Sweet Fuse: At Your Side Review

Another title from the guys who brought Hakuoki on the PSP comes their next translated title on both the PSP and Playstation Vita, Sweet Fuse At Your Side. An original title that doesn’t play like most other otome games, offering a strange but interesting story and some new unexpected gameplay mechanics. My review will go in depth into the pros and cons of this title, focusing on story, characters and gameplay. At the end I tally up my overall score on it with my final thoughts. So Let’s get into the review!

The Introduction & Story

The game thrusts you into its story within the first 10 minutes. It doesn’t beat around the bush, you’re playing for life or death (and you can get GameOver!). It has a sort of 999 feel to it as you have to play through games that the terrorist Count Hogstein has created, and if you fail you and everyone playing the game will die. Also like 999 it is text heavy as it is a visual novel first and foremost. This game however is much shorter than 999 as you can finish a story-arc in about 5/6 hours.

It’s set in a theme park centered around video games! How could it not when its host and park designer is Keiji Inafune? So it features some awesome backgrounds while paying homage to titles like Mario Kart, Final Fantasy, Resident Evil etc. The setting is fun and the story is kooky and mysterious enough to make you want more out of the game. The mystery won’t be completely solved after one playthrough, so you have to go through different story-arcs to fully flesh out the mystery behind the Count Hogstein and his treacherous plot. Each story-arc feels meaningful as you get to know the past of different characters as well as their motivations. Each playthrough feels like a genuinely new experience which is unheard of in most otome games, and you have to give Sweet Fuse credit for that.

Sweet Fuse’s story gets an 9.0 out of 10. It’s extensive, mysterious and fascinating as it’s just weird enough to keep you guessing! The story will surprise you as it isn’t clear cut, so even on new playthroughs it throws you more curveballs. Each story-arc changes the story and perspective completely as you gain the affection of the different characters. It was very enjoyable despite it being text heavy (and you can skip through already read text with the square button so the introductions fly by quickly).

The Characters

To begin I’ll give you a quick blurb about the different eligible bachelors.

The oldest of the eligible bachelors so to speak is Shirabe, a detective with a mysterious past. He doesn’t reveal his cards very easily, but the heroine can break down his walls of course! He’s worldly and knowledgeable spouting out facts about Japanese history, folklore etc. Maybe a bit too refined for a highschooler? That’s for you to decide.

The self righteous cop Shidou is a bit rough around the edges. He takes responsibility for taking care of everyone and assumes somewhat of a leader role for the group. He prefers someone who is strong like himself, so you won’t win him over by playing the damsel in distress, although he has no problem taking care of you when necessary. Sometimes he takes on a bit too much responsibility, maybe your love can alleviate some of it for him?

With the fiery red hair is Mitarashi who’s a young male escort. Despite his questionable profession he has a big heart, and takes a bullet for the team on more than one occasion (as noted above). He’s loyal but a bit of a wild card as his intentions aren’t always clear. But if you want to take a gamble he may just be worth it.

The fortune teller with a big heart is Urabe. Never one to talk about his past, or his motives, there’s a lot of mystery behind him.  A bit fragile, he’s definitely the softy of the group. His appearance is the strangest of the group as well, but his colourful robes are a nice change of pace among the modern attire (save for Matarashi’s questionable get-up). You’ve never seen a fortune teller in an otome game before, do you think in your future he sees love?

This character is technically a secret character that is only unlockable after the second playthrough (but he is in the opening movie so you can’t say I spoiled it for you!). You gotta put in time for him literally, but on your second playthrough you’ll meet him immediately (so if you didn’t you’re doing something wrong!). Anyway, he’s the charming college student who’s ready to sleuth around all while winning your heart (and in all pink too!). He’s the friendly charmer who likes an honest woman! Do you think you could honestly fall for a guy all in pink?

The pretty boy idol is Wakasa (and he’s a year younger than you too!). He’s the first to crack under the pressure of the survival games but you can help him man up! He’s not overly prissy despite being in a boy band, but he’s got his moments of pansiness. He can initially be a bit dislikeable for this reason, but he grows on you as he grows up. He’s also got stylish hair a little reminiscent of your own. Maybe it’s in the stars?

The black sheep of the group is Meoshi. Rockin’ that emo hair and straight jacket (or at least that’s what it looks like) he’s got pro gamer skills. Ever wanted a shut in who’s got more game than Inafune himself? He’s a bit of an introvert and he’s especially nervous around girls. Sometimes the shy guy is a kind of endearing story though, as he will open up to you with time. He always has this one eye-sock (specifically the socket) hidden which is kind of distracting though. But can you look past it and straight to his heart?

