Sunday, December 31, 2023
As
we see out another packed year, it is time to look back and appreciate
the bountiful and brilliant games we have been blessed with. 2023 was
a good year for the video game industry with big title after big
title and visual novels were no slouch in this department. Our
communities continue to support and critique the medium we all engage
with and love in new and exciting ways. The variety of genres, ideas
and characters present in the releases this year makes me proud to be
a part of it as we can engage with them in ways no other type of game
can. Let’s take a drive down memory lane and pick out the
highlights of this year while considering what 2024 might bring for
us.
Notable Events
Shiravune’s Rise To Prominence
This
year marks the explosion onto the visual novel scene of Shiravune
with a flurry of quality titles and an expansion onto new and
accessible store fronts. Shiravune is not a new entrant to the market
and has been releasing titles over the past few years but they have
had only a small selection of notable visual novels to attract
attention. They also tended to use the site Johren for most of their
releases which was not a popular pick for consumers and this limited their
sales and exposure. All this would change in 2023 as Shiravune would
output titles that turned heads with everything from a new release of
Kara no Shoujo, now called The Shell Part I: Inferno, to the classic
White Album to the remaster of One. On top of this they would expand
the stores from which their games would be available to include JAST,
MangaGamer and Kagura Games, greatly increasing their exposure and
allow the consumer to choose the avenue of their purchase. Another
publisher seeing success in the visual novel space is a good sign for
our medium and we can hope for excellent future
localisations from a more competative release schedule.
Tencent Acquire Visual Arts
July
saw Tencent gaining full control of Visual Arts, the parent company of
the beloved visual novel developer Key. This occurred due to the
representative director Baba Takahiro choosing to retire from the
company and becoming an advisor, in doing so he also transferred all
his shares to Tencent giving them control over the running of
business. Such a series of events is not entirely unsurprising given
Baba is now in his 60’s and managing Visual Arts must have become
increasingly problematic. As for what this change in ruler means for
Visual Arts, that is far more unclear. At the time of writing there
have been no public or noticeable alterations to the company’s
activities, but who knows what the future may hold. We can only hope
that the its continued profitability shields it from harm.
Interesting Visual Novels From Game Jams
If
you want to find the innovative and new from a medium then Game Jams
are where you should look first. This more experimental side of
visual novels continues to surprise in 2023 and be the beating heart
of the English speaking scene. Keeping people aware of development in
the medium is important and as such this section will cover some of
the most interesting title from Jams held this year.
NaNoRenO 2023
Reaper’s GoodBye
The
framing of the narrative as five patrons, each telling their tales at
a food stand as they wait for the midnight train, is well utilised to
engage their lives in a web of interconnected emotions. Coupled with
a cleaver use of comic style speech bubbles and the result is fresh
and evocative title.
Potions for Tomorrow
While
the idea of a potion shop is hardly an original one for games at this
point, the way Potions for Tomorrow lets its characters sell their
own short stories helps elevate the title and forms an adorable
atmosphere. The light potion making sections do just enough to keep
the player entertained without demanding too much from them.
A phone found in tall grass
Presenting
an apocalypse through the lens of a person’s twitter feed is a take
on the genre which has gone strangely unexplored. So much of people’s
lives is showcased on their social media that it makes sense to
explore the end of the world from this angle.
SuNoFes 2023
Hollow Victory
If
having to visit your ex in jail was not bad enough, what about if he
had tried to take over the world as well? This short visual novel
takes its limited resources as a challenge to produce the keenest and
sharpest personality on screen for the maximum amusement.
Pilla’s Paradise
A
sci-fi take on the narrative about the life of a streamer is a
surprisingly novel concept especially when paired with an energetic
and accident prone protagonist. Add in a soul searching quest which takes her out of
her comfort zone and the results should speak from themselves.
Yuri Game Jam 2023
Star Crossed
Contrasting
and complementing ideals are fertile ground for conflict and doubly so when
mixed with the chaotic element that is love. The two heroines, Clara
and Laila, are strong foils from one another and make for a powerful
ride as they pair clash against the realities of the world they
inhabit.
Adieu Those In Love
Red
is an emotive colour and it is used here to its utmost to sell the
characters feelings in an all-consuming manner. You cannot help but
inhabit their mental space as the visual novel prevents you from
looking away from the characters on screen.
Selection Of The Best Visual Novel Releases
Deciding
what visual novels to highlight from such a packed year was a task
which proved more difficult than I had first imagined. There are just
so many excellent games to pick from all showcasing a variety of
amazing genres. However, in the end there were a set of clear winners
that you should definitely have played this year.
Sona-Nyl of the Violet Shadows Refrain (Steam)
Probably
my favourite visual novel released this year as I have always been a
sucker for Liar-soft’s strong narratives, visuals and ability to
engage with the literary elements of the medium. Once again we return
to their steampunk world, this time to the deserted streets of New
York after all its residences simply disappeared one day. Following
the two perspectives of a pair of girls, Elysia and Lily, as they
each tackle their strange situations from vastly different angles and
both above and bellow the city. Liar-soft’s ability in Sona-Nyl to
play with all the cards the medium’s presentation has to offer in
order to sell the content and emotion of each and every moment is why
they are one of the greatest developers in this design space.
