The World Well: Blood of Caro Review – Blood Is Thinner Than Water
Genre – Science Fantasy, Dystopia, Yuri Play Time – 20 hours Developer – Basi Ningmeng Zhizuozu Steam VNDB
The Future Haunts The Past
Being
born a Caro has always been a curse for 4. An offspring of a human
and vampire, she, like many of her kind, was sold off as a child by
her human parent to be livestock for vampires. She was freed from
this life by the only person to show her love just for them to be
murdered pushing 4 onto the path of revenge. By a twist of fate she
ends up pulling the mechanical torso of a girl named Noma from the
wreckage of strange crash site. Noma claims to be for the future and
enlists 4’s help to change the past and avoid a catastrophe. Now 4
find herself caught between her hatred of the world which has taken
everything from her and the strange Noma who stimulates emotions in
her which she had forgotten she could feel. The slowly growing
bond between 4 and Noma is easily the greatest achievement of the
narrative with them acting as each other’s emotional support while
also hiding certain information from the other as they try to fool
themselves as much as their other half. This is underpinned by some
compelling world building and a strong set of themes and ideas which
comment on human nature alongside the problems plaguing the present
day. Acting all this out is a cast of well realised characters who
form the backbone supporting the main pair as well as the antagonists
out to undermine them and all this creates some tense encounters. Its visual
design bring the world to life with a cinematic flare which injects
life into the barren ruins and deserts 4 and Noma travel through.
However, this is not a game without issues, from its overuse of
flashbacks to events so dark and miserable they come around to being
comedy. Are these systemic problems enough to collapse the emotional
catharsis of this magical journey? Let’s drink some blood and find
out.
It’s Only Human Nature – Narrative and Themes
The
ups and downs of 4 and Noma’s relationship is the main
emotional through line of Blood of Caro and it is deftly weaved into
ongoing events in a way which solidifies its identity without
distracting from the moment to moment drama. Watching the pair
stubble in their interactions with one another as 4’s pragmatism
and Noma’s idealism clash which causes their respective
weaknesses bubbles up. All the while they are constantly trying to bridge the gap between
them. Their bond is also the greatest point of catharsis in the game since
when they overcome a hurdle their relationship the player cannot help
but cheer for them. All this ensures there is a consistent thematic
core of loss and guilt which the bigger events can rely on to
add stakes to their dangerous situations. This is backed up by a
superb ability to constantly and believably have the main characters
on the back foot in order to ensure tension is felt in every life or
death moment. Despite the future tech Noma can bring to bear, her
weakened state and its high power consumption mean she can easily be
overpowered by numbers, fire power or another less damaged time
traveller. The big factions of this world repeatedly prove to be far
more than the group can handle leading to a lot of running and hiding
as they desperately inch their way towards their goal. It results in
battles where the protagonists are just powerful enough to make it
a back and forth but not so strong as to be able to avoid any danger.
These highs and lows of emotion help give life to the extensive world building which is perfectly constructed to be
both oppressive and thought provoking in equal measure. A lot of
consideration has gone into how the social and physical aspects of
the world interlock to create its political landscape. This is everything
from a section of land in near permanent shadow being the heartlands
of the vampires to a strip of land between two empires carving out
its independence through playing both sides. It gives Blood of Caro a
feeling of life and being grounded in a reasonable reality which many
similar fantasy worlds lack and it helps invest the player in the
outcomes which threaten to tear it apart. All of this construction is
in service of making an environment capable to delivering some
carefully crafted criticisms of our own world and of human nature. It
acts out scenarios similar to ones which have played out in the
player’s own lifetime and forces a reflection on what this tells
them about the people involved and their motives. This is
extrapolated out from the terrible things personally witnessed by the
cast all the way to the broader ideological and philosophical ideas
underpinning how the human world works. Even its villains engage with
this dance as they win not through overwhelming power but by playing
humanity’s own nature against it. The overall messaging invites the
player to reflect on their own life and how they might be complicit
in the suffering of someone like 4 and asks who is really responsible
here.
 |
| After a shaky start these two become inseparable |
As you might have gathered from the outline of the plot, this is a fair dark game which is not afraid to confront some truly terrible things. However, this is a double edged sword which it can sometimes cut itself on. There are multiple instance where terrible things happen back to back in such a short period of time that they come across as the universe using the characters as a punching bag. What this results in is making these sections accidentally funny since it moves over the line into be absurd almost to the of parody which hurts the tone that the game so desperately wants to invest the player in. Then there is the overuse of backstories and flashbacks which often grind the pacing to a halt as they extensively explain the past. This get absurd at some points with the an late game antagonist spending a good half of the finale just explaining their backstory through the longest flashback in the game. While this example is forgivable due to how important this information is to the main cast, it is part of a broader problem which constantly rears it head to take the player out of the present day they are actually interested in. Despite the high quality of the world building, it can sometimes tip over into useless information and further exasperate the pacing issues. These are things like events happening in the broader world which ultimately do not meaningfully impact the main cast or just minor nuggets of lore which would have been better left for a codex to explain. To top it all off, there is the strange choice to have the a major villain just sort of get away and vanish from relevancy. In the context of the finale this makes emotional sense since 4 and Noma have another antagonist who hits much closer to home as their final confrontation, but it still feels a little strange for such a terrible person to just receive no comeuppance. Leaving it hanging off the end of the story just leaves a weird taste in the mouth even if the ending is still satisfying overall.
