JGames - Togainu no Chi (PC)

I was really looking forward to playing this game for a long time. It's a shame otome type games need so long to be translated into English. I guess it's because there is less interest in them in general. Anyway, after waiting for too many years I have finally played it.

The game itself is almost exactly like the anime. (If you haven't seen the anime yet, I would recommend it.) The plot is pretty much the same up to the point where you are forced to choose a certain route. There are actually quite a few different routes to choose, but my favorite was the Motomi ending. It offered more explanation of things than other routes. I liked Keisuke good ending as well, but that was probably the most expected ending if you've seen the anime. Ever since I've watched the anime, those two just felt like a good team. 

It's a shame the game itself is so short. You can finish it in just a few hours. I was kinda disappointed because it was so short, but then I decided to go through all the different routes. Doing that prolonged the gameplay significantly.

All in all, it's a pretty good otome type game, but if you're expecting a lot more than what you got in the anime, you won't be pleasantly surprised. Still, it's worth playing despite that. Try it if you have the time.

Togainu no Chi (Blood of the Reprimanded Dog) is a Japanese BL visual novel created by Nitro+CHiRAL. The plot centers on Akira, a young man who was made to participate in a deadly game called "Igura" in post-apocalyptical Japan in exchange for being freed from jail. His goal is to beat "Il Re" (Italian for "The King"), the strongest person in Igura. 

Plot:

After being devastated in the third World War (known as The Third Division), Japan was divided in two. Several years after the end of the war, a crime organization called Vischio has taken control of the destroyed city of Toshima (formerly Tokyo, Japan's capital city), where they are holding a battle game known as Igra (romanized as Igura in the Tokyopop manga translation).

Igra is a battle game held in Toshima that may result in the murder of participants. To participate, one must meet with Arbitro and tell him their reason for their decision. Upon meeting with Arbitro, participants are given five dog tags, each engraved like a card in a standard deck of playing cards. One tag must hang from the participant's neck as proof of participation. Participants must then put their lives on the line to collect others' tags, with the goal being to collect a Royal Flush. If a participant collects a Royal Flush set of tags, they earn the right to challenge "Il Re" in battle. Battles end when one party either dies or lets their back touch the ground. The winner takes the loser's tags and is free to do as they please to the loser after that, often resulting in the loser's death.

The game's main character, a young man named Akira, is falsely accused of a crime. Once arrested, a mysterious woman appears before him, offering him freedom if he agrees to participate in Igra and defeat Igra's strongest man: the king, or Il Re. The story follows Akira's life in the harsh, lawless Toshima as he fights both to survive and to unravel the mysteries developing around him.

Developer: Nitro+chiral (PC)

Publisher: Nitro+chiral

Genre: BL game, visual novel

Rating: 18+