Archive for March 2025

Best Visual Novel Releases – March 2025


Spring is truly underway and just as the natural world has shown a sudden burst of vitality so too has the visual novel space. This month has been a deluge of major titles from classics finally receiving official translations to exciting new games across the whole spectrums of genres from sci-fi mysteries to romance to crime drama. Let’s dive in and see what visual novels you should be playing from the latest releases.
 

Official Releases

 

Love, Elections, & Chocolate

Steam    VNDB     Genre – Romance, Slice of Life, Drama     Play Time – 35 hours

There are few visual novels which leverage character drama quite as successful as Love, Elections and Chocolate. The story follows Oojima Yuuki as he attempts to prevent the closure of his club by standing for student council president and becomes increasingly intertwined with the girls in his life. Everything rotates around the core pillars of the student council elections and love in order to create an environment ripe for heightened emotions. Conflicts are grounded yet exaggerated with the game playing off this contrast to help each character have their own memorable arcs while using the same basic material framed from their specific angle. Overall this is one of the strongest cases for the value of the romantic drama style of visual novel and if you enjoyed this studio's other work, Aokana - Four Rhythms Across the Blue, then you will have a good time.
 

Ever 17 / Never 7

Steam - Ever 17   Never 7      VNDB - Ever 17    Never 7    Genre – Mystery, Thriller, Sci-Fi    Play Time – 20 – 30 hours each

Few series can claim the level of influence attributed to the Infinity games and this month saw the release of two of their most memorable titles, Ever 17 and Never 7. These sci-fi classics each offer a vastly different take on the mystery and thriller genres which keep the player engaged with twists and a constant stream of new questions. Ever 17 is about a group of people who find themselves trapped in the underwater theme park LeMU and follows their struggle for survival as odd happening begin to plague them. Meanwhile in Ever 7 we join Makoto who has been forced to attend a seminar on a remote island with some of his classmates and everything seems normal until he finds a dead girl and becomes trapped in a time loop. Before I recommend these games to you there are a few things you should know about this release. Firstly, the upscaling which was used on the artwork is of a mixed quality and sometimes it smudges details into a blur or pushes colour over the original lines making for a poor looking image. Secondly and more importantly, the version of Ever 17 which has been released is not the original but instead a modified version of the later remake. This is important since some story changes were made to this remake that have had a mixed reception so you should be aware of what you are buying. Despite these issues these games are still worth picking up, especially if this is your first time playing them since they still stand up all these years later.
 

AIR

Steam     VNDB     Genre – Romance, Nakige    Play Time – 30 hours

With the release of AIR, all of the older Key titles have been officially localised into English. Being their second major visual novel it marked the beginning of the process of refining their identity as a studio. AIR does not quite have all the features which would come to define Key's later games and still has many of the rougher edges of its predecessor Kanon. It focuses around the young traveller Kunisaki Yukito who is trying to find the meaning behind the story left by his deceased mother. As he interacts with the main heroines more of its meaning becomes clear while he deepening his relationship with them as they push through his cynical exterior. For those looking for a strong tale of romance or like Key’s output, this is an easy visual novel to recommend since its charms hold up well even alongside more modern titles.

DesperaDrops

Nintendo Eshop     VNDB    Genre – Otome, Crime, Mystery     Play Time - 40 hours

Crime stories and otome appear to be a powerful mixture with DesperaDrops being the latest title to use this blend of genres. There is a certain thrill added to the romance as the characters’ world is turned upside-down and they must adapt to this rapid change in circumstances. Naturally this leads to heightened emotions and it is this specific part of mixture DesperaDrops prominently utilises to push its variety of suitors into being open with the protagonist. It helps that the available options cover a good spread of personalities, appearances and ages to make, each one stand out in order to capture your imagination and encourage you to pursue them. There is also a very minor supernatural element in the form of the protagonist’s power to read emotions and memories through touch. This is mostly just a justification for the protagonist to be the centre of the suitor’s attention and feels strangely disconnected from everything else at times. However, despite this minor hiccup, DesperaDrops will still scratch the otome itch and makes for an enjoyable time.
 

