Diabolik Lovers: game review

This review does not contain major spoilers, only minor spoilers. However, what I consider a minor spoiler you may consider a major spoiler, so proceed with caution. ;)

I will be reviewing all seven games and all 13 LIs. I finished the last game a few days ago. I’ve spent the last few months playing all the games, one after the other. So I’m going to write this review while things are still fresh in my mind. ♡

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

I was never a big fan of vampires. When I heard that Diabolik Lovers was popular with people who liked otome games, I wasn’t interested. Months passed and as people won’t shut up about this game, I decided to start watching the anime before investing my money in a game that I might not be interested in.

I watched the first episode of the anime and I didn’t like it very much. I decided to stick with it, hoping to get better later, but I stopped halfway through the fourth episode.

I couldn’t take it. And it wasn’t because of the controversies. I found the anime to be simply dull, with a boring story and I wasn’t interested in the characters. So I put it aside.

But a lot of people say that there are good otome games with bad anime, so I wondered if the game could be good. But I bought several games before this one. Until I gave in to curiosity and bought the Nintendo Switch Grand Edition, which contains the first two games.

FIRST GAME: HAUNTED DARK BRIDAL

I was surprised that the common route was so short. And the music was really good!!

I still didn’t have a favorite vampire and I was in doubt between choosing Laito or Kanato for my first route. I ended up choosing Kanato, who would soon become my favorite.

Kanato’s route made a strong impression on me. Kanato cries, screams and is very childish. I had never seen an LI that looked like it and I thought it was amazing. His route was very funny!

My second route was Laito. I couldn’t believe how perverted he was and I loved it!

It took me a while to finish the first game, because I didn’t like the routes of the other four boys so much. But when I finished the first game, I still wasn’t sure if I wanted to play the second one and it took me a while to start the next one.

SECOND GAME: MORE, BLOOD

The sprite art is different in this game and I was really happy because the characters opened their mouths when they spoke and blinked their eyes!

I was curious to meet the four new LIs and it was so exciting when they first appeared! Kou was my favorite out of the four in the beginning. But I also really liked Yuma when I saw that he was kind of angry like Subaru!

Kanato was my first route, as usual (a tradition that I kept in every game). His route was wonderful!! I was surprised and laughed a lot at that classic scene with Azusa (about Teddy)! I’ve never seen Kanato so pissed off and I loved it!!

I played the routes of the first six boys before playing the routes of the new ones. I started with Kou and laughed a lot in his route! I still talk about his scene with the dog as one of the most striking, absurd, funny and shocking scenes I’ve ever seen in DiaLovers!

But it was Azusa’s route that impressed me the most, as I didn’t expect to like him so much. The happy ending of his route was one of the most beautiful I’ve seen on DiaLovers. And after that, he became my second favorite LI, and he still is today.

After finishing the second game, I decided that I was going to play all the games. Kanato, Kou and Azusa’s route were the main factors for me to make this decision.

THIRD GAME: VANDEAD CARNIVAL

This game and Lunatic Parade are very similar. There are no new LIs. Routes are shorter and you go to locations on a map. There are minigames and special short stories.

It was a good change of pace. I fell in love with the minigames! In the short stories “Sleeping Vampire” you can see the boys in pajamas lying on the bed and saying sexy things. Wow, I loved it so much!!!

When I was playing this game, I decided to finish watching the two anime seasons. This time I liked the anime much more! Now I knew the characters better and it was wonderful to see them animated! Although the anime doesn’t have the same humor as the games, I enjoyed it a lot.

FOURTH GAME: DARK FATE

Many people consider this to be the best DiaLovers game and so do I! The story is particularly good. Every route has a very dramatic ending, featuring the most badass guy in the game.

And more importantly, there are two new vampires. And we’re not talking about any vampire. Carla and Shin are very good, in many different ways! The two appear very early in the game and I was very moved by that extraordinary music in the background when I saw them!

The routes of the two new boys are extremely good! In this game I also started to like Ayato and Ruki more! The final fight of Ayato’s route is magnificent, with that beautiful CG!

Ruki’s route has a controversial event, because of Shin. It was one of the most dramatic moments on DiaLovers. I’m still torn by what happened, because I love Shin, despite everything.

FIFTH GAME: LUNATIC PARADE

As I said before, this game is similar to Vandead Carnival. There are no new LIs. I loved seeing the new minigames, they were so much fun! And the short stories were good too.

You can take care of the boys when they get sick. You can even click on the screen and take their clothes off! Yaaaay!! ^_^

I remember that I was already a little tired when I played this game, because I was looking forward to finishing the seven games soon. I wanted to get to the next game asap to meet the last vampire!

SIXTH GAME: LOST EDEN

Undoubtedly the most special thing about this game is the new boy: Kino!

His route was very, very VERY good! His first fight scene is one of the best fights in all of games!

I liked Kino a lot more than I thought I would. The story of this game is completely centered around him. I really enjoyed his participation in the routes.

Carla’s route in this game was also great. His route is good in every game. There’s something special about him.

