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Voltage’s AmuLit started strong with the otome game Even if Tempest. It’s got a strong premise and good characters, despite some launch issues. Returning to that world with a new title and more experience under the team’s belt seemed like a potential for a solid sequel. Good news! This is not just another good one! Sins of Kaleido is a fantastic otome game and I think we might look back on it years from now as one of Voltage’s finest titles.
Witches exist in the world of Even if Tempest and Sins of Kaleido, though this happening hundreds of years later mean that circumstances changed. People who turn to contracts with a witch to fulfill a “wish” are known as Grimnals. They gain supernatural Gifts in return, as well as Malodes curses that eat away at them. Variant Y-axis Xeno Enforcement Nexus (Vy-xen) is a group of five Grimnals who work with the government on the side of good, dealing with others of their kind that no-one else can. Yolca Yulewood finds herself turning to them to assist with a situation threatening the life of her and one of her dearest friends, getting caught up in their affairs and with solving the mysteries of the artist Ambrose and the Kaleidotower he built while trying to also follow in her father’s footsteps and become head of her family. (Oh, and maybe finding love with one of the Vy-xen men along the way.)
Like many of the other Voltage otome games out there, Sins of Kaleido is primarily a visual novel. There are some investigative elements, but it is primarily about making major decisions that influence the course of Volca’s life and her relationships with the male leads. However, it does function in the same way as Even if Tempest. This means it involves seeing certain routes and ends via your choices before unlocking other characters and understanding the full story. Once Yolca meets a bad end, it isn’t actually over. Reloading a past save or returning to a previous choice becomes critical in finding your way forward. The Fatal Rewind mechanic from the previous game returns, which means despite some devastating moments, the story continues.
This means at the outset we can only grow closer to Kanoa and Tilkett. Eugene, Heath, and Orsem’s routes opening up later. While in some titles I’m not the biggest fan of this kind of gatekeeping, given the nature of this game and series as a whole, it absolutely makes sense. I’d even say going through stories in a certain order almost feels like a necessity to better understand and appreciate it all. The insights and details that come up in Eugene and Orsem’s stories, as an example, feel like you need the previous experiences as context. I’d even argue it also feels like you need some Even if Tempest experience as well, though I suppose you could get by without it.
As for the story, Sins of Kaleido is a gut punch just like Even if Tempest, and I’d say this otome gets even darker and deeper than some other ones. There aren’t any trigger warnings on the eShop page, but know that some things touched on in certain circumstances include cannibalism, self-harm, suicide, abuse, and violence. Which you can probably guess given the number of bad-ends, this being a follow-up in the same world as the previous entry, and the Vy-xen group dealing with individuals who are criminals with unimaginable powers who also made deals of their own. There are some very bad people in the game, and we watch Volca fight back against them and a person she has a very personal vendetta against. As a plus, she’s a very strong individual who’s also aware of her own abilities and limitations, and it is interesting to see how the narrative handles that.
Speaking of an interesting narrative choice, Voltage did something unusual for the introduction here! Things start with an intense focus on the members of Vy-xen. So when we’re first learning about our protagonist Volca, we’re doing so as the group is going through some investigations and encounters her. It’s only after that the game opens up and we actually to step into her shoes and properly begin her story, and it ended up being an incredibly effective way to introduce the cast and build suspense.
Not only is Volca great, but the five love interests in Sins of Kaleido are fantastic. There isn’t a bad route here. Every single one is fascinating and features a well-rounded individual with positive and negative traits, as well as interesting motivations and Grimnal backgrounds to them. There are also a number of plot twists that I legitimately did not see coming, even in early routes. Also, there’s a lot of romance here and we see relationships build up, and it feels like the team did a better job of making it all feel more romantic than some of the other AmuLit games. Which all means when you do get to the point where you earn the good endings, it feels as satisfying as it did in Even if Tempest.
Likewise, the artistic direction in Sins of Kaleido is amazing. The character designs all look unique, but fit the theme perfectly. Some of the more haunting or unnerving characters do look quite unsettling. The CGs are impressive. Even the UI for menus looks good and works well, which makes it easy to navigate around after you do get a bad end or want to explore a route to see what you should be doing next.
I genuinely think we’ll point to Sins of Kaleido as one of the best Switch otome games once this console hits the end of its lifespan. It surely will be remembered as one of the best Voltage titles. It’s such a wonderful story with deep lore, intense drama, and compelling characters. It’s all incredibly satisfying in every possible way. Not to mention it’s also a worthy successor to Even if Tempest.
Sins of Kaleido is available for the Switch.
