Senpai And Kouhai – Character And Cliche In Visual Novels
A Comedy Of Ages
The
particulars of the Senpai/Kouhai character are firmly rooted in the
way Japanese culture emphasises social hierarchy. As such they are
only really found in visual novels developed in Japan and absent in
the rest of the world unless they are trying to imitate that style.
Yet despite this factor it is an extremely prolific type of character
in the medium and has developed its own language of traits and
expectations. At the centre of the Senpai/Kouhai character’s world
is the protagonist since it in relationship to them that their
status is decided and with it all sort of power
dynamics. When romance gets added to the mix the differing ages of the
characters involved start to come to the forefront and plays a role
in shaping how they react and develop until a balance between them
can be established. Being so popular has lead to certain character
traits solidifying as being expected from these archetypes which reflect both their age and seniority. These troupes have formed
into a strong part of their core appeal with many visual novels with
a school setting leaning heavily into this desirability. Let’s
greet our Senpai/Kouhai and uncover how a seemly dry element of
social hierarchy became so popular.
Power Dynamics
Since
the Senpai/Kouhai owes their identity to their social position in
relation to the protagonist, there is a strong element of hierarchy
to how they are presented within the story. While it is rare for them
to abuse their position to compel the protagonist, they still engage
in acts appropriate for their status and form an initial relationship
with the protagonist through this lens from which they can build out
into whatever form needed by the narrative. Schools provide the most
common and easy to understand version of this use of status so this
setting will be the primary source of examples for this phenomenon.
For the Senpai their status is born from the seniority of age and this is reflected in the positions they occupy such a club or student council president.
These titles immediately present an air of authority to the player
and set an easy baseline for their interactions with the Senpai. In
addition they offer a simple source of friction between the Senpai,
their responsibilities and their own wishes which is a great basis
for a character arc. Amaha Miu, from Mashiro-iro Symphony, is the
president of the Nuko club and has to grapple with running it
including financing it through her own part-time job. As such it
plays a major role in her story since as a third year student she
will soon have to leave it behind and when the protagonist joins it
helps create a baseline for their banter and mutual respect. Despite
being a gentle character Miu does pull rank on the protagonist on
occasion out of concern for him and this soft power provides a good
sense of her maturity in comparison to the protagonist since she
understand when and how to use her authority. Another Senpai style
character who has notable authority is Charles Maroth, from Da Capo
III, the student council president. Being in the highest student
position gives her an authority over the rest of the cast and the way they
talk with her often reflects this respect. This makes her rivalry
with her vice president Ricca stand out to the player as it
undermines the initial universal respect the player would expect and
creates a curiosity the game can capitalise on later. Playing with
how this authority is thought about by others takes the edge of this
power and provides an avenue for her weaknesses to come through
without completely ruining her Senpai role.
 |
| She is not the sharpest tool in the box |
As for the Kouhai, their
position is that of the inferior and subordinate and rely on the
protagonist as their Senpai to act as their senior and a responsible
individual. This is not the same as them being weak and incapable but
rather an understanding of social status within the school structure
even if they can be somewhat cheeky at times due to their youth. A common strategy to create drama is to
play up this youthfulness as a kind of ignorance and have the Kouhai
make a big mistake due to overconfidence or not listening to their
Senpai. Toumine Tsukasa, from Irotoridori no Sekai, looks up to the
protagonist as their Senpai and sees them as a source of wisdom. Her
high energy and ignorance about the world highlight their youth and
the role which the protagonist takes in protecting them and acting as
a guiding point or senior. There is a definite over-exaggeration of
the Kouhai identity in Tsukasa for the purposes of comic effect given
she is so gullible to be beyond simple inexperience, but it still
achieves the desired effect of the player wanting to make sure she
does not come to any harm. A Kouhai’s respect can be merely
performative as is the case with Arimura Hinae, from Chaos;Child, who
only ever invokes her status as the protagonist’s Kouhai when it is
convenient for her or as a sign of mockery. She is a character whose
disrespect and confidence are a sign of her immaturity and they end
up coming back to bite her when she pushes her luck due to this trait
then needs to be bailed out. It also works as a means of establishing her weakness through an already present social dynamic and so make
it feel more like an organic exploration of her and the protagonist’s
changing relationship.
Romance Takes The Wheel
Once
the Senpai/Kouhai has entered into a romantic relationship with the
protagonist their dynamic shifting to accommodate this change. At
this point the seniority element of their interactions becomes an
uncomfortable issue to be worked around and most games aim to have it
disappear into the background to avoid any problematic abuses of
power within their romance. What often ends up happening is the
playing up of the relative maturity of the Senpai/Kouhai as a source
of endearment or comedy to take the edge off their previous dynamic.
