Court of Darkness: Captivation’s Kiss Review (Nintendo Switch)

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://otomekitten.com/2026/05/15/court-of-darkness-captivations-kiss-review-nintendo-switch/

Court of Darkness: Captivation’s Kiss Review (Nintendo Switch)

Release Date: April 24, 2026 (Worldwide)
Developers:  Voltage Inc.
Publishers:  Voltage Inc.
Platforms: Nintendo Switch
ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

SYNOPSIS

The night of a crimson crescent moon, you find yourself transported to a realm called Saligia.
Far removed from your everyday life, you’re in a world where magic is commonplace.

In the midst of your confusion, before you appear five beautiful princes.
They crave the power your kiss can bestow, and will scheme to get it.

But what they seek is not just your power.
They want your heart as well…

ART AND MUSIC

Director: Takeshi Kimura (Voltage Inc.), Kaori Narumi (Voltage Inc.)Artist: Futaba Hazuki (main), Murashige (chibis)Scenario: Voltage Inc.BGM/Soundtrack: Voltage Inc.

CHARACTERS AND ROUTES

Court of Darkness: Captivation’s Kiss follows the exact same common route as the first volume, Court of Darkness: Temptation’s Kiss. Much like the first volume, the game also follows the typical structure of most Voltage Inc. mobile titles, which allows you to immediately choose a character’s route right after completing the prologue and common route.

Since each prince’s story is standalone and doesn’t spoil another, there’s no recommended route order for playing this game. However, (just pointing this out there, for good measure), Lou’s route does explore some lore surrounding the heroine’s identity, so if you’d prefer to save him for last, feel free to do so. Personally, though, I don’t think it matters either way.

Note: The CGs shown below are promotional images for the game, Court of Darkness: Captivation’s Kiss (the ones you can see on the game’s eshop page). All spoiler-related content in this review will be hidden behind a spoiler drop-down, that you can choose to view at your own discretion.

LANCE IRA

• soft tsun

Lance is a student who often skips classes and is rumored to be a “delinquent.” His rank is also unusually low for a prince, being only C-rank. He’s a man of few words with a cold exterior, so no one really dares to approach him, and he usually keeps to himself.

Lance was clearly eye candy in the key art, so I decided to play his route first. His story kind of reminded me a little of Toa’s route in the first volume, except he’s in a very different set of circumstances (I’ll explain more in the spoiler section). What’s kind of funny about Lance is that he always has this scowl on his face, so whenever he says “Tch…” it feels like I can actually hear it on screen despite him being unvoiced, lol. I think personality-wise, that’s what got me to warm up to him pretty quickly.😆

Unfortunately, this route took a hot minute to get interesting for me, and I’m guessing the slow pacing was meant to build up Lance and the MC’s relationship, which I can at least appreciate. I did end up liking it more during the later parts once Lance let his guard down around MC and things actually started getting interesting near the end.

As a side and unrelated note, Lance’s dad was objectively, criminally hot. The moment he showed up on screen, it was over for me (cackles). Sorry, Lance!

⬇️ Spoilers

Lance’s story plays out a little similarly to Toa’s (in volume 1), where he ends up returning to his kingdom due to political circumstances. With Toa, he was forced to do it for the sake of his kingdom. Lance, however, returns because of blackmail, or rather, a scheme he can’t refuse. I say this because under no circumstances would he actually want to go back to a kingdom that somehow made it seem like he had betrayed his own people, and had caused unrest and an uprising among the citizens.

It’s also revealed early on that, unlike the other princes’ kingdoms, Lance’s kingdom is poor, and their only valuable resource are these special(?) type of crystal stones. It wasn’t really clear to me why his father wanted to start a war, nor what his actual motivation was outside of, well… wanting power. Maybe I was too distracted by the severity of the man’s sex appeal that I completely missed this part (cackling). 😝

I was also kind of frustrated with MC here. She insists on following Lance to his kingdom despite knowing how dangerous it is. Then she gets to the kingdom Ira and asks questions like, “Is it really dangerous out here?” Like yeah, no shit, sherlock!🫩 She wanders off completely unguarded, ends up becoming a hostage of the rebels, and even gets her teacher (who is a fine older man, if I may add) dragged into her mess. Anywho…..

Lance’s mischief ending made up for all my gripes though! (laughs) Who knew the man can be so docile in bed! Aha!😋

RIO VOLERI

• certified himbo
• bottomless appetite
• genki

Rio is the prince of Voleri. Has a huge appetite and an even bigger heart. With his bright personality and infectious warmth, he naturally brings sunshine to everyone around him.

Rio stood out to me in Volume 1 as one of the more memorable side characters. I mean, how could he not when he’s literally the game’s resident genki himbo? He’s always sooo cheerful and constantly acting as the heroine’s helping hand. And despite being a massive airhead that he is, the guy is just plain adorable!

To me, the whole game was definitely worth it for Rio! I loved his route! I love how innocent and oblivious he is in matters of love, but once he finally realizes and comes to terms with his own emotions, he really turns into an absolute winner of an LI. Truly, a delightful sunshine boi! 🥹 My only complaint here is that his “Mischief Ending” was a complete cockblock 😭 but aside from that, this route was crazy sweet & fun. Highly recommend!

