Hakuoki: Kyoto Winds

I’ve played a lot of visual novels in my time, and a lot of them are favourite games, but I’ve got to say, as a student of Japanese history, and a lover of good storytelling, Hakuoki is right up there with my favourite games ever made. Any game that, after finishing, I can put down and say to myself “if that story was presented to me as a novel I would have loved it just as much,” is a good game, as far as I’m concerned.

Gamer EscapeJosh McGrath

8/10

Despite a large cast that can be tough to keep track of, and a player character without much personality, I had a great time reading through Hakuoki. If you’re hesitant to check this game out because it’s marketed to female gamers, I would encourage you to get over that stigma and give the game a shot regardless. There’s a well-crafted story hiding behind the marketing, and reading it from a woman’s point of view is a nice change of pace in the gaming sphere.

The OuterHavenVeronica

For visual novel fans, or anyone who gets excited about Vita releases, Hakuoki: Kyoto Winds is worth checking out. It’s not perfect – the story is slow to start and the writing can be a bit cheesy at times. However, its visuals are beautiful, the story is fun, and the Japanese history lesson is a bonus.

Playstation LifestyleTyler Treese

7/10

Check out PlayStation LifeStyle's Hakuoki Kyoto Winds review to see if otome fans should pick up this enhanced Vita port of the popular visual novel.

Push SquareJade Sayers

7/10

Hakuoki: Kyoto Winds is the latest game in the Hakuoki series, and is billed by developer Idea Factory as a “remastered telling of the beloved 2008 series”. Set in historic Japan, the game follows the protagonist as she's taken in by a group of samurai while looking for her father who has gone missing. Being an otome game (literally translated as “maiden game”), the protagonist is, naturally, surrounded by attractive men - twelve of whom she is able to embark on romantic storylines with.