Thank you Aksys Games for providing us with a review code!

Illusion of Itehari is a steampunk-themed otome (reverse harem) visual novel. The island of Itehari floats in the sky and how it stays afloat with its steam engine mechanics is a mystery to most of the residents. The main character is a young noble whose default name is Hinagiku (you can change it before starting the game). Hinagiku’s parents died in a fire when she was a young girl and has been raised by her attendant, Awayuki.

Awayuki is one of the many eligible bachelors in this game. He’s in his upper twenties while Hinagiku is just old enough to drink and get married. Awayuki is very protective of Hinagiku as her curiosity and explorative nature often gets her into trouble.

Illusion of Itehari begins with Hinagiku at her favorite spot, a secluded area with a nice view of Itehari. Out of nowhere a young man appears with a bladed glove similar to Wolverine’s. It takes Hinagiku a few moments to realize that her life is in danger since Itehari is a peaceful place with no crime. Another young man, Yashiro, comes to Hinagiku’s rescue and catches her as she jumps off of the balcony.

After Yoshiro rescues Hinagiku, he informs her that he’s new to Itehari and has lost his memories.  Because she feels indebted to him for saving her life, Hinagiku takes him back to her estate where Awayuki objects to treating Yashiro as a lost kitten.  While Yashiro doesn’t stay with Hinagiku, she does spend several days/weeks with him to help him acclimate and recover his lost memories.

Throughout her journey, Hinagiku realizes that Itehari is far from the utopia that she was raised believing it was.   The class system is broken where nobles can bully commoners with no recourse.  Crime does happen, and criminals are whisked away to an underground area referred to as the Abyss.  Children born there are subjected to poverty, harsh conditions, and never given the chance to leave and see sunlight.    

As you complete the six different routes, Hinagiku will get her eyes opened about how broken the society is in Itehari.  Even the police equivalent give preference to nobles and their needs over the ones of serfs.  Hinagiku treats everyone fairly which is uncommon.  There’s a romance route with one of the officers, Yori, and quite frankly, he’s a jerk.  Because he is in a higher class than Hinagiku, she can’t refuse his marriage proposal without a good reason or else her estate will be put to shame.  Spoilers ahead as this route is seriously flawed for some moral reasons.      

For reasons revealed in the final truth route, commoners and nobles are not allowed to marry.  Not all of the bachelors are nobles, and one of the routes has a forbidden relationship where they are intimate but never marry because it’s not permitted. Most of the routes don’t go further than kissing. 

Itehari is ruled by a descendant of the man who constructed the floating island.  This ruler is called The Great Taiju and is revered as a god by many.  Not all of the residents believe that he has divine powers and actively rebel against him by committing arson and, in one route, setting people on fire!  Blood and violence are prevalent in all of the routes.  An incense drug is plaguing the streets and causing people to lose their minds and, as a result, kill and eat residents.  The only way to stop these berserkers is to kill them on sight.  Alcohol consumption occurs, and Hinagiku gets drunk in one of the routes.  Lastly, foul language is prevalent throughout the game including words like *ss, b*stard, d*mn, and sh*t.

Like other visual novels made by Broccoli, this title is well polished in regards to voice acting and art.  The voice acting is in Japanese and is well done despite me not being able to understand it.  The subtitles are helpful in that regard, and I didn’t notice any grammar mistakes or typos.  Each route has multiple images to add to your gallery, but to unlock them all, you’ll have to experience all of the bad endings as well as the good ones.  After you complete each bachelor’s route a short story sequence will become available for them.  

All in all, I’ve spent over thirty hours playing this visual novel, and for the most part enjoyed it.  There are many moral issues to consider (especially in Yori’s route) before buying this game.