Missing Limbs And Deep Scars – Characters
Even when separated from each other 4 and Noma make for compelling characters in their own right. 4 wildly swings between guarded cynicism to desperate vulnerability to gentle caring sometimes within the same scene. It is clear from the moment the game starts that she is just a house of cards waiting for a mild breeze to cause her to crumple. When she does it is spectacular collapse which plays wonderfully into the gradual process of rebuilding her identity at the core of the second half’s emotional journey. Noma is a similar mess of feelings but hers centre around the weight of her guilt. The upbeat and idealistic personality she presents to the rest of the cast is a fragile mask which she wears to convince herself, as much as them, of her own righteousness. Her arc is one of being able to forgive herself for the past and find something in her present worth living for. Accompanying this pair of protagonists are an entertaining selection of secondary characters, such as the horny lesbian Bani, who all work to contrast the main pair and showcase the flaws in their view of the world while also helping them grow. Each is given the screen time necessary to be likeable and have their own stories within the greater narrative yet only a few stick around for the long term keeping the overall cast fresh.
 |
| Bani really should know better than to jump on anything female shaped... |
Further reinforcing the quality of the cast are the villains who swing between being monstrous and compelling as they clash against the heroes. Their actions remain framed at all times through the lens of their ideals which are shown time and time again to hold more truth than the cast is comfortable admitting. However, there is never any doubt as to their terrible nature what is instead asked is if they are a product of or the cause of the many issues plague this world. The only real problem with the cast come not in the form of any single member but rather in the absence of one. There is no major ‘good’ vampire character. A few vampires are presented sympathetically, but these are minor faceless characters on screen for no more than a few minutes at most. This leaves the majority of the vampire characters as unquestionably evil psychos and by extension presents the whole race as such. It seems like a missed opportunity to have a more well rounded impression of the vampire race, especially as a means of challenging 4’s world view, and it feels odd given how varied and interesting the human and Caro cast ended up being.
Wastelands Of Our Own Making – Visual, Audio and Technical
At
every opportunity Blood of Caro pushes aspects of ‘cinematic’
presentation and merges them into the deserts, medieval towns and
high-tech cities which occupy its visual space. These ‘cinematic’
elements include the regular use of intersected video, a love of
black bars and CGs focused around dynamic and exciting shot
composition. Each one provides a layer of unique identity to the game
with it invoking the style of movies to help frame its narrative in a
suitably grand scale while also keeping the personal and intimate
nature of visual novel for the key emotional moments. Visually it mixes the dirty and dusty world of
the continent with the techno-fantasy presentation of its magic and
science to sharply present the divide between them. Yet they never
appear so far apart from one another as to be from different worlds
since a lot of the visual styles of each overlap to make it clear
they belong side by side. All of this is done in the service of
subtly pushing the game’s core theming into every single scene. There are also a few fun extras like being able to change Noma’s
outfit which is amusing touch given she is a hologram for most of the
game and has a somewhat flexible appearance as a result.
 |
| Its strong visual style and presentation comes at key moment |
When it
comes to the choices presented to the player there is an unevenness
to their presence throughout the narrative. At the beginning they are
a regular feature with meaningful differences in events depending on
what the player chooses, but they become increasingly sparse at about
the halfway mark before petering out entirely until a final
choice at then end. This makes the game feel very front loaded with
player expression and creates the sense that the later half is more
of a railroaded experience where the player is forced to be passive.
It allows for a weird unnecessary friction to seep into the player’s
engagement with the game which could have been avoided if it had a
consistent pacing of choices.
Conclusion
Human
nature and its consequences define much of how Blood Of Caro presents
its world and crafts the journey of its characters as they struggle
against what seems like an insurmountable challenge. As 4 and Noma’s
relationship slowly grows there are layers of commentary made about
this complex and imaginative world where danger is around every
corner. The overall cast bring different and entertaining view points
to enrich its thematic patchwork, from sympathetic allies to
terrifying villains, with each coming and going from the story in a
natural manner. Underpinning this is a ‘cinematic’ visual style
which invokes elements of film in the dusty ruins and the mixes medieval fantasy with steampunk science. It is not a title without
issues with an overuse of flashbacks and pushing its dark tone to the
point of accidental comedy and these do dampen the experience at
times. However, when you walk away from Blood of Caro these problems
will seem so minor in comparison to the compelling and thoughtful
journey which outshines all these stains.
Verdict –
Blood, revenge and fragile humanity define a thought provoking
and evocative tale of two girls as they struggle with their
hopes and sins. Although it does stumble at times in its love of
flashbacks and being so overly bleak as to be funny.
