Review of Sympathy Kiss

Alternatively, “How I Helped My Company Recover While Steering Clear of the Office Creeper”

Sympathy Kiss
Platform: Switch
Developer: Otomate, Idea Factory
Publisher: Idea Factory International
Release date: February 27th, 2024
Price: $49.99
Digital availability: eShop

Otome, which translates to “maiden games,” frequently take us to interesting locations. The backgrounds are frequently remarkable, whether it’s London Detective Mysteria’s trip to the capital city of the Victorian era, Collar x Malice’s picture of Shinjuku as a violent hotspot, or the Hakuoki duo’s imaginative portrayal of the Edo period.

Sympathy Kiss subverts this tradition in a fun way. Similar to their work from 2021, Cupid Parasite, Otomate’s most recent project is set in a distinctly contemporary office. The protagonist Akari Amasawa must choose between her career and her love life, which is a far more modern challenge than criminal activity or angry demons.

Meta’s Threads: The Game

Indeed, there is purpose behind every endeavor. Your most recent review shows that you, an interface designer at the Estario office, have lost some of your enthusiasm in your work. However, given that the company’s news app is losing users, a modification must be implemented; else, the Estarci application will stop working and may force layoffs.

Therefore, it is your responsibility along with a small team to increase the program’s popularity and protect your teammates’ livelihoods. Furthermore, Sympathy Kiss’ slice-of-life scenario feels pleasantly original after a string of visual novels with distinctly otherworldly objectives. Because you can see their personalities outside of the workplace, even the bachelors in the game feel new.

Job, Passion, Group, and Other Four-Letter Phrases

As one might expect, Estario’s goals place you in the company of eligible bachelors. Some have also been allocated to the Estarci project, so you’ll be interacting with planning and development specialist Mitsuki Saotome and resident workaholic Yoji Kobase on a regular basis. Sympathy Kiss convincingly portrays your coworkers as somewhat static while you’re in the office, even evoking a sense of synergy as you collaborate. However, the game’s branching paths will show you a different side of your coworkers as they divulge more personal aspects of their personalities.

Some bachelors, like the son of one of Estario’s business associates, might play a more supporting role. And then there are the guys like Shuya Usai, a kind bartender at a nearby restaurant, who have no connection to your business. Six main eligibles and two side routes mean that readers will have enough material for at least forty hours of reading. Thankfully, the novel reduces the amount of expositional repetition by providing a story chart and one hundred save spots.

Akari’s Dilemma

Not surprisingly, Sympathy Kiss revolves around the conflict between relational entanglements and becoming a good team member. You will be prompted to choose decisions that contribute to the opposing forces on a regular basis. The meter that these selections progressively fills dictates which ending you’ll see. The novel appears to be trying to strike a balance between work and life, for better or worse. Even though there are no “bad” endings, some of the most satisfying parts of the narrative come from being able to find harmony.

But there is more interaction than just that choice. Akari will occasionally be prompted to react to an item or occasion with an emoji. In a way, your answers aid in forming the protagonist’s character. Additionally, there is an app called RiNG that is similar to LINE and helps maintain ties even outside of work hours.

Akari is largely portrayed in Sympathy Kiss as a kind of a cypher, with her image being unclear and her character lacking voice acting. Reiterating your earlier thoughts, however, can give the impression that you have little influence over the character’s development. Nevertheless, I did long for a more developed, scripted character. Even though Akari is meant to represent the player, her blurriness seemed unsettling.

In summary

Otome frequently use broad historical settings or narrative elements like the paranormal to provide moments of escape. Because of this, Sympathy Kiss’s examination of the conflicts that arise between work and leisure is intriguing; it’s likely a situation that many people can identify with.

The publisher provided a review code for Sympathy Kiss, which was played on the Switch.

Review Overview

Story – 80%

Interface – 80%

Aesthetics – 75%

Content – 80%

Accessibility – 85%

Value – 80%

80%

GOOD!

Summary : Sympathy Kiss is a rather relatable visual novel, with the chance of an interoffice romance and the threat of a layoff. The real stars of this book, despite the protagonist’s frustrating ambiguity, are the bachelors. They’ll help you with your work during the week and show you attention on the weekends and at night.