Heads up, this will not be a spoiler free review.
So TL;DR: It's a mature game. Handle with care. Can't fully recommend. Bag of D*cks. <---Something I would say a LOT during my playthroughs.
So Ozmafia was released way back in 2013 by Poni-Pachet Sy. It was only made available on Steam this year I guess which is where I found it.
Synopsis:
You play the role of the amnesiac "Fuka" (or whatever you name her) as she blunders through a town full of characters from classic (and not so classic) fairy tales. (Reminds me of Fables in that regard). Anyway, the town is run by several mafia families based on various fairy tales and literary figures. Fuka has to decide what to do with the life she has and figure out who the heck she is.
Let me go right into the virtues and vices.
Virtues:
Some paths end in marriage. Yay.
Going through life with a positive attitude
Generosity?
You can be a nun! :)
Hilarious anime situations and dialog. This game made me laugh so much.
End of Life ethics
Vices...vices as far as the eye can see:
Murder
Organized crime
prostitution
pre-marital sex
manipulation
Corrupt clergy <--This made me so sad on many levels. Even though CLEARLY not Catholic.
General cheapening of life
Adultry/Infidelity
Dang, right? What's good about this game?! Granted, taking a lot of these things out of context can seem unfair. Because you can definitely have ALL these things and an amazing, worthwhile story. (Like Crime and Punishment which also has most of these things I list in the vice list.)
There are lots of things I like about the game too. Mostly it's art and the setting appeal to me. I'm a big fan of the Fables comic series which I see some similarities with. The music was charming but I really felt the art style (a soft watercolor) was a pretty stark contrast to the action in the game. Including straight up murdering folks and threats of gun violence. It's like a beatrix potter illustration gone dark.
Anyway, now let's get to the spoilery bits. If you don't want spoilers stop reading here.
The real premise of the game...
Dorothy Gale at the end of her journey does not go home but becomes a "good witch" instead. This requires her (for some reason) to live alone and never use magic on herself. She grants the wishes of her former travel companions to become human and creates a town for them including characters from fairy tales. (...which includes Oscar Wilde's characters. WHAT WAS THIS LITTLE GIRL READING!???) However, she ends up actually making a wish for herself which splits her into 3 parts: the tower, her magic and her hopes and dreams to grow up and fall in love. (Because the witch doesn't age older than a little kid.)
It took me days to get through all the endings to get to this reveal. One of my biggest frustrations was that "Fuka" NEVER gets her memories back or really tries to retrieve them in any of the romance paths. I tried every one. It gets mentioned but never resolved. It drove me CRAZY. So...good on you game making me replay ALL the things to see if they answered anything.
Part of the fun was trying to figure out each characters fairy tale counterpart. I was really bad when I first started and just started labeling people things. After playing the whole thing, my first guesses were WAY off. Also, my whole mistake of calling it OZMA-fia instead of Oz-Mafia. >_> Look, Ozma was a character in the books. I thought that was the play. Not being godfathered into mafia crime. -_- It took a long time for the lore to actually settle in. My first play through nothing was answered and I was floundering trying to make sense of anything except one character. Why don't they die when riddled with bullets? Why do the general population die? They BRAND everyone like cows? What even? I don't? Uggggggh!
It also had a mechanic with the Oz Trio where once you started "dating" one of them officially, the character with the 2nd highest affection points would try to interfere. You could switch characters. >_> For some reason this usually means as soon as you jump ship to the other ship you sleep with them...in the biblical sense. (Glen...everything cool she just said...you ruined it!)
First Play Through: Axel
Took me far too long to realize he was the Tin Woodsman. ...I am an idiot.
I really enjoyed this character as he was considerate, restrained, honest and an awkward turtle. Didn't get the "good" ending but reminded me of myself. What is sad? What is love? Can not compute.
The most innocent character of the Oz three. Usually. (As I said if you jump ship from anyone you "break his factory seal" <---Dammit Kyrie! Why is this so hilarious to me?)
Second Play through: Kyrie...the bag of D*cks.
One...unfortunate name...really distracting when I go to Mass and think of this arse instead of Lord have Mercy, Kyrie Elison. This guy...I didn't like him...he was pretty tragic...and you end up marrying him in one ending. -_- I was so worried that this guy would be like Toma. He's manipulative and openly cruel. I couldn't trust him farther than I could throw. So not far. Oddly enough, his story is probably one of the more interesting ones. I personally liked the first ending I got where he loses his brains. ^_^ Seriously though...he's kind of a d*ckbag.
Third play through: Caramia
Again...unfortunate name...I kept thinking of Gomez and Morticia.
Everyone Else...
Caesar: I was hoping this route would finally answer my burning questions about her past. NOPE. Disappointment. But hey...he stopped threatening to kill me? (Seriously, falling for your potential killer. What is wrong with this place?)
Scarlet: Innocent and sweet, one of the better ones. Optimism wins...and he cooks. Love a guy that can cook.
Pashet: Not a homosexual relationship like I originally assumed because ANIME. Fantastic storyline and I love her awkward relations with Axel. I ship them.
Robin Hood: I felt so unclean. >_> Once you find out he's a freakin' married man! But mix in Dr. Freeze and Frankenstien and yeah...it gets weird. I was so uncomfortable with this route. It was so wrong on so many levels.
Brothel: One...the route is called BROTHEL ROUTE. You know nothing good can come of this. Guess what...NOTHING GOOD COMES OF THIS! This one made me feel the uncleanest. I didn't read most of it. I clicked through so much.
Granted, the ending where you take over the brothel was weirdly satisfying. Probably because it throws Kyrie for a loop. Did I mention I don't like that guy? Yeah I REAAAALLY don't like Dorian Gray. Kyrie is cakewalk to that guy. He's the real bag of D*cks.
Soh: Remember what I said about guys who cook. YES. Soh was another good one. Especially after the trauma that was the Brothel route. He's one of the few who tries to take you OUT of town away from madness. But his real identity isn't revealed until the Epilogue. Turns out...
He's the worst kind of. All this b.s. is his plan. It's terrible. Soh how could you play with my heart like that!?
Hamlien: I almost forgot about the Pied Piper. This one you can become a nun because he's a schizophrenic criminal. (Spoiler: It's Soh's fault. ;__;) It wasn't a super interesting storyline. It comes up if you don't settle for someone else's route. Probably because he appears as the villain in every other route, it unfairly paints him into a corner. It's also a super short route so not a lot happens.
The Ending...everyone starts killing each other. Even the young lady...
My feels after playing this game. It's good in that it played with my expectations, flipped all the tables and stuck with me. But also so much yuck happens. Not that stories should exclude this stuff but still...so much Yuck.
WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU DOROTHY GALE??!?
Final words, you have to be built of pretty solid stuff to get through this game on the moral front. It's not promoting a lot of good stuff. BUT it's entertaining as all get out. I weirdly enjoyed most of it. That said, can't say I would recommend it highly for the gif reasons above. However, mature audiences can enjoy it. It is a Will weakening one though. So maybe Pokemon Go...
