[Comparison] Pirates in Love vs. My Forged Wedding

Hello everyone, it has been a while since my last post. Since I haven't been writing as many new blog posts as I used to, I have been trying to find the time to write more, as you guys always tell me how much you enjoy reading them :) 


Today I decided to share something a little different, so please let me know if you'd like to see more of these in future! The idea struck me when I realised that not everyone has the time or money to fork out to purchase many Visual Novels/Otome Games. And if you were to do so, you'd want to only pay for only the best, right? 


Voltage Inc. are notorious for their pay-per-character system, which is honestly very overpriced. It was what initially deterred me from playing their games in the first place, but after a while - I finally caved in. I do have to say that whilst I do not like the paying system, Voltage's games are really enjoyable and entertaining.


If you've read my reviews on both Pirates in Love and My Forged Wedding, then you'll know that I gave them both rather positive feedback. They're definitely some of the more popular otome games in the market, and I really can see why. Purchasing both can be fairly pricey on a lot of people, so I've compiled a comparison for both games. They're both quite similar, but very different in many ways. 


So, here comes the big question: which is better? 

Storyline: Although I adored the stories of both the Visual Novels, I do have to say that Pirates in Love takes the lead on this one. I mean, who doesn't love stories about being kidnapped by notorious Pirates of the seven seas? Not to mention the idea of bunking with one of these handsome bachelors? It's too good of an opportunity to pass up for an Otome Game Visual Novel. 

I felt that Pirates in Love whilst was cliche in some ways, it did include a lot more unexpected twists which I really liked. I found myself feeling quite surprised at some of the character backgrounds and stories, since they were rather dark and angsty. I mean, not everyone chooses to be a Pirate. There are many unforeseen circumstances as to how each of the crew members landed on the ship, and it's up to you - as the player, to uncover that :) 


My Forged Wedding on the other hand, is a lot more light hearted and humorous. However, in saying that, it is definitely the more cliche of the two. I mean, a marriage contract happening literally out of nowhere? The moments between the characters also, are nothing superbly amazing or unexpected. My Forged Wedding includes many more of the "typical otome game" elements. In saying that though, it won't fail to make you swoon either ;) 



Character Development: Whilst both story casts were each amazing in their own right, and did eventually grow on me - My Forged Wedding definitely took the cake for this one. For Pirates in Love, as much as I loved Eduardo - he was really the only character I felt was truly worth the play through. Although the others were great (design/art wise), I felt that their stories weren't quite up to my expectations. They were "so-so" at best, and failed to move me, as the player. For example, even though Russell caught my eye at first because of his handsomeness (LOL) his story and character development really didn't impress me. 


My second favourite character though, has got to be Morgan, since he included a great character story. Also, Thomas and Christoper didn't interest me at all as bachelors. My Forged Wedding on the other hand, I found myself wanting to play all of them (which is pretty bad for my pocket). Overall, their characters were much more fledged out, and realistic. I found myself relating to them better, and I did enjoy their character stories a lot more (as a whole). 


Yamato and Ren were my absolute favourites, and I do have to say that I was a little disappointed in Saeki's path. He seemed so passionate and interesting in the other guy's stories, but when it came to his own - it was quite the let down. Takao I had already anticipated since the very beginning, so it really didn't come as a surprise haha ^_^" 




Design: Although both games included amazing art, I guess it all comes down to preference on this one. To me, then My Forged Wedding was definitely better, art and design wise. The characters were a lot better designed, and as I said before - they made me want to buy all of them (which is great on Voltage's part... but not so much for my pocket). The backgrounds were much prettier to look at, and the colouring was a lot more vivid and "otome like". 


I felt that the lines themselves, were much more crisp and defined. The available bachelors I felt were a lot more handsome in comparison to the one's choosable in Pirates in Love. But as I also mentioned before, it really comes down to your preference in the end :)




Music and Voice Acting: Neither visual novels are voiced (which isn't surprising, considering its for the iPhone/Android Platform). But once again, I do have to say that I enjoyed My Forged Wedding's soundtrack so much more. The music was a lot more soothing, and at some points I found myself simply pausing to listen to the music itself. There was just something strangely addictive yet oh so relaxing about the tracks, which I highly recommend. 


I actually found myself searching whether or not the OST was downloadable haha. Pirates in Love on the other hand, whilst it did include a variety of music that suited the scenes, it just wasn't as pleasant to listen to. Not saying that it was bad in anyway, but when compared to My Forged Wedding - it does pale in comparison. 



System: Both of the games had very similar systems, but I do have to say that My  Forged Wedding was better in this aspect. I thought the design was a lot more crisp, and I really did like the speaking text box (it was quite pretty in my opinion). There were less spelling and grammatical errors in the translation, and not as many bugs/crashes. I did remember Pirates in Love crashing at various points, and having some issues with the download screen (When I purchased Eduardo, it stated that I had purchased Russel instead LOL). 


This was back in January however, so I don't know whether or not that error has been fixed. Please let me know in the comment section below if this is still happening :) 

Personal Opinion: All in all, it's pretty obvious at this point that My Forged Wedding was the better of the two games, creation-wise. When it comes down to the smaller details, then it was a lot more crisp in many areas, such as the design, music, characters etc. Although the story wasn't quite as original nor as adventurous as Pirates in Love, the storytelling and execution of the story was much better. 


At the same time however, they really are both great games. Whilst in the smaller details, My Forged Wedding may be the better of the two - generally speaking, then it all comes down to your preference which one you like more. Both have their pros and cons, and neither are perfect - but that doesn't in anyway, take away your enjoyment of the game. For me personally, then I did like My Forged Wedding better, since Yamato and Ren totally won me over. 


Let me know if you'd like to see more comparison posts in future, and tell me in the comment section below which game you preferred more! :D