sins of KALEIDO Review (Switch)

Yolca and the Vy-xens

Oh this is so exciting! I’ve been looking forward to this game ever since we knew it as Project: Kaleido Tower. I may not have played Even if Tempest when it was teased, but I did know at the time that a lot of people enjoyed it. After finally playing Even if Tempest about a month before the release of this game, let me tell you I was looking forward to this one even more. I will make sure to post my review for Even if Tempest before this one, but I really enjoyed Even if Tempest so I was full steam ahead for Sins of Kaleido just like I said I would be. I am both excited and scared to see what’s going to happen with these characters haha.

Also, I guess you can already tell that I will reference Even if Tempest a lot in my review. I usually tend to not reference other games in my reviews to help them stand on their own, but I knew I would before I started writing and well just look at how much I referenced it in my first paragraph. Take a shot whenever I mention Even if Tempest haha (I’m joking, please don’t). Well, let’s dive right into my review for Sins of Kaleido, a game that takes place within the same universe as Even if Tempest!.

Sins of Kaleido takes a different approach to how things kick off in this title compared to the previous. After getting a little flashback sequence teasing the storyline for the Common Route, we actually first view the world through the love interests (or LIs) rather than our protagonist. Taking place 1,000 years after the events of Even if Tempest and in a different nation called Skyless, a lot has changed. Well, it would be weird if it didn’t, but at the same time there are small aspects that have stayed the same. It seems that the witches we know and love from the days of yore have become fairytales to the people of today due witches suddenly disappearing one day (hmmm I wonder why /s). However, they do still exist, they just adapted to their circumstances and times. Taking advantage of the fact that humans can’t recognize witches anymore, they have started making deals, or covenants, with humans again. When a human agrees to form a covenant with a witch, they gain a Gift, or power, that is an embodiment of their wish. However, the Gift doesn’t come free as they also gain a Malode, which is basically the price they have to pay for their Gift and is unique to them. Once a human enters a covenant with a witch and gains their Gift, they are henceforth called Grimnals. Due to betraying humanity and so often using their Gifts to hurt others, they are also heavily discriminated against, have no rights, and are executed with no trial and zero tolerance. Though, it does seem the universe has given witches their own natural predator (which is a really nice callback to Even if Tempest and I’m happy they’re still a thing).

This is where our LIs come in, as Skyless has decided to fight fire with fire. To combat Grimnals, why not use Grimnals? Brought together due to them not using their Gifts to hurt humans (er well, mostly), the LIs are all a part of Vy-xen (or Variant Y-axis Xeno Enforcement Nexus). Vy-xen is basically tasked by the government to preserve peace within Skyless through the form of hunting Grimnals once they receive a case and killing monsters that appear during Crimson Nights (which will also be a bit familiar if you’ve played Even if Tempest and seems to only occur in Skyless every 10 days). After completing their most recent case, Tilkett, along with Heath and Eugene, decides to do something that kickstarts the whole game: creating a work ad. You see, the Vy-xens are still discriminated against despite all the help they give, but Tilkett deduces that this is due to them not properly getting credit. So he creates the work ad on the spot, with Heath and Eugene adding some touches he forgot, so they can get a job without a middleman, get proper credit, and eventually become more well known. And, well, the moment they walk away their little ad gets blown off the neighborhood message board and right to the feet of a mysterious young lady. A mysterious young lady who is our protagonist!

The first timeline actually teases you with the protagonist, carefully keeping her name from being mentioned, as we actually follow the Vy-xens from a third person perspective. Making this an Otome where us, the player, meets the LIs first rather than it being through the eyes of the protagonist. Anyway, they soon get some visitors that are looking to directly hire them for a job. They take all three jobs which all end up leading to the same woman (aka our protagonist) and things end up going wrong. Majorly wrong. But nothing like a Fatal Rewind to fix things up!

In the second timeline, things do follow similar events, but with two key differences. This is where we finally join our lovely protagonist, Yolca Yulewood (you can change her first name), and we get to see the events that led up to her being in Skyless. While I won’t necessarily spoil things here, we do also learn Yolca’s motivations, why she couldn’t communicate, and what she’s aiming to accomplish. The events of the Common Route was kicked off with Yolca seeking revenge as her best (and only) friend Eira was cursed protecting her. We do also learn that her overall motivation is becoming Head of House Yulewood and figuring out who was behind her parents’ murder. You see, six years prior Yolca and her parents were publicly and legally declared murdered due to an armed robbery; however Yolca didn’t die that night. She’s still alive. No one believes she’s a Yulewood though so she has decided to build enough power and influence so she has to be recognized as a Yulewood, officially alive, and take the title of being the Head just like her father was. Though, first, she has to deal with a little yandere Grimnal.

Events between the two timelines are broadly the same in the beginning, but there is a key difference in the fact that Yolca approaches Vy-xens herself. Or, well, she sleeps there for the night and they discover her when they wake up. Really makes me wonder how the first timeline went especially since it’s implied she had the mysterious anonymous letters with information that the sender shouldn’t have in the first timeline as well. Well, anyway, this leads her meeting the LIs in a more favorable way where she can try to explain her side of things, ally herself with them, and deal with her yandere Grimnal. This does bring her to be hired as the only non-Grimnal whose role is to be live bait, but hey what can you do when that’s the one thing you can offer (and anyway it does end up revealing to be a path to get into House Yulewood). Yolca and the Vy-xens end up setting their sights on Kaleidotower, which is also known as Witch’s Tower, which was built by and houses creations of a famous millennium artist named Ambrose. Kaleidotower is more connected to the witches than anyone expected and combining that with Yolca’s unique connection to Kaleidotower might actually turn the tides in the battle between humans and witches.

