Sunday, April 30, 2023
Spring
has truly made its presence felt this month with all the flowers
coming into bloom at the same time and visual novels are similarly
bristling with colourful new releases. This has been a truly packed
month to the point where it has been hard to pick out only a few titles to
showcase for you, but after much struggle the list bellow was
complied for your viewing pleasure. There has been everything from a
Danganronpa imitation to a post-apocalypse filled with superpowered
people and killer machines to a coffee themed sequel. Let’s dive
into the fields of brilliant visual novel flowers and see what is the
best way spend your time.
Official Releases
Shugaten! -sugarfull tempering-
This
month’s award for comfy moe visual novel goes to Shugaten!
-sugarfull tempering- which secures the place with its
warm and cosy atmosphere with just enough mystery to keep you
engaged. Our amnesiac protagonist finds himself at a patisserie
called Folkroll after the shop’s employees wished for someone to
help them during the night of the fairies and he must use his wealth
of knowledge about baking to aid them. While this mystery forms the
backbone of the hook to keep the player guessing, the game is careful
to never show its hand and instead supplements it with a healthy dose
of moe presented through its heart-warming character stories and its
bright colour palette. There is strong understand in Shugaten about
how to use the elements of slice of life with a delicate hand and
never letting any one part overstay its welcome or potentially bore
the player through familiarity. Definitely a title you should pick up
for your monthly dose of cuteness and easy feelings to relax with.
LACKGIRL I - "Astra inclinant, sed non obligant."
While
this visual novel did technically release at the very end of last
month, it somehow managed to slip through the net but it is still
worth talking about regardless. As the first episode of the Lackgirl
series this is a strong opening act which establishes the world and
powers of this magical boarding school inhabited by the magical girls
who form the backbone of the narrative. The game demonstrates an
understand of how to conduct the build up for a narrative focused around magic
combat and keep the protagonists as the underdogs while still give them
interesting powers that are a joy to see clash against one another.
This game should definitely put this series on your radar if magical
action visual novels are up your alley as it shows all the signs of
being a fun ride as these distinctive girls struggle to overcome
their fates.
Process of Elimination
Nintendo Eshop VNDB Genre
– Murder Mystery, Thriller Play Time – 30 hours
Danganronpa
has been extremely influential within the visual novel space,
spawning many imitations along the way and the latest of these is
Process of Elimination. When fourteen detectives come together to
discover which one of them is the mysterious murderer Yatsuzakikou
who has been terrorising the country they will get far more than they
bargained for. This game is an interesting take on the genre with a
greater leaning into the thriller aspect than its inspiration and
does its best to carve out its own identity with characters who pop
in the way only those from Nippon Ichi are capable of. It mixes in a
good dose of puzzles into each chapter which fit in with the mystery
solving theme and work to sell the group as the ace detectives they
are meant to be. If you have a Danganronpa shaped hole in your life
then you can’t go wrong with this title to scratch that itch.
Kunado Chronicles
Purple
Software games are always on the precipice of greatness and Kunado
Chronicles is the closest they have ever come to realising this
potential. Set in a distant post-apocalypse future where the living
metal monster known as Tekki have driven humanity back to the
medieval times and reduced them to a shadow of their former selves.
Into this world is thrust Shin, a man frozen in time from the distant
past and he is tasked with bringing his ancient knowledge into this
new world so its people might be able to rebuild. This is a tale
interested in what it means to be human in a the face of the spectre
of death and it asks what value the things we hold dear in the modern
world really have when all is stripped away. Now if only these games
would stop be so relentlessly horny all the time maybe the next one
could fulfil the legacy of this visual novel.
Flight Of The Exorcist
Alright,
this is not some big new release but instead my latest visual novel
made for NaNoRenO. Rather than blowing my own horn too much I am
going to recommend you go the game jam page and see for
yourself all of the brilliant small games released there. This year
had an amazing turn out and the result is a variety of genres and
subject matters which you would not be able to find anywhere else.
Each entry brings something unique to the table both in terms of
narrative and in term of their interpretation of what it means to
create a visual novel. My own entry is is a short visual novel about
a crisis of faith in the face of suffering and a world where demons
influence the fate of humanity. The titular exorcist must contend
with a case of demon possession of which she is the primary suspect
and must now confront the monsters of both supernatural
and man-made origin. Can she find the source of the possessions and
will she be able to save her own soul?
Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus & Butterfly
Rather
than trying to reinvent the wheel this sequel to the original Coffee
Talk chooses to expand on the already strong foundations of that game
and provide more of the same excellent experience. Back behind the
counter of your coffee shop you will meet faces new and old as they
come and go while expressing their concerns and you lend them a
willing ear. The game spices up the beverage making with new
ingredients adding a wrinkle to an already solid gameplay loop
and this provides a surprising number of new drinks to marvel at. However,
if you did not enjoy the previous title then this one will not do
much to change your mind and assumes a level of investment in its
characters some may not have developed. Hibiscus and Butterfly is
worth your time once you have completed the first game and want more
the same characterful flavour.
Fan Translation
Traumermaid
Patch Download VNDB Genre
– Yandere, Horror Play Time – 3 hours
Traumermaid
is yet another entry in the Yandere genre of horror which has
a strong following and has produced some interesting games. This
title focuses around the standard set up of being reunited with two
childhood friends after returning to your home town and getting involved
in a love triangle. Of course being a Yandere game this love gets
twisted into dangerous forms as their feelings get tinged with
jealously and eventually violence and it here that most of the horror
elements stem from. The spiral into madness and paranoia is palpable
and grips the player’s mind in a way that allows them to get into
the heads of the characters in a cathartic manner. Its short length
also makes it an excellent game to pick up you have been interested
in this genre and want to give it a go.
