Sunday, April 27, 2025
The
month of storms and sunshine has once again lived up to its
reputation, but things have been significantly less turbulent in the
world of visual novels. There have been a number of high quality
releases with one particular standout and a selection of others
covering everything from idol spin off to murder mystery. Let’s
dive in and find out what new games you should be playing from the
past month.
Official Releases
Love Live! Nijigasaki High School Idol Club: TOKIMEKI Roadmap to Future
Given
TOKIMEKI Roadmap to Future’s nature as a spin-off title, it is easy
to guess what type of experience you will be in for. This is a game
firmly aimed at its fans with a story focused on the established cast
of the Nijigasaki series and it never strays far from its source
material. Despite its somewhat rigid narrative space, there is a lot
of fun to be had as this strong cast of personalities interact and
for such a character centric series this is key to holding the
player’s attention. Each of the twelve members of the idol club
gets their turn in the spotlight to showcase themselves in a way
which feels natural while still maintain a brisk pace. Some effort
has been made to try and accommodate any players new to the franchise
since it mostly exists in its own bubble and does not reference
events outside itself in order to not confuse them. This definitely
would not be the recommended place to enter the series from but it if
you choose to play it then it is still entertaining. Overall, this
is a solid idol visual novel which leverages its existing characters
to appeal to existing fans and for them it is a must play.
The Hundred Line -Last Defense Academy-
Being
from the creators behind Danganronpa and the Zero Escape series
places a certain level of expectations upon this title and you can
feel its awareness of this fact. The influence of the developer’s
previous games is etched into how Hundred Line presents and engages
with its narrative and themes. Large visual and stylistic cues have
been directly adapted from Danganronpa into this new context and the
game is aware of how apparent this feature is and even makes in-jokes
about it. This is not to say Hundred Line is a clone but rather it
uses a common narrative presentation and takes it in a vastly
different direction. Instead of a murder mystery, the core mechanical
element manifests as an SRPG with its own distinctive tactical flare
which captures its somewhat macabre sense of humour. If you liked the
creators previous work then this is an easy recommendation, but it
probably will not convert anyone into a fan since it feels decidedly
familiar even with the significant change in genre.
Battlefield Waltz
Nintendo Eshop VNDB Genre
– Otome, Military School Play Time – 40 hours
A
good way to spice up the school setting so common in the medium is to
attach something extra to it and for Battlefield Waltz this is its
miliary background. The game uses this addition to add stakes to
events while providing a legitimate reason for drama and action to
occur naturally rather than from a plot contrivance. Its story
follows a young girl named Lan who through the whims of fate ends up
as the wielder of a cursed sword and is pushed into a life on the
battlefield where she eventually ends up at Nirvana, a military
school, where she rubs shoulders with the various suitors. Over the
course of her time there she must balance training to bring the
sword’s power under her control with blossoming feeling of love.
Battlefield Waltz is a solid otome with a good spread of suitors and
enough drama to keep fans of the genre satisfied from its duration.
Kindaichi Mystery Series: The Honjin Murders
Delivering
a complete murder mystery experience was clearly the focus for The
Honjin Murders and everything rotates around this core pillar. Its
main mechanical element is the pulling apart of evidence and
testimonies in order to pick out key truths and organising them into
a picture of what really happened. This is almost like arranging
newspaper clipping and has the same catharsis to it as it
synchronises with the characters’ growing understanding of events
and helps provide the game with a sense of momentum. Narratively it
is tense murder mystery which puts emphasis on keeping a keen feeling
of personal danger to the cast while still allowing the puzzle box
nature of the mystery to be the focus. The investigation around which
every part of the game revolves is a locked room murder and it
constantly invites the player to reevaluate with each new piece of
evidence. Overall if you are
looking for a well put together detective story then The Honjin
Murders will scratch that itch.
Love Curse: Find Your Soulmate
One
look at the promotional art for this game will immediately make it apparent
what kind of story it is interested in telling. Pastel colours and
beautiful woman surround Yan Wang Shu as her life takes an unexpected
turn when she finds herself under a curse which can only be broken by
finding her soulmate. There are plenty of women for her to choose
from with a good range of personalities which bounce of her and each
other for a lot heartfelt scenes. They range from the strict yet kind
general manager Qi Yi to the upbeat childhood friend Xia Chi Mei. It
is nice to see a yuri title where the protagonist and the heroines
are all mature and have responsibilities with an office being one of
the primary locations in which the story takes place. This lends it a
refreshing air as it stands in contrast to the common early teens
normally found in the medium and allows for an engagement with more
adult issues. A sweet and wholesome girl x girl romance with enough
drama to keep you engaged.
