One – also known as Kagayaku Kisetsu e – is one of the legends of the visual novel genre. Originally released way back in 1998, it was one of the early projects by a developer called Tactics, which is notable because many of the creative team moved on from that studio to found Key. Yes, the studio behind Little Busters!,…
Cupid Parasite is one of the stronger visual novels launched this decade. In Matt’s review for DDNet, he writes, “Comedy’s always hard to get right, especially when there’s an underlying subversive quality to it, but Cupid Parasite never falters… This is one of Otomate’s finest.” That was two years ago,…
The remake of celebrated visual novel Tsukihime: A Piece of Blue Glass…
CASCHA Games’ Concealed caught my attention for several reasons. The game has…
Who doesn’t like a freebie? Midnight Witch – the first project by Crimson Moon Studio – has released today, and the developers are giving it away for nothing. There’s no catch with that either. No DLC for characters or costumes. No microtransactions. It’s just a free game to add to…
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Kara no Shoujo (translated as The Shell) is a detective/mystery series of three very adult visual novels that have a reputation for being of immeasurably high quality. The first was originally released in English by MangaGamer back in 2011, and since then it and its sequel has quietly bubbled along…
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At first glance, it’s difficult to understand Ghostpia’s appeal. You place static screenshots, out of context, next to the breathtaking art of Otomate’s visual novels, the vivid energy of something like Danganronpa, or even independent efforts like Sweetest Monster or Corpse Factory, and it’s really hard to see why PQube…
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Game development crunch is bad. There’s literally no upside to it. Games get rushed, released with issues, and the staff suffers. So I take very little issue with games being delayed, despite being super impatient. I’d rather the people behind it stay healthy while creating the best product possible. So…
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Bad endings are an interesting example of convergent evolution in the history of the game narrative. It appears across various genres as an early example of player choice. In games such as Double Dragon or Dragon Quest for the NES, the player is provided with the end-game choice to join…
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I loved the original Coffee Talk. It was warm, despite being set in one of the more rainy places in North America. The characters felt real (mostly), the atmosphere was chill, and the music perfectly complimented the entire experience. So I was of two minds when Coffee Talk Episode 2:…
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Squint your eyes and Process of Elimination could be a Danganronpa spinoff. At least, in the way it works as a visual novel (and that is the bulk of the game). While both titles have very different art styles, the concepts are remarkably similar. And, like Danganronpa, this game is…
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Norn9: Var Commons is not a new visual novel by any means. It was originally a PSP title, and then localised into English for the first time for the PlayStation Vita version. Now it has landed on Switch to give players that missed it previously to catch up. They should…
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Visual novel ghostpia Season One is described much like other visual novels: it’s a movie you can read. The genre gets a lot of heat from “gamers” for being boring and having no action, but I quite love them. There’s something cozy about visual novels, even the most horrific ones.…
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Coffee Talk was a downright treasure. In fact, I’d argue it got better with each playthrough. I gave it four of five stars in my review (published in January 2020… before the world went to hell in a handcart). I’m not a do-stuff-outside-my-house kind of person – thanks, agoraphobia –…
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