If nothing else, one has to admire the chutzpah behind Aksys Games' decision to localize Hakuoki: Demon of the Fleeting Blossom. Ask the average video game industry wonk whether it's a good idea to release a Japanese interactive visual novel for the PSP featuring a female protagonist and a strong romantic component, and the answer would likely be somewhere between nervous laughter and a cranial explosion. That's exactly why I applaud the company for testing the waters for this kind of game, though I worry that its presence on the PSP will be a barrier to Hakuoki reaching its intended audience. Although there's an abundance of pink-ribboned shovelware aimed at young girls, there are very few console games directed specifically at adult women in North America, making this game a unique entry into the market.

Hakuoki is an otome game, a Japanese genre of games starring female protagonists who have the opportunity to romance one of several available male characters. Aksys chose to use this particular game to introduce North Americans to the genre because of the high quality of its art and the interesting historical fiction setting. Hopefully the game will appeal to male gamers as well, as the story has plenty of interesting aspects to it beyond the romance sub-plot.

Japan's Edo period is what many Westerners think of when conjuring up an image of historical Japan. Between 1600 and the late 1800's, Japan experienced a period of peace under the rule of the Tokugawa shoguns and the samurai warriors who worked for them. It was a time of expanding economic prosperity and a flourishing arts scene, although it was also a time of strict social control and isolation from the rest of the world. Hakuoki is set near the end of the Edo period, when the Tokugawa shogunate began to fall apart and the nation experienced intense internal and external pressure to open itself up to greater foreign influence. The deterioration of the social order and the debate over Japan's openness to foreigners are both major themes in the game.

Top 10 Most Overrated Video Game Characters

Top 10 Most Annoying Characters Of 2012, So Far

Top 10 Games With Stupid A.I.

Top 10 Characters You Hate To Love

More Special Features...

At the beginning of Hakuoki, the main character Chizuru Yukimura (her first name can be changed by the player) comes to the city of Kyoto in search of her missing father. With the decline of the shogunate, the citizens of Kyoto had been falling victim to violence perpetrated by corrupt and masterless samurai, until a group of warriors known as the Shinsengumi formed to keep the peace and protect the populace. The Shinsengumi adopted a code of honor similar to that which the samurai had formerly upheld, but in the story of Hakuoki, they hold dangerous secrets. After arriving in the city, Chizuru comes to the attention of the Shinsengumi, who are also searching for her father and take her under their protection. She must navigate her way through political intrigue, romantic pitfalls, and even supernatural danger as she learns the secrets that her possibly dubious protectors hold.

As a visual novel, there isn't a great deal of traditional "gameplay" in Hakuoki. It's actually a lot like a Choose Your Own Adventure book in which the player's choices determine Chizuru's fate and her romantic future. For the first half of the game, Chizuru's story mostly deals with the political intrigue and other mysteries that she encounters, though her actions will cause certain people to like her more or less. The second half of the game branches off and concentrates on Chizuru's story with the man who most liked her actions in the first half. Fortunately, the game provides a "Record of Service" that gives summaries of each of the story's chapters and allows the player to start a new game from any previously played chapter. That should give players plenty of opportunity to explore the outcomes of the choices in the game.

Although Chizuru will meet a number of interesting people in her adventure, six members of the Shinsengumi are particularly important to the story and are all possible romantic options for Chizuru. The men have a range of personalities designed to appeal to different women, from the enthusiastic Heisuke Toudou to the compassionate Sanosuke Harada to the strong and silent Hajime Saito. Chiziru isn't guaranteed a happy ending with her man of choice, however. Each of the six possible second acts has a good ending and a bad ending, depending on player choices. The bad endings are truly bad, and can even involve the death of Chizuru or her loved one. That Record of Service is looking better and better.

The ESRB has given Hakuoki an M rating, not so much for sexual content (which is described merely as "suggestive") but for graphic depictions of violence. The game doesn't hold back from showing us a world in which order and honor are enforced by the sword, and scenes of battles and supernatural horror are described in a way that would make Quentin Tarantino proud. It makes for an interesting contrast with Catherine, another M-rated game to come over from Japan, which was often bizarre and campy. Hakuoki is more of a historical drama which generally plays things straight, albeit with its own fantastical twist—one that Aksys isn't saying much about but can be seen in preview images featuring vampiric action.

Hakuoki's story will be illustrated by attractive still images and animated movie sequences. The art is high-quality, and though it's done in manga/anime style, it's not exaggeratedly so and doesn't seem to have any of the "chibi" art that turns off many Western viewers. The costumes and backgrounds are colorful without being garish, and give the game a kind of misty historical look. The voiceovers will be in Japanese only, but reading English subtitles shouldn't be an impediment for anybody who enjoys reading enough to purchase a visual novel game in the first place.

Hakuoki: Demon of the Fleeting Blossom is quite different from most of the Japanese games we see in North America, despite otome games being quite popular in the Land of the Rising Sun. People who like story-driven games, enjoy historical fiction, or are simply interested in trying something different should look this one up come Valentine's Day. Hopefully plenty of gamer women will give it a try, because it's very nice to see a console game that's specifically made for us without being sickeningly girly—and what better way to take that PSP out for one last spin than with a bunch of samurai hotties?

By Becky Cunningham
CCC Contributing Writer