KAMITSUBAKI CITY REGENERATE

Steam    VNDB    Genre – Sci-fi, Dark Fantasy

Styling itself as a dark fantasy sci-fi visual novel, KAMITSUBAKI CITY REGENERATE immediately catches your attention with its mash-up of normally distinct genres and ideas. It is an isekai story where the player character is pulled into the parallel universe city of Kamitsubaki which is on the brink of destruction. They must interact with the various inhabitants of the city and work together to steer this sinking ship into safer waters. Music is a strong thematic element in KAMITSUBAKI and its role in bringing people together despite their contrasting backgrounds and beliefs. This makes the large amount of original vocal tracks hold additional power over key narrative moments when they harmonize with what is happening on screen. Overall this is a fun and well produced tale which focuses on its core identity to great effect.

Trials of Innocence

Steam     VNDB    Genre – Courtroom Drama, Mystery    Play Time – 15 hours

It is clear from the moment Trials of Innocence starts that its main inspiration is the Ace Attorney series. Everything from the narrative structure to the court room and investigation mechanics are extremely close to its inspiration. Rather than feeling like a direct copy of those games, it instead understands their core appeal and crafts its own original story in their image. It follows a rookie layer called Luna Ray as she comes to grips with the tumultuous legal world and defends her clients. All the while she slowly uncovers the tendrils of a conspiracy which deeply effects her and the lives of many. Trials of Innocence is hardly a fountain of originality but it is upfront about what it is and in this purpose it performs admirably.
 
 

Text Presentation – An Anatomy Of Visual Novels


Showing Is Telling

 
At almost all points in a visual novel there will be some kind of text on screen describing what is happening in the scene or showcasing dialogue. How the characters of this text are presented deeply impacts the perception of the game’s cast and their actions in a way that is often incredibly subtle. Good text flows through the player’s mind without much resistance so when alterations are made to the established style they stand out. These changes can often be of the standard kind, things like italics or bold text, and they are a common feature many developers use for varying effects. Then there is the use of colour, be it extensive or sparingly, to establish a mood, idea or person in a way which immediately identifies it and sets it apart. On the extreme end of the spectrum sits the special characters which stand out from the normal text due to the fact they are often not words at all and instead act as symbols. Let’s dip our pen and uncover how small changes to the text can have a profound impact.
 

Standard Text Features

 
Almost all visual novels use at least the most basic alterations during their play time since it spices up what might otherwise be line after line of repetitive black text. Even the smallest change can help break the monotony and inject some much needed life into moments where the writing has to do all the heavy lifting. It is subtle enough to not draw an unnecessary amount of attention to any additions yet offers enough flexibility to be worth using despite their low overall impact on the player’s experience. The two forms of this basic alteration which appear often are italics and bold text and they share a similar function with key differences in how they are perceived. Italics is used to emphasise certain words or phrases and is often associated with the internal thoughts of the protagonist or a character adding a texture to their spoken words. The soft curves of italic text lend it a gentler and more implicit nature almost as if it was a whisper in text form hence why its uses tends towards those which favour indirect ideas. Nothing is more indirect than when people say one thing and imply another and so italics can underscore what might not come across in simple text form in order to capture the subtleties of speech. This idea of being a hidden element is played on when italics are used for a protagonist’s internal thoughts. They are showing their most intimate and immediate feelings, ones they will never voice out load but are key to understanding them and what makes them act the way they do. Placing them in italics frames the words as almost being whispered to the player from inside the character’s mind in a deeply intimate fashion. 
Muv-Luv's text on background approach does influence its presenation choices

On the other hand bold text is the visual equivalent of shouting at the reader. There is no subtly at all to its appearance and it is impossible for it to be ignored given how striking it is when compared to the thin characters surrounding it. It generally indicates key information which the game wants to ensure the player is aware of and for it to have an immediate presence and impact. This means that the highlighted information often has relevance to what is currently going on rather than dropping hits for some future event. Bold text can also be used to convey the strong emotions by making the emotive words in the descriptions bold so they are understood as the key experiences of the characters in that moment. When used in speech it can underscore just how loudly a character is shouting and what words carry the most weight providing important context for their actions. Through small additions like these a wall of text can be given additional meaning without having to waste space spelling it out in the text itself.
 

