• Price: $49.99 USD (digital & physical)
• Developer: Idea Factory
• Publisher: Aksys Games
• Release Date: June 27, 2024

A review code was kindly provided by MMPR on behalf of Idea Factory and Aksys Games. We thank them for being able to cover something they’ve worked so hard on.

I reviewed the original Radiant Tale around this time last year; true to its name, it was definitely a bright spot in my life as I played it. The beautiful character designs, fantasy elements, and frequent comedic moments make this otome series one of my favorites! I had hoped that we would get the fan disc localized, and they delivered!

Fanfare! includes 3 different modes:

• After Story: Witness what happens in Tifalia’s relationships with each love interest after the first game
• If Story: “An inventive original tale” with routes for additional characters
• Interlude: Mini episodes that occur during the events of the first game

I was excited to experience the new routes, but I needed to find out what happened with the original cast of love interests first.

After Story

Each of the original 5 love interests gets their own After Story that shows us how their relationships with Tifalia continue to evolve. They all have 4 chapters and choices, with a single ending for each one.

Radie (Ralida)

Part of what made the first game so great was the amount of scenes that make me laugh. And not even a few minutes into Radie’s route in Fanfare!, I was chuckling again over the antics of both the major and minor characters. Again, Radie works better as a comic relief character than as a love interest for me; I still find it awkward how he helped raise her. It didn’t help that they kept mentioning how she was as a child and that she’s still growing up.

He’s a great character though, and I liked how he supported Tifalia through her internal struggles in this fan disc route. I wanted a bit more of the storyline that was happening in the background, but I enjoyed how the minor characters played a bigger role.

Vilio

Vilio’s route was pretty romantic in the original game, and that remains true here as well. Two different plot points dominate Vilio’s route: something between Vilio and Tifalia, and also an important issue for the continent of Escholtia.

I thought this was a “meatier” route than Radie’s, and it elicited more of an emotional response from me. There were some bittersweet moments, but they helped make Vilio’s fan disc story into a touching expansion of his relationship with Tifalia. And as usual, their fellow members of CIRCUS were good bros, providing support and giving them advice.

Ion

I’m much better at expressing my thoughts in writing than verbally, so I very much sympathize with Ion’s difficulty in communicating. He has a tragic past, and he’s certainly awkward, but his heart is in the right place.

Ion does manage to deliver some smooth lines here and there despite his difficulties. Jinnia’s reaction to one of his clumsier attempts made me cackle. This route is sweet yet also has a more serious storyline, covering the socioeconomic issues in Escholtia as Tifalia and Ion continue to grow closer.

Paschalia

Paschalia had what I felt was the most romantic route in the last game, and after playing through everyone’s fan disc routes I’ve decided to crown him as my favorite Radiant Tale love interest. He’s his usual sweet – and surprisingly flirty – self in this story.

I absolutely adore him for the way he interacts with humans and spirits alike. Whether it’s in his route or not, he’s always doing his best to help others. Paschalia’s fan disc story is so romantic and touching. I was extremely happy with where they went with his character in this.

Zafora

Zafora was one of my favorites from the first game, and I still love his character. I didn’t particularly like the choices they made for Tifalia and Zafora’s interactions in this one. I thought it was at least interesting how they didn’t depict a perfect relationship compared to some of the others, but I was kind of disappointed that we didn’t get more romance out of him. They also seemed to focus more on the overarching story than the romance.

Route Ranking

Overall I enjoyed getting to see more of the original love interests. Some characters – and their fates – from the first game differ in each After Story, which helps to differentiate them from each other.

If I had to rank the routes, starting with my favorite it would be:

• Paschalia
• Vilio
• Ion
• Zafora
• Radie

If Story

Now that we’ve been over the original guys, let’s get to the new additions to the love interest ensemble! The If Story routes occur after the Common Route’s Normal ending in the first game. They all start as a common route that branches off around the second chapter out of four.

As much as I adored the first installment of Radiant Tale, one of my minor gripes about it was that Jinnia and Liyan weren’t love interests. Ultimately I think it was probably the right call not to do so, as I’ve found that (main) otome games with more than a handful of love interests don’t always do their stories justice.

But it seems like I was one of many who wanted to see more of these men, and we got our wish! Jinnia and Liyan both got romantic routes of their own in this fan disc, with a happy and normal ending for each of them.

Jinnia

Jinnia is just such a funny character – and his voice actor really makes his personality stand out even more! I had mixed feelings about his romance with Tifalia, but it wasn’t a bad story. I loved getting more background on Jinnia and why he is the way he is; I just wish that the new love interests’ routes were longer than the 4 chapters allotted to the main guys’ fan disc stories.

Liyan

Liyan drew me in with his pretty boy appearance, but he’s also a nice guy. We get to learn about his past and some facts about fenrirs like him. I preferred his route more than Jinnia’s, as the romance was better for me. But again, I felt it was too short, as we only get 4 chapters for him as well.

I would have wanted lengthier routes for Jinnia and Liyan since we didn’t get as much time with them in either game. The If Story routes do have an advantage over the After Story routes in that they give us a small amount of fan service CGs. The After Story routes didn’t have much “spice” to them in comparison.

Extra Characters

I do my best to avoid any spoilers before playing a game, so I only knew about the addition of Liyan and Jinnia for the fan disc. But the “If Story” mode also includes 2 brief routes for some of the other characters we love. They aren’t what I’d call overtly romantic, but kind of hint at the possibility of a relationship someday.

Interludes

You unlock the Interludes by completing each love interests’ After Story route. There are 11 Interludes total, and they’re short glimpses into the events of the first game. My favorite Interludes belong to Zafora, Paschalia, and I also liked the one focused on Paschalia and Vilio. The story about an important moment in Escholtia’s history was pretty interesting.

Overall Otome Opinion

Radiant Tale: Fanfare! is a lighthearted fan disc with minimal drama and great comedic undertones. I did think there were a few aspects that could been stronger. For one thing, Tifalia always seems to get really embarrassed about affection between her and her partner – even in private with just the two of them. It struck me as odd (especially when she was married to some of them already). That weakened the romance a little, in my opinion.

My other issue relates to the brevity. I would have appreciated an extra chapter or two for each After Story route, and even more for the If Story routes. Providing players with brief recaps of the first game’s stories was a nice touch, and they were accompanied by past CGs. However, I could have used more new CG content; the ones we have in Fanfare! are absolutely gorgeous, but I thought they had too many CGs using the same image multiple times with the tiniest of variations.

While there were things they could have done better, I definitely recommend getting this fan disc after playing the first Radiant Tale (if you haven’t already). The art style is one of the main strengths for both games, as well as the soundtrack and Japanese voice acting. I was so happy to get updates on what’s happening not only with Tifalia, her love interests, and friends, but also the current state of affairs in Escholtia as a whole!

8/10