Archive for September 2022
Best Visual Novel Releases – September 2022
Autumn
has rolled up and firmly placed itself over us as the days get
shorter and the weather gets colder. In this month of transition we
have been given a wide selection of visual novels to tide us through
the coming darker days. A little bit of otome, a little bit of comedy
and a lot of quality games are on the table. So without further ado
let’s begin our perusal of the best title on offer.
Official Releases
Renai X Royale -
Renai
X Royale marks the third ASa Project visual novel to have been
translated into English and shares those previous games’ focus on
comedy. The idea of a love battle royale is at the heart of the
humour with four girls all vying to be chosen by the protagonist and
their attempts to win him over and undermine the competition is
the focus of the narrative. This blend of slice of life high jinks
with the standard romance story lines of other games stands out
from its peers with its colourful and hyperactive tone and
characters. However, those who have played the other titles might
find themselves experiencing a strong sense of deja vu as the
developers adhered to the idea that if it isn’t broken don’t fix
it. The result is a game which will appeal to those who love their
style but not to anyone who was looking for some innovation to this
formula.
Heart de Roommate Remastered -
JAST Store VNDB Genre
– Slice of Life, Comedy. Play Time – 12 hours.
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Recently
JAST has taken to remastering some of their classic titles and Heart de Roommate is the latest game to receive
this treatment. It has been given a face lift in the graphical
department with HD artwork and user interface as well as improved
compatibility with modern systems. This is a much needed update as
the previous version of the game was originally released in 2003 and
was showing its age. Heart de Roommate is a classic visual novel from
an era in their history where the school comedy ecchi genre was in
its prime and this game is very much a reflection of the popular
tropes of the period. It acts as a snapshot of that moment in visual
novel history and makes for an interesting comparison to the modern
state of the medium. Even beyond the historical value of Heart de
Roommate, it is a pleasant and funny game which works surprising hard
to get you to feel for its heroines.
Piofiore: Episodio 1926 -
Nintendo Eshop VNDB Genre
– Crime Thriller, 20’s, Otome. Play Time – 40 hours.
As
the sequel to the excellent Piofiore: Fated Memories, Piofiore:
Episodio 1926 had some big shoes to fill and it more than lived up to
those expectations. This game is a collection of stories which extend
the previous game’s narrative in various ways. There are episodes
for each of the main characters where they get another chance to
shine and wrap up their stories, an intense murder mystery tale and a
what-if style story where the player gets to experience a new angle
on the original game. Overall, it is an expansive package which keeps
all of the qualities that made Fated Memories such a stand out title,
while offering its own twist on the narrative.
Amnesia: Memories + Amnesia: Later x Crowd -
Store Links - Memories Later x Crowd VNDB - Memories Later Crowd Genre
– Fantasy, Romance, Otome. Play Time – Memories – 30 hours.
Later x Crowd – 16 hours.
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This
is double release from Idea Factory with the Switch release of
Amnesia: Memories (you can read my recent review of it here) and the
first release of Amnesia: Later x Crowd which is a combination of the
two fandiscs. These two titles are some of the most interesting otomes to have been released in English with their ability to blur
the line between player and protagonist for the sake of creating
tension and mystery. The addition of the fandiscs adds some much
needed new life into a series which has not seen a new release in
some time and they provide a variety of side content to keep the
discerning otome fan engaged for many hours.
Dreamy Planet -
It
feels as if I talk about a Ebi-hime game almost every month and each
one is somehow just as good as the last. This time we have Ebi-hime
returning to the yuri sphere with the short game, Dreamy Planet. It
is a tale of two women, Haruka and Shiina, who were once inseparable
from each other but have since drifted apart. Five years later they
reunite and make an impromptu visit to a derelict theme part called
Dreamy Planet. The exploration of their damaged relationship is at
the heart of this games narrative and as it picks away at what drives
each of them you are left with a sense of profound emotional weight. A short
and powerful visual novel which will stay with you long after its
ending.
The Mysteries of Ranko Togawa: Murder on the Marine Express -
Here
we have another short visual novel but it could not be more different in tone
from the previous one. With its distinctive pixel art, The Mysteries
of Ranko Togawa: Murder on the Marine Express stands out as it puts
its own spin on the classic locked room and whodunit style detective
mysteries. There is a definite focus on emulating the older elements
of visual novels and text adventures in terms of presentation while
updating it for a modern audience. Rather than being a tense pursuit
of the murderer, it is instead a somewhat light-hearted joyride
through a colourful and charismatic cast of characters who are all
focused on bringing a smile to your face. It is a bite-sized title
which is enjoyable bubble gum for a few hours of fun relaxation.
