Sunday, November 24, 2024
With
the holiday season fast approaching and joy beginning to spread, it is
time to look at the crop of visual novels you might want to consider
as presents. This has been a month with a large spread it the tones
and content of its titles from otome fandiscs to dark fantasy yuri to
a Key gacha game. Let’s dive in and find out what you should be
playing from all these new releases.
Official Releases
Steam Prison -Beyond the Steam-
As
the follow up and fandisc for Steam Prison it seeks to expand on the
steampunk setting of the original and deliver on the strengths of the
characters. It is split up into two main sections. The first is a
follow up to the Grand Ending with the cast being moved to a new
location called Cainabel where they have to navigate a conflict
surrounding two kings. This forms the meat of the content and should
be your primary reason for picking up Beyond The Steam as it where
all the old characters and plot elements are located. The other major
section of the game is ‘A New Theory’ which is a retelling of the
original story except it focus on the leader of the Hounds, Sachsen.
It explores his character in more depth through presenting his
actions from a personal angle the heroine forced to look
directly at the sort of person he is at his core. This is clearly
done in the hopes of creating a character who is more than the single
bad guy he was in the original. As always with a fandisc this is a
game for those already invested in the original and should only be
picked up if you enjoyed it.
Heaven Burns Red
Offical Client VNDB Genre
– Nakige, Sci-fi, Gacha Play Time – Every increasing with each
new patch
Gacha
games are not normally something covered here, but the pedigree of
the talent and the way the title leans heavily into its visual novel
roots mean it is worth addressing. It is helmed by Maeda Jun of Key fame who has previously
been behind classic games such as Clannad so you can easily guess the
type and quality of the story found in Heaven Burns Red. It follow
Kayamori Ruka as she fights against the mysterious entities who
threaten the Earth simply know as ‘The Cancer’ alongside her
squad of similarly superpowered allies. The majority of the playtime
is focused on those allies and their interpersonal relationships with
bonds slowly building between them. This is a story about people who
are trying to find themselves and it seeks to get your invested in
its cast so you will cry along with them. How effective this will be
highly depends on how familiar you are with other Maeda Jun works and
the techniques he likes to use on the player. Being too familiar with
them will undermine a lot of the powerful moments since they follow
his standard formula and are easy to predict from past experience
which dulls their impact. However, for those who have ever wondered
what makes his games so well received Heaven Burns Red makes for a
great entry point and being a free to play title makes it is a good way to
get your feet wet. For everyone else you will have to decide based on
how much you are willing to overlook the predictability of its story.
Scarlet Defiance: The Wall Between Us
In
a world divided between humans and vampire can a pair of lovers cross
this chasm to find happiness. Such is the intertwined fate of the
revolutionary leader Sofia and the vampire princess Vlatka and their
struggles with their duties and desires. This is short and
simple title focused completely around this budding romance and the
complications it brings to the character’s lives. It knows exactly
what it wants to be and creates an emotionally intense experience
designed to put the player firmly into the mental space of its leads.
If you are looking for a palate cleanser after all those long visual
novels or want something that respects your time then Scarlet
Defiance will make for a wonderful change of pace.
Virche Evermore -EpiC: Lycoris-
Nintendo Eshop VNDB Genre
– Otome, Science Fantasy Play Time – 40 hours
Yet
another fandisc for an otome game, this time for the sci-fi Virche
Evermore which released earlier this year. EpiC: Lycoris is split up
into five sections presenting new stories involving the cast and
builds on the plot to deliver an expansion of this interest setting.
As expected of a fandisc it concentrates its time on the private life
of the characters and how they interact with the protagonist far more
than the original. The plot takes somewhat of a backseat here and
those who were drawn in through its intriguing world may be
disappointed with the more standard direction of the fandisc. Overall
it offers enough to keep existing player engaged for its playtime,
but you should set your expectations accordingly if you pick this
title up.
Homicipher
Now
here we have an odd title, a puzzle horror game based around figuring
out an unknown language from context clues while being surrounded by
handsome monsters who may or may not be out to kill you. Rather than
an intense style of horror, this is instead more of a spooky title
where the blood and death is cartoonish like a Halloween party. It
makes the experience a somewhat light affair where the high amount of
bad endings born from the trail and error nature of the translation
gameplay is a part of the fun. The vaguely romantic undertones with
the male monsters helps to reinforce this tone as their almost
flirtatious and playful interactions form an amusing back and forth
to keep the mysteries engaging. If you are looking for a distinctly
memorable light horror title with plenty of eye-candy then Homicipher
is a game you should pick up.
Fan Creations
Higurashi no Naku Koro ni – Kuradashi-hen
A
fan creation which adapts the light novel of the same name into a
visual novel format. It contains collection of short scenes cut during
Higurashi’s development alongside author commentaries on each and
manga illustrations. This change in format does a good job of
capturing the material and communicating the ideas and intent of the
original. Expanding the available material in English for Higurashi
is always a good thing and this title opens up a greater
understanding of the development process of its creator along with
how the final form of the games came into being. For those interested
in the history of the series, this game will deliver yet another
wonderful insight into its myriad possibilities.
