Archive for September 2024
Best Visual Novel Releases – September 2024
With
the leaves turning brown it is truly a sign that autumn is finally
here and with it another batch of excellent visual novel releases to
warm you up as temperatures drop. Both official titles and fan
patches are firing on all cylinders as they provide yet another month
of thought provoking and emotionally engaging games. The spread of
genres on display continues to impress from detective remasters to
boys love horror to two denpa visual novels, all bringing their own
spin on established and new ideas. Let’s rake over some leaves and
see what visual novel you should be playing.
Official Releases
Ace Attorney Investigations Collection
Capcom
continues the process of porting all the Ace Attorney games from the
DS systems to modern hardware. This time it is the turn of the
spin-offs staring Miles Edgeworth as the player swaps sides to the
prosecution. The investigation gameplay changes to match this new
protagonist with the act of prosecution being shown as a game of
chess where both side take turns breaking down their opponent’s
defences. It also trades out the point and click style of clue
discovery for sprites of the characters which the player controls
talk to witnesses and pick up evidence. Upon its original release
these two games received a mixed reception due to these gameplay
changes and the plot and mysteries being even more nonsensical than
usual, so it was a pleasant surprise to see them announce it was
getting a remaster. While this is be no means a game everyone will
enjoy, it is nevertheless something a fan of the series should at
least check out to see if its unique take on format appeals to them.
However, if you are new this is not the Ace Attorney game for you, it
assumes prior knowledge and investment in the franchise and there are
better titles with which to start your journey into this world.
Date A Live: Ren Dystopia
As
the fourth Date A Live visual novel and releasing after both the
light novel and anime have reached their conclusion, Ren Dystopia
sits in an odd position. Rather than being set after the end of the
concluded story, it instead takes place after the end of the events
covered in Date A Live III and focuses on the new additions from that
series, namely Natsumi and Origami. Structurally it is more or less
identical to Rinne Utopia and Arusu Install where each significant
spirit is given a section for the player to send time with them and
these all lead into a finale about the newly introduced character.
Like those previous two titles, this game feels like a love letter to
the spirits who have defined this series. This has the obvious
consequence of requiring the player to already have a familiarity
with the source material and it does nothing to assist new players in
understanding what is going on. One for the fans who will want to
spend more time with this colourful cast.
The Town of Nie
After
pursuing a strange man down a dark alley, Hisora finds himself in the
afterlife and with no way back he finds himself staying at an in
there alongside its excentric male residents. However, as a living
human in the world of the dead his life is a source of danger for him
as its population finds his condition enviable. Such is the set up for this
boys love tale of self exploration and coming to terms with one’s
own feelings. In terms of tone is aims for a kind of light horror
with bloody scenes as the backdrop to the romance between the male
leads and this mixture aids in keeping the interpersonal tension high
and the conflicts engaging. If you are looking for a different take
on the genre then The Town Of Nie is for you and offers some
excellent thrills and heartfelt moments.
HAPPY SAIN† SHEOL
Long
ago a disaster swept the land corrupting all in its path, leaving it desolate and making life difficult. So those who remained
gathered under the religious banner of Saint Sheol in order to claw
out an existence. In the present a young boy named Belial arrives at
the capital in order to become a trainee priest for Saint Sheol and
things seem to be looking up for him. However, this harsh world is
not so kind as to let that happiness last and Belial is about to find
out the hard way just how ruined this world really is. As a title
leaning heavily on the psychological horror and denpa genres to carry
the wait of its narrative where its characters are constantly in
danger from forces both external and internal they do no understand.
It also loves its pseudo Christian imagery and a core element of its
visual design comes from introducing and corrupting these symbols of
power and purity. For those seeking a haunting horror experience you
cannot go wrong with HAPPY SAIN† SHEOL.
Fan Translation
Karenai Sekai to Owaru Hana
Patch Download VNDB Genre
– Drama, Nakige Play Time – 11 hours
Working
at a cafe in a town filled with brilliant blooming flowers sounds
idyllic, but all is not quite as happy as it seems. One night our
protagonist Shou follows one of the sisters he works with away from
town to a hill covered in flowers and there she reveals the cost they
pay to continue to live in this world, other people’s lives. Such
is the basis of a tale about what it means to live in the face of a
world that seems to not care about your efforts. This is a game which
makes it clear from the start that it is trying to get you to cry at
the plight of its characters and it makes sure every moment is
building towards these emotional crescendos. It often feels very
episodic in nature with a fair amount of self contained incidents
without a core driving force until the later parts of the game. This
works as a method of creating an investment in the characters by
providing a platform for them to express themselves, but it does lack
something for the player to hold onto to motivate them to continue to
the end. Even with this issue, it is well worth your time if you want
an emotionally charged drama then Karenai will be a good time.