Colour And Text

 
Adding a splash of colour to what would otherwise be lines of black text is a far more of dramatic change than just making something italics and as such the possibilities for it are also larger. This flexibility comes from the way colours have a variety of associations they can lend the text. Having red characters brings to mind power and aggression while blue carries the idea of flowing and calm and depending on what words are coloured this can be complimented or contrasted against what is happening in the story. Some of this depends on the culture since much of the connections related to colour are taught, such as red being positive in relation to money in China while the opposite is true in the west, so this makes colour a less universal tool than the basic alteration if a developer is aiming for a worldwide release. However, there is generally enough commonality to make colour a useful method of adding interesting texture to the text. For example Muv-Luv assigns each of its characters a colour unique to them and their spoken words appear in this colour. This serves two purposes, making it clear at a glance who is talking and giving sense of identity to those words. Being able to instantly know who is speaking without even reading their name means the player is spending less time engaging with system elements and this allows for a smooth flow from one line of text to another in a game so focused around character dialogue and interactions. Coupled with this change is how the character’s assigned colour reflects an outline of what a character is like which the player is reminded of every time they see it and it works as a way of remembering the basic outline of who they are. Given the relatively simple and light hearted nature of the game its cast adhere closely to their basic outline and this makes their colours a useful shorthand of their role in the story.
Even the truth can be deceptive when framed correctly

Colour does not need to be a continuos feature and it can instead be its rarity which can hold its influence on the player. Umineko is a prime example of this power with its red text. It appears infrequently and represents an absolute truth about the mystery which often overturns both the Battler and the player’s understanding of everything beforehand. Its vivid colour and the violent swings accompanying it make it memorable so even before the words have been read there is a sense of dread and anticipation in the player’s stomach. If another colour had been chosen for this text is would not have had the same impact due to its striking nature when placed next to the walls of black which forms the rest of the story. Umineko does not does not use the existing associations of red and creates its own new ones to match its narrative needs.
 

Unusual Characters

 
Beyond the familiar letters which make up the majority of text on screen over the course of a title, there are some special characters and symbols designed not to be read but instead to communicate a visual language to the player. It allows the developer to express a vocal trait or underlying concept without a clearly defined written form and also it is repeatable while being self contained so can be used whenever it is needed. Here the symbol’s shape and structure do a lot of the heavy lifting as it can rely on the player’s established emotional and cultural understanding of them to create the desired effect. Probably the most well known implementations of this use of symbols is the speech text of Berserker in Fate/Stay Night. Rather than words his vocalisation are various types of roars and so instead of just saying he roaring in a description or simply writing ‘roar’ in speech marks, Type Moon instead chose to use blocky shapes. The primal nature of his roars is reflected in the way the shapes do not have an even or consistent layout and their power is shown in the way they break the conventions of what the player has come to expect for dialogue. When Berserker is present these special characters make sure you immediately understand what kind of person you are dealing with in order to perfectly sell the mad warrior idea which the class is meant to embody. This is not a feature many visual novels use due to it being overly elaborate for the kind of stories they are trying to tell and even those who do use it do so only in relation to specific people or ideas in order to prevent any form of confusion about their meaning.
Fate/Stay Night also likes to mix in colour alongside its unique symbols

Conclusion

 
Given the way visual novels tend to keep their text in standard formatting, is it any wonder that breaking these rules has such a noticeable impact? Even basic choices like bold and italics offer a means of communicating simple changes in tone and adding texture to a character’s speech due to the emphasis they provide. Utilising symbols in place of the expected letters can push this distinctive feeling to new heights and show a concept which would be difficult to express in traditional words. Changing the colour of the text allows for an expansion of what can be implied to the player in order to make characters easily identifiable at a glance which does a lot to speed up the flow in lighter titles. Overall, careful consideration on how text is presented should always be at the front of a developer’s mind and they should ask themselves if they can break away from the monotony of textual expectations.
 
 

Card Games – Uncovering The Hybrid

 

Play Your Last Card

 
Video games have long toyed with various forms of Card Games for traditional ones like poker to CCGs to card battlers like Slay The Spire. These are all unified by the need for some additional element if they want to communicate a story alongside their gameplay which is where visual novels come in. In many ways there is an inherent juxtaposition between the cold and calculated mentality encouraged within a Card Game and the deeply personal one offered through a visual novel. It is a dynamic which often leans in favour of the visual novel half and looks for it to act as the guide for the overall flow of the game. The pervasiveness of Card Games means they can rely on an established base of understanding in order to not get in the way of player’s forward momentum. At the same time they can also expand outwards to create complex and engaging battles if that is what is called for over the course of the title. Their basic presentation lends them to complimenting the cost effective nature of visual novels and a relatively reasonable addition to them. Let’s shuffle our decks and find out exactly how this all works in practice.
 