This can lead to a reduction in the emotional complexity of said
character if not handled well since it is the removal or
simplification of a core aspect of their identity. Even outside of
romance the seniority element often finds itself sidelined in favour
of other kinds of drama when it is not the story’s core focus for
similar reason. It makes the inclusion of such a character outside
of a main heroine role potentially problematic due to lack of time to
smooth over their transition into what the narrative needs of them.
 |
| You can just hear the 'Ara Ara' |
For a Senpai example of this tendency, Renjouji Mai, from Secret
Agent, can showcase an attempt to reconcile this friction. Her role
as a Senpai and Captain of the Knights is a major focus of her
initial introduction and relationship with the protagonist. Yet once
the player enters her route this aspect almost instantly disappears
when it concerns the protagonist as the game tries to rebalance their
connection into a suitable romantic one to meet the needs of the
romance genre. She morphs into more of a doting older sister kind of
character where the age difference is merely an extra avenue for her to
express her love for the protagonist. However, her seniority and its
burdens still remain unchanged within the context of the dramatic
plot points and her character development. This results in a weird
sense of whiplash between how important her status as Senpai is to
the story and to the protagonist with a stark line drawn to divide these elements. It feels
like the game is trying to have its cake and eat it and highlights
how blending romance and the need for drama using the Senpai role can
be a challenge to keep coherent. Andou Misaki, from Chrono Clock, is
a Kouhai who can demonstrate the opposite extreme manner visual
novels handle this transition into romance. Rather than a sharp cut
off, her loss of Kouhai status is a gradual process used to further
the idea of her bond with the protagonist becoming closer and the
barriers between them dissolving. On the other hand the game does not
use her Kouhai aspects for any narrative purposes so it remaining
prominent could have clashed with the character growth she undergoes.
The issue with this approach is the way the Kouhai role almost feels
redundant since it is neither a strong selling point for her
character nor important for her arc and the player may feel cheated
or confused at this shift in her personality. Neither of these
attempts to deal with the Senpai/Kouhai relationship as part of
romance can deal with the fundamental issues brought about by the
imbalance in power between the relationship’s participants. They
can only paste over the cracks and try to move away from it as
smoothly as possible.
Confident, Teasing and Energetic
Having
such a specific social relationship with protagonist has resulted in
the Senpai/Kouhai character developing a number of personality
archetypes and traits to meet the audience’s expectations. These
work as a shorthand for the normal elements of this dynamic and aim
to shape it into a desirable trait for the players to become attached
to as they interact with the character. It also creates a common design language of their
place within the player’s understanding of the
archetype in a new visual novel. Let us go through a few of the most
common traits or combinations to see this influence in action. In
Shigure Asa, from Shuffle!, can be seen the outgoing and mischievous
Senpai archetype where her maturity gives her the wisdom to outplay
the protagonist in social situations while being generally liked by
all and gets involved in their problems. There is a strong emphasis
in her maternal personality through the care she gives others and the mixture of
domestic skills from her participation on the cook club with the
confidence she outwardly presents to others. What makes this
appealing is the way Asa ends up revealing her vulnerability
alongside her strengths and her teasing ends up being played on her
instead for an entertaining swapping of roles and a humanising which
differs from her self-presentation. The maturity of the Senpai is
important to their traits and Ciel, from Tsukihime, showcases how that
wisdom can be played up to make for a loveable character. She is a
gentle and knowledgable person as befits her status as the
protagonist’s Senpai and is always there to be a rock they can rely
on in the face of chaotic events. This stability gives her a kind of
soft power through the wisdom she can offer and how she presents it
to the protagonist while being able to gently and powerfully suggest
he does not do anything reckless. Even if the protagonist might not
follow her guidance she is still willing to step in to help and, even
has her less altruistic motives come to light, she cannot help but do
what is right due to her sense of responsibility demanding it.
 |
| She is everything the protagonist is not |
Unlike
the Senpai, a Kouhai can have a larger range of their initially
presented personalities since their youth or inexperience allow them
to openly have a weakness on display. The twins Himeyuri Sango and
Ruri, from ToHeart2, are good examples of the breadth of traits
present within the archetype. Sango is naive and has quite a child
like attitude towards the world around her and the people she
interacts with. It a curiosity and lack of world experience which
would be expected from someone young so it triggers the player’s
desire to protect her from mistakes she might make. Yet
this does not exclude her from being able to display intelligence in
matters of being an older sister and her work maid gynoids since it
does not directly contradict the worldly wisdom she lacks. In
contrast to her is Ruri who is the younger of the twins and prone to
outbursts of emotion and possessiveness especially when it concerns
Sango. This lack of control over her emotions is due to having not
developed proper self control yet and communicates clearly the state
of her development into an adult. Just like Sango’s naivety, this
speaks to a time in our lives where we were the same while invoking
the idea of this time in her life as being precious and worth turning
the other check when she lashes out. As the extremes of the Kouhai
spectrum they make for perfect twins since the player gets to enjoy
the complete Kouhai experience. The Kouhai’s wide-eyed and naive
beliefs in the good of the world can also function as a counterpoint
to the protagonist’s cynicism such as with Claris Zeinburg, from
Meteor World Actor. She is a fresh faced rookie and still possesses
faith in the good their work is doing and acts on this conviction
even if her inexperience does cause her to slip up regularly. A
relationship forms with the protagonist being the unwilling Senpai to
a Kouhai who wants him to sort his act out. This is a mutually
beneficial kind use of the Kouhai archetype since it endears the
player to both parties where their banging of heads humanises them.