It was a bit difficult to write about the Common Route this time due to how everything is set up and juggling trying to pick out the most important information, taking out anything that isn’t needed or spoils things I want you to experience yourself, and trying to not yap too much; but I think I managed it. Sins of Kaleido really had me worried in the beginning, but by the end I ended up quite liking the Common Route. While Even if Tempest throws you into a pot full of boiling water, Sins of Kaleido puts you in a crock pot to slow cook you. That is to say, the Common Route this time around is a slowburn that does take a while to hook you in. I believe this is due to a lot of worldbuilding being frontloaded in the form of exposition dumps, starting with following the LIs first while keeping Yolca veiled in mystery, Yolca not becoming a Grimnal herself, her role in hunting witches being right at the end, and some aspects being a bit confusing or feeling rushed. On one hand, it does cause the beginning of the game to be its weakest, but on the other it really turns the expectations you have (whether you played Even if Tempest first or not) on its head. While some aspects could have been done better and my thoughts are more mixed, it does a lot of things well. I really liked seeing how the world changed after the events of Even if Tempest and how witches and humans adapted to each other due to those changes. As silly as it sounds, I got really happy whenever I spotted a little easter eggs or parallels to Even if Tempest haha. I do like the storyline in the Common Route, even though it does get a bit messy and it could have hit harder if approached slightly differently (like actually having Eira appear so we care about her rather than being told to care about her because Yolca cares about her). I do really like the threat of the Grimnal here in combination of what his Gift is (which does bring along paranoia and really makes you wonder what if he was an overarching antagonist), how he’s connected to Yolca, and how creepy he is in a lot of his appearances. I also really like how the game handles him at the start (I…can’t really say too much here or else I’ll spoil the twist).

I really miss the focus that Even if Tempest put on the side characters here, especially in terms of Eira, as here they’re more to push the story forward and to characterize Yolca, but I did like the LIs here. It was pretty interesting seeing the first timeline playing out in their perspective, which makes it a little murder mystery, and once you get into the second timeline I liked getting to know them alongside Yolca. The LIs here are introduced well, showing you their positive traits that do make you like them and want to play their route, while throwing in their negative traits that make you side eye them. It was certainly a choice giving these guys yandere traits when you start out with a yandere antagonist haha. It was interesting learning about their Gifts, how they use them, and then wondering what their Malode is (aside from one of them whose Malode triggers in the middle of the Common Route). You do also get hints to what their route storyline could be about. On that note, the game does do a lot of subtle foreshadowing. The type that does stand out as weird, a coincidence, or think it’s just a quirk of that character when you’re first playing, but the more you think about it and the events surrounding it the more you build up theories. Naturally, the Common Route does end with some mysteries as well. Who has Fatal Rewind? Who sent the anonymous letters to Yolca? What are everyone else’s Malodes? What is Eugene’s Gift? Why does Yolca have such a unique connection to Kaleidotower? Who killed Yolca’s parents and why was she declared dead? Why is Orsem so ominous and cryptic? Why does Crimson Night happen every 10 days? Who is Ambrose?

On what I thought about the side characters here, they sadly don’t have much of a presence here this time around. They do serve their roles well, but there are some side characters that felt they should have had an overarching presence. There are some that fit perfectly with how much they were written to be involved, but there are some that felt they were meant to appear more. Like Eira, Yolca’s best friend, which I was pretty disappointed that she didn’t at least have a phone call with her each route. Or Yolca’s uncle which is a bit weird that he barely appears, but I ended up really liking him. The Common Route Grimnal is very well written though, and oh my gosh Ambrose? I absolutely loved Ambrose (and not just for spoiler-y reasons) as he is a really fun character. I also really loved the other spoiler-y side characters and they were used so well here.

As for Yolca, I really liked her as a Protagonist. She is a bit contradictory in her characterization, but I did like her motivation of wanting to be recognized as a Yulewood again and aiming to become the family’s Head just like her father was. Especially since she idolized her parents for being genuinely kind and helping those in need, which rubbed off on her as her parents wished for her to be the same. Her circumstances are not too great after their death, but she still tries to live with the values she was taught. It was also quite interesting to have a protagonist who is weak, in the sense that she has a weak constitution due to her heart, and she hates that about herself. She also hates how her only weapon, aside from the skills she learned from her guardian, is her looks; though that doesn’t mean she won’t use her looks to get out of unfavorable situations or the odd situation where she uses it to manipulate men to do what she wants.

Yolca is also smart, the kind to plan things out to the smallest detail, ambitious, wears her emotions on her sleeve, tries to look on the bright side of things, and isn’t as naive to trust someone so easily. She also tries to judge people based on their actions, rather than them being a Grimnal or the way they look, she really knows how to motivate people around her, aims to make sure the people she cares about takes care of themselves (not letting them distract her away), and she hates pushing tasks onto someone else or having someone else die due to her action (or inaction). However, the unpredictableness of humans does often catch her off guard (ruining her plans), easily falls into despair, hates herself a lot and genuinely is very hard on herself, is still naive in some aspects, can be quite stubborn, impulsive and impatient at times, and does need external validation.

It was certainly a gamble to start Yolca off with not being able to communicate, but I think it really paid off here. The first timeline really gives you an idea of how she is when she feels cornered. Her guardian calls her a fluffy white rabbit which, yeah, she definitely is. She is really cute and you would never suspect all of the, ahem, self defense items that she carries all the time. She also has some pretty funny moments that come from her little feisty side like when she clicks her tongue when things don’t go her way or when she jokes about tossing a smoke bomb or when her inner schemer comes out.

There are actually three systems here that you’ll be interacting with, one that will be quite familiar and two that are unique for this title. The first is Repairing, which is basically this game’s form of Love Catch (and if you played Even if Tempest, it works the same here as well). You get a little sneak during the Common Route and since there’s a focus on paintings, it takes the form of a framed blank canvas. Most choices you make within a route will affect your affection level with the LI. Choices that raise it will cause it to brighten up with their designated color; however for choices that don’t and instead pushes them deeper into despair it’ll show a canvas being overtaken by darkness. Though, a lot of story events will tip the scales as well as the Love Catch does often pop up due to what’s happening in the route. This does also double as getting a window into what the LIs must be thinking for feeling and while this could be annoying, I didn’t really mind it at the end of the day. You can also see your status in the pause menu in the form of a card with the LI art on it being shrouded in darkness. The less darkness there is, the more points you have. From what I can tell, which ending you get can depend on some key choices specifically tied to it or based on your affection level.

