Review: Over Requiemz (Nintendo Switch)

 

Over Requiemz is a special game.

I love otome games. I do, as previously mentioned. I can admit, though, that in just about every otome game I've played, there is a character I simply don't connect with. Whether it's because the character leans on archetypes that don't resonate with me, or because the writing within that characters' route fails to make a mark on me, or maybe even because I prefer them as a supporting character rather than leading their own...it happens quite often. 

Over Requiemz, on the other hand, is perhaps one of the only games I've played in this medium where that was not the case. Each character was more interesting than the last, with their stories building up the atmosphere and fleshing out The Land of Oz to be such an intriguing interpretation of the classic L. Frank Baum series. Those who are familiar (with the books, to be precise, and not the 1939 film) with Oz are likely to find themselves delighted with how despite not being any manner of direct adaptation, Over Requiemz is a love letter to its lore, its characters, and its concepts. But even if you're not overly familiar, the story and characters hold up well on their own.

And not to worry, I will not be spoiling any of the plot details from any route.

Gameplay Systems

Over Requiemz is a good gateway into the world of otome games...for the most part. It lacks a "love catch" system,  which means that getting to each route's four separate endings is a straightforward endeavor. After a short prologue, you're encouraged to choose a character's story to follow. Unlike many other games in the medium, your choices do not affect the affection of your chosen love interest. Instead, most choices simply offer flavor text, allowing you to respond in the way you see fit to enjoy. Major, story-altering choices have a different visual appearance to the inconsequential ones—and those will lead you to either a character's Truth or Dark paths, or toward one of the endings at key points in the game.

It's a game that doesn't overstay its welcome in the pacing department. Each character's story is a functional 15 chapters: 5 main, then 5 each on their respective Truth and Dark paths. Each path has two endings each, for a total of four endings. No CG images can be missed across these routes, making it very accessible to see every single story the game has to offer. Over Requiemz also boasts an easily accessible flowchart, as well as the ability to skip straight to the next dialogue choice, making it very easy to return to a given point if you elected to not keep separate saves.

There is one caveat that I feel does take away from the "good gateway" and that's the way the routes are split. While the Truth routes are fairly standard otome fare in terms of its content and themes, the Dark routes are, well, dark. And I don't really mean in a "now your chosen love interest is a yandere" or "you made the wrong choice and you got yourself killed in the bad ending." These are full-blown plots that really do lean heavily into not just plain horror territory, but psychological horror and body horror as well. Some of the themes can absolutely be triggering and disturbing for those sensitive to such things. The routes, thankfully, are clearly marked as "Truth" and "Dark" though, so if that's not your cup of tea, you can avoid spending time on a route you'd rather avoid. I'd still recommend playing them because they add a lot to the narrative, and for the most part, I really enjoyed the thrill of them.

Story and Characters

Over Requiemz puts you in the shoes of Yuhiru, a young lady who is suddenly swept up in a tornado (yes, in Tokyo. I know.) and finds herself waking up in the mysterious Land of Oz. After a series of events that sets the stage for the story, she finds herself on a journey with five equally mysterious men as they go on an expedition to an assortment of ruins to eliminate the threat the anomalous places hold.

Before I get into the characters, I will preface this  section with: Dorothy's route should be the last route you play. Unlike many other games, where the route that ties up all the scenario's loose ends is locked behind completing the previous routes first, his route is unlocked from the start. This is one of my biggest criticisms of the game, because the way information is revealed not only answers all of the questions the game asks, but it lessens the impacts of the other routes by glossing over concepts explored thoroughly and built upon before that. His route is the culmination of everything else that happens and it's the most satisfying conclusion. The route order I recommend is as follows, based on gravity of their storylines and how they tie into the overall world and Yuhiru's understanding of it:

Claude > Molly > Noil > Kaize > Dorothy

I think Claude and Molly's routes are largely interchangeable as a starting point, but themes on both his Truth and Dark routes are the easiest to digest. Molly's Dark route especially is one of the darker ones in the game.

