Review by Matt S. One of the benefits of publishing a review a little later after release is that you can check against some of the other reviews to see how your own take on the various themes and ideas expressed by the game were taken by others. Having checked…
Read MoreReview by Matt S. I went into Wing of Darkness expecting a cross between Liberation Maiden and Ace Combat. You pilot a giant suit of mech armour controlled by an empowered woman (that being the Liberation Maiden part) in aerial dogfights that are similar in style to Ace Combat. That…
Read MoreReview by Matt S. There are two things that are important to visual novels: One is the art. The other is the narrative. If either of those are broken, then the game itself is rendered pointless. Lily of the Hollow – Resurrection is broken thanks to a localisation that is…
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 MoreInterview by Matt S. Not every game lands and is met with immediate success. For many developers – especially those that operate in niche spaces like visual novels – success comes organically, as word of mouth spreads and people discover that this humble little thing, swimming in an ocean of…
Read MoreReview by Matt S. As we hadn’t really seen the Sakura Wars series in the west, with just the one title localised in a very primitive fashion by NISA. So, despite this being huge in Japan, I went into this new release raw, and not really being sure what to…
Read MoreReview by Matt S. SeaBed is a rather precious thing; it might look amateurish in its aesthetics, and even by visual novel standards it lacks interactivity, but it’s also a remarkable bit of storytelling, and one that defies expectations at every turn and refuses to take the low road. It…
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…
Read MoreReview by Matt S. Visual novel developers often do like to subvert expectations. Unlike a straight-up novel, the visual novel medium allows for alternative routes and endings, and when you’ve got the option to write “bad” endings, the temptation to use them to ruin everything players had expected to get…
Read MoreReview by Matt S. As far as coding is concerned, visual novels are the easiest things to make. This is particularly true if you’re making ones that either don’t include gameplay elements, or only throw the occasional choice and branching path at the player. I should know; even I’ve been…
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