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About this blog

This is a series of condensed articles from my main Blog.

Reviews, News and Analysis are my specialty and will be updated weekly on the main site followed by here.

Entries in this blog

Analysis

The Sub-Heroine Route – An Anatomy of Visual Novels

This is a condensed version of the full article which can be found on my Main Blog Here.   She Was Always Right Beside Me   A story always has its heroes and heroines, defining characters who shapes the narrative and break out of the normal to change the world around them. These are the people who the player remembers long after they have put the game down and are the focus of a developer's time and effort. But what about the supporting cast? The men and women who stand bello
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Episodic Stories – An Anatomy of Visual Novels

This is a condensed version of the full article which can be found on my Main Blog Here.   Tales From A Distant Land   How a visual novel is structured is perhaps one of the most important, but also the least immediately obvious, element for the player. The way in which the pieces of the narrative fit together often determines the kind of story you are going to tell and tools available to impart emotions and ideas. As such the choice to assume a structure based around Episodi
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The True Ending – An Anatomy of Visual Novels

This is a condensed version of the full article which can be found on my Main Blog Here.   Final Destination   Controlling how your game ends is crucial to the impression of it the player walks away with. This is an especially pressing issue for games with any kind of choice system which provides the option of alternative endings. If not handled correctly this can cause the narrative to come across as inconclusive and lacking a coherent identity. Something to tie the events
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Built-in Flowcharts – An Anatomy Of Visual Novels

This is a condensed version of the full article which can be found on my Main Blog Here.   Divergent Paths To The Future   For the longest time when you wanted to know how to get to a specific route in a visual novel the only options open to you where trial and error or looking up a walkthrough. However, in more recent years there has been a trend to include built-in flowcharts that fill out as the player progresses through the game. These help the player understand the struc
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Mystery VNs – Genre Deep Dive

This is a condensed version of the full article which can be found on my Main Blog Here.   Through The Lies And Deception   Of all the genres Mystery is perhaps the one visual novels have the most tools of engage with. The levels of subtly and the precise execution needed to ensure a balance between the known and unknown so that the player is never lost is no easy task and demands a degree of control many games lack. At the same time they have to be able to spin other delica
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Review

Akai Ito Review – Blood Red Threads Of Love

This is a condensed version of the full review which can be found on my Main Blog Here. Genre - Horror, Yuri     Play Time - 25 hours    Developer - Success     Steam    VNDB   Shaped By Inevitable Bonds   Being bound by the red string of fate is a common trope in Japanese romance stories and at first glance you might assume that Akai Ito would follow these conventions given its emphasis on yuri. However, nothing could be further from the truth as the game takes this rom
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An Anatomy Of Visual Novels – Unlockable Extra Content

This is a condensed version of the full article which can be found on my Main Blog Here.   Shiny New Things   Everyone likes to be rewarded for their effort and video games are happy to oblige with a variety of Extra Unlockable Content. These bonuses are often treated as a side show disconnected from the important main sections of the game and relegated to a sub menu where it has little impact on the greater structure. For visual novels this unlockable content has a much more
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Character Customisation – An Anatomy Of Visual Novels

This is a condensed version of the full article which can be found on my Main Blog Here.   What Shall I Be Today   There is a tendency in visual novels to have some degree of self insert aspect in their protagonists due to the prevalence and intensity of first person narratives. Some of them take this to its natural conclusion by giving the player a means of deciding parts of the character they are going to inhabit and these manifest as customisation options. They range from
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School Slice Of Life – Genre Deep Dive

This is a condensed version of the full article which can be found on my Main Blog Here.   The Brilliant Days Of Youth?   Of all the genres that dominate the visual novel space there are none which can compete with the behemoth of school slice of life. Beyond the many games utilising it as their core narrative element, many others use it as a secondary pillar to ground their more fantastical or emotional genres and give them an easily recognisable touch point with the player.
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Review

Steins Gate 0 Review – In The Shadow Of A Giant

This is a condensed version of the full review which can be found on my Main Blog Here.   Genre – Sci-fi, Thriller, Action    Play Time – 30 hours    Developer – Mages    VNDB    Steam   A Future That Could Not Be Saved   Struggling long and hard against fate only to find out you are the person who killed the one you love is enough to break a man and break Okabe Rintarou it did. Now he drifts through life in a world he knows is doomed to a hellish end. However, fate
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Mini Games – An Anatomy Of Visual Novels

This is a condensed version of the full article which can be found on my Main Blog Here.   Small But Mighty   When it comes to additional styles of gameplay within visual novels, they do not need to be as grand or demanding as a JRPG or SRPG component and the smallest of gameplay cycles can have a far greater effect in the right situation. Enter the Mini-Game, short and simple mechanical simulants that aim to prove value in being concise. Including these lends a form of textu
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Thriller – Genre Deep Dive

This is a condensed version of the full article which can be found on my Main Blog Here.   The Enemy Within   Sometimes we just need a little danger to add some excitement to our lives, but do not want to actually put ourselves in harms way so we turn to the Thriller. This genre has had a long history of fiction covering everything from spies to crime in order to keep the reader on their toes. In many ways it is similar to another genre visual novels thrive in, Horror, since
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In-Game Encyclopedia – An Anatomy Of Visual Novels

This is a condensed version of the full article which can be found on my Main Blog Here.   Knowledge Is Power   When exploring complicated ideas it can difficult to make sure the player understands what is going on while still making the dialogue and events believable and not an exposition dump, even more so if it uses a lot of in universe concepts. The answer which visual novels have come to is the inclusion of an in-game encyclopedia that unlocks new entries as the player e
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April Fools – Genre Deep Dive