The other two systems here relate to Grimnals and witches. Taking the place of Witch Trials, we instead have Appraisals. After all, artwork is very important and witches have become sneakier since 1000 years ago. The first kind of appraisal, which you get to do in the Common Route, is Mental Appraisal. You learn that some witches will hide deep within a Grimnal, rescinding within their minds and hearts. To eradicate the witch, you must also dive into the Grimnal’s heart to dissect it layer by layer until the witch, which takes the form of butterflies, must reveal themselves. This basically takes the form of a mind map where you have nodes that have you answer a question to see if you understand the Grimnal and then memory nodes where you get to view a memory that ties into why they chose to get into a covenant with a witch (which will also help you answer the question posed by their heart). The more nodes you visit the more that appear and there are also some locked away memories that you’ll have to wait in anticipation for. Also, the Grimnal will also materialize to try and bring Yolca to despair, but don’t worry as she’ll also bring along a LI with her.

The second appraisal is Art Appraisal. Witches also reside within Ambrose’s creations, but getting rid of them does require a different method. First, you have to figure out what piece it is first and luckily, you have Yolca’s Diary. There is a section in her diary that lists all of Ambrose’s works that you’ll encounter along with the little fable that goes along with it. Some are pretty obvious just by the title, but some are a little bit tricky. Once you figure out what piece it is, you’ll then have to either point out the inconsistency, pick which one is the real one, or simply figure out what it is (sometimes there is another step, but Yolca and whichever LI she’s with will do it automatically).

Oh, and we have Yolca’s Diary which you can access in the pause menu. Sadly, despite Yolca having the habit of writing in it, we don’t get to see what she writes in it. Instead, the Diary only has the documents that Yolca kept in the Common Route for you to look back on, some important terminology, and you can look at the fables for Ambrose’s various artworks whenever Yolca is in Kaleidotower. There’s also a little blurb about Ambrose in the artwork section which is written in a way that you can definitely picture it as being on the back or the sleeve of a book that’s about him and his works.

Well, it’s time to finally get into the routes! Sins of Kaleido is structured similarly to Even if Tempest, just with an additional LI. You start with two routes unlocked, being able to choose who to do first, which will then unlock the next two once you finish them, and then finally once you finish all four the final route unlocks. Once you finish a route, you will also automatically be put into the next one or onto the path of the next one once you get to the second set. There are a couple of different endings here that you can get: Bad/Dead Endings, Despair Endings, Sad Love Endings, and Happy Endings. Bad Ends and Dead Ends are, of course, early ends that happen if you pick the wrong choice at a specific time which can cause Yolca’s death or cause her to not be able to continue due to a variety of reasons (like falling into despair or being trapped). Despair Ends are what I believe are the canon endings to all but the last route’s timeline. Sad Love Ends, which a route may have more than one, is where Yolca and the LI are in love but, well, it ends on a tragic note. And finally, Happy Ends are unlocked once you finish Orsem’s route and hit the credits. There’s no specific requirement to unlock one of them like in Even if Tempest, so don’t worry about that. You’ll understand why you have to finish the whole game to get the Happy Ends.

Well, let’s dive right in! As always, I’ll be talking about the LIs in the order I did them in.

Kanoa Fortis

First up is Kanoa, who shares a striking resemblance to 9 R.I.P.’s Koyo so much I liked joking about how he’s an alternate version of him before I started playing. He is one of the first LIs you meet as a player and is the fourth LI Yolca meets in the second timeline. Kanoa is considered to be the strongest Grimnal due to his Gift being able to control wind at will, which includes turning himself into wind which is crazy. Due to his Gift, however, he is often accused of crimes that happened and is required to wear finger restraints while out in public. His Malode is also the only one we know before the routes start, due to it taking effect during the Common Route. Anyway, Kanoa is a cute little tsundere that often is rude and a meanie, but in an endearing way. Like, you know he doesn’t really mean it and is just his way of either showing that he loves you or to hide what he’s truly feeling. While he won’t roll over if he even thinks you’re causing trouble for him or wronged him, he is actually quite shy when he meets someone new. He is quite stubborn, smart, hates pervs or anyone that’s too pushy towards women, short tempered (though he will apologize when this does blow up in his face), can be so chaotic sometimes, and can be pretty considerate when he wants to be. He’s also the type of person that wants to handle his own business, not wanting someone else to worry about it, and annoyed when he doesn’t join in on fights.

Oh, and he is one of the few characters that’s not affected by Yolca’s looks and it is quite funny when he points out the subtle signs that she’s faking. When he’s not doing Grimnal cases he also works as a gravekeeper.

My bias for tsunderes are really showing because Kanoa ended up being my favorite by the end of the Common Route so I did his route first. It turns out that it was a good choice! This ended up reminding me of Cruis’ route from Even if Tempest in a sense that there is a lot of fluff with the occasional narrative and dark moment until everything comes to head in the climax. That said, I really liked Kanoa’s route. Like I said, I love tsunderes and his route fed me. Kanoa is kind of like a spicy cat that you have to slowly whittle down and then not take his lashing out too much to heart. It was a great idea to have the route’s first conflict be related to their relationship, especially with Kanoa’s personality, and I honestly loved the way it was handled. I loved seeing how they fell in love with each other without realizing, how the other Vy-xens felt like they were cheering for them to get together (while also teasing Yolca and Kanoa whenever they could), and then seeing Kanoa soften as the route progressed. Kanoa does say some harsh things, but I did really like how Yolca does hit low too and they both took time to apologize and communicate so they could understand each other. Misunderstanding arc? Not on Sins of Kaleido’s watch! There were also some really funny moments (for example, there’s one particularly strange CG you can see on the game’s official website and the lead up to it is so funny), but don’t think the route won’t play with your emotions!

