Sunday, December 24, 2023
Its
that festive time again as the year ends with feasting and
fireworks. Not wanting to be outdone by the year’s flashy exit,
visual novels have upped their game with some of outstanding
titles coming out this month. We have everything from two anticipated
Type-Moon games to a classic remaster to a dating sim where you
romance Death himself! This month has been a wild ride so let’s
wade the piles of gold and see what the best releases are in this
packed schedule.
Official Release
Sona-Nyl of the Violet Shadows Refrain
Another
entry into Liar-soft’s steampunk series and yet another outstanding
tale that makes it clear why they are one of the greatest developers
in the medium. Set near the beginning of the 20th century
this alternative history continues the series’ seamless blending of
steampunk technology with fantasy elements into the smog of these
ever-changing cities and Sona-Nyl brings its own unique spin to
established ideas. Following the duel protagonist of Elysia and Lily
as the both confront New York and the mysterious disappearance of all
the people who once lived there. A strange Underground seems to hold
the key to what happened on that day and the two are draw towards it
for vastly different reasons, but their futures will be shaped by
what they find along the way. In the land of violet fog and darting
shadows, what truths await these girls? Overall this is definitely
worth your time with its unique atmosphere, excellent writing and
compelling characters.
A Date with Death
Dating
sims with unusual characters are all the rage at the moment with
Colonel Sanders being the main character in one of them. However, A Date With
Death stands out from them for how it takes this humour and the light
formula and adds some much needed depth and emotion to the
relationship. Your character has spent their entire life narrowly
avoiding death through pure luck, but it seems that your luck may
have run out as a mysterious program appears on your computer and
through it a man claiming to be the Grim Reaper starts to communicate
with you. Taking the aesthetics of the in-game program you use, the
narrative is a somewhat playful affair as it looks at the nature of
your characters relationship with the Grim Reaper and through this it manages some
surprisingly compelling and resonant moments. Since the Grim Reaper
is the only character in the story and your enjoyment of the game
directly correlates to how much your like his personality and while
he is interesting it is easy to see how someone would bounce right
off him. Given the low price tag of completely free, this title is
worth picking up if you are even vaguely intrigued.
Witch on the Holy Night
Never
would I have thought I would see the day when Type-Moon visual novels
received official English releases, but here we are with Witch On The
Holy Night. Set in 1980s Japan it focus in the life of mages in the
modern world far more than previous games through how a
variety of different personalities deal with their circumstances
without losing sense of adventure and action the world is known for.
The group dynamic between Aoko, Soujuurou and Alice is easy one of
its biggest selling points as they regularly do not get along leading not only to hilarious moments but also to meaningful looks at why they each act
the way they do. Its shorter playtime and linear narrative work in
its favour to keep the pace up and not let the world lose its sense
of wonder through repetition. Not only is this a must play for
Type-Moon fans it is also a decent entry point into this franchise
for new players.
ONE.
Remastering
a game can do a lot to make it more accessible to a modern audience
and usable on modern hardware and One is definitely a title which
needed a touch of paint. One is a classic romance visual novel
originally released in 1998 and had an undeniable influence on the
medium with its strong take on the Nakige genre, using it for maximum effect,
all to make the player cry. It weaves in a light fantasy element in a
way that does not undermine the grounded struggles of the protagonist
and heroines and instead uses it to highlight key narrative and
thematic ideas beyond those contained in any single route. There is
an understanding here of how to achieve an emotional resonance which
would go on to inform how many games afterwards would engage their
players even to this day. For those looking for a strong romance
narrative or who are interested in the past of the medium, the One
remaster is a must play.
Fan Translation
Fate/Extra CCC
Patch Download VNDB Genre
– Fantasy, Action, RPG Play Time – 60 hours
This is another
Type-Moon title which seemed as if it would never see a complete
translation with all attempts seeming to dissolve into nothing, until
now. Finally, people will be able to experience the sequel to the
original Fate/Extra and understand why it is highly regarded by those
who have played it. Taking the core setting of the original game and
putting its own spin on it is the name of the game for CCC. The
whole servant vs. servant battle royale is thrown aside in favour of a
more continuous narrative where each character gets a human
portrayal as they collaborate against a new threat. BB is the star
of this show and steals every scene she is in through the over the top
and playful villainy that brilliantly threads the line between humour and danger, it is little wonder she would be come a fan favourite
personality. CCC is truly the height of the Extra series and is worth
playing for anyone looking for a strong visual novel and JRPG hybrid
which showcases the best Type-Moon has to offer.
