Touching Mechanics – Uncovering The Hybrid
Contact Of The Intimate Kind
There
are few interactions more powerful than the physical contact between two
people. It is the act of letting someone into your personal space and
trusting them to respect this bond. Such an important part of human
relationships would naturally draw the attention of developers and
they have attempted to systematise it through Touching Mechanics. Due
to the simple construction of this gameplay element, it was adopted
by a variety of visual novels as a means of expanding their emotional
presentation. For some titles it is just a small addition designed to
be a momentary distraction for the player. Others choose to invest in
a version of this mechanic which demands a degree of skill to achieve
the best results. Of course there is the question of why two people
would be touching each other and what underlying meaning it holds in
this fictional context. Let’s get touchy-feely and find out what
this merger brings to the table.
Simple Extra
In
its simplest form the Touching Mechanics can be a simple action of
interactivity. One with no reward beyond the act itself and
this type of touching can generally be accessed at any point the
characters are on screen due to its basic nature. Here what is on
offer to a developer is the means of adding a physicality to these
portraits or models on screen and help sell the illusion of their
existence. Rather than being flat objects they are lent a reactivity
to the player through an immediate reaction beyond just watching
their story play out. It is also the least invasive way to implement
these mechanics since it is an optional extra which can easily be
engaged with at the player’s discretion. This is important since its simple nature could get extremely repetitive if it was mandatory for progression and draw unwanted attention to the trick
they are utilising. This often results in this mechanic becoming such
a background element the player could be forgiven for forgetting it
even exists. Finding the delicate line between these its presence and
absence is key for getting the most out of the touching on offer.
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| Remember to pet your cats |
Nekopara is the a prime example of how significant framing is to this
mechanic’s success. In the top right hand corner of the screen when
the character sprites are visible, there is a hand icon which when
pressed allows the player to touch the on-screen cast and get various
reactions from them. The way Nekopara frames these interactions is
tied to the status of all characters with sprites as cat girls (or
cat girl adjacent in the case of Shigure). Petting is a part of how
an owner engages with their pet animal and cats are no exception to
this rule so it follows these cat girls would also be partial to
touching, especially given the owner/pet relationship established
in-universe. So when a player uses the game’s Touching Mechanics
they are partaking in a bit of role-play as the owner of these cat
girls which furthers the title’s aim of allowing them to self
insert into Kashou while providing a physical feeling to the cat
girls.
Touching The Right Spots
When
a game wants to utilise Touching Mechanics for a specific purpose,
rather than merely selling physicality, it tend to add complexity
to this system in order to direct the player to its desired
intent. This often restricts where the mechanics can be placed within
the title’s structure and as a result they tend to be segregated from
everything else in order to make sure they do not impede the overall
flow. Despite this change they are do not expand much on the basic
idea of touching since there are few places to go with the mechanic.
Instead the additions tend to be things like time limits and a need
to press specific places in sequence in order to progress. By having
the player fixate on these pressures the game can focus on the
significance this act has to the people involved and justify it
within the setting rather than being some abstract system which only
exists on the player’s end. Obviously this comes with the risk of
highlighting the ridiculous nature of this touching since now the
world has to acknowledge it in some fashion and it tends to be passed
off in a humorous manner to try to mitigate this friction.
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| Time to get rubbing |
One such
Touching Mechanic can be found in Mary Skelter where the player must
touch the character in specific places so they can be purge of the
corruption which ails them. This ties into the unique quality of
Jack’s blood and provides a direct connection between the gameplay
and this important narrative backbone. There is an undeniable
silliness to the whole procedure and the title recognises this by the
cast occasionally making tension breaking jokes about it to lighten
the mood. However, after the opening few hours when the mechanic is
introduced these jokes disappear as does any mention of the purging
since it has now served its narrative purpose and Mary Skelter wants
to move on to the new stage of its story. This does underline the
once and done way these systems are implemented within the narrative
and in later games this mechanic is slowly phased out entirely as
Jack stops being the main focus. One final point to note is a more
general one, this is the connection between the Touching Mechanics
and the era of touch screen consoles. The original release of Mary
Skelter was on the PSVita and used its touch screen for the purge
mechanic and many other games with similar touching mechanics came
out on the DS and 3DS during their heyday. Even games like Nekopara
which never received a version on either platform were still
influenced by the developments happening around its release. Since this era of handhelds came to an end there has been a noticeable drop
off in the number of game uses these mechanics despite the Switch and
Switch 2 having touch screens so one might assume the novelty has
worn off since touch screen mechanics in general have died off.
The Elephant In The Room
So
far this article has danced around a major motivator and component of
Touching Mechanics and this is the erotic element of physical
contact. Nekopara’s character’s give embarrassed reactions when
touched in certain places and Mary Skelter’s purging rubs away the
clothing to reveal the skin beneath. While many everyday acts of
touching are completely innocent, say a pat on the shoulder or back,
there is a line beyond which physical contact gains an intimate
quality only accessible to those we are attracted to and accept
crossing that line. For many titles the Touching Mechanics are a
means of introducing some fan service to add something
spicier to appeal to its audience’s sensibilities. This spice and
the desire to invest the player in the characters through the
touching are not in conflict with one another due to their focus on
intimacy of physical connection and the trust in implies. However, it
is no coincidence when moving into the realm of nukige the number of
titles including Touching Mechanics increases since it much easier to
lean into a simple erotic presentation due to the naughty nature of
such contact. This more explicit use of said mechanics is beyond the
scope of this work so the examples will look at the blending of tamer
games.