⬇️ Spoilers

Although Rio is the prince of the kingdom, Voleri, he doesn’t exactly act like the other princes, who tend to have this high and dignified air around them. Rio is more like a big ball ray of shunshine. Always cheerful and brightening up the mood of everyone around him. His kingdom thrives on agriculture, so the citizens are known for being fond of growing crops and vegetables. Even Rio himself has cultivated a crop field at the academy, which he takes care of together with his attendant, Thoma.

In Rio’s story, MC needs to be paired with S-rank princes (so she can awaken her true powers that’ll help her return to her world). Being only C-rank, Rio asks the headmaster if he could become a higher-ranked prince so he can stay by her side. Thus, he undergoes into this trial, which leaves him all bruised and battered up. MC, while nursing him back to health unknowingly touches and kisses him during the process. This causes Rio to heal his wounds much faster, and the next day (after they’ve gotten even closer) his powers and strength amplifies, causing his magic to go haywire and wreak havoc in the crop field he and Thoma worked so hard to maintain. Because of this, he has to distance himself from MC until he learns how to control his unstable powers.

***For context, if you’ve played Volume 1, MC is known to have some sort of power where, whenever she touches (or kisses) a prince, they emit a glowing light around them and their magic becomes stronger, allowing them to use ancient, powerful magic that is banned at the academy.

Anyway, back to Rio…. This was actually a very simple, tropey route, but with Rio being the absolute pure goofy genki that he is, I really enjoyed it. MC also wasn’t annoying here and was actually very proactive in helping Rio with his struggles. I also found it adorable how Rio was completely oblivious to the fact that MC is pretty much head over heels for him, but after they kiss, it probably hit him (and his hormones lol) all at once where he was like, “damn, can I have some more?” 😂😂😂 (cackles) I love me a clueless himbo who can also get horny on main!

LOU

• vanilla but…

Lou is the headmaster of the Royal Academy of Concordia and the most magically powerful person in the realm. He is someone respected by all the S-rank princes. However, his private life remains shrouded in mystery.

I liked Lou’s route because it felt different from the rest. In a way, it actually gives us more background on the magical realm and expands a lot on the magical world’s lore, as well as MC’s true identity, something most of the other routes have yet to properly reveal or explore.

⬇️ Spoilers

I had heard through the grapevine that Lou’s route wasn’t particularly well-liked, so I went into this route expecting the worst. Surprisingly though, this route was actually pretty decent?

Lou’s route came off a bit cryptic at first. Much like the others, this route starts off with a lot of slice of life bits; Lou takes on mentoring MC so she can awaken her true powers, and MC in turn, cooks fried rice for Lou, as a way to thank him lol.

I believe the gritty parts of this route unfolds mid-chapters, when MC (w/ the help of her rando friend from the library) learns about the existence of Vanum and Vane. It is eventually revealed that Vanum is Lou’s reincarnation, while Vane is the MC herself. The two were once lovers and among the most powerful beings in the magical realm.

Although this wasn’t my favorite route, I liked that these reveals finally explained most of the mysteries surrounding why the MC was isekai’d into this world in the first place, so I ended up feeling pretty satisfied with it overall. To add, the romance here was also fairly decent, though admittedly a bit hackneyed sometimes.

DIA AKEDIA

• singing diva

An aristocrat of Akedia. Despite possessing a voice as beautiful as his face, he avoids other people at all costs.

I’m gonna be honest, I wasn’t very fond of Dia’s route. I unfortunately just don’t enjoy the trope where the heroine has to keep chasing after a standoffish guy with barely any payoff. Dia clearly wants MC to leave him alone, and tbh, if it were me, I would’ve just respected that and moved on. There’s no point forcing yourself onto someone who clearly doesn’t want you around, ya know?😭I defo admire MC’s dedication here.

It also took him forever to actually warm up to the protagonist and open up. His story probably didn’t start getting interesting until around Chapter 20-ish, but unfortunately, by that point, I was already mentally checked out of his route.

⬇️ Spoilers

The game also seems to rely pretty heavily on the “evil parents/guardian” trope. We saw a lot of this trope back in Volume 1 with Guy’s and Toa’s routes, and now it shows up again with Lance, Dia, and Aquia.

Ngl, I’m not really a fan of this trope to begin with, so seeing it reused this many times started to feel a bit repetitive and tiring after a while.

AQUIA AVARI

• bestie vibe

Avari’s second-born prince who struggles with magic and is only a C-rank, and has thus always done what others tell him to compensate.

This was unfortunately another route that was a hard sell for me. I didn’t really care much for Aquia back in Volume 1, and that didn’t really change here either. He was somewhat of a pushover in the first volume, that aspect of him didn’t improve much in this route either.. er, well, at the very least, during the first few chapters.

