Tuesday, December 30, 2025
As
the year that was is soon to leave us once again, let’s look back
at what has shaped the world of visual novels. 2025
has been a productive year in all corners of the medium and the
breadth and depth of releases on offer only grows. Be it small indie
titles pushing the bounds of what visual novels can be while celebrating their
past or the official localisation of the heavy hitters which defined
the visual novel space. The flexibility of these releases and their
audiences willingness to engage with them demonstrate the importance
of this bond to the continued growth of the space. Let’s light
our fireworks and welcome in the new year by remembering all the good
times and see the showcase of the past year.
Selection Of The Best Visual Novel Releases
Ever 17 + Never 7 E17 Steam N7 Steam
This
pair of Infinity series visual novels have left a large mark on
the medium and now English speaking audiences finally have a way to
experience these landmark titles. Unfortunately this set of releases
came with a whole assortment of odd decisions and issues which muddy
what should have been an easy home run. These range from a wonky
translation to the use of the Xbox 360 version of Ever 17 over the
original to a bare bones UI. Yet despite everything they still make
this list because even in this diminished form they are still classic
games worth playing and stand up despite these weaknesses.
Fate/hollow ataraxia Remastered Steam
After
the success of Fate/Stay Night’s release last year, Type-Moon came
back again with its fandisc Fate/hollow ataraxia in a new
remastered form. Hollow ataraxia received the same visual uplift as
its predecessor giving it HD artwork in widescreen resolution for a
better experience on modern hardware. The only notable removal of
content in this release (outside of the fact this is an all ages
version) is the absence of the Capsule Servant mini game which is a
shame but it was never the main reason to play the game. It
interpretation of the time loop narrative and the strong cast it
inherits from the original are the reasons why it remains lodged in
the memory long after completion. Now all we need is for the PC
version of the Tsukihime remake to be released and we will have all
of Type-Moon’s modern titles freely available.
Detective Instinct: Farewell, My Beloved Steam
Like
the rest of the video game space, there has been a revisiting of mechanics from the medium’s past and injecting new life into them
through the advances made in hardware. Tapping into the classic
command based ADV visual novels, Detective Instinct shows this style
has a unique appeal and blends well with the mystery genre to scratch
that itch for players. Committing to this era of games also comes
with its art style which emulates the anime aesthetic of its time to
stand out against modern visuals to make it memorable and sell the
illusion of being from the period. It is quite a blast from the past
but has enough of its own imagination to leave a sense this genre has
a bright future ahead.
The Hundred Line -Last Defense Academy- Steam
While
I have issues with the execution of its ideas and over-reliance on
Danganronpa’s legacy, Hundred Line is such an interesting and
ambitious title from some of the best minds in the industry and on
that merit alone it is a worth your time. The hundred different
endings (even if they are of wildly varying quality) provide a good
incentive to engage with its well-defined SRPG mechanics and discover
the vivid world and the colourful people who live in it. A game which
will no doubt leave a mark on the medium but what the mark will be is
difficult to say so close to its release.
Tsui no Sora Original Download
Through
the hard work of a group of fans, the original 1999 version of Tsui
no Sora has been translated and ported to Ren’Py from the ancient
Macromedia Director. It keeps the original’s assets and
presentational choices to faithful recreate the experience of playing
this first version of these core ideas. A lot of the core material is shared between this game, its remake and Wonderful Everyday, but this
first attempt has a simple clarity to its messages and theming which
formed the foundation for those later titles to build off. If you are
interested in how it all began then you will not be disappointed by what you find here.
Urban Myth Dissolution Center Steam
By
far the strangest title of the year, investigating all kinds of urban
myths from cursed items to dimensional anomalies has never been quite
so arresting as it is here painted in strong pixel art colours. Playing
these oddities off against some equally off the wall characters
causes them to just smash into each other in the most entertaining
and dynamic ways possible. It is a joy to see the weirdness of the
medium being written large and proud upon this canvas and once over
it stays with the player in its through this load statement of
intent.
Interesting Visual Novels From Game Jams
NaNoRenO 2025
Voices, blaming, blood and she
Mixing
bold colours and a twisted world make for a strong first impression
and it works perfectly for the game’s theming while allowing for a
level of strangeness to exist. A teenage girl is seeking out a room
where all wishes come true and must wrestle with her internal worries
and dreams in order to decide on what she wishes for. The player’s
job is to guide her through these inner thoughts and deal with the
trials awaiting on her journey. Crawling inside her head makes for an
odd experience as the world outside of it becomes even more
outlandish.
Pigeon West: Call Of Gun. ISEKAI
Want
to be a the most dangerous pigeon in the entire Wild West who has
been subjected to an isekai and landed in a fantasy world? Continuing
the ever weird lineage of Hatoful Boyfriend, Pigeon West replaces its
human characters with various birds and takes its concept to the
absurd extremes you would expect. There is something oddly satisfying
about watching a grizzled Wild West outlaw have to deal with the
common troupes of the isekai genre all while everyone else takes it
entirely seriously. Something about the replacing humans with birds
idea is a constant well of amusement.