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| My aren't you cute when you blush |
SoniComi is a strange beast with its extensive use of fan
service through its story and various mechanics. This makes the
erotic element of its Touching Mechanics feel right at home alongside
the costume based photography and avoids its inherently silliness by
having everything be equally over the top. Each touching section
often involves contact with Sonico’s body, particularly her
comically large breasts, in less than appropriate ways, so the comedy
tone helps weaken the uncomfortable feelings which might arise from
this invasion of her personal space. It is also frames these acts as
consensual or retroactively consensual to try and sell the trust
Sonico has in her cameraman and help the player believe in the
connection between the pair. Not all Touching Mechanics have their
erotic component be quite this aggressive and those aimed at a
female audience tend use it as an undertone. Take the Tokimeki
Memorial Girl's Side games which include a far more reserved touching
mini-game than SomiComi with no overly fan service style elements.
Yet there is still a layer of eroticism to the way the men blush at
the player’s touch and its involvement in successfully passing
these sections. It is suitably understated to match the romance
centric nature of the title, but the touching and its implications
help solidify the special bond between the player character and the
suitors.
Conclusion
The
design space occupied by Touching Mechanics is an odd one but its
shared history with visual novels should make a hybrid between them
come as no surprise. In its simplest form the touching offers a basic
form of interactivity which allows for a sense of the physical
presence for the game’s characters. Underneath the mechanics lies an
inescapable element of eroticism from the intimacy of personal
contact and it is used as a kind of fan service. More complex systems
can be introduced into the act of touching in order to draw out
specific themes and ideas into a mechanical form the player can
quickly and easily engage with. While Touching Mechanics can
certainly nowhere near as popular as they once were, there is still
something to be said for their use in an appropriate context.
2025 – A Year In Visual Novels
As
the year that was is soon to leave us once again, let’s look back
at what has shaped the world of visual novels. 2025
has been a productive year in all corners of the medium and the
breadth and depth of releases on offer only grows. Be it small indie
titles pushing the bounds of what visual novels can be while celebrating their
past or the official localisation of the heavy hitters which defined
the visual novel space. The flexibility of these releases and their
audiences willingness to engage with them demonstrate the importance
of this bond to the continued growth of the space. Let’s light
our fireworks and welcome in the new year by remembering all the good
times and see the showcase of the past year.
Selection Of The Best Visual Novel Releases
Ever 17 + Never 7 E17 Steam N7 Steam
This
pair of Infinity series visual novels have left a large mark on
the medium and now English speaking audiences finally have a way to
experience these landmark titles. Unfortunately this set of releases
came with a whole assortment of odd decisions and issues which muddy
what should have been an easy home run. These range from a wonky
translation to the use of the Xbox 360 version of Ever 17 over the
original to a bare bones UI. Yet despite everything they still make
this list because even in this diminished form they are still classic
games worth playing and stand up despite these weaknesses.
Fate/hollow ataraxia Remastered Steam
After
the success of Fate/Stay Night’s release last year, Type-Moon came
back again with its fandisc Fate/hollow ataraxia in a new
remastered form. Hollow ataraxia received the same visual uplift as
its predecessor giving it HD artwork in widescreen resolution for a
better experience on modern hardware. The only notable removal of
content in this release (outside of the fact this is an all ages
version) is the absence of the Capsule Servant mini game which is a
shame but it was never the main reason to play the game. It
interpretation of the time loop narrative and the strong cast it
inherits from the original are the reasons why it remains lodged in
the memory long after completion. Now all we need is for the PC
version of the Tsukihime remake to be released and we will have all
of Type-Moon’s modern titles freely available.
Detective Instinct: Farewell, My Beloved Steam
Like
the rest of the video game space, there has been a revisiting of mechanics from the medium’s past and injecting new life into them
through the advances made in hardware. Tapping into the classic
command based ADV visual novels, Detective Instinct shows this style
has a unique appeal and blends well with the mystery genre to scratch
that itch for players. Committing to this era of games also comes
with its art style which emulates the anime aesthetic of its time to
stand out against modern visuals to make it memorable and sell the
illusion of being from the period. It is quite a blast from the past
but has enough of its own imagination to leave a sense this genre has
a bright future ahead.
The Hundred Line -Last Defense Academy- Steam
While
I have issues with the execution of its ideas and over-reliance on
Danganronpa’s legacy, Hundred Line is such an interesting and
ambitious title from some of the best minds in the industry and on
that merit alone it is a worth your time. The hundred different
endings (even if they are of wildly varying quality) provide a good
incentive to engage with its well-defined SRPG mechanics and discover
the vivid world and the colourful people who live in it. A game which
will no doubt leave a mark on the medium but what the mark will be is
difficult to say so close to its release.