Fan Translations -
Kimi ga Nozomu Muv-Luv -
Patch Download VNDB Genre
– Comedy, Drama. Play Time – 5 hours.
Muv-Luv
is a franchise which produces an exceptional variety of content
within its visual novels due to the contrasting genres of the original games.
Here we have another example of how far this series can go with the
madness that is Kimi ga Nozomu Muv-Luv. This fandisc is split into
two sections, a crossover story between Kimi ga Nozomu Eien and
Muv-Luv and a short story about daily life of the JFK Curry
Restoraunt crew. These heavily lean into the insane comedy which is
the hallmark of the slice of life centric Muv-Luv stories and is all
the better for it. Stay well away if you are not already an age fan
as the amount of references to past works is intimidating even for
those who have played their games.
Ima Sugu Onii-chan ni Imouto da tte Iitai! -
Patch Download VNDB Genre
– Slice of Life, Comedy, Romance. Play Time – 30 hours.
What
we have here is an example of the 'past version of the same setting
but not a prequel' genre, a strange subset of stories which want to
use the popularity of a previous narrative without being too bound to it.
The game being piggybacked off here is the much acclaimed Koi to
Senkyo to Chocolate with which it even shares a few characters.
Thankfully, this is more than a simple case of cynical moneymaking as
Ima Sugu Onii-chan ni Imouto da tte Iitai! is a strong story in its
own right. With a fun and engaging cast, this is a tale which focuses
on the slow-boiling romance between the protagonist and the chosen
heroine and it plays into the strengths which Koi to Senkyo to
Chocolate established. You do not have to be a fan of the previous
game to get the most out of this story and anybody who enjoys a good
love story is in for a treat.
Amnesia: Memories Review - A Wonderland Of Love And Paranoia
Genre – Otome, Mystery, Drama. Play Time – 35 hours. Developer – Otomate and Design Factory. Steam VNDB
Reinvigorating The Cliché
Using
amnesia as plot device is a common tactic by many creators who want
to put the protagonist on the same level as the player, but its use rarely
goes beyond being an excuse for exposition. Enter Amnesia: Memories,
as you might have been able to guess from its name this is a story
about a protagonist with amnesia. However, unlike many other titles
this one uses the amnesia as a key point to build around and create
tension between the player and the unknown. This is a game about
uncertainty, be it in relationships or unknown motivations, and
overcoming it to build a future together with the one you love. It is
also a perfect example of the pros and cons of a complete self-insert
protagonist and how it can be used to effectively sell a tone and
immerse the player. Overall it is a very interesting example of its
genre and as we move forward you too will come to appreciate how it
achieves its success.
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| Be prepared for a lot of card related imagery. |
Can You Every Truly Know Another? - Narrative and Theme
When
it comes to narrative complexity Amnesia: Memories is on the simpler
side with a focus on a few well worn themes and ideas. It is how
these elements are put together which raises it above many of its
kin. The methods it uses to achieve its success are focused around
putting the player in an unknown social situation and asking them who
they can trust. Back this up with a solid selection of romance
options and the result is quite impressive given how similar it is to
its peers on a base level.
 |
| Oh no, a hot guy! |
The
vast majority of the tension present throughout the story originates
for the question of who to trust. By placing the protagonist in the
same position of ignorance as the player through their amnesia the
player cannot look to the protagonist's interactions for guidance which enhances
the sense of isolation. Feeling out which of the male leads you can
trust and tentatively getting to know them forms
the bulk of the experience. The acts of opening yourself
up to these people through the protagonist is a strangely cathartic
experience and adds an intimacy to character moments knowing that
they had to earn your trust. Later in a route the tension provided
by the unknown is refocused solely on the hero who is the object of
the romance and in some cases even ratchets it up further by
revealing a hidden side to a person you thought that you knew.
Through the game’s willingness to play into our fear of the unknown
and shift the source of that uncertainty when needed it can achieve
an engaging current to push the player to continue to play.
Having
a strong sense of romantic storytelling is key to the success of any
otome and Amnesia is no exception. Each hero is distinct from one
another both in terms of personality and the content of their routes
and this allows the player choose from a wide variety of experiences
to meet their tastes. This mixing of choice and blind uncertainty
heightens the romantic tension between the player and their selected
hero and feeds into their investment in the struggles of that
character. By playing on this feeling, the narrative of the route can
hold the player's interest though the slow revelation of the hero’s
flaws and their intimacy with the protagonist. While the actual
content of the routes is not necessarily the most original for an
otome, it uses the above techniques to obscure this with a sincere
presentation of the story which does its utmost to sell the emotions
of each scene.
