Valhalla Knights 3: the magical prison life RPG you've been waiting for

Valhalla Knights 3 is actually the 4th game in the Valhalla Knights series, there was a Wii game that came out between 2 and 3, and I'm not counting the digital-only enhanced version of the second game as a separate entry.  It's an action RPG put out by XSEED.

The game begins with a scene of an evil emperor doing evil emperor things like killing one of his minions that's trying to talk sense into him.  It then cuts to the player walking into Carceron Prison with a group of fellow prisoners.  After a brief explanation, you enter the prison proper where one of the female prisoners is promptly kidnapped to meet a presumably dark fate, two of the prisoners who entered with you try to intervene and are promptly killed.

Say what you will about the game, but it knows how to set the scene!

You're given basic equipment by a merchant whose business plan seems to be "more living prisoners = more customers spending money at my store" and are set loose.  It's only then that you find out that you and one of the group you came with are Imperial agents seeking W. Flockhart's lost magical treasure that grants wishes (or at least a wish).  I'm guessing that W. Flockhart is not related to the star of Ally McBeal.

In talking to other prisoners, you sometimes want to wash your hands.  In particular, there's a guy who talks about wanting to kidnap a woman and then 'heh, heh, eh, heh.'  Unsavory is best way to describe it.

The game also allows you to romance different clerks by giving them gifts and entering 'sexy time' with them.  I guess they felt that putting date sim elements would help; that gameplay element didn't exist on either of the game's PSP predecessors.

It turns our that you and your fellow Imperial agents (you meet up with a third soon into the game) are being magically compelled by the empire.  In fact, your group seems to hate the empire since it conquered your countries.

The first boss was actually quite difficult.  I had to grind levels and gold for about an hour before I upgraded everyone's equipment and could beat him.