This is a condensed version of the full article which can be found on my Main Blog Here.   That Time of The Year   Once a year people come together to pull pranks or other humorous activities on each other in an effort to lighten up their lives and visual novels have become a vessel for this practice resulting the birth of a genre. The games which spawn from it are parodies of established titles or series where their essence is exaggerated for comic effect while keeping the q
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Multiple Route Mystery – An Anatomy Of Visual Novels

This is a condensed version of the full article which can be found on my Main Blog Here.     Puzzle Pieces Scattered To The Wind   Putting together a mystery in order to find the truth is one of the most rewarding narrative and mechanical feelings it is possible to give the player. The route based structure of visual novels places them in a unique position to take advantage of this niche. They can spread their mystery over the course of their story in a non-linear manner
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Fighting Games – Uncovering The VN Hybrid

This is a condensed version of the full article which can be found on my Main Blog Here.   Fight Start!   As a style of gameplay Fighting Games are at once wonderfully expressive and yet incredibly restrictive and so combining them with visual novels make for an interesting hybrid. The primary feature which binds the two together is their heavy focus on characters and invoking strong emotions through their expressiveness. Visual novels offer the chance for fighting games to e
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Review

Irotoridori No Sekai – The Colorful World Review – Beyond The Other Rainbow

This is a condensed version of the full review which can be found on my Main Blog Here.   Genre – Romance, Fantasy, Mystery    Play Time – 35 hours     Developer – FAVORITE    Steam     VNDB   Coming To Know Love   Everyone has a wish they want fulfilled before they die, this can be anything from unrequited love to becoming rich to seeing the world. However, the world is a harsh place and many of these wishes go unanswered as people pass from the moral coil. It is t
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Amnesia: Memories Review - A Wonderland Of Love And Paranoia

This is a condensed version of the full review which can be found on my Main Blog Here. Genre – Otome, Mystery, Drama.   Play Time – 35 hours.   Developer – Otomate and Design Factory.    Steam     VNDB   Reinvigorating The Cliché   Using amnesia as plot device is a common tactic by many creators who want to put the protagonist on the same level as the player, but its use rarely goes beyond being an excuse for exposition. Enter Amnesia: Memories, as you might have been a
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Majikoi! Love Me Seriously! A – The Afterlife Of A Game Series

This is a condensed version of the full review which can be found on my Main Blog Here.   Genre – School Life, Comedy, Romance    Play Time – 10-15 per game    Developer – Minato Soft    VNDB   When Only Characters Remain   Once a game series has given all the stories it can, what remains to be extracted from it? Perhaps you expand the world by adding a new setting or maybe you introduce an exciting new threat. The answer the Majikoi A games have settled on is to f
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Cafe Stella Analysis (Spoilers) – There Is Only One Yuzusoft Game

This is a condensed version of the full article which can be found on my Main Blog HERE. Secrets Of The Dead   My relationship with Yuzusoft’s work has been a mixed one. The quality of the artwork and the likeable characters draw me to their games, but I often find myself burned out on them due their often unnecessary length and inability to handle their core premises with any depth or consideration. Despite these feelings, I continue to come back to their games so I can only assu
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fault – StP – LIGHTKRAVTE Review - Capturing A Moment Of Beauty

This is a condensed version of the full review which can be found on my Main Blog Here. Genre – Science Fantasy. Playtime – 6 Hours. Developer – ALICE IN DISSONANCE. Publisher – Phoenixx. VNDB Before The Storm LIGHTKRAVETE marks ALICE IN DISSONANCE’S first new fault title in seven years and this gap has lead to a substantial change in their overall style. Gone are the static character portraits, now each character has their own live 2d style model which moves as they spea
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Collar X Malice -Unlimited- Review - After The Storm Has Passed

This is a condensed version of the full review which can be found on my Main Blog Here. Genre - Crime/Police, Otome, Romance.   Play Time - 30 hours.   Developer - Otomate, Design Factory.   Nintendo Eshop   VNDB   A Story of Light and Dark   Fandiscs are difficult to get right. Sitting in a strange midpoint between sequel and expansion of the original game, they have to balance the desire for more of the same with the sprinkling of something new they need justify their
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Hello Lady! Review – Revenge Is A Dish Best Served Hot

This is a condensed version of the full review which can be found on my Main Blog Here. Genre – Superpowers, Action, Multiple Route Mystery.   Play Time – 50 hours.   Developer - Akatsuki WORKS.   Steam   VNDB   It Started With Fire   The quest for revenge is a time worn tale which has assumed many forms and is notoriously difficult to get right. It can be a struggle to get the audience to empathise with a character who is seeking revenge, especially when
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A Clockwork Ley-Line Trilogy Review – A Mistifying Mystery

This is a condensed version of the full review which can be found on my Main Blog Here. Genre - Mystery, Fantasy.   Playtime - Roughly 20 Hours Each, 60 In Total    Developer -  Unison Shift: Blossom    Steam    VNDB   Three Ley-Lines Shall Reveal The Truth   Creating a trilogy of games is an ambitious undertaking and one where so many tiny things can go wrong and ruin the whole package. It needs a glue to hold it together and keep the player invested in the long term, s
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Meaningless Choices – An Anatomy of Visual Novels

This is a condensed version of the full article which can be found on my Main Blog Here.   Empty and Pointless?   The illusion of choice is one of a video game’s most fragile tools, a single contradiction or misstep in presentation and the whole thing shatters and the player feels cheated. As such the idea of a Meaningless Choice is one which is viewed in a negative light as something to avoid alongside the idea that all choices must offer some form of consequence, no matter
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