Don’t get me wrong though, Aquia is no doubt a good LI, and I’d even say he’s very well-suited for MC in terms of how easy-going and determined he is to learn and improve his rank. I feel like their bond as friends (and eventually something more) felt very genuine and also, quite sincere. He’s just not really my cup of tea, is all!

⬇️ Spoilers

Aquia definitely suffers from a lot of inferiority complex due to being Guy’s younger brother. With Guy already being the all-powerful first prince of Avari, Aquia unconsciously compares himself and ends up seeing himself as subpar, which is honestly kind of sad. But at the same time, I don’t think Aquia truly wants to be like Guy. He just wants to live normally and be accepted for who he is without the pressure that comes with being a prince of Avari (me thinks).

What’s funny to me is that Guy’s familiar in his route was this mighty, intimidating giant dragon, while Aquia’s familiar was… a….hamster! LOL. You can really see the contrast between the two brothers through that tiny detail alone! (cackles) 😂

I think part of the reason I wasn’t very into this route was because Aquia’s mother, who’s an absolute scumbag, plays a major role in the story again. And my god, this woman was literally insufferable during Guy’s route, so whenever she showed up here, I pretty much skipped through a lot of her scenes. Oof.

MAYU SEKIGUCHI (Main Heroine)

The protagonist in COD: Captivation’s Kiss is still as sassy as ever. I definitely enjoyed her more in Rio’s and Lou’s routes, though she admittedly grated on me quite a bit during certain parts of Lance’s and Aquia’s routes, mainly for the reason of how recklessly she tends to jump into action without any sort of concrete plan. Her likability scale for me definitely fluctuated depending on which route I was playing.

***PS: I change the heroine’s name into my name so I can take this particular screenshot~! 🤣

MOOD! Gonna start using this as my reaction meme for 2026!

SYSTEM AND LOCALIZATION

Similar to the first volume, the user interface is different from AmuLit’s original console titles. The UI for Court of Darkness: Captivation’s Kiss mirrors the mobile app version, but without the other mobile features such as Daily Lessons, the Battle screen, avatar screens, etc., and definitely no microtransactions.

Consort Perspectives
These are scenarios in certain chapters that play out from the LIs’ perspectives. You can view them by selecting an LI of your choice on the title screen, and instead of going to their Book 1 story, you choose “Consort Perspectives” to see their POV in some chapters.

PROS:

• Rewind Feature
• Log Views
• Heroine’s Name Customization
• Chapter Select
• Skip READ function
• CG Gallery
• New opening movie exclusively for the switch version (playable in the EXTRA section)
  

CONS:

• The game is not voiced
• No heroine side image sprite
• No Dictionary
• No Love Catch System
• No Music Gallery
• No Skip to the Next Choice Function
• You have to hold the ZL button to use SKIP read
• There are only 5 CGs per route
• No end credits that play after each ending
• The CGs are displayed in a zoomed-in landscape format. Since the original CGs were made for mobile and meant to be viewed in portrait mode, the in-story versions for the Switch end up cropped. The only way to see the full, uncropped CGs is by viewing them in the gallery.
  

Localization
The localization was fairly good as well, as with most Voltage mobile game ports. There was one instance, however, where the protagonist’s name changed into “{/first_name}” in either Dia’s or Aquia’s route. I’d imagine this might’ve just been a programming blip, but I’ve only spotted this once, and other than that, I thought the overall localization and the game’s translations, + tones were pretty good!

TRAILER

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fyb2E5LoVxU

OVERALL THOUGHTS

I was surprised to see that I only clocked around 15 hours for this game on my Switch. I wasn’t however, playing it on auto-mode this time, and since the game is unvoiced, I was able to read through the dialogues at a much faster pace. I also sped through quite a bit of Dia’s and Aquia’s routes (laughs), so that probably contributed to why I finished the game a little speedier than usual. I think around 15–18 hours, give or take, is a pretty fair completion time if you read at a slower pace.

There Will Always Be an LI for Everyone in Court of Darkness!

My enjoyment level for COD: Captivation’s Kiss was very much the same as it was for Temptation’s Kiss, where I ended up loving (3/5) three out of the five LIs. In the first volume, I enjoyed Guy tremendously (laughs), and I also loved Roy and Toa.😘

In Captivation’s Kiss, my favs were Rio, Lance, and Lou, while I felt mostly indifferent toward Dia’s and Aquia’s routes. Rio’s route, in particular, was an absolute hoot, and as a love interest, he ticks all my boxes for that good ol’ classic “lovable idiot” trope, so basically, he ended up being best boy in my book here.

❤️ LI Ranking: Rio > Lance = Lou >>>> Aquia > Dia

📝 Route Ranking: Rio > Lou > Lance > Aquia > Dia

Then again, what’s really great about this game, and most Voltage mobile ports in general, is that there will always be an LI that will suit everyone’s tastes. We all like what we like, and dislike what we don’t, after all. I think this series did a considerably amazing job offering a wide variety of LIs with vastly different personalities, so one way or another, there’s bound to be a character who ends up becoming someone’s favorite!