Tsui no Sora Original Download
Through
the hard work of a group of fans, the original 1999 version of Tsui
no Sora has been translated and ported to Ren’Py from the ancient
Macromedia Director. It keeps the original’s assets and
presentational choices to faithful recreate the experience of playing
this first version of these core ideas. A lot of the core material is shared between this game, its remake and Wonderful Everyday, but this
first attempt has a simple clarity to its messages and theming which
formed the foundation for those later titles to build off. If you are
interested in how it all began then you will not be disappointed by what you find here.
Urban Myth Dissolution Center Steam
By
far the strangest title of the year, investigating all kinds of urban
myths from cursed items to dimensional anomalies has never been quite
so arresting as it is here painted in strong pixel art colours. Playing
these oddities off against some equally off the wall characters
causes them to just smash into each other in the most entertaining
and dynamic ways possible. It is a joy to see the weirdness of the
medium being written large and proud upon this canvas and once over
it stays with the player in its through this load statement of
intent.
Interesting Visual Novels From Game Jams
NaNoRenO 2025
Voices, blaming, blood and she
Mixing
bold colours and a twisted world make for a strong first impression
and it works perfectly for the game’s theming while allowing for a
level of strangeness to exist. A teenage girl is seeking out a room
where all wishes come true and must wrestle with her internal worries
and dreams in order to decide on what she wishes for. The player’s
job is to guide her through these inner thoughts and deal with the
trials awaiting on her journey. Crawling inside her head makes for an
odd experience as the world outside of it becomes even more
outlandish.
Pigeon West: Call Of Gun. ISEKAI
Want
to be a the most dangerous pigeon in the entire Wild West who has
been subjected to an isekai and landed in a fantasy world? Continuing
the ever weird lineage of Hatoful Boyfriend, Pigeon West replaces its
human characters with various birds and takes its concept to the
absurd extremes you would expect. There is something oddly satisfying
about watching a grizzled Wild West outlaw have to deal with the
common troupes of the isekai genre all while everyone else takes it
entirely seriously. Something about the replacing humans with birds
idea is a constant well of amusement.
Spooktober 7th Annual Visual Novel Jam
Tokidoki Tactical Squad
This
one was already highlighted in a monthly releases round-up, but it is
such a memorable gem it is worth bring to your attention again. Its
strong retro art style and 4:3 main visual window immediately give
away the era of games it is pulling from. Rather than merely
languishing in that nostalgia as its main selling point, it instead
use this style as the foundation it can twist for its horror and to
provide a sense of unease to what seem to be familiar events on the
surface. While subversion is hardly new in visual novels, this is
such a well put together title it earns the twists and turns it
pulls on the player.
Fern Flower
In
a ruined world sits a religious cult who have been struck by a deadly
disease and they choose a squad to go a retrieve the mysterious fern
flower believed to hold the cure. As this group pass through the
depths of the forest to retrieve the plant, they will come face to
face with the dangerous left overs of devastating apocalypse which
will hamper their bodies and minds. All of this is dressed in a murky
coat of dirty greens and blood reds to sell the dire state of the
world and the dangers facing this group as they push through the
mire.
Otome Jam 2025
Miss Bellevue Never Heard The Whistle
Aspiring
to be more than a society column journalist, Piper Lam is unhappy
with her current position and dreams of exposing the secrets of shady
power brokers. She get a chance to fulfil her wish when there is a
murder on the transnational train she is travelling on and she must scramble
to solve the case with the help of a fellow passenger. This draws
heavily from classic murder mysteries not only in its narrative set
up but also in the period setting with its elaborate train carriages
making for the perfect backdrop for the drama.
TOXIC YURI VN JAM
LONER_DOG://SnuffPuppy Carnage Society
Juggling
a merger of pseudo operating system and standard NVL presentation,
this is the strange tale about an equally unique selection of
individuals and their attempt to deal with their lives. It is a
visual novel completely willing to step into the dark elements of
human existence in an unflinching manner so this is definitely not a
title for everyone. Yet there is a beauty to this meshing of drugs,
violence and sex which makes a surprisingly alive experience where
the eternal meshing of flesh and soul are laid unceremoniously bare.
Syzygy
When
a ritual deep in the mountains goes wrong three woman find themselves
bound together as a result and they are must unravel the magic which
they messed up. Its horned characters and snowy environments are the
perfect background for the worldbuilding and general magical and
mystic tone enveloping the title. The three woman each have a
distinct identity and bounce off each other in organic ways providing
the space for the narratives stakes and twists to be impactful. This
rich world and its inhabitants shape the overall direction of this
story in unexpected ways.
Things To Look Out For Next Year
Temirana: The Lucky Princess and the Tragic Knights
Otomes
where the protagonist is a princess with special powers are not new to
the space but there is something to be said for those which commit
completely into the setting and drama of this premise. Temirana looks
to be one such title as it follows a ‘cursed’ princess and
her knights and understands the balancing act of making its suitors
attractive while having them be an equal to the heroine. Their method
of achieving this is to give each of the knights a fatal flaw from
poverty to loneliness to frailty which offers a space for the heroine
to slot into their lives. Is this going to revolutionise the genre?
