Fans of My Next Life as a Villainess may recognize how the series references and plays around with various otome game tropes, from routes and flags to hidden endings. Now, it’s here in real life. The Japanese Blu-ray release for My Next Life As a Villainess actually has various fully-playable versions of Fortune Lover, the game Katarina reincarnated into. Turning the meta nature of the series all the way back around, fans will actually be able to play the same game that Katarina loved so much. Although there's no sound, the official Twitter account for the series released a teaser video.
Fortune Lover, For Real
The official website labels these games as “trial versions,†perhaps hinting at a more expansive, full-length game in the future. Each of the four volumes of the Blu-ray (containing three episodes each) comes with a different route, featuring Geordo, Keith, Alan and Nicol, in that order. The packages also contain a serial code for playing the games online, which expire after a limited period of time.
The game is constructed to be like the original Fortune Lover, wherein the character plays as Maria, which means we won’t be seeing any romance play out between Katarina and the rest of her harem. This also means that players will experience the true villainess face of Katarina, who will be the antagonist just as she was originally. The game also appears to be fully voiced, according to a special broadcast. This means that players will also get to hear Maaya Uchida, Katarina’s voice actor, go all-out on her evil impersonations. Unlike in the show, there will be no holding back on the malicious intentions of this Katarina.
What Makes Fortune Love Different
What sets this apart from traditional otome games is that the player will be limited to the route based on the version of the game; while there is the possibility of different endings within a single route, it seems unlikely that players will get to choose between love interests in-game. The titles of the game versions make it clear that players are locked into their choice from the very beginning. While this would normally feel restrictive in an otome game, it’s actually a clever tactic to get fans to buy the full set so they can get access to every route. Each game CD even comes with a portrait of the boy it features, making it all the more difficult to resist.
Since each version of the game is titled with the name of the route, this is a likely indicator that neither Sirius nor the rest of the girls are possible targets. However, it is likely that they will still make cameos in the game as the player progresses. Some exciting deviations from the anime that players may get to witness are the devilish alter personality in Geordo, cultivated by evil Katarina’s abuse, and the playboy flirtiness of Keith, who wasn’t given attention as a child. Any interactions with the other female characters, like Mary and Sophia, will likely also be markedly different compared to the anime.
What to Expect From the Release
Will the game get an English release? Only time will tell. While the anime series is licensed for streaming by Crunchyroll, it’s possible that other home video and localization companies will need to get involved to make an English Blu-ray edition happen. In addition, since the game is not part of the anime itself, there may be different processes involved for both obtaining licensing and localizing the material. Not to mention, with the threat of delays caused by COVID-19 coinciding with these Blu-ray releases, it’s entirely possible that the game may be left behind in the English adaptation.
Not to fear, however, since there are other bonuses in these Blu-ray releases without the same trouble This includes all manner of booklets, drama segments, and art -- there is even a special live-action Katarina gardening and cooking segment, hosted by her voice actor. Fans will simply have to wait -- fingers crossed -- until official announcements roll out.