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.
 |
| 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.
 |
| 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.
Best Visual Novel Releases – November 2025
With
Christmas slowly creeping up on us and winter about to arrive, now
is the perfect time to see what titles the world of visual novels has
produced and consider them as potential presents. This has been the
month of mystery and heart-warming games in various flavours from
those invoking the style of classic adventure games to an 80s USSR
setting to one filled with dog and cat girls. Let’s dive in and see
what you should be playing from the recent releases.
Official Releases
Detective Instinct: Farewell, My Beloved
Tapping
into the classic mystery adventure game genre, Detective Instinct
drags its nameable everyman protagonist into the strange case of a
grisly murder and the disappearance of a woman only they remember. It
adopts a somewhat light tone in its narrative and has its vibrant
cast of characters be filled with people capable of engaging banter
even in the face of the danger posed by the mystery. There is just
the right amount of intrigue to keep things on track and guide the
player’s deductions and it makes for a satisfying puzzle of piece
together with enough personal motivation to keep them pushing
forwards. Overall if you are a fan of this style of visual novel
experience then you are in for a good time while newcomers will find
an accessible version of this classic formula.
Home Sweet Homecoming
Slice
of life visual novels which commit completely to the pure love story
can be quite a mixed bag but Home Sweet Homecoming demonstrates how successful this approach can be when done right. There is nothing
here which could not be found in many other games of its genre, yet
the genuine and sincere commitment to the emotions and warmth it has
at its core still leaves a powerful impression. It follows the return
home of its protagonist after six years abroad and the reconnecting
with his past life and the building of new relationships as they wrestle
with the disconnect such a span of time away brings. A lovable cast
and sweet romances form the backbone of the majority of the narrative
and it envelops the player into a world of gentle happiness. If you are
not already a fan of this genre then Home Sweet Homecoming will do
nothing to convince you otherwise, but for everyone else this is a
strong case for why it is so popular.
Z. A. T. O. // I Love the World and Everything In It
Having
your visual novel set in the 1980s USSR is certainly one way to stand
out from the crowd and Z.A.T.O. makes the most of this setting to
craft its strange mystery. When a young girl goes missing in the
closed city of Vorkuta-5 and nobody seems concerned it falls to the
timid Asya Shubina to find out the truth about what happened to her.
This is a game with an interesting tone and subject matter which
leans into the philosophical or odd as Asya engages in all sort of
thoughts in her pursuit of answers be they related to the culture she
inhabits or more broad musing on the nature of life itself. While
Z.A.T.O. by no means claims to be able to reach any definitive
conclusions in its short playtime, there is still a surprisingly deep
consideration of the human condition in a well presented package. For
those looking for a visual novel with a bit more substance you cannot
go wrong here, especially since it is free.
Mistonia's Hope -The Lost Delight-
Nintendo Eshop VNDB Genre
– Otome, Fantasy, Revenge Play Time – 30 hours
Revenge
is a distinctive narrative device to make the core of an otome and it
is this contrast of these two emotional extremes which defines
Mistonia’s Hope. After having everyone she cared about killed and
her home town taken Aprose sets out to seek those who wronged her and
this eventually leads to her working as a maid in the mansion of one
her potential targets. It is here she meets the various suitors
around which the routes and romances revolve while still keep the air
of tension from Aprose’s hidden motivation and the potential for
any of them to be the person she is looking for. How the suitors
manage to get Aprose to come out of her shell and the arc they
undergo together makes for a compelling journey which is easy to get
invested into and offers a good serving on intrigue to keep things
engaging. An otome lover who is looking for something a little
different from usual will be pleasantly surprised by Mistonia’s
Hope.
Amairo Chocolate 3
As
the third entry in the cute anime eared girls running a cafe series,
it has a lot of pre-established expectations to live up to and it
meets these by basically be the same exact game as the previous two
entries. You might think that this is a point against the title but
this continuation allows it to maintain the snug and warm atmosphere people are looking for. This time the focus is on two
girls new to the heroine role, Kohana and Momose Mitsuki, who are
given the same sweet romantic treatment as the rest and have the
necessary space to grow in an organic manner. Does this sound like
something you would enjoy? If so then it is probably for you and its
complete commitment to the vision is its greatest strength.
