Developer: Idea Factory, Otomate, Design Factory
Publisher: Idea Factory
Platform: Switch (2)
Tested on: Switch 2
Homura: The Crimson Warriors – Review
It probably says something about us, but when we hear the terms “Homura” and “Crimson”, our mind immediately goes to Senran Kagura. Imagine our surprise when it turned out that Homura: The Crimson Warriors had absolutely nothing to do with Marvelous’ shinobi franchise. What made this especially baffling was that the visual novel was brought to us by Idea Factory, who also published the Senran Kagura and Neptunia crossover game. But we digress. Homura: The Crimson Warriors is very much its own thing. Wondering what that thing entails? Read on, and we’ll tell you all about it.
Story
If you’ve played any of the Nobunaga’s Ambition or Samurai Warriors games, you’re already familiar with Homura’s setting. The story is set during the final years of the Sengoku period, specifically in the aftermath of the Battle of Sekigahara. The central conflict of the story is between the Tokugawa shogunate, which has taken control of Japan, and the weakened Toyotomi clan, which is preparing a last stand at Osaka Castle. We follow Mutsumi Mochizuki, a young ninja who joins forces with Nobushige Sanada and his group of warriors, the Sanada Ten Braves. Mutsumi was trained as a ninja after losing her father and was sent to assist Nobushige and support the Toyotomi cause. From there, the story blends war drama with romance. Each route focuses on a different member of the group, exploring their relationships with Mutsumi while they prepare for and fight in the looming conflict.
Although Homura is an otome visual novel, romance isn’t as present as you’d typically expect from the genre. It often takes a backseat to the historical and dramatic elements, with relationships developing in the middle of battles and high-stakes situations instead of a more traditional romantic approach. Homura is heavily plot-driven and puts a strong focus on war politics and military strategy. While the narrative is based on historical events, there are some fantasy elements mixed in too, such as supernatural enemies like the so-called Onibi Warriors and special abilities like Mutsumi’s power to read and influence a character’s ring, a manifestation of their life energy.
Graphics
A casual observer would simply label Homura’s art style as anime or manga, even though those catch-all descriptions don’t convey the sheer amount of stylistic differences and variations present in Japanese illustrations. We’re not going to pretend that we’re experts ourselves, but this isn’t our first otome visual novel, and we’ve learned that there are very particular specifics that otome fans will instantly pick up on. The cast leans into specific archetypes, whose hair and eyes are colour-coded for your convenience. It’s no coïncidence that Homura’s character designs look similar to those of Hakuoki, as both novels share the same main illustrator. The love interests are designed to cater to a specific audience, and they do this exceedingly well. The focus is, of course, on these characters, with CGs being a highlight. That said, Homura doesn’t avoid some of the common pitfalls of the genre. Character portraits are limited, and minor side characters often use the same model.
Sound
Music plays an important part in Homura. The game’s soundtrack blends traditional Japanese instruments with modern elements, creating a dramatic tone that fits both emotional moments and battle scenes. It reïnforces not just the historical setting of the story, but the voice performances as well. Homura’s Japanese cast boasts an impressive lineup, with voice actors from the likes of Persona 5 and My Hero Academia taking on the roles of Kamanosuke Yuri and Nobushige himself. Of note is that Mutsumi isn’t voiced. That’s a common thing in otome visual novels, as it allows the reader to “hear” their inner voice when reading dialogue, which in turn makes it easier to imagine themselves in the role of the protagonist.
Gameplay
As is typically the case for a visual novel, the core experience is mostly about reading the story and making choices. You progress through dialogue and occasionally choose between options that affect your relationship with characters you encounter. Your choices determine not only which route you end up on, but also whether or not you survive certain situations. After a few chapters, the story branches into one of five character routes, depending on your choices and affection levels. Where Homura differs from traditional visual novels is in the additional systems that are layered on top of this familiar formula. The most prominent of these is built around Mutsumi’s energy reading ability. Each love interest has a ring that she can “read” and through certain choices, she can increase that character’s energy making them more powerful in battle. This does come with a cost, as it also damages their health and can have serious consequences. This creates a risk–reward dynamic, where you have to balance power versus safety, as well as your relationship with your chosen love interest. In this sense, energy reading is more than just a mechanic, as it reflects Mutsumi’s emotional and narrative stakes.
The second signature system that Homura introduces revolves around Mutsumi being a ninja. In addition to regular dialogue choices, at certain points in the game, you’re presented with ninja system choices. These reflect Mutsumi’s actions as a ninja and determine your rank at the end of a playthrough, either novice, seasoned or master ninja. The achieved rank unlocks specific dialogue as well as CG art. If you want to 100% Homura though, you’re going to have to go out of your way to achieve the “lesser” ranks as well, which feels like needless padding to justify the €39.99 price tag. For most players, this isn’t going to be worth the effort, even with the skip and auto-read functions enabled. A typical playthrough of Homura will take around 4 to 5 hours. With five potential love interests and multiple endings, Homura has plenty of replay value even without the ninja ranks.
Conclusion
The execution of the ninja system may leave some things to be desired, but at least Homura tries to break the mould of its genre. It’s undeniably an otome visual novel, but with its historical setting and lesser focus on romance, it’ll definitely have appeal outside of the traditional audience. In fact, we’d recommend picking this one up if you’ve been thinking of dipping your toes in the genre, although it’s probably best to wait for a discount, given how Homura tries to pad itself by recycling content with only minor changes through its ninja system.
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