visual novel

It’s another day in the visual novel dungeon and this time Vera Blanc: Ghost in the Castle is my quarry. Ian reviewed Winter Wolves’ last effort Full Moon back in November, to be honest, not much has changed. Our titular heroine is back in the mood for some paranormal investigating. […]

Vera Blanc: Ghost in the Castle – PS4 Review

February 3, 2021 in PS4 / Reviews tagged hangman / narratively-driven / paranormal detective / ratalaika / spot the difference / vera blanc ghost of the castle / visual novel / winter wolves by Mike

As maligned as the visual novel genre is, I keep wondering if I’m going to come across one with a genuinely good story. They do exist but I find the majority I encounter land in the same trappings that stifle my enjoyment of a good read. The latest to cross […]

Autumn’s Journey – PS4 Review

December 15, 2020 in PS4 / Reviews tagged apple cider / autumn's journey / dodgy parenting / dragons / friendship / narratively-driven / romance / visual novel by Mike

Vera Blanc: Full Moon is the latest from Ratalaika. It’s another visual novel using the same RenPy scripting language we’ve encountered on multiple occasions already. This time it’s from Italian developer Winter Wolves aka Celso Riva. This originally came out in 2010 anyway… Unlike some of the others this is […]

Vera Blanc: Full Moon – PS4 Review

November 14, 2020 in PS4 / Reviews tagged forza italia / ratalaika / visual novel by Ian

Visual novels just don’t stop coming. It’s not a genre I’m especially enamoured with but it’s been fascinating to see the genre transform over time. After plenty of development time and a successful kickstarter, Undead Darlings: No Cure for Love has finally come to fruition. Mr. Tired Media are mixing […]

Undead Darlings: No Cure for Love – PS4 Review

November 4, 2020 in PS4 / Reviews tagged dungeon crawler / Girls / mr tired media / narrively driven / post-apocalypse / rpg / undead darlings no cure for love / visual novel / zombies by Mike

I’m having a hard time with the visual novel genre. There’s something about the writing in general that puts me off. It’s a very wordy genre and it’s all very geared towards telling, rather than showing. The next one on my docket is Cinders, from MoaCube. It’s a retelling of […]

Cinders – PS4 Review

August 29, 2020 in PS4 / Reviews tagged choices / cinderella / cinders / fairytale / godmother / moacube / narratively-driven / visual novel by Mike

Banner of the Maid is a strategy RPG in the vein of Final Fantasy Tactics or Shining Force. It’s been developed in China rather than Japan but that makes little difference as it follows the template closely. The last Chinese developed RPG I reviewed was Sword and Fairy 6 and […]

Banner of the Maid – PS4 Review

August 27, 2020 in PS4 / Reviews tagged 2d / banner of the maid / bonaparte / chinese / french / rpg / strategy / sword and fairy / visual novel by Gareth

It’s a stone could fact that there are more visual novels born than people these days. Sure enough, another one has crossed my path asking me to look at some anime artwork whilst trying to pay attention to some dialogue. It’s Nicole‘s turn. Coming from Winter Wolves, this dating simulator […]

Nicole – PS4 Review

August 6, 2020 in PS4 / Reviews tagged college / dating life simulator / mystery / narratively-driven / nicole / visual novel / winter wolves by Mike

Jisei the First Case HD is a visual novel focused entirely around a murder mystery. Centred around a killing at a diner, Sakevisual’s focused narrative provides some simple investigative thrills whilst lacking in some longevity and nuance. The story concerns a murder mystery held entirely within a diner’s premises. A […]

Jisei: The First Case HD – PS4 Review

August 1, 2020 in PS4 / Reviews tagged detective / jisei the first case hd / Murder mystery / narratively-driven / sakevisual / visual novel by Mike

Now I’ve done it. I’ve opened the Pandora’s box on visual novels now and another one has been sent my way. It’s not a genre I’ve ever been enamoured with but at least A Summer With the Shiba Inu offers a decent mystery on paper. It’s a genre where the […]

A Summer with the Shiba Inu

July 5, 2020 in PS4 / Reviews tagged a summer with the shiba inu / dogs / military laser tag / mystery / narratively-driven / quill game studios / spying / visual novel by Mike

Say the words visual novel to me and I have a pretty good idea of what to expect. Just through osmosis, I’ve gained a perception of a genre that has a rather uneasy underbelly to it. Strawberry Vinegar manages to punch this home every step of the way. Coming from […]

Strawberry Vinegar – PS4 Review

June 6, 2020 in PS4 / Reviews tagged anime girls / children / choose your own adventure / ebi-hime / feeder fetish / narratively-driven / romance / visual novel by Mike

Ratalaika are back and after last month’s Syrup and the Ultimate Sweet they’ve ported another visual novel in the form of Blind Men. Ian quite liked that one so have they sourced another decent one or will this just be for those looking for a simple PS4 and Vita platinum? […]

Blind Men – PS4/Vita Review

April 15, 2020 in PS4 / Vita tagged blind men / boys' love / easy platinum / ratalaika / super villain / visual novel by Gareth

From the people who brought us numerous Neptunia titles comes a new JRPG/visual novel mix, Death end re;Quest. Mixing new ideas with a familiar feel, Compile Heart have stepped out from the safety of Neptune and her pals into a more serious arena but can the cutesy characters and serious […]

Death end re;Quest – PS4 Review

February 23, 2019 in PS4 tagged bugs / compile heart / death end re;quest / game within a game / jrpg / visual novel by Gareth