Pros -
+
4 and Noma’s relationship is a joy to watch unfold as their pair
become entangled in each other’s complex web of feelings.
+ A well realised world which defines the cast as much as they define it
and is a memorable place to journey through.
+
Has a complex and thoughtful commentary on human nature weaved into a
tapestry of tense action and fragile hope.
+
A cast of lively characters who clash and cooperate in believable and
entraining ways.
+
Mixing cinematic presentation with distinctive visuals results in a
feast for the eyes.
Cons -
-
Can be so dark at time that it accidental becomes a parody of itself.
-
Massively overuses flashbacks and often kills its own excellent
pacing.
Best Visual Novel Releases – October 2026
Now
the spooky time of the year has finally gone, we can leave the corners we were cowering in and return to the light of day where a wonderful
selection of visual novels are waiting for us. It has been a month
filled with a wave of interesting and inventive titles attempting to
push the medium forwards or recapturing a neglected sub-genre.
Everything from vampiric detective mysteries to photographic crime
thrillers have come home to roost and offer a little something for
all kinds of players. Let’s dive in and find out what you should be
playing from October’s releases.
Official Releases
LaurEli & The Blood Dipped Manor
Left
wheelchair bound after an accident, private detective Laura Le Fanu
goes to visit her uncle’s estate to recuperate but she gets more
than she bargained for in the form of the teasing butler Eli and the
sudden appearance of a “vampire” serial killer. The isolated
estate is the setting for a murder mystery where the player must
gather clues, interrogate witnesses and discover the truth about what
is really going on here. By far the biggest star of the show comes in
the form of Laura and Eli’s relationship which slowly evolves over
the game as they exchange witty banter and becomes the emotional
heart of the narrative. A solidly put together detective title with a
suite of likeable characters which will appeal to fans of the genre
and keep them engaged for its entire duration.
Meiji Tokyo Renka Twilight Kiss
Continuing
off from Meiji Tokyo Renka Full Moon, Twilight Kiss continues the
originals blend of reimagined historical figures and a strange
fantasy setting. Split between the various suitors from the first
game, the heroine finds themselves getting swept up in new incidents
which test her new found love in a variety of entertaining ways. It treads the line between fandisc style expansions of established dynamics
while also adding its own wrinkles to the world so it can stand out
in its own right. One firmly aimed at existing fans which assumes
affection for and knowledge of these characters with no effort being
made to re-establish its core ideas. However, the result is an
undeniably fun romance story that leverages its imagination to craft
some unforgettable moments.
Exhibition of the Heart
Since
this is already a Review on this title here on the blog, I
won’t spend too much time talking about it. This is entertaining
yuri story which uses it exhibitionism premise to explore the
insecurities and desires surrounding how we present ourselves. At its
core is a fear of being judged and this creates some powerful
emotional moments while hitting close to home due to its extremely
grounded setting. Overall, it makes for a short and sweet game with
enough heart to keep you entertained across its playtime.
AKIBA LOST
This
title is a mixture of FMV and visual novel in the same vein as 428:
Shibuya Scramble and seems to continue the legacy of this classic but
underserved niche. At its core it is a choice based story with lots
of different outcomes which reveal more about the overarching mystery
and leans into the idea of explore the narrative space rather than
simply heading straight to the end. One of the ways it encourages
this is through its multiple protagonists and swapping between them to get new
angles on the cast and events. The Akiba Vanishing and its present
day revival are a great pair of mysteries which both feed into each
other while also wonderfully misleading the player into assumptions
of their own making so allowing the big reveals of hit with the
necessary punch. If you are looking for something a little unusual in
the visual novel space then AKIBA LOST will provide a memorable
experience.
Sign: Broken Kether
A
fish out of water style game where a witch for another world named
Cygnus ends up in ours and meets Lyra, a typical high-school girl,
leading to a heart-warming relationship building between them. It
really lives and dies on how much the player likes this pair and
their banter since it is front and centre for the majority of the
play time. Fortunately their vastly differing perspectives on life
means the two clash and compliment each other in such a way that keeps
their bond feeling fresh throughout their journey together. Couple
this with some bright and colourful visuals and the result is a game
which firmly plants its flag, understands what it wants to be and
delivers it to the player in an uncompromised fashion. If this sounds
like something which would be up your alley then it will not
disappoint.
Exhibition Of The Heart Review – The Things We Do For Love
Genre – Yuri, Nukige Play Time – 3.5 hours Developer – Yuri Eureka Steam(18+) VNDB
Note – I received a review copy from the developer. Just a heads up.
