From left to right: Prince Lantis, Tyria, Henry, and Carol.
Crimson Memories (original title Tokiiro ni Moyuru Kokoro Akaneiro ni Moyuru Kiokunote ) is an Otome Visual Novel created with RPG Maker, developed by Magic House and localized/published in Chinese and English by Sakura Game. It had an international release on October 3rd, 2017, but at the request of the publisher, Crimson Memories is no longer available for sale on Steam.
Tyria Folly Strando is a pink-haired lady who lost her family at a young age, as a raging fire consumed their home. She was raised by her aunt ever since, but struggles to hold a steady job and provide support; her latest setback is getting fired from a waitress job for punching the restaurant manager when he refused to serve a pauper. On her way home, Tyria is captured and forcibly escorted to the manor of an elderly statesman by the name of Syris. He has a deal to make with her: he knows some valuable information about what really happened to her parents, but he needs some information in return, and has arranged for Tyria to work at the royal palace as a servant in order to obtain it. Perhaps she'll even find love along the way...
This game makes use of the following Tropes:
- Babies Ever After: The end of Lantis' route.
- Because You Were Nice to Me: In Henry's route, Tyria's kindness to a "pauper", and something Henry's father once did for the king, gives the king reason to pardon their crimes.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Tyria's aunt, who Victor paid to keep Tyria ignorant of the truth for as long as possible.
- "Blind Idiot" Translation: The original Japanese script is translated to English poorly, resulting in stilted dialogue and names being inconsistent (ex. the main protagonist referred to as "Tieriah").
- Chekhov's Gun: The seemingly-destroyed financial information that Tyria was originally sent to uncover. Before the route split, it turns out that Tyria's aunt saved it, which costs her life but lets Tyria bargain with Syris. And in Henry's route, it is proof of Victor's crimes and used to arrest him.
- Chekhov's Gunman: The pauper from the restaurant, but only in Henry's route.
- Conspicuous Gloves: Special note is made of Carol always wearing a pair, regardless of his work. They hide burn scars.
- Contrived Coincidence: Tyria has never had direct contact with any animal, as owning one is an upper-class privilege, until the day she meets Lantis' cat and helps the Prince activate "Amber Dawes" for the first time. Or rather, the day she first uses "Amber Dawes".
- Creepy Crossdresser: Rozet, once his cover is blown in Lantis' route.
- Gender-Blender Name: Lantis' female cat, Lord Osmostis.
- Gold Digger: Carol's birth mother, as revealed in his path; she's willing to sell him off if it means steady cash in her purse.
- Green-Eyed Monster: The Queen, whose actions were fueled by jealousy directed at Tyria's family.
- Hair-Trigger Temper: Tyria is violent when she feels wronged, and it doesn't matter if the offender is her boss, or the prince.
- Handicapped Badass: Head maid Rozet is well-respected, and even saves Lantis from an assassination in his route, but is deaf in one ear.
- Handsome Lech: Prince Lantis.
- Happily Adopted: Carol, even though he also works as Syris' butler, genuinely appreciates his caretaker.
- Heroic BSoD: Lantis has one in his route.
- I Love You Because I Can't Control You: Lantis gains an interest in Tyria, despite having access to a variety of ladies, because Tyria's not afraid to talk back to him or be aggressive.
- Inside Job: Syris gives Tyria a job at the royal palace specifically to steal documents from a noble's room. Later, Henry also starts working there, because he's a Phantom Thief running interference so Tyria can do her task.
- Kissing Cousins: Tyria and Lantis in the latter's route are Kissing Step-Siblings, presuming that the latter is also really the king's son despite never activating "Amber Dawes".
- King Incognito: Henry's route reveals that the pauper Tyria's old boss refused to serve was the king, and Tyria's kindness towards him then helps her and Henry avoid imprisonment for their actions.
