I thought I had seen everything Japan had to offer in terms of nonsensical gaming premises. I’ve played pseudo-erotic pinball simulators, barely functional racing titles featuring toilets, and even whatever the hell Vroom in the Night Sky was supposed to be. But a collection of old Flash and mobile visual novels with fighting game elements set in a Victorian take on 19th century Japan… that’s news to me. WayForward and Limited Run Games have teamed up to remaster whatever the hell the Rose & Camellia series was supposed to be, in a small “collection” (more on that below) exclusive to the Switch.

Rose & Camellia starts off looking like your standard, run-of-the-mill Japanese visual novel with a very neat setting (Victorian, can never go wrong with that) and a ton of unnecessary fluff that makes you pay half-attention to it at the very most. Oddly enough, whilst plastered to the brim with generic manga visuals and tons of walls of (admittedly, well-voiced) dialogue, this is more of a… fighting game. It’s all about slapping people on the face as if you were in a Mexican telenovela.

Every single squabble and discussion in this game (it presents itself as a collection, but it’s more of a single game with a handful of varying chapters) can be solved with some good ol’ slaps to the face. It’s weird mixture between motion-based gameplay, fighting elements, and turn-based combat. We’re fancy Victorian ladies, so we have to give each other a chance to hit us in sequence. This is incredibly weird, but amusing at first. It all boils down to the controls, which, thankfully enough, take advantage of the Switch’s underappreciated motion capabilities.

I am a sucker for any Switch game that takes advantage of the joycon’s functionalities. That thing might be unreliable as hell (I am already on my third pair), but those motion controls are legit. Rose & Camellia uses them in very simplistic ways, but they are pretty good. In essence, you perform slap motions when it’s your turn. Hold down the A button to raise your hand, and then perform a slap motion when you see an opportunity.

The opponent can dodge your slap, so be aware of that. You can also dodge during their turn, and perform a counterattack. Every now and then, you are given the chance to perform a kind of “ultimate slap barrage”, letting you go rampant with multiple slaps in a row, all while deforming your opponent’s face in ridiculous manners. It’s a simplified take on what Nintendo had achieved, seven years ago with Arms. That game was flawed and devoid of content, but it also featured the best usage of any kind of motion control capability in any Nintendo game ever released.

Sadly, as appealing as slapping faces can be at first, Rose & Camellia Collection is really shallow. That’s all you do: endure some utterly boring visual novel sequences, and then partake on quick bouts which can be completed in less than a minute. You may actually spend more time waiting for the game to load each of its new scenes than actually playing it. There’s also the fact that, in order to properly take advantage of the handful of interesting features in Rose & Camellia Collection, you have to play it on docked mode. This is a game best enjoyed in short (and ridiculous) bursts, but not portably. Sure, there are other control methods, but none of them are as amusing and entertaining as the motion-based ones.

Rose & Camellia Collection features an amusing premise and some interesting motion-based controls, but I don’t know exactly who this game is for. Visual novel enthusiasts who also love turn-based combat with motion control capabilities? Is there anyone out there who matches this exact description? I may have enjoyed the shallow, but ever amusing combat sections featured in this collection, but I had to endure utterly boring VN sequences in order to reach the next one. There was also not a lot of substance in terms of lasting appeal and amount of content, despite the “Collection” name in its title. The ridiculousness of the premise doesn’t entirely make up for the technical shortcomings or the boring plotlines, but it’s still amusing in shorter bursts.

Graphics: 6.5 Considering the game’s origins on the Flash realm, it’s not terrible. Still, it’s very simplistic.	Gameplay: 7.0 I am a sucker for any kind of Switch game that uses its motion capabilities in any way. I really like being able to slap idiots around as if I were in a Mexican telenovela. Sadly, the motion controls lack a bit of precision, and are also very shallow.
Sound: 7.5 The entire game is voiced, and whilst it doesn’t sound overly amazing, it’s competent. I cannot complain about that. Furthermore, the soundtrack is generic, but very Victorian in its style.	Fun Factor: 6.0 The ridiculousness of the premise doesn’t entirely make up for the technical shortcomings or the boring plotlines, but it’s still amusing in shorter bursts.
Final Verdict: 6.5

Rose & Camellia Collection is available now on Switch.

Reviewed on Switch.

A copy of Rose & Camellia Collection was provided by the publisher.