The structure of the stories here is also very self-contained. Just like the first volume, there aren’t really any central plotlines that unravel on each route, so it’s the kind of game where you can simply pick whichever LI you want to start with without worrying too much about spoilers across the board. And mirroring my review for Temptation’s Kiss, this title also doesn’t aim for the large-scale storytelling found in AmuLit’s original console titles like Even If Tempest, Neon Clash, etc. so it’s definitely best to keep expectations fairly modest going in.

I griped about this aspect in the first volume, as none of the princes’ stories really explored the heroine’s backstory. But we finally get some answers here! The only route that actually puts more emphasis on MC’s true identity, who she really is, and why she was pulled into the magical realm was Lou’s. Which is why I found Lou’s route pretty interesting.

On another note, I liked that the game takes its time building up the romance between the MC and her chosen LI. So before the story meanders into its grittier parts, the heroine and her chosen love interest already had some established emotional connection. Although, if you aren’t particularly invested in the LI, these bits of slice-of-life scenes can occasionally feel somewhat of a drab. Some of the stories were interesting, while others felt like they reused certain plot points from routes in the first volume. I do want to say, however, that the Mischief Endings, which are basically the game’s “spicy” endings, are certainly worth unlocking if you enjoy a bit of heat in your consort soup! ha!

LOL I thought it’s the other way around? 🤣

Do I recommend this game? YES.
Court of Darkness: Captivation’s Kiss is volume two of the COD series, which features the routes of Lance, Rio, Lou, Dia, and Aquia. Each of these LIs has varying personalities that will surely strike someone’s fancy, so if any of them seem like they fit your preferred LI mold, I’d definitely recommend checking this title out. Just like the previous volume, this is a very lighthearted and fun game to pick up whenever you’re in the mood for something easygoing and old-school.

PS: All of the routes here still cover Book 1 of the consorts’ paths, and I’m still crossing my fingers Voltage Inc. will eventually release Book 2 for all ten available routes on the Switch soon!

#AmuLit #CourtOfDarkness #CourtOfDarknessCaptivationSKissReview #CourtOfDarknessReview #CourtOfDarknessVolume2 #nintendoSwitch #OtomeGameReview #Voltage #VoltageInc

Court of Darkness: Temptation’s Kiss Review (Nintendo Switch)

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://otomekitten.com/2025/12/05/court-of-darkness-temptations-kiss-review-nintendo-switch/

Court of Darkness: Temptation’s Kiss Review (Nintendo Switch)

Release Date: September 22, 2025 (Worldwide)
Developers:  Voltage Inc.
Publishers:  Voltage Inc.
Platforms: Nintendo Switch
ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

SYNOPSIS

The night of a crimson crescent moon, you find yourself transported to a realm called Saligia.
Far removed from your everyday life, you’re in a world where magic is commonplace.

In the midst of your confusion, before you appear five beautiful princes.
They crave the power your kiss can bestow, and will scheme to get it.

But what they seek is not just your power.
They want your heart as well…

ART AND MUSIC

Director: Takeshi Kimura (Voltage Inc.), Kaori Narumi (Voltage Inc.)Artist: Futaba Hazuki (main), Murashige (chibis)Scenario: Voltage Inc.BGM/Soundtrack: Voltage Inc.

CHARACTERS AND ROUTES

Court of Darkness: Temptation’s Kiss for the Switch currently includes only five routes and love interests. The mobile version has many more, but for this Switch release, there are only 5, for now at least. The game follows the typical format of most Voltage mobile titles, where you choose a character’s route right after completing the prologue and common route.

There’s no overarching plot for Court of Darkness, and each route stands on its own, so basically, there are no rec’d play orders, so you’re free to start with whichever route you want.

Note: The CGs shown below are promotional images for the game, Court of Darkness: Temptation’s Kiss (the ones you can see on the game’s eshop page). All spoiler-related content in this review will be hidden behind a spoiler drop-down, that you can choose to view at your own discretion.

GUY AVARI

• possessive
• hot n’ rude

Prince of Avari. Possessed a forbidding aura and a prodigous talent for magic. Every eye in the magical realm of Saligia is on him. His ambition is to rule from on high, and to achieve this, he has turned the cold fire in his eyes on the heroine.

I played Guy’s route first because I found him the most appealing design-wise out of all the consorts. Plus, he looks a bit like Abel from Battlefield Waltz, who was also my fav. from that game.😋 I have heard from the grapevine that there was some sort of dislike for Guy from the Western fandom, so I braced myself to be nettled by his route… but to my surprise, I wasn’t. In fact, Guy’s route ended up becoming my favorite of them all. What? Am I the odd one out here?

Guy was pretty much a man of few words…and I mean that literally, because boy, does he not talk… at all! Well, I mean, he does, but most of his lines are a little more than a single “…” accompanied by those deep, debonair stares (hey, not that I’m complaining, cause that’s exactly my type, ha!)😆This route is also probably one of the few in the game that actually has a coherent plot, where it knows where it was going, with a clear beginning, and end. And I enjoyed my time with him as a first route. I love the icy, possessive prince type, and Guy is exactly the perfect fit for this archetype!