Only visual novels containing strongly defined protagonists tend to
use this type of Kouhai given a self insert would not provide enough
material to create a believable dynamic.
Conclusion
Age
and seniority are the defining elements of the Senpai/Kouhai
character where their relative position to the protagonist often
defines their personalities and place within the world. This means a
Senpai/Kouhai has to occupy a place within a social hierarchy like a
school and assume the roles associated with their status such student
council president or a new club member. It also results in the
formation of certain archetypes to meet the player’s exceptions from
the gentle and mature Senpai to the impulsive and emotional Kouhai.
When they end up in a romantic relationship with the protagonist
their role as a Senpai/Kouhai has to awkwardly fade into the
background so the pair can be on equal ground and avoid any
unfortunate abuses of power. Overall, the Senpai/Kouhai is born from
the rigid and structured nature of Japanese society and it makes
little sense to use it outside of this context so it is best avoided
if you are not deliberately trying to emulate this style.
The Pillagers Of Raillore Review – Two Lives Divided By Disaster
Genre – Medieval Fantasy, Action, Superpowers Play Time – 20 hours Developer - 3rdEye MangaGamer(18+) VNDB
Stealing Your Future
The
technological marvels and achievements of the modern world have faded, its cities now lie in ruins and humanity has return to living in
medieval conditions. The existence of various kinds of superpowers
called Dunamis have shaped this new world and the ruins of the past
are pillaged for anything of value. In this world two young men
living vastly different lives find themselves swept up in the tides
of change and must utilise their unique powers to navigate these
choppy waters. Raillore jumps between the perspectives of these two
protagonists and it is through their eyes the player will witness
this vibrant world with its own social problems. There is a strong
theming around acceptance of others and the damaging effects of
discrimination which helps add texture to even minor characters.
The cast surrounding the two protagonists are endearing and form
entertaining dynamics to further push the groups character arcs and
solidify the side of the world they occupy. When it comes to the
supernatural battles 3rdEye continue to be one of the best at
capturing the intensity and momentum of combat in a visual novel
form. However, there are a number of quite large issues with Raillore
from the protagonist’s stories being detached from one another to
its intrusive sexuality. Are these problems the death blow to this
imaginative world? Let’s steal someone’s power and find out.
Divided Down The Middle – Narrative and Themes
Front
and centre of Raillore’s narrative presentation are the twin
stories of its two protagonists, Reno and Graydric, and their
individual journeys form the solid core around which everything
rotates. Their joint trauma steaming from a catastrophe which
occurred during their childhood leads them down vastly different
paths. Reno ends up as part of the Regulatory Corps while Graydric
sinks into the underbelly of society. Their isolated stories give
them the space to explore these two characters as they unpick the
damage that has warped them. For Reno, he must face this
unwillingness to live without the orders of others while Graydric has
to learn to love himself again after all he has done and accept the
affection others have for him. Neither are initially willing to do so
and their attempts to run away from it even as it catches up to them
gives them strong arcs which feel earned while justifying their long
length. These contrasting looks at the same world allow for a more
nuanced presentation of the various problems it faces and the state
of humanity beyond the walls of Raillore. It frames the characters’
actions within this clashing of circumstances and this helps justify why
their beliefs have ended up the way they are and create a baseline
level of sympathy towards the suffering they undergo. The unveiling
of this world is also slow so there is always something new for the
player to experience even in the later parts which supports
the narrative idea of this as an expansive place filled with all
types of people. Showing these different groups gives the game room
to push its core theme about acceptance and the dangers of
discrimination through both its world and its characters. The
existence of Errors and the use of the threat they supposedly pose as a
justification for terrible treatment is the main way this theme
influences the cast since some become Errors and have to grapple with
this reality. Most of the first half of the game is focused around
this conflict over the existence of Errors and it utilises this time
well to create an emotionally resonant argument against this
discrimination while still making people’s lingering fears feel
somewhat justified. This theming around discrimination is hardly
revolutionary and plays out much as one would expect for it, but its
sincerity and how it is tied into the narrative stakes and character
arcs lend it a memorable quality and a good remainder as to why this
theme is so timeless.