WHITE ALBUM: Memories like Falling Snow (Steam)
Dealing
with the success of your significant other can be difficult,
especially when the world seems to be pushing the two of you away
from each other. Exploring how someone copes or fails to cope with
this adversity is the core of WHITE ALBUM and leads to all the
emotion and entertainment it relies upon to keep the player engaged.
While the tedium of the common route’s dating sim elements leaves a
lot to be desired, the core heroine routes each bring something
distinct to the table both in terms of the heroine’s own arc and
the protagonist’s weakness as both work in tandem to keep tensions
high. WHITE ALBUM does not quite live up to its amazing sequel, but it
still stand head and shoulders above any of its peers.
Azrael on the Boundary of Life and Death (Patch Dowload)
When
I first downloaded Azrael I did not think much of it. The clearly low
budget title only had a small selection of character portraits and
CGs and altered photos for backgrounds which did not exactly set my
heart on fire. You would think that I would have stopped judging a
book by its cover at this point, but Azreal once again remained me
that it is strong ideas and emotions which make a good visual novel
and not the surrounding fluff. Taking a person’s life and showing
the best and worse versions of it and then asking if both are equally
worth living is surprising impactful and thought-provoking. It is
easy to say that all life is valuable in the abstract, but it is much
harder to do when confronted with the reality of their suffering. Even
in all the darker subjects Azrael tackles, there is a strong sense of
hope permeating throughout and helped along by a short playtime,
culminating in a satisfying pay off.
Witch on the Holy Night (Steam)
Seeing a Type-Moon visual novel available officially in English is surreal
experience after all these years of being denied their release.
Starting with Witch on the Holy Night was a smart choice given its
relatively self-contained nature, combined with its relatively low
stakes conflict compared to other more recent titles, and you have a
perfect entry point for the expanded world of Type-Moon to get its
claws into a player. Even for veterans it offers a new angle on the life of
mages and brings in a few fan favourite characters to show them off
in more details as the core of the narrative rather than side
elements not properly touched upon.
ANONYMOUS;CODE (Steam)
It
has been good to see that the Science Adventures series has not lost
its pedigree for outputting excellent visual novels with the release
of ANONYMOUS;CODE. Bring the series sci-fi talent to the world of
hacking fiction in order to take it into the futuristic 2030s, a
place near enough to be familiar but far enough away to be a little
alien. Keeping the character focus that was key to the success of
their previous titles allows ANONYMOUS;CODE to keep the player
invested in their struggles and prevent the larger conflicts from
losing their meaning among all the in-universe concepts. Add in a
good helping of eye popping visuals and the result is a
roller-coaster of a good time.
H2O√ after and another Complete story Edition (Steam)
Having
a blind protagonist in what is an inherently visual medium is a
unique type of challenge for a developer to undertake. The solution
H2O came up with is to present the images the player sees as what the
protagonist, Hirose Takuma, imagines the world to look like. This
makes him an interesting take on the unreliable narrator since it is
not that he is mentally unsound or has any malice, but instead he
simply lacks an important avenue of information and in turn so does
the player. Though this lens H2O asks what meaning and value can be
found in how people live their lives from the small actions to grand
feelings of love. No stone is left unturned in this tale about those
seeking reason and purpose to their continued existence.
Things To Look Out For Next Year
Tsukihime- A piece of blue glass moon-
Now
the appetiser, Witch On The Holy Night, is out of the way we can sit
in anticipation of the main course, the Tsukihime remake. Covering
the first half of the original game’s narrative, it expands on that
foundation and in particular Ciel’s route which had previously
lacked any meaningful identity of its own. If you want my extended
thoughts on the remake you can look to my review.
The short version is this reimagining does wonders for bringing the
title into the modern era for new and old fans with shiny visuals and
excellent new characters. It is not without issues such as the way
some sections exist to be paid off in the currently non-existent
second half of the remake. However, the quality of this package makes
it easy to overlook these problems and just enjoy this urban fantasy
ride.
Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy
Look
for a good visual novel to start the year with, then look no further
than the Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy releasing on January
24th. While not as widely loved as the original Ace
Attorney games, the Apollo Justice Trilogy continues the series’
humour and courtroom drama which made it so popular in the first
place. Given this single remaster offers three complete titles for a
reasonable price and in an accessible form rather than being tied to
the DS, now is the perfect opportunity for new players to find out
what they have been missing or to complete their collection as this
makes a nice pair with the previous trilogy. A promising way to begin
the year and remind people of the potential this medium has for all
kinds of games.
Angelic☆Chaos RE-BOOT!
Another
year and another Yuzusoft title to look forward to. This time they
have chosen to go with a reincarnation isekai style narrative where
our protagonist was the demon lord in his previous life. Soon enough
he finds himself surrounded by all manner of supernatural creatures
and chief among them is the angel who was responsible from bringing
his quiet life to end. Mixing in a good amount of magical hijinks
alongside the normal kind looks to be a refreshing change from the
straight forward slice of life elements that usually populates most
of the playtime. Beyond this new element the high bar of quality is
maintained and it marks Yuzusoft as the continued premier developer
of this genre.