The order in which you play each character's route can inform your understanding of the story; there is foreshadowing that works in both directions. Personally, I preferred to tackle each character's Dark route first, for two reasons. The first is that I like to end a character's story on their best note possible. The second is that I like the way you can see the shades of their Dark route portrayals alluded to based on the shift in events. It makes every character feel flawed and human, and it gives you a very good understanding on their Truth route of what makes them tick, and just what could cause them to mentally or emotionally snap. It's often not as simple as Yuhiru's support playing the "I can fix him" card, and the writing is better for that. I found the payoff in that order to be extremely satisfying.

As for the men we're chasing and their stories...

Claude Grain (CV: Makoto Furukawa): Claude is the Foolish Researcher, and very often the brains of the operation with this ragtag group of Ozians. His primary interest is the ecology of the ruins, but he also ends up being the squad's babysitter all too often (and against his will). He functionally operates as navigator, knowing the lay of the land while also being a smooth enough talker to get them out of a bind when the wrong eyes may be on them.

At his best, he is quick-thinking, and pragmatic but at his worst, he is completely misguided by his own knowledge. He represents the Oz universe's Scarecrow, and does so well.  While I would say that Claude is a character I liked more as a support on other routes, he is a character that stands well on his own. My biggest issue with his Truth route is that its primary antagonist  is a character type I find entirely too annoying. Every time they were on screen, I was like goddd shut up already!! which made it a little harder to be invested at times because I didn't really find their motivations compelling enough to warrant the heinous shit they were doing. In that sense, I really enjoyed Claude's Dark route more, since the focus is shifted away from said annoying character. 

One of the things I really enjoy about Claude is the balance between his pragmatism and how some aspects of him are irrational to the point of being kind of a dummy. Yuhiru on his Truth route is great too, since she has clear goals and motivations that she works very actively toward achieving and establishes a certain kind of closure on the happy end that made the story feel satisfying and self-contained.

Molly Woodland (CV: Kaito Ishikawa): Molly is our Heartless Undertaker and undeniably the party's sass machine. He's the one who always has some kind of remark or comeback, teases everyone in the group...and yet also seems to carry the most distance. He's mysterious in a sense; he doesn't like to take his meals with others around, he alludes to knowledge and resources he maybe shouldn't have, and often seems to be one step ahead.

At his best, he's sharp and cunning, while at his worst, he is manipulative and misguided in his protective nature. He represents the Oz universe's Tin Woodman, guided by the way he keeps his heart completely guarded to others. Molly has one of my favorite sets of routes in the game. His Truth route really gets to the heart of who he is, and his heart in a way I loved, because everything you know and learn about him has an additional set of layers that seems to betray the way so many people know him. On the other hand, his Dark route is deeply unsettling. Every scene in that Dark route had me feeling dread in the pit of my stomach, but in a way where I desperately wanted and needed to know what was going to happen next. This was the route where I really felt more like I was playing a tamer version of a Rejet game rather than an Otomate release. And that is a high compliment, as a lover of some of Rejet's most unsettling games.

Even though I would have to say Molly's route is probably lower on my overall tier list, it's simply because some of the other routes offered more for the overarching plot and worldbuilding and not a failing of the writing or Molly as a character. He's probably tied for second in terms of my favorite characters in the game, and if this were a spoiler-heavy post, I would be yapping a lot more because Molly falls very squarely into my favorite otome man archetype.

Noil Bestia (CV: Ryota Suzuki): Noil is known as the Cowardly Knight, but seems like anything but when you first meet him. He's loud, brash and impulsive to the point of being as intimidating as you'd expect a lion to be. He's extremely straightforward about what he's thinking and feeling, at times to the detriment of those around him.