Narrator Perspectives – An Anatomy Of Visual Novels
Who Is Speaking?
One
of the foundational aspects of any media using the written word is
what person should be used, 1st, 2nd or 3rd?
This choice of narrator is especially important for visual novels
given its role in determining the intimacy of the story and the tools
it has available to it. 1st person is by far the most
common type with its simple and fixed perspective allow for player
character to tell their story while the player forms a strong sense
of investment in them. Less frequently a game will choose a 3rd
person to tell their stories and this is often done where there is
more than one core character around which the story revolves and the
emphasis on them need to be even. Once in a blue moon a 2nd
person visual novel comes along to shake things up but it is a
delicate instrument due to how odd 2nd person feels to read
outside of instructions, yet there is an undeniable distinctiveness
to it. Let’s go down the list of I, You and They, to see what each of
these looks like in the wild and why developers might choose each of
them.
I Will Tell A Tale
There
are a variety of reasons 1st person is the primary choice
for visual novel narrators and they all broadly stem from its ease of
use and personal nature. It is easy for a player to become attached
to the protagonist through this narration since they reveal their
intimate thoughts and put their humanity on display so they come
across as likeable or at least sympathetic. This is important when
dealing with genres which play off heightened emotion such as romance
or horror where being inside the head of the character gives an
immediacy to events. By being so personal
the developer can engage with the reliability of the narrator in
various ways from subtle bias to outright delusion in an obfuscated
fashion in order to have it hit the player with a greater sense of
shock and betrayal. Controlling the player’s knowledge in a
believable way is easier to implement in 1st person due to
the player understanding what it is reasonable for one person to be
able to know at any given time and the developer can use this to
their advantage to shape how the narrative progresses. Just on a
fundamental level people find it easier to write from the perspective
they live their lives and they will know exactly what the narrator
would be able to see and do at any given moment since they are like
us.
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| 1st person gives us a lot of... odd thoughts... |
With 1st person being so common in visual novels let’s
pick a couple of random examples out a hat and see to what extent
these elements are reflected in them. If there is one thing that can
be said about Shuffle! it is the way it embodies the romance visual
novels of its period. Its narrator is the fairly standard nice guy
protagonist, Tsuchimi Rin, who’s role as player stand-in makes his
narration tend towards being as nonintrusive to the self-insert
experience as possible. This tuning of the player’s experience so
as to reduce the barrier between them and the character is a key part
of why romance titles like Shuffle! tend towards 1st
person since it offers the least resistance to blending the two
together due its personal nature. Rin is not a completely flat
character otherwise the strong emotions which the genre need to sell
its climatic scenes would be lacking so he instead offers a head
space with enough room for the player to put themselves into but
still have motives related to the story. The impressions he gives of
the heroines have an important impact on the player’s initial
perception of them and while it does end up being inaccurate, as they
all have new sides to reveal, they provide an opportunity for the
developer to sell each of the girls in a desirable light. Emotional
intensity and immediacy are flexible in 1st person as can
be seen in the variety of ways Rewrite plays off the protagonist’s
limited awareness of what is going on. Kotori’s route uses his
ignorance to create a thriller where the player feels as if they are
in a middle of war they cannot begin to properly understand the scale
of. On the opposite side is Chihaya’s route with its heavy leanings
into action and the superpower nature of the setting. In using the
1st person it gains the ability to sell the power and
ferocity of the moment to moment combat and the growth of the
protagonist’s abilities through their own experiences, so making the
fantastical more relatable since their interactions mirror the
player’s own curiosity. The ability of Rewrite to play host to such
a wide spectrum of narrative types while not appearing to contradict
itself is a testament to how open 1st person is as a means
of narration and what is acceptable within it.