 |
| Acceptance is core to Raillore's theming |
Cracks
start to show when it comes to the transitions between these two
protagonist’s POVs and the way the game handles the points where
their stories intersect. These transition are not smooth in the
slightest with one character’s story coming to a sudden and
juddering halt to swap to the other protagonist so they can have
their turn. It is also unwilling to go back in time and show events
from the other POV and instead continues from the present just
swapping character, but the result is large chunks of time from each
protagonist’s story just being missing and the game have to rapidly
catch the player up to speed. As you can imagine every time this
happens there is a sizeable period where there is confusion about what is going and it draws the player out of
the experience as they have spend time adjusting to the new
information. Another strange choice which plays into this disconnect
is the lack of any pause given where the player is encourage to view
the side episodes which unlock at regular intervals. Instead the game
just continues on and it would not be surprising if the player
completely forgot about them and just barrelled straight onwards
since that is what it encourages them to do. This is a shame since
these episodes do a lot of work for the side characters if viewed
during the sections they are unlocked. Then there is the issue of the
divide between the first and second halves of the story. The problems
around the Errors discrimination have begun to be resolved and the
major players of the narrative have all been put to rest with a
vaguely hopeful future ahead of them. This appears to be a perfect
point to end the game since everything the player was invested in has
met some kind of resolution, but then the game plays a second opening
and just continues onwards. No big twist occurs, no shift in our
understanding to justify a new conflict, it just keeps going.
Eventually, it does create a new solid threat and build on the characters’
arcs, but for a long period there is a jarring sense that the game
should already be over since its main theme and narrative push have
been put to rest. There is even a big fight at the end of the first
half which feels climatic enough to be the final battle since it is
against someone the characters have a meaningful connect to. These
sources of friction in the experience of playing Raillore make it
very bumpy and impede the player’s ability to invest themselves
into the experience.
Yet
there is a more fundamental issue with Raillore’s narrative in the
form of narrative event happening for the sake of the plot rather
than being driven by the characters. A majority of the time when
something important or dramatic happens it is done solely to push the plot rather than being caused by character action or the
consequences of it. In the first half of the game this is not as
present an issue since it can rely on the novelty of the world and
growing escalation of stakes work to conceal this plot centric
attitude. However, in the second half a lot of events and actions
just happen to make for a dramatic moment only to never be brought up
again or otherwise just swept under the rug in favour of the shiny
new twist or battle it has put in front of the player. Without going
into too much detail for the sake of spoilers, there are a series of
plot twists towards the end of the game which almost appear to come
out of nowhere and be disconnected from everything else, all for the
sake of having a final superpowered fight which feel out of place
against the otherwise human and emotional story before this point.
 |
| This pair have great chemistry when they actually get to talk properly |
Another
more minor issue is the way it handles its erotic scenes and how they
feel slapped into the main plot out of obligation. They all begin out
of nowhere, one moment everything is normal and then suddenly
everything is erotic. It is odd to say the least since the
justifications for them are weak at best and almost all of them are not
mentioned ever again once the deed is done. Then there is the
non-consensual undertone to all of the main story scenes on the part
of the male characters. Reno cannot give consent since he is
incapable of saying no to anything people ask of him so it becomes
very uncomfortable when the women who know this fact proceed to
engage in erotic activities with him as they exercise this control.
While Graydric is a normal person and can consent, he somehow ends up
with even more non-consensual scenes, one of which even has him being
tied up while he was unconscious. These are never directly presented
as non-consensual since the game does not seem to care enough to
consider the context or content of them. Yet it is not a great time
for the player to be thrust suddenly into something so awkward to
witness.
Interlocking Lives – Characters
Surrounding
each protagonist is a separate ensemble of characters and while some
do cross over between the pair, the majority stick to their lanes. As
such they are highly focused on being connected to their
protagonist’s story and intertwined with the themes of their side. The character arcs of these groups also tend to mirror
their protagonist's own by taking their core ideas and tackling them from a
different angle. Reno and Tilt both have to grapple with what it
means to choose a path for themselves. While Reno must escape an
unwillingness to do so, Tilt has to confront the truth that the
choices she been making have not adhered to the ideals she thought
they held. Having such a dynamics spread of character conflicts which
push in the same direction allows for the cast to clash and support
each other in an organic manner and sells them as a cohesive and
caring group. It also makes playing as each protagonist feel distinct
since the cast they interact with is so vastly different in feel
to see interact and displays the variety of people
who live in Raillore. This is all extremely important since the game
relies heavily on its character moments to fill the space between
major plot beats and this down time is frequent enough to the point
weak characterisation could have severely undermined the whole
experience. Banter between these characters is entertaining since
they are more than willing to push back against their protagonist and
the emotional tension of the arcs keeps it feeling fresh.
 |
| Ollstatt is perhaps the only good antagonist |
By
far the weakest group of characters are the villains who range from
comically evil to poorly developed. They seem to solely exit for the
sake of introducing conflict rather than having justifiable reason
for their actions. Flat is the simplest way of expressing this lack of substance, they
lack any sense of existing beyond their presence on screen which
stand out in stark contrast to the main cast’s strong identities.
