I first heard about Rose & Camellia Collection from Nintendo spokespersons turned YouTubers Kit and Krysta, who lovingly dubbed it “the slapping game.” Given it’s an anime-style fighting game where noble women slap each other, I was immediately intrigued by this concept. What other game on the market is like this?
Rose & Camellia Collection originated as an online flash game created in the early 2000s by developer NIGORO. Repackaged as a collection and published by WayForward for a modern audience, Rose & Camellia is a visual novel-style fighting game that meshes England’s Regency period with Japan’s aesthetic. In this fictionalized version of the era, slapping is a sport for both common and noble women. Through turn-based slap battles, women must compete to be the one “true lady.”
I played on Nintendo Switch, but Rose & Camellia Collection is also available on mobile. As the title suggests, this game features a collection of four scenarios, plus one bonus scenario. The first four scenarios encompass an overarching story, with each new scenario providing a new protagonist to fight as.
A Slap-Happy Story of Nobility
Rose & Camellia Collection’s opening credits showcase a beautiful Japanese musical number that gives you a quick introduction to the story. The narrative focuses on the Tsubakikoji family, an extremely noble and secretive house. While not all of the women fighting are nobles, most of the battles take place against Tsubakikoji women and commoners.
You represent team Rose, named after the favorite flower of Reiko Tsubakikoji, the protagonist of the first scenario. The women you compete against bear the mantle of team Camellia. Though both flowers share visual similarities, they are ultimately two very different flowers with opposing features—perfect for representing the differing opinions of each party.
With about two and a half hours of content across the five scenarios, there’s not much to Rose & Camellia Collection. The game consists of slap battles with short cutscenes in between. You can skip the story and hop straight into the battles if you’d like. If you happen to lose a battle, you can give up or restart. Each becomes increasingly harder as the story progresses, as new foes have more health or may even possess a weapon.
Since there isn’t much story in these scenarios, I wouldn’t want to spoil what little is here. Just know that the story was my favorite part; I love the depth of the Tsubakikoji family’s drama and the measures each woman takes to be part of this noble household.
Mastering the Controls
Rose & Camellia Collection features two different control methods. In handheld mode, you fight using swipe controls on the Switch’s touchscreen. In docked or tabletop mode, you play using Joy-Con motion controls. While the main focus is the single-player campaign, you can also play local multiplayer slap battles in versus mode, or hone your skills via practice mode.
Slapping feels quite different with touch controls versus motion controls. While I preferred the motion controls, keep in mind that the constant slapping may be rough on your wrist or elbow. Thankfully, you have your pick between the two, and can go with your preference or periodically switch.
There are four moves you initially learn: slap, dodge, feint, and counter, with more you’ll learn as you progress. The game revolves heavily around precision, with some moves requiring hitting a specific part of the opponent’s face. However, this can be difficult, as the controls themselves are imprecise and rely on fast timing and even faster reflexes.
I am not particularly good at completing precise moves, and because of this, each battle took longer than expected to complete. There were times I had to replay a battle over and over, not knowing if I’d ever succeed. One example is dodging: With dodging, you must swerve out of the way at the right time when your opponent gets her hand ready to slap. It’s especially hard with touchscreen controls, as your finger may not register properly and cause you to miss a dodge.
Eventually, I prospered, finding greater success with the game’s motion controls. Even then, however, my moves didn’t register 100% of the time. To be clear, the controls aren’t terrible, but they certainly aren’t great.
Odds and Ends
On the path to completion, you’ll unlock 30 characters, which happens naturally by playing through the storyline. That may sound like a good chunk of content, but at just two and a half hours, Rose & Camillia is something you can reasonably finish in one sitting. With that in mind, the game feels a bit expensive for its $19.99 price tag, unless you’re happy with its short but entertaining content.
If you are a physical collector, a physical copy of Rose & Camellia will release later this year through Limited Run Games. Rose & Camellia Collection is also completely free on Android and iOS. It’s pretty much the same game, but doesn’t feature voice acting. You will be missing out, however: The Switch release features full English and Japanese voiceovers, which are incredible and only add to the drama of the storyline and fighting.
Equally impressive is the game’s presentation. I especially enjoyed how comical it is to see each woman’s expressions as they are slapped. As a battle goes on, their faces become swollen and bloody—something that’s not normally humorous, but works well here thanks to the game’s beautiful anime art style and effects.
Final Thoughts
Rose & Camellia Collection isn’t for everyone, especially if you don’t like games where you need to calculate precise movements. It’s also exclusively a touch- and motion-based game, so if you prefer your joystick and face buttons, this game isn’t for you.
The story is sparse, but I enjoyed what little there was. While I don’t mind the focus on slap battles, I would have loved more of a narrative presence. I found myself wanting to learn more about each character, and the entire Tsubakikoji family at large. Who are they? Why are they noble? I want to know these sorts of details, especially in a game that mimics the look and feel of a visual novel.
Despite its shortcomings, Rose & Camellia Collection is a unique title to own and one you will want to play with friends in local multiplayer. I mean, who DOESN’T want to have a virtual slap battle? Just keep the wonky controls and steep price point in mind.
Score: 7.0/10
Rose & Camillia Collection is available now for $19.99 on Nintendo Switch; it is also available for free on iOS and Android.
Disclaimer: A review code was provided by the publisher.