Oops My Crush Is A Weirdo
Reconnecting
with your secret high-school crush is difficult at the best of times, but finding out they are a shameless exhibitionist makes it even more
awkward. This is a fact which Alice finds out first hand after
discovering Sylvia, the girl she idolised, deep in the forest and as
bare as the day they were born. Determined to finally confess to
Sylvia, Alice decides to get involved in Sylvia’s antics and the
pair begin their increasingly daring activities. It is in this
frantic attempt by Alice to get Sylvia to look at her where
Exhibition Of The Heart shines as the pair dance around their
feelings in their own little masquerade. Comedy underpins everything
and creates a light tone which compliments the likeable main
characters while allowing them the space to express themselves. The
warm and round visuals supplement this cosy story by enveloping the
player in a blanket of fantasy. Yet the narrative is capable of
creating some impactful moments when needed to help sell the
believable escalation in the pair’s relationship. Alice’s
insecurities become a constant companion throughout the experience
and being in her head offers an engaging contradiction between her
thoughts and how she acts around others. However, it is not without
its issues with some rough edges in the visual department which can
draw the player out of the moment. Are these imperfections enough to
ruin this tale of yuri escapades? Let’s take everything off and
find out.
Baring All To You – Narrative and Themes
The
many antics the main pair get up to over the course of their
exploration of exhibitionism are the star of the show. Each one
getting increasingly daring while playing into the humorous tone to
create some delightfully entertaining moments. Their primary
narrative purpose is to showcase the pair’s current relationship
through the way they clearly trust one another enough to get carried
away in their activities but at the same time lack the confidence to
truly be open about their feelings. A wonderful irony
exists throughout the early sections where they are baring everything
about their bodies yet both are lying to the other out of fear of
baring their hearts. These combine to keep the light-hearted banter
entertaining as the emotional vortex called Alice struggles to pull
herself together long enough to confess. Each of these events slowly build
up the overly idealised vision of Sylvia found in Alice’s head
while doing a good job of convincing the player that this is the
truth despite how absurd the initial fantasy seems.
 |
| Maybe that isn't the best idea... |
Of course any
delusion like this is doomed to shatter on contact with reality and when this happens it is quite a spectacular and emotional punch which puts everything
they have done together into a new light. The climax to the story
knows how to up the stakes without entirely doing away with the game's tone and making it feel like everything is coming full circle. It
offers a surprisingly grounded problem for the pair to overcome where
the future they must face is murky and uncertain with the only light
forwards being their mutual love. It nicely reflects back on the
ideas of lying to others to make yourself look better by showing that
baring yourself in both body and heart can result in a more
meaningful relationship with another person than merely trying to impress them. While its
core messaging might be fairly simple it is delivered in a suitable
human package and placed into the context of our everyday lives giving
it the impact it needs to stay with the player.
Concealed Love – Characters
Alice
is front and centre of the narrative from the moment it starts and acts as a
lively protagonist with a memorable internal landscape. Often
indulging in flights of fantasy, she is perfect mix of impulsive and
insecure where what she wants clashes against her own self doubt to
create a debate as she desperately frets over what to
do in any given situations. Her monologues are some of the strongest
sources of humour in the game and set up her as a likeable character
even if she is not the smartest tool in the shed. This colourful
personality also works to shape the player’s impressions of both
her place in the world and of Sylvia whom she puts on a pedestal.
This innocent crush prevents her from properly seeing Sylvia which
leads to both the main conflict and also a lot of small moments of
levity.
 |
| Opening with Alice's diary really makes it clear who the protagonist is |
Sylvia forms the other half of this romantic pairing
while being the straight man to Alice’s internal struggles. She
initially comes across as aloof and uncaring about what other people
think even after Alice catches her engaging in exhibitionism in the
woods. Yet she does care what Alice thinks about her and seems
at least in part aware of how Alice views her which she often plays
into. Initially it is her deciding on the increasingly wild things
they are going to do together making her appear to be the dominate
member of the pairing but over time the two shift around as they
begin to properly truth each other after their time apart. The slow
rebuilding of their dynamic into something new is the main focus of the character side of the narrative and it does a
good job of keeping things fresh as the pair test their boundaries.
All of this set up and strong characterisation is key to making the
big conflict at the climax have impact. It provides a suitable test
for everything the pair have built between them and plays off their personalities to reveal their hidden sides. Everyone beyond the main
pairing is just set dressing for their journey and are mostly
disembodied voices or silhouette people to drive this home.
Flesh And A Stiff Breeze – Visual, Audio and Technical
By
far the greatest point of improvement over Yuri Eureka’s previous
title are the visuals which help craft a soft and cosy atmosphere. Bright pastel colours seep into every aspects
of its aesthetic identity from the day time streets to the dark
forests with all of them lit up in their gentle hues. Accompanying
this is a broad use of curves across the visual design. The two
protagonists are noticeably round, soft and lacking in harsh edges
which lends them a feeling of being delicate and gentle. Everything
which can be rounded has found itself curved in some fashion and the
remaining harsh angles are alleviated by the aforementioned bright
colouring. These all come together to reinforce the warm and light
feeling the game is aiming for. The main pair have a good variety of
poses and clothing for their sprites to properly communicate the
daring activities they are engaging in. It also serves to make them
visually dynamic which is important give how much they are on screen
and makes it fun to see what their sprites will do next. A nice
inclusion is the sprite viewer and scene maker which unlocks upon
completing the game and it offers a great toy to mess around with to
create your own little moments.
 |
| The best and worst all in one shot |
However, despite all the improvements
to the visuals, it is also here where Exhibition Of The Heart’s
biggest issues emerge. The first of these are the many small visual
oddities which can be found throughout the game. These are mostly
things like minor incorrect proportions for some objects of parts of
people in CGs and a general rigidity to some character posing.