They Stand Above All
Upon
entering the world of the 3rd person narration there is a reduction in the number of visual novels utilising it when compared
to its 1st person counter part. The main reason for this
is likely the fact it is more difficult to handle emotional stories
when using it due to the inherent distance from events granted by
this overlooking perspective. Of course titles can still use
3rd person and be filled with high emotion scenes if the
developer is capable of adjusting where their emphasis lies and set
the player’s expectations. One of the ways it stands out is the
ability to showcase the thoughts and feelings of its entire cast in a
smooth and natural fashion which is important in titles with multiple
major characters. This avoids the problem present in 1st
person of having to grind the narrative to a stop to swap
perspectives each time it needs to express another character’s
viewpoint. Being above the events of the game offers the option
of presenting them in a grander manner since the interlocking pieces of
the story are clear as are their consequences. When this is leaned
into the far reaching influence of events can be shown and weaved
into the smaller scale struggles of the cast in a way which heightens
the stakes and emotions. There is also the option of taking it to the
opposite extreme and making the narrative as detached as possible
given it an almost historical record like feeling, but few visual
novels can properly use this form.
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| The use of illustrated books makes the 3rd person more distinct |
Witch on the Holy Night is a tale
of three individuals at the point when their lives intersect and each
of them shares the role of main character. Hence it is only natural it
would choose to place its narrative at equal distance from through
the use of 3rd person. While Shizuki Soujuurou is the
person the narrator obits for a good chunk of the early sections of
the game, there is a constant effort made to ensure at least one of
the other two are within shot at all times so their importance is
never lost on the player. This focus on the trio gives the title a
far more personal feel to it than it might otherwise have as there
are plenty of opportunities for them to reveal different aspects of
who they are and their relationships. Running alongside this is the
grandeur of magic which the 3rd person narrator is
constantly pushing whenever it appears in the story through elaborate
descriptions of details and a larger scale picture of their power.
Despite the personal motives for the use of magic it never stops
being a greater force which keeps its otherworldly wonder. 3rd
person narrators have a stronger historical footprint in other
mediums so utilising it within visual novels invokes those older
forms, such is the intent behind Adabana Odd Tales’ use of it. The
world is set in a realm of illustrated books and the choice of
narrator, along with the use of a brush stroke art style, invokes the
memory and legacy of those works to establish a baseline for the
story to play off. Being able to have this clear line between the two
allows it to draw upon characters and cliches established in the
player’s mind to employ as a means of creating expectations to
embrace and subvert. Since it also regularly just swaps to a story
book style of presentation which is also in the 3rd
person, it is obvious to the player how the themes and ideas of
Adabana are meant to be interpreted and this ability to shape their
perception without the ambiguity of an overly intimate perspective is
one of the core strengths of a 3rd person narrator.
You Walk Into A Bar
2nd
person is an odd and rare beast in the visual novel space due to its
instructional tone and way it distances the player from what is meant
to be their own actions. It is a style of narration which has had
some success in other types of game most notably text adventures or
other things which can trace their linage from tabletop RPGs and the
commanding voice of the GM. For an audience this use of the 2nd
person is what is mostly likely to come to mind when faced with it
and this is something a developer can play off to engage with these
experiences. It is telling then that a lot of these visual novels
invoke the authority of the GM role to create a scene directed at the
player where they get to role-play its protagonist. The way it blends
personal connection and distance is often played off to make the
player select choices they might not otherwise and retain the ability
to gut punch them when things inevitably go wrong. While not taking
as much sadistic glee in killing the player character as old school
text adventures, there is still a greater willingness to make them
suffer in overt ways then in other visual novels regardless of if things
ultimately end happily.
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| Look terrible things are happening to YOU |
Their limited appeal also results in this
space being filled with more experiential titles which are looking
for unique ways to express their narratives and leave a lasting
impression. One such game is BAD END THEATER with its multiple
protagonists playing nicely into its use of 2nd person.
Each of these characters is always “you” so uses the slight
disconnect from the player, since they are obvious not multiple
people, to make them more willing to experiment with the game’s
structure and see what it has to offer. At the same time the direct
view on their lives given by the 2nd person slowly endears
the player to them as the player get expose to their human struggles
and fun dynamics both while under the player’s command and from
other cast member’s viewpoints. The slight use of meta narrative
elements is also important to the choice of narrator since the way it
makes the player both an insider and an outsider already operates on
a vaguely meta level and this allow the story’s acknowledgement of
it come across as a natural extension of what has been established.