Easy To Understand

 
At their base level Card Games are easy to understand due to their mechanics being concentrated in basic object the player can interact with and this gives a pick and play quality. When placed alongside visual novel sections this quality can create a smoother transition between the two elements since the gameplay can be easily understood and focus can instead be given to what the mechanics are meant to represent. For games leaning into this simpler nature Card Games often stand in place of one on one confrontations, be that physical or a contest of wits. Take for example Princess Battles which uses a basic system of cards and modifiers as a point of interaction to enhance the feel of what it like to be in combat. It is designed to simulated the ups and downs of the battle without having the player spend too much time there and potential disturb the flow of the story, yet still offer just enough tension to require them to engage with the mechanics. Due to the game's relatively simple nature and limited pool of opportunities to provide tests of skill, a complex Card Game would have not had the space to organically grow and risks overwhelming the player with too much extra information when they should instead be immersed in the excitement of the clash. 
Hanafuda is easy to understand for its audience

Another approach the hybrid likes to use is to utilise existing real world Card Games as the foundation for their gameplay. This way they can rely on a large portion of their audience having some pre-existing understand of the rules and expectations of the games they are pulling from. Not having to extensively explain the fundamentals of the Card Game systems leaves it free to experiment while still being easy to digest and not impeding the visual novel half. Hana Awase draws heavily from Hanafuda for its mechanics which is a game its original audience would have at least a passing familiarity with and gives it a frame of reference to weave in real world elements into its systems and narrative. Drawing from what people know creates a tangible connection for the player to grasp onto from which they can build a link to the characters and become invested. This is important since overcoming that initial resistance to empathising with the cast can be difficult so any assistance in bridging the gap is valuable for the narrative.
 

Strategic Battles

 
Embracing the opposite extreme of Card Games and encouraging complex play patterns can help specific types of stories and structures shine. If the visual novel wants the player to go through the game multiple times in order to experience its various routes then a complex suite of cards and mechanics give the player something to chew on over the long term. This can be achieved through providing vastly different fights between routes which demand an engagement with their mechanics and specific kinds of cards or having cards unique to each routes which open new and exciting interaction with player’s existing card pool upon a new play through. Let’s look Soukoku no Arterial and see how the game leans into this complexity over its three core paths and myriad character endings. One way it uses its card mechanics to enhance its narrative is through giving the player cards unique to the path they are on, these being demon, angel and human. This not only dynamically expands the tools the player has to express themselves but it also thematically ties into the story and characters of each path through their specific cards being given to the player a key plot points. Another way it keeps the player interested is through making the battles vastly different from one another based on the path. It takes the factions identity as a base and creates encounters which feel like you are fighting a member of that group to sell them as distinct entities. For a visual novel this is important since it helps sell each route as something new to experience and reflects what has been established in the story. 
Fun interactions are what make Card Games interesting to play

When a game has a single play-through in mind for its design it can use the complexity as a way to communicate the growth of the protagonist’s abilities and the dangers they face. In Kamifuda the Card Game element is presented as how the characters utilise their magic and so the battles are direct rather than symbolic drawing a line between gameplay and character actions. As such when the difficulty rises it has a direct correlation with the abilities of the opponents being fought and it encourages the player to rise to the challenge in order to draw them into the same state of mind as the protagonist. It shows magic to be a fiddly and interactive power which can be mixed and match to create interesting new interaction through having it be a series of cards. This offers it an identity separate from those who wield it yet not entirely divorced from their personalities. There is also a tactile feel to the game’s stakes since the higher they rise the more resistance the player will have to overcome in order to progress and linking it so directly to the emotional beats in the story helps each sell a sense of coherency not possible without the complexities offered by the Card Game mechanics.
 

