For anyone who isn’t aware of Collar X Malice, the first game in this series, stop right here. Collar X Malice Unlimited is a direct sequel to the first game and will absolutely and completely spoil the events of the first game for you. It’ll also be fairly confusing, so if you have not played Collar X Malice, it is highly recommended you do so before even considering Unlimited.
With that out of the way, let’s take a closer look at Collar X Malice Unlimited, the latest otome release from Idea Factory, published domestically by the always-awesome Aksys Games! As you may or may not be aware, otome games are a specific style of visual novel, one where the protagonist is female and being wooed by a bevy of handsome suitors. Normally, otome games tend to be the video game equivalent of a romance novel, so if that’s not your style, this definitely won’t be the game for you. However, Collar X Malice had a heavy focus on murders in Shinjuku and a rogue terrorist organization and as such, ended up being far more interesting than your standard otome fare. Collar X Malice Unlimited is essentially a fan disc of the original game, picking up where the story left off, adding in a healthy dose of saccharine romance, and continuing the story of the X-Day incident and Adonis as well.
Unlimited jumps right it with virtually no fanfare, setting you in the role of Ichika Hoshino once more. As a police officer and part time detective, Ichika is always busy, and surrounded by more than willing romantic prospects and she’s still wearing the collar from the X-Day incident. Almost immediately, events begin swirling around her again. A case comes in that has potential ties to Adonis and it’s your job to decide how to proceed. The prologue introduces the setup for Unlimited and then, depending on your choices in the Interlude, unlocks a variety of romantic After Stories for Ichika. Each one is with a different character from the first game. There’s no need to go into heavy detail here, especially since there are a bevy of incredibly detailed reviews of each romantic pathway and how they make you feel online. Each path is complex and well-written, and they’re broken down into five full chapters each, culminating in a variety of endings depending on your choices (not all are good). You can then go back and replay the prologue, making different choices and unlocking new After Story romances.
Finishing the After Story will open up Side Stories that give even more backstory into each of the characters, branching off into their history. It’s honestly an absolutely massive web of storyline to keep straight between romantic options, character histories, and all the events that may or may not have happened based on your choices. If you wade through all the side stories as well, things get really interesting. At that point, the Adonis storyline unlocks and you get a direct continuation of the first game with all the stress, trauma and brutality you could hope for, culminating in a rather satisfying conclusion if you can manage it. It’ll take you quite some time though, as Collar X Malice Unlimited clocks in at a good 30 hours or so. You definitely won’t be zipping through the game in an afternoon!
The majority of each section of the game is simply reading, although the whole game is fully voiced in Japanese and quite well done. Occasionally, choices will pop up and have you select an option that has an effect on the game, and there are even a few Professor Layton-esque logic puzzles to solve to proceed through the game. It’s a nice mix of steamy romance, crime and violence, and human interest that tones down the typical otome experience and makes it more mainstream and approachable. However, there’s more than just the content that sets Collar X Malice Unlimited apart from other visual novels.
Mechanically, Unlimited is one of the best designed visual novels ever. Sure, you’re clicking and reading mostly, but you’d be surprised how badly that can translate with the wrong team. In addition to reading a screen of dialogue and then clicking the button, Unlimited incorporates a much-needed auto mode that moves dialogue forward, saving your thumbs while you read it at a standard pace. If you’ve already finished a section and are replaying for an alternate romantic option or moving through the story, you can also activate non-stop mode which blows through the whole story incredibly quickly, only stopping at decision points. This allows you to skim through to the new segments when you start over to take a different path, and it’s simply excellent. On top of that, the Switch version of Collar X Malice Unlimited has full touch integration, meaning that you can just tap the screen to proceed and make choices. It’s a option that should be in every single visual novel but tends to only be in a scant handful and it’s definitely appreciated here!
The most interesting part of Unlimited’s mechanics though is the Backlog. Most visual novels allow you to read back through what you’ve read in case of accidental button presses. It’s a handy function, especially if you miss a small detail or aren’t sure how something tied together with a previous statement. However, Unlimited takes this a couple steps further. In addition to a text backlog, you can also replay the spoken audio of any sentence presented. Additional, there’s a full rewind option that allows you to simply go back and read the whole segment again with visuals at any point in the gameplay. Missed something? Just rewind. Want to see that image again? Rewind! Want to make a different decision at the story branch because you don’t like what happened? You can even rewind that! It’s such a simple and obvious mechanic that it’s shocking that more VNs don’t utilize it. And it makes gameplay absolutely fantastic in Collar X Malice Unlimited!
On top of the excellent interface, Collar X Malice has top notch graphics and sound design as well. Musical selections are quite good, fitting the situations well and tending to be fairly catchy. They do get a little repetitive here and there, especially if you’re not the fastest reader, but it’s an excellent soundtrack. Visually, this is an outstanding VN as well, with solid character designs (though it would be nice to have at least one less effeminate guy), excellent character portraits with detailed reactions, and even a fair number of chibi segments which are absolutely hilarious. If you’re not familiar with chibi, it’s basically super-deformed cutesy versions of characters used to accentuate certain situations. Notably in the west, one of the most successful and well-known chibi shows would be Teen Titans Go!, just for an example. The romantic scenes are steamy, with a lot of lip locks, partial nudity, and casual romantic imagery. No full nudity or completely outrageous stuff here, but oddly enough, some of the more violent parts of the story are surprisingly graphic, so be aware that it’s not all just romance here!
Depending on your preferences for characters, some After Stories and Side Stories may appeal more or less. They span a wide variety of personalities and romantic styles, making the characters significantly more interesting and well-rounded. It’s interesting to see such range and depth in the supporting cast of a game, and it’s obvious that a massive amount of care was taking in fully realizing all the potential choices that fans of Collar X Malice would want to make.
Ultimately, you’ll get out of Collar X Malice Unlimited what you put into it. If you fully play through every After Story and Side Story, unlock the Adonis storylines and complete the game, you’ll have a much deeper feel for the world of the game. If you aren’t a huge fan of the original Collar X Malice but liked the characters, this is definitely a more romantic sequel to the original and might still appeal to you as well. Unlimited is the ultimate in fan service and as such, is definitely worth a playthrough, even if you’re a bit uncertain about the mushy stuff. There’s plenty in here for everyone from dark, disturbing themes to playful banter and hilarious outrage, as well as excellent insight into the mundane minutia of everyday relationships and the ups and downs of the people in them. Collar X Malice Unlimited is like takes an excellent first game and provides complex insight into all the characters, resulting in a very satisfying visual novel experience that goes above and beyond in every aspect. For any fan, this is a must-have addition! It is a sequel however, and a pricey one, clocking in at $50 while the main game is only $40 on the Switch. The sheer amount of content you get is worth it however, and the sleek package it comes in makes it all the more approachable. Collar X Malice Unlimited is a unique and outstanding entry into the series as well as the visual novel world and if you’re on the fence, don’t be! It’s definitely worth checking out!
This review is based in a digital copy of Collar X Malice Unlimited provided by the publisher. It was played on a Nintendo Switch in both docked and undocked modes and was excellent in both! Collar X Malice Unlimited is exclusive to the Switch at this time. All screenshots are of actual gameplay.