Not even slightly, but it will no doubt be a sincere encapsulation of
what makes it so appealing.
Fate/Extra Record
Being
a weird mix of remake and reimagining of the original Fate/Extra
makes this game a hard one to place. It has completely revamped the
gameplay from the original’s somewhat messy rock, paper, scissors style into a more
standardised iteration of its card mechanics alongside the massive
jump from PSP graphics to a layer of modern polish. As for what
narrative changes it will make, this is a lot less clear and the only noticeable thing is the leveraging of 3D space for cinematic cutscenes in a way
the original could not. Regardless of how good this actual ends up
being on release, there is still many people who will only experience
Fate/Extra through this title and on that merit alone it will have
value.
The Goddess Of Tears～Restoration～
This
is a ground up remake of a game by the same name, and the original was not released outside of Japan, which is seeking entirely reinvent itself.
It takes its fantasy otome identity and marries it to the structure
and mechanics of a raising simulator with aim of add another layer
to the gradual romantic build-up. The visuals are new and seek to
better capture of magical nature of its setting and the personalities
of its suitors in appealing sharpness. This is also contains erotic
scenes as part of its core identity which is an uncommon element in
localised otome which tend to steer clear of so it is nice to see
more titles tread these waters. Such a meshing of ideas looks to be
an interesting iteration of the romantic fantasy.
Machine Child
Raising
simulators have been undergoing somewhat of a resurgence in recent
years and Machine Child is one of the games attempting to carve out a
place for itself in this niche. What makes it stand out most among
the other options is twofold, its illustrator being the ever
memorable Ooyari Ashito who brings a level of charm to whatever they
work on and the relaxing and cosy atmosphere it is orientated towards.
This is light title at its core and wants the player to sink into the
role of parent for their selected daughter and really get invested in
a low stakes environment. It is fundamentally aiming for a balance of shaping each daughter’s future and the joy of their growth in a
way not too aggressively pushing either extreme.
DRACU-RIOT!
Is
2026 the year DRACU-RIOT! will finally release? Who knows, this is
one visual novel seemingly stuck in eternal localisation purgatory,
first as a fan translation then being passed to an official publisher
where various issues have caused it to remain illusive. Yet the new
year always brings new hope and the release of this now classic
Yuzusoft title can only get more likely as time passes. It will be
interesting to see how well it stands up to their modern output and
how their style has evolved over time. And vampires, everyone loves
vampires.
Best Visual Novel Releases – December 2025
Due
to the rapidly approaching sprawling monster that is Christmas, this
months round-up is a little earlier than usual but still filled with
the same excellent visual novels as always. It has been a period
mostly dominated by the Slice of Life Romance genre with a few other
smaller oddities of the horror variety using this time to slip in.
Let’s dive in and see what you should be playing from the recent
releases.
Official Releases
Saihate Station - Twilight Railway
While
technically not a new release, this DLC has received an English and
Thai localisation which notable increases the number of people who
can now enjoy it. Following on from the events of the base game, Haru
Akinashi and Shion Tatsunami are spending their lives together in
relative peace until the train suddenly starts to move again. The
focus this time is more on Shion than Haru with a deeper dive into
their motives and past as the train’s destination latches onto them
in its usual twisted way. It is also significantly less interested in
the horror element of its narrative and the resulting tale is a
highly introspective one where its cast hold the majority of the
game’s engagement. Just like the base game this is a short a sweet
ride for those looking for something which respects their time.
LOVEPICAL-POPPY!
After
Yaotome Tetsuya’s house burns down he is left with no job and no
place to live and takes a job as live-in caretaker of a girls
dormitory in order to survive. As you can imagine high jinks ensues
with the typical misunderstandings and romantic tension making up a
lot of the early slice of life sections. The heroines are the stars
of the show in an extremely direct and slightly over the top manner due
to how the player gets to see a lot of their personal lives while
Tetsuya spends time taking care of them. This adds a nice bit of
humanity to what might otherwise be cardboard cut-out girls and gives
them enough distinct traits to make them memorable. While
LOVEPICAL-POPPY! does not reinvent the genre in any way, this is
still a fun time which will appeal to fans of the light and low
stakes end of the genre’s spectrum.
A Maiden's Serenade
During
the night of the local Mermaid Festival Shichiri Takumi has a chance
encounter with a girl who has a beautiful singing voice and this chance
meeting begins a cascade of change to his life. The gentle touch of
romance and building of the character’s bonds over time are the
game’s main focus. It is completely committed to the love being
shown on screen and wants each heroine to have their own clean-cut
relationship in order to remove any potential overlap between them.
Rather than trying to differentiate itself in its content, A Maiden's
Serenade carves its emotional identity into the hearts of its players
so they walk away with a feeling of fulfilment and a smile on their
faces. Since the game is clear about this upfront you should be know
if this is for you immediately and definitely pick it up should it
match your tastes.