Tsui No Sora Remake
Patch Download VNDB Genre
- Denpa, Psychological Horror, Mystery, Philosophy Play Time –
20 hours
This
remake marks the third version of the Tsui No Sora concept, between
the original, Wonderful Everyday and the remake itself. As such it
has a lot of baggage to pick through in order to create its own
identity. Rather than the complete reimagining of Wonderful Everyday,
the remake sticks much closer to the plot and structure of the
original while adding in a few new things to expand it into a new
understanding of the narrative. The core appeal of its uniquely
biting denpa story translates well into this new incarnation and it
maintains the tension and visceral thrills many come to these games
for. So too does the games love for philosophy continue to shine
through as it intelligently handles its themes and ideas with both
direction emotion and abstract philosophical debates. Few games can
match the narrative strength of the Tsui No Sora Remake and you owe
to yourself to play this title.
Kinetic Novel – An Anatomy Of Visual Novels
The Only Path Forwards
Choices
and the routes they lead into are often seen as the defining elements
of what it means to be a visual novel, but the reality of the medium
paints a far more varied picture in the form of the Kinetic Novel.
This entirely linear format goes against the flexible design of other
visual novels in favour of a more controlled and curated experience.
There is nothing new about the Kinetic Novel with many of oldest
titles following this structure. Over time it fell out of favour as
the non-linear elements appealed to the tastes of an audience who
wanted more player expression. Nevertheless the Kinetic Novel has not
disappeared and found its niche in side content or fandiscs where its
self contained nature works to keep the focus on the smaller scale
narratives. Sometimes a big title does come along utilising it due to
the fine level of control allowed through its structure and ability
to shape the perception of key moments. Why has this style of visual
novel survived the test of time? Let’s be railroaded and find out.
A Straight Line
What
does it mean to be linear? At first glance it might seem to be simpler
than its non-linear cousin given its lack of systems surrounded its
core narrative. However, it is exactly because of this lack of other
distractions that a Kinetic Novel must tread carefully since all eyes
are focused on a single path of progression and people are more likely
to see any issues with its story. This pressure is not unique to
Kinetic Novels and many different types of games using linear
structures run into the same issue. Keeping the player engaged in the
narrative without anyway for them to influence it means crafting a
directed experience where the pacing is a roller-coaster ride with
enough ups and downs to create texture. There is also a
greater emphasis on making the characters universally interesting as
they have a uniform importance rather than the specific focus of a
route based title and this leads them to be some of the most
memorable characters in visual novels. Player expectations are generally higher
for Kinetic Novels due to the idea that for something lacking in
anything outside of its narrative to be worth their time it must be
an exceptional in what it does. Its singular focus helps it meet
these expectations, but it is an uphill battle which many titles fail
to reach the top of.
 |
| A story about robots being linear is oddly fitting |
Let’s look at Stella of the End as an example
of a Kinetic Novel and its relationship with the linear. It chooses
to utilise its structure by immediately present the core unique
elements which will drive the narrative forwards and act as the main
source of intrigue in the machines and the robot girl our protagonist
finds himself escorting. Once this is established the game is sure
never to lose its focus on those parts in order to keep the
experience for meandering and helping it maintain player engagement.
This also plays into the pacing of the Stella of the End which is an
episodic odyssey style story and those elements form the constant
that bridges the gaps between each episode and makes them feel like a
cohesive narrative. Since it has no choices it has to rely completely
on these core driving forces to provide the meat of the experience.
These must be up to scratch since the player cannot simply play
another route if they are bored so the game have one chance to
present the narrative to the player and it has to maintain that
consistently throughout its play time.
Narrative Control
The
biggest incentive for making a Kinetic Novel over a standard visual
novel is the many tools it offers to curate the experience and ensure
each story beat has the correct impact. A route based title cannot
know which path the player is going to choose first or last and so
has to format each one make sense in isolation with a part of the
narrative rather a cohesive whole. Being entirely linear means a
Kinetic Novel can avoid this pitfall as the player’s current
progression is a constant and known factor a developer can use to
plan the exact experience they desire for the player. This allows for
plot twists and hidden information to be effectively paced and
unveiled without the player losing track of what is going on as they
would if they were jumping between separate routes. If a title is aim
for a specific kind of narrative complexity or has a key emotion it
wants to be the focus above all else then the control offered by the
Kinetic Novel provides an easy means of ensuring these elements are
not lost in the structure of the visual novel. These are also the
kinds of games which do not mind being linear since they have strong
and immediate hooks to drag the player through the entire play time
and so trading player freedom for control over the story does not
effect them negatively.