Cost Effective

 
Developing a game is a constant balancing act between the creative vision and the money and time available. Visual novels already lean towards the cost effective end of the spectrum with their limited graphics and lack of complex systems allowing money to be focused elsewhere. Yet not every developer has resources to flex and so the second type of gameplay needs to be kept simple to produce so it can be kept within budget. This is where Card Game mechanics can shine due to their potential for minimalist presentation. There is a lot of flexibility on how a set of cards can be shown to the player from basic movement to flashy effect and the two extremes are equally acceptable to an audience due to the abstract nature of card systems. As such many of the card mechanics in visual novels tend towards the minimalist end of the spectrum to match its presentational style and make the whole experience feel more cohesive. For example Princess Waltz has simple cards and UI for its Card Game sections in order to keep it consistent with the rest of the content. In the moment to moment gameplay it utilises similar VFX to those found in the action scenes to help build continuity while keeping costs down through repurposing assets. To reflect this simplicity the mechanics themselves are fairly basic with only a small pool of cards and modifiers which keeps their basic appearance feeling like it matches what the player is doing.
There isn't much going on here but it does its job perfectly

 

Conclusion

 
Cards are an open ending way of expressing ideas and mechanics in both physical and digital games so it should come as no surprise that they work well with visual novels. They are easy to understand which makes them flow better as a secondary element to the narrative and let the key moments they represent stand out. Development cost can be kept down due to their simple presentation and this is appealing to developers on a tight budget who want some other mechanic beyond the story sections. On the opposite extreme the game can embrace complexity in order to help support the multiple play-throughs demanded by the narrative or represent the intricate nature of the powers the characters are using. If you are looking for a gameplay system to use in your visual novel then considering a Card Game offers more freedom than you might expect.
 
 

Time Loop – Genre Deep Dive

 

Déjà vu

 
Of all the subgenres of sci-fi and fantasy there are none as popular and influential in visual novels as the Time Loop. It feels as if half of all titles which want to be taken seriously go with some form of Time Loop in order to tell their story. This is perhaps a natural result of wanting to explain the existence of routes from an in-universe perspective without having to deal with their often complex and contradictory content. Of course it can also be used as an excuse to have serious elements sitting right next to silly moments while trying to preserve some sense of continuity . Character reactions to the Time Loop are a favourite playground of this genre and the existance of a loop means they can pushed pushed to extremes without having any lasting consequences since it will be all be reset. Furthering this approach is the effect dehumanisation has on the person undergoing the loop as they struggle to maintain their sanity in a space without an ending or any means to escape it. Let’s break the loop and discover the appeal and power of the genre.
 

The End is The Beginning

 
Attempts to marry the structure and narrative of visual novels define the medium’s use of this genre. It provides a suitable justification for its route based nature or the flexibility to have a more open ended construction and neither of these extremes feels out of place within the context of Time Loop. There is an inbuilt expectation for repetition in this genre which aids in the smooth transition in and out of common routes and other opening scenes the player will encounter since it makes sense protagonist to experience these events again if they are caught in this cycle. In playing into Time Loop conventions such as these. visual novels can gain the freedom to create twists and turns with the knowledge that the consequences do not need to be immediate. For route based titles the expanding tendrils of each route and their endings are an easy to understand representation of the possible outcomes of the loop. A classic example of this type is YU-NO shows its differing routes as multi coloured splinters off the opening line on a flowchart from which the player is encouraged to think about how each relates to the others. It is to this menu the game goes after each ending to further push the cyclical nature of its Time Loop and nudge the player towards the branches they have yet to explore. The fact that in order to progress down certain routes key items from other paths creates a feel of the protagonist utilising the loop for their own benefit as more about what is happening become clear. On a higher level there is also the collection of special stones which are needed by the player to break out of the loop and push into the second half of the game. All of this comes together to create a tactile weight to unlocking more of the paths and an easy to observe forward momentum. 
Representations of Time Loops in visual novels are always interesting to look at

When it comes to Time Loops within a more open and less directly linear structure Type-Moon’s fandiscs offer a pair of interesting examples. Fate/ Hollow Ataraxia splits itself into individual and self-contained events which the player can pick from during each time period. Since this creates a variety of possible paths through the loop it cannot be easily presented in a flowchart even if the paths for progression are indeed linear. Instead it is the amount of choices and how more are slowly unlocked with each new cycle which sells its repetition while not actually reusing more content than it absolutely has to in order create a connection between player and protagonist. Kagetsu Tooya leans closer to the continuous perspective approach like YU-NO but takes it to its logical extreme with so many paths and off shoots that attempting to make a flowchart for it would lead to an difficult to understand mess of lines. It forms a labyrinth of routes forwards where the player is going to constantly bump into endings or new routes as they work to help the protagonist escape. There is an implicit challenge in this structure where the player must explore and understand the space they are operating within so they can find the way out and so fosters an engagement not otherwise possible without the existence of a Time Loop.
 