Fan Translation
Sousaku Kanojo no Ren'ai Koushiki
Patch Download VNDB Genre
– Romance, Slice of Life Play Time – 25 hours
For
our final slice of life romance we have a story about a group of
characters who each have their own creative passions and have to
grapple with marrying it to the struggles of their lives. The
protagonist is a writer for games and lights novels and among the
rest of the cast are a romance novelist and an illustrator, this
focus on creatives and the processes they go through to get and act
on inspiration runs across the title’s entire length. In
orientating the narrative along this axis Sousaku Kanojo can lend its
world and characters a foundation beyond simple romantic interest and
paint their conflicts in new colours so the player has something
unique to hold in their memories of the game. A well put together
story of romance and filled with person battles which will excite those looking
for a grounded human story.
Tsui no Sora Remake [2025 ver]
Patch Download VNDB Genre
– Denpa, Psychological Horror, Mystery, Philosophy Play Time –
18 hours
Another
version of Tsui no Sora has been given an English translation, this
time it is a new edition of the Tsui no Sora remake released in 2025.
It has a lot of similarities to the original remake expect for a
major face lift to the sprites, additional CGs, some new scenes and
the overall flow of the title has been revised. These changes put it
in a weird position when recommending it to people who have played
the previous version since while, there is enough here to make
experiencing it worthwhile, it can feel very familiar for a good
chunk of the playtime. Regardless, it is still a game worth checking
out to be remained of just what a powerful game it is to engage with.
Soundtrack – An Anatomy Of Visual Novels
Feast For The Ears
From
the moment a visual novel starts to its end, music is always playing in one
form or another. It is so omnipresent the player may not even
properly register it since its presence is exactly what they would
expect and its absence is more striking. Yet a game’s soundtrack
holds a lot of power
over the various ways it is perceived as well as the tools it has to
crafts its narrative and contextualise any mechanical elements. Music
has the ability to invoke emotion in the listener which makes it
perfect for guiding the player into the desired emotional state for
the scene’s events to have impact. When
used in an understated manner the soundtrack can build a sense of
atmosphere and place without it being spelt out, leaving room for
interpretation or manipulation later on. The varied nature of music
provides the ability to
add or remove elements of a players auditory understanding through
the alternation of established tracks or the
careful use of silence and shape the way a scene should be parsed
when placed as part of the whole experience. Let’s
put some headphones on and see exactly how these tools work in
practice.
Music As Emotion
Utilising
the ability of music to invoke emotion is hardly unique to visual
novels and has been practised throughout history. What is interesting
about it is the way its relative prominence within the structure of
each visual novel makes it more memorable and significant to the
experience than in other types of video game. This is predominately
due to the way the soundscape of a visual novel is set up where sound
effects are infrequent or understated in favour of having the music
do the heavy lifting. Emotional subtly has a strange relationship
with visual novel music for exactly this reason, for the most part
their soundtracks tend to communicate the intended emotion load and
clear so the player can be influenced in a manner which lacks
ambiguity. If they attempt to be indirect about it then they might
muddy the waters and confuse a scene’s core identity and so it is
often avoided at all costs since music is such an important tool.
When subtly is brought into the emotional range of the soundtrack it
is part of a universal ambiguity running through the entire game in
order to prime the player to be able to independently interpret it.
This allows the title to weave in a wider soundscape without diluting
the music due to its understated nature and the way it has room to
show off various flourishes.
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| Slice of Life Romance is a genre which musically knows what it wants |
One lineage of visual novel music which
relies on emotion in a standard way across it titles is the slice of
life romance genre. These games lean into a common pool of auditory
templates for their soundtracks in order to guarantee the
establishing of an easy to understand emotion for each of their
narrative beats. For example take Sabbat of The Witch and Neko Para
which despite their different developers and intents speak the same
musical language. Their soundtracks are modern day and loosely synth
in nature with the occasions sprinkling in of an out of place
instrument to try and add identity. A majority of their music sets
about establishing a light and upbeat mood as the emotional baseline
through cheery tunes like Asa no Youki and Nya Soleil respectively.
Then there is at least one slightly sombre track, often played on the
piano, for the moments of emotional sincerity, such as
Tashikame-au Omoi and Tasogare Nyanko. To top it all off is the
romantic tracks were love is in the air and the games want to make
that as clear as possible in its gentle tones, like Mahou no Hikari
and Aibyou. What this common language achieves is creating an emotional
short hand the player will come to internalise as they become
familiar with the genre and this makes it easier for developers to
shape the mood without having the reinvent the wheel to get these
results. However, it is also their biggest problem since none of
these soundtracks are particularly memorable and, while they can have
the right emotional impact in the moment, they lack the ability to leave a lasting impression. While not all use of an
established auditory language is in such quite a complete manner, it
is nonetheless common when considering certain kinds of tracks.
Action music, such as Fight Or Flight from Sorcery Jokers, tends to
follow its own specific emotional script defined by a strong and load
beat and a fast rhythm used to sell the directness and intensity of
the events on screen. As such there is merit in this approach in a
broader suite of genres and it can be included in whatever amount is
needed.