SEVENTH AND LAST GAME: CHAOS LINEAGE

I didn’t know what to expect from this game, as there are no new vampires, but it doesn’t follow the style of the third and fifth games: there are no minigames.

Turns out that this is a game in a completely different style than the previous ones. I liked the novelty, because I thought it was very creative. I mostly liked the Orange song.

There are very spicy CGs in this game. That one in Ayato’s route… wow!

It was really nice to see another route for Kino as he only appears in the previous game. And his route was very good! I was really wanting to see more romance scenes of him with Yui!

NOW… LET’S TALK ABOUT THE BOYS!!!

1- AYATO

Ayato is the poster boy! At first I didn’t like him very much. Or rather, “dislike” is too strong a term. I like all thirteen boys!! I just didn’t care about him that much.

But since he’s the poster boy, there’s always something interesting happening on his route. This made me like him more throughout the games as things were always fun with him around.

And I really like when he wears that hoodie, he looks very sexy and boyish!

Ayato is funny because, like Subaru, he is outraged and says “huh?” at times when he gets confused. He calls Yui “chichinashi” (flat chest). At first I didn’t like it, but then I started to think it was cute.

2- LAITO

Oh my God, is there anything more to be said about Laito after everything that’s already been said??

Laito is perhaps the most famous LI from DiaLovers in the west. He calls Yui “bitch-chan” and turns out that she likes it (she says so in Dark Fate).

I like him a lot from the first game and before playing it I wondered if he would be my favorite LI. He was never my favorite, but he was always in my top 3.

He is very perverted and always has creative ideas to do naughty things. That is, in his route there are always sexy and funny scenes.

Sometimes he is very sweet and sensitive, but he can also get scary when he is angry! He is a charming boy! His voice actor is Hirakawa Daisuke, the same as Lucas (Shuuen no Virche) and Shiki (Dance with Devils). I love his voice!!

3- KANATO

My best boy!!! My cute yandere! *-*

Between Ayato, Laito and Kanato, I chose Kanato to start with in the first game! It was the best choice, as he immediately became my favorite!

Why do I like Kanato so much? I didn’t choose him because of his looks, or because he’s a shota. He also doesn’t have the greatest sex appeal (I would pick Laito for that matter, as he exudes sex appeal).

I love Kanato because he is so funny and outrageous (in a good way)! He is just absurd, he screams, cries and makes a fuss all the time!

At the beginning of the first game, he screams and breaks dishes just because Yui couldn’t prepare his meal in five minutes. He’s a brat!! That’s why I thought Eren’s voice (Attack on Titan) was perfect for him, because Eren is also a spoiled brat.

4- SHU

If I’m not mistaken, it seems that Shu is one of the most popular LIs from DiaLovers in Japan. I totally understand why.

Shu is a calm guy. He’s always listening to his music on his phones and sleeping. He’s really lazy, but he stops being lazy in the right scenes! ;)

He literally sleeps anywhere, even on the roller coaster lol!

I like Shu a lot because the world seems easier when I’m with him. The problems don’t seem that big and I can just relax.

He has a very peaceful expression, but when he’s together with Yui, it feels like he’s in heaven. :)

5- SUBARU

He’s a cute tsundere!! The best kabedon is the one that breaks the walls!

This boy likes to break everything! When he is angry, he breaks all the furniture in his room and house.

The other boys like to bully him, especially Laito. And Subaru goes “Huh???” and it’s so funny lmao!

But deep down he is a sweet boy! He and Azusa are the kindest boys in the game!

He has the same voice actor as Ghislain from Reine des Fleurs (another tsundere!).

6- REIJI

Omg I love his glasses!! He should be the leader, because he’s the only one who can keep some order in the house.

I like his voice, I like his hair, he’s just so sexy!!

His best CG is the one where he’s wearing a cape. You know what I’m talking about!! It’s the CG of the end of the route, where he’s carrying Yui!

I like it when he gives Yui tea mouth to mouth! :3

7- RUKI

Another leader! I didn’t like Ruki very much at first, but since he was a perfect gentleman in Dark Fate, I fell in love with him!

He’s kind of a cage boy. He affectionately calls Yui “livestock”.

I really like his appearance, Ruki is very elegant!

8- KOU

He was my favorite Mukami, before I fell in love with Azusa!

He’s an idol and I love his pink coat (and his pink underwear)! Btw that leopard underwear Laito wears *ahem* (Lizaru Shanasa also has leopard underwear)! Ohhh what I am saying??? Kyaaaa!! ^o^

Anyway… Kou is hot! I love his hairstyle! They changed his hairstyle in Lost Eden, but apparently the fans didn’t like it, because he went back to his usual hairstyle in Chaos Lineage!

I like when Kou eats and makes “mogu mogu” so cuuute!! :3

Sometimes Kou is adorable and other times he acts so stupid lol!

My fav idol weeeee!! He calls Yui “M neko-chan” (masochistic kitten). And she likes this nickname!

9- YUMA

I really liked Yuma in More, Blood! After that, my passion for him cooled down a bit, but he is a very handsome man!