Nothing which ruins the moment but it is something the player will
notice over the course of the game. The second and bigger offender is
the character sprite of Samantha which looks off compared to the two
protagonists. She is a microcosm of all the broader visuals
inconsistencies throughout the game, slightly off body proportions
and a choice of pose which comes across as painful and unnatural.
Combine this with her only having only one expression and pose and
the result is a character who comes across more like an alien
pretending to be human than a believable person. Fortunately she is
only in the game for a couple of scenes so she does not really ruin
the experience, but it is distracting when she does appear.
Conclusion
Playing
around with the idea of exposing oneself, both figuratively and
literally, is one of Exhibition Of The Heart’s greatest strengths
and it has a lot of fun taking this concept to its extremes. It
creates a powerful irony in the main pair’s exhibitionism as they
conceal their hearts from each other and this leads to a wonderfully
impactful final conflict over their love. The pairing of Alice and
Sylvia results in a back and forth between Alice’s internal
delusions and Sylvia’s aloof responses which creates a fun dynamic
throughout the entire game. Visually and technically this a set up
from the studio's previous game and crafts a warm and gentle
atmosphere through its bright colours and constant curves. However,
it is also in the visuals where the biggest issues lie stemming from
inconsistencies and other minor problems. Thankfully they are
infrequent enough to not ruin the experience and ultimately only dent
what is a wild and entertaining yuri ride.
Verdict –
Wild antics and entertainingly dynamic characters bring to life a
vivid story of love and the fear of being judged. It has some rough
visual edges at times but nothing which ruins the experience.
Pros -
+
Leverages the exhibitionism to craft a tale of the contradiction
between what we show people and who we really are leading to a powerfully
emotional finale.
+
Alice and Sylvia are an absolute joy together and their interactions
lie at the heart of the game’s appeal.
+
Strong visual direction and a number of fun post game extras make for
memorable atmosphere.
Cons -
-
Minor visual inconsistencies in terms of proportions, awkward posing
and other such elements do distract at times.
Quizzes – Uncovering The Hybrid
Answering The Pressing Questions
An
often overlook yet extremely common mechanic in games is the Quiz
with its simple multiple choice questions demanding the player rack
their brains. The tendency visual novels to focus their entire structure and identity around presenting various options means
Quizzes have often found themselves a home as part of their overall
means of engagement. Rather than being an outlet for trivia, which a
Quiz game might be on its own, it is instead repurposed to push
in-universe ideas and concepts through a familiar lens. This can be
as simple as being a tool to make sure the player has been paying
attention and knocking them awake. More often than not it is utilised
as a means of simulating the process of deduction in many mystery or
detective games which can exist alongside or in replacement for other
mechanics pushing the same idea. They can also create a form of tension when the visual novel suddenly asks something designed to
unsettle the player or require them to be answer in a short window if they
want to survive. Let’s get ready to press that buzzer and find out
how this pairing works in practice.
Poking The Player
In
its most basic form a Quiz serves the function of checking the player
has been paying attention and tests them on facts about what they
have witnessed. It acts as a shock to the system to signal the player
should be paying closer attention if they do not want the game to
hand out a failing grade. Despite this being a basic
motivator it can be surprisingly effective since nobody likes to feel
like they are dumb and the everyone wants to believe they are smart
which is what a Quiz inherently feeds its mechanics on. This carrot
and stick approach is tame enough to not make the player feel as if
they must have a perfect score but it is has enough teeth so that
they are likely to have a greater awareness of the narrative going
forwards. Such Quizzes tend to be infrequent in nature due to how
they completely break up the flow of events and are mostly
concentrated at the end of distinct sections of the story where they
occupy a nature pause in momentum.
XBLAZE LOST:MEMORIES is the poster
child for this kind of Quiz in visual novels. At regular intervals it
takes the player into a space separate from the narrative where it
has its cast act out of character and it has the protagonist be part of a quiz
show about the story events they have just witnessed. This exists so
the game can ensure the player is keeping up with its increasingly
complex plot points and concepts by repeating them and highlighting
which ones are important through their questions. A similar concern
about the player’s understanding of complex narrative beats can be
seen in Schrödinger's Call where Mary will stop after every call and
quiz the player in the form of an internal monologue about what they
just witnessed. What these two games showcase is how the Quiz can
break down ideas and events into more manageable chunks to keep it
from becoming overwhelming. However, it also risks appearing to
patronise the player by treating them with a sense that they lack the
intelligence to follow these narratives without assistance which can
accidentally antagonise them.
 |
| Language lessons made fun! |
A way to mitigate this is to frame it
as being related to what the protagonist is learning alongside the
player as is done in The Expression Amrilato. It regularly asks the
player to apply the bits of Esperanto they have learned to help
Takatoo Rin on her journey of communication. Focusing on a positive
and productive aspect of Rin’s story allows the game to add some
weight to the Quizzes through a gradual escalation in what they are
asking both parties to achieve. Esperanto is not a commonly taught
language so the player is likely to be learning it through the game
for the first time and this lets the game side step the issue of
patronising the player since all this will be new to them. All three
titles here present their Quiz elements in a simple fashion which
sits somewhat to the side of the rest of the visual novel where
success or failure is ultimately not the point of their existence and
so treats it in the same detached manner.