⬇️ Spoilers

There’s also a bit of gap moe with Guy, because despite his icy and prickly, straightforward attitude about his goals, he’s not actually the bad guy the game sometimes makes him out to be. It’s such a weird occurrence too. Cause like, on other routes, he’s always given some screentime whenever the game needs to add some sort of rivalry for another LI, & poor Guy always gets the villain-edit of them all, even though he isn’t really a villain.(laughs) Since this is a mobile port, I can somehow see why some fans might be averse to him. Maybe they played another route and happened to encounter Guy there, strutting around his coarse attitude? lol. Yes, he can be stern and a bit forceful at times, and yes he is a bad communicator, like bro, speak what’s on your mind please!😭 BUT he’s literally nowhere near evil. This dude has a soft, fluffy side, and I adore him for it!

I had to cackle a few times in his route at how he basically devises this draconian style of training for MC, which, hey, actually works in her favor. Her power is legitimately dormant inside her, so she needed that hard push to reach her full glory, exactly where Guy needs her to be strength-wise. I also think this route really highlights that Guy is pretty much the strongest of the bunch. Even in other routes, he and his kingdom Avari are consistently regarded as the most powerful, so his story here really lines up with that reputation. All in all Guy is my kind of guy! He deserves to be poster boy, imo!

FENN LUXURE

• flirts with anyone who breathes

Prince of Luxure. This sly, enticing prince is a master of seduction. People of all genders and ages succumb to his wiles, but none have ever truly touched his heart.

Well, after having such a good time with my first route, Guy, I was hooked and wanted to get a little more spice out of the game. So I played Fenn’s route second, thinking he might have more rizz to offer, since he’s genuinely the flirt type and even tries to seduce the heroine in Guy’s route. Big mistake. I’m not sure how I feel about Fenn’s route tbh…. it’s, uh…definitely, something for sure!😬

⬇️ Spoilers

I was fooled into thinking Fenn’s route would be the spice-focused route! I thought him playing a philanderer would actually confirm that. Boy, was I wrong!

Unlike Guy, who proposes to the heroine straight away (to be his attendant) because he wants to make use of her powers, Fenn proposes that she enter a contract with him so he can “protect” her. He claims he’s not interested in her powers or ruling any kingdom and just wants to be with MC. That’s quite a stretch for a random proposal, but for some reason MC immediately believes him and says yes right away. Later on, she realizes that Fenn was ACTUALLY INDEED using her for her abilities, which shocks her for a minute but then decides to keep the contract for shits and giggles.🥴 That’s not even the kicker here. The thing is, this route completely deviates from the slice-of-life school plot and instead spiraled on Fenn’s personal drama, which is… wait for it… ALL ABOUT RESCUING HIS FIRST LOVE.

The route actually goes downhill from here. Fenn and the MC embark on this whole journey fleeing their school to rescue a woman named Eva, who was apparently Fenn’s ex-governess, first love, and stepmom. NO, SERIOUSLY, I’M NOT MAKING THIS UP!😭

For context, Luxure, Fenn’s kingdom, is regarded as the country of romance, and the king is allowed to have as many wives as he wants. Eva supposedly came to the kingdom to be the prince’s (Fenn’s) governess, which by then she became Fenn’s first love. But then Eva decided that daddy got more rizz, so she went for the king and became one of his consorts instead (making her, in theory one of Fenn’s stepmoms lol!) This broke Fenn’s heart, and he brooded over it for some time.

After becoming the king’s 103rd consort (lol), Eva realized she wasn’t getting much attention from him, so she ran back to Fenn, and they had an affair. Sooner or later, the king found out that she was cheating on him so she was branded a traitor and sent to the dungeons for execution. WILD! And that’s basically where the *plot* of this route comes in… MC and Fenn are now ’bout to rescue her.

What really flabbergasted me was that when they arrived at the dungeon where Eva was supposed to be held, the guards told them she had already been executed. Bruh…🫩🚬🚬🚬 And all they have now as a memento is her lock of hair and a pen, which Fenn apparently gave her beforehand. Fenn becomes emo for a while, (doesn’t talk, doesn’t move), and it’s now up to the MC to drag him to some hiding place. For one, they’re still being chased by the academy soldiers, for going against school rules, and two, she feels like she can’t leave Fenn alone in his state. She even asks him to use her as some sort of rebound to soothe his pain for the meantime, lol. At this point, I was already over this route.

Fenn’s route was a nightmare for me. All the tropes I hate are packed together here in a tight little bundle, so yeah, his story was a huge landmine. I really hope his Book 2 story or the events in the mobile game make up for this, because this route is definitely NOT it.

TOA QELSUM

• Guy Avari h8r
• a good boi

Prince of Qelsum. Forever composed and sparing with his expressions, he is a model student with an almost perfect grasp of any situation. Despite his standoffish nature, he is always willing to help others.

Since Fenn was a disappointment, I figured I should move on to the guy who caught my eye during the common route, Toa! I’ve heard good things about this LI, so my expectations were pretty high going into his route, and sure enough, his story didn’t disappoint.

