My current favorite game is Cybird’s Ikemen Vampires, with its stunning art and seductive poetic imagery for story-telling, it’s a no wonder why many love this game. I was particularly late on the bandwagon for this one as when this game debuted a while back, I didn’t sink my fangs into the game as quickly as my other friends had. However, I’m glad I finally took a bite into the game after a bit of observing and researching from other gamers who had posted a few SCs of the game itself.
One of the particular reasons I hadn’t hopped onto the vampire craze was because of the whole card game ordeal, while I have a history in playing Yu-Gi-Oh! I was bemused with the concept of adding card battles to an otome game.
I’m not new to the whole SR, R, SSR, and N card games as it seems similar to another favorable game called Mr. Love: Queen’s Choice. Where you also battle with certain cards against other players or an AI to gain rank, EXP, or items to use to further the story. I do find the concept engaging, however, I didn’t see the actual point of adding such an element into an otome game.
Even if you managed to grab a sexy five-star card of Arthur Conan Doyle or Le Comte, I was hoping more for a story to be shown to delve further into the psyche of the characters. However, from prodding around on the card games, you don’t get that kind of action like you do when you win a card from Mr. Love.
I digress, when I finally got the guts to download the game I was pretty intrigued by the fact we get to see many historical figures be reincarnated into a vampire. I’m a nerd for certain areas of history and literature, so imagine my face when I saw Shakespeare and Arthur Conan Doyle as a romanceable character.
I scrolled through the profiles in both worry and also morbid curiosity as to how these characters would be portrayed and if there would be elements from their real-life persona integrated into their vampiric nature. While I did have some doubts, I decided I would go in with an open mind and see how things panned out with a few of the vampires that were available.
Sadly, the one I WANT IS NOT AVAILABLE YET
I mean, come on… He’s the person we see at the Louvre and we follow; why is it always the one who catches my eye that is NEVER available. I’ll probably be 75 years old by the time he releases LMAO.
Anyways, because the man I had been hoping to romance wasn’t available, I had several other options that seemed viable… but I wasn’t sure exactly who to allow to take my heart, my body, and my destiny.
The Love Interests
From the left we have :
1. Amadeus Mozart, a famous composer and known for penning one of the hardest arias known to the opera world “Queen of the Night.”
2. Napoleon Bonaparte, the Emperor of the French and military leader who lead the French Revolution, with several successful campaigns.
3. Leonardo Da Vinci, okay, who doesn’t know this man and his incredible discoveries? There’s a lot to even say about him and the science, philosophy, and alchemy he provided to us.
4.Arthur Conan Doyle, or should we call him Sir Arthur? The famous known author for The Lost World and, of course, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.
5. Jean D’ Arc, I was a bit surprised about this one as they said he was Joan D’Arc… But his name confused me as there was a bishop with a similar name who served under the pope.
7. Sebastian, the human butler of the household and an extreme nerd for history, he comes off as cold and stoic in the beginning but don’t be fooled; he’s very kind and fangirls over the residents in the home.
8. Sir Isaac Netwon, aka Newt, we all know of Newton’s laws of physics and the apple falling from the tree. You’ll hear read running gag jokes from the crew about apples when it comes to him in the game.
9. Theodorus Van Gogh, for once, I actually didn’t recognize this man’s name so I had to look him up. He is the younger brother of Vincent Van Gogh and happens to have a brother complex…
10. Le Comte de Saint Germain, okay, I’ve heard so many variations of this man in video games to history and he’s everywhere from Code:Realize, Castlevania, Ikemen Vampires, and I’m sure I’m missing a couple more… Nonetheless, he was the one I actually wanted to romance but I have to wait for my immortal a bit longer….
11. William Shakespeare, everyone knows his name and his wickedly entertaining insults he’s created that still carries weight to this day. He’s famous for plays such as Romeo x Juliet, and Taming the Shrew.
12. Osamu Dazai, now this one threw me for a loop, the only reason I’m familiar with this name is because my husband had to study a bit of this man’s work when he still lived Japan. This man is famous for having created popular works such as The Setting Sun, Run Melos, and No Longer Human to name a few for modern-day literature in Japan.
