Café Enchanté: Unleashing the Magic of Friendship & Mystery Otome Review
Genre
Title: Café Enchanté
Developer: Idea Factory, Otomate
Publisher: Aksys Games
Age Rating: 15+ (Cero C) Japan/ PEGI 12+ EU
Release Date: 02 November 2021
Platform: Nintendo Switch (Amazon)
Language: English
Rating: 7.5/10
Café Enchanté is a fantasy adventure-based otome game. There are five main love interests (in order of recommended play) :
Canus, Ignis, Rindo, Il, and Misyr.
Most of them are magical non-humans from different worlds. They visit the café as patrons through a special gate. It is character-focused, and plot-heavy following the captivating five love interests. As you explore the intricate plot, you’ll discover that the driving force behind each love interest’s decisions is none other than their romantic feelings for the heroine. Get ready to be enchanted!
Synopsis from the official Website:
When Kotone inherits her grandfather’s Tokyo café, she discovers the shop holds more secrets than anyone could imagine.
The café is a meeting spot for beings from multiple, mystical worlds. You’ll meet the king of demons, a humanoid beast, a fallen angel, and more.
And when government agents monitoring non-human activities show up at your door, your new café is about to become a lot more colourful.
Common Route
There are 5 Love Interests (LI) which we get to know more of in the multiple adventures within the common route. I love the friendship between all of them as regulars of the café and most of them living there.
The brotherhood between Misyr and Il is also endearing. Misyr can be like an overprotective brother sometimes when it comes to Il.
During the common route, MC takes over Cafe Enchante which was left by her late Grandfather, Souan. He had a good relationship with all the regular non-human guests and Rindo. We can see how much of an impact Souan has had on their lives as they fondly speak about him. MC tries to learn more about the guys as she works hard to reopen Cafe Enchante again.
Even within the main routes, it’s nice to see the strong bond between all the LI’s as their friendship speaks volumes when it comes to helping and protecting their fellow friends. MC also welcomes Kariya who has ice fairy genetics and Kororo the cute from Beastia into her shop. The two kids are used to ice traits therefore they get along well. Kororo is so cute.
Characters
I actually liked all the LI’s in this game. Prepare your tissues! They all have sorrowful traumatic pasts which we unravel in their stories. Misyr is the last route unlockable because his story is connected to the other ones where we see all the worlds affected in his route and it wraps up all the plot holes nicely.
I love the friendship between all the LI’s and this is seen throughout all the individual routes. When someone is in a pinch they all come to the rescue to support their buddy. The guys are known for being the strongest in their worlds and together they fight to save the day 🙂
I played in this order: Il> Ignis > Canus > Rindo > Misyr
Il Fado de Rie (VA: Kaito Ishikawa)
Il’s route made me cry 
This is the second otome game to make me cry after Alan’s route from Cupid Parasite who cries a lot, we get to hear Il cry too in emotional scenes and it’s just heartbreaking. His story is well-written and endearing. I love how Misyr is like an overprotective brother when it comes to Il as he can be very naive in trying to fit into the human world norms.
He is usually spoiled by the Cafe Enchante crew and they describe him as a baby bird. Despite his naivete, he is very powerful in using mathematical spiritual magic. He also has a shining smile and can sing.
Il loves playing Otome games and recommends a game close to his heart to MC to play. This game plays a big part in the plot of who Il truly is later on. They even went to an Otome event on their date. I loved trying to make out the otome easter eggs in the background art. When we find out the reason for his trauma and how he fights for his freedom it’s just so bittersweet.
The story is well written with lots of angst and fluff and also well-developed friendship. The men have taught Il their own special tricks to Il that come in handy in the big fight. It shows how deep the bond between the Enchante regulars is and how they look out for him. Loved the angst and Il’s character development.
There’s also a short epilogue after the ending credits and a little prologue teaser unlocked after each character ending unlocked.
Il's Route: 8/10
Ignis Carbunculus (VA: Yuki Ono)
The Firewolf Beast, Ignis is the strongest in Beastia. He is around 25 years old and the last to join the crew out of the 5 men. A hot red-headed guy is good at all types of sports and can conjures up illuminating fire powers. He also has a strong sense of smell rooted in his wolf traits.
Ignis is our tsundere boy and although I found him kinda annoying and loud at the beginning of the common route, I knew I’d like him once I knew more about him in his story.
His story was full of denial moments where I felt sorry for him as he struggles with his ancestral traits against his kind heart to create a peaceful Beastia. There were some cute and cool scenes before the dramatic plot twist though, such as Ignis having fun skateboarding after only looking at how it’s done within a day 
He truly is a sporty guy.
