Homura: The Crimson Warriors is an otome game that I am personally pumped for. It takes place within my favorite era of Japanese history, the Edo Period. This was a period of time when the Samurai controlled most of Japan under the Tokugawa shogunate.
Game Name: Homura: The Crimson Warriors
Platform(s): Nintendno Switch
Reviewed On: Nintendo Switch 2 with Backwards Compatibility
Developer(s): Idea Factory, Design Factory
Publisher(s): Idea Factory International
Release Date: March 31st, 2026
Price: $39.99
Mutsumi Mochizuki is a ninja appointed to serve the Sanada clan. To get there, she has to go to the location of Nobushige Sanada, who has been exiled thanks to his decision to go against the Tokugawa. While under his command Mutsumi, becomes acquainted with the rest of the staff under his command that includes Sasuke Sarutobi, Saizo Kirigakura, Juzo Kakei, Kamanosuke Yuri, and other great names from history. Mutsumi has to work with each one of these, both individually and collectively, to help figure out what is going on with the enemy ninja clan, the Ura Yagyu.
The Good
Seeing names show up I recognized in Homura: The Crimson Warriors was a treat! This is a period of time I am extremely familiar with. It was a guaranteed grab for me. This is frequently a time period that gets exaggerated or romanticized. So it is a perfect option for making an Otome game. Just because it is romanticized doesn’t mean you don’t get actual history in between. The game discusses the clans of the Tokugawa and the Hideyoshi, and what happened in Sekigahara that made the Edo period such a Samurai-centered society.
The evolution of Mutsumi is a great thing to see. She gets to develop her skills in ninjutsu, in stealth, in close encounters, and in fighting rogue ninja. You will also get moments where you have to take what you learn in the game and focus on the best ways to fulfill your objectives. You will be asked questions about what you want to do as Mutsumi, and based on how you respond, it will change how the fight encounter ends. Some you can lose but still survive, later down the line in the game, though, if you make a bad decision in a fight, you can die. Make plenty of saves so you don’t have to do much retreading old ground. I will admit that in some encounters, I would lose purposefully to see what happens. I had a lot of dead ends in the latter half of the game.
Your romance choice is dependent on how you respond to the cast of characters serving Nobushige Sanada. Those who are familiar with Sengoku Basara or Samurai Warriors know Nobushige as Yukimura Sanada. You will learn who he is pretty quickly, though, as he uses his iconic three-point trident. At certain times in the first half of the game, you will be asked what task you want to accomplish under Nobushige, and you will get more interactions with other individuals based on that as well. If you patrol the perimeter, you will get more time with Sasuke since that is his role, too.
Homura: The Crimson Warriors is a game that has a great sense of place and time. The game will tell you the time period between chapters, what has happened in Japan, and even what future events may await you. It will also give you maps you can look at to see the placement of allied and enemy forces. The aspect of growing closer to these characters makes sense because Mutsumi spends a lot of time with them as she is training herself and strengthening her own resolve as a ninja serving Nobushige Sanada.
There is a good chunk of drawn CG scenes in Homura: The Crimson Warriors. I was surprised by how many scenes would get drawn art, or even unique drawn backgrounds. The art is also drawn dynamically, which is really great to see. The models in the dialogue scenes don’t have too many expressions, but they have a lot when their personalities are drawn in full art scenes.
The Bad
The first thing I noticed was that you don’t have access to the timeline in Homura: The Crimson Warriors until you finish one route in the game. In most otome games, the timeline is a flow chart or an equivelant used chart that helps you keep track of choices and decisions. In this one, it is called a ninja scroll, and it gives you very little aid in figuring out what you did. You still get the same yellow text for options you have chosen previously, but that doesn’t always help if you have done multiple playthroughs and you are trying to figure out what you need to do differently to get a different route. You are gonna have to bring the notebooks back in this one.
This time period is a gold mine for famous names in history. It feels weird that we are so held off on being able to see more individuals. Some get name-dropped, but you don’t get to interact with them at all. Some seem tied to routes you will need to follow, as there are voice actors for some of the members of the Toyotomi clan, but in my two playthroughs, I didn’t meet any of them. Granted, this could be on me for having much higher expectations of people you could meet in this time period and having a good sense of knowledge about this time period. Many people may not have this problem due to their own expectations.
The UI and controls are not present on the screen during Homura: The Crimson Warriors. Honestly, this isn’t that big of a deal, but it was making things tough for me in the beginning. If I wanted to open up the log, I could usually press a start button or the menu button to find it, but I had to try all the controls before finding the correct input. For those who might struggle as I did initially, it is the left thumbstick. Tilt it up to open up the log.
The Verdict
Homura: The Crimson Warriors is an otome game that is geared to me. Which feels weird considering the usual audience. I love the time period, the history, and the locations. You get to be under the service of one of the most interesting individuals of that time period, Nobushige Sanada. You also get a story of an average ninja who trains and gets stronger to become a much more powerful ninja. If you are someone who likes otome games that are more action-oriented than romance-oriented, then take this one. The romance isn’t bad; it does feel earned, but it also doesn’t have many romance scenes or moments. Mutsumi is a ninja who falls in love with another ninja as they spend time together and train together.
Homura: The Crimson Warriors will release on March 31st, 2026, for Nintendo Switch. You can pre-order the game on the Idea Factory International Website.
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Homura: The Crimson Warriors is an otome game that should have been a hit with its setting, characters, and vibe. It does do a lot well, but some of the parts that it doesn’t do well with make the whole experience suffer.
Pros
- Japan Edo Period Otome game
- Ninja main character who becomes powerful by the end of the game
- The voice cast is amazing
- Actual historical maps and locations with armies and named forces marked correctly
Cons
- Romance scenes are few and far between
- Ninja Scroll does not do well as a flow chart of choices
- Control scheme can feel awkward