Neutrally, I think he actually had the most solid character arc. While he is undeniably ruthless, tough, and always by the book when teaching MC how to use magic, he is also genuinely kind to her and to everyone around him. His kindness can sometimes be his weakness as well, and I like how his route explores a lot of that nuance.🥹 His route didn’t have as much *game* as the previous two, but I feel like he had the best chemistry with MC, so I chucked my complaints to the side.

⬇️ Spoilers

Instead of asking the heroine to form a contract with him like what Guy and Fenn did, Toa took it upon himself and volunteered to the headmaster to become MC’s tutor. His reasoning is that their Kingcraft (S-rank elective) requires them to help elevate a C-rank student, so he partners with MC to help her get better with using magic.

Tbh, I feel kind of bad for Toa in his story. The dude has literally been pressured his whole life to compete with Guy Avari. His kingdom, Qelsum, expects too much of him. He was raised specifically to be Guy’s rival, a role he, in his vulnerability, just accepted for his entire life.😭 Oh you poor precious pressured sonofagun…😭

His ending is basically about him learning to stand up for himself and choose what he wants for his life instead of being pressured and ragged on by his family. I especially liked the part where Guy offers his aid to Toa at the end. It showed how much respect he has now gained for Toa, considering that earlier in Toa’s route Guy ridiculed him for being too passive and unable to make his own decisions as a prince. That being said, I was also annoyed at how they painted Guy as the bad guy here again! Come on now, leave my man alone! 😂 I was also a little miffed that it took Toa so long to admit his feelings for MC. His attendant, Knight, literally had to talk some sense into him before he finally folded, which he could have done so much earlier, but I guess they have to drag out the drama for plot purposes.

ROY INVIDIA

• vanilla but not really
• Roy in leather jacket > Roy in his prince fit

Prince of Invidia. Gracious and mild-mannered, he is beloved by all. The portrait of a perfect prince. Although, motives and secrets lurk behind his winning smile.

I actually like Roy, especially after finishing the entire game. His route might stand a little toward the vanilla side, but I feel like it also shows that, as princely as he is, Roy can also have a rather murky side to him. And I just wish they had pushed that slightly twisted angle of him a bit further, but well… that’s just me lol. He was also amazing in Lynt’s route, which is probably why he ended up becoming one of my favs in the game. My main issue with his route though, and something I can say about several other routes for this title as well, is how conveniently everything wraps up in the end.

⬇️ Spoilers

I love how Roy mind-controls people. Like dang, now that’s what I’m talking about! His route is basically all about him doing everything he can for his small kingdom to get recognized. So he pushes hard for Invidia to form alliances with the other kingdoms. He even goes as far as mind-controlling a blacksmith into crafting a really powerful silver weapon for him. The heroine eventually finds out about this, but gives him the benefit of the doubt.

Later in his story, when tensions around Roy and Invidia are high, he chances on mind-controlling the heroine to make her stay by his side no matter what. I actually wondered why he even did that when MC was already head over heels for him. Like, why go that far, my dude? But I also kind of love that he gets desperate enough to turn a little twisted, so I was definitely enjoying all the bits and pieces of red-flaggy crumbs in this route. 😂

Despite the route ending way too conveniently for my liking, I really enjoyed Roy’s presence and how he bounces off from being warped and desperate with his goals to being remorseful for what he’s done. I think if they had written him to be more insidious with his desires, I would have enjoyed this route even more thoroughly!

LYNT AKEDIA

• lethargic
• sleepy cinamonroll

Prince of Akedia. Forever sleepy and loathes putting in an effort to do anything. His considerable magical power has placed his kingdom’s expectations squarely on his shoulders.

I thought Fenn’s route drew a line in the sand for me, but here comes Lynt’s route, coming in clutch! I’m normally an enjoyer of the sleepy bean prince archetypes. In fact, these types are my crème de la crème, so Lynt, being the lazy, adorable cutie pie that he is in other routes, immediately grabbed my attention. However, his route here is… just… NOT IT, fam! I admit, I sort of ended up skipping large portions of dialogue here because it was too frustrating to trudge through.

⬇️ Spoilers

In his route, Lynt asked MC to be his paramour so the other LIs, particularly Guy and the rest, would stop fighting over her. It was cute that he came up with this on a whim, and the other LIs were immediately like, “oh well, okay then,” 😂LOL. Even the likes of Guy yielded and approved of their relationship, saying MC was in good hands, since Lynt and his kingdom hate conflict and he believes she’s safe with him.

From then on, Lynt drags MC around him, making her share a bed with him and even making out with her in their secret spot by the library, because “that’s what paramours do,” he says. They do all this with MC’s consent (I mean, he’s a cutie pie, how could she say no, right?). This was all cute, but the thing is, he does all these without really disclosing to MC that he has a fiance waiting for him in Akedia, and that he has to leave her and the school soon to marry this other girl. What??? Does he literally think it’s okay to toy with someone like this? He knows full well that MC likes him otherwise, she wouldn’t be making out with him so passionately. lol

Roy was the star of this route for me! While Lynt was shunning MC because of this whole fiancé crap and how he couldn’t go against his kingdom’s wishes, Roy was there to comfort her. It pains me that you actually have to reject him many times just to chase after Lynt. I was all for Roy in this route; I didn’t really care for Lynt anymore.

