Video Game Review: Collar x Malice

Collar x Malice

Idea Factory

Visual novel

Nintendo Switch

Collar x Malice is a game which in otome circles has been causing quite a stir of late. Previously released on other platforms such as PS Vita, it’s recently had a release on the Nintendo Switch, a console which has been offering various visual novel games of late. To say this game has been hotly anticipated is putting it lightly – I’ve been seeing nothing but talk of this game’s re-release over the last few weeks in certain groups online!  Despite being something of an otome fan myself, I actually hadn’t gotten around to playing this game previously so the Switch version was my first look into it.

So, what’s the story about? In Collar x Malice you play as a young rookie policewoman called Ichika Hoshino in a rather different Japan, one which sees Shinjuku quarantined from the rest of the country due to a threatening spate of terrorist attacks. These attacks, performed by a mysterious group called Adonis has performed various assassinations over the months, counting down to an X-Day, where they speak of Japan becoming cleansed of its sinners. Part of the protections put in place by the government means that everyday citizens have been granted access to holding firearms for self defence purposes, and the police are often critiqued throughout the storyline as they struggle to stop the actions of Adonis. When Ichika is targeted by this organisation and fitted with a collar used as both a threat to her life and a security tool to keep an eye on her, she draws the attention of a group of former detectives and must work with them to uncover the truth.

Given today’s current state of affairs, this game’s setting and storyline are rather topical, particularly with the actions of the police in places such as America in recent months coming under scrutiny. The game itself focuses a lot on morality, the meaning of justice, and how organisations can become corrupt in different ways, leading our protagonist, to question the very job she’s chosen to devote her life to. It’s an interesting and introspective take on what could have been a fairly standard romance game, and whilst there are certainly romance elements and various people Ichika can take an interest in, the mystery here is at the forefront of the game’s story. There are five routes in total that you play through, with only three being accessible from the beginning – the last route is only unlocked once you’ve played through the other four and so is the one where the true story and full reveal of the mystery are unveiled. This can be a little frustrating in the earlier routes as whilst you investigate elements of the mystery, you never truly solve it and it can make the endings feel a little anti-climatic. Still, there are enough sub-mysteries revealed that each route adds a little something extra and never feels completely pointless.

Visually this game is a treat, with stylish graphics and strong colours which bring Persona 5 to mind – fitting perhaps too given their shared themes. The art style too is beautifully rendered, as with many of the other games released by the company such as Amnesia, and Code Realize. The menu has a good variety of extra content available including side stories for each of the characters which unlock after you finish their stories as well as plot summaries and replays of key scenes. With 37 endings in total, this game clearly has a lot of mileage to it and I imagine it to be something of a detective’s investigation in itself to unlock all the various endings available.

Character-wise, there is quite a large cast on offer from the protagonist and the potential love interests who are all interesting and unique in their own ways – even if some of them fall a little too much into possible archetypes. On my playthrough, I chose to go with Kei’s route, which judging by discussion online is one of the more controversial ones due to his rather obsessive tendencies and issues regarding depression and PTSD. For sure, whilst I found his route interesting, I found his character quite difficult to deal with and I never quite committed to the romance as Kei just seemed like someone too damaged to have his problems solved just because of Ichika’s influence. I’m interested to try out the other routes to see how these are written too and how Ichika changes between them. One thing I did appreciate with Kei is that the two often seemed to be on an equal footing with one another and worked together to uncover the mysteries – the impression I got from some of the other characters is that Ichika was often considered as someone who would be more of a hindrance than a help to the investigation.

Overall, this game was a very strong offering from Askys and presents some really interesting takes on justice and what the meaning of that is. The romance never felt like it really overshadowed the importance of the plotline and whilst I definitely had some issues regarding the plotline at times, it was an engrossing read and very enjoyable to play through.