Shuuen no Virche: game review
I finished playing Shuuen no Virche a few days ago. It took me about a month to finish and nearly 90 hours of gameplay. At first it took me longer to learn how to play a game in Japanese using a camera translator app. But then I was able to play at almost the normal speed that I would play an English game. Once you get the hang of it, it’s not difficult. And I learned a lot of Japanese in the process.
When I saw the game’s trailer for the first time, I fell in love right away. The music, the art, the style, the characters, it all seemed perfect! I’ve been playing otome games for just over a year. Until recently, I wasn’t really interested in playing the otoges that were only available in Japanese. I was happy to play in English only. I was waiting for the releases, no problems.
But I couldn’t wait for Shuuen no Virche, even though I knew the game’s localization had been confirmed for 2023. I had no doubts that I would love the game and that’s why I even bought the limited edition (my firt LE for an otome game!).
Shuuen no Virche was a lot of firsts for me: first game in Japanese, first LE and the first otoge I did absolutely every ending, including every bad ending possible. I’ve already finished several otoges, but this was the first time I made a point of looking at all the possibilities of the walkthrough to make sure I didn’t miss anything.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Before starting to play, I had already watched the prologue of the game on Youtube, on MaimaiOtome’s channel. I actually watched the prologue three times, hahaha! This helped me a lot, because at the beginning of the game I was still learning to use the translator (I tested several translation techniques until I chose the one I thought was best and fastest).
Even when I had only watched the prologue, while I was waiting for the physical copy of my game to arrive, I decorated my room with dozens of posters of the game, had a pillow made, etc. I’ve listened to the soundtrack hundreds of times. My fanaticism level was already extreme before I even played the common route.
When I saw this image for the first time, I immediately fell in love with Ankou. I already knew he would be my favorite character, even though I didn’t know anything about the game at the time.
So of course when I saw the prologue and Ankou first appeared I started screaming. His voice (Tsukuyomi!), his hair, his clothes, I absolutely loved everything.
Scien and Mathis don’t appear much in the prologue, so I still hadn’t formed an opinion about them.
I didn’t really like Adolphe when he first appeared. I didn’t exactly disliked him, but he wasn’t one of my favorites at the time.
On the other hand, I fell in love with Lucas and he became my second favorite character after Ankou.
I also really liked Yves in the prologue. From the beginning he left a remarkable impression.
COMMON ROUTE
For me, the common route was pure magic. I had already seen the prologue four times before playing it. So I was looking forward to the rest of the game with great anticipation.
And the game did not disappoint me. I think the common route was even more extraordinary than I had imagined. And it was amazing getting to know the characters more!
As you can imagine, when Ankou appeared again I almost died. It was like a dream!
Every time Lucas showed up my heart melted too. I was determined that I would play his route first, regardless of the game’s recommended route order.
Yves was even more kind and a gentleman than I had imagined. At one point I was afraid that I might start to like him more than Lucas. I didn’t want that to happen, because my room was already full of Lucas posters hahaha!
The scenes with Mathis almost made me cry with emotion. It was so intense!! He’s a complex character, he’s shy and sweet, but sometimes he explodes! Wow!
Scien was also pleasing me a lot. In many different ways, I must say!!
The common route made me like Adolphe a little more. I particularly liked the scenes where he appeared with several characters and looked like the only sane one in the middle of a bunch of crazy people!
The common route left me breathless. When the route selection screen finally appeared, it was a long-awaited moment. I couldn’t believe I was going to see my dear Lucas’ love scenes!
My sweet Lucas…! I couldn’t even imagine what awaited me.
LUCAS’ ROUTE
I played Lucas’ route with great dedication and screaming with happiness every time a beautiful CG appeared. I already knew some CGs, which were on my bedroom wall. Still, it was amazing to finally know what scene that was!
Every smile, every word, every touch… I was filled with happiness as I watched Lucas and Ceres get closer and closer! Their love was natural and pure. They seemed perfect for each other, such a beautiful chemistry!
For a moment I even forgot that I was playing Shuuen no Virche. I really thought and wished that everything would stay wonderful!
And then… it happened!
I couldn’t believe it. I was shocked.
