On November 25th, the developer of the mobile game The Sea of Time released its first trailer and opened the pre-registration window. After that, the game, developed by YOLK, quickly became a trending topic on Weibo for the controversy it produced.
In the trailer, there are images of children all the way up to a white-haired older woman as The Sea of Time tells the story of the Mirror Sea Travel Agency in 2028. The quirk of this particular travel agency is that the destination of the travel is not a specific place but a certain period in the past.
An official stated that the game would be a "mobile romance suspense game".
A game poster of The Sea of Time
However, the trailer stirred up controversy for showing the three male protagonists in live-action, and the response was not what the developers were expecting.
Many Otome game players questioned the decision and expressed that the whole point of them playing these kinds of games is to happily enjoy the company of someone who will always be loyal, predictable, stay in his character, and choose the player as his romantic partner. If the players project their fantasies onto a real person, the actor would undoubtedly have other real-life romantic relationships and would do things that are not in line with their characters, which could eventually ruin the immersion and break the fantasy.
A comment from TapTap stating that The Sea of Time is going against the spirit of Otome games
Some Otome players also point out that their love for fictional characters transcends their real-life romantic desire. They "have a special love for the male protagonists in Otome games. They are in another dimension. Although I can't touch them, I can always feel that." Further saying that using real human characters shows that the developers don’t understand the real charm of the Otome games but were just attempting a cash-grab on the trending Otome Games genre. In fact, one of the main protagonist’s actors already has a girlfriend in real life, and apparently, that is not acceptable to many Otome fans.
Two days later, the game’s producer, Chris, released a reply letter to players. She apologized and explained the reason for the live-action shooting of the characters. She said that she led a small team of fewer than 10 people.
"I realized that with the same team size and financial support, using live-action for game production can realize more complex storytelling, and a larger and more magnificent stage can be built.”
"At the same time, I also feel that in many 'real-life narrative' works, [the characters can convey] more delicate emotional expressions and it feels more immersive."
Apology letter from Chris, the head developer for The Sea of Time’s
In response to the players' doubts, in a Q&A, the developer of The Sea of Time stated that this game is not an Otome game and that suspense is in the main plot, while romance and leisure are only used as supporting content for the gameplay.
But so far, these official responses have yet to dispel the players' doubts. At present, the TapTap score of the game has dropped to 2.7 points out of 10 points.
Source: TapTap