Sunday, June 29, 2025
As
the sun beats down on us with its merciless rays, lets find solace in
the shade of the many excellent visual novels which came out over the
past month. Releases have been plentiful with some particularly
noteworthy titles coming out from all corners of the industry with
everything from the option to romance any object to high octane
fantasy battles. Let’s dive in and see what you should be playing
from the recent releases.
Official Releases
The Pillagers of Raillore
Manga Gamer(18+) VNDB Genre
– Action, Fantasy Play Time – 20 hours
From
the developer of Sorcery Jokers, this game leans into their
proficiency for spectacular battles and places them in a traditional
fantasy setting where they can shine. In many ways Railore sticks
close to what worked in Sorcery Jokers with duel protagonists, one
heroic and one anti-hero, but each one having their own twists on
these character types. The story follows these contrasting characters
as the sudden appearance of people who possess a new and strange
power called ‘Errors’ turns the balance of their world
upside-down. As the Regulatory Corps move to deal with the 'Errors' a
chain of events will be put into motion which will draw everyone into
a whirlpool of deceit and life or death battles. Ultimately if you
enjoyed Sorcery Jokers or are looking for some fast paced action then
you cannot go wrong with Railore.
ToHeart (Remake)
This
is such a fundamental remake of the original title that it is difficult to
talk about. The original ToHeart is an influential title within the
genre and it was a strong in its own right with a seamless blending
of slice of life and romance with elements of the sci-fi and supernatural.
However, it has not aged gracefully when it comes to its visuals so
any remake would inevitably have to address this and it is how the
remake went about it which is interesting. Instead of just replacing
the old sprites with new ones in the same style the developers chose
to completely reinvent the visual presentation with 3D models and
animations. Needless to say this change has been somewhat
controversial since many people consider the 3D models to look
ugly. Add to this the fact the remake boasts about revised script and
this starts to feel as if it is its own game rather than one which
carries on the legacy of the original. Ultimately you will have to
make your own decision about if you like the changes or not since
they are mostly a matter of taste so should the
trailer and screenshots appeal to you then it could be worth your
time.
Summer Pockets REFLECTION BLUE
REFLECTION BLUE is the expanded re-release of the original Summer Pockets similar to
those given to Little Busters and Rewrite. It contains a selection of
new routes for existing characters and one for an entirely new
character alongside a suite of additional slice of life scenes for a
sizeable addition to the base experience. The core of the game
remains mostly unchanged with it adhering to the same narrative
progression and plot beats the player has already experienced before.
So the question becomes are these new heroine routes enough to
justify buying the whole title again? While the new heroine is
entertaining, the reason someone is likely to want to pick this game
up is if they really liked one of three expanded heroines, Katou Umi,
Nomura Miki or Mizuori Shizuku, and want to spend more time with
them. Otherwise there is not enough here to sell it to someone who
already has the original.
Date Everything!
When
describing Date Everything the phrase ‘wacky comedy’ does not
truly express just how off the wall this game can be. The premise of
being able to date anthropomorphized household objects already has an
inherent hilarity to it before a single word as been spoken. Then
there are the designs of the various characters which are a joy to witness and each
new one always surprises and this helps keep things fresh. Its
expansive voice cast is quite impressive as each object has their own
voice actor and this gives them a textured feeling to sell them as
individuals that stand out in the wide roster. If you are looking for
something substantial or with thematic meaning and depth you are
better off looking elsewhere, but those who want to be amused by a
cast of fun characters are in for a good time.
A Tithe in Blood
Studio
Élan have always produced the best compelling yuri dramas and A
Tithe In Blood is no exception. It follows the story of a young girl
named Honoka Asakawa as her dabbling in blood magic results in her discovering the sealed off world of Sapporo. Here she meets the
cheerful Lady Yasue and the two become close but the consequences of
Honoka’s actions catch up with her in catastrophic fashion. The
pair’s budding romance is the main pull as Studio Elan know how to
layer on the delicate and unspoken emotion as they get to know each
other while becoming more comfortable in that intimacy. For those
seeking a bittersweet love story this will definitely exceed
expectations and leave you satisfied.
KANADE
It
seems Frontwing has a developed an interest in smaller releases,
between this game and last months Perennial Dusk -Kinsenka- they have
been on a roll with short and strong titles. The one follows a young man
named Yuuto and his interactions with the titular Kanade in a city
overrun by plants. Kanade believes she has to fall in love in order
to save the world but has no idea what it means to be in love and
this exploration of this emotion forms the driving force for the
game’s story. This is a pure love style narrative and it remains
completely focused on this one element due to its short playtime.
Having good production values helps this title stand out for the
crowd of other such stories to make it a nice palate cleanser between
larger releases.