What aggravated me even further was that after the heroine jumped through all the hoops to chase him to Akedia and even fought guards on her own with her cat Robin (lol), during the last of his chapters, Lynt finally grew some balls and put on his big boy pants and told his parents that he didn’t wanna marry his fiance because he liked someone else. And guess what? His parents (the king and queen) completely called off the wedding right then and there, no questions asked! Like bam! There shant be no wedding anymore, so ya’ll have a great day now, kthanks, bye! 🤯🥴 HUHHH??? He really could have done this waaaaaay earlier. Instead, he puts the MC and others in danger by making them chase after him. Does he really care about her when he can’t even make sane decisions for himself regarding their relationship? It could be part of his personality quirks, but seriously, I was already so put off at this point that I didn’t even enjoy either of his Magic or Mischief endings.🤦‍♀️

MAYU SEKIGUCHI (Main Heroine)

Mayu is just your normal working girl living in Tokyo, and one night during a crimson moon, she gets isekai’d into this magical realm called Saligia. There, she meets five beautiful (and sexy hot) princes who want to use her for her so-called *special powers*, which can supposedly heighten their magic with a simple physical touch. Pretty baity premise, no? 🤭😝

The MC, Mayu, is quite feisty and funny, full of sass in her inner monologues during the prologue. She’s actually pretty entertaining in some routes. I enjoyed her in Guy’s and Toa’s, but she also frustrated me in Fenn and Lynt’s. She has a lot of humor up her sleeve, which I sometimes enjoyed in her rants and monologues, but other times her sass can be a bit too much and even a little cringe.

This is by far my fav line from MC! 🤣

That said, I think MC here is pretty alright. I don’t really have any strong opinions about her overall because, depending on the route, she can be a hit or a miss. You’ll either like her or dislike her. I think I fall somewhere in between. Sometimes her sass works for me, sometimes it doesn’t, but I’m normally not a big fan of overly sassy heroines, not that she is like that all the time, but that might still be influencing my take.

SYSTEM AND LOCALIZATION

As this is a mobile port, the user interface is very different from AmuLit’s original console titles, like Even if Tempest and The Red Bell’s Lament. The UI for Court of Darkness: Temptation Kiss somewhat mirrors the mobile app version, but without the other mobile features such as Daily Lessons, the Battle screen, avatar screens, etc., and definitely no microtransactions.

Consort Perspectives
These are scenarios in certain chapters that play out from the LIs’ perspectives. You can view them by selecting an LI of your choice on the title screen, and instead of going to their Book 1 story, you choose “Consort Perspectives” to see their POV in some chapters.

Localization
I looked up the game in Japanese and was surprised to see that the love interests actually have different last names in the app. It seems that for the Switch version, their last names were changed to match their kingdoms or countries. Guy Avari from the kingdom of Avari, Toa Qelsum from the Qelsum kingdom, Roy Invidia from Invidia kingdom, and so on. I’m not sure if this was a localization choice, but this change definitely made me curious. I didn’t play the mobile game in English, so I’m not sure whether the English app kept their original last names or went with the same approach as the Switch version.

I believe the Japanese app was partially voiced as well, and it had some amazing seiyuus in the cast. I’d love to hear Toshiyuki Someya voice Guy in the game, given he’s one of my favorite stage actors from Touken Ranbu stage. And honestly, having Yuuki Ono as Fenn and OnoKenn as Lynt probably would’ve made it harder for me to dislike their routes (laughs).🙈

As for the actual localization, I totally enjoyed the humor that was put into this game. The translations were done quite well. The MC might be too gen z sassy, but I think it works well for her character, given she was from the modern world isekai’d into this fantasy realm. Overall, great work from Voltage’s localization team.

PROS:

• Rewind Feature
• Log Views
• Heroine’s Name Customization
• Chapter Select
• Skip READ function
• CG Gallery
• New opening movie exclusively for the switch version (playable in the EXTRA section)
  

CONS:

• The game is not voiced
• No heroine side image sprite
• No Dictionary
• No Love Catch System
• No Music Gallery
• No Skip to the Next Choice Function
• You have to hold the ZL button to use SKIP read
• There are only 5 CGs per route
• No end credits that play after each ending
• The CGs are displayed in a zoomed-in landscape format. Since the original CGs were made for mobile and meant to be viewed in portrait mode, the in-story versions for the Switch end up cropped. The only way to see the full, uncropped CGs is by viewing them in the gallery.
  

TRAILER

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qh8SvlI_gmg

OVERALL THOUGHTS

It took me around 18-20 hours give or take, to finish all the routes in the game, including the Consort Perspectives for every LI. The common route stretches to two chapters, and each LI only has two Happy Endings: the Magic ending, which is the softer, fluffier one, and the Mischief ending, which is basically a happy ending with a bit more spice to it. Also, this title does not have any bad endings.