Horror is one few genres which does not mind the use of 2nd
person since the disconnect it brings can be leveraged to unsettle
the player as can be seen in It gets so lonely here. This title mixes
a core of dark fantasy with its horror elements to underpin the
twisted nature of the events it calmly explains are happening to the
protagonist. Presenting it through the use of fairy tale creatures
and motifs as a means of taking the innocence from those stories and
tricking the player with a familiar presentation from a new angle of
narration then pulling the rug out from under them. A 2nd
person description of its events lends the game a certain air of otherworldliness due to it being uncommon couple with the fantasy subject matter
and this meshes well with the strange behaviour of it characters.
Conclusion
Deciding
the type of narrator for a visual novel has a profound effect on how
it will be perceived by the player and what sort of narrative tools
will be available. 1st person is the traditional choice
for good reason as it offers a personal angle on the story while
giving the developer an easy way to control what information the
player has access to at any given moment. Selecting the 2nd
person is rare since the way it invokes an odd mix of intimate and detached feelings and its authoritative tone are only suitable for a small
number of games. On the other hand, 3rd person sits the
player completely above the events of the visual novel looking down
on its cast which it can leverage to showcase a broader picture
of events and characters alongside drawing connections with other
mediums for dramatic effect. Overall, when considering this choice
you should carefully weigh up the benefits each has to offer and what
your audience expects from similar works either to adhere or subvert
depending on your needs.
Detective Fiction – Genre Deep Dive
On The Case
From
Sherlock Holmes to Columbo, Detective Fiction has a vice like grip on
the popular consciousness so it is no surprise to find visual novels
making use of such stories. The way visual novels play into the
strengths of video games and written mediums results in a unique
blend of roleplay while still having the strong personalities key to
a good detective. When the focus is around the detective within an
officially sanctioned organisation like the police the story tends to come with
more authority for the characters and the struggles at having to
navigate red tape. Stepping into the private sector and the detective
gains a more scrappy mentality where they have to work to unearth
clues in a less direct fashion compared to their official
counterparts. Then there are characters put into the role of
detective out of no choice of their own and this lack of experience
alongside them often being directly connected to mystery they are
solving gives them a wider emotional and narrative range at the cost
of much of the detective fantasy. Let’s put on our deerstalkers and
deduce how these traits of the genre influence its presentation and
what stories it tells.
Official Police Business
Working
in an officially recognised organisation like the police or some form
of special unit gives the detective a greater degree of authority to
wield while also demanding they be accountable to regulations.
Narratively this often manifests as some elements of the police
procedural style where the characters have access to a wide range of
other professionals in various field who can provide information they
would not otherwise be able to know. Another common feature is a
fixation on the crime scene from an analytical perspective where the
detective picks over every detail of the area beyond what is
necessary to solve the case in order to sell the idea of just how
capable they are and many resources they have at their disposal. In order to
create a sense of the authority available to the detective they are
able to get access to restricted locations and make people they are
interviewing feel as if they have to talk which both feed into this
idea of the borrowed power they are wielding. Red tape is a part of
any large organisation and at some point the detective is going to
have to be shown engaging with it. The exact extent of the paper
pushing and regulation which appears depends on the extent it leans
into being a fantasy with the grounded tales tending to have more
mundane work and the action focused ones being less interested in
breaking the story’s flow to accommodate it.
