Sunday, July 28, 2024
In
the heart of summer it is normally a quiet time for game releases,
but visual novels have stepped up to fill the gap with a flood of
excellent titles for a variety of audiences. This has been a month
defined by romance, comedy and mystery in equal measure and each of
these genres has been gifted with at least one entry into them which
will appeal to its fans. Let’s dive in and find out which of the
many new visual novels you should be playing.
Official Releases
Lilja and Natsuka: Painting Lies
Having
a mystery story focused around something other than murder, or the
threat thereof, is surprisingly rare in visual novels so it is
interesting to see Painting Lies take this less trodden path. Its
mysteries instead choose to closely look at the personal lives
of the characters and uncovering their past actions and motivations.
This is an extremely intimate tale of two girls, Lilja and Natsuka,
who confront the trauma of their own pasts through solving the
questions surrounding those who seek their skills. Lilja is a blind
and wheelchair bound painter who will paint anything their clients
ask for so long as it interests her and she works with the upbeat
Natsuka who acts as her eyes and legs. The two make for an odd pair
with their relationship being the star of the show and holding much
of the game’s appeal through their entertaining interactions. Mixed
together, this investigation game enraptures the player while walking
them down a path filled with wonderfully real feeling character
stories and bonds. If you are looking for a title which stands out in
the mystery genre then you cannot go wrong with Painting Lies.
Neko-nin exHeart SPIN!
It
is strange to see the catgirl ninja series reach their fourth title
given it seemed like a gimmicky concept when the original first
released, but it appears that there is an audience for this type of
story. SPIN follows a new protagonist for the series who is thrust
into this hidden world when a cat eared woman opens fire with a
machine gun at the funeral of his grandfather and his younger sister
turns into a tanuki eared kunoichi. The overall comedic tone is still
the heart of this game with the constant string of light hearted
jokes making it clear how it expects you to view it while playing.
Separating itself from the previous entries in the series goes a long
way to make SPIN feel fresh and able to revive some of the magic from
its unique premise which had been lost in the second and third games.
There are still connections to the rest of the titles such as
returning characters and these are handled respectfully so as it not
overshadow the focus on the new cast. Neko-nin exHeart remains an
accessible and light piece of entertainment and SPIN is an excellent
entry point in the franchise as well as a good continuation for those
already invested into its world.
B-PROJECT RYUSEI*FANTASIA
Male
idol games occupy a space slightly different from their female
counterparts due to their need to appeal to the female gaze and all
the expectations which come along with it. RYUSEI*FANTASIA knows its
audience well as it caters to their desires while still maintaining
its own identity and the emotional impact of its character arcs. You
step into the role of an idol A&R where you support the growth of
14 talents as they rise up to become stars and come to know them
intimately. This is a title that really focused around the idol management
fantasy with its large cast of idols demanding the player respond to
their desires appropriately and it displays a clear love for the
music and personalities of its stars. Overall an excellent visual
novel for those seeking a heartfelt male idol fantasy and who wish to
experience its ups and down on a personal level.
Hookah Haze
Games
inspired by VA-11 Hall-A have had quite a rise to prominence recently
with Tavern Talk releasing just last month and Hookah Haze this
month. Hookah Haze steps away from serving drinks of one kind or
another and instead explores the smoking of the titular hookah. This
gives the title a unique flavour as it recounts the intricacies in
making good hookah for customers and carefully matching it to their
tastes. The game radiated with a passion for its subject matter and
this extends into the characters who engage with it. In total there
are four characters, the protagonist and three customers, present in
this story making for a small cast who the player will come to know a
lot about as their small talk over the hookah reveals glimpses into
their lives. This new take on the genre offers some much needed
spice by showcasing that it does not need to focus around beverages
and any service industry where people come into an establishment is a
valid place to set one of these games. As such this might be one of
the most accessible titles in this genre for new players to get their
teeth into it while providing a distinctive spin to appeal to those
experienced from previous games in the genre.
Fan Translations
Decoration Disorder Disconnection 1
Adaptations
of books into visual novel are rare to see and even more so when it is
a fan translation and work. Based on a series written by Nasu Kinoko
of Type-Moon fame, it focuses around the influx of so called demon
possessed due to the rise in the mental stresses of the modern world
and presents these supernatural powers from a scientific and
psychological angle. Those possessed are seen in the same way as any
other person with a mental illness and the aim of the people
attempting to apprehend them is to protect both them and the public
at large leading to a situation where both are seen as victims. It is
an intriguing take on the exorcism genre and it lends the horror of
the transformation the victims undergo a more visceral feeling given
its presented using terminology we are familiar with from our own
world. This a solid adaptation which aims to make the story of DDD
more accessible for a wide audience to expose them to what Nasu is
capable of beyond what he has produced for Type-Moon.
