Collar × Malice

Collar × Malice is a visual novel video game developed and published by Idea Factory under their Otomate brand. It was released for PlayStation Vita on August 18, 2016 in Japan, and by Aksys Games in North America and Europe on July 28, 2017. A Nintendo Switch port has also been released in 2020. The game was well received by critics, and sold well in Japan for a niche game of its genre and platform. A fan disc, Collar × Malice: Unlimited, was released on July 26, 2018. An anime adaptation has been announced.

Collar × Malice
North American cover art
Developer(s)Idea Factory
Publisher(s)
Platform(s)PlayStation Vita, Nintendo Switch
ReleasePlayStation Vita
  • JP: August 18, 2016
  • WW: July 28, 2017
Nintendo Switch
  • JP: March 12, 2020
  • WW: June 25, 2020
Genre(s)Visual novel
Mode(s)Single-player

Synopsis

Collar × Malice is a visual novel, and follows police officer Ichika Hoshino, who is patrolling Shinjuku, Tokyo. She is attacked, and a collar with poison is placed around her neck; following this, she becomes involved with the "X-Day Incident", which is being investigated by five former police officers.[1]

Development and release

The game was developed by Idea Factory, as part of their Otomate brand of otome games.[1] It was announced along with twelve other otome games during the annual Otomate Party event in August 2015,[2] and was released in Japan on August 18, 2016 for PlayStation Vita.[1] To promote the game, merchandise based on it was released prior to the game's launch, including audio dramas and a tapestry with a Collar × Malice illustration.[3]

At Anime Expo 2016, Aksys Games announced that they would localize the game and release it in North America in 2017;[1] in April 2017 they announced that it would also be released in Europe, and be available both digitally and physically.[4] It was released on July 28, 2017 in North America and Europe.[5][6] A fan disc, Collar × Malice: Unlimited, was released in Japan in 2018.[7] Both the original game and Unlimited are planned to get released for the Nintendo Switch in North America and Europe with the original planned for release on June 25, 2020 and August 2020 respectively.[8]

Reception

Collar × Malice's sales numbers for its debut week differ between different sales charts: Media Create reported that it was the eleventh best selling video game of the week with 7,271 copies sold,[11] while Famitsu reported that it was the eight best selling with 9,406 copies sold.[12] Siliconera described the Japanese opening week sales as good for a PlayStation Vita visual novel for a niche audience.[13]

The game received "mixed or average reviews", according to the review aggregator website Metacritic.[9] Famitsu's reviewers praised the graphics and character art, and enjoyed the player character's developing relationships with the other characters. One of them liked the suspense, commenting that it is rarely used in otome games.[10]

An anime adaptation was announced on June 3, 2019.[14]

References
  1. Jenni (2016-07-03). "Collar x Malice, Period Cube Coming To The PlayStation Vita's Otome Library In 2017". Siliconera. Archived from the original on 2016-07-05. Retrieved 2017-01-16.
  2. ""オトメイト"全12タイトルにおよぶ新作ゲームタイトルが一挙発表！"オトメイトレコード"第2弾の3タイトルも公開(1/2)". Famitsu (in Japanese). Enterbrain. 2015-08-16. Archived from the original on 2016-05-21. Retrieved 2017-01-16.
  3. "『Collar×Malice（カラー×マリス）』A2タペストリーなどを同梱した『Collar×Malice DXパック』が予約開始". Famitsu (in Japanese). Enterbrain. 2016-04-26. Archived from the original on 2016-04-29. Retrieved 2017-01-16.
  4. Romano, Sal (2017-04-25). "Collar X Malice launches this summer in the west". Gematsu. Archived from the original on 2017-07-20. Retrieved 2017-07-25.
  5. "6 new PlayStation Store releases you need to check out this week". PlayStation Blog Europe. Sony Interactive Entertainment. 2017-07-24. Archived from the original on 2017-07-24. Retrieved 2017-07-25.
  6. Clements, Ryan (2017-07-21). "The Drop: New PlayStation Games for 7/25/2017". PlayStation Blog. Sony Interactive Entertainment. Archived from the original on 2017-07-22. Retrieved 2017-07-25.
  7. Bashō (2017-09-03). "「Collar×Malice」のファンディスクなど，「オトメイトパーティー 2017」で発表された計12の新作タイトルの情報が明らかに". 4Gamer.net (in Japanese). Aetas, Inc. Archived from the original on 2017-09-03. Retrieved 2017-09-03.
  8. "Collar X Malice for Switch launches in June in North America; Collar X Malice: Unlimited launches in August". Gematsu. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  9. "Collar x Malice for PlayStation Vita Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 2017-08-23. Retrieved 2017-09-27.
  10. "Collar×Malice（カラー×マリス） まとめ [Vita]". Famitsu (in Japanese). Enterbrain. Archived from the original on 2016-08-12. Retrieved 2017-01-16.
  11. Romano, Sal (2016-08-24). "Media Create Sales: 8/15/16 – 8/21/16". Gematsu. Archived from the original on 2016-08-25. Retrieved 2017-01-16.
  12. Calvin, Alex (2016-08-25). "Bandai Namco's Tales of Berseria tops Japanese charts". MCV. NewBay Media. Archived from the original on 2016-10-19. Retrieved 2017-01-16.
  13. Sato (2016-08-25). "This Week In Sales: Tales of Berseria Sets Sail In Japan". Siliconera. Archived from the original on 2017-01-16. Retrieved 2017-01-16.
  14. "Collar X Malice Otome Visual Novel Gets Anime, 2nd Stage Play". Anime News Network. June 3, 2019. Retrieved June 3, 2019.
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