As for the storyline for this route, I enjoyed it. It’s really the type that does have some aspects that are a bit weird, but everything makes sense once you get to the end where the last plot twist happens. I liked uncovering Kanoa’s past (this encompasses a lot of the storyline here actually so yay easy way to not spoil things); I definitely appreciated getting a bit more depth on Yolca’s motivations; and I was quite surprised at the overarching mystery that this route tackled. I also really enjoyed how Yolca and Kanoa’s romance progressed and how it was weaved alongside the route’s storyline if you couldn’t already tell. It really puts you through the ringer, I don’t know who the game hated more, Yolca or Kanoa haha. Going back to the final plot twist, I honestly was not expecting it and the game does a great job at catching you off guard as it makes you think everything is going to be all sunshine and rainbows. I actually guessed two of the other twists (one of which I guessed mainly because I played Even if Tempest and was kind of expecting a certain morbid element to be incorporated in some way), but I was not at all suspicious about the very subtle hints. I had my mouth open in disbelief and horror until I completed the route (though, part of that was how the route ended). Oh, we also get some foreshadowing for future routes (some being more obvious than others).

Tilkett Halmshaw

Next up, I did Tilkett and I was quite surprised that the LI that seemed to be the game’s poster boy is one of the first two routes you can do. Tilkett is definitely a character that you’ll instantly like as he is such a sweet cinnamon roll. He is one of the three first LIs you meet and is the first LI Yolca meets in the second timeline. Nicknamed Til, he is a Grimnal that ended up having the most selfless Gift in the form of being able to control his blood. It does require him to slice himself, but he uses his blood for many things like as a way to track/locate people, he can tell when an item has blood on it and basically analyze it, and to heal people. He can use his blood as a weapon, but he rarely does, opting for a more supportive role. Due to his Gift, it isn’t surprising that he is also a licensed doctor on the side and he often heals those in need without accepting anything in return. Anyway, he has admired Yolca ever since they were kids and you can tell by the way he interacts with her. Tilkett is a very considerate and bubbly guy, very observant to the point where you wonder how he got everything right with little information, very friendly, very perceptive, pretty humble, a bit reckless, and definitely is set in his ways to the point where he has learned to be sneaky about things. He will respect your boundaries and wishes, but he does not like it when people try to limit him even when it’s born from worry. He also has a dash of yandere in him.

I’m quite surprised that the LI that you can safely assume is the poster boy for the game ended up being one of the first two LIs you can do. It does make sense though once you get into his route and play the others. Anyway, I really liked this route as well! Though, man, his route gets so sad and dark and I guess it shouldn’t have been a surprise since characters like Tilkett often have dark routes. The storyline here revolves around diving into Tilkett’s character and how his backstory shaped how he is today. We also get some more information on House Yulewood, little fun facts about Yolca, information about what’s going to come into play in another route (and some subtle foreshadowing of course), and Orsem actually plays a key part here (which I was quite surprised by). Oh, and the romance which really works hard to just crush your heart, and then making you so happy with how they’re finally progressing to being officially together, only to crush you again in a final blow. This route is so unfair with how it just gives you hope and then throws you into despair and then repeats until you reach the end. Like, I was trying not to cry, partly because I made the horrible choice of playing it with other people around and partly to try and be as brave as Yolca.

I was also quite surprised how similar Tilkett and Yolca are. Like, they are very similar and their differences stem from what they’re able to do, who they were around, and the path they went down.

Other than that, I really liked how this route progresses and what it focuses on. I liked seeing more of Tilkett and finding out slowly that his very optimistic demeanor hid a well of deep sadness that you slowly uncover. I really liked learning why Tilkett saw Yolca as an idol he should worship, Yolca fighting so he sees her as an equal, how they handled the romance which you can easily describe as tragic, and how cutely they incorporated one of the classic tropes you see in Japanese romances. I also really liked how you got to see more of the dynamic that everyone has with one another, which spawns some funny moments, and how they acted once they knew that Yolca liked Tilkett. There were also some unexpected scary moments here. Oh, and this route does a great job with unraveling the mystery (putting you in the role of a detective which I loved), giving you enough hints to theorize and even guess the truth, but then surprise it was actually half of it! It really catches you off guard when you think you had it all figured out, or even makes you doubt yourself, and throws in some really unexpected moments. Not to mention seeing more angry Yolca haha, I really liked the symbolism used, and don’t worry there are a good amount of cute and funny moments.

Eugene

In the second set of unlocked routes, I chose to do Eugene first. He is one of the three LIs you first meet as a player and meets Yolca second in the new timeline. Eugene is the only Vy-xen that you don’t know what his Gift is, but you do get some hints to what it could possibly be. He is quite the flirt and often is seen as a womanizer or a perv due to him being the one that pays particular attention to women and being quite suggestive (not in an obvious sexual way but in a more sneaky subtle way). He doesn’t see himself that way, saying that he’s only being friendly and respects boundaries to defend himself against Kanoa, you guessed it, is the one that calls him a perv haha. Still, he is pretty carefree, seemingly being able to pick up on people’s emotions or what they’re trying to convey, doesn’t take credit that isn’t his, and has a slight mysterious vibe to him. He also does wish the best for his fellow Vy-xens, smooths things over when the others are bickering in front of people that don’t know their dynamic, and has a keen business sense (which makes sense since he’s a Trader on the side). I’m sure he was happy that the Vy-xens got a female member, and said female member was super cute. He also has some yandere in him which is quite creepy in contrast to how he usually is.

