Monday, December 30, 2024
With
another year about to leave forever let us turn and look back at
all that has been achieved in the visual novel space. This has been a
year of strong titles from all corners of the world and showcasing
the wide variety of people who find themselves drawn to the medium.
Each new release offered something completely distinct and the range of
genres and themes was greater than ever before as more people came to
appreciate the strengths of visual novels. It has been a relatively
drama free year with the medium seeing a period of continuity with
last year and those trends have gained momentum. Let’s
take a swim through the sea of memories and see what highlights we
can find from this past year.
Selection Of The Best Visual Novel Releases
Fate/stay night REMASTERED Steam / Tsukihime Nintendo Eshop
For
Type Moon fans this has been a particularly good year with the
English language releases of both Fate/stay night and the Tsukihime
remake. These are two influential and popular titles have long relied
on fan translations to carry their influence outside of Japan, but
now everyone can come to appreciate the qualities that made them so
special. They certainly hold the position of the Japanese visual
novels with the widest appeal released this year which has been
helped by the Fate franchise pushing into other mediums and exposing
new audiences to this distinctive universe. Having such a strong
urban fantasy world means these games have stood the test of time and
offer a memorable experience even to new players. If you have not
played either of these visual novels then you owe it yourself to buy
them.
Homicipher Steam
Mixing
otome with horror and a good dose of linguistic puzzles is a
surprisingly strong formula. Leaning into a spooky atmosphere which
is somewhat tongue and cheek lends a strangely whimsical feeling to
the violent deaths the player is likely to experience as they try and
work out the mysterious language. Needing
to pay such close attention to the words and context of the events on
screen without relying on a complex narrative makes Homicipher stand
out among this years releases. It is a visual novel which manages to marry
an intensity into each moment as the player picks away at the wall of
information they must overcome to interact properly with the handsome
monsters. There are few games in the medium capable of holding this
balance of corny and thrilling quite like Homicipher and it is worth
playing just for that unique blend alone.
Tsui No Sora Remake Patch Download
Tsui
No Sora has had an odd history of releases. After its original
release it received a full reimagining in the form of Wonderful
Everyday which took its core ideas and expanded upon them in a longer
format. Then for the tenth anniversary of the release of Wonderful
Everyday, Tsui No Sora received a direct remake which added more
content to the original while being distinct from Wonderful Everyday.
It is this remake which received a fan translation patch this year to
finally make this piece of Tsui No Sora accessible in English. The
remake offers the perfect opportunity for those interested in the denpa genre to play a shorter title with a lot of what makes the
genre so great on full display.
Hookah Haze Steam / Taven Talk Steam
The
legacy of VA-11 Hall-A continues to live on through the drink and
smoke serving games which came out this year. Stepping into the
realms of hookah and a fantasy tavern, these titles followed in the
footsteps of others like Coffee Talk in aiming for a cosy vibe where
the stakes are low and the personal conversations are lent a light
feeling. These elements have become the hallmarks of the genre and as
these titles branch out from being about just beverages into general
service industry fantasies, they are likely to become even more
important. Each tale told through a character’s preferences of
drink offers a unique chance to explore themes and ideas of our
everyday lives through increasingly different settings.
Kanon Steam
Slowly
but surely Key’s entire back-catalogue is being released officially
in English. Kanon is the latest title in this line and received a
much needed lick of paint and full voice acting in order to breath
new life into this 1999 classic. It is an interesting snapshot of
Key’s earlier design principles and shows how much they have
changed over the twenty years since its release. Yet there in an
undeniable continuity between Kanon and Key’s present works through
narrative quirks and recurring themes which make Kanon a must play
for fans of the studio. For everyone else this tale of love and
tears is a charming experience to relax and immerse yourself into.
Let’s hope the rest of Key’s titles are given the same treatment
in future.
Spirit Hunter: Death Mark II Steam
As
a direct sequel to the first Spirit Hunter game, Death Mark, rather
than the second title in the series, NG, Death Mark II had to balance
the legacies of both while leaning decidedly more on the side of the
first. Coupled this messy lineage with a sizeable shift in the
gameplay and the results could have been disastrous, but instead the
title landed firmly on its feet to be one of the strongest horror
games of the year. With its inventive monsters and tense scenarios,
it continues the series’ tradition of keeping the player on their
toes through not adhering to an overly rigid framework for the
smaller stories which form the majority of its playtime. If you are a
someone who has played the previous titles or are just a fan of
horror in general then you should give Death Mark II a shot as it
will make a shiver go down your spine.
Interesting Visual Novels From Game Jams
NaNoRenO 2024
Monochrome Pixels
Dealing
with burnout and workplace harassment through the eyes of a Senior
Game Developer, Monochrome Pixels is a perfect example of how game
jams can explore ideas and emotions a more commercial or long form
title would struggle to cover. Our protagonist Diana provides a
perfect window into these themes as she struggles against her
terrible boss and contrasts wonderfully with the optimistic and
ignorant Enya. The two make for an engaging dynamic duo as the player
navigates Diana’s life with all its stresses.
you're just imagining it
Framing
itself as a chronic illness simulator, this visual novel tackles what
it a complex and emotive topic with a touch that never lets it become
too depressing. It follows a journey to find a diagnosis for whatever
condition is causing you to live in constant pain all the while
trying to push through the challenges of everyday life. For what is a
very simple game it offers a chance to empathise with others in a way
only this medium could achieve.
