Hakuoki began as a PlayStation 2 otomate game in 2008 named as Hakuouki: Shinsengumi Kitan. It tells the story of Chizuru, a young woman who comes to Kyoto during the Bakumatsu to look for her missing father. She has a run-in with the Shisnengumi and is kept in their custody after it is revealed that they are also searching for Chizuru’s father. The game has several different endings, based upon which character Chizuru chooses and the player’s actions in getting to that choice.
The game proved popular, and a second game, Hakuouki: Zuisouroku was released in 2009, followed by 3 additional games, as well as ports of the existing games to other systems. A Nintendo 3DS release is planned for 2011.
At AnimeExpo 2011, Aksys Games announced that they would be bringing over the PSP version of the first game! Please watch our front page for news announcements about this exciting development!
The game also spun-off several manga titles, as well as a series of guidebooks and artbooks.
In 2009, an anime series was green-lit for the Spring 2010 season, running for 12 episodes. A second season began in the Fall 2010 season, and was 10 episodes long, plus a summary episode.