Tuesday, May 31, 2022
With
Summer just around the corner, it is about time to round up all the
best visual novels released in May 2022. This month has been a
relatively quiet one for interesting visual novel releases but there
were still a few titles which are worthy of your time. So without
further ado let’s dive into these games.
Official
Releases:
-fault
- StP – LIGHTKRAVTE -
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We all know the feeling.
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LIGHTKRAVTE
is the latest title in the fault series produced by ALICE IN
DISSONANCE and continues their trend of releasing smaller titles. It
acts as the first episode of a prequel to the main line entries and is
set some five years before they begin. Rather than any of the
previous protagonists, the story is instead told through the eyes of
Khaji the unremarkable son of a fruit farmer who dreams of becoming a
painter. Obviously this mundanity cannot last forever and so a
revelation soon shatters his world and sets events in motion.
It
is nice to see another fault game as its blend of fantasy and
sci-fi elements continues to charm. This new short entry makes the
lack of a main series title since milestone two side:above,
which originally came out in 2015, all the more painful knowing it
may be the only bit of content we get for a while. However, that does
not detract for the quality of this game and it must be a good sign
if it leaves me wanting more.
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The traditional Japanese aesthetic is definitely a major selling point.
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While
Senren * Banka has been available on PC for two years now, its
arrival on the switch is another excellent addition to the console’s
increasingly large library of visual novels. This release marks a
chance for switch users to pick up a strong Yuzusoft title which they
might not have been able to play otherwise.
The
story follows Arichi Masaomi as he arrives in the village of Hoori
deep in the middle of the mountains. This village has developed
itself into a hot spring tourist destination through its old
fashioned Japanese feel. One of their major tourist spots is the
legendary katana Murasamemaru which is embedded in stone. Or it was,
since soon after his arrival Masaomi breaks the sword in half when he
attempts to pull it out. This accident sends his life on a new course
as he finds himself fighting supernatural entities and maybe even
finding love.
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Noriko is such an interesting protagonist.
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Corpse
Factory is a release which was not initial on my radar since its
developer, River Crow Studio, only has one notable visual novel under
their belt, the mediocre How To Date A Magical Girl. However,
my attitude towards the title changed with the release of a demo
last year which impressed me with its characters and premise and
sparked my interest in following the game’s development.
The visual
novel is a horror / thriller which revolves around Corpse Girl and
her website where users can request the death of someone they know by
providing a picture of that person. The victims then receive a photo
of their own corpse with a date marked on it. All these people have
later been found dead in odd ways…. Couple this interesting premise
with a morally questionable protagonist in the form of Noriko
Kurosawa and you have a recipe for an interesting story. There will
definitely be a review from me on this game sometime soon.
-Danganronpa
2: Goodbye Despair Anniversary Edition (Microsoft Store) -
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We all know someone like this...
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There
have been so many ports and releases for the Danganronpa series that
at this point it is almost a joke. However, any release of my
favourite entry into the series will always receive some promotion
from me until everyone on the planet has experienced its madness.
This time the release is on the Microsoft store and more importantly
it is now available on Game Pass making it more accessible than ever
to the Microsoft ecosystem. What are you waiting for? Go play it.
Fan
Translations:
-Guardians
of Daybreak (Akatsuki no Goei) -
+VNDB +Patch Download |
Ah yes, the traditional sleepover.
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While fan translations are no
longer the primary source of visual novels for the English language
community, they still output some of the most interesting titles
around. Case in point, the release of a patch for the first game in
the Akatsuki no Goei trilogy which came out of nowhere for me since I
was not even aware it was being translated. Needless to say this was
a pleasant surprise given its positive reputation for being an
excellent mix of comedy and action with a no-nonsense protagonist.
It is set in Ren’ou Academy, a
school where first-class bodyguards are reared alongside the
daughters of the nation’s richest families. On the day of the
opening ceremony, our protagonist Kaito Asagiri attempts to leave by
delivering a letter notifying the school of his withdrawal. However,
the whims of fate won’t let him go that easily as he meets Nikaidou
Reika who takes a liking to him and strong arms him into being her
bodyguard. So the stage is set for the winds of change to start to
blow.