The one major issue with this approach is the fact
that there are times in the story when it can come across as nothing
more than a hot guy buffet for the player to choose from, rather than
a selection of believable people for you to invest yourself into.
This is mostly a side effect of the blind choices presenting options
whose only immediately perceivable consequence is the affection of a specific hero and leads to it feeling a little shallow at times.
However, the problem is only really noticeable after a few play
throughs when you have a feel for the game’s tricks, before that point you
are too focused on the tension of the unknown to notice it.
 |
| Oh, please do continue... |
In
order to maintain momentum over the course of a long game, Amnesia has
an overarching plot which links all the routes together through
common narrative elements as the truth is slowly revealed. These
revolve around the protagonist’s amnesia and the more supernatural
aspects of the story. In order to not spoil the nature of these twists
I am forced to be vague but I will endeavour to give my high level
thoughts on the subject. Broadly speaking this method of storytelling
is less effective in the separate routes than it is in final
conclusion route. What is shown off in each hero’s route is
ultimately too minor to be memorable and is smothered by the more
compelling central narrative of the route, which results in these
revelations being easily forgotten between routes leading to a lack of
any sense of build up. On the other hand the final route makes up for
this by providing a cathartic pay off to a game’s worth of
emotional build up. This is not only for the focused characters but for the
cast more generally and acts as an excellent send off for the
narrative. Since it is also the last thing you will play in the
game it leaves a strong positive impression which helps obscure the lackluster build up to the route.
Full And Empty People - Characters
Discussing
the characters of Amnesia: Memories presents an interesting problem
as it is a narrative defined by the presence of a none-character as
much as it is by the heroes. This gaping void takes the form of the
protagonist and their complete lack of personality creates a unique
set of problems and opportunities. Of course the main cast are still
the stars of the show with an excellent variety of personalities
which clash and complement the overall narrative choices of the game.
Having
a self-insert protagonist who only speaks through the dialogue
choices made by the player is hardly a special feature of Amnesia
with the dozens of other game which uses this narrative device,
especially in the mobile gacha space. Instead what makes it stand
out is the way in which it commits to this protagonist for the purposes of
immersion and building atmosphere. Rather than being content to
simply let the player project themselves onto the protagonist,
Amnesia takes things a step further by placing the protagonist, and
thus the player, in a position of vulnerability through her amnesia
and the contrasting information provided by a cast of unknown people
who claim to know her. By bringing the player and protagonist closer
together it makes it easier to blur the line between the two and
allow the player to experience similar emotions to the protagonist
through their emotional investment into her.
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| Our protagonist, the cause of both this game's strengths and weaknesses. |
The
inclusion of a self-insert protagonist comes with a few noticeable
downsides. First of all there is the issue of how to fill the down
time where the protagonist is on their own or where the narrative
needs to express some idea or feeling and cannot use another main
character to do so. The answer to this problem for Amnesia and many
other games using similar protagonists is to have a companion
character who acts as the voice of the narrative and set the mood or
delivers exposition. In this case the role is assumed by Orion, a
character whom only the protagonist can see and plays a critical role
in the plot as the instigator of the amnesia issue. While he is
relatively inoffensive for the most part, there are times when it
becomes too obvious that he is the voice of the developer trying to
push you into a certain state of mind and in these moments he can
come across as an irritation.
The second issue with this choice of
protagonist is the lack of proper back and forth between her and the
male leads. This results in sections where the hero talks at the
protagonist rather than having an interaction with them as a consequence
of her silent status and developer not wanting to overuse choices in order to
keep them feeling special. Thankfully these moments are uncommon, but
when they do happen they can bring you out of the experience by
making you more aware of the limitations of this narrative design
choice instead of focusing on the emotional weight of what is being
said.
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| Orion acts as the primary voice of the narrative. |
The
majority of the main cast consists of the attractive men who form the
list of potential love interests for the player. They embody of a
great array of personalities to interact with as
they slowly reveal their secrets to the protagonist. We have
characters like the womanising Ikki and the sharp tongued Kent who play off
each other and the protagonist to create some excellent banter and
sow doubt in the players mind about their intentions. There has been
a conscious choice on the part of the developer to have characters
with a trait which casts some doubt on them such as how Ikki can
be strangely observant at times and Touma can overstep boundaries
without care. Under normal circumstances these traits would not be
important and may even be overlooked by the player, but given the way
the game emphasises the sense of tension and mistrust, these simple
acts become suspicious within that paranoid mindset. Together with
their strong characterisation these heroes paint an engaging picture
for the player to examine and reflect on as they try to pick apart
their mask and see the truth.
