Birushana: Winds of Fate Review – Extra Historical Romance

Birushana: Winds of Fate Review

Birushana: Winds of Fate is a sequel–or rather, an expansion pack–for the otome visual novel Birushana: Rising Flower of Genpei. Like its predecessor, it occupies an interesting space between romance and historical fantasy epic. Unlike its predecessor, this title focuses more on the romance than the plot.

Let’s get the set-up out of the way first. This game is set in 1100s Japan. Specifically, it’s set fifteen years after the Heiji Rebellion. During this conflict, the Minamoto clan (AKA Genji) and the Taira clan (AKA Heike) went to war.

The Heike crushed the Genji, and the oldest surviving son was exiled. Now protagonist Shanao, who will become the legendary Yoshitsune Minamoto, is one of three surviving Genji heirs.

Shanao is a brilliant warrior, a solid tactician, and a good lord. There’s just one problem… Shanao is a girl. If her true identity is exposed, she has no hope of maintaining power. And she’s already a target for her lineage. After an incident, she’s forced to flee the capital.

But once she’s in exile, a number of strange and powerful men seem compelled to hunt her down. Some of them want to help her, some want to use her, and some want to outright destroy her. And now, even more of them can fall in love with her.

This is Not a Standalone Title

Birushana: Winds of Fate is what’s referred to in visual novel spaces as a fan disc. A bonus game containing extra scenarios meant for fans of an existing game. Rather then tell a single branching narrative, this game offers multiple smaller narratives that pick up where the first game left off.

This title offers four new ‘main’ routes and epilogues to the original five. The main routes start about halfway through the first game’s story before spinning off in their own direction. However, this is in no way a replacement for playing the first Birushana game. This title will not make sense without the preceding one.

And the epilogue routes follow up from the best endings for each character. As such, they are full of spoilers for the first game. Each epilogue carries with it new problems for the couples to face–and finally gives them some time alone together. All routes are available from the start.

This title’s routes are about five chapters long. That makes them roughly half the length of the original Birushana’s routes. There’s also not a lot of interactivity in this visual novel. The main routes offer about one choice per chapter, while the epilogue routes are read-only.

Birushana: Winds of Fate is a Conclusion to a Well-Told Tale

Birushana: Winds of Fate is a collection of spin-off tales. As such, it is far more focused on romance than the first game. Each character is distinct and memorable, the Japanese voice-acting is fantastic, and the dialog is great.

The character designs are gorgeous. In fact, this is a very pretty game in general. The backgrounds are nice, the action scenes are intense and interesting to watch, and the CGs are absolutely lovely.

The soundtrack is also excellent. It features a nice mix of traditional Japanese instruments and a more modern sound.

The original Birushana game was an extremely plot-focused visual novel full of political machinations and war. Birushana: Winds of Fate is a bit sweeter. It spends more time on the characters being together and working through kinks in their relationships. However, it still has its share of heavy themes.

Some of the epilogue routes follow characters who are related to the protagonist through blood or adoption. While most of those relationships end up happier than, say, Game of Thrones, the situation still causes drama and misunderstandings. If that’s not your thing, this may not be the game for you.

Shanao, I Love You

Birushana: Winds of Fate has a lot going for it, but its main appeal is the protagonist. Shanao is kind, stubborn, and sometimes downright ruthless. And most interestingly, she’s a very skilled warrior. This places her in an active narrative position rather than a more typical damsel role.

Although this game is more romance-focused than its predecessor, the main routes still have a fair amount of plot and politics. The epilogue routes also give Shanao and her chosen man plenty to worry about. A cute and fluffy dating sim, this isn’t. But if you like plot with your romance, you’ll have a great time.

As with Homura: The Crimson Warriors, the game features a glossary of specific terms. This is a lifesaver for gamers who aren’t familiar with the Heian period. It does not, however, feature maps. This makes the sense of location rather vague at times.

If you enjoy titles like Hakuoki or Homura: The Crimson Warriors, you’ll probably enjoy the Birushana games. And if you played the first Birushana but wanted more romance, Birushana: Winds of Fate fills that gap.

***Switch code provided by the publisher***