Otoko Cross: Pretty Boys Breakup! brings new crossdressing pretty boys, costumes and gameplay

Following the success of Otoko Cross: Pretty Boys Mahjong Solitaire and Otoko Cross: Pretty Boys Klondike Solitaire, eastasiasoft’s crossdressing casual game series Otoko Cross is set to continue with a new installment on April 20, 2023.

Otoko Cross: Pretty Boys Breakup! is, like its predecessors, an adaptation of a formula established by Zoo Corporation’s long-running Pretty Girls series; in this case, the Breakout-inspired Pretty Girls Breakers games, of which we’ve just recently had a new entry.

These titles place a fun twist on the classic block-breaking formula by replacing the usual flat paddle with a bat-wielding character who has to swing at and hit the ball to return it towards the wall full of blocks that need breaking.

Not only that, but as the levels progress, more obstacles and interactive enemies are added to the mix, with later stages even incorporating bullet hell elements that require you to either deflect or dodge the incoming attacks! Based on the recent Pretty Girls Breakers Plus, the game features the additional stage elements and gimmicks from that game, including an endless arcade mode as well as the main stage-based gameplay.

Otoko Cross: Pretty Boys Breakup! will feature the original five characters from the previous Otoko Cross games, including the refined Jules, the energetic Quincy, the traditional beauty (male) Haru, the studious Morgan and the street-smart Kyun. Alongside these returning favourites are four brand new characters, designed based on the countries where the previous games in the series have proven most popular.

In Otoko Cross: Pretty Boys Breakup! we can look forward to meeting Canadian martial artist Dakota, Brazilian skater boy Faren, Australian police officer Sydney and Hong Kong airline pilot Bao. All characters, both new and returning, will feature new costumes to unlock over the course of gameplay, and the game will feature the same enhanced Diorama mode from the more recent Pretty Girls games, allowing you to pose multiple characters atop various backdrops and create your own custom situations.

The initial Steam release of Otoko Cross: Pretty Boys Breakup! will feature a “Naked Mode” after you beat the main game once, allowing for the enjoyment of fully nude artwork. There’s no word on a console port as yet, but given that the previous two Otoko Cross titles ended up on both PS4 and Switch, we can likely expect that at some point down the road — though probably without the nudity.

It’s great to see the Otoko Cross series continuing to enjoy worldwide success, as besides it offering the same compelling, enjoyable and polished casual gameplay as the Pretty Girls series, it’s also catering to a particularly underserved niche with its crossdressing otokonoko characters. And unlike the Pretty Girls series, which requires you to play 18+ visual novels to really get to know the characters properly, Otoko Cross features fun in-game profiles for all the characters, really giving the impression that they’ve had some care and attention paid to them as unique creations for the series.

Given how broad the Pretty Girls series has spread its wings to date, I suspect we can expect to see the Otoko Cross series taking a similar trajectory over time. In the long term, it would be great to see the new series distinguish itself with some genuinely unique offerings — but with the Pretty Girls games offering some of the best casual game action out there today, providing players the opportunity to enjoy that same action with an otokonoko twist is still a very welcome offering indeed.

Otoko Cross: Pretty Boys Breakup! is set for release on Steam on April 20, 2023. At the time of writing, you can wishlist the game right now to show your support, and to receive a notification the moment it’s available. No word on console releases as yet, but I suspect that will come in a few months.

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Pete Davison

Pete is Rice Digital's editor, and a proud champion of any and all games involving pretty girls hanging out, saving the world or both. His first waifu was Rit from Rod Land.

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