At his best, he's noble and protective. At his worst, he is quite literally a shell of himself between his often-unvoiced fears and the very specific direction his Dark route takes. If it wasn't obvious, he represents Oz's Cowardly Lion. Hands down, Noil's routes are my favorite pair. His Dark route is my favorite. He is my favorite character in the entire game, as well. Some of this may be influenced by the fact that my other favorite game character of 2026 is Kazuki Nakiri of Kyoto Xanadu, who also happens to be voiced by Ryota Suzuki; perhaps doubly so because both characters share some pointed traits. For me, Noil is just everything I love in an otome character. The development he gets in how he works through his issues, the absolute horror of what he becomes in his Dark route. The way his Dark route especially plays out is markedly different than any of the other Dark routes in the game, which made it an incredible unique experience. I think the version of Yuhiru on Noil's routes is also my favorite because they spend a lot of time on how she works through finding her own purpose; she has so much agency in this route despite some of the things that happen to her that might suggest otherwise. 

Despite being a protective, honorable knight, Noil also really showcases a route where he and Yuhiro manage to feel like equals in many instances, and the way they emphasize that in their bond really touched me. Noil also gets the award for "only route in the game that had an ending to make me cry." Shout out to Ending R, which absolutely gutted me!

Kaize Ozma (CV: Yohei Azakami): There he is, the game's poster boy. Honestly, it surprised me that his route wasn't the one that should be done last, even though it reveals a lot of juicy lore. The Bedeviled Prince is the one to give you mixed signals when you first meet him. As Oz's second prince, he at first seems a bit arrogant and intimidating. And then you know him for five minutes and you realize he's just soft and chuuni as all hell.

At his best, Kaize is possibly the warmest character in the game. He's often very gentle and thoughtful when it comes to others, despite the way his appearances have not only ostracized him, but made him a pariah prince. At his worst, he is horrifying specifically because he doesn't seem to understand the awful things he is capable of. In this story, Kaize is akin to Oz's Princess Ozma. I absolutely adore Kaize, and I expected him to be my favorite. While I was proven wrong, there is so much to love about him and his story. Playing his route really starts to uncover the underbelly of Oz's lore and has a few reveals that I sincerely did not see coming, because it's embedded so deeply that it has no reason to come up elsewhere. I think his Truth route had my favorite antagonist in the game and they really drove the story. That said, I feel like both his Truth and Dark routes left a bit to be desired; it was the only time where I felt the pacing of each route being the same really dragged things out a bit. I preferred his Truth route to his Dark route, though the conclusions on his Dark routes really hit well. His story had a lot going for it, but I think it may have been a bit more memorable if certain moments had the impact I would've liked from it.

Still, I love Kaize a whole lot. Whenever he appears on any route, I'm just happy to see him there. He's really the guy that is always doing his best in what ways he can, and really proving that the perceptions the people of Oz have are incredibly misguided. That said, between this route and Dorothy's, I felt there were some unanswered questions with him that I can only hope may be expanded upon in a Fan Disc. I have questions! Please answer them!

Dorothy (CV: Shun Horie): Ohhh, Dorothy. Every otome needs to have their extremely sus man with (probably) good intentions. And that's our man Dorothy right here. His route will answer 99% of the questions the game asks, but that means there isn't a ton I can say about him.

Our Guiding Witch of the North represents... well, it should be obvious. But like with many things when you have a cagey Stepford smiler type, not everything is what it seems. And that is a good thing, if you like a good story. The story woven in Dorothy's Truth route is told beautifully; for a character I really was dreading making my last route since he's falls into a type I don't typically love...he won me over. I felt for him at every turn and truly understood his plight and why he would say and do things on other routes as well. While I did still have a couple of questions raised by the reveal of lore and events, most things were tied up nicely. And things that seemed like they may have been strange or unanswered were not overlooked. There was so much care into the Ozian setting and how these characters and concepts were brought into things that I was a bit beside myself.

That said, Dorothy's Dark route was not for me. It leaned into a lot of the things that I really don't like about his character's archetype. I understood exactly why they went the path they did with it, and I don't think it was poorly done—it simply wasn't for me and it was probably the only route in the entire game that I came away not really liking. Had his Truth route not been so outstanding, I probably wouldn't have warmed up to him so much. But it was astoundingly good and the perfect note to end the game on.