A Dream Across Every Inch - Visual, Audio and Technical
Amnesia’s
presentation and technical aspects are somewhat of a mix bag with the
game playing it safe in many areas while still having a flair of its
own. The overall package is of a high quality due to this title being
from a larger studio and established design of their
games shows itself throughout. However, this comes at the cost of
being unable to distinguish itself from its peers and failing to
keep up the quality set by the narrative.
One
area which does not disappoint is the art direction with striking
colours and patterns across every surface and character. The four
suits of playing cards is the motif which the game uses for its
visual design with each of the main hero being associated with one of them
and assigned an appropriate colour to match. Presenting the
characters and environments through this stylised imagery creates a
striking contrast between each hero and keeps the artwork feeling
stimulating over the course of the entire game. Alongside these
elements Amnesia chooses to have each background make use of contrast
and vague outlines leading to an almost dreamlike feeling to the
events playing out in them. The CG similarly play up this strong
visual identity, but here it is used to create intimacy and focus on
the emotion or idea the image is attempting to invoke by carefully
emphasising the key element with distinctive designs and colours.
Together the package understand how to play to the strengths of the
medium and makes sure each aspect can shine in the appropriate
manner.
 |
| The use of colour in Amnesia helps sell its tone. |
The
music of Amnesia is less impressive than its art with a soundtrack
which is somewhat forgettable. However, this is not the same as bad.
Within the game itself each piece serves to set the mood of a scene and compliment the visuals and writing while not drawing attention away
from them. In the moment the soundscape it creates can provide a
powerful identity to what it accompanies, but outside of that instance
you will struggle to remember it in any detail. It is very much a
genre standard soundtrack and may feel familiar to those who have
played otome or other romance visual novels.
In
terms of features and technical polish Amnesia is the base level you
would expect from a visual novel with a few interesting additions.
This is to say that it has the standard list of features, such as a
gallery and a skip function. On top of this is has an in-game
tracker for the affection, trust and suspicion of your chosen hero
which is useful when it comes to figuring out what choices raise each
value. There is one strange feature in this package and that is a set
of mini-games only available on the main menu. These are incredibly
detached from the rest of the game's content to the point where you
would question why they even exist, but I suppose they are there for
those who want a distraction from the main game. Regardless, those
playing Amnesia will not find it wanting on the systems level and most
likely will not notice any potential improvement which could have
been made.
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| You will be staring at this menu quite a lot. |
Verdict – 7/10 –
Amnesia: Memories is a game as much distinguished as harmed by its
commitment to creating tension and immersing the player in the role
of the protagonist.
Pros-
+ The male leads give a good variety to narrative and the types of
relationships on offer to the player.
+
A satisfying final route which raps up all the hanging plot threads
in a nice bow and feels suitably final.
+
One of the strongest uses of a self-insert to sell the bond between
player and protagonist and create a palpable tension through the unknown.
+
The art style adds a dream like quality to the game and helps sell
the atmosphere and the romantic fantasy.
Cons-
-
Having a self-insert protagonist can hurts character interactions and
leads to some stilted scenes.
-
At times it can be a blatant buffet of hot men for the player to
choose from to the point of being off-putting.
- A mediocre soundtrack and lack of interesting technical features hold the game back from being a more well rounded package.
Developer Spotlight – Ebi-hime
Itch.io Twitter Tumblr
Finding
a developer who understands how to subtly and cleverly invoke emotion
and play with expectations is a rare occurrence and the developer we
will be highlighting today is one such example. Ebi-hime is an indie developer with
extensive catalogue of visual novels in a variety of genres from
cute yuri stories to examinations of obsession. You can track the
growth of her talent as a writer through her games as her distinctive
style becomes more pronounced over time and she is always pushing herself out into new settings and thematic
ideas. Let’s dive into why Ebi-hime is someone who’s games you
should be picking up.
Developer Overview
When
it comes to romance stories which are sweet or have an interesting twist
to them Ebi-hime is a developer who understands how to play to the
audiences expectations and play off them to achieve thematic goals.
Her style is one which empathises emotion to create both resonance
with the player and tension which works in tandem to invest
them in the narrative. This leads to a lot of her stories being very
internally focused within the mind of the protagonist or other key
characters meaning we get an extensive look at their growing feelings,
be they positive or negative in nature. The result of this approach
is character centric games without much in the way of external driving
forces and instead one where each character’s actions visibly
ripple through those around them. From the powerful to the subtle,
emotions and their consequences are the beating heart of Ebi-himes
works.