The evil mastermind behind it all! What are his intentions? He never lets on and is quick to punish those who oppose him! He also has a very annoying voice with sound effects to match. His character is strange as he goes through bouts of kindness and then switches to utter cruelty. What’s his story anyway?

Lastly is you, Saki Inafune (or a name of your choice) the explosive heroine who isn’t afraid to get a little angry. Her role is purposeful and meaningful as she adds something to the group rather than just playing a damsel in distress the whole time. She also has explosive insight which makes her an asset to solving the puzzles in each game. She’s a likeable heroine and a welcomed protagonist (as it gets old when you’re in constant need of saving). Sometimes Saki can save herself!

So what are my thoughts then? All the characters are diverse and interesting. I can’t say from the start of the game that I had a liking towards any of them. They do however have an awesome voice cast, as many of them are recognizable from animes as well as other otome games. I guess my biggest problem with the characters is that the romance really isn’t integral until the very end of every story-arc, you feel very detached from your romantic interest for almost 3/4 of each story. That being said, they still have interesting stories and have fully fleshed out personalities that are very diverse from one another. No two characters feel the same (as it should be with otome games) so they do their job in that regard. I give the characters a 7.0 out of 10. Their attachment to the heroine could be improved, as well as better cutscene artwork (some artworks are a meager picture of their torso up, similar to their artwork during conversations, not inspired at all) so they just miss the mark on fanservice. No character really leaves you wanting more with their story either, but the endings satisfy just enough regardless.

The Gameplay

There’s a lot of expected fare from this game as it follows the general otome/visual novel guidelines. You get to make choices and based on those choices you can get favourable outcomes (receive an affection boost to a certain character) or receive no boosts and on occasion, a GameOver. These choices don’t hold too much weight though, as the quicksave and try again and easy access, as well as the game giving you tons of slots for saving data. So when you don’t feel any pressure from choices of course they’re a click away from a quick fix. It’s very easy to unlock all the artwork within a few days playing at most (as you can skip previously read dialogue).

They also have choices you can make where you can “get mad” or “restrain yourself” which can give you favourable reactions or a dismissal or your over-reaction. You also get to see the guys’ hilarious reactions as you yell at them (which is well worth picking the angry option from time to time). It adds a bit of uncertainty with certain choices, and it gives your character personality with purpose. It’s a funny little choice option that they throw at you every now and then to spice up the banter between the heroine and the guys. I wish more games had this explosive personality!

Another mechanic they’ve added for Sweet Fuse is Explosive Insight. It plays out like a sort of puzzle/problem solving mini-game where you pick words that stand out to you in order to progress the story and the group along. The mechanic reminds me of something taken out of Ace Attorney: Apollo Justice but this time it’s a bit clunkier. Sometimes I feel like the words they have for choices are unclear, as well as feeling like I picked the correct word out of sheer luck from time to time. It could be refined, and it’s definitely a work in progress but I like how Sweet Fuse puts emphasis not only on the story but on the puzzle game that the characters must play through to survive. This is the first otome game where I didn’t feel like I was playing just to interact with the bachelors but rather a game where you used your cunning to get through the story. It’s interesting and it leaves me feeling more satisfied about my contribution to the story than other otome games.
I’m giving the gameplay a 8.0 out of 10 as it attempts to try something new that works to its advantage while keeping the otome aspect as its core.

My Conclusion

So how do I feel about this game on the whole? Breaking down its features helps, but now I will break down my whole experience summed up together. Sweet Fuse At Your Side is a visual novel with romance aspects to it. It is an otome game but don’t expect it to deliver fanservice like the TokiMeki games tend to do. The driving factor is its story, and it’s a deep one that is spontaneous, fascinating and well written in its own right. The story is puzzling and offers a puzzle mechanic that is rewarding because it makes you think. The characters add to the story, not really the romance, and you don’t walk away from the game remembering the first kiss, you walk away remembering what sliver of the mystery you solved, awaiting the next playthrough to learn more about it. So basically I’m saying play this game for the story not the romance or you might be disappointed.
Totaling up the points, overall Sweet Fuse is an 8.2 out of 10. If you own a PSP, or Vita and like otome games then there’s no reason to not pick this game up! In order for companies like Otomate and Aksys to keep creating and translating otome games we have to support the production! So now’s your opportunity to put in a vote for otome games, and perhaps we’ll be getting more in the future. That aside…

Christina