 |
| Got to get all the details of the crime |
This divide between
the kinds of police detective fiction defines much of this side of
the genre in visual novels so let us look a pair of games which
exemplify each end of the spectrum. AI: Somnium Files is not a
realistic depiction of police detective work in any way with the
futuristic sci-fi tech and the special branch dedicated to use it. There
is a strong through line of drama where the Detective Fiction is a means of
presenting a complex narrative rather than an attempt to engage with
the realities of solving crime. Date Kaname never has to sit down and
do paper work and spends as much time goofing off as he does working
to the point you could be forgiven for forgetting he is in-fact in a
position of authority. Yet he does have to work within the bounds of
the police’s structure such as not being able to arrest or hold
people without evidence and this is used as a
dramatic device to build tension and tie his hands. It also acts as a
means of easily presenting him in a heroic light as he struggles to
do what is right while also balancing his role as a representative of
a group far bigger than him. Crime scene investigations is a core
aspect of AI: Somnium Files identity and over the course of the game
the player will investigate them in great detail as they try to piece
together the mystery. Here is where the appeal of the detective
fantasy is at its strongest in AI where the fragmentary clues
tantalisingly place the truth within reach, but only the detective
has ability to reach that conclusion. On the other hand CollarXMalice
is much more interested in the day to day operations of the police
despite it also have an outlandish premise. The protagonist spends a
lot of the common route performing the routine actions required of
the police from filling out paperwork to taking calls to patrolling
the streets. Through these actions the game’s world is
contextualised within a sense of normality the police are trying to
maintain despite the circumstances around them. Returning to this
normal is a key motivator for the protagonist and their mundane
actions showcase her vision of such a life which remains potent as
the antagonists attempt to take it away from her. Since she is not a
detective by position but instead circumstance, this causes the
mystery solving element of the detective to move away from the crime
scene itself and into the way each crime paints a picture of what the
antagonists are after as she works towards the truth about each
one. Being part of the police does give her access to specialists, in
a more grounded way than AI’s sci-fi magic, with the most notable
of these being Shiraishi Kageyuki of the crime lab who regularly
gives her useful information his department has gained. Everything
aims to sell the police in this setting as a believable version of
their real world equivalents and sell the lumbering nature of this
organisation which the detective belongs to.
Private Eye
A
private sector detective is free from the constraints and
responsibilities of the police but in exchange do not have access to the
professionals or the ability to pressure people for information
through their authority. This leads a lot of such detectives to be
characterised as scrappy underdogs who have to use their intelligence
and creativity to the evidence they need to solve the crime. It
pushes the super smart end of the detective fantasy where they are
utilising their cunning to pry truths out of people which they would
otherwise never speak. Having some connection to the
police is a relatively common means to get the detective the
knowledge he need, either because they were once part of the police
or through a friend on the force, yet there is careful balance here
since it could easily undercut the scrappy element of the fantasy and
so the source of the information often only reveals a limited amount
since they are bound by confidentiality. Interactions with the
criminal underworld or shady information brokers is another angle
this style of detective can bring as they tread the line between the
light and dark sides of the world in pursuit of the truth. This plays
into the more morally grey tendencies of a detective working for an
inherently selfish motive in money where their compass might lead
them to do things the player may not agree with.
 |
| Finding all those tiny clues |
As a genre this type
of detective is deal with in one of two ways, either it is treated
with the utmost seriousness and leans into the darker side of human
nature or it goes the opposite way and makes the lack of restrictions
of their activities the source of a light adventure with a free-form
structure. The Kara No Shoujo series is sits decidedly on the side of
the former with its horrific murders and generally dark tone.
Tokisaka Reiji is not initially hired to solve a murder but rather to
go undercover as a history teacher to investigate a series of
disappearances at the behest of the vice principle. This is an
important part of the narrative set up as it establishes the for hire
nature of the detective and as he pokes around to try and solve the
disappearances the player gets to see the cunning way he uses the
minimal resources he has at his disposal. His lack of detachment from
the people he interacts with and his willingness to get personally
involved in their lives marks him as a less professional and more
human version of the detective. Given the small cast of characters
this focus on them allows the game to place the horror of the murders
on a personal level where the player will witness the effects it has
on a wide spread of the cast. It also highlights how compromised the
detective is when he acts in accordance with his emotions rather than
the logic more befitting his status and this makes his struggles and
successes feel personal to him. A lighter take on the private
detective can be seen in Famicom Detective Club: The Girl Who Stands
Behind where the protagonist assumes the role after being taken in by
a more experienced detective. The young age of the protagonist allows
them to fit into the school setting where they are tasked with
investigating the disappearance of a young girl and it makes his
naivety and inexperience blend into a coming of age story which
steers clear of anything too dark for its broader target audience.