This is where I have to start being careful cause there’s a whole lot of spoiler landmines. That said, I surprisingly ended up really liking this route, which I didn’t expect while I was playing through it. I guess you can see the pattern by now as we get Yolca hanging out with Eugene, eventually get his backstory, some foreshadowing, some fun inclusions from the other LIs and the side characters featured in this route, and then we get more depth into the lore. This is definitely a route you have to go in blind, like you have to, and all I can say is that it definitely makes sense why his tarot card is The Devil and why literally all the other LIs tell Yolca to stay away from him. This route makes you go through it, it gets very dark, and it even makes one of the other revelations you learn so much darker as it focuses on giving us more information on a certain aspect of Skyless. I have some thoughts I want to get out, which I’ll put under a spoiler box, but I have to say that the ending is so good. The way this route progresses is amazing, really makes the feelings sneak up on you, and you may feel yourself tearing up if you usually don’t like LIs like Eugene. You do kind of expect what Eugene’s route has in store based on his looks, his personality, and other LIs; but you are not ready for what this route has in store for you. This route is a much needed shake up too.

Oh, and I really liked just seeing more of Eugene’s interactions with the others. Like it was really interesting seeing how he interacts with Heath and Kanoa and getting a peak into his mind. And then once you have the context of what gets revealed, looking back on it. I also just really liked how Yolca is in this route too. I also just liked getting to know Eugene even though he is a pain in the butt sometimes. Why can’t you be all sweet all the time Eugene huh? Stop playing your cruel jokes and doing subtle jabs at others! But I guess I love him for his duality haha.

Also I’m kind of glad I did Eugene’s route first cause Heath was so sad I didn’t pick him during this route. It definitely made me feel bad. Well, here’s hoping Heath’s route isn’t as dark!

Heath Crescent

It’s time for Heath to take the stage and he is actually the LI that I picked as my favorite based on looks alone (which I always do before starting an Otome game). I have to admit I wasn’t really into the maid outfit, and almost skipped on this game partly due to it, but I have to admit that it hits differently in-game. Heath is the fourth LI you meet as the player and the third LI Yolca meets in the new timeline. Funnily enough, he came in right as Yolca was wondering if there were no women in the Vy-xen’s residence and he wasn’t even in his maid outfit haha. Heath’s Gift is actually nullifying others’ Gifts causing them to not work on him and thus can’t be harmed from Gifts. It only applies to himself, but he has found out that anything he creates gets a weaker version of his nullification which can be helpful. While not on any Grimnal cases, he works as a temp maid for the wealthy. Do you mean butler or housekeeper? Nope, maid. Whenever he has a job, he wears a maid outfit and he does it so people would talk about that rather than him being a Grimnal. It started as a joke from a fellow Vy-xen, but it has worked so he’s stuck with it. Heath is basically an ice king kind of character as he is outwardly cold, detached, reserved, logical, and doesn’t care about humiliating himself; but he does show that he cares about others in his own way. Like he cooks for everyone, makes sure everyone is healthy (forcibly if needed), and is pretty overprotective to those he cares about. He even worries about Yolca and what it means for her to join their group. He does also have some other interesting quirks to him, which definitely helps you spot the cracks in his ice king exterior.

Oh and he’s one of the few characters that’s not affected by Yolca’s looks and does cause an awkward atmosphere for a bit since it causes her to notice that Heath doesn’t really look at her.

Welp, Heath and Eugene ended up being complete opposites more than I thought based on the impression the alternate Common Route gave me. Quick TL;DR on my thoughts: I thought I wouldn’t like Eugene’s route but I ended up loving it; while I thought I would love Heath’s route but ended up disliking it. Yep, I didn’t really like Heath’s route or how Heath was here. I will say that I did like the revelations that came with knowing Heath’s backstory as it did fill out a lot of other previously revealed information and we got some more lore about the world, but I just…didn’t like how Heath himself was in this route and I have gripes about how part of the route’s story was handled here. I’ll go into my gripes with the route’s storyline in the spoiler box, but as for my thoughts on Heath I just didn’t really like how he was acting during his route. Before I went down his route I joked in my mind (and I will later on in my review) that Heath was like the mom of the group and that is basically what he is in his route but turned up to the max.

Though, I really loved how Eugene took up the chaotic good role during this route in his attempts to get Heath and Yolca to actually talk, to force Heath to change, and to get together. And there’s even a Bad End that heavily foreshadows his route. Other than Eugene, I did also like how Kanoa gave his perspective in his attempt to help Heath understand Yolca. Tilkett has some funny moments here, foreshadows a little reveal that happens in this route, and gives you more insight on Heath. Orsem is as mysterious as ever and leading events to happen the way he wants (which I was all for as it also aligned to what Yolca wanted too) and we got to learn a little interesting tidbit. Oh, and I loved Ambrose in this route! I can’t really say why cause it’s linked to spoilers, but I will say that I had a theory since my second route regarding him and this route solidified it for me. While I did have my gripes with the storyline here, that doesn’t mean I disliked the entirety of it as I did like the first half. Especially since a certain side character was kicked down a peg here. It was also a change of pace even though I didn’t quite like it. I do think the twists here are pretty easy to guess, though this may be because I did this route fourth, but there are still some surprises here and I didn’t really mind as like I said before it brought along some new information.

Orsem Helhand

Last, but not least, is Orsem. He is the last LI both you and Yolca meet and he is the most mysterious one out of the bunch. Nicknamed Or, which really makes some sentences confusing, his Gift is allegedly precognition and he is a lawyer on the side. As you’d expect, he is the one that deals with anything involving the military or the laws and is pretty conniving and shameless. Like, his manipulation style is getting people to do what he wants by subtly planting seeds and pushing them so they think it was their idea and not his. And even if they realize it, well, it’s too late and they pretty much can’t back out. He is really mysterious, often being vague or poetic, and he seems to know more than he lets on. He’s calculating, he can be quite scary and intense, and he even turns it around on Yolca as he uses his looks, charm, and sweet nothings from his voice (that I have to admit is quite seductive) to charm Yolca. It does also seem he uses his flirty, smooth talking side to keep Yolca hooked, while also being able to do a little dig at her, or to mess with her so she’s off her game and open for some manipulation. So yeah, classic lawyer haha, but you can’t deny that he’s pretty hot.