This is a massive issue because the second half of the game is
primarily driven forward through their actions so this absence of
proper characterisation gets pushed in the player’s face. The
weakness of these characters can be seen through one of the recurring
antagonist’s Ellikate who is Graydric primarily opposition. Outside
of being generally sadistic and obsessed with Graydric, there is
nothing to his character and he pops up whenever the plot needs
something evil to happen in order to motivate the cast. His
connection with Graydric is weak at best and is only loosely expanded
upon throughout the entire game so their final confrontation feels
unearned and an emotionally hollow. This is not helped by the fact
the game has to stop the finale briefly so he and Graydric can have
their final fight since he has nothing to do with the main plot at
this point. Unfortunately this acting in the service of introducing
conflict is not solely confined to villains as some of the main cast
will act completely nonsensically in order to create drama. The
character who suffers the most from these twists is Rurunia. She has a plot
twist late in the game which is designed to recontextualise her
actions but actually just makes her look stupid since her plan is so
contrived and relied on a lot of things going right for it to work.
This also leads to her wildly jumping around what role in the
narrative she occupies depending on what the plot needs from her at
that moment and is a symptom of the poor executed nature of the
finale. No other main cast member has it quite as bad as Rurunia, but
many do have moments of stupidity which feel similarly
detached from what would be reasonable for them.
Jumping Into The Action – Visual, Audio And Technical
It
should come as no surprise that the action scenes in a game focused
around big action set pieces are extremely well put together. There
is an extensive use of movement through all aspects of the visual
presentation in order to communicate a battle’s impact and position
of each participant. This is achieved through a clever use of cuts
between images, moving the camera around and a rapid swapping of
character sprites. Cutting between images is used as a means to show
the position of the currently speaking or acting character and often
changes mid sentence to match their continued momentum within the
fight. Meanwhile the camera is zooming and out while shifting around
to match what the protagonist is looking at or show how much they are
being knocked about. What draws all of this together is the wide
variety of character portraits Raillore has specifically for these
action scenes which show the cast in action poses perfect for using
in a lot of different contexts. The soundtrack does an excellent job
at selling the tension and energy needed for these scenes to work and
it immediately tells the player exactly what is about to go down.
Having a generally vibrate fantasy aesthetic to the visuals also
reinforces this energy and pushes the potentially lethal nature of
these conflicts as the magical powers shoot off in all directions.
3rdEye’s expertise really shines here and everything they have
learned from their previous titles has been refined into a smooth and
engaging dramatic clash.
 |
| It is very clear from one look what her outfit aims to present |
If
there is one aspect which brings the visuals down it is the game’s
failure to understand when it is appropriate to display its ‘sexy’
parts. In particular the shoving of panty shots into the face of the
player during actions scenes where they receive a face full of
underwear when they should be focused on the tension and danger of
the situation. These are sudden flashes rather than a prolonged
exposure but the damage they do to the intended feel of an action
scene cannot be overstated. It creates a weird whiplash between male
and female battles with the former being complete consistent in tone
while the later can feel like watching a strip tease. This leads into
how aggressively sexy some of the character’s outfits can be. The
majority are of the mild variety such as Fi and Tilt with the
customary chest hole which is silly look, but well within
what is expected of an eroge and it is easy to put aside. However,
there are character’s like Easla Eilain who the game treats like a
sex object at times. Her outfit barely constitutes clothing with
how much skin it shows and the impossible way it is held together. If
it where only this then it would barely be worth noting but what
makes this uncomfortable is the way everyone ogles her and her sexiness is a constant thought in Greydric’s mind over any
thoughts about her as a person. She does not use this attractiveness
as a weapon or even seem aware of it and it is only through a male
gaze that she is considered this way so making her a victim of it
rather than it empowering her. What makes this worse is the fact she
is a main character in Greydric’s story so is constantly on screen
and regularly subject to this treatment by the game and it is detracts
from her strong personal arc. Coupled with the previously mentioned
sudden erotic scenes, it is clear Raillore has no idea how to handle
its status as an eroge and flails around desperately trying to met
its obligations to the genre.
Conclusion
Creating
a compelling superpower action narrative in a visual novel is no
small feat and the creativity 3rdEye put into Raillore cannot be
overstated. The strong focus on a pair of protagonists allows for
emotional moments to naturally arise around which the combat can take
place and helps give it a greater punch. Clever use of movement and a
larger pool of character sprites provides a reliable sense of what is
happening on screen and where each character is in relation to one
another while also offering quite a spectacle. Surrounding each
protagonist are a cast of characters who’s struggles give context
to the conflicts and invest the player in the outcome so they are on
the edge of their seats at every clash of blades. This is not a game
without issues from its uncomfortable relationship with its sexual
content to the messy way characters serve the plot and these do drag
down the experience in a distracting manner. This brings us to the
elephant in the room, 3rdEye has released another game called Sorcery
Jokers which is extremely similar to Raillore in terms of the plot
structure, overall tone and content and it does not suffer from
the major problems of Raillore. While it does have issues of its own,
they are relatively minor compared to Raillore’s to the point at
which it would be a struggle to recommend Raillore when Sorcery
Jokers is just a better version of it. Raillore is more for a player
who has already finished Sorcery Jokers and wants more of the same
but does not mind the drop in quality.