 |
| Umineko cares about one thing, its mysteries |
Umineko and Higurashi are some of the most
well known Kinetic Novels and take full advantage of the narrative
control offered to them. Each episode is a mystery onto itself which
feeds into an overarching mystery and their linear nature makes it
easy for the information for both sides to be tightly controlled and
paced leading to a series of dramatic ups and downs that build into a
finale. It relies heavily on the complex and engaging nature of these
mysteries to keep the player engaged and their strength is boosted
through the intensity provided by this linear structure. On the
opposite side of the content spectrum sits Witch On The Holy Night
which leans on its action and heightened drama as the means to keep
the player moving forwards. The game benefits from its linear
structure because of the way it can craft its characters’ emotional
journey in a precise way and weave them into one another rather than
having them exist separately as in a route based title. Having a
shorter play time and a once and done style of narrative also aids in
making the choice of a Kinetic Novel feel natural.
Side Content And Fandiscs
By
far the most common place to see Kinetic Novels is as fandiscs or
side stories to an existing route based visual novel series. These are
short and self contained works which build upon an established
premise and characters so require little in the way of set up to
function. They are focused on a few key elements per title with after
stories and different perspectives on the original game being the
most common types of content. Since the ending has already been
reached for the core narrative before these stories even start it
makes little sense to allow the player to influence their direction
given everything major has ended. These are merely tales of the
characters’ happy lives afterwards and small pieces of new but
unimportant information and as such it makes more sense to offer them
up to in the most direct fashion possible. In doing this the game can
make sure it doesn’t outlive its welcome by not asking the player
to go through its stories more than once. Their nature means the
stories can never have any meaningful narrative beats in them and so
exist as fan centric fluff. This is not a bad thing as it is exactly
what they player has signed up for, but this is a victory lap and
going round the same scenery as before can be fatiguing after having
already spent so much time their in the original title.
 |
| Focus on a single character in a side story allows all the emotional weight to rest on them |
For example
the Ao no Kanata no Four Rhythm – EXTRA games are continuations of
specific parts of the original game and firmly focus on the one
heroine they want to be the star of the show. Here it would make no
sense to offer the player choices due to the lack of other possible
heroines to follow and how the title wants to tell a story without any
distractions from its core premise. In a similar vein Dies irae -
Interview with Kaziklu Bey provides the backstory for a specific
character and is set in a past distant from the events of the main
game. The outcome of this story has already been determined since the
player knows what happens to the protagonist of this side story from
the events of the main game. As such a Kinetic Novel makes sense so
as to not confuse the player about how this fits into the timeline of
the original title and it helps keep the focus squarely on the events
which shaped the character.
Conclusion
Being
a straight line gives the Kinetic Novel a specific niche within the
modern visual novels space which meets the needs of certain kinds of
games. Having a linear structure fundamentally changes the way both
players and developers engage with a narrative as all eyes are on the
core experience with nothing to distract or offer a diversion from
it. In exchange the developer gains a large amount of control over
the narrative in order to shape it into an exact form with the needed
pacing and emotional beats needed to create powerful moments while
knowing the order the player will experience them in. The most common
place to find Kinetic Novels is in the form of fandiscs and side
stories which lend themselves to a linear structure as they expand
off existing elements of a concluded story. Overall, while not as
popular as they once were in the medium, the Kinetic Novel possesses
a unique set of tools that meet the needs of certain kinds of
narratives and should you plan on making on such visual novel then it
is worth considering this type of structure.
Denpa – Genre Deep Dive
Madness In the Static
We
take the familiar for granted in our everyday lives so when that is
undermined it disturbs us on a fundamental level and leaves us with
an uncomfortable sense of wrongness. It is these feeling the Denpa
genre taps into as it slowly eats away at normality and gives it over
to insanity. As a subgenre of horror visual novels it is focused
around creating fear, unease and dread in the player through its own
distinct angle. Denpa understands the importance of build up to
selling a horror experience and makes sure the baseline it intends to
undermine is cohesive so its collapse can have a far greater impact.
All the while there is a constant uncertainty about the reliability
of the narrator who is witnessing this descent into insanity and yet
they are often so certain of their correct perception it makes you
almost want to believe them. This is also a genre which loves to use
its horror to address themes which are not commonly dealt with in
visual novels and from an angle where they have the necessary
emotional impact to really sink in. Let’s watch the world slip into
insanity and find out how all of this works in practice.