I even took a photo of my expression and recorded a video on Twitter. I hardly slept that night. I couldn’t stop thinking about it.
I didn’t know what I was feeling. I lost the ability to feel.
It wasn’t until the next day, when I recovered, that I understood how amazing it all was. It was real!!
And to my surprise, the more I saw Lucas’ other personality, the more I loved him.
The rest of the route was shocking. It was so unbelievable that I started laughing at the genius scenes and couldn’t stop laughing.
The end of the first route was perfect. If the only thing that existed in the game was Lucas’ route, I would already consider it a masterpiece!
The salvation ending was also magnificent. I started to get scared that I’d start to like Lucas even more than Ankou! That couldn’t happen, because there are still more posters of Ankou than Lucas in my room. And Ankou is Ankou!! You know what I mean!
Ankou had been my phone’s background image for a long time and I wasn’t prepared to change it to an image of Lucas (I love being silly). But ok, it didn’t happen, Ankou is still my number 1. ;)
But, damn, Lucas is hot as fuck!!!! *o*
MATHIS’ ROUTE
Mathis was my second route! :)
I already liked Mathis, but I confess that I was more excited to play his route because of Jean. And really, I liked Jean even more after all.
I like books as well, as Mathis, so I can relate to him.
I love Mathis’ squeals!! =^_^=
The revelations of this route were quite impressive. But I was still so impressed with Lucas’ route that Mathis’ route didn’t knock me down as much.
Mathis’ salvation ending was extremely cute. Yes, Shuuen no Virche can be cute sometimes!!
SCIEN’S ROUTE
I think Scien’s route was quite charming. Scien is classy, he’s the man, he’s badass!!
But his route also shocked me. Because of the whole orphanage thing, if you know what I mean. That left a strong impression.
And there’s Dahut… oh my, let’s talk about Dahut!!
Dahut is fun!! Maybe I even like Dahut more than Scien. But I liked him even more on the last route. That super badass scene with him! Ohhh…! And that CG!!
Dahut is like Lucas: he can do whatever he wants and I’ll still like him.
And the salvation ending had that super hot scene with Scien! Fuck all the other things, it was all worth it just for that CG!
Basically, Scien makes up for the lack of more steamy scenes in the game, because we get to see more of him than all the characters combined. Please, show more skin, sir!
YVES’ ROUTE
It’s time for poster boy, ladies!! *-*
My God, Yves is so funny! And cute! And kind! In real life, he would be the perfect 3D boyfriend. He’s also the perfect 2D boy, if you like nice boys. But if you like bad boys, you will also be well served in Virche.
I like Yves’ fish! Ohh nooo poor fish! What will happen to him? :D
I almost cried in every route in the game, but Yves’ route was the only one that literally made me shed tears. Because of a beautiful scene of him and Ceres.
I love Yves’ story. He and Ceres have a powerful connection! The route is very delicate, it is a delight! And Yves’ ancestors, I loved all of that.
The salvation ending is awesome! I mean, damn, Yves, stop being the perfect gentleman!! I was like “Kyaaaaa!!” all the time!!
ADOLPHE’S ROUTE
I understand people who don’t like Adolphe, because I went through that too. But the more the game progressed, the more I liked him.
At the beginning of the game I think Adolphe was a bit meh. Ok, I already thought he was handsome! That never changed. But I think he was a little aggressive and possessive towards Ceres.
I suppose that changed a little later on. Adolphe is funny in many scenes! I died laughing at several things he said on this route.
And Adolphe can be cute too! Sometimes Ceres manages to make him as soft as a lamb.
Ceres and Adolphe are like childhood friends with a strong connection. So I thought their love was very natural.
I think there are two big revelations about Adolphe on this route. The first revelation was enough to take me by surprise. But the second one made me scream!!
Oh, don’t get me wrong. I screamed in happiness. Because at this point in the game I was already in love with Adolphe. The revelation simply increased that love even more.
It was like Lucas’ route: it was a shock, but in a good way. In the best of ways.
Adolphe’s salvation ending was beautiful! The last CG left me breathless.
ANKOU’S ROUTE
I think I’ve heard of people who don’t have Ankou as their favorite character, but it’s rare! ;)
Ankou is just absolute perfection in every way. I mean, just look at him! I don’t need to explain.