Verdict –
Dynamic action is supported by a duel protagonist set up to
create a heart pumping and high stakes fantasy narrative. Yet its
many flaws and the existence of a better version of the experience in
Sorcery Jokers make it difficult to recommend.
Pros-
+
Engaging stories for each protagonist with strong arcs and an interesting world to back it up and justify their actions.
+
Lovable cast surrounding each protagonist who have their own stories
and reasons to grow and change.
+
Excellent action scenes which use a smart mix of movement and asset
positioning to great effect while being backed up by a suitably
dramatic soundtrack.
Cons-
-
The duel protagonist structure results in the narrative constantly
starting and stopping due to the disconnected nature of the two
character’s stories.
-
At the end of the first half there is a perfectly good ending point,
but the game just continues on despite all narrative momentum having
come to a stop.
-
Villains are weak and exist just to have something for the cast to
battle.
-
Cast serve the plot rather than themselves and perform all kinds of
nonsensical and contrived actions as a result.
-
Does not understand how to appropriately use its sexual element
leading to distracting panty shots in serious battles and jarring
erotic scenes starting out of nowhere.
Best Visual Novel Releases – January 2026
Now
we are well and truly into the new year, it is time to look to all the
new releases and see how the visual novel space has started the year.
This is month defined by passionate fans as much as official studios
with modern murder mysteries and romances existing alongside new
translations of DS and PS2 games from memorable series and
developers. Let’s dive in and find out what you should be playing
from the past month.
Official Releases
Ren'ai 0 Kilometer
This
one is an earlier title from ASa Project, the developer behind all the Ren'ai
titles, which originally came out in 2011 and has now received an
English release. As with all their games this is comedy first and
focus on the messy antics of family life with all the hilarious
situations it brings. It follows the protagonist who has been swapped from a
family with only sons into one with only daughters in a kind of
absurd child exchange. Naturally the inserting of man into an all
female environment is accompanied by the expected misunderstandings
between them and this is combined with the studio’s typical over the top style to
prevent it from coming across as too familiar. There is certain lack
of the polish when compared to the studio's later games in terms of its art
and the consistency of its vision, but these wrinkles help set it
apart from their other output. It makes for a well put together
comedy which should meet player’s expectations while giving them a
glimpse into how the developer’s identity has been shaped over the
years.
DUSK INDEX: GION
A
detective mystery spanning 100 years drives DUSK INDEX’s core
conflict when a murder in the present is found to heavily resemble an
unsolved one from the Meiji era. Through the use of a state of the art
AR system Katsuki Daiki and Quinn Rio recreate the past and set about
unravelling the threads connecting these deaths. The blurring of the
lines between this AR recreation and the present day is one of the
game’s most interesting additions to the murder mystery formula and
helps keep the player guessing about how exactly the two are
connected. The contrast between the culture of the two times also
makes for an amusing gateway into the changes which began in the
Meiji era. For those looking for a dose of that detective fantasy
this will be an excellent ride with enough unique spice to keep you
engaged until the credits roll.
Temirana: The Lucky Princess and the Tragic Knights
Nintendo Eshop VNDB Genre
– Otome, Fantasy, Political Intrigue Play Time – 60 hours
Leaning
heavily into the medieval fantasy setting, Temirana puts an emphasis
on the knights and royalty aspects of the setting and pushes the
ensuing drama to the forefront. It follows the ‘cursed’ princess
as she forms her band of knights from some less than likely
candidates and together they must face the machinations
surrounding them. This is a game very focused around its suitors and
understands how make the heroine occupy a place in their life which
fosters the pair’s mutual growth while serving up a good dose of
twists and turns. Each knight comes from a different part of the
social structure of the kingdom leading to a rounded sense of its
people and the politics which the heroine rubs up against. This
allows for a further distinguishing of the suitors from one another
as they pull the heroine into their world. Overall, this is an otome
with strong understanding of what makes the fantasy of a princess and
her knights so appealing.
Dark Auction
Mixing
3D adventure game mechanics with a story set in 1980’s Germany is
one way to make a game stand out. Noah Crawford finds himself trapped
in a castle with a motley group of other guests who all attended the
auction for items related to ‘Dictator X’ and must engage in this
strange event in order to escape. Each part of the auction revolves
around using memories to uncover the truth about the items and the
other participants in a high stakes environment. The distinctive
aesthetic and odd ball characters in this real world setting do a lot
of the heavy lifting when it comes to keeping the player engaged and the
resulting picture is one where cast drama and the plot beats come
together seamlessly. If you want something trying to break the mould
then you will have a good time with this period mystery.