Also, I swear Orsem takes way too much pleasure from being mysterious, putting Yolca in difficult positions, and seeing his manipulation work successfully. Like, stop being so mysterious dude!

I’m not just saying this because Heath turned out to be my least favorite, but Orsem would have been my number one purely based on looks if it wasn’t for the vibe his character art exceeds even completely separate from the game. He gives off a very intimidating aura that does draw you in, but sets you on edge as you get a gut feeling he’ll manipulate you. Once you get into the game, that feeling is true and you spend the whole game with him being mysterious, guiding events so they happen the way he wants to, and hints to what’s truly going on getting a bit less subtle as you have more routes on your belt. When you finally get to his route, the only thing you really expect is to get answers to the final unanswered questions. Yeah, finally getting to my thoughts on this route haha.

So what did I think about Orsem’s route? Well, I honestly loved it a lot and found it to be a really fun read. I really like how the other LIs were written and used here as it gives you more daily life stuff, they get to be more involved, there are some great and funny moments with them, and we actually see them deal with their problems. We get to see some more…spoiler-y things which were so cool and Even if Tempest fans would absolutely love (I know I did) while also not leaving behind those that played this game first. I also think the route progressed pretty well here, albeit being feet heavy (like bottom heavy but I’m calling it feet heavy since it’s like the last part or two). I did also like the reveals and the way they were revealed. Granted, if you’ve played Even if Tempest you’ll catch on to some of them faster, but I do think it’s revealed brilliantly. Especially since a certain favorite character of mine appeared, which I literally silently screamed when he did. Now, I do have some gripes. While I don’t think Orsem’s route was plagued by the True Route curse too badly, there are some confusing and rushed aspects here that do make the end feel weak and anticlimactic. I do also think Orsem’s route really could have benefited from having a part of it be from his perspective. At least part of a chapter.

Okay, I kept you guys in suspense long enough; I loved Orsem during this route. I loved the way the route started and how Orsem had to react to it, which ends up as you seeing different sides to him. Hopefully this doesn’t spoil anything, but I love how Yolca forces Orsem to chase her, forces him to change the way he does things, and forces him to change. I really liked getting to actually know Orsem more, seeing Yolca fall for him, and the more you play through his route the more it becomes obvious that he needed someone like Yolca. He does do some crazy things, but I think it helps that you do expect it, he does have good intentions, and Orsem does work on himself and grows. A lot of what he does also ends up making a lot of sense once you learn why he made the choices he did. He also has some really funny moments and I loved the way he and Yolca interacted all throughout. Orsem is also way too suave sometimes that I couldn’t help but swoon over him.

I guess what I’m saying is that he’s a red flag LI, but he’s my red flag LI.

Here are my LI rankings! If you don’t already know, I base my rankings on the combination of the LIs themselves and their route.

Orsem > Eugene > Kanoa > Tilkett > Heath

My Recommended Route Order:

Kanoa -> Tilkett -> Heath -> Eugene -> Orsem

There isn’t an official recommended route order as far as I know, but this order is what I personally recommend. You do Kanoa/Tilkett and Heath/Eugene in any order you want, but I kind of like this order. I do think Kanoa’s route is a good first route with how it introduces you to everything, what to expect, and okay maybe I like the idea of starting with the fluffiest route first. As for Heath/Eugene, I honestly think playing Heath’s route first does give you an additional mystery, the way this route shakes things up seems more fitting to happen before playing Eugene’s, does have some really good foreshadowing to Eugene’s route, and sets up expectations on what to expect in Eugene’s route pretty well. Okay, I might also be a little bias since I didn’t really like Heath’s route and wished I played his before Eugene’s.

For my rankings, I did have some difficulty ranking everyone (well, except Heath, sorry Heath). I really liked most of the LIs and everyone’s routes were great. I liked how each route’s progression was handled, how they intertwined the romance and the story, what layers of the narrative each route tackled, and I liked the various reveals and twists that happened. Kanoa and Tilkett are really close, but my tsundere bias won over that battle and I already went in on Heath’s route. I feel bad for not liking Heath, especially since I have seen so many people loving him, but I will say that I do like Heath outside of his route. And then there is Eugene and Orsem. The two red flag LIs that won over my heart. Both their routes are amazing, but I did like Orsem slightly more.

As for my overall thoughts on the narrative, I loved it. There are so many thoughts I have that I want to talk about and I hope I remember them all. I guess, first I do want to talk about the writing style. I don’t think it’s surprising that I enjoyed the writing style here considering I did in Even if Tempest. The writing has that same quality that really draws you in and keeps you hooked with character writing, the subtleties in the script that you can pick up on, the various mysteries and twists, and the wonderful narrative. The tone here was also handled really well and does well with balancing all of the dark, happy, funny, and in-between moments. The jokes were all so funny, some even bringing in visuals and playing with the ending cards, and none of them ruined the scene they were in. In fact, they even ended up enhancing scenes thanks to the way they were tailor made for that moment and the way it was implemented. As I was going through my screenshots picking which ones I wanted to include in my review, I even laughed and swooned more than I thought I would, which I think is a testament to how good the writing is here. I really liked how all of the mysteries here unraveled layer by layer and how revelations that seem to be big late game ones revealed to have way more going on. Sins of Kaleido also does trust you do connect the dots and easily feeds into that theorizing side of your brain (especially since some mysteries don’t get outright confirmed but you can make good assumptions based on information you can connect). Oh, and I did also like all of the twists here and there were some crazy ones (which do make sense). There is also some really good symbolism here that makes for some really striking scenes and imagery; which you may wished got a CG like I did. Not to mention that there are some genuinely scary and creepy moments sprinkled in that surprised me every time they happened as it takes you off guard.