Blood City Limits
Setting
your visual novel up with a striking art style can do a lot to
support the story’s core identity and drawing people to play it in
the first place. Blood City Limits sets itself apart with its
disorganised lines and contrasting blocky colours which helps sell
the broken state of this apocalyptic world. As the characters explore
this decayed world the visuals form a key part of their story.
Yuri Game Jam 2024
The end of an obsession
It
would not be an end of year round up without a least one Ebi-hime
title and this time it is a twisted yuri tale. It focuses around a
yandere centric relationship with a good few twists and turns as our
protagonist has to navigate around problematic witch. Over the course
of this short game it has fun with the ideas surrounding the yandere
and this leads to a strong title that is concise in its
implementation.
Oto-hime
Twisted
love seems to have been a running theme for this years Yuri Game Jam
as Oto-hime firmly presents itself as a horror game. Utilising the
folktale of the titular oto-hime through its own lens, it creates a
yuri visual novel set in the depths of the ocean. It gives the player
just enough agency over events so the game can invest them in the
outcomes they have brought upon the protagonist as they stumble
through the alien place they find themselves trapped in.
Otome Jam 2024
Under The Thorns
A
mystery centric title where a newly hired maid Clara must uncover the
truth about her new employer and discover what he is really like
behind all the rumours about him. It captures the fantasy and romance
of the Victorian style nobility and time period without having to go
into too much detail. Mood is the most important feature for Under
The Thorns and it manages to maintain it consistently over its entire
play time.
Love Limit
If
you have had enough of all those serious visual novels and
their complex themes then the over the top comedy of Love Limit has
you covered. Mixing the act of romance with saving the world from an
alien invasion is a perfect recipe for silly antics and the game
fully embraces this absurdity to hilarious results. It also manages
to be genuinely touching at times to help give the jokes some much
needed substance behind them.
Things To Look Out For Next Year
The Shell Part III: Paradiso
After
the shocking end of the second game, the wait for the third game has
been painful with the original English release of the second title being
in 2015. At long last the finale of this dark mystery tale will be
available for fans around the world. The distinctive and broody
1950’s murder mystery series follows the private investigator
Tokisaka Reiji as he grapples with a variety of grisly murder cases
he finds himself personally wrapped up in. The Shell works hard to create a
thick atmosphere that envelops the player from the moment they start
until the dramatic climax in an all-consuming way. If this third
instalment can continue the high bar set for the series then this
will be the best mystery game of the year.
Angelic☆Chaos RE-BOOT!
It
is another Yuzusoft game. This statement will either make you jump
for joy or roll your eyes since at this point the studio has been
around long enough for people to have made up their mind on their visual novels.
Angelic Chaos takes a more openly supernatural approach to the slice
of life/ romance genre the studio is known for with angels and demons
being key players in the narrative. It even has the reincarnation
trope since the protagonist was the demon lord in his previous life so
it is lining up a lot of commonly used concepts in a neat row. However, if there is
one thing Yuzusoft is good at it is taking familiar ideas and
creating an extremely solid game which is specifically catered to
their audience. If you are in that audience then Angelic Chaos will
no doubt be one of the best visual novels of 2025.
Corpse Party II – Darkness Distortion
‘Wait
isn’t there already a Corpse Party 2?’ I hear you cry and, yes,
there is indeed one under the title of Dead Patient. Unfortunately,
Dead Patient seems to be a dead project and from its ashes a second
Corpse Party II has been born. Darkness Distortion is also set in a
hospital but rather than a modern currently in use one like in Dead
Patient, it is instead a long abandoned location where everything has
decayed from its former glory. When three friends trespass on the
hospital they find themselves at the mercy of Ayame’s curse and the
countless horrors within its walls. So far from what little we have
seen of the game it appears to be a remix of the original Corpse
Party in a new settings with a new cast. It looks to be a return to the
developer’s roots after the distinct changes of Blood Drive and
Dead Patient so it will be interesting to see how they handle this
familiar formula.
Stories from Sol: The Gun-Dog
This
is a game wearing its influences clear to see through its mecha
designs and 90’s anime aesthetic. It is setting itself up as a sort
of old style Gundam narrative with a more personal spin on the
overarching plot where the crew of Gun-Dog are the central focus. There
is a demo available on Steam that covers the game’s opening scenes
and gives a taste of the overall construction of the gameplay
experience. From this demo it is much easier to recommend its mixture
of adventure game mechanics and stylish storytelling to those who
crave the unique feel of 90’s anime. Even those who might not fit
into the target demographic should still give it a shot just to
understand how visual design can do a lot of heavy lifting for a
game.