Music As Atmosphere
Crafting
a tone and setting through a soundtrack is key to the way visual
novels approach them. This can manifest in various ways due to the player’s flexible interpretation of music and the angles
offered with instrumental choices. Parsing a soundtrack through a
cultural filter is a relatively straightforward way of set up an
atmosphere using the sense of place associated with the culture.
Without having to spend a long time establishing the setting in the
main body of the game, an idea of what to expect has formed in the
player’s mind and allows the game to skip over unnecessary
details. This is even more effective in a real world setting where
this understanding is often correct or at least works for the
narrative’s purpose. Since this use of culture is such a nebulous
idea let’s look at a few example to demonstrate its application.
Piofiore: Fated Memories’ 20s South Italian setting and the serious
nature of the mafia are clear from the moment the player reaches the
main menu with its mixture of jazz and classical tones speaking to
the energy of the story and the rapidly changing world around its
characters. It consistently maintains this style of music throughout
the title even in the different emotional tones the tracks invoke
where the energetic jazz gives way to a sombre version. Taking from
the other side of the world, Winter's Wish: Spirits of Edo presents
its Edo era Japanese setting via the way it pushes its traditional
Japanese instruments to the front of each of its tracks. They are
often mixed into a group of modern instruments or musical styling yet
maintain the sense of being from a distant past by careful putting
these elements in the background to supplement rather than overtake
the traditional instruments.
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| Commiting to a setting for a musical atmosphere can really sell it |
Adhering to convention is not the only
way to create atmosphere and music can make use of unusual element to make a unique soundscape. These tracks are
often accompanied by sound effects of a similarly off-kilter nature
since it would clash against more traditions sounds and this limits
how useful it can be for a lot of genres. In choosing to utilise odd
tracks the visual novel can shift the tone of scene quickly due to
how distinct such tracks are when compared to the rest of the musical
score and so being able to loadly signal the dramatic change in
narrative circumstances. If the tracks make up a major portion of the
overall soundtrack then the effect becomes broader and adds an
atmosphere where unexpected things are on the cards. Such unusual
aspects of the music do not need to be abrasive to get the desired
effect as can be seen in The House Of Fata Morgana’s extensive use
of vocals throughout its tracks. While it is not uncommon to have
vocal tracks in isolation, a large number of them is abnormal and
influences the overall atmosphere quite considerably and lends it an
almost dream like sensibility. It helps fuel the sense each event
depicted is being told to the player by someone reading from an old
book and the vocals are this voice faded into the background of the
drama.
The Nuance of Control
So
far all the methods of using music have been on the complete soundtrack
and its overall influence. However, any soundtrack is made up of many
individual tracks and while they might adhere to these overarching
trends they each offer a chance to control the specifics of moment to
moment interactions with a game. The most obvious of these has
already been covered in the form of how the presence of music can
change the emotion or atmosphere of a scene, yet it is the pauses in
the music when lend them much of this impact. Silence in a medium
where music is constantly present allows its absence to create a greater
emphasis on the tracks immediately before and after the gap. The
previous track echoes in the player’s mind where they are held in
suspense waiting for the next track to start and so when it finally
does there is a sense of release given to the new track. In order for
this impact to be meaningful each track has to have its own distinct
purpose which the section on emotional music gestured towards. These
can be anything from music indicating action or everyday scenes to
those aiming for a disquieting or cultural atmosphere and their
individual effects have been discussed before. It is in their
totality where their value can be seen, they are a tool kit the
visual novel can dip into in order to add nuance the text and images
would lack on their own. Obviously this requires a discerning touch
to avoid the risk of overusing the tracks, causing them to lose their
ability to contribute to the events they are attached. When the
soundtrack is larger this becomes a lot easier at the cost of not
having those core memorable tracks which the player will always
recall through their repetition. Knowing what a game is aiming for
is key to making the most out of the music available.
 |
| The House of Fata Morgana is an odd beast in so many ways |
Conclusion
Choosing
what to included and how to shape a visual novel’s OST has a
profound influence on the way a player is going to engage with the
game. The power music naturally has over our emotions can be utilised
to clearly shape those feelings due to how continuous and prominent
each one is within the material being presented. As such there is a
lot to be gained from introducing a variety of styles into a
soundtrack and this allows for a lot of control over the perception of the
game alongside a careful use of silence to exaggerate the music. Not
only can an OST change the emotions of a scene it can also alter the
atmosphere from setting up a particular cultural backdrop to
including some abnormal elements to keep the player’s on their
auditory toes. When composing for a visual novel the strength and
importance of music to the overall experience is something you should
keep in mind.
Lupercalia of the Silent Accord Review – All The World’s A Stage
Genre - Drama, Supernatural Play Time - 30 hours Developer - Rupekari Patch Download VNDB
Theatre Will Make You Good
In
a city famed for its theatre, a group of students find themselves
drawn into the amateur Lampyris Troupe and their new play, Philia.