I love the banter between MC and Ignis too because they are of a similar age the communication and the way they react seems natural. For example, like when they feel awkward and blush 
Kororo was the best support character in this story along with the LI guy’s friendship that shines through in every route. I enjoyed seeing Ignis and his raw emotions through everything. His kindness and will to protect the weak had an impact on Beastia and it’s great that he can see that himself.
The route kind of felt short for me compared to Il’s route, I would have liked to see more deep interaction between him and MC after the HE.
Ignis's Route: 7/10
Canus Espada (VA: Yuichiro Umehara)
The headless knight from the fairy world. He is a gentleman that loves gardening. Canus is friendly and supportive in other routes, however when MC tries to get closer to him and understand his back story within Meido, the fairy realm, Canus coldly rejects her. He says it’s not her business to intervene and does not want her to get involved with Medio in order to keep her safe but it comes across in a harsh way leading MC to cry even I’d cry if a calm person like Canus was cold like that.
Vennia is the fairy Queen’s right hand man and plays Cupid, helping MC and Canus to face each other and communicate honestly. It seems like the tragedy in Medio is linked to human intervention many years ago. I noticed a pattern that in each world the LI trauma is linked to human intervention in the past within their world. Here the tree which surrounds the fairy world cannot survive on plants and sunlight alone and requires another source of energy.
Logically, Canus knows he has to carry out his duty for Medio but he doesn’t like the role he has and it pains him. MC tries to comfort him and help him to find a way to help stop this dystopian cycle with the help of the Enchante crew.
His route was sweet and I liked how Vennia warmed up to the crew too. Vennia looks so pretty. The Happy ending was very Canus-like as he portrayed her love to her like a gentlemanly knight. I found there wasn’t much depth between the MC and Canus as there could have been. He also compared her to her late Grandad a lot saying Souan wouldn’t do this or that. It felt like there could have been potential for more.
Although most routes are plot-heavy this was the least heavy so it’s a good one to start with. Overall I’d rate it 5/10
Canus's Route: 5/10
Kaoru Rindo (VA: Junichi Suwabe)
The oldest in the crew in terms of human age and the only human LI out of the 5 men. Rindo works for the Government Paranormal department. He is very calm and laid back and well-spoken. For example, he knows how to communicate in a way that is considerate of the other persons feeling, unlike some of the other guys that are upfront with no filter
I don’t usually like the older men type but Rindo is an exception as he is such a gentleman and I like how considerate he is. Also he looks younger than his age when in casual clothes during his day off. I had to do a double take like MC when we first see Rindo in his casual outfit lol. MC didn’t recognise him at first.
He keeps trying to persuade the MC to lead a normal life and not be involved with the non-human world as he has seen things not end well. Despite his belief, he still respects MC’s choice.
He seems like he has a wall around him and keeps to himself. The reason for this though is that he has no desire for material things or attachments to the point even his apartment only has the bare minimum. This lifestyle is linked to his traumatic past which causes a big turning point in his life.
MC is very bold in this route as Misyr advises her, in order to become close to Rindo she needs to get up close and personal or he’ll keep pulling away. MC does in fact do this and even asks Rindo on a date. Rindo’s surprised face was funny as it was usually him casually teasing her asking her on a date.
It was really nice to see Canus talking to Rindo in one scene, encouraging Rindo to open up about his emotions. The development of MC and Rindo’s relationship was cute along with the little Kuurey side character that stays with Rindo for a bit. I liked the part when they cooked together on their date.
The banter between Rindo and the other men is just funny, they keep cock blocking the two by calling at the time things are getting good by calling Rindo. I found Ignis’s line hilarious he was like “Check yourself before you wreck yourself” haha.
Like the other routes, there is a sad back story and Rindo has to face his past, the ending was bittersweet and I hope we get a sequel to Cafe Enchante to see the after story which focuses more on the romance after the heavy trauma-based plot. Overall I really enjoyed his route.
Rindo's Route: 8/10
Misyr Rex (VA: Kenji Akabane)
The final route is unlocked after playing through all the other routes. As Misyr likes to say, the last boss route. Miser’s route is more heart-wrenching than Il’s and I can see why he cares for Il like a younger brother as they both have experienced solitude and loneliness. However, for Misyr this loneliness was for over 10,000 years and the most painful experience Out of all the LI traumatic backstories Misyr’s is the saddest.
The heroine has an effect on all the LI’s but she has the biggest impact on Misyr as they met when she was young and inadvertently saved his life. That encounter has kept him going for so long.