Witnessing the growth of a detective on the job is a part of the
genre this game plays heavily into as the player gets to witness the
protagonist grow and find the skills he needs to solve the mystery
and discover the spark of genius which defines him as a detective.
Following this growth is one of the main ways the narrative gets the
player invested in seeing the story to its end and gives another
emotional avenue to the mystery beyond the desire to see it solved.
It also leads to a story about building a future and is hopeful for
the people involved in contrast to the spiral downwards which defines
Kara No Shoujo.
Amateur Hour
The
final type of detective fiction is one where the detective is an
unwitting everyman who lacks any spark of deductive genius. They are
drawn into investigating the mystery when circumstances compel them
rather than as part of their profession. By the end of the story they may have picked up
the skills of the detective but they do not start out with any of
them and struggle against what is asked of them and even at the end
their abilities are something they want to never have to use again.
These detectives possess likeable and familiar traits of people the
player might meet in their day to day life giving them by far the
most grounded starting point for the genre and it tries to keep them
within this core identity so they never lose their connection to the
world they came from. Due to their origins they have no way of
accessing the information necessary to solve the mystery like other
styles of detective and instead the game adopts a contrivance, such a
some form of magic or a contained environment, in order to provide
the clues and resources need to solve the mystery. This need for a
strong justification for the detective’s engagement and ability to
solve the mystery does lead to this end of the genre tending to be
far more wacky in premise with it stretching the limits of the genre.
 |
| Naegi is an extremely over the top version of the everyman |
Danganronpa is perhaps the poster-child of how distinctive this side
of the detective genre can be in visual novels. Its detectives are
always confused participants in the death game which demands they
solve various murders with the minimal skills at their disposal.
Their deer in the headlights reactions to what is happening around
them firmly places them as an everyman who has to stand up to the
task in order to survive no matter how unsuitable they might be for
the job. Focusing on confining the cast inside a limited location to
incite the death game also serves the double purpose of ensuring the
clues the detective needs can be found despite their limited skills. Meanwhile their captor, Monokuma, serve as the specialist who can provide
the detective with information they could otherwise not know even if
they might present it in a misleading fashion. While not as comically
over the top as Danganronpa, Umineko’s use of magic in its setting
gives it a legitimate reason to be able to supply Battler with all
the details of the case from his vantage point outside of time and
space. Battler himself is the definition of an unwilling detective
when he is thrust into the role when people start being killed around
him and he raw reactions to events and way he struggles to adapt make
him start out being an everyman. Eventually he does take to his new
role as detective which is in the game’s best interest given how
much it plays of the idea of the detective and the cliché’s of Detective Fiction, but even then it is careful to keep his motives of
saving his family and friends front and centre to utilise this
contrast between actions and motive to fuel his character growth. He
is not the only detective on the case with Beatrice acting as a
detective who seeks to prove magic as the cause of the mystery as
opposed to Battler’s realistic perpetrators. The pair’s vastly
different views on events are a core part of Umineko’s appeal since
it understand the qualities of a good detective and has each of them
take on a form of this fiction to better comment and engage with its
troupes and conventions.
Conclusion
Detective
Fiction comes in all shapes and sizes within visual novels as they
try to adapt its malleable genre mysteries and strong personalities
to the stories they want to tell. Police detective narratives stress
the structures the detective is working within both in terms of the
authority it gives them and its restrictions to sell the power and
struggles it brings. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the
everyman detective is dragged into the mystery against their will and
has few resources to aid them in order to make the success of solving
the case all the sweeter. Between them is the private detective who’s
connections to the police and the underworld give them the
information they need but results in a more morally grey narrative.
As you may have noticed from the examples from each part of the genre
there is a lot of overlap between these kinds of Detective Fiction
since this approach allows these games to take the aspects they need
to tell their mysteries. Such a varied and adaptable genre is perfect
for those looking for a way to create a mystery visual novel with a
focus on a single or few deductive individuals.