Just like for Even if Tempest, I got all of the Bad/Dead Ends and Sad Love Ends after finishing the story and then did all of the Happy Ends. Well, technically it turned out I did get most of the Bad/Dead Ends as I went along, but this still stands. I quite liked all of these endings and my only complaint is that both of Kanoa’s Sad Love Ends are too similar (though I did like the differences of both). As for the Happy Ends, I actually really loved them. Just like with Even if Tempest, I wouldn’t call these short nor would I call these long, but I honestly really liked the direction that was taken and it really leaves the game on really heartwarming notes. Heck, I did Heath’s Happy End first and I can’t deny that it was so great that it won me over.

I also loved the way Kaleidotower was used in the narrative and how you explored the various floors as you progressed through the game. It is a bit disappointing that each floor wasn’t unique (and there is one floor that has two different states), but that’s it. I even wrote down which route went to which floor and took record as Kaleidotower was that interesting.

I loved the way the LIs were used in routes that weren’t their own as well. I loved the way that they’re implemented in all of the routes as they bring in some funny scenes, play a key role or help push things forward, give you some great foreshadowing, and they give you some great characterizations for everyone. It honestly would have been weird if the other Vy-xens just disappeared considering everyone knows each other and are around each other all the time since they live together. The Vy-xens also honestly gave me big found family vibes and I really loved that. Heath is like the mom (and I’m not just saying this because he wears a maid outfit) because he cooks, cleans, and does take care of everyone. Orsem is like the dad who spends a ton of time at work or in his office and when he does come out is the one who everyone goes to and is pretty intimidating. Like, I’m surprised Heath didn’t threaten someone with going to Orsem about them haha. And finally, I saw Eugene, Tilkett, and Kanoa as the three musketeer brothers (which I came up with since they are seen together a lot in the Common Route but not so much in the routes). Yolca herself slots in quite nicely once she comes along and she turns out to pair really well with any of the LIs. It was honestly such a delight reading through all of the group interactions and I’m so glad that this game continued with having the LIs present in each route. They all may bicker, argue, not necessarily see each other as friends, and may even dislike another, but you can tell they all love each other and want the best for them.

You can also tell that the writer, Ushio Ayane, did take criticism to heart and aimed to rectify some of them. Like, I swear the Eaters were included here because a lot of people (me included) were disappointed that the shadow monster on Even if Tempest’s cover didn’t appear. There is also a lot more romance here and it is woven alongside the narrative really well. Orsem’s route also doesn’t suffer from being the True Route as much as Lucien’s route did. However, Sins of Kaleido does still share the same criticisms. There were still some mysteries and questions that were left unresolved and answered; as well as some mysteries that you can make solid assumptions for that I felt did need to have a proper reveal. This is a pretty solid narrative, but there are some inconsistencies that you can spot or things that didn’t make a lot of sense. Sins of Kaleido is also jam packed and there are some aspects that I feel could have been approached differently, but at the same time I honestly don’t know what could have been taken out or where to add more as it does all seem important. Like, I really wished Eira was involved more. Though, there are some aspects that felt needed some more time to flesh it out. I also wouldn’t want to ruin the pacing here, so I understand if some hard choices were made here.

I do remember a criticism I saw of Even if Tempest that it was more tell don’t show, which I personally didn’t see it as a problem in Even if Tempest, but did honestly see in Sins of Kaleido. It’s more of a problem in the Common Route, which I feel is a part of the reason why the beginning of this game is the weakest, and it does get better once you get into the routes. I did also find a lot of the action confusing here and I was a bit confused in terms of worldbuilding. Like, Skyless is described as a city, nation, and a country and I was a bit confused on whether Skyless was located in Oratio or if Oratio was renamed Skyless. There are two or three lines that do clarify it, but it kind of goes back to that blurry line. I was also confused on where Centralis was (p.s. It’s in Hystorica). I guess a quick summary is that the script does seem to treat nation and country and maybe city as interchangeable and that makes things really confusing when you’re trying to plot where mentioned locations roughly are.

I wonder if a fandisc is planned for Sins of Kaleido though. Even if Tempest also had a good amount of loose threads that were left hanging and Sins of Kaleido just gives me that feeling that it’ll also get a fandisc that’ll tie those up while letting us see how everyone is doing after the events of this game.

I’m really glad I ended up playing Even if Tempest before Sins of Kaleido. Not only did it encourage me to pick this up on release since I knew I would love this game, but there are so many connections between the two games. Before I gush about this, I do want to preface this by saying that it isn’t required to play Even if Tempest first, but I do highly recommend it. Sure both games take place a millennium apart, but I had such a great time noticing all of the easter eggs, it does help knowing the lore that you learn in Even if Tempest as it does help you understand some things here, and there are some returning characters that will hit way harder if you spent a whole game with them before. Okay, going into what I wanted to talk about, I really liked how this game was approached. There are so many parallels you can make between Even if Tempest and Sins of Kaleido, but there are also so many differences that really help this game stand out. This balance is hard to do, but she managed it like it was nothing. As someone that played Even if Tempest first, I really loved seeing how everything changed over the 1,000 years. I loved that this took place in a different nation and that we got to learn more about the other nations since in Even if Tempest there’s literally two lines where they’re described in like 3-5 words. Heck, I even managed to guess Skyless was in Oratio based on that. I loved noticing the little easter eggs and Orsem’s route really comes in with what those that read Even if Tempest were waiting for. I also really love how similar, but also different Anastasia and Yolca were as protagonists.

To discuss some other things I didn’t know where else to put (and almost forgot to mention), as far as I know you don’t need to read Even if Tempest: Dawning Connections. This is great, especially for those of us that don’t really play fandiscs. I also can’t wait until an analysis on the tarot cards and how they connect with Yolca and the LIs. I’m not too knowledgeable on tarot cards and I found the Even if Tempest’s tarot analysis pretty interesting. Sins of Kaleido also adds in another nice symbolism you can analyze through the main menu’s artwork which is also the game’s featured cover (which adds another layer of foreshadowing on all of the LIs’ outlooks that happens before you even start playing). Lastly, I actually kept the protagonist’s canon name rather than renaming her to mine. I don’t know why other than it just…felt right. This is the first time I haven’t renamed the protagonist and I honestly quite liked it. I especially liked hearing Yolca’s name coming from the LIs (and other characters) and I can see why a lot of people prefer not changing protagonists’ names in Otomes now.