Spooktober 7th Annual Visual Novel Jam
Tokidoki Tactical Squad
This
one was already highlighted in a monthly releases round-up, but it is
such a memorable gem it is worth bring to your attention again. Its
strong retro art style and 4:3 main visual window immediately give
away the era of games it is pulling from. Rather than merely
languishing in that nostalgia as its main selling point, it instead
use this style as the foundation it can twist for its horror and to
provide a sense of unease to what seem to be familiar events on the
surface. While subversion is hardly new in visual novels, this is
such a well put together title it earns the twists and turns it
pulls on the player.
Fern Flower
In
a ruined world sits a religious cult who have been struck by a deadly
disease and they choose a squad to go a retrieve the mysterious fern
flower believed to hold the cure. As this group pass through the
depths of the forest to retrieve the plant, they will come face to
face with the dangerous left overs of devastating apocalypse which
will hamper their bodies and minds. All of this is dressed in a murky
coat of dirty greens and blood reds to sell the dire state of the
world and the dangers facing this group as they push through the
mire.
Otome Jam 2025
Miss Bellevue Never Heard The Whistle
Aspiring
to be more than a society column journalist, Piper Lam is unhappy
with her current position and dreams of exposing the secrets of shady
power brokers. She get a chance to fulfil her wish when there is a
murder on the transnational train she is travelling on and she must scramble
to solve the case with the help of a fellow passenger. This draws
heavily from classic murder mysteries not only in its narrative set
up but also in the period setting with its elaborate train carriages
making for the perfect backdrop for the drama.
TOXIC YURI VN JAM
LONER_DOG://SnuffPuppy Carnage Society
Juggling
a merger of pseudo operating system and standard NVL presentation,
this is the strange tale about an equally unique selection of
individuals and their attempt to deal with their lives. It is a
visual novel completely willing to step into the dark elements of
human existence in an unflinching manner so this is definitely not a
title for everyone. Yet there is a beauty to this meshing of drugs,
violence and sex which makes a surprisingly alive experience where
the eternal meshing of flesh and soul are laid unceremoniously bare.
Syzygy
When
a ritual deep in the mountains goes wrong three woman find themselves
bound together as a result and they are must unravel the magic which
they messed up. Its horned characters and snowy environments are the
perfect background for the worldbuilding and general magical and
mystic tone enveloping the title. The three woman each have a
distinct identity and bounce off each other in organic ways providing
the space for the narratives stakes and twists to be impactful. This
rich world and its inhabitants shape the overall direction of this
story in unexpected ways.
Things To Look Out For Next Year
Temirana: The Lucky Princess and the Tragic Knights
Otomes
where the protagonist is a princess with special powers are not new to
the space but there is something to be said for those which commit
completely into the setting and drama of this premise. Temirana looks
to be one such title as it follows a ‘cursed’ princess and
her knights and understands the balancing act of making its suitors
attractive while having them be an equal to the heroine. Their method
of achieving this is to give each of the knights a fatal flaw from
poverty to loneliness to frailty which offers a space for the heroine
to slot into their lives. Is this going to revolutionise the genre?
Not even slightly, but it will no doubt be a sincere encapsulation of
what makes it so appealing.
Fate/Extra Record
Being
a weird mix of remake and reimagining of the original Fate/Extra
makes this game a hard one to place. It has completely revamped the
gameplay from the original’s somewhat messy rock, paper, scissors style into a more
standardised iteration of its card mechanics alongside the massive
jump from PSP graphics to a layer of modern polish. As for what
narrative changes it will make, this is a lot less clear and the only noticeable thing is the leveraging of 3D space for cinematic cutscenes in a way
the original could not. Regardless of how good this actual ends up
being on release, there is still many people who will only experience
Fate/Extra through this title and on that merit alone it will have
value.
The Goddess Of Tears～Restoration～
This
is a ground up remake of a game by the same name, and the original was not released outside of Japan, which is seeking entirely reinvent itself.
It takes its fantasy otome identity and marries it to the structure
and mechanics of a raising simulator with aim of add another layer
to the gradual romantic build-up. The visuals are new and seek to
better capture of magical nature of its setting and the personalities
of its suitors in appealing sharpness. This is also contains erotic
scenes as part of its core identity which is an uncommon element in
localised otome which tend to steer clear of so it is nice to see
more titles tread these waters. Such a meshing of ideas looks to be
an interesting iteration of the romantic fantasy.
Machine Child
Raising
simulators have been undergoing somewhat of a resurgence in recent
years and Machine Child is one of the games attempting to carve out a
place for itself in this niche. What makes it stand out most among
the other options is twofold, its illustrator being the ever
memorable Ooyari Ashito who brings a level of charm to whatever they
work on and the relaxing and cosy atmosphere it is orientated towards.
This is light title at its core and wants the player to sink into the
role of parent for their selected daughter and really get invested in
a low stakes environment. It is fundamentally aiming for a balance of shaping each daughter’s future and the joy of their growth in a
way not too aggressively pushing either extreme.
DRACU-RIOT!
Is
2026 the year DRACU-RIOT! will finally release? Who knows, this is
one visual novel seemingly stuck in eternal localisation purgatory,
first as a fan translation then being passed to an official publisher
where various issues have caused it to remain illusive. Yet the new
year always brings new hope and the release of this now classic
Yuzusoft title can only get more likely as time passes. It will be
interesting to see how well it stands up to their modern output and
how their style has evolved over time. And vampires, everyone loves
vampires.