This is a story of loss, acceptance and love told through the cast’s
struggles to perform and the friction which forms between them. Its lavish use of theatre visuals and metaphor give the game a
distinctive feel and helps support the impact of each major
revelation or character moment. The cast is a colourful bunch who all
bounce off each other in a fun and believable manner while having
interesting scars that make for strong character arcs. Keeping each
one of them relevant throughout their screen time is one of the
titles biggest achievements as it helps foster a sense community to
the group and allowing their development to occupy a larger amount of
the narrative space. However, it is plagued by a litany of minor issues
from an overuse of flashbacks to romances which feel out of place and
this often distracts from the core themes and ideas the game clearly
wants to communicate. Are these niggles enough to make the audience
leave the theatre? Let’s step into the lead role and find out.
Dance Upon The Stage – Narrative and Themes
Committing
completely to a core metaphor through which all aspects of the
narrative are passed has a transformative effect on how a game
engages with its material. For Lupercalia this central element is the
theatre and it shapes everything from the city the characters live in
to the supernatural powers influencing their actions. Through this
lens the personal and human are delivered in the same common formula
as the greater narrative in order to make them easy to understand
while blurring the barrier between them to heighten their emotional
impact. Having the entire city be so focused around theatre helps
provide a legitimate reason for the game’s use of it since every
character is in some way connected to it and had their lives shaped
by it. As the troupe set about preparing for the performance of
Philia it is their trails and tribulations on this journey which
define their arcs and allows them to shine individually and as a
whole capable of putting on a compelling performance. Dealing with
the practical realities of how a theatre production works gives the
player a glimpse behind the scenes in a way that invites a feeling of
wonder at the skills involved to make it all come together. When the
supernatural elements creep in they treat the fabric of reality like
it was a stage with props and backdrops to be swapped out on a scene
change or having the people be unwilling actors to be pushed on and
off it. No matter how the narrative is framed it remains a distinctly
personal one where each character has to grapple with their past and
try to unpick the trauma eating away at them. This helps prevent the
metaphors from feel too abstract or overly focused on an existing
understanding of how theatre works and acts a reference point for the
player to invest themselves into this story. The inherently dramatic
nature of theatre is played up to make the emotions of the cast and
the events of the narrative appear grander and more impactful than
they might otherwise. Assisting this is the way the troupe all remain
important even when the focus is on one specific member which sells
the idea of them as a dynamic group while preventing secondary
characters from being forgotten. All these uses of the theatre contribute
to a visual novel with an extremely memorable overall identity unlike
any other of its peers in the way it and deftly weave them together
so naturally.
 |
| The stage is front and centre from the moment the game begins |
Before
covering the story’s issues, let us begin with the conclusion since
it is worth keeping in mind for this section. None of the problems
listed bellow fundamentally compromise what the game achieves with
its use of theatre to craft a compelling narrative, but they do add
up and any one of them might be straw that broke the camel’s back
for you so keep that in mind. By far the biggest among these issues
is the over use of flashbacks to a frankly hilarious degree. This
humour is not intentional as the game presents them in complete
seriousness, yet there are so many of them that more of the game is
spent in the past than the present to the point that it almost comes
across as parody. There are few scenes which do not include, or are
entirely, flashbacks and this is due to the focus on the cast
overcoming their traumas rather than on any present danger. Even the
overarching forces at play are firmly connected to the past so this
narrative choice is understandable but there is little doubt it
becomes tedious when it regularly grinds forward progression to a
halt. A more minor issue is the way the title likes to jump between
characters and sometimes fails to establish the jump in perspective
happened and the player will only realise it after they have been
playing the scene for a while. There is a pop up in one corner that
appears when swapping perspectives but it is small, easy to miss and
nowhere near the text box which is focus of the player’s attention.
It is just an unnecessary layer of confusion and brings the player
out of the experience. The romances often feel at odds with the
themes of overcoming trauma and forgiving other and yourself since
they are framed as a form of escapism. All romance routes are made
artificial through the way that they only occur due to the
supernatural meddling and the correct choices which lead to the true
ending all involve rejecting that easy out. Lupercalia feels like it
has been saddled with the exceptions of having a romance inherited
from it choice of genre and does not know what to do with it and so
is only including it out of obligation. This is not helped by the
fact the routes to not have any meaning content exclusive to them
outside of a vague and fast romance which does little to expand on
either party involved and feels hollow overall. The supernatural
aspects have a similar uneven use and presentation. They are merely a
background element in the first half of the game to the point of
characters having oddly dismissing attitudes towards the abnormal
things happening around them since it is not currently plot relevant.