People Under Pressure

 
No matter how interesting a Time Loop might be structurally, if there are not characters to be pushed to their extremes then it will be a dry experience. Visual novels address this potential issue through pushing their already character centric nature and keeping their focus squarely on the people caught up in the loop. Due to the way the loop removes a lot of the immediate consequences from character actions they can be pushed to extremes that might normally be damaging or life changing but are here removed once the loop resets. This lets the story probe deep into a character’s motivations without having to worry about how this will effect anyone in the long term and allows it an adaptability when it comes to how to handle and frame each new clash of identities. Extremes like these still have to make sense within the context of the world or risk the loop appearing incoherent so this freedom with the characters is not a ticket to do whatever wild things the developer wants. Even if the characters do not remember their actions in the loop, the player will and so it is their mindset the game has to form its believability around. 
Characters are key to a good Time Loop

Generally this character focus pushes them into the spotlight one at a time as with our two examples of this use of the Time Loop, Cross Channel and Little Busters. Route based Time Loops such as Little Busters already have an inbuilt mechanism where the player expects the visual novel to concentrate on the selected character and so does not have to contrive a situation for this emphasis since the player has already created it themselves. It also helps the player understand each character’s place in the world and their role in the greater plot in a controlled yet exciting manner. By contrast Cross Channel is far more rigidly constructed with heroines each getting their turn in a linear order and provides a lot of fine control over the player’s expectations and anticipation. The main advantage this approach brings is the way it integrates the otherwise isolated character arcs into a smooth and natural feeling direct path as opposed to the bitty feeling route system.
 

Dehumanisation And The Looper

 
Repeating the same few days again and again is going to have an impact of the mental state of the looper and change how they view the people around them. When there are no lasting consequences why should you care about your actions? If people are just going to reset as soon as a new loop starts can they really be considered anything more than set dressing? There is an inevitable nihilism that seeps into a looper's world-view the longer they remain trapped and they start dehumanise the individuals they once cared about then they do this to themselves. Since this is a pretty dark subject many Time Loops in visual novels skirt around the issue by have the protagonist only remember parts of the loop so they get to keep being themselves. However, when it is address the character development opportunities it offers are powerful and lead to many memorable moments. This is generally handled in two ways, witnessing the character struggle with the birth of these emotions or showing someone who has succumbed to the nihilism pull themselves out of it. 
Rika is interesting since we see her from the outside for most of the story

Perhaps the most iconic example of the first type is Okabe Rintarou as he fights against a loop which seems set in stone. From the intimate perspective afforded by the visual novel format we get to see decline in Okabe’s mental state as he tries many different things in order to save those he cares about only for the world to just adapt to his actions and lead the same outcome regardless. It is only through opening up to the people he has started to dehumanise that he can pull himself back from the pit of despair and move towards resolving the loop which is a satisfying arc to watch unfold. On the other side we have Rika Furude who has long ago been consumed by the nihilism of the loop. What makes this noticeably different to Okabe’s portrayal is the way the player gets to see this repeatedly from the persective of someone who is unknowingly trapped in the loop. This makes her sudden personality switching, treatment of her friends like pawns and loss of interest when she considers the current loop a failure appear alien and creates a tension between her perspective and the rest of the cast as they try to salvage what she knows to already be doomed. Once the player finally does get to see the twisted inner workings of her head it is as a means to show her pulling herself out of this pit through the new hope she has found and ultimately resulting in her finding a way to her desired future.
 

Conclusion

 
Visual novels and Time Loops are a perfect match for each other and a constant source of new and engaging stories. The genre gives an easy justification for the standard route based structure as well as more experimental and flexible paths through the game. It offers an opportunity to push its characters to their limits with the knowledge that the long term consequences do not have to be considered so the extremes can be wild. The person aware of the loop offers a unique means of showcasing how easy it is for humans to slip into nihilism and the dehumanisation of people they once cared about when pushed beyond their limits. Overall there are few more fertile grounds then the Time Loop and if you are thinking about making one then considering the various options available to visual novels can go a long way.
 