Ankou has his own bad ending and his hot scene with Ceres. So, for me he’s an LI, even if not in a classic sense for otome games.
At the beginning of the game he didn’t show up much. Just to make us even crazier for him, celebrating his every appearance!
But the last route paid off, as Ankou appears a lot!! And we learned a lot about him.
Ankou has a playful and cute side that surprised me. And his love for Ceres has a very well explained reason.
Even when everything is explained, Ankou remains mysterious to me. It’s impossible to rip the charming aura of mystery out of him!!
MC: CERES
At the beginning of the game I didn’t like Ceres very much. Or would it be more accurate to say that I was indifferent.
I thought she was a beautiful and tragic character. But I wasn’t expecting more than that.
But the game surprised me a little. I liked Ceres more as I got to know her better. I think that happened with almost every character.
I mean, fuck, almost everyone who approaches her dies. Of course, someone like that becomes somewhat depressed and suicidal. Considering the circumstances, I think Ceres is a very strong character.
Ceres is strong enough to encourage the boys, not the other way around. If you notice, it’s Ceres who’s been consoling the guys all the time. She’s the strong one. She is the great heroine of the history.
Okay, while the boys are sword fighting, Ceres is cleaning and cooking. I think the problem is not that Ceres is a “maid”. I’m going to philosophize a bit here, but I think the problem is jobs like cooking and cleaning are not always valued in the world, but they’re super important.
Things related to a female role are usually not highly valued (as otome games!). So I guess the problem isn’t Ceres cleaning, being humble, being nice, being a martyr.
If a man is a martyr, he’s strong and courageous, but if a woman is a martyr, is she weak? If a man cooks he’s cool, but if a woman cooks is she being submissive?
Do we really need to put a sword in a girl’s hand or make her a “bad girl” to make her likeable as a character? Don’t get me wrong, I like bad girls and girls with swords.
But I don’t see anything wrong with humble, nice MCs who want to die for love. Of course, it all depends on the context. But if Yves is cool because he’s nice and wants to give his life for Ceres, why can’t she also be cool for the same reason?
Okay, maybe this discussion doesn’t interest you and you just want to enjoy the game. But I’m just saying. ;)
Otome games are sometimes not valued because they are seen as romance games and romance is related to something feminine. The solution is to take romance out of otome games? No, you just do what you want and fuck who don’t like it. (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻
FINAL THOUGHTS
I love Shuuen no Virche! It’s my favorite otome game so far. In fact, in the last few months I’ve already knew and started playing other otome games (some in Japanese as well) that maybe I consider as good or even better than Virche. But I want to finish playing first to be sure, so let’s see.
No game is perfect. But this one was pretty close.
The pandemic brought us bad things, but also good things. I am convinced that the pandemic inspired Virche, at least a little. I mean, look at the plot, come on!
When I play otome games I usually care more about the romance between the characters, and the story is secondary. But in Virche’s case, the story is so good that at times I didn’t mind that the romance sometimes got a little sideways.
Anyway, it’s surreal to think that I’ve finally finished the game. It was a beautiful adventure!
Some people don’t like Virche for being too sad, pessimistic and bloody. Okay, it’s bloody, I can see the blood, lol. But I don’t think the story is sad and pessimistic all the time. It also has several funny and cute scenes. There’s love, there’s hope and even happy endings (or almost. Nah, I remember some happy endings, in the truest sense of the word).
I’m relatively new to the world of otome games, but I think sadness and blood are not uncommon in otoges and romance in general (Romeo and Juliet is the most famous love story). So I didn’t think it was strange for Virche to be so bloody. I think I’ve played, or read, or watched, so many things bloodier than Virche that I didn’t think it was so shocking. And I’m a nurse, I see blood… almost daily?
Anyway, Shuuen no Virche was a fucking masterpiece. Regardless of being happy or sad, having more or less romance, I really liked the story, the characters, the art, the music. There are many wonderful things together.
Of course, I understand that there are people who don’t like this game and you have the right to not like it for whatever reason you want. But I like it… a lot. It’s definitely worth playing, as it’s quite an experience.