Fan Translations
Mabino×Style
Patch Download VNDB Genre
- Dating/Raising Simulator, Fantasy
From
the strange and experimental era that is the PS2, this fan
translation brings a classic KID title to the English speaking
audience and it is certainly an odd one. It merges the twin
simulation mechanics of dating and raising into a tale about love at
a school for magic. Selecting which girl to train with, going on
dates with them and choosing the correct responses to their dialogue
is the bread and butter of how the player will get to know them.
Since this game came out in 2005 it has all the standard ecchi and
romcom troupes of its time and it makes
for an interesting time-capsule for all the good and bad aspect of
this era. This blast from the past is a well constructed and worth
your time if this style of simulation appeals to you.
The Series of Haruhi Suzumiya
Patch Download VNDB Genre
– Anime Spin off, Puzzle, Mini Games Play Time – 7 hours
It
has been quite a long time since the last Haruhi anime which should
indicate the age of this game and sure enough it is a DS title with
all the touch screen antics this entails. One day Kyon receives a
mysterious message about the seven school mysteries and Haruhi
immediately jumps on this as a reason to investigate them. Of course
the mysteries turn out to be more real than Haruhi knows so it is up
to the club members to deal with them while concealing the truth from
their ever curious leader. Mechanically there is a large puzzle
element where the player must remove a number of singularities within
a time limit and offers enough engagement to keep the player invested
in the cast’s struggles. Given its spin off nature, this is a game
for fans of the series and performs to their expectations, but it
will just fly over the head of everyone else.
Comedy For The Soul: Humour, Empathy And Pathos – An Anatomy Of Visual Novels
A Moment Of Happiness
When
a story chooses to include a joke or comedy situation it is done with
the aim of directing the watcher’s attention to a specific element and add
impact to it. Visual novels follow this convention and, outside of
dedicated comedy titles, use it as a means of highlighting characters
or cues for later pathos. The standard way this often
presents itself is as a pacing mechanism to create empathy through
the funny events or misunderstandings happening to the characters and
acts as a quick and easy way to build a connection. In games aiming
for a serious tone, comedy is valued for what it offers through
contrast and to sharpen the knife of sadness so driving it in can be all the more powerful. Of course these uses of humour are highly
reliant on the developer knowing when to correctly place them and
there is nothing which can do greater damage than a joke which breaks
the delicate tension of a scene. Let’s crack a smile and see what
these uses of comedy bring to visual novels.
Empathy Of Humour
Comedy
is a favourite method of visual novels for quickly creating a
connection between the player and the cast. Games focused on
other elements for their core themes and tone have comedy as a
short lived means of blending empathy and pacing. Its levity adds a
means of humanising the strong and dramatic emotions portrayed
elsewhere and showcase the cast as existing beyond the story’s
twists and turns. Making mistakes is part of being human and lending
into this fallibility within a harmless context gives a character a
feeling of life without undermining them by presenting an unwanted
harmful weakness. Looking at Ever 17 can help define what this use of
humour actually looks like to the player. Fundamentally its story is
a serious one about a group of people trapped underwater with the
spectre of death hanging over them, but the game understands this
tone on its own is not conducive to establishing and building nuanced
and likeable characters. As such it regularly breaks up the building
of mystery and drama with moments of comedy. These are of various
lengths depending on the space available and offers some small piece
of characterisation for those involved. The eclectic nature of the
cast’s identities in terms of age, personality and even their
status as human assists in creating a diversity to these situations
to prevent them from becoming stale and losing the player’s
interest, thus reinforcing the empathy which is key to their success.
It is important to note the gradual phasing out of these comedy
sections over the course of the narrative to match the shift into the
climax where such humour would clash with the stakes.
 |
| Humour can make you feel for something which is not human |
There is a risk
when using this type of fast humour for the laughter to be directed
at the characters rather than the situation resulting in distance from them being created. If the jokes are at the cast’s expense then
it can be off putting since it comes across as the game hitting them
with a big stick and asking the player to laugh. This may not be the
title’s intent, but the result is a feeling of not wanting to
emotionally invest in characters which the game itself does not seem
to care about. For these games the jokes are less important then
their impact and as such there is a tendency to lean into cliché for
efficiency both in terms of how much time has to dedicate to it and
the way it can be expected to be understood by the player. This is not
necessarily a negative inside a visual novel which has leaned into
genre clichés more broadly since it meets the player’s
expectations and it can smooth out rough edges. Of course written large here is the risk of boring
the player with scenarios or jokes they have heard or experienced
countless times before. This boredom is going to cause them to tune
out the events on screen and miss the attempts to build
empathy.
