Battlefield Waltz Reviews
Overall, Battlefield Waltz is a pretty good time. Don’t expect something revolutionary, but do expect some fun romance. And the visuals are very nice.
Battlefield Waltz is an enjoyable fantasy otome visual novel.
Battlefield Waltz has some good connections and character writing, but trying to make sense of its world and how the military academy fits in the narrative is going to make you crazy.
Rising from tragedy to become the Maiden of the Cursed Sword
The anticipated unexpected plot twists combined with highly appealing graphics make Battlefield Waltz a sturdy winner on the Switch. The ease of rewinding scenes and observing which game choices have been selected add to its charm, although enjoyment is marred by how hard it can be to get onto the six routes, as well as even getting a good ending in any of them. This is the sole part that didn't age so well, but hopefully RNG is kinder to the majority of players.
Battlefield Waltz is one of Otomate’s stronger efforts. It takes a strong setting, a strong narrative, and strong characters, and makes the most of them. It’s a “safe” game that takes few risks and doesn’t really push boundaries, but it’s an enormously enjoyable and moreish page-turner. The digital equivalent of picking up a good paperback.
There’s enough lore constructed about the royal history and alliances with other kingdoms that the world feels lived in without overwhelming you with Three Kingdoms levels of complexity. Lan is genuinely a solid lead and her support from Collette, Yuriana, and Ignis is so uplifting. When you have encounters, you get a flutter because it’s both sensual AND romantic, and that’s some incredible work to hit a dude who has no interest in dating a twink at a magic school. In short, Battlefield Waltz is an absolute victory.
I would recommend Battlefield Waltz, if only for the world-building. That is where the game truly shines, but I wish they had done more in the story with the Cursed Sword. Overall, I did have fun playing the game.
The overall plot of Battlefield Waltz wasn’t amazing. Although, the romance I would say is better than 9 R.I.P., the last Otomate title I reviewed. I’m not sure if this is just how these games were back in 2014, or if Battlefield Waltz just happens to be a more basic otome. If you like otome, I’m sure you’ll get some enjoyment out of it, it truly did grow on me after I got through a few routes. It simply wouldn’t be my top choice from this developer.
Battlefield Waltz could have for sure been much more than it was. It suffers from bad storytelling and bad pacing, but the characters had so much potential and were so fun that this didn’t have to be the case. On the bright side, you probably won’t notice or care all that much about the story’s flaws if all you’re looking for is a gushy, tamed, romance sort of game.
World-building is a really sensitive thing, and if not handled with due care it can ruin an entire story. From the moment any story sets out to present a minimally complex world that is much larger than the small space in which the entire narrative takes place, the writing must keep up with the greatness of that world, otherwise the entire pace of the story is compromised and the ending becomes frustrating because it isn't rewarding enough. For that reason, Battlefield Waltz ends up falling into the cliché of a generic medieval fantasy story, which I can only recommend to those who have a certain level of patience to follow these characters who save the game in a dull and uninspired setting.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Battlefield Waltz is an otome game with a strong protagonist, fascinating love interests, great art, and an opportunity to get to know supporting characters.