A Familiar Insanity
It
is not easy to create a believable descent into insanity from a state
of relative normality for the world around the protagonist. Make the
change too fast and it will appear silly as the escalation does not
properly match the events which lead to it as the characters’
everyday lives are grounded in a familiar version of reality.
However, if it is too slow then the player will lose interest since
the content they will be playing mostly consists of mundane vignettes
which have little impact on their own. So the answer Denpa games have
come up with is to sow the ideas of uncertainty about the characters
in subtle ways over the long term. On their own they appear innocent
to the point where they can be easily overlooked, but as they pile up
it becomes impossible to ignore. This helps keep the player’s
attention through getting them to jump at shadows just like the
protagonist is doing and it maintains this source of tension until
the curtain is pulled back. Once the shift from mundanity to insanity
has been complete, the spiral towards whatever disastrous conclusion
awaits can begin. Despite the game being more direct with the events
being shown, they make sure that the player never feels in control
and lean into the feeling of being pulled along ever faster by a
force they cannot see nor have any chance of resisting. Even here
Denpa does not lose sight of the normal lives people not involved in
the insanity are experiencing which helps call into question the
legitimacy of emotions and actions of all those involved.
 |
| Establishing a normal is key to breaking it down |
Higurashi
takes full advantage of the necessary setup of the mundane to help
sell its characters and make them likeable so the contrast with their
insanity is more pronounced. It places these slice of life events
right next to the subtle build up of uncertainty in order to make the
player not want to believe in the feelings of oddness they are
experiencing about the characters they have come to care for and
create a point of friction it can slowly build on. Once the madness
is in full swing it can leverage the memory of those happier times as
a means through which it can continue to care about the characters
even has they do terrible things to one another. On the other hand
soundless A MODERN SALEM IN REMOTE AREA has a sense normal so
obviously wrong and twisted it is difficult to feel safe in it and
yet it still serves the same role as a source of contrast. Here the
uncertainty is out in the open for all the characters to see, but the
characters do not seem aware of them as they blindly try to continue
their lives. The player is given a noticeably higher amount of
understanding about just how many things are wrong with this place
than the characters do so the player is forced to watch powerlessly
as they spiral into the unseen danger. Despite this increased
knowledge the game is sure to never reveal enough to make its plot
twists easy to see and instead includes a few red herrings to
undermine the player’s belief in the accuracy of the conclusions
they have reached.
Unreliable Narrators
As
players we inherently put our trust in the characters we control and
choose to believe in the version of events they present to us,
especially when they are so close to our own experiences. It is this
trust Denpa exploits to further its perversion of the familiar by
taking away the one point of stability the player thought they could
rely on. This is not a sudden change but rather an encroaching sense
that the events do not quite add up, these holes build up the idea of
information being withheld and the question of why enters the
conversation. The protagonist will also starts to behave in strange
ways, they seem to lack appropriate reason for the action they take
or overreact to events so as to do things far more drastic than what
is called for in the situation. Each of these can be excused as a
reaction to the stress they are put under as the normal world around
them gives way to madness, but there is only so long that the player
can hold onto this line of reasoning before the truth dawns on them.
Once the player accepts the unreliability of their POV character they
are forced to look into the insanity they are witnessing for answers
as to what is really going on, but in doing so they are drawn deep
into the spiral towards the narrative’s chaotic conclusion. They
too begin to feel the same dread and tension the characters are undergoing
and with no one to fall back on they will directly feel the tension
of each step towards the truth.
 |
| Takumi is far from a normal protagonist yet manages to construct his own style of normal |
An interesting example of this
practice can be seen in Chaos Head with its less than stable
protagonist Takumi. From the beginning he is obviously not a
character who’s opinions on the situation can be entirely be taken
seriously due to his tendency to assume the worse about everyone
around him. As such a few odd things happening around him can easily
be dismissed as manifestations of his paranoia and this becomes a new
normal where the player thinks they have his delusions figured out.
So when it becomes clear that they do not have a true grasp on him
the feeling of being lost is even greater as they question all the
examples of instability they had previously dismissed. In many ways
the unreliable narrator is the most insidious type of subversion
since it eats at the established expectation from the ground up and
influences everything else above it. Now the player can never know
what normal truly is and so is left grasping at straws.
