SweetOcha’s Review: Piofiore

 

Plot

Piofiore starts off with a Young Woman name Liliana Adornato who was born and raised in the Church and has unknown whereabouts of her family.  Making her, her Best friend Elena and the rest of the children in the Church being Orphans.  

One day when Lilly went outside the Church to do her daily chores. She spotted a Man that is a well-know visiter of the Church name Dante Falzone(voiced by Kaito Ishikawa).                                   

After when Lilly notice Dante standing in front of a Grave and placing bouquet of White Lilies, Dante leave the Grave site then he suddenly notice Lilly.  After that happen, Lilly had to go out to buy some Lemons for a recipe she has to make when she notice a man name Nicola Francesca (voice by Ryohei Kimura).  

After that the Scene plays out, it will vary depending on the choices you pick in the Common route.  Ether Lilly would have to be taken away in Hiding for her Safety or she will just be abducted by one of the Love interests. But in this Beauty and the Beast like scenario will love spark between Lilly and the LI that is ether her Rescuer or Capturer?

My take

Playing Piofiore,  I really enjoy learning about different Italian phrases, Desserts, Drinks, and learning Chinese related Desserts playing Yang's route who he is voiced by Nobuhiko Okamoto. Which I can’t say enough of how much I love his performances voicing characters especially when he voice a Side Character or LI in an Otome game. 

The Developer or the entire team who work on Piofiore put a lot of effort in this game that I applaud for their work to remind you of the setting in Piofire and the smaller detail of characters speaking Italian phrases.  I haven't play Piofiore in two years but I don't think the game explain the word "Capo".  Which at first I thought it was the Japanese word for Boss.  But when I took a second to think on it, “Capo” doesn’t sound Japanese.  So I had to look it up and I was right, Capo is the Italian word for Boss.   I haven’t study Italian in a very long time and the only people who know about the word Capo are Italian speakers or People who are fluent in Italian or the ones who study abroad in Italy for a long time.  Because if it wasn’t for Piofiore and someone randomly say “Capo”, I would mistaken them in them trying to say the word "Cop" in English.   

 In North America we mostly flip back and forth saying Police or Officer or Cops, and referring to the police vaires more and more if you live ether on the North, East, West or the Southern Parts in America. I heard of "The PoPos/Po-pos" which I kinda feel is an East Coast saying for Police with out searching up if it is or not.  But if you want to sound formal you can say Officer, but commonly we just say The Police/Police. Even when you watch the News in America we would mostly use Police, but we’ll sometimes say Officer depending on the context. 

Learning the type of Church that Lilly was brought up is very Catholic, because the difference between a Christianity Church and a Catholic Church is both obvious reasons and the things that only you would witness if you go to one of these Churches.  Because if you go to a Christianity church you will not see a Nun, and if you see a Woman walking around or on the Pulpit is probity ether the Parish Nurse or the Ushers.  Also how they place the Housing for Lilly is very Catholic, because how they help the Homeless in a Christianity Church they would find you a House to live in.    Another hint that Lilly as well as Dante, Gilbert, Nichola and everyone else in the Church are Catholic was when I was playing Dante’s Route and the Final route that they mention Sunday’s Mass.  In a Christian Church we don’t call Sunday’s Mass, we just say Sunday’s service which Church for us usually held on Sunday. 

 I don’t know anyone on a personal level who is Catholic so I can’t really share anymore comparisons.  But one of the obvious indicators that only people who ether are Catholic or Christianity would know this with out questioning it which religion church Lilly belongs in would be the Necklace that Lilly wears.  Which is an Inspirational style Celtic Cross, compare to if Lilly was Christianity she would be wearing a Crucifix Cross necklace. 

                

I didn't want to show the actual real life example of both crosses, which is why I use Ikuto from Shugo Chara as an example even though he wears it as a fashion statement and not what Lilly wears her Cross for.  But I did it so I won't come off being insensitive. I rather you search them up on your own free time than me being insensitive and dump photos of them.