A
noticeable feature of Ebi-himes stories is their adherence to a ‘real
world’ setting with the almost complete lack of fantastical
elements unless the story absolutely needs them. This creates a
grounded sense of place within her work and while her stories are set
within many different locations and times they never lose the
familiarity of the known. This choice adds an almost tactile feeling
to the world and characters, as if they are so close to your own
experiences that you might be able to reach out and touch them. As
such when a fantasy element is added in it stands out all the more due
to its contrast with the mundane and makes this little bit of spice
able to present its narrative purpose with a clarity it would have
lacked in a purer fantasy setting.
Selection of Notable Works
The Way We All Go -
This
was the game through which I found Ebi-hime and despite her modern
work having a more refined writing style it still has many of the
qualities which make her stories special. It is a narrative which
classifies itself as a hybrid of horror and romance and this is an
apt description for a game centred around human based horror. We can
see here an example of a recurring interest by Ebi-hime in characters who are less than
mentally stable which pops up repeatedly in various forms. In this
game it takes the shape of a yandere heroine who is the main driver
of the darker elements of the plot as well as the more interesting
narrative beats. As with most of Ebi-hime’s work, the game is the
incredibly effective at presenting the emotions and thoughts of
the characters from their happiest moment to their darkest depression and
it invokes empathy to make the player feel involved in each moment.
To top it all off the game plays with common clichés, such as
returning to a home town and the childhood friend, in order to set
exceptions and betray them when the time is right. Even after all
these years I would still recommend The Way We All Go as a good entry
point into Ebi-hime’s work if you want something which leans a
little closer to the familiar elements of visual novel storytelling.
Rituals In The Dark -
Rituals
In The Dark is one of the many yuri romance stories which Ebi-hime
has written but what makes this one stand out is its effective use of
tone to sell tension without anything explicitly dangerous happening.
The core relationship between the weak willed Aspen and the
mysterious Althea is characterised by the dancing around each other
they do as Aspen tries to figure out Althea while Althea is playing
her own game. Having two get to know one another and find intimacy in
that bond is sold through a sweet and well paced development which unfurls in a
satisfying manner that sticks in the mind long after the game ends.
The idea of a haunted house is the backdrop of this tale and confronting
and dispelling that conception is at the core of the conflict. This
plays well into the Aspen-Althea relationship by adding an underlying
tension about why Althea is in the house of a dead women. To top it
all off it is set in Scarborough, what more could you want?
Lynne -
When
it comes to horror Ebi-hime truly hit the nail on the head with Lynne
for there is nothing scarier than being a teenager. While this is the
shortest game listed here, it is the story which is the easiest to
empathise with as we were all teenagers once and know how painful it
can be. Lynne perfectly captures this feeling of not being in control
both of yourself and the world around you. It plays out these ideas
in a way which sells the oppressiveness of our protagonist’s mental
state as adds weight to every word and image presented to us. The
simple nature of the narrative and its short play time also
compliment this feeling as there is never a moment when it does not
focus on this roller-coaster of emotions.
Blackberry Honey -
This
is one of Ebi-hime’s more well known titles and for good reasons and it
simultaneously shows off her talent for sweet romance stories
and powerful dramas. The unusual setting of 19th century
England helps distinguish the game within the visual novel space
while at the same time providing a sense of place which seeps into
the player’s perception of events. By combining her skill with
character writing and this distinct sense of place, Ebi-hime is able to
make the romance between our two female leads feel powerful and
earned in the face of the conflicts around them. The contrast between
Lorina and Taohua allows for some excellent banter which reinforces
the idea of their growing relationship and well as the distance which
exists between their experiences. Overall, this is one of Ebi-hime’s
strongest character romance stories and is an exceptional example of
the quality of her work.
All Ashes And Illusions -
The
final game being covered here is one of Ebi-hime’s most recent
works and an excellent example of the variety of subject matter she
covers through her games. All Ashes And Illusions is the story of a
prince who develops a dangerous obsession with his childhood nursemaid and
explores an unequal power relationship, something not many games are
willing to do. Adding to its uniqueness is the choice of a middle
eastern setting which works together with the themes and
relationships to create a uniquely colourful and gripping narrative.
This is not a story of the faint of heart but those who are willing
to engage it on its terms will find out the range of styles Ebi-hime
can work within and how well crafted her work can truly be.
In Conclusion
If it was not clear from this overview, Ebi-hime is a creator of many talents and the quality of her creations is something truly impressive. While she may not be what you are looking for if you want a hardcore fantasy or sci-fi experience, her focus on grounded settings has yielded some of the most powerful stories in the medium. I encourage you to check out her itch.io page (link at the top of the page) and see if there is anything which takes your fancy within the plethora of excellent content available there.