Truth At The Edges Of Reason
Being
so connected to the idea of the normal way people behave and how
scary it can be to have that suddenly change, Denpa can speak to deep
seated emotions and thoughts about our own nature. It is easy to
never think about what it means for something to be normal and simply
accept what we experience without question since a ‘normal’ by
its very nature never challenges. Twisting this normal something
unrecognisable gives a space where it can be looked at for what it
truly is in its absence. Once established this examination can be
used to drive whatever themes and ideas the visual novel is seeking
to establish as key to the ongoing narrative. Sometimes there is
value shown in the normal where it offers a place people can be
themselves without issue, as with the everyday lives of the Higurashi
cast. At other times it is a dangerous thing where the characters
have slipped through their complacency and it brings ruin to those
inhabiting it, as with the community in soundless. Another angle
Denpa likes to take with this consideration is asking what sort of
people choose to inhabit this normal and how their reasons for
deteriorating into madness reveal important aspects of the human
condition.
 |
| That will not help the situation... |
This last one is something Wonderful Everyday loves to
play with its different protagonists. Each one looks at the normal
world and its descent into insanity and comes to their own
conclusions about what this means and the value it has for them.
These are varied from Yuki and her distress at the slow deterioration
of the life she holds dear to Takuji and his unwavering belief that
the world is coming to an end so the normal no longer matters.
Through this comparing and contrasting of viewpoints, the
commonalities between them become clear and the game asks the player
what this fact tells them about themselves and humanity as a whole.
It provides some answers to these questions through its endings, but
leaves enough of a gap for there to be room to ponder their meaning
long after the credits.
Conclusion
Denpa
makes a strong case for the power of contrast and a subtle build up
to the unsettling parts of horror. It takes the familiar sense of the
normality and slowly twists it over a long span of time by sprinkling
just enough insanity for the player to have doubts, but not enough
for them to say anything conclusive. Once the madness is in full
swing the game can examine the idea of the ‘normal’ and question
the value and substance it has not only for the cast, but also for
the player and use this to support its core themes. Backing all of
this up is the unreliable narrator where the player slowly comes to
realise the extent of what the protagonist is not telling them and so
lose their only rock in this river of questionable information. This
is a genre of horror which seems the least scary on the surface, but
is brilliantly placed to get under the player’s skin when they
least expect it and leave them feeling vulnerable.
Dungeon Crawler – Uncovering The VN Hybrid
Into The Depths
Dungeon
diving into winding mazes filled with danger and treasure has been
a persistent fantasy and a genre of game seemly at odds with visual
novels due to its high emphasis on its own mechanics. Looking at
titles like Etrian Odyssey might lead to you to believe that this is
a genre which does not care about story. However, among them are a
subset striving to reach for a greater narrative complexity and these
choose visual novel sections as their means of do so. For them its a
method of presentation in line with its already regular and orderly
construction and can be dropped in and out of without it feeling too out
of place. They are uniquely positioned to capitalise on the space
between the itself and the visual novel elements while also offering
the story progression as an important form of momentum over the long
term. Let’s conquer another floor and find out how this hybrid
works in practice.
Regular And Orderly
If
there is one thing which defines the Dungeon Crawler it is the way
its structure adheres to a rigid framework. From start to finish,
everything has a regular and orderly place within the game and it
rarely moves outside of itself and relies on these established
mechanics to push complexity forward while making the changes
understandable for the player. As such the limited presentational
elements available to visual novels feel right at home alongside the
restrictiveness of all the other elements and slot in as another one
of the game’s systems. This way it can be used as a complete
narrative tool all to itself or be overlaid on top of the active game
world gives it the modular nature to respond to the Dungeon Crawler’s
need for story without having to grind everything to a halt. It is
also closer to the feeling of the gameplay than a more extensive 3d
cutscenes since it reflects the orderly nature of the gameplay
experience rather than appearing entirely detached from what has come
before. Its relatively simple production makes it suitable for the
bitty but long narratives these kinds of games like to tell and it
provides the necessary flexibility to keep the focus squarely on the
Dungeon Crawler half of the game while still having a meaningful tale
to invest the player into.
 |
| Interest choice of words there little lady... |
The longer the game the more pronounced
this structural synergy becomes and Yumina the Ethereal presents a
good example of how it works over its eighty hour play time. As a
game with multi paths, one for each heroine, it intends to be
completed more than a single time and as such it needs to keep things
fresh yet consistent with what came before. It achieves this effect
through enhancing or escalating parts of its existing material rather
than offering any type of radically different experience. Yumia is a
title reliant on its over the top nature and escalation to keep
people engaged and as such it is key that its various elements
showcase this throughout. The visual novel sections are part of this
overall change as they carry the narrative of the selected heroine
forwards which sits snugly next to other alterations like changing in
difficulty and new enemy encounters. By ensuring a constant place
for the visual novel, it can present the story as an extension of the
other existing systems and something that compliments the tone and
direction of the game. It finds a degree of freedom in its orderly
nature and can use its limitations as a means to set player
expectations for the spread and pace of content.