Misyr has a kind, carefree, caring nature and likes to make jokes. Even in dire situations he’ll laugh and try to seem carefree. He is the most powerful out of all the LI’s and is very good at taking care of others.
I was surprised by the plot twist when Misyr’s lie is revealed and we get to see his world and his heart-wrenching backstory. Despite the hardships he faced he is still gentle and deeply kind which I love about his character. Even though Rindo and Misyr don’t see eye to eye sometimes Rindo truly cares for him as a friend which is shown by his anger in this route to save Misyr and we rarely see Rindo get angry.
Misyr’s route included the conclusion of the other characters as all they all try to reach Misyr once they have sorted things out in their individual worlds.
Misyr’s story felt canon to me as it wrapped up everyone’s story together in this route as well as give us answers to all the human interventions caused in other worlds. Another giveaway is the last dialogue with Misyr and MC saying ‘Welcome to Cafe Enchante’ which wraps up the game sweetly.
I liked how the villain character’s backstory is unraveled as it’s sad too since he was done dirty by the people in his world. Misyr doesn’t resent the villain, this just shows how kind Misyr is. The setting of the ending could have had more clarity but overall it was a good route.
Misyr's Route: 8/10
Art
The art design is by Yuuya who also worked on Cupid Parasite (2021). I love the colourful bold palette used and the illuminating lighting used to portray the mystical powers. The character design is beautiful and I really like the background settings which depict the other worlds. Medio, the fairy world Canus is from has gorgeous background art. The character panels to illustrate the facial expressions during dialogues were entertaining, especially Ignis’s baffled look.
The user interface is cafe themed. The game menu is designed like a cafe menu which looks really cool and elegant. A lot of brown colours are used to immerse us into the cafe setting with dim lighting and earthy, wood colours. I loved the bright, colourful CG’s too, overall I’d rate the art 8/10.
Sound
The BGM consists of relaxing jazz vibe piano music which fits the Cafe atmosphere. My favourite soundtrack is “Overflowing Light” which is Misyr’s theme tune when he uses his powers. There is a BGM section within Extras for players to go through all the soundtracks which is a great feature.
I really enjoyed the upbeat, cheerful Opening song, “Precious places, precious faces” by Kaori Oda. The ending song, “Eternal” by Kaori Oda & SHOJI is featured in the character’s happy ending part, showing all the CG’s of the LI. The songs had a romantic feel which is captivating and also gives me a sense of nostalgia of the otome theme.
The game is fully voiced. Cafe Enchante is a game full of trauma and sorrow and the Voice Actor’s (VA’s) did a great job portraying the LI’s. I liked how Misy’s VA has a calm and playful tone. 9/10 for the sound.
- Misyr (Kenji Akabane) > Chiarai Shigeo (Komi Can't Communicate)
- Il (Kaito Ishikawa) > Dante Falzone (Piofiore), Lida (My Hero Academia)
- Ignis (Yuki Ono) > Yuzuru Saeki (CollarxMalice)
- Kaoru Rindo (Junichi Suwabe) > Van Helsing (Code: Realize)
- Canus (Yuichiro Umehara) > Tsukasa Kazuki (Romantic Killer)
Conclusion
I was expecting a bit more sweet romance development in the epilogue (it was still pretty good) I hope we get a Second edition of the game where there is a developed after-story as it mainly focuses on:
- the build-up of the individual worlds we visit in each route and the LI’’s backstory,
- chemistry with MC which drives the motive of LI changing for the better, ultimately saving the world
- and MC is with LI throughout their challenges and aims to tell LI how she truly feels near the end.
So there’s less romance and more world-building and character backstory and plot-heavy. Although there is a balance of MC’s involvement which motivates LI to change for the better. She is like a ray of sunshine taking out the LI from their darkness.
Overall, I loved the dynamic between all the LI’s and their friendship is something I haven’t seen in other otome games where the bond between them is so strong and heartwarming. Despite having a traumatic past they all are kind-hearted guys.
I would definitely recommend this game as it was consistent in terms of the plot in each route without much repetition and the common route was a good opener to the world-building and character introduction, balanced with the team’s banter and funny scenarios.
One of the cons of this game is that there were some translation errors. For example if you select your own name for the herione sometimes the original name Kotone appears in the dialogue which I was confused about at first when this error happened. As there was less romance than I expected but a great plot in most routes and likable LI’s, I would rate the game 7.5/10.
If you like Code: Realize you will most likely enjoy this game too. Thank you for reading, if you have enjoyed this review please leave a like by clicking on the heart icon or comment below 🙂
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