- Love Makes You Evil: In Lantis' route, it's revealed that Victor paid off (and later killed) Tyria's aunt because he loved the Queen and wished to protect her. He also tries to kill Lantis after he has his mother apprehended for her crimes.
- Memento MacGuffin: In Henry's route, he exchanges his father's necklace with Tyria's ring when he promises to return safely after freeing her parents; it falling off Tyria's neck and breaking the night that Henry's supposed to fulfill that promise is an indicator that the plan's not going to go smoothly.
- Multiple Endings: One for each love interest, plus a Bad End if the player does not qualify for any romance.
- Parental Abandonment: Tyria lost both of her parents when a fire consumed their home. They're still alive, but imprisoned.
- Phantom Thief: One has been in the kingdom for at least the past four years. It's currently Henry, and before him, his father.
- Promoted to Parent: Henry had to take care of multiple younger siblings after his mother died of illness and his father was killed in action; he became a Phantom Thief like his father to provide for them.
- Really Royalty Reveal: Tyria, as her mother had an affair with the king.
- Redemption Equals Death: Tyria's aunt gives her the information she needs to get answers from Syris, only to be assassinated right after.
- Rescue Romance: In the Carol route, he saves Tyria when Victor's agents burn down her aunt's house, and reveals that he had also saved her when they were children.
- The Reveal: Some major plot details are exclusive to certain routes, while others are revealed in all.
- All routes: The Queen ordered the burning of Tyria's home, as Tyria is the product of her mother's affair with the king, which made the Queen insanely jealous. Tyria's parents are still alive, secretly imprisoned for "conspiracy to revolt", as the Queen claims that Tyria's mere existence undermines her bloodline's claim to the throne.
- Lantis Route: Victor murdered Tyria's aunt to protect the Queen's secrets, and Rozet is a man that had once molested Lantis, now acting as his secret bodyguard.
- Henry Route: The old pauper that Tyria met at her previous job was the king in disguise.
- Carol Route: Syris is Tyria's grandfather (well, father of the man that married her mother), and Carol was the boy that saved Tyria from the house fire as a child.
- Royalty Super Power: "Amber Dawes", a magical ability to project an animal's memories like a video, is exclusive to the royal family. However, Lantis is a late-bloomer in this regard. Tyria has this power, revealing that she's the product of a royal affair.
- Save Scumming: You do not need to play the game four entire times to see every ending; each choice permanently raises one of the Event Flags needed to choose a guy, even if a save file is later overwritten, and the plot is linear up to the final choice/route split. Saving right before and reloading back to every choice is enough to view all content.
- Scars Are Forever: Carol still has burn scars on his hands and back from his youth, when he rescued a young girl (Tyria) from a burning building.
- Schrödinger's Gun: The information Syris has about Tyria's parents depends on which man was romanced.
- Bad end: He knows that the house fire was planned, but that's it.
- Lantis Route: Syris believes they're alive, but has no leads; Tyria finds them in the castle's dungeon soon after.
- Henry Route: Syris knows they're imprisoned, and hired Henry to rescue them.
- Carol Route: Tyria's parents have already been rescued, and are recuperating at Syris' manor.
- Self-Censored Release: The naughty CGs after the route split were censored for commercial release. Interestingly, the way the naughty bits are covered is different in each route: cartoon bunnies in Lantis', mosaic pixelization in Henry's, and flowers in Carol's.
- Spoiler Opening: The PV, accessible from the start, contains CGs and events from after the route split.
- Story Branch Favoritism: The Lantis ending is the longest, and contains the most images.
- Time Skip: The final scene of the three main routes takes place after some time has passed; a few days in Henry's, some months in Carol's, and some years in Lantis'.
- "Well Done, Son" Guy: Lantis' childishness and longing for the affection of women stems from an inability to satisfy his mother and activate "Amber Dawes". In his route, finding out that this is because Tyria inherited the power instead makes him depressed enough to attempt strangling Tyria in her sleep, but he's snapped out of it upon learning of his mother's vile acts.