The Space Between
Not
everything a game want to present needs to be spelt out in either
mechanics or narrative, sometimes the gap between each can
be played with for an interesting effect. Due to the regular nature
of how the parts of a Dungeon Crawler interact and their someone
abstract nature of their mechanics there are a lot spaces where the
player is asked to imagine what must have happened. For example in a
grid based title, the game does not expect the player to actually
believe that the whole party is crammed onto one tile and are moving
one space at a time and instead it is presented as a representation
of what is really happening in the world used for the sake of
gameplay. It is into gaps like these that some games have chosen to
place things implied but never spelt out in order to let them sit at
the back of the player’s mind to linger there until it is time to
bring them into the light.
 |
| Something is wrong here and it not what it at first appears |
Let us examine a hybrid which makes use of
the technique to see what the practical benefits of it are for all
parts of the title. Mary Skelter 2 is a game which revels in the
things which are present and absent and the gaps between them. In
particular in it utilises its re-framing of the timeline from the
first game while omitting key elements and making the player question
exactly what has gone so wrong to result in this outcome. Here is a
place the gaps between the visual novel and the other game systems is
put to good use by subtly implying the importance of what is missing
in their interaction. The comparison between Jack in the original
game and this one is the strongest use of this implication since the
narrative presents events which lead up to this change and yet does
not directly expand on what that means for a long time. All the while
the battle systems showcases the far more violent and temperamental
nature of this new Jack and the unspoken gap between these two
presentations of the same idea creates a tension that causes the
player to be more aware of it.
Progression As Momentum
Providing
a sense of forward movement within a game is a major way in which
they retain the player’s attention for the long term. For Dungeon
Crawler’s this can be a difficult task due to their inherently
repetitive nature and the way their structure encourages multiple
dives into the same dungeon leading to these aspects blurring into
one another in a way which can lead to a loss of momentum. Enter the
visual novel sections, these give an important feeling of context and
progression to the work the player is putting into the dungeons. By
their nature as narratives they have an in built sense of forward
momentum as all stories are inherently moving towards a conclusion
and so anything attached to it gains the same effect through
proximity. Spacing these visual novel chunks over the long term and
making sure they are regular enough to be a constant presence but not
so frequent as to interrupt the follow of the game’s other systems
is key to ensuring the effectiveness of its impact. Here the modular
and regular nature of the Dungeon Crawler gives it a helping hand, it
is already constantly moving between its distinct and segregated
elements so the transition and presence of the visual novel does not
seem at odds with everything else and is instead just another of the
plethora of options it can dive into.
 |
| Narrative as momentum is an effective trick to keep player engagment |
Take Labyrinth of Refrain:
Coven of Dusk for example, this is a highly mechanics focused title
where the repetition of dungeon diving is core to its appeal and
there is a clear divide between the dungeons and the surface where
all the preparation happen. This is title which risks falling into a
loop where the player feels as if everything is the same so Coven of
Dusk brings in visual novel sections to alleviate this issue. In
order to keep them in line with the rest of the game they are mostly
confined to the surface sections where the plot relevant characters
stay while puppets they control do all the dungeon exploring. Doing
this prevents the narrative from being too invasive into the game’s
core appeal while also having access to the sense of progression
offered by its inclusion. Coven of Dusk is not a story centric title
and yet the inclusion of this element helps the overall package
maintain its needed pacing.
Conclusion
Narrative
has always been an element which Dungeon Crawlers have struggled with
and so they often turn to visual novels for help. At first it might
seem that the two are incompatible due to the regular and orderly
nature of the Dungeon Crawler but this actually works well with the
limited nature of visual novels so it can easily slot into this
existing framework. Momentum is a key factor in the importance of
visual novel sections to the experience since it add a feeling of
progression to what would otherwise risk being a repetitive
environment. The gaps created between the two halves due to their
regular nature work as a great place to interact with what is left
unsaid in the narrative or mechanics and imply ideas which come into
relevance later. This hybrid showcases how much visual novel elements
can contribute even in a style of game which is otherwise mechanics
heavy instead of being concerned with narrative.
Date A Live: Rio Reincarnation Review – Trapped With Some Cute Spirits
Genre – Fantasy, Romance, Slice of Life Play Time – 35 hours Developer – COMPILE HEART and STING Steam VNDB
Spirits In Love
Being
a spin off of the Date A Live franchise, Rio Reincarnation is saddled
with a set of pre-existing expectations from fans while also not
having the ability to progress the overarching narrative of the
series. In many ways this is an impossible situation for a game to
produce something meaningful out of and many similar titles have
ended up as throw away junk. However, Rio Reincarnation manages to
avoid this outcome through leaning into what made the franchise
popular in the first place, its girls, and providing an emotional
core story which wraps up in a way that means it has no impact on the
original work. It is a tightrope walk to maintain this balance and it
comes at the cost of any attempt to appeal to potential new eyes on
the series, yet there is something undeniably charming about its open
love for the source material. Is it able to keep this up over the
course of the three games contained within the package or does it
collapse under the weight of expectations? Let’s go on a
date and find out.