I played mostly with my Switch docked, and since the game isn’t voiced, I wasn’t using the auto-mode for it, and admittedly skipped the repeated plot-point dialogues in some routes.

A Classic Voltage Title!

Court of Darkness is definitely one of Voltage’s staple mobage classics! I’ve played a few Voltage mobile games in the past, like SLBP, Enchanted in the Moonlight, and ofc my fav. guilty pleasure game, Irresistible Mistakes,🙈 but this is actually the first time I’m reviewing one of their mobile ports!

To start with, Court of Darkness: Temptation’s Kiss was originally created for mobile, so it doesn’t have the same structure you’re used to in console games like, say, Even if Tempest, nor does it have an overarching plot that ties the whole story together. All of the routes are pretty much self-contained and don’t really spoil each other. There are routes that are a mix of slice-of-life moments (due to the magical school setting), and there are those that take a more adventurous turn, while some wander into angstville territory. All the routes are also very “tropey“, as I would expect from Voltage’s mobile titles, and most of the plot events here don’t really go for the kind of grand scale narratives found in AmuLit original console titles. For this reason, it’s best to keep your expectations tempered.

Regarding the main stories, I was quite surprised that, while the premise sets up the MC being transported into a fantasy realm, none of the routes really explain why she got there, who she is, or where her powers come from. They only briefly mention this happenstance in certain routes, like Guy’s, Toa’s, and maybe Lynt’s, but never really expand on her backstory. That part left me a lil’ bummed ngl. Then again, this is only Book 1 of the Court of Darkness series. I believe the mobile game already has Book 2 out, and I’m actually tempted to buy Guy’s and Toa’s because I’m really interested in these characters and curious to see if they finally explore MC’s background there.

The Battle of The Consorts

As for the love interests, each one has a distinctive charm that aligns with classic otome archetypes, especially those seen in older mobile titles. Guy is definitely my kinda guy (pun intended), and he was my favorite out of the five. I can certainly see where all the *guy-hate* in the fandom comes from though. I mean, he was pretty pushy and forceful at the beginning of the prologue and common route. But frankly, he was the most honest out of the five. He was clear and straightforward from the start that he wanted MC for her powers, and that his initial interest in her was because of that. Tbh, him being upfront about his goals actually made me like him even more, especially after finishing all the other routes and seeing how the other consorts do so much as to deceive MC or put little effort into actually being with her (looking at you, Fenn and Lynt). So yeah, I may be an outlier here, but you can start calling me a Guy-apologist now!😂 (cackles) I shall defend this man with all my might and honor! 😤

Yes sir, lemme pack my bags real quick!🫡

On another note, Roy really surprised me in this game. I wasn’t a fan of his route, but I loved him as a character. I’m all for the morally gray hottie, and he was great in Lynt’s route too.😍 Toa is an upstanding pookie, so he gets a pass from me! I disliked Fenn and Lynt with a passion. (laughs) They are definitely not bad characters per se; in fact, I actually like Lynt’s lethargic quirks, but their routes were really difficult to enjoy. Perhaps Book 2 will redeem these LIs for me? Who knows! I really hope Voltage brings over the second game to the Switch or release it as DLC in the future!

❤️ LI Ranking: Guy > Roy > Toa >>>> Lynt >>>> Fenn

📝 Route Ranking: Guy > Toa > Roy >>>>>>> Fenn = Lynt

As for the spice, this title definitely has a bit of it, but they’re mostly in the Mischief endings. I think Guy definitely has the most spicy-ish encounters out of the bunch, but that could just be my bias talking. I wouldn’t say the spice is on the same level as their other titles, like Irresistible Mistakes. Most of them cut away right before anything actually happens. 😭 I think most of the rizz for these consorts is in the mobile app events, so it’s kind of sad that I’ll probably never get to experience it. 😭

Pls port BOOK 2 to make this WILD love-making happen, Voltage! 🙏

Do I recommend this game? YES.
This was a fun, short game that served as a palate cleanser from the much heavier, more serious title I played recently (ClubSui), so the mood switch-up was certainly a very welcome and refreshing experience. It also brought a wave of nostalgia for the classic mobile games of the early days, when console releases were far scarcer. 🥹 If you grew up with mobile titles or discovered the genre through mobage, you will definitely appreciate the vibes and atmosphere that Court of Darkness: Temptation’s Kiss offers. So I definitely recommend this to anyone craving that same nostalgic-feel, especially if you’re looking for something light and reminiscent of the fun, old-school mobile otome games.

Even with modest expectations, I really enjoyed most of this title, and I’m now kind of craving some of the characters’ Book 2 stories, as they appear to explore more about each of the LIs’ kingdoms. I also definitely want more lore about the world of Saligia, and of course, the promised spice!😮‍💨 Ha! Here’s hoping Voltage Inc. eventually ports Book 2 for the series!🤞

#AmuLit #CourtOfDarkness #CourtOfDarknessReview #CourtOfDarknessTemptationSKissReview #CourtOfDarknessTemptationsKiss #nintendoSwitch #VoltageInc