The Games's OTS is really good, I love the Opening game's theme Nocturnal which both singers mao and Kaori Oda really sing this song. I love songs from both Artists's previous works before Nocturnal, so when I found out they sung a duet together I was in for a well deserved treat. 

 

LI Tier list 

This was almost difficult to rank because I enjoy all of the seiyuus’s performance and I finished Piofiore back in 2022. So I had to jolt my memory in how I felt about everything I play, so I'm ranking it base on the over all story in the LI's route. 

On a side note I need to replay Atelier Sophia in Japanese and play Escha & Logy in Japanese since Kaito Ishikawa voice Logy in the Atelier franchise, and hearing the Japanese audio of FE3Hs since he voice Dimitri.   In addition Orlok's Seiyuu Toshiyuki Toyonaga voice Claude in 3Hs too. Which made me realized how much range Toshiyuki has in voice acting, because the shows I hear him voice is Boy characters who have a bit of a high pitch in their voice but they still sound like a Man. But when I hear him Voice characters in a deeper range it took me by a huge surprised and the other experiences I felt that same way is Kaji Yuki in his performance playing Erik in Moujuutsukai to Ouji-sama and Daiki Yamashita when he voice Sion Amakusa in UtaPri franchise. 

S Final route

A Yang and Nicola

        

B Orlok and Gilbert

C Dante

Mini complaint rant regarding to Gilbert and Dante's route

As much as I really enjoy Gilbert's route in Piofiore who he's voice by Showtaro Morikubo which his performance playing Gilbert was very enjoyable.   I just feel Dante and Gilbert Route should have been switch.   

Depending on if you buy the game Physically or Digitally is ether you would think  Dante and Gilbert share the position of being Poster Boy Characters. Or you don’t understand what I’m talking about because the cover art on the Game box doesn’t come off that way.  

What I learn when it comes to Flagship or Poster characters in a Video games you would expect they would be a really big deal.   But for the case with Otome games, Poster Boy Characters at most times would have their Route be the Best route or the Route that deeply connects with the whole entire Story.   

              

When I play Olympia Soiree, Akaza is the Poster Boy for that game and he had every right to be.   When I play Code: Realize, Lupin is the Poster Boy for that game or more like the Entire franchise, and he had every right to be.  When I play Yanagi in CollarX Malice who is the Poster Boy for that game he had every right to be. 

But I’m not sure about Dante, Dante’s route dose explain about Lilly’s origins more even though you will get a shorter version in the Final route for a reminder if you need to take a break from reading so many Chapters because the Chapters are long.   Not as long as Code: Realize, CollarXMalice, or Hakuoki long. But after reading 3 Chaptures in one setting you need to take a break and do something else unless you're an Avid reader then you're good.   

But I feel Dante’s route would be more interesting if he was given Gilbert’s route, while Gilbert was given Dante’s route.  Even though playing Gilbirt's route made sense because he brings everybody together to connect to the Final route, and Gilbert is the Neutral type of Character where he's not an Enemy to anybody in the Story unlike Dante and Yang, but I kinda wish Dante was that Character to have that position and still have a Nemesis.  

But I'm not the Writer or even Co-writter of Piofiore, Piofiore is not my baby that I pour in time, energy, doing heavy research to make my written work of art to be love by the massive.  I'm just any other Fan who loves Piofiore as the next one. But I'm also one of those Fans who feels like wanting to scratch the itch off in wanting to write Fanfic stories. 

 Liliana Adornato Spotlight corner (Spoiler)

I really enjoy Lilly as a MC and the only thing I can relate to her on is our love for Cooking and Baking.  My goodness the recipes Lilly cook in Nicola's route or pretty much in all the Routes ether made me want to hunt down an Italian Mom and Pop Bakery to buy Italian goods or want me to book a plane Trip to Italy or Find the Recipes Online.   For the Recipes in Yang's route makes me ether want to go have Dim-sum or just book a plane ticket to China.  

(Which I regret dropping out of learning Chinese when I was in my Linguaphile era.)