 

Sorcery Jokers Review – The Many Sides Of Magic


Genre - Urban Fantasy, Action, Thriller    Play Time - 35 hours    Developer - 3rdEye    Steam    VNDB

 

Urban Wonderland

 
In a world reshaped by the sudden appearance of magic, two young men from vastly different walks of life find themselves on interweaving paths as they work to uncover the tangled web lurking just under the surface. It is these dual protagonist which define much of what makes Sorcery Jokers stand out amongst the many other urban fantasy visual novels. There is a clever contrast between the lives they lead and sides of the conspiracy they uncover and it lends itself to a well rounded and textured tale of action and intrigue. Characters also play off this contrast but create a connection between the two halves as they wander back and forth across the boundaries. The visual and audio compliment this approach with an artistic and auditory language for each protagonist and the in game flowchart helps reinforce this trend. When it comes to properly paying off all of this build up is where Sorcery Jokers can often stubble to disappointing results. Yet even these messy conclusions have a certain charm to them as the game pushes forwards. Do all the pieces come together to create a title worthy of its genre? Let’s activate our magic and find out.
 

Depths Of Conspiracy – Narrative and Themes

 
Despite the existence of magic being known to all and on full display, this is a story driven by hidden magically machinations and truths rather than larger than life battles. It does still have this sense of spectacle but those who are fighting are rarely the ones in charge of their own fate as they move to try and free themselves for invisible hands. Sorcery Jokers is more of a thriller than an action title and leans into the constant feeling of having the rung pulled out from under you while the characters try and find a way out of maze they have been dragged deep within. Having two protagonists from vastly different sides of this world assists in furthering this feeling of uncertainty and danger through providing the player with contrasting and conflicting view points on the same situations. This prevents the tension from become stale or predictable since the shifting perspectives can give the player new things to witness at regular intervals and helps them not become bored with either of the two sets of characters. When action is brought in it is often not over the top and is instead an intimate and vicious magical melee which all participants are walking a fine line between life and death. Framing the battles like this prevents the characters from appearing as if nothing can harm them with their powers as they offer little protection from the attacks of their enemies. Larger scale action set pieces only happen at key climatic points in the story and are a dramatic leap up in spectacle in order to sell just how important they are to everyone involved. They fit into this thriller tone through the way they act as a frantic scramble for survival and control over the fates of all those involved. Controlling the highs and lows is what Sorcery Jokers thrives on and it comes together as a wild roller-coaster of a ride.
The layers of action and intrigue run deep

A drawback to being so reliant on twists and turns is it can be difficult to provide a suitable payoff for each one. There is only so much time available to draw everything together and so some things get left by the wayside regardless of how important they once were to events or characters. This failure manifests as these plot points being shoved to the side in an anticlimactic manner, resolved with a deus machina or simply forgotten about. One of the most disappointing examples of this trend is the relationship between the antagonist Ruu and one of the protagonists Senri, they are shown to be two sides of the same coin and constantly get in each others way and so it would be expected they would have some kind of proper climax to this dynamic. Instead Senri just manifests a deus machina to instantly win the confrontation and neither side really learns or develops from this conclusion to the point it could have just been removed without any loss it the narrative. Something really has to have gone really wrong in the writing department for such a formerly important relationship to both characters to be cast aside. Weird choices like this plague the game from start to finish as it is so excited to show off its new toys to the player it forgets to resolve it old ones and just kicks them into a ditch. The rule of cool is king here and in order to get the most out of the title you have to be able to just roll with its punches and focus on the moment to moment excitement.
 

