I’ll just get this warning out of the way up-front: There’s an explicit depiction of an apparent suicide in the first ten minutes of Virche Evermore -ErroR: Salvation-. It’s by no means the only content warning found in this incredibly dark visual novel. I overview some of the (many) other…
Read MoreReview by Matt S. Take a dash of Alexandre Dumas, a dollop of class warfare, and a hearty dose of Steampunk, and then make it all sadistic and you’re more or less at Steam Prison. A little like Piofiore: Fated Memories, this game does like to subvert what people expect…
Read MoreNews by Matt S. Otome. It’s a genre that you rarely hear talked about with any sincerity or depth at IGN or Gamespot, or even Polygon. There aren’t all that many otome games that even get localised out here in the west. Heck, Koei Tecmo, which localises almost everything and…
Read MoreReview by Matt S. Japanese game developer and publisher, Voltage, is certainly prolific. Since 2011 the otome specialist has published multiple titles per year, and as many as 11(!) in one particular year (2014). Her Love In The Force is one of those 2014 titles, which has been localised and…
Read MoreNews by Matt S. How often do we get a game that’s based on opera themes? Not often. How often do those games have talent of the calibre of Tokyo Ghoul’s creator onboard? Even less so. Jack Jeanne is one of those rare events, and it looks absolutely stunning. It’s…
Read MoreReview by Matt C. Bataille, Missouri is a small mining town full of big secrets. Erika Wright is an FBI agent from the city, just passing through Bataille to assist in the capture of an accused serial killer, when her whole life changes forever. A bunch of enormous spires, each…
Read MoreReview by Matt S. After Piofiore: Fated Memories just about ruined me when I played it a few weeks ago (I just never thought Otome games would get that dark), I rather enjoyed the contrast that Café Enchanté has offered. It’s another lengthy, substantial visual novel by the same developer…
Read MoreReview by Matt S. Gangsters – be they yakuza, mafia, or otherwise, are aestheticised in Japanese culture in a way that lends itself very well to otome and a kind of violent, but ravishing romance story. Because of that, Piofiore: Fated Memories, which is a visual novel about three warring…
Read MoreReview by Matt C. With romance games, there’s often an attempt to try and gamify the whole process of falling in love. Getting the good ending with your chosen lover should be at least a little bit of a challenge, says common wisdom, so getting there involves just the right…
Read MoreReview by Matt S. Anyone questioning the wisdom of having so many games being ported to Nintendo Switch, with minimal additions or changes, should perhaps consider that not everyone has had the chance to play the original releases. Case-in-point, for whatever reason I had never played Code: Realize. With it…
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