Sunday, October 30, 2022
With
the spooky month reaching its climax with Halloween, it is about time
to go over the cream of the crop when it comes to visual novels.
There have been relatively few good releases this month but their
quality has been outstanding. We have a landmark titles receiving
their first official English translation, an excellent otome and a
spine chilling indie game. These are all visual novels you should not
miss out on, so without further ado let’s get started.
Official Releases
Fragment’s Notes Plus -
Nintendo Eshop VNDB Genre
– Romance, Slice of Life Play Time – 8 hours
Our
first game is an upgraded Switch port of a previously mobile only
title. It boasts redrawn artwork and is now fully voiced, making this
version a significant step up from its original. Notes is a
strong example of how a bit of spice in a narrative can go a long way to
helping the game stand out in the crowded Slice of Life / Romance
space. The special sauce in this visual novel is the presence of the
protagonist’s future daughter who has travelled back in time to
change his life for the better and help him find love. Having a
character with a lot of knowledge about the future adds a lot to the
comedy side of the story with high jinks ensuing and it also provides
some touching moments between father and daughter as the two bond.
While the overall narrative is nothing we have not seen before,
Notes’ unique flavour adds enough sources of engagement for it to
be an entertain ride.
CHAOS;HEAD NOAH -
This
is a visual novel which seemed to be cursed to never get an
English release. Despite being the first entry into the Science
Adventure series, all the other later titles including its own
squeal, Chaos Child, were released before it. Now thirteen years
after its original Japanese release we have the Director’s Cut
style version of Chaos Head called Noah. This game follows the
unreliable story of Nishijou Takumi as he struggles to distinguish
the real from the delusion and discover the truth behind a string of
horrific murders. Chaos Head is a strong example of the power of
utilising paranoia both on the part of Takumi and the player to
construct an effective horror / thriller atmosphere which keeps the
player on the edge of their seat. If you are curious about how the
Science Adventure series started then you are in for a treat with one
of the strongest visual novels to have ever been created.
soundless - A MODERN SALEM IN REMOTE AREA - Final Verse -
Our
only indie title on this list is here because it is a noticeable
upgrade to an already excellent game. Final Verse adds a slew of new
features including a new post-game epilogue, an improved resolution
of 1280x960 and a violent images toggle. All these create a smoother
experience for the player and make this version the definitive way to
play the game. This is an intense horror narrative which plays on
paranoia and isolation to warp not only the protagonist’s
perspective but also the player’s through careful control over what
they are allowed to know. Soundless understands the Denpa genre and
how having the familiar behaving in unfamiliar ways has a powerful
effect on the player, which is utilised in game to create a
suffocating tension to each event. If you have not played soundless
before then there is no better time to pick it up and feel the fear
of this extraordinary horror visual novel.
Harmonia -
Nintendo Eshop VNDB Genre
– Nakige, Sci-fi Play Time – 5 hours
Getting
a Switch release seems to have become a common way to expand the
market of your visual novel after it has been released on Steam. So
here we are with the latest port for the Switch’s library,
Harmonia. This is one of Key’s shorter titles which sits alongside
Planetarian and focuses on providing their signature Nakige style in
a condensed form. It follows a somewhat familiar formula of having a
robot protagonist learn what it means to have feelings and through
this express what it is to be human. The execution of this narrative
thread is where the strengths of Key’s writing shines through in the
characters who make you strongly empathise with their struggles and
the heart wrenching moments which make your cry. Harmonia is a strong
example of why Key are one of the leading visual novel developers and
the game’s short length makes it an accessible entry point into
their work.
Paradigm Paradox -
Nintendo Eshop VNDB Genre
– Otome, Mahou Shoujo Play Time – 30 hours
For
our big otome release this month we have the mahou shoujo focused
title, Paradigm Paradox. This visual novel stand out from its peers
with a strong and colourful art style which invokes its magical girl
influences and it mixes them with a narrative that is not afraid to
shy away from darker elements. However, this is no Madoka Magica and
the aim of the darker elements is not to subvert expectations or
examine what it means to be a magical girl. Instead, its focus is on
adding a more adult edge to its narrative to appeal to an older
female audience and provide an exciting flavour to their romance
adventure. Paradigm Paradox artfully manages to tow the line between
these two competing tones and provides a compelling otome story for
indulge in.
ALPHA-NIGHTHAWK -
Lair-soft
is one of the most distinctive visual novel developers around and any
new translation of one of their releases always deserves attention.
For Alpha Nighthawk they decided to go with an interesting mix of
kemonomimi and mecha in a far future space setting which as you can
imagine leads to a uniquely imaginative style of narrative
presentation. This is put to use in a story filled with Liar-soft’s
distinctive flare where evocative characters are placed with a plot focused around metaphor. Having a short play time makes this
an excellent entry point for a new
player into the wider works of Liar-soft, so if you have every found yourself curious about their
previous titles this is a great game to start with.