That’s a lot of men to be honest, and I think that’s a bit much for a heroine to have that many options in a game but this is a fantasy we are living out in this game so when in Rome… Uh– I mean Paris, blend in and just take it as it is.
The Setting:
The game basically sends you back in time to the 17th century where the internet, really good toilet systems, and sanitary conditions were very minute. I did find a few things odd with the setting, but I decided to treat it as an ‘isekai’ or a parallel universe to what our history texts portrayed the era to look like. Overall, I’m pleased with the aesthetics and also how the men of the harem are able to assimilate to the time period, especially Osamu and Arthur.
The MC:
While I can’t portray a picture of the MC without her being in an actual CG of the game, she’s actually someone I can relate to in some semblance of sorts. Very head strong, outspoken, and not a pushover; she’s capable of holding her own with the vampires in the house and can be a force to be reckoned with. I was very happy with the fact she is a traveler blogger and that she is fond of the arts and music literature, the only thing that I can say I dislike about her is that she’s not knowledgeable in self-defense.
Okay, hear me out, I know not all travel bloggers know self-defense but the ones I’m friends with are and they travel to various countries and areas by themselves and know the dangers of being alone. I feel that was my only pet peeve that her comment said ‘we live in an era that self-defense is not needed as much’ or something like that and it irked me…
However, everything else about her is very solid and I’m just thankful she doesn’t take any nonsense from some of the more OUTSPOKEN men in the group (looking at you Arthur).
Can You Keep a Secret?
One of the many features I liked about the game was the loading screen, seeing the cute chibis express secrets about the guys was hilarious and adorkable. It was nice to see some gossip about the guys, and some of the information is very useful because now you know that Newton and Vincent are possibly the ones to watch out for in the game… (it’s always the quiet ones…).
Dramatic Ending or Romantic Ending?
Like most of Cybird’s games, you have an option to either have a bittersweet romantic ending where you return home and leave the love you had behind, but their is an emotionally satisfying happy ending or a sexy romantic one where you choose to stay with your beloved in that time era for the rest of your life. The reality check here, is that as the heroine you must decide their fate and how things will end up whether you want an alluring sexy ending in the 1700s where you both submit to one another, or to return home with bittersweet memories only to find under a bloodtsained moon that you have or will reunite with your love centuries past.
For me, depending on the character, I’m always one for drama but I always love a very sexy ending as well; so it’ll possibly depend on the character I romance and how their story feels on which route I will take.
While we may never know what choice she truly makes, Cybird has done very well in creating stories that engage readers, filling us with suspense messing with our feelings for these fictional entities. Also, I’m glad they stay true to the romance genre and give us happy endings regardless if they are dramatic or romantic, I do know they held an ‘tragic’ end event which I felt was–pardon my french- DUMB AS HELL, since romance is a fantasy of a guarantee of a HEA (Happily Ever After) or HFN (Happy For Now) endings.
>>>What Is The Romance Genre?
This is a mass-market novel with an emotionally satisfying ending. These stories are about a romantic relationship between two people. They are characterized by sensual tension, desire, and idealism. The author keeps the two apart for most of the novel, but they do eventually end up together. (Writers Write)<<<
Who am I currently engaging in a battle of Love and War?
I usually avoid flirty types, as even in real life I avoid them at all costs because I can’t take them seriously whether friendship wise or love interest wise. I prefer someone to be upfront rather than play wordy games with the English language, however, I chose Arthur because I’m a fan of Sherlock Holmes and The Lost World. I have a deep love for the writer and his way of expressing himself in his novels and the amusing play of words he composed during his years of work.
As I’ve progressed along with his story, I’m very impressed with how engaging the story is and how certain elements of history have been incorporated including how Arthur had become a doctor but the practice failed. It also touches base about a few things of Mr. Doyle that I was surprised to see, including fan mail to Sherlock Holmes and not the author himself and that their was a bit of disdain towards his creation of Holmes…
I’m still debating on my choice of whether to go back home and suffer a little or stay with him in the 17th century with the possibility of embracing to become a vampire myself (who knows..?). What I do know is that regardless, at the end of the novel he will have most likely captured my heart, body and soul.
FYI I STILL WANT LE COMTE SAINT GERMAIN BECAUSE I NEED >__>
Gray's Cozy Nook 
Leave a Reply