Utopia and VR – Narrative and Themes
The
first two games in this package, Rinne Utopia and Arusu Install, form
the majority of its content and follow a similar structure. Each is
made up a series of character routes with a final true route to act
as a conclusion for their respective stories. Adopting this structure
lets these titles focus on what Date A Live sells best, its cast. The
Player’s pre-existing attachment to them is a convenient avenue to
an easy form of engagement where familiar events and personality
traits are paraded around in this new context to feed a sense of
nostalgia. It would be easy to fall into the trap of simply rely on
this technique as the sole hook for the game, but these titles
realise they need to go beyond this starting point in order to be
something that is worth coming back to again and again. To achieve
this they have small character arcs with suitable dramas attached
that provide a unique direction to each route. They act as a means to
enhance the memorable traits of the characters by playing up what the player has come to expect from an entirely new angle. A
lot of effort has also been put into ensuring they do not in any
way effect the greater cannon of the franchise and so it can exist as
a form of throwaway yet distinctive fun. Throughout all this hints of
the greater plot of the game are sprinkled in and these reach a
crescendo in the final true route. This serves two purposes, firstly
it helps draw together what are otherwise of disconnected character
interactions and secondly it acts as an incentive to play all of the
routes in order to get the full picture rather than just the ones
focused around characters the player likes. Promoting another angle
of engagement as well as a proper conclusion helps add some much
needed texture to the game and allows it to form an identity of its own within the
franchise. Just like the character routes, the final route also makes
sure to end in a way where its events can be reasonably not mentioned
in the main series which could irritate someone who was looking for
something more substantial from the narrative.
 |
| A theme park is always a fun location for some character silliness |
Bringing
these two game together is the final part of the package, the titular
Rio Reincarnation. This is a much smaller affair and aims to tie up
some lose ends in order to offer a complete experience. In many ways
this is as far as these games ever drift from the core cannon of the
main franchise and must instead rely on the investment the player has
developed over the course of the previous titles. It seeks to
encapsulate all that the Date A Live series is from its own angle and
leave the player with a lasting impression to encourage them to come
back again. A lot of its success can be attributed to the way it
weaves in small nods to the arcs each character has been on
throughout this package and relates them back to its own new
characters in a way that heightens the drama surrounding them. They
are obviously somehow related to the cause of what is going on yet
the sympathetic light the game thematically places on them makes the
player wish that the inevitable confrontation and resolution be put
off for just a little longer. Rio Reincarnation bears a lot
similarities to the true routes of the previous two games and so it
can at times feel rushed as a result since there is not as much time
to space out events and give them the proper room they need to
express themselves. Even with this issue, it serves its
overall purpose of acting as the package’s binding element and the
experience of play through the games is enriched by its presence.
 |
| Hmmm, I wonder if it is important? |
Balancing Emotions – Characters
As
a title firmly aimed at existing Date A Live fans, the original
characters are the primary focus as it is their antics that most
players are here to see. Each one is an incredibly faithful rendition
of their cannon counterpart with all the reactions and playfulness
expected from them. Since they are given their own routes, they have
the space needed to sell a more intimate look at the emotions which
underlay their actions and their relationships with the rest of the
cast. Their character arcs are a natural extension of this closer
perspective and tend to focus on single familiar angle on their
personal conflict. It offers just enough development to make the arc
feel like it has substance while not stepping on the toes of any
future changes in the character. The results are somewhat uneven with
characters who possess an existing source of tension to tap into,
such as Kurumi and Origami, fairing far better as the narrative gains
an inbuilt source of drama it can easily lean into in order to
create a powerful impact. Other characters, in particular Tohka, can
run into the issue of having nothing substantial to do and fall
into a pattern of repeating the same basic elements of their
personality to act as a distraction. It is also worth noting the
increased presence of previously minor side characters who are here
given a sizeable spotlight through optional side events and their
role in the main characters' events. Through their inclusion the world
of Date A Live is given an additional texture, each one provides a
glimpse into the lives of people not directly involved in the Spirits
conflict and humanises both themselves and the Spirits they interact
with.
 |
| Rinne and the other new character are a bit too obvious in their importance |
Each
of the titles in the Rio Reincarnation package includes at least one
new character who acts as the focal point for that game’s plot.