As much as I want to gatekeep this but if I do then the business will be low in having customers and I want these Restaurants and Mom and Pop Eateries to continue to thrive, but if you want freaking good Chinese or Japanese or any East Asian food just go to California.  I travel to California thrice and as many times I said I wish I lived there even with the crazy Wild fires but I think of California like is my 2nd Home along with Canada since I go back and forth. And I haven't visit both my 2nd Homes in a long time, my last visit to Canada was in 2019 from writing this post.  So if your like me trying to get the Money together to travel to Japan someday or maybe for your case Reader your badly are trying to save up to travel to Japan or Korea or China or if you have the Money you want to Travel hop to those Countries and other Neighboring Country which I'm happy for you if you can achieve that. But you sadly can't see yourself traveling to ether of those Countries anytime soon but you live in America then just head on over to California.  That’s all the Un-gatekeeping I’m going to share. 

Going back to Lilly I feel Lilly's story can be relatable to some Orphans or Foster Kids, I'm only saying that due because I had a Classmate who was a Foster Kid and a Family Friend who was an Orphan then was taken in to their new family that thier still with to this day.  One part of me would love to see Lilly have more layers in her Character but base on where she came from is not expected for her to have anymore layers.  Due to Lilly, Elena, and the Children in the Church as well as the Homeless kid in Orlok’s route they fall into the set of Orphans who live a Happy life being in the position their in.  Minusing the Homeless kid in Orlok's route Lilly, Elena, and the Children don't physically know how Good or Bad they have it.     And I can speak on this due because when I was displace in my relative's house I realized how Good or Bad my life was Before and After I was displace in my Relative's House when I finally found a new home to move in.  And the Mental state your head would be in when you realized how Good or Bad you had it or you once use to have. 

And watching Media that focus on Kids who where Orphans or Foster Kids as a Kid, Teen, or even in your Adulthood you think or assume all of them feel that way having a strong desire of wanting to meet their Biological parents.  But in my Adulthood, meeting a Family-Friend who's a Orphan and other Celebrities who where Orphans I learn that's not the case for everyone and that not all Orphans or Foster Kids have the same mind-set. 

Especially when I herd of the controversy drama of this Mommy YouTuber that I won't throw out names who adopt a Kid from China and re-homed him which she and her Husband gotten a ton of backlash for and hearing everyone's opinion about that heartbreaking news and when you Adopt a Child you can't Re-home them like you would with a Pet.

Most of Orphans and Foster Kids ether fall in the category of having no desire of meeting their Birth Parents and are happy with the family they are forever a part of or  Their happy with the life that they have and they don't think anything of it.  And is a huge blessing for the Church to give Lilly, Elena, and the other Children a comfortable life in the Church and not have to inherit having any Physiological issues that most Orphans and Foster Kids go threw like Food insecurity for one of the examples and how their wired when it comes to their relationship with Food and other issues Kids and Teens deal with being in Orphans or Foster Homes.

As of writing this Review I haven't finish the FD and I been taking too much of my time finishing it like a really good glass of Wine.  But I hope the FD can explore more deeper in Lilly's Origins. Even though you get a bit of info in Dante's route but is kinda like a tease if I can best describe it. 

Over all 

Despite my mini complaint regarding to Dante and Gilbert’s route I really enjoy playing Piofiore and is one of those Otome games where I would happily re-play as many times as I like or more like, re-reading it as many times as I like.  Especially Yang’s Route and the Final route, is even more of a plus since these two Characters are voice by one of my favorite Seiyuus and I enjoyed their performance in this game and their previous work.  I even would happily replay Dante's route even though I put him in C tier but I still enjoy the read.

I recommend playing Piofiore:

If you want the feeling of watching a Sop opera, Steamy scenes, Thrill, and reading a story that gets you on the edge of your seat.  

 I don't Recommend playing Piofiore:

If you don’t like Yanderes, Drugs, Kidnapping, Blood, Violence, Shoot outs, or Domestic Violence.

Thank you so much for reading my in depth review. I hope you enjoy playing Piofiore and having a favorite LI or all of them. 🥂