He calls Yui “mesubuta” (sow). I like that he knows how to grow vegetables and likes to take care of his crops. I also like his relationship with Shu!

That CG with the strawberry in Chaos Lineage was really cute and sexy! ^^

Yuma likes sugar-chan (sugar cubes)!! Every vampire has favorite foods, even if they don’t need to eat, that’s adorable!

10- AZUSA

His route ending in More, Blood had me in tears! It’s so cuuuuute!!!

Around the third or fourth game, Azusa almost became my favorite LI. To this day, I still have his wallpaper on my phone because of that time.

His route had a huge impact on me! He’s a boy who likes to do cuttings, he likes to cut himself and sometimes cut others. He has a collection of knives in his room. This feature of his is very strong in More, Blood. But I imagine this is such a controversial topic that they toned it down in subsequent games.

He calls Yui “Eve”, a super cute nickname compared to the other boys.

He is by far the kindest boy in the game. What is he doing in Diabolik Lovers?? He’s in the wrong game!

He has the same voice as Kaname from Vampire Knight! I didn’t like Kaname very much before, but I liked him a lot more after I found out he had Azusa’s voice! I rewatched the anime not too long ago and it was a very different experience because of it.

11- CARLA

He has Lizaru’s voice, period.

He refers to Yui as “kisama”, and it gets really funny when we make a mistake in the minigame! He keeps saying “kisama, kisama” lmao!

He’s so serious, but he’s so cute!! He’s a kuudere. I think it’s impossible not to like him, because he’s hot as fuck and has an amazing personality and perfect voice and wonderful aesthetic sense!!! (I could go on praising him here all day. My God, that hair!!)

In Lunatic Parade there are a lot of jokes about his scarf, it’s very funny and adorable!! :3

He seems a bad guy, but he’s kind! Awwww!!

12- SHIN

Here is a bad guy who’s really a bad guy! He is perhaps the most controversial LI in the game because of that scene on Ruki’s route, in Dark Fate.

I like Shin a lot! In Lunatic Parede he said that he wears glasses and an eyepatch together because it’s the latest fashion. OK!! If you say so! •̀⩊•́

I like his relationship with Carla. Poor Shin, he got very confused in Chaos Lineage!!

13- KINO

Speaking of messed up characters!!

Wow, Kino is one of a kind!! I didn’t know what to expect from him when I played Lost Eden.

He is a very funny character!! He likes to mess around and he really messes everything up!

You know that kind of person who doesn’t like peace, who sees people getting along and wants to play one against the other? That’s Kino!

He makes a big mess in Lost Eden! And he likes to play a lot of pranks in Chaos Lineage! He would be like the Joker card in the deck! In other words, he was exactly the vampire that was missing to close the Diabolik Lovers deck with a golden key!

And ohhhh he’s sexy!! I loved seeing his romance with Yui! There weren’t as many hot scenes with him in Lost Eden, but that aspect was made up for in Chaos Lineage! :3

MY TOP FIVE BOYS!

1- Kanato

2- Azusa

3- Laito

4- Kou

5- Carla

FINAL THOUGHTS

I won’t talk about the game’s story, as I believe the main thing in Diabolik Lovers is the LIs.

I thought it was amazing how they managed to make seven games without getting monotonous. Of course, like almost every otome game, it had slower parts, but I like the boys so much that I was willing to go through them.

Why did I decide to play all seven games? Because I love the boys! But what I like most about DiaLovers is the exaggeration. The LIs are like cartoonish, they are not made to be realistic or look like real people.

Some people might not like Diabolik Lovers because the scenes don’t seem real, they’re ridiculous, stupidly unrealistic. But I like it exactly because of that. DiaLovers has a unique humor for this factor.

And I can say that I played DiaLovers mainly because of the humor. Of course, also because of the steamy.

And the controversy? Everyone says that Diabolik Lovers is controversial. Is that so? I can’t see the controversial part so much because for me there are exaggerations and controversies in Diabolik Lovers because a lot of these make the game funny. And I felt they smoothed over some controversial things throughout the games.

Maybe you don’t like dark humor very much. Then maybe this game is not for you. There is nothing wrong with that. I like dark humor, but I also have my limits.

I’m not here to convince anyone to play it, but just to say that this is currently my favorite otome game, for many reasons. I don’t take personal offense when someone says they don’t like Diabolik Lovers.

And omg let’s talk about this man?? Why can’t I f*ck this guy for God’s sake?

Anyway, we’ve already been blessed to have seven games of Diabolik Lovers. You can’t have everything in this life.

I’m really curious to know which otome game I’m going to play in the future that I’ll like more than Diabolik Lovers. Until then, I’m going to enjoy the feeling of having finally finished all volumes of my fav otome game. ♡

PS: Despite having played it all, I don’t consider myself a DiaLovers expert. If you want to know specifics about a side character’s underwear color, ask anyone who’s listened to all the drama CDs or anyone who’s been researching DiaLovers on the internet 24/7. I currently only know the underwear colors of the LIs. But I would love to know the color of Karlheinz’s underwear. If you find out, tell me.