Two Paths To The Same Destination – Characters

 
Presenting two protagonists with such vastly different background, personalities and world views immediately gives Sorcery Jokers a strong texture to its narrative. On one side we have the naive and well off Mutsumi Haruto who attends a school dedicated to teaching people to control their magic and he is surrounded by children of CEO’s. Opposite him sits our other protagonist Senri who lives in the underbelly of the city and is wrapped up in all sorts of unsavoury dealings. This contrast is put to good use with the game showing the various sides of this world as well as the views on how its issues should be resolved. It helps create the sense of a living city where everyone moves with their own purpose often ignorant of the actions of those around them and just trying to make the most out of what they have. The two very different uses of magic also work to show the good and bad it has brought since its arrival into the world and how it has changed people’s perceptions of what is and is not possible. Each protagonist has their own separate inciting incident which sets them on the same path and how their journeys intertwine is a constant source of amusement as they unknowing influence each other. One minor flaw in this approach is that Senri is generally a more interesting character than Haruto since Senri's thoughts are more morally gray and he has the more complex companions due to rubbing shoulders with people who want to use him. This can make the game feel lopsided towards Senri with the feeling that he is the one who gets all the cool moments and important plot points.
The idea of the superhero is one the game loves to play off and with

Slipping the game down the middle like this also splits the cast up and the game organises them to take advantage of the divide. It assigns its protagonists a pair of heroines who work to create a complex web of emotions. One is a mirror for the protagonist and the other is a contrasting personality who undermines his world view. Haruto is given the sharp and pragmatic Atori Riku who clashes with his idealistic nature and Rikudou Asahi who shares his heroic tendencies but with a more directly outgoing nature. On the other hand Senri is paired with the two faced Kousaki Fiona Annabel who reflects the darker path he is set on while the innocent Noah could not be further away from them and serves as someone to bring out the good in both of them. Making the core cast so similar in composition on both sides invites the player to compare them against one another and consider the value of what drives each of them. The broader cast as reflects this inclination in a way designed to flesh out the world rather than directly challenge the protagonists. Their importance varies but they have enough time to feel like they exist beyond the confines of the story rather than being devices from narrative progression. 
 

Strange New Girls – Visual, Audio and Technical

  
As a title so focused on thrills and action, the visuals and audio play a large role in effectively communicating what is going on and selling the fast moving emotions of a scene. Conveying movement and power through smart arrangement and framing in relation to the music and text is the main trick Sorcery Jokers uses to achieve this effect. With a change is music comes a change in mood and the dynamic motion of the sprites and shifting CGs increases to match it while also matching the story. Through the use of standard magical imagery, such as magic circles, the game can rely on the player’s external knowledge so it does not have to spend time explain what is on screen and can instead dive straight into being exciting. A minor hiccup in these visuals is the way it can sometimes feel a bit off and stiff due to the limitations of the engine the developers were working within and this is distracting at times. It is worth bring up the excellent flowchart the game provides the player as it clearly shows all the important information about what is happening when and to whom so the constant protagonist jumping does not confuse the player. This is especially essential in the first half of the game where the protagonists do not always have scenes which occur at the same time and the game gives you the choice of what scene you would like to experience next.
This is one of the most effective and intersting uses of flowcharts in visual novels

Conclusion

 
There is something distinctly memorable about Sorcery Jokers and the way it crafts its urban fantasy tale which stems from how excited it seems to present its story. Its choice to have two protagonists is full taken advantage of through clever contrasts which extends into the rest of the cast who are slip between the pair. Controlling the highs and lows of its thrilling ride makes for a narrative where you feel like something new is always happening. Well formulated visuals and audio reinforce the action and drama of the story to make a visceral roller-coaster. If only it would actually resolve its plot points rather than moving on the next thing it is so excited to show you. Despite this disposition Sorcery Jokers remains a strong and enjoyable journey into a well realised world not so different from our own.
 

Verdict – 

The tapestry of multiple protagonists and interlocking paths define a wild adventure through a world of magical conspiracy and action which keeps you invested at every turn. It is a shame it can sometimes forget to properly pay off all the twists it sets up.
 

Pros - 

 
+ Keeps you on the edge of your seat with a thrilling ride of intrigue and action.
 
+ The dual protagonist and casts makes for a varied and fresh narrative as the characters’ stories interweave with each other.
  
+ A visual and auditory style which works to add pressure to the moments of tension and over the top flare to the moments of action.
 
+ Has a convenient flowchart to help keep track of how the two perspectives relate to one another and when certain events occur.
 

Cons -

 
- Often does not pay off older plot points properly as it wants to push you towards the new shiny thing rather than provide resolution to what came before.
 
- Senri is noticeably more interesting protagonist than Haruto and also gets a lot more of the important plot points leading the game to feeling unbalanced at times.
 
- Some uses of the CGs and sprites in action scenes can feel a little stiff at times.
 
 

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