Oh my gosh, I almost forgot to mention that Sins of Kaleido has a skip to choice button! Well technically it’s a skip scene button, but it also doubles as a skip to choice button. It was surely missing in Even if Tempest and it seems like a lot of people must have had this criticism as it’s available here. Though, if you want to look back at a scene that happens during a Mental or Art Appraisal don’t use it as it is used to skip these sections on a second go around. I also remember skip read being slow in Even if Tempest and it does seem the speed has been increased for this game, so that’s also good!

Sins of Kaleido’s translation is pretty good here. All of the characters’ unique (written) voices were well translated here as well as the nuance. However, I did notice a lot of errors in the script. I noticed a good amount of homophone errors, using the wrong tense, using a close enough word in terms of spelling, being a letter off from the intended word (like if and of), and then just not keeping consistency with what was said before (like a fruit tart being called a cake or Yolca’s necklace being called a bracelet at one point).

Sins of Kaleido did get an update after I finished my playthrough though, so it is possible the errors I noticed have been fixed already.

As for performance, the game unsurprisingly plays smoothly. The only complaint I have is that sometimes the game does take more time to load up (like 30-40 seconds I believe). It’s not a big deal though if you usually wait until you have a big chunk of time to play visual novels.

To tie this all up in a nice bow, I really liked the visuals and sound here! I honestly didn’t quite like the background art here this time around. The only way I can describe it is like it was a real life picture that was put through like a painting filter that phones’ photo app used to have. I do get this was done probably to set Skyless apart from Hystorica and to tie it in with how important artwork is in the narrative, but I just didn’t like it as it caused some weird textures. I did get used to it over time, there are sections of background screens that I did like, and there are some backgrounds that this does work for (which most of them are backgrounds inside Kaleidotower. I loved the character design and artwork though. The character designs are so well done here and you can tell how much care went into it as you can actually ascertain everyone’s personality based purely on their design. Even completely detached from the game. I already talked about the intimidating aura around Orsem, but Eugene does have that seductive vibe to him that also has something unexplainable underneath that tells you to stay away and Tilkett is definitely that sunshine, carefree character vibe and once you learn he’s a doctor some elements make a lot more sense. There are also some elements that do end up surprisingly playing into what you learn about them later on. Like, it embarrassingly took me half the game to notice how Orsem wears his jacket and while it looks goofy, it honestly plays into his character. I swear it does. Also, I’m pretty sure everyone has similar style’d eyes, but there’s just something about how Eugene’s are drawn that just tells you danger and even this gets explained. I also love how their Vy-xen uniforms were designed. Seems weird since they’re like basic suits right, but they are all styles a bit differently that ends up fitting that character’s personality. Also, I loved Yolca’s design. Yolca is so pretty and I wished I could see her more.

The CGs were also so beautiful and I loved all of them. Though, I did wish she had a CG where she was allowed to look angry. There are some pretty nice, small animations here and I loved the way characters sprites simulate movement. There are so many funny moments that come from the visuals or are elevated because of the visuals. Like the beginning of Kanoa’s route is so funny because of how the game decided to visually represent what happened to him. I was literally laughing alongside Tilkett and Eugene. Oh, and also characters will often change their expression as they progress through their voice line or when you progress through Yolca’s. This really gives a lot more depth to the unspoken moments here and gives you more of a look into what they must be feeling or thinking about. So I do recommend listening through the full line. Also, it lowkey does make the LIs hotter sometimes. I also really liked the title cards for each chapter and not to spoil anything, but you might be surprised with how early the game foreshadows one of its late game twists. Oh, and almost forgot that I loved the tarot card designs as well.

I really liked the music here. They all fit the scenes they’re attached to and helped elevate them. My favorite track during gameplay was the sacred choir track (I believe that’s the genre that track is) as it really has that overworldly vibe that gives scenes that big oomph. My favorite track in the whole game, though, is definitely the game’s Opening. The Opening is so great, especially paired with the visuals, that I watched it twice when I first opened the game and couldn’t help but watch it every time I played. Not to mention the track that plays during the Credits is so good as well. Sound effect wise, I did like them here but I do wish they used a different door sound effect. Each time a door was opened I kept thinking it was a refrigerator door. The voice acting here, though, was absolutely amazing. Everyone did such an amazing job at bringing their character to life. There are so many great lines that are just perfect because of the way the voice actors delivered their lines. The game even ended up surprising me (in a good way) with how some lines were delivered and they really helped some jokes land more.

Off topic, but I lowkey love Dalen’s voice actor and I really hope he gets a role as a LI someday and that otome gets localized.

Verdict

While I do have my share of gripes, I ended up really loving Sins of Kaleido and I honestly couldn’t stop playing. I really loved the narrative and the romance, I really liked all of the mysteries here and how they were unraveled, I liked all of the various twists, and I really liked catching all of the foreshadowing and theorizing about what was going on. I really appreciate how the game trusts you with picking things up and connecting the dots as well and I loved the way Kaleidotower was included. The LIs are also all well written here, as well as their routes, and I loved most of them. Not to mention the various jokes, the way this parallels Even if Tempest while also being different, and the wonderful artwork and soundtrack. Sins of Kaleido may not have a great start, but man it turns out to be a wild ride that I couldn’t get off until I saw it to the end. And even then, I really don’t want to leave as I loved Yolca and the Vy-xens.

If you loved Even if Tempest, you definitely will also love Sins of Kaleido. I’d say this is on the same level as Even if Tempest and I do hope this gets a fandisc to clarify things and tie up loose ends.