Stand-In For Deduction
When
taking a Quiz you are being tested on your knowledge and ability to
recall details about information from past experiences. By extension
any kind of deduction starts with a series of questions to establish
the when, where, who, what and why of a situation which nicely covers
the requirements of a Quiz. This means it is easy to overlap
answering questions and the process of logical reasoning leading the
Quiz to be a common means of systematising a detective’s path to
catching a criminal or uncovering a mystery. Rather than presenting
it as a series of questions, this style of Quiz is mingled into the
character’s internal dialogue to frame it as them breaking down a
problem into solvable chunks. It also serves the purpose of making
the player feel clever since they are the ones who are answering the
questions which even the detective is struggling with so allowing
them a feeling of being intellectually superior. Their simple structure gives this kind of Quiz the ability to fit into any space
where the illusion of deduction is needed without having to dedicate
time to implementing more complex mechanics which may not be
appropriate for the kind of story being told.
Since this is so
flexible and often makes up a small part of the overall mechanical
landscape, it is best to cover a broad spread of examples in a simple
fashion to best demonstrate this trend. Let’s start with the two
most obvious visual novels employing this kind of Quiz, Danganronpa
and Phoenix Wright and compare their similar implementations. Both
include Quiz elements intermittently as part of a series of mechanics
which symbolise the process of deduction. They are mostly applied
to questions with obvious answers or those with big dramatic effects
which the player needs to witness immediately rather after a separate
play area has finished. They use the Quizzes during their respective
‘trial’ sections and this leads them to being a means of pushing
forwards to the truth giving the sequence a sense of momentum when
needed to keep the player engaged.
 |
| Fire, it is always fire. |
In some games the Quiz can end up
merged with other gameplay mechanics and it does in Yurukill: The
Calumniation Games. Here the Quiz takes place in and around the main
mechanic of being a top down shooter where the player is asked to answer
questions using the top down flight to go into the answer they want.
Seamlessly integrating it like this allows the game to maintain its
core focus and identity rather then bringing everything to a halt to
present its options and creates a greater sense of flow as a result.
Of course making the Quiz stand out is also an option and one which
FLOWERS -Le volume sur été- embraces to sell the stages of
deduction. It uses them to very directly signal significant jumps in
logic presented through the overall lining of flowers to keep it from
feeling too beyond the rest of the content. Being so direct gives
FLOWERS the ability to provide the feeling of intellectual catharsis and cleanly reward the player for their keen attention
with a pat on the back.
Asking For Tension
When
a person is suddenly asked a question they were not expecting there
is a moment of panic before their brain pulls up the answer and
capitalising on this through a Quiz can add extra drama to a scene.
In order to make this possible the choices are often accompanied by a
timer ticking down to create a sense of pressure to forceable induce
the desired anxiety and maybe even have the player commit to a
mistake. Picking the wrong option can often result in the death of
the characters in order to give the player’s actions and panic a
sense of weight and consequence. However, there is no doubt this is a
cheap trick to pull and risks annoying the player since they will
feel they were not given a fair chance to pick correctly. As such
this kind of Quiz is rarely used and is only really found in horror
titles where the pacing and demand for tension allow it to nicely
slot into a wider suite of mechanics. Even here it has to tread
carefully or fear can give way to frustration at the inability to
progress due to an artificial barrier and this is mitigated through
providing the information needed to solve it almost immediately
beforehand. After all the point is to create tension not to actually
test the player’s ability to recall past details so avoiding
anything too mentally taxing in this stressful situation prevents
unnecessary friction.
 |
| Even the spirit fights like to use little bits of Quizzes |
A title which demonstrates the both the
strengths and issues of this use of Quizzes is Death Mark. It
regularly picks at the player’s brain under a tense and time
constrained pressure where the monster of the day is breathing down
their neck. Sometimes failure in these results in an instant game
over while in others the negative effects are delayed in order to
keep the player on their toes and prevent them for growing
comfortable. For the most part the game
carefully chooses information for its Quizzes from recent areas so it
is easy to recall and allows the feeling of tension to not boil over
into anger. However, for some later sections it assumes culturally
specific knowledge not present in the game itself and asks the player
to answer its questions based on it. To
its original Japanese audience this would have been a reasonable
expectation but when transferred into another culture all of this is
lost and the only thing left is confusion and a bad taste in the
mouth. Future games in the series make sure to never repeat this
mistake and it shows just how aware the developers are of the fine
line they were treading in Death Mark leading to chances being made
to avoid overstepping again.
