Sunday, June 25, 2023
With
extremes of heat and thunder storms engulfing us, the shelter of the
worlds held in visual novels have come to offer some sweet relief.
This has been a month defined by fan translations of major titles and
hidden gems which all demonstrate just how important the fandom is to
enriching the visual novels we play. Not that official release have
been slacking off as they bring us strong games for the otome and
simulation genres. Without further ado let’s cool of in the shade
of these excellent visual novels.
Official Releases
Butterfly's Poison; Blood Chains
First
on our list is the PC release of an otome set in Taishou era Japan
following a young aristocratic woman who must navigate these changing
times and maybe even find love along the way. Here we have yet
another historical visual novel that makes good use of the key
features of the time period it is set in to seep the narrative in a sense
of place it would otherwise lack. For Butterfly's Poison this
manifests in the sense of a world undergoing change which is also
reflected in the protagonist’s struggles against her misfortune and
how this forward momentum waits for nobody. Supporting this tonal
thrust are a series of distinctive suitors who each relate to a
different aspect of the heroine’s world from other aristocrats,
servants and even the military. The result is an emotional and well
thought out otome perfect for those looking for an immersive romance.
Jack Jeanne
Nintendo Eshop VNDB Genre
– Reverse Trap, All Boys School, Theatre, Simulation Play Time –
55 hours
There
are plenty of visual novels where a male cross-dresser enters an all
girls school, but very few where a female cross-dresser goes to an
all boys school. Enter Jack Jeanne, a simulation visual novel hybrid
which presents this less represented dynamic through the lens of one
woman’s theatre dream. This is a game that takes full advantage of
its theatre centric narrative to play up its key events in an almost
over the top manner as if the characters can never escape the idea they are
performing for an audience and it gives the a sense of weight to
scenes otherwise lacking in punch for a more even experience overall.
These strong character beats are used well to pace out the simulation
gameplay through the standard time management style many have come to
expect for the genre. While this side of the game does nothing
revolutionary, it still does a good job of holding the game together
with a regular pattern the player can return to and cool down after
important moments. Jack Jeanne is not the most innovational visual
novel on this list but there is no doubt it knows how to make the
best out of what it has.
Fan Translations
Nakoruru: The Gift She Gave me
Patch Download VNDB Genre
– Romance, Action
This
is by far the oddest game on the list being the translation of a
Dreamcast visual novel about Nakoruru, a character from SNK's
fighting series Samurai Spirits. Originally released in 2002, it is
soaked in the design and narrative sensibilities of the past, many of
which have been lost over the years and the experience it offers is
refreshing. There are no moe girls doing silly things and instead the
focus in around an emotional core the narrative wants to present
through an immersive setting and tone with characters who exist as
more than plot points. While not knowing about Nakoruru beforehand does
lead to moments where the game winks to camera and you just stare
back blankly at it, the main story is detached enough for its source
material to be an entertaining time even without that context. This
is perhaps the definition of a hidden gem and is a good window into
older visual novel design for those who are interested.
Tsukihime -A piece of blue glass moon-
Patch Download VNDB Genre
– Urban Fantasy, Action Play Time – 60 hours
If
there is one thing you should take away from here today it is that
you should play Tsukihime. The original game was one of the founding
titles of Type Moon and it was there that their style gained cohesive
form and influence many other developers through Fate Stay Night. We
are once more placed into the shoes of Skiki who returns to his
family home after a long time living with distant relatives to find
that his home is closely connected to the supernatural and when he
meets the vampire Arcueid everything starts to spiral out of control.
This remake takes the first half of the original game and expands
upon it in an attempt to refine the narrative while fixing issues
with pacing and relevance to the plot. It is an especially relevant
task as the original game is increasingly difficult to get running on
modern systems so this new version may be the only way new players
can experience this defining aspect of Type Moon’s past. For those
who are already played the original there is enough new content here
with the extensive rewriting to provide enough distinction from that
first game to justify playing this one. Why are you still here, you
should be playing Tsukihime already.
Shinseiki Evangelion - Koutetsu no Girlfriend -Portable-
Patch Download VNDB Genre
– Mecha, Sci-Fi Play Time – 8 hours
Evangelion’s
reach extends far beyond its origins as an anime and has now crept
into almost every type of product it can. Enter Koutetsu no
Girlfriend, Evangelion’s jump into visual novels back
before the rebuild movies were even a thought in anyone’s mind.
This is a game very much bound to the late 90s style of anime
narrative from which Evangelion emerged and the game benefits from
retroactively have a distinctive identity due to how much the medium
as a whole has changed. As the later PSP release there are a
selection of quality of life upgrades a gallery and auto saves as
well as new scenario which make this version the definitive way to
experience this time capsule of old Evangelion. Its short length also
makes this an excellent title for someone looking for a bite sized
classic Evangelion experience.
