The Pretty Blerd Guardian!

So I’ll be honest? I’ve not touched this game since its first-time release and feel bad for not hopping on the hype train sooner but during this time — the PS Vita was considered obsolete and wasn’t sure if I wanted to sink money into buying otome games for a dying system. Thankfully I didn’t have to fret over it for long because Collar x Malice was finally released for the Switch last year in June!

All of ya’ll reading this have probably heard of the plot many times but consider this a refresher from someone playing this for the first time; it’s a crime/romance drama about a sassy, adorkably relatable cop (who don’t need no man!) who is faces against a terrorist group fed up with the injustice of current society and wanna burn it all down like its old news. Thankfully our cop isn’t alone and happens upon a renegade group of sexy, quirky bachelors who not only wish to fight for justice but also for her heart! We love a career-oriented woman being admired for the badass that she is. 

As I’m glancing over the prologue to grasp the first impression, the first thing I’ve noticed is that it’s veerryyyy long and thorough in presenting the characters and overall storyline. The game makes sure you get appropriate time with each character before making a decision as to whose route you’ll choose, which is something I like a lot. Most otome games have their love interests come off very strong and unreasonably fast but these characters show just enough personality to get a general idea but still feel absolutely bearable. They all clearly follow a trope that is easily identified without being too intense. 

• YANAGI ~ ringleader and obvious papa bear. 
• MINEO ~ field ops and suspected dweeb. 
• TAKERU ~ hacker and sweet-loving tsundere. 
• SHIRAISHI ~ profiler and neko-loving sneak. (Secret yandere, calling it right now!)
• KEI ~ special forces and resident spiderman sleepy boy. 

When I first began to play this game, COVID was in full swing with shutting everything down but also during BLM as well. It was a strange coincidence to me how we’re facing this pandemic and current issue regarding injustice to black lives, now being presented a game which discusses just that: justice, law, the police, and those affected by a corrupt system. I’m especially excited to look at each route to see how these ex-cops handle crime and how they view justice; will their views change depending on which ending we have with them? What made them leave the police force? 

These are questions that I hope are answered as I dive into this admittedly fun, crime-solving mystery! With my review, I’ll also be giving breakdowns and personal opinions about each character, whether I consider them someone well-written or a little one-dimensional, all per the poll vote I held a while ago. But for now, these were my first impressions and I hope you guys enjoy the little surprise I’ve in store when it’s time to post my review!