All in all, if I had to rank the characters, it'd be something like this, for my personal taste:

Noil > Kaize = Molly > Dorothy > Claude

And for the routes:

Dorothy (Truth) > Noil (Truth) > Noil (Dark) > Molly (Dark) > Kaize (Truth)  > Molly (Truth) > Kaize (Dark) > Claude (Truth) > Claude (Dark) > Dorothy (Dark)

Purely personal taste, and not indicative of quality.

One other thing I really liked is that every single ending was assigned a letter. And when you put those letters together for each character, they spell out a word that ties into the themes of their route. It's a small attention to detail that is very easily overlooked unless you're looking at their Flowchart and paying attention.

Everything else

I think the sound design in this game is great. The voice acting is obviously fantastic and sells these characters, but Over Requiemz has something many otome games don't: good audio balancing. In most other games, I usually have to adjust the individual character volumes, because one may be so loud against the rest, or so quiet that I can barely hear them. Not an issue in this game, which is a blessing. The soundtrack is solid, but I think what makes it memorable more than the compositions themselves is how they're used. The Dark routes especially have a selection of tracks that help build up that feeling of deep dread and anxiety, atmospheric to the circumstances; the Truth routes tend to have brighter-sounding tracks I'd expect from a little jaunt through Oz while falling in love with some beautiful 2D men. That contrast was essential in really selling the fact that these are two sides of a coin and very different stories to be told within the same framework.

Visually, the game is fantastic. While perhaps not my favorite art style of all time, each character's design is unique, but they all slot together to form a visually cohesive group that fits well into the world they're selling. The CGs use such vibrant colors, even in some of the darkest and messiest imagery, and I like that the portraits also had a lot of unique traits. Any game that will give me bloody portraits is a winner. My biggest gripe with the visuals was the readability of the text in the English version of the game. It seems like there is a thick border/stroke on the text, and that combined with some kerning issues made some of the letters either clip into each other. It made the readability a bit of a challenge at times, even when playing with my Switch 2 docked. I am also generally not a fan of serif fonts in visual novels when they're laid out like this, which is personal preference more than anything.

As for the localization, it's solid. The effort by Aksys Games was stellar and the characters felt true to the audio I was hearing. The editing was solid, with very strong character voice writing, and few typos throughout. While I do have some nitpicks, they come more from my experience doing localization editing and LQA, and are things I would not necessarily expect other people to notice. Small things like inconsistent spellings ("judgment" vs "judgement," "omelette" vs "omelet," etc), or shifts between regional dialects (I saw both "movie theater" and "cinema" at different points, and a whole route that seemed to randomly lean more into British English phrasing that wasn't present elsewhere). There were a couple of things I would classify as style guide inconsistencies—but again these are nitpicks. They didn't at all hurt my enjoyment of the writing and prose of the game and only stuck out to me because they're things I have to watch out for in my own work. But with as much text as a game like Over Requiemz has, it's inevitable that imperfections can exist. 

I have a hard time with localizations where the text feels translated, with awkward syntax or excessive use of literalisms that most people don't say in day-to-day English conversation. I've played some real clunkers across many genres—but Over Requiemz isn't like that. It's a very solid and comfortable read with a lot of personality all its own. All it did was have me itching to work, honestly!

In conclusion

Over Requiemz is what I consider an all-timer. The speed with which it climbed the ranks to meet Code:Realize and Hakuoki as narratives I love was impressive. A blend of mystery, intrigue, romance and horror as you journey down Oz's famous yellow brick roads was absolutely worth every last bit of time and effort. I know this is one I'm going to be recommending to my friends and fellow otome enjoyers for quite a long time to come. Honestly, it's something special even by virtue of my need to talk so much about it.

It's not perfect, but the good outweighs the bad - so if I had to stamp a number on it, I'd give it a 9/10. But I don't really like putting numbers on them for myself. It's like a 50,000/10 for me in my recency bias! Either way, I highly recommend Over Requiemz to anyone who likes a plot-driven story with strong characters, and doubly so if you like stories with very dark twists.