As my interest towards Doom and Warcraft wanes, I have sort of come around to one of my original video game (if you can call them that...) passions: visual novels.
Out of the loop for a while, I had to do a bit of digging in order to see what was up nowadays when it came to the sort of stuff I like: indie, short, possibly free visual novels, either Japanese or OEL, with that touch of the 'amateurish' (in the best possible way) underground feel I sort of enjoy in... all media, really.
Sadly, it seems like the good ol' days (yes, I'm old) are gone: insani is out of commission for the most part (no substantial updates since 2006 or so, save for a re-upload of their Nscripter, and a very useful dev journal), a lot of the blogs I used to follow are gone for good (as in, they are so gone I can't even provide a link), and the usual soulless conglomerates, even more soulless than I remembered them to be, dominate the news. At least the Lemma Soft forums are still alive and kicking, and one can always fall upon the always up to date VNDB to search for new and upcoming works.
Then, of course, there is Steam. While certainly not a VN haven (unless you like 3d pig ugly dating simsm no offense to pigs), there are a lot of interesting games to pick up, mostly in English but with the occasional Japanese entry. So, here is what I've been playing (or sometimes, re-playing) lately. I have paid for all of them where possible, and I am skipping a couple things that I haven't finished yet, or were too tiny or disappointing to form an opinion on them.
Yup, we start with a replay. I have to say, not as solid as I remembered it to be, overall. Very, very meandering, and the big swathes of slapstick comedy only go so far. Kyou's route is still the best, and really the only one worth playing all the way. A relic of its age, really, love it or leave it. I will reccomend the anime adaptation, however, if you're one of three people who never watched it - it's really, really good.
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Even less polished than Clannad and, because of this, with a bit more staying power, at least for me. I mean, by today's production values (I played it right after Yume Miru Kusuri) it could almost pass for an indie work. It really has that early-2000 feel that I cherish, the story is sappy but counterbalanced by a healthy helping of postapocalyptic cynicism, and the beefy UI only adds mostalgia points.
Probably the litmus between mainstream and indie, I actually followed this one's development as it happened, so extra nostalgia points. I even have one of the doujinshi the Japanese branch of 4LS published. High production values (though I think it could have done with a bit more homogeneity in the artwork department), great story (again, not all equally well developed, I never really vibed with Rin's and Emi's but no biggie), and a rabid following waiting for them to make a sequel they'll never make. I occasionally pop back into the development forums just for kicks and to remind me of that one time I did 0 to 10k with Emi. Good ol' salad days. Anyway, reccomended if you haven't played it.
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OELVN by Zeiva Inc., makers of a lot of very solid games I will check out in the future. A very short visual novel about a disgruntled boy and his friendship with... the sea. How literally, you'll find out on your own. The art and colors are just amazing, really hit that aqua laden sweet spot I just love. There are a few oddities: some visual gags feel a bit out of place, but fortunately they are relegated to the extras, so no big deal. Good enough to actually get me to shell a few bucks for the plus version, and I don't do that sort of stuff lightly - I am very, very stingy with gaming money. Great music too. Reccomended.
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Also my Steam theme, in case you were wondering (oh, by the way, I am 'thelokk' on Steam, friend me and say hi!). A very well known title in the yuri genre by Paleontology, who apparently made it and then fell off the face of the earth - same old story, really. Plays with time warps, abstract deep dives into the memories and consciousness of the two likeable, relatable co-protagonists, and keeps the yuri tasty and classy. A bit sparse in CGs, but there is a lot of dialogue and it's fairly long too - big bang for the buck, in my book. Available for Switch as a physical release too. Reccomended.
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The first entry I would reccomend with reservations - there is a part two by makers ds-sans in the works, with much higher production values and a more developed story - so you might want to check this out so as not to fall off the loop, but it's a bit of a hit and miss to be honest. It starts with a very interesting premise - the romance between two half Japanese, half Welsh youngsters living in Japan - but gets sidetracked into the usual teasy, 'can't you just explain yourselves?!?!' shenanigans I have little patience for. The protagonist plays harp, yet she isn't shown once doing so... and so on. It's not bad, just underdeveloped and clearly created on little to no budget. Some very mild ecchi. Still reccomended if on sale, but the main course is yet to come.
