The mystical land of Oz has captured the imagination of many and is heralded as one of the earliest portal fantasy series ever penned. Over Requiemz is a decidedly different take on the tale, blending familiar concepts and ideas within a darker fantasy setting to create a choice-heavy VN otome narrative. For the most part, it stands on its own merits as a compelling game about finding purpose, while the narrative explores the development of love and unexpected danger along the way.
Over Requiemz begins with protagonist Yuhiru, after getting caught up in a fierce storm, waking up in a fantastical kingdom dotted with yellow brick roads and strewn with “ancient” and overgrown ruins straight from her homeland of Japan. Because of her black hair and eyes, a rare occurrence in Oz that is said to bring about misfortune, she’s labeled a criminal called a “Bedeviled” and put into a monster-slaying expedition alongside other death row convicts. With no one believing her to be innocent, Yuhiru can only hope to survive the trials that lie ahead, secure a pardon, and find a way to return to Japan. Both frightening and heartwarming new experiences await, so what path will she ultimately take?
Over Requiemz is a dark fantasy otome VN with a strong focus on flavoring the story to the player’s preferences. This focus is illustrated by the numerous dialogue choices spliced throughout. These help both shape and flesh out Yuhiru’s responses, allowing players to put themselves firmly in her shoes while still making her a believable, well-rounded character in her own right.
There are no “right or wrong” decisions during these choice segments, so players don’t feel quite as pigeonholed into choosing one response over the other in fear of missing out on a potential scene or ending. As a result, I found those moments of decision rather refreshing. There’s also a detailed flowchart for replayability purposes, and you can jump right to decision points, though it’s probably best to keep a save right before the prologue ends to choose your next route more quickly. None of the routes are gate-locked, helping them all feel equal in the grand scheme.
At certain narrative junctures, Yuhiru faces a clear binary choice that’ll have a notable impact on the plot from that point on. There’s the “Fact” story route, which arguably has more positive/romantic endings as eventual outcomes, and then there’s the “Dark” story route where you’ll see bleaker or more disturbing route endings. While these choices are few and far between, they’re quite important for setting Over Requiemz’s more mature tone.
Again, they’re not really presented as wrong or right: they’re just tailored more to the player’s narrative preference. I give Over Requiemz credit for being choice-heavy without being so rigidly so, given the variety of decisions you can make throughout. There are even some decisions that potentially unlock bonus voice scenes in the game’s extras section.
The story itself is quite interesting, given its references and shades of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Over Requiemz’s five love interests are clearly unique interpretations of characters inspired by Oz lore, with interesting personalities and mysterious backstories the game carefully delves into as you progress through their routes. What you learn in one character route ties into another, often shedding light on why a character might act a certain way in a particular scene without stealing focus from the given route’s main plot.
Over Requiemz‘s romances, particularly if leaning towards the more hopeful Fact endings, are quite well written and developed, too. Yuhiru herself starts as a more docile, naive heroine who truly grows into her own as the tale progresses. She isn’t an isekai power fantasy type of character, but a realistically flawed human who simply comes to grips with her current situation while growing as a result. She relies on others when needed, but can also stand on her own when someone else needs her assistance. I was invested in the dynamic she has with the other characters and how their group of travelers starts to actually bond over the course of the routes despite their various emotional baggage.
Over Requiemz features a lush, vibrant visual landscape with plenty of gorgeous backgrounds, character art, and CG illustrations to behold. The game’s UI is quite fitting for its aesthetics too. My biggest complaint from a visual standpoint is probably that many secondary characters go without artwork, and that flashbacks are usually left with dark or white screen views and dialogue instead of illustrations. The script’s localization is superb, with nary an error to be seen.
The soundtrack is also lovely, with several memorable BGM tracks and an opening that fits the game’s fantasy setting perfectly. The voice acting is superb throughout, especially when later story reveals have characters breaking down into powerful, emotional performances. Sound effects are used to great effect, though sometimes I wish they weren’t, since some of the squelchier ones could be a tad nauseating. Still, they certainly set the atmosphere certain scenes were going for!
Over Requiemz is a refreshingly creative take on The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, giving the story a fresh spin by adding some memorable romance to a beloved classic. I greatly enjoyed my time playing this VN and appreciated that it actually avoids attempting to pigeonhole players into playing in certain ways simply to see a “true” ending. Over Requiemz is one portal fantasy I certainly wouldn’t mind getting lost in again.