Conclusion
Twenty
questions might not a first glance seem to be something compatible
with visual novels yet their common choice based nature opens them up
to a flexible overlapping. Their main purpose is to act as a
mechanical way to stimulate the player without having to go into more
complex systems and they help break up any feels of monotony. Add some
timers and a death if the player does not get the answer right and
the Quiz can create tension during the scramble to recall the correct
information. It can also be an intellectual stand-in when dealing with deduction where the player gets to feel smart and puts themselves into the
head space of a detective. Overall it is an extremely adaptable
style of gameplay which every developer should consider using if they
want a small addition to the standard choice based structure of their
visual novel.
War – Genre Deep Dive
Conflict’s Final Form
Human
history has been shaped by war and so there is not a storytelling
medium on the planet which it has not found in and naturally this
includes visual novels. It is a genre of fiction with quite a wide
range of tones and content in a way few others can manage in part due
to the differing reactions and presentations of War within cultures
across the world. The least serious use of War is as a heroic fantasy
were great warriors clash for power and dominance. On the opposite end of the
tonal spectrum are the stories about where war is a destructive force
which leaves suffering and death in its wake and even once it is over
its shadow remains in the lives of those it touched. Related to this
serious tone are titles where the war is not against humans but some
kind of monster which cannot be reasoned with so the focus becomes on
the suffering of a single side in this conflict. Let’s
pick up our banner and find out how each of these depictions of War
change what stories can be told.
A Time Of Heroes
A
common use of the War genre is as a stage for the great deeds of
larger than life heroes. It downplays the damage and death of warfare
in favour of a lighter tone where banter is exchanged and defeated
leaders join the good guys with a smile. The overall moral compass of
such games tends to be on the simpler side with the protagonist and
co. being undeniably right while facing an evil so direct in nature it is
completely in the wrong. Neutral heroes which the protagonist has to
overcome are presented as either being tricked by the evil or doing
their duty to their people. This makes the clash between them and the
side of good being something which can ultimately be ironed out upon
their defeat when faced with the protagonist’s generosity and
uprightness. Another element often found in these titles is the fact
the characters tend to be of the opposite gender to the protagonist
meaning that through the recruitment of former enemies a harem ends up being created. How much each game ends up playing into this
fact varies but it always remains in the background of the narrative
space especially when romance is introduced into the mix. Here War is
treated as a playground for the player’s fantasies and writes them
on the exaggerated scale such conflicts are fought on to provide a
feeling of grandeur.
 |
| It is easy to forget about the average soldier when they are so small |
Koihime Musou has a double layer of fantasy
applied to it for it is based on the Romance of the Three Kingdoms
and so is also a fictional version of the real conflicts which took
place in China. Naturally everyone who is male in the original story
has been changed into woman leaving the protagonist as the only important man
in the story. Couple this with the game’s heavy emphasis on romancing
these girls and the result is the player being encouraged to interact with
as many of the heroes as possible with there even being a harem
ending should they desire it. In terms of the actual conflict it more
or less plays out like a simpler version of the book it is based on
with the protagonist’s presence being the determining event which
pushes his faction towards victory. This is presented through a
series of simple strategy mechanics where the player must choose
formations and who will fight in order to achieve victory. The heroes
are always front and centre of these battles with the individual
soldiers nothing more than indistinct shapes in their conflict. These
larger than life exaggerations of even their book counterparts
dominate the experience and they will be the part of the game which the player
is going to remember long after it is over.
In many ways Eiyuu *
Senki is a larger scale version of the concept presented in Koihime
Musou. No longer confined to China, but to the whole world, it can
bring in historic figures from all over and turn them into women while
playing up their already distinctive personalities to the logical
extremes. What makes Eiyuu * Senki stand out by comparison to Koihime
Musou is the way it handles evil and the effect having so many heroes
has on their presence in the narrative. The presentation of evil is extremely simple with an absolute antagonist playing
puppet master from the shadows and even using mind control to
manipulate some of the heroes. This makes the overall conflict black
and white and the protagonist’s side in the right for their attempt
to unify the world. It also absolves the heroes they come in conflict
with since they have been lied to so making the War a result of a
misunderstanding rather than malice. Moral complexity never even
appears as a concept in the story and instead it pushes the conquest
into a jolly upbeat ride which is further reinforced through the
bright visuals and soundtrack. When it comes to the sheer number of
heroes in Eiyuu * Senki, the effect is there can only being a small
amount of time to flesh out each one before the next one comes along.
Earlier heroes fair the best since the recur enough to have a
memorable identity but everyone else is more like a plastic action
figure to be collected. It also further pushes the player away from
the concept of any damage which might be done through War since even
the largest personalities are reduced to nothing more than small dots
to be connected. Funnily it means the harem outcome is inevitable
since no single hero gets enough focus so they all end up evenly around the
protagonist.
