Hakuoki: Demon of the Fleeting Blossom is undoubtedly a familiar name to visual novel and otome fans, especially given the popularity of the game’s anime adaptation. It’s a quintessential romance VN in many respects, with several well-developed relationships against feudal Japan’s historical backdrop. The game has gone on to see many re-releases since its first outing, with the Nintendo Switch’s Hakuoki: Chronicles of Wind and Blossom arguably the most definitive version as it combines two Hakuoki titles initially available as separate VNs on the PlayStation Vita and PC into one package. Due to its excellent narrative and “classic” status amongst otome titles, I’d argue that Hakuoki: Chronicles of Wind and Blossom is a must-buy for visual novel and otome fans who have yet to experience the penultimate versions of Hakuoki with Hakuoki: Kyoto Winds and Hakuoki: Edo Blossoms. However, fans who’ve already played those versions should be understandably hesitant to double-dip into a game that doesn’t do much but combine the two.
Hakuoki: Chronicles of Wind and Blossom begins its tale in January 1864. Our protagonist, Chizuru Yukimura, is a young woman disguised as a boy for safety reasons. She travels alone from Edo (the city later known as Tokyo) to Kyoto in search of her missing father, a well-respected doctor knowledgeable in Western medicine. She comes upon a gruesome scene of white-haired, red-eyed samurai dismembering and killing people, only to be saved from a similar fate with the timely intervention of members of the Shinsengumi, famed swordsmen loyal to the Tokugawa Shogunate keeping the peace in Kyoto. As it turns out, the Shinsengumi also have reasons for seeking Chizuru’s father. She becomes a ward in their care, serving as the “Demon Commander” Toshizo Hijikata’s page. However, conflict and danger are never far away in this turbulent period of Japanese history, with revolutionary upheaval and war ever looming. With a demonic supernatural element added to the shadows of historical events, Chizuru, over the years, becomes a witness to the sincere pride of warriors as the Shinsengumi continues to fight what might be a losing battle.
Given the above story synopsis and the authentic history behind the legendary “Wolves of Mibu,” it should be no shock that Hakuoki‘s narrative has tragic and dark undertones. There’s no shortage of severe and painful moments throughout the various routes, and the descriptions routinely depict war’s gruesome and sad sides. That isn’t to say there aren’t some hopeful or sweet moments, too, particularly along the “good” ending routes. Still, I appreciate how realistically tempered the developers handled the plot’s political intrigue and warfare drama. The story told here is very human, despite the occasional supernatural elements at play, with characters who are realistically flawed yet ultimately likable. This sentiment also extends well beyond the numerous love interests to include the supporting cast, such as the tragic figures of Isami Kondou and Genzaburou Inoue. The intermixing of believable, gradually developed romance against the backdrop of a revolution makes for a powerful narrative that even those hesitant about otome titles should try. Chizuru is also a compelling heroine with standout personality traits regardless of the love interest route you’re on, making her far from a blank self-insert type.
As stated, Hakuoki: Chronicles of Wind and Blossom combines Kyoto Winds and Edo Blossoms into a single package. These two titles provide all the character routes readily available in the game’s PSP release and six additional character storylines. The added routes for Shinsengumi captain Shinpachi Nagakura and especially the Shinsengumi Watch member Susumu Yamazaki were enough of a draw, quickly becoming two of my favorite storylines. However, new character additions such as Hachiro Iba and Kazue Souma also stand out. The developers ensured that all routes make narrative sense, and the common route for Kyoto Winds is expanded with additional scenes to ensure the new characters believably fit the branching plot. They even tweaked and lengthened the occasionally more antagonistic character Chikage Kazama’s route to help it cohesively fit better into the plot, arguably strengthening his route’s subsequent romance. Given that this version of the Hakuoki story is the “most complete” compared to the original release by providing so much extra content, it’s not difficult to recommend it to both Hakuoki fans and visual novel fans.
But that also puts Hakuoki: Chronicles of Wind and Blossom in a precarious situation. I can wholeheartedly recommend the title to those who haven’t played Kyoto Winds and Edo Blossoms yet, and I’d do so with gusto! But this port might not be a must-buy for fans who’ve already purchased those games for Vita or PC, as the Switch port doesn’t do much other than combine the two games. There are no added bells or whistles to entice returning players to replay. If you’ve already exhausted all of the story routes for Kyoto Winds and Edo Blossoms, there’s nothing extra here you haven’t already seen.
You automatically begin the Kyoto Winds half when starting a new game in Chronicles of Wind and Blossom. You must see a character’s route through to the end before you can open up an Edo Blossoms playthrough, and that’ll only be for the character whose route you just unlocked fully in Kyoto Winds. You must also play through the common route and see its various scenes once before you can skip through them to speed things along for subsequent replays. The common route is quite lengthy, and since I’d previously played Kyoto Winds and seen most of it, this made my first playthrough, in particular, feel like a slog. Admittedly, I became hooked once I uncovered previously unseen scenes, but that’s something returning players should consider.
Hakuoki: Chronicles of Wind and Blossom plays like a traditional visual novel in every respect. You advance through the game’s text until you reach a decision point that impacts how a given scene plays out. You may uncover a CG illustration or new dialogue, depending on your decisions. You can save manually and skip text already read in previous playthroughs. After playing through the game, you open up a helpful Record of Service menu option that lets you choose to start a story scene you’ve already unlocked so that you can skip specific early story points if you’re so inclined. That’s about it for extras, besides the expected CG Gallery that lets you view CGs you’ve unlocked.
This time, there’s a new English localization for the script, though I’m hard-pressed to say it impacts the story presentation since both translation versions are strong. There are a few typographical and grammatical errors in Chronicles of Wind and Blossom, especially in the second half of the Edo Blossoms portion. Still, they’re not frequent or distracting. The voice acting is superb, though some characters have such quietly spoken lines that it can be hard to hear them. This low voice issue is most notable with characters such as Toshizo Hijikata or Chikage Kazama compared to the more boisterous Shinpachi Nagakura or Heisuke Toudou. The soundtrack is quite dynamic, and I especially enjoy the new opening theme for this version of the game as it’s one of the few extras afforded to Chronicles of the Wind and Blossom. The character artwork and CG illustrations are gorgeous to behold, and I love how expressive the character portraits are. The visual indicator for when a character’s affection for Chizuru rises is quite distinct and eye-catching, too.
Overall, there isn’t much critical I can say; Hakuoki: Chronicles of Wind and Blossom combines the series’ two “most complete” titles into one lengthy adventure, easily making it the definitive edition of Hakuoki. Newcomers and those who’ve only played the PSP port of Hakuoki should try this version of the groundbreaking otome VN. Still, those who’ve played Kyoto Winds and Edo Blossoms in their entirety might not find enough new content here to warrant a second purchase unless they want to play on the Nintendo Switch. As it stands, Chizuru’s adventures with the Shinsengumi remain powerfully compelling.