Once it is in full swing the rules of these powers are nebulous and
seem to be whatever the developers want at any given time
which makes them feel contrived and somewhat out of place. To top it all off the supernatural is
never given a proper explanation for its origin and the game try to
hand wave it away by quickly moving on to the dramatic finale and
hoping the player will not notice.
 |
| Well excuse me... |
Something
else which can be held against Lupercalia is implicit view that the
only type of theatre worth engaging with is tragedy. Not once is
comedy ever mentioned or considered even in passing. This is a fairly
common attitude throughout history with even the ancient Greeks
suffering from this prejudice, but in Lupercalia it stands out due to
how it is regularly willing to use humour yet does not want to
address this contradiction between its views and actions. For another
example of its strange aversion to comedy is its name dropping of
Shakespeare tragedies such as Hamlet but its complete failure to
acknowledge the other half of the man’s works like Much Ado About
Nothing. A real actor would never turn their nose up at good work and would love a chance to test different acting muscles so it comes across as
odd that characters obsessed with expanding their acting abilities
never consider comedy. Lupercalia is a victim of this historical
disdain for what has been seen as lesser form of the art of theare.
Always remember for every Aeschylus there is an Aristophanes and for
every Macbeth there is A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Theatre Kids – Characters
The
Lampyris Troupe are the heart and soul of the game and each of its
members has a distinct personality which are interacted with in
interesting ways. Rather than a harmonious group they are instead a
boiling pot of strong egos and this naturally leads to a lot of
friction between their competing visions for their roles within the
performance. This constant parade of minor conflicts allows the
characters to define themselves in a way that builds up organically
as the clashes reveal little bits about them. As such when the major
conflicts roll round the player has a good sense of how the cast are
going to react to them and the game is willing to both play into or
against what has been established in order to create well rounded
characters. Beyond their disagreements this is a troupe who care for
one another and this is shown through their small actions to accommodate and support
one another or to defend them from outsiders. Each character shines
brightly when they are centre stage and they are a delightful mixture
of flaming ambition and crippling trauma which makes them easy to root for while also being entertaining to watch. When they
are not the focus of attention they still contribute to other
character’s arcs and generally make their presence felt to push the
idea of this being the story of the troupe in its entirety rather
than just a few important people.
 |
| And so the troupe grows larger |
Stepping Into The Spotlight – Visuals, Audio and Technical
Continuing
the game’s fixation on the theatre are the visuals which play on the theatrical motifs and colours of the stage to present the narrative’s
themes and ideas. This comes across both in the ways the physical
structure of the theatre always finds its way into many scenes and
the costume of the performers who step into new clothes to embody
their roles. As the lines dividing the theatre and the outside world
blur through the characters conflicts and the supernatural elements
so to does the visual presence of the physical structure finds its
way increasingly into the wider story. Once the supernatural is in
full swing the theatre becomes a more abstract sight with the
architectural motifs reduced to their most symbol nature where the
patterns adorning the old buildings manifest an otherworldly power.
Beyond its use of the theatre, there is a strong understanding of how
colour and mood are linked to one another and this is subtly used to
direct the player’s emotions at every turn. Making these visual
aspects so upfront means the game can keep stimulating the player
with new and exciting iterations on these core elements while having
a gentle transition between them so as to not overwhelm the player
with so much they become desensitised to it.
 |
| The plays are a highlight of the game |
From
a visual and technical stand point there are two notable issues. The
first being the rather loose relationship the character art has with
anatomy. This is not the standard strangeness like the large breasts
common to certain anime styles but instead a broader inability to
maintain a consistent sense of the physical proportions in general
from eyes to limbs. Nothing is immune as the whole spectrum is
effected from CGs to portraits and it is distracting to have people
who look like shapeshifting aliens that do not quite understand the
appearance of a real human. How much this will bother the player is
going to influence whether they find this funny or a deal breaker.
The other issue stems from this being a fan translation and this is
the sometimes iffy nature of the grammar chosen by the translator.
Every so often the player will have to re-read a section of text out
of confusion where it is unclear what it is try to convey. While this
is rare enough to not be a deal breaker it is still worth adjusting
expectations when coming into this game.
Conclusion
As
the curtain falls Lupercalia of the Silent Accord’s commitment to
its core identity allows it to craft an experience which can stand
out among a sea of similar titles. Its story of theatre and stage
makes for a compelling centre piece for the struggles and drama
unfolding around it. The visuals continue the theatrical motif in a
bold fashion making for a feast for the eyes where reality and the
play blend together. Backing this up is a cast of large egos and
memorable motives alongside the friction they brings to the troupe as
a whole. However, the numerous minor problems with the execution of
its story coupled with the some stumbles in the quality of its
visuals and translation hamper it. Yet what it does is not something
the player can find anywhere else and make pushing through these
issues worth it to play such a powerful title.
Verdict –
Theatrical visuals and metaphors provide the foundation for a
deeply person tale of overcoming loss and finding hope in the things we
love. Even if it does stumble at times when telling it through some
odd choices.
Pros -
+
Its complete commitment to the imagery and metaphors of theatre
creates a memorable and gripping story which sticks with the player.
+
A cast with large egos and deep seated traumas makes for a perfect
mix of tension and camaraderie.
+
Has a visual identity which pops off the screen and makes for a
constantly stimulating display to match the drama of the text.
Cons -
-
Plagued a lot of minor narrative issues that distract from the core
experience.
- Character designs have a very loose relationship with real
anatomy and their physical proportions shift from pose to pose and CG
to CG.
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