Sunday, November 30, 2025
With
Christmas slowly creeping up on us and winter about to arrive, now
is the perfect time to see what titles the world of visual novels has
produced and consider them as potential presents. This has been the
month of mystery and heart-warming games in various flavours from
those invoking the style of classic adventure games to an 80s USSR
setting to one filled with dog and cat girls. Let’s dive in and see
what you should be playing from the recent releases.
Official Releases
Detective Instinct: Farewell, My Beloved
Tapping
into the classic mystery adventure game genre, Detective Instinct
drags its nameable everyman protagonist into the strange case of a
grisly murder and the disappearance of a woman only they remember. It
adopts a somewhat light tone in its narrative and has its vibrant
cast of characters be filled with people capable of engaging banter
even in the face of the danger posed by the mystery. There is just
the right amount of intrigue to keep things on track and guide the
player’s deductions and it makes for a satisfying puzzle of piece
together with enough personal motivation to keep them pushing
forwards. Overall if you are a fan of this style of visual novel
experience then you are in for a good time while newcomers will find
an accessible version of this classic formula.
Home Sweet Homecoming
Slice
of life visual novels which commit completely to the pure love story
can be quite a mixed bag but Home Sweet Homecoming demonstrates how successful this approach can be when done right. There is nothing
here which could not be found in many other games of its genre, yet
the genuine and sincere commitment to the emotions and warmth it has
at its core still leaves a powerful impression. It follows the return
home of its protagonist after six years abroad and the reconnecting
with his past life and the building of new relationships as they wrestle
with the disconnect such a span of time away brings. A lovable cast
and sweet romances form the backbone of the majority of the narrative
and it envelops the player into a world of gentle happiness. If you are
not already a fan of this genre then Home Sweet Homecoming will do
nothing to convince you otherwise, but for everyone else this is a
strong case for why it is so popular.
Z. A. T. O. // I Love the World and Everything In It
Having
your visual novel set in the 1980s USSR is certainly one way to stand
out from the crowd and Z.A.T.O. makes the most of this setting to
craft its strange mystery. When a young girl goes missing in the
closed city of Vorkuta-5 and nobody seems concerned it falls to the
timid Asya Shubina to find out the truth about what happened to her.
This is a game with an interesting tone and subject matter which
leans into the philosophical or odd as Asya engages in all sort of
thoughts in her pursuit of answers be they related to the culture she
inhabits or more broad musing on the nature of life itself. While
Z.A.T.O. by no means claims to be able to reach any definitive
conclusions in its short playtime, there is still a surprisingly deep
consideration of the human condition in a well presented package. For
those looking for a visual novel with a bit more substance you cannot
go wrong here, especially since it is free.
Mistonia's Hope -The Lost Delight-
Nintendo Eshop VNDB Genre
– Otome, Fantasy, Revenge Play Time – 30 hours
Revenge
is a distinctive narrative device to make the core of an otome and it
is this contrast of these two emotional extremes which defines
Mistonia’s Hope. After having everyone she cared about killed and
her home town taken Aprose sets out to seek those who wronged her and
this eventually leads to her working as a maid in the mansion of one
her potential targets. It is here she meets the various suitors
around which the routes and romances revolve while still keep the air
of tension from Aprose’s hidden motivation and the potential for
any of them to be the person she is looking for. How the suitors
manage to get Aprose to come out of her shell and the arc they
undergo together makes for a compelling journey which is easy to get
invested into and offers a good serving on intrigue to keep things
engaging. An otome lover who is looking for something a little
different from usual will be pleasantly surprised by Mistonia’s
Hope.
Amairo Chocolate 3
As
the third entry in the cute anime eared girls running a cafe series,
it has a lot of pre-established expectations to live up to and it
meets these by basically be the same exact game as the previous two
entries. You might think that this is a point against the title but
this continuation allows it to maintain the snug and warm atmosphere people are looking for. This time the focus is on two
girls new to the heroine role, Kohana and Momose Mitsuki, who are
given the same sweet romantic treatment as the rest and have the
necessary space to grow in an organic manner. Does this sound like
something you would enjoy? If so then it is probably for you and its
complete commitment to the vision is its greatest strength.
