes, the game's features and functions felt unnatural. If you want to skip, the game will sometimes freeze or hang on a frame. What can be a problem if you wish to pass a little and resume, you will be forced to arrive at an unchosen time. You don't really have much control on it.  Also, I had a moment where the game just closed itself. Fortunately, this only happens once. I also noticed some funny bugs when recording videos that only happened with this game.

Would I recommend this game? Without a doubt!

I waited a very long time before buying the game. But I can tell you that I wondered why didn't I buy it sooner!! I was really surprised from the start and I was not disappointed.

In addition, you can find the game at half price on the e-shop within the year.

The game really impressed me more than other big reputable companies. 

If you want a game with a well-written story, secrets to uncover, enemies to lovers kind of romance, and romance presented in a reasonable way (even if given the iconic characters, we always want more) in different forms, cute or steamy and you like a historical context to immerse yourself in a world full of action and twists, you wont be disappointed!

Thank you for reading this review :)

Written by Sapphire.

Credits to IDEA FACTORY and RED ENTERTAINMENT