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For some reason, purely horror VNs don't seem to be so popular with OEL developers - most of their indie horror energy seems to be channeled into the lb/Omori format of the adventure game. Selene is the exception, as it deep dives into horror headfirst, both visual and psychological. As you unravel (or maybe really don't...) the mystery of who the mysterious cat (or catgirl?) persecuting the two different narrators is, you will encounter copious amounts of blood, suggestive adult imagery (especially if using the hentai patch), one or two yanderes, and unlock a series of short analog horror-like skits that seem to develop part their own story, part the VN's lore. Highly reccomended.
Short meta-piece by mahoumaiden, one of the people behind another batshit insane VN that I still have to complete so will comment upon in a later post. If you've ever wondered what a VN romanceable protagonist thinks of you, this is the novel where you find out. The visuals are astounding, stark and simple yet incredibly effective at conveying the 'let's get to the core of this' attitude of the writing, both funny and terse - maybe a tiiiiny bit dragging towards the end, but not by much. Also very funny, and the short loopy music adds to the atmosphere. Highly reccomended.
A Russian visual novel (VNs seem to still be inordinately popular among Russian geeks, just like it was a decade ago) which sports probably the most original story of all those reviewed in this post. The twist is the perfect 'I saw it coming, but actually I didn't' stuff that, as a card carrying mystery fan, I just love. The novel-within-the-novel is hella creepy and, while the themes moe era handles could be considered quite heavy, there is plenty of humor - and, sometime, fanservice - to keep the reader away from eccessive gloom. Excellent production values, Sima best girl. Reccomended.
A millennial would probably argue this one needs trigger warnings, but I happen to think trigger warnings are for frail snowflakes - no one faced stuff by avoiding it, ever. So yeah, just be warned that this novel deals with very heavy topics, although it does so with just the right amount of seriousness and. when appropriate, lightheartendness. You will reconsider how important your hot goth gf is to you. Probably visually the best of anything I'm reviewing today, Angela He's tract has some of that European bande dessinée vibe that I absolutely love. Warrants multiple replays for all of the endings. Highly reccomended.
Looking up, I see only a ceiling
Not a visual novel in the strictest sense, as you do input to move across environments old adventure-game style and there is a free roam mode after first completion, but you still click through text so whatever. Very charming art style, sort of a lo-fi take on the same pastel-y aesthetic of the previous reviewed work. The story is simple and a bit opaque, but the game is brief enough you don't feel shortchanged. Probably a good pick if you like your games to be something more than window after window of dialogue. Still reccomended.
Ah, don't you love fanmade ero patches too? XD anyway, what's with Russia and edgy protagonists? this one here is a psychopath bent on torturing a classmate... or is he? will he change his mind just in time. Troy Holman's relatively short, charming work is sparse in assets (just a handful of sprites and backgrounds) but gets maximum mileage out of them, helped to this regard by an excellent OST, one of the best I've heard in any indie OELVN. The story starts pretty dark but don't be fooled, even the bad ending is not that bad. Reccomended.
Mostly a one-person work by Auden Cho-Wong, and you wouldn't be able to tell -- I wouldn't say production values are quite game studio level, but they get pretty damn close. Loads of CGs and sprites, a variety of backgrounds, fantastic OST and a Hunger-Games-but-it's-love story that actually offers a couple plot twists, rare fare in the genre. Five heroines to 'choose' from.. but do you really get to choose? what's their say in the matter, and what's yours anyway? play to find out. The most developed plot in an indie-ish work I have come across in a while, checks all the boxes. Highly reccomended.
This is it, for now. Next round, I'll review what I still have to finish, and reccomend a couple of very obscure things some