They get a lot a screen time to fully flesh themselves out since the
game cannot rely on the player’s pre-existing understanding of them
as it does with the old cast members. As a result they stand out
against these almost static old characters and naturally draw
attention to themselves which is both a blessing and a curse. On the
positive side it makes them far easier for the player to empathise
with due to the sympathetic struggles and growth they are allowed to
undergo as well as the intimate emotions they express. Each feels as if they are not bound to the same obligations to
continuity as the old cast and this freedom to be themselves gives a
concrete anchor in order to bond with them. However, it is
precisely the way that they stand out which introduces a lot of
narrative weaknesses to these games. Most prominent among these being
the complete inability to hide anything about how the plot is going
to play out. It is obvious from the start that the new characters are
responsible for what is going on and often it is easy to call exactly
how the plot will play out. This results is an overall weaker feeling
narrative experience as the player knows the outcome long before it
happens and so the games rely even more on the player’s love for
the characters to carry the story.
Normal Life In An Abnormal World – Visual, Audio and Technical
Capturing
the essence of the Date A Live anime, rather than the original light
novel, was clearly the intent when it came to the visual and audio of
Rio Reincarnation. Its art style relies heavily on its expressive
Live 2D character sprites to sell the idea that these are the same
characters the player is familiar with. In this role they do a
brilliant job through all the small movements as the characters emote
from tilts of the head to their whole body bouncing up and down, all
of which are tweaked to help showcase the subtle difference in
the cast. It makes sure these movements and character designs are a
close to the source material as possible from their casual clothing
to their spirit form and the new character designs follow these
design principles to the point of appearing completely natural along
side the old characters. While the audio does not pull as directly
from the anime as the visuals do, they still remain faithful in terms
of the tone and mood they set. Slice of life with a splash of action
are the ingredients that define Rio Reincarnation’s soundtrack.
Light melodies echo as the cast laughs and silly antics play out
which switch into dramatic and sweeping tracks as the stakes rise and
characters assume their spirit forms. Overall the OST is not
particularly original or memorable but instead it focuses on do its
job in the moment and exists as something to reinforce the experience
in its entirety rather than be able to stand on its own.
 |
| Where to go next? |
Choices are made in two ways, either the standard list of
choices during dialogue or through which character the player choose
to spend time with on the world map. This dual level of consideration required in order to get onto the character route the player
desires presents one of Rio Reincarnation’s biggest problems. Since
the player must not only choose their desired character every time
they appear they must also guess correctly what choice is the desired
one during that event. This can lead to a level of confusion where it can be unclear which one the two is more important to getting
the desired route. Couple this with various bad ending which the
player can accidentality stumble into specific to each character and
the result is somewhat confusing to navigate smoothly. Making it feel
as if you have to look up a guide to get the ending you want is never
something desirable for a visual novel and it is unfortunate that
this package accidentality stumbles into this trap.
Conclusion
Many
tie-in visual novels struggle with the competing demands of their
obligations to the original material and the need to create something
new and Rio Reincarnation showcases a shining example of how it can
be done correctly. It adapts the existing Date A Live cast smoothly
into its structure and gives them each a small character arc for
their route which allows them to show off their personalities while
not interfering with cannon. Visuals and Audio are something the
package utilises to further draw on its connection to its source
material and immerse the player in this setting. New cast members are
made empathic and flexible since they stand out due to their more
expansive emotional development and this helps make them memorable
despite being only featured here. The titular Rio Reincarnation part
of the package acts as a nice round up for the games’ plots and
characters in one last concentrated form. A somewhat confusing to
navigate choice system is the most noticeable flaw which does
bring the player out of the experience to look up a guide. This is a
game made for fans to tie into an existing franchise and the
alterations made by Rio Reincarnation are about as far as the
developers could have pushed the material without upsetting the people
they are selling the package to.
Verdict –
A package made with a clear love for the series and a desire to
please fans while offering something slightly new to add some spice.
It assumptions about the player’s attachment to the characters means
it alienates people not already invested in the franchise.
Pros -
+
Focused around creating an enjoyable narrative experience with your
favourite Date A Live characters.
+
Rio Reincarnation acts as a fitting conclusion to the previous two
games.
+
Art style and music perfectly capture the tone and emotions of the
original material.
+
The new characters are allowed to be front and centre so the player
can spend enough time with them to form a strong bond.
Cons -
-
There is nothing here for people who are not already invested in the
franchise.
-
New characters are too obviously plot important so it is easy to
predict the plot beats long before they happen.
-
Choice system is made needlessly confusing by having it be dual
layered nature.
