Towards The End Sky

Official Releases

All Ashes And Illusions -

A new Ebi-hime release is something to be celebrated as their writing is some of the best in the medium with such titles as The Way We All Go and Blackberry Honey. With their latest game they have moved to the Middle East for a ‘romance’ story of prince in love with his childhood nursemaid and how this desire twists him to a dangerous degree. This distinctly different setting and subject matter from what many visual novels choose to cover leads to a memorable journey into the mind of a person with less than good intentions. It should be noted that this is not a story for the faint of heart with an uncomfortable exploration of an unequal relationship power dynamic, but if you can stomach it you will find an excellently written and thought provoking tale.

Who Is The Red Queen? -

Who Is The Red Queen? was previously released on itch.io in 2021 but this release makes its arrival on Steam with improvements such as new art, music and an updated script. With this revised release the game can now gain additional exposure and more people can find out about an excellent short dark fantasy story which plays off the Alice In Wonderland imagery and ideas. It takes our familiar understanding of Wonderland and twists it to create a world both know and surprising where a single misstep can have dire consequences. This version of Alice must all the pieces of the dismembered Queen of Hearts and along the way avoid meeting an unfortunate end.

Animal Trail ☆ Girlish Square -

Do you want a short and sweet feel good story with a dose of cat eared moe? Then this is the visual novel for you as it has one singular focus and that is being a cute bubble gum narrative. This is very much a game which expects you to play it quickly and discard it for the next title and its short play time reflects that choice. Of course this does not make it a bad visual novel since this pinpointing of what it wants to be allows for a clarity of purpose and ensures a comfortable and pleasing journey which knows the ride must soon end. There is not much more to say about this one, if you have played any moe slice of life visual novels then you know what you are in for here.

Lair Land Story -

Lair Land Story is a mixed type visual novel as it also contains JRPG / raising simulator gameplay which works to keep the experience from becoming monotonous. The narrative follows Herol’s efforts to raise Chilia, girl with magical powers who has lost her memories, and the trials and tribulations this entails as you shape her future. It has an upbeat tone to its story and, while it knows how to transition into more serious elements, it spends most of its play time in a cute and happy place which is assisted by the light gameplay nature of a raising simulator. Overall it is a pleasant adventure for those who want to unwind in a game with a moderate level of challenge and a focus on keeping a smile on your face.

Making*Lovers After Stories -

Localising fandiscs to popular titles seems to be a new trend in the western market as we have yet another one with After Stories the fandisc of Making*Lovers. This visual novel consists of after stories for each of the heroines from the original game and gives them a chance to shine once again along with showing how their experiences have changed them. Unlike some other fandiscs, the after stories are the only content available and as such the play time for the game is short. However, this lack of extras is not a negative as it allows each after story to be the focus of the experience with no distractions or unlockable elements taking the players attention away from their time with these characters. A game which you should definitely pick up if you enjoyed the original and want more of the same quality romance storytelling. 

Muyuu Senkyou Romanesque: Chronicles of Refugia -

Climate change post apocalypse settings are not unheard of, but how about one where strange non-humans are using this opportunity to take over? Such is the strange premise of Chronicles of Refugia and it leads to an oddly intriguing world to immerse yourself in which the game heavily encourages with its episodic story structure. Over the course of the visual novel you are exposed to different view points on the world and piece together the workings and motivations of the groups and people involved in a satisfying manner. Something to pick up if you are looking for a visual novel which is a bit more experimental with its structure and ideas.

a pet shop after dark -

For the last of the official releases we have a delightful small indie title by npckc which uses a horror tone mixed with a cute aesthetic to sell an entertaining experience. This is a singularly focused visual novel which knows how to use its short play time to undermine expectations and engage with its minor puzzle elements to support the main narrative. The horror aspect is subtle and creeping rather than overt and is suitable for those who scare easily but someone looking for a hard core experience might want to look elsewhere. This is a bite sized portion of entertainment for those looking for something interesting to fill a short amount of time.

Fan Translations

Nagomibako Innocent Grey Fandisc -

We end this list with another fandisc but this time for two much older titles, Cartagra and PP-pianisimo-. It contains a series of short stories and mini-games based on both games and mixes elements from the two together for a surprisingly stimulating package. As you might expect there are a variety of different and clashing tones between the stories from comedy to mystery to horror, and you might think that this would cause the player to experience emotional whiplash given each narrative's distinctive feelings but Nagimibako manages to weave this line with finesse. No part feels out of place and the overall product is more of what makes Innocent Grey one of the best visual novel companies around with their ability to design stories for vastly different genres.