Back when I was a baby video game critic in 2011, one of the earlier games I reviewed was Hakuoki: Demon of the Fleeting Blossom. Developed by Idea Factory (and published by Aksys at the time), Hakuoki was not only one of the few localized visual novels available at the time, but it was also an “otome,” something even more elusive. Otome games are made specifically with women in mind, particularly teenagers. Being a romantic visual novel, Hakuoki is a bit of romantic historical fiction based on the Shinsengumi, a sort of feudal police force. Being one of the few games of its kind at the time, Hakuoki was quite successful, and a number of other games as well as the anime adaptation have been localized over the years. The latest release, Hakuoki: Edo Blossoms, is part of a new version that brings the story to the PS Vita and Steam, with a few new characters, an expanded story and some slightly tinkered visuals. But there’s a catch...

The catch here is, well, Edo Blossoms is part two. It isn’t made terribly obvious on the packaging, but if you’re curious about this game, you’re actually going to want to pick up Hakuoki: Kyoto Winds first. For whatever reason, Idea Factory (which publishes its own games now by the way—that’s pretty cool) took the original story and split it into two, effectively doubling the cost when you can still get the original game and play it on Vita. I’m no developer of course, but it’s a bit of a head-scratcher on the outside.

That said, this does bring the game to modern standards and adds content. Fans of the original Hakuoki may either come out of this disappointed, or they’re big enough fans to appreciate all the little bonuses and new story bits. On the other hand, someone who has never heard of Hakuoki before but is looking for something in this wheelhouse, it’s hard to go wrong either way. The Vita version looks much nicer, fitting the screen’s resolution, has some added animations, the ability to track your progress through various character routes and a few other bells, whistles, and quality of life improvements. 

What makes it especially weird is that Edo Blossoms didn’t seem to care whether or not I had played Kyoto Winds first. It recapped the basic throughline of the story but didn’t prompt me to import a save, check for data or anything like that. Instead, it simply prompts the player to choose a route. At that point, you just progress as if you’ve already found your way to that point in the story and made the proper choices, and then the game helps you keep track of key stats like affection and corruption. The thrill of the hunt, so to speak, is seriously dialed back. It feels like a compromise due to the game being split in half.

But while that’s a bit off-putting, the original Hakuoki story is still very much present. It’s part supernatural romance, part historical drama. Protagonist Chizuru Yukimura grows to befriend and potentially love each member of the Shinsengumi, and a strong bond is formed when the player makes their way through one of the many routes. From there, based on decisions you make in regards to both the supernatural element and the usual dialogue options, multiple endings within a route can also be earned. It’s a good story that takes both its characters and the actual history the game is inspired by very seriously, and the overall narrative is high quality as a result. 

I definitely recommend playing Hakuoki in some form or another, if you’re into things like romance stories and/or visual novels. The supernatural stuff doesn’t get too wild or violent, so don’t approach it expecting something off-kilter; it’s a pretty grounded experience overall. The important choice to make is if you’d prefer to see the original version as it was first released or go through the trouble of playing two separate games in order to get the bonus content and modern conveniences. Whichever one you choose, expect to be committed to Hakuoki for a while, as the level of depth and care taken with this story and its world is as steep as it gets.

Hint: You may want to play Kyoto Winds first or you might feel a tad lost. 

by Lucas White