We Laugh So We Can Cry
Division
and contrast can be formed through how comedy is placed within
relation to serious narrative elements. The common way visual novels
like to use this trait is by splitting the story into two sections, a
humour filled light opening which then transitions into the conflict
driven march towards the climax. Providing such a clear divide
invites to player to compare the two extremes of emotion and so
heighten the impact of each side through this contrast. It also
establishes a state the characters can desire go back to and this can
form their core motivation, directly or indirectly shown in their
actions, while synchronising their intent with the player’s own
fond memories of those times. Such an obvious shift can run the risk
of feeling artificial if done to abruptly and relies of on an almost
insidious transition that seeps the serious elements in until they
overcome the cast’s happiness. When skilfully executed this
approach can be flexibly included in a variety of genres with the
only caveat being the need for a heavy character focus. This
requirement is due to contrast being related to the treatment of the
cast by the story and as such the more time it spends on them the
greater the eventual change will be.
 |
| Key understand how to use comedy as a means to drive the emotional knife in |
Let us compare a couple of
prominent examples to see their common set up and execution despite being from different genres. These two are Clannad, a slice of life and
romance, and Steins;Gate, a sci-fi thriller. Perhaps the first thing
the player will notice when booting up these games is the way they
lean heavily into comedy in their opening hours centred around each
member of the cast in turn and then in various groups so as to create
both a base emotional framework for them as individuals and their
relationships to one another. Here the exact execution of the tone
surrounding the comedy showcases the differences in genre with
Clannad being far more sentimental and introspective while
Steins;Gate is slowly turning up danger with its time travel. They
both spend a long time in this initial comedy infused stage where
very little plot movement is actually happening and instead the games
are reliant on the antics of their cast to keep the player amused. It
is notable that Steins;Gate has received criticism for how long it
spends in this space before the action ramps up which does highlight
how much of a delicate balancing act its inclusion can be and the way
it can cause of loss of interest over the long term. Eventually the
good times have to end and this pair have different ways of going
about achieving the switch. For Clannad the process is slow and involves
a narrowing of the focus onto a single heroine and then landing a gut
punch to seal the deal. On the other hand Steins;Gate’s cut off is
far more immediate and dramatic as the jokes end with a sudden and
unforgiving dose of reality for the cast. These fit the genres each
title belongs to and makes sure the contrast created serves the
greater narrative while keeping the early sections in the player’s
mind. Deep inside the serious sections both of these games sometimes
invoke what has been lost from the happier times of the comedy
and morns them while inviting the player to do the same in order to
create a release of emotion or a build up for the eventual return of those smiles.
Knowing When To Crack A Joke
The
death of tension is at the pointy end of a joke. Inserting comedy in
the wrong moment can ruin the tone a story has been trying so hard to
build up. Keeping it to appropriate moments might seem like an easy
task but knowing when to hold back can be difficult if a visual
novel is on the lighter end of the spectrum. This is caused by the
blending of smaller jokes and situations into the narrative not being
smooth enough or mistimed and the player can interpreted these in a
way the developer never intended. Should the developer just be sloppy
with their implementation of comedy then the results will be even
more damaging due to inconsistent tones making for a constant feeling
of whiplash against what would be expected from the story. The
presence of humour has to undergo a process of careful consideration
when implemented where the surrounding material is looked at to see
how compatible it is with the intended humour or situation. Being too
surgical can cause a separate problem of giving the pacing an
artificial feeling so a natural flow has to be given precedence here.
 |
| Raillore's jokes mostly keep to their lane but sometimes they put their foot in their mouth |
Finding the perfect balance is a challenging task so it is
unsurprising to see the occasional hiccup every now and then
especially when characters make jokes as a means of coping or hiding
their feelings where it becomes easier for this mistake to seep in. This can be seen in The Pillagers of Raillore with Graydric and his
surrounding cast members. In order to contrast him against the other
protagonist, the ever serious Reno, the game has him present a front
of jokes and a lack of self seriousness and his companions all
broadly follow this lighter style of interaction. This works well for
its intended purpose but when it runs alongside the moments where the
cast are in genuine danger an issue forms. Here the game often continues to make
jokes or place the characters in silly situations even when it should
be selling the stakes of the battle. Part of how it manifests stems for the title’s status as an eroge and the use of ecchi
humour around Graydric’s interactions with woman which is often the
way it oversteps its role. This clash is not a consistent problem so
it is clear the developers had some understanding of the issue and it
is instead an accident brought about through an underestimating of
the damage this comedy can do.
Conclusion
Knowing
how and when to use bits of comedy allows visual novels to gain a
means of expressing humanity and pathos while not contradicting its
main identity. Levity is something humans engage with as a means of
social expression and so we naturally latch onto it which makes it
easier to have a player form a bond and allows for better pacing.
This humour must not overstep its bounds or the result is a messy
presentation where the player is confused by the mixed messages and
taken out of the experience. Through creating a clear divide between
the earlier comedy sections and the later serious ones a title can
contrast them to remind the player of the good times and morn what
has been lost. Jokes are far from a blunt instrument and you should
carefully consider their use in your own projects to gain these
benefits without harming the story you want to tell.
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.
 |
| 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.
 |
| 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.
 |
| 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.
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