Hakuoki, will other visual novels and otome games be forthcoming?
This is a Visual Novel, so there are only still shots, no animations. I'm fine with that since the stills are beautiful. There is a Gallery tab where you can see all the photos you've unlocked. You can also replay those scenes. The limited edition comes with a color artbook so you can see all the photos and see which ones you are missing in the Gallery. The men are all bishie (this is an otome game afterall). The backgrounds are okay. You'll soon realize that it's the characters that are the most important so they get all details, just like in manga.
There is a Romance Gauge for the various characters you interact with. Your outcome, for good or ill, will be based on this gauge. Men, don't let this gauge deter you as you don't really notice an overwhelming romance story. In fact, many of the decisions you make don't feel very romantic at all (i.e. option1: escape option2: stay put. Not very romantic, but one of the characters will find it so).
The soundtrack is fine. It's not amazing, but it's not flat out boring. The limited edition of the game comes with a cd of the soundtrack. Unfortunately, it doesn't have the opening song so I was a bit disappointed.
You have the option of fast-forwarding which is a godsend since you'll be replaying the game over and over again to get the multiple endings.
The storyline was good enough to keep me focused, the men were pretty to look at, and by the time I got towards the end chapters, I was praying I made the right decisions to get a happy ending. Because the sad endings are truly sad ones.
For a first Visual Novel, this is a good one. Yes, there is a romance factor, but it's played down and the story of the men and the historical events are the focus so that boys and girls can enjoy the game. I am hoping that this gets good enough sales so that more will be released stateside. There is a niche for this sort of thing outside of Japan!