The Shadow It Casts
In
the real world War is an immensely destructive force which brings
death and ruin in its wake and even after it is over people live in
its shadow. The War genre can lean into this man-made
force to drive their narratives and influence their tone or
messaging. It tends to focus around the human cost of these conflicts
both in terms of the solders who die and the civilians who get caught
in the middle. Having an active conflict leads to an easy and
repeatable source of drama as the War drags the
characters into its different theatres where they must fight the
opposing side. This roller-coaster style of War narrative can end up
assuming elements of the heroic type since there needs to be recurring
characters in order for the player to have something to grab onto and
a recognisable enemy. If the story wants to deal with the damages of
War then being set in its aftermath to better captures the problems
and trauma surrounding the conflict. Here War is not actively present
with no clashing of opposing armies but instead it sits silently in
the memory where it influences people’s actions. There is a general
favouring of letting the player sit in the quiet pain of its cast and
how far into the future the echo of War can travel. Hope can still be
found here, yet it is always a fragile thing in need of protection
and nurturing lest a new conflict swallow it whole.
In many ways the
Utawarerumono games are perfectly suck in the middle between the
damaging effects of War and its heroic fantasy. Being a SRPG hybrid
necessitates a core cast of strong personalities to play as and to be
boss enemies so the story has to bend around this need and the War
becomes defined by these individuals. All the major changes in the
War rest in their hands to be fought over until there is a victor
with the antagonists vanquished. It also helps create a stronger
narrative flow since big events can happen in the conflict and it can
be easily moved into new areas to keep the gameplay fresh. Yet these
titles undeniably have a poor opinion of War with the terrible things
done in its name being bemoaned by the cast at every turn. Greed and
ambition are the things shown to be the culprits of this suffering
and become the defining characteristics of the antagonists. This is
doubly true of the civil war from the Mask games where former
comrades now kill each other and it messy nature of such a conflict is shown where even victory is hollow since it is damage inflicted upon their
own country.
 |
| War always remains long after it is over |
One visual novel which has an interesting take on living
the in aftermath of War is Rose Guns Days with its alternative
history were Japan was divided between America and China. The effects
of the War are apparent throughout the each season as the damage it
caused underpins the motives and actions of the cast to the point of
being inescapable for them. Even when not being talked about its
shadow finds its way into the conversation and it is only towards the
end of the narrative where things beyond it start to come into focus.
While Rose Guns Days has its fair share of action scenes, there is a
greater focus given to witnessing the consequences of the War and the
suffering in a contemplative and emotive fashion. Doing this not only
heightens the contrast with the dramatic moments but it also serves
to smoothly establish the stakes and world building in a manner which
the player can easily parse since the pain it presents is framed from
the personal level of its cast. The messaging which results from this
approach is written clearly for the player to see without it having
to spell it out directly and instead have them witness it first hand.
Against An Unfeeling Foe
Not
all War in fiction need to be fought against a human foe, sometimes a
story calls for the opposition to be a horde of monsters crashing
against civilisation. This removes the moral ambiguity of a real
world conflict by making other party an objective and unthinking evil
which cannot be reasoned with and must be destroyed to survive. As
such the focus of the narrative shift onto the allied side to hold up
the weight of drama, character and plot since a monster cannot offer
much in the way of complexity. Here the effects of War on the
internal structures and people who run them become the stars and the
picture is often a mixed one defined by bickering and backstabbing
even as their troops continue to die. The practical side of military
operations often comes into focus with the life they lead during the
conflict being a major source of drama while providing a grounded
sense of identity through its connections to the way real world armed
forces are organised. Underpinning this is a sense of tragedy at the
losses to the machine of War and the trauma it can inflicts on the
survivors.
 |
| Alternative is not a happy setting |
By far the strongest example of this monster focus can be
found in the Muv-Luv Alternative games featuring their iconic BETA.
The original Alternative is decidedly more militarily focused than
its previous entries with a lot of time give to the internal
conflicts of the setting and the utter devastation of the BETA’s
advance. This is further expanded upon in Total Eclipse and
Schwarzesmarken which lean even more heavily on the personal cost of
the War both in terms of losses and how it twists the morals and
identity of those fighting within it. Each Alternative title takes a
lens to a relatively small cast to best showcase this damage in a way
the player can easily empathise with due to its human scale and it gives a face to the people fighting this War so they are not faceless soldiers but
characters they have come to feel for. Its presentation of War is as
a tragedy inflicted upon these people and mourns their suffering and
loss at every turn.
Conclusion
As
the final form of conflict it should come as no surprise that War has
a complex relationship with fiction in visual novels. It can be a
stage for the heroic deeds of larger than life characters where a
light hearted and upbeat tone results in grand tale of love and
battle. Against unfeeling monsters the dynamic becomes tragic and
focuses on the loss and trauma caused by War. Human conflicts can
also be made to speak of the follies of War and how even after it is
over the people trying to rebuild their lives will always live in its
shadow. Overall War is genre which demands its inclusion be carefully
moulded into the structure and ideas of a game for it to be effective
and fundamentally changes the tone of the entire work.
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