Clephas

Key's standard works are nakige that defined the 'classic' style, focused on character development and catharsis. Rewrite and Planetarian represent outliers, though the latter is excellent and the former a meh chuunige.

Hare Tokidoki Otenkiame is a somewhat half-assed attempt to resurrect the miracle of Moshimo Ashita ga Harenaraba which is based in the same setting. I like games with mimikko girls, so you can probably tell how much it pains me to hate on this game, but it really isn't worth playing. Ima mo Itsuka mo Faluna Luna is a game I assess to be somewhat higher than the rating I gave it in terms of quality (I was in one of my charage overdose pits at the time). It is a pretty decent to high-quality (depending on the heroine path) fantasy charage with a reasonably enjoyable concept/story. The protag is nothing to write home about though. Legend Seven... is for people who like the burning type moe in their VNs and anime. It is hot-blooded everything, whether it is conversation or action, everything is hot-blooded and extreme. Decently fun to read, but afterward you never want to read it again. Shunki Gentei Poco a Poco is actually a pretty good game I played later on because I loved one of the other VNs based in the same setting, Hatsugamai. I find it amusing that Alcot's mid-priced games are actually better than charage by other companies, and this is one that proves that particular rule true. Strawberry Nauts is Hook Soft's single best game, ever. I'm not kidding. Nothing they've made before or since has come close. That said, it is Hook Soft and sugary sweet moe and SOL is the name of the game, even if the characters are better than in all their other games and the heroine paths are actually almost interesting. Yurikago yori Tenshi made is an old favorite of mine. It is probably the ideal gakuen battle chuunige, the pinnacle of that particular sub-genre before it vanished forever. The protagonist is an angsty unreliable narrator who is constantly abused by several of the main characters but has a ruthless streak a mile wide. He is quite capable of murdering someone he likes simply because someone more important to him needs him to and not feeling anything resembling guilt afterward, but he is also capable of loving with single-minded fervor. Generally speaking, this game is just... fun for chuunige.

*Clephas gobbles you down in thanks, sending you to the catgirl harem world inside his many stomachs*

Personally these are my criteria and the order in which I consider them important: 1. Writing 2. Presentation (of all elements) 3. Artwork 4. Audio elements (BGM and VA) 5. Program stability You saw what I did there, right? Essentially, that is a possible subjective view of quality... while ignoring the parts that I didn't admit were important, such as world-building (construction of the setting) and character design (which includes elements of the writing, VA, and artwork to make the whole), both of which I consider important. The fact is, 'quality' is both an incredibly subjective term - one that doesn't lend itself to clear and objective assessment - and something that, in a general sense, be quantified by that same subjective viewpoint (which is where you get reviews. Speaking as someone who reviewed a whole truckload of VNs over the years, I can tell you that trying to be objective is a trap. Objective quality is one of the most irrelevant types of quality in the eyes of readers. It's ok to admit where you are biased, but true objectivity isn't something a reviewer should indulge in when playing something they like. It takes all the fun out of it. In retrospect, I think I wrote most of my best reviews near the beginning of my 'career' with VNs. I recommended VNs based on what a reader is looking for, rather than some abstract objective assessment of quality, and I generally got more feedback in general... which is kind of what trapped me. Also, reviewing SOL games became so painful toward the end that I was completely cutting off my emotions when reviewing them, which kind of defeated the point.

I agree that Izuna Zanshinken is the best game from this month, but there are more games of note than just Midori no Umi and Kilometer. MasterXRe:Master is a mediocre chuunige focused on Faustian deals and gakuen battle themes. The main heroine of this game is an airheaded ditz obsessed with demon summoning who manages to get hold of Mephisto... and promptly sells her soul to him for power. While that might seem like a fascinating theme, too much of the game is spent in pointless SOL and wasted scenes, with combat only really taking the center stage in the heroine paths. Midori no Umi is excellent psychological horror and the game that put Cabbit on the map. I won't say it is a kamige, but if you like settings where things seem ok on the surface and are horrific below it, its a good choice. Zerokiro (Kilometer) is essentially your standard-issue charage, of which hundreds have been produced since and are still being produced - albeit in reduced numbers - today. I dropped the VN halfway through out of boredom, due to how mundane it was. Shinsei ni Shite Okasubekerazu is one of the more... eccentric charage out there. It would have been GOTM material at the time, if better stuff hadn't released at the same time, lol. How Kvan failed to mention Walkure Romanze escapes me... if you want to see the prototype (which did everything better) to Aokana, Walkure Romanze is your option. This game took the 'washout combat sports player protagonist teaching newbies the ropes' gig and did something excellent with it. Not only that, the protagonist isn't sidelined in any of the paths, so you don't get that feeling of fadeout that drove me crazy with Aokana. Last of all, the best release of the month, Izuna Zanshinken. While this game has its issues, it is probably the best splatter-violence focused chuunige I've ever encountered. The protagonist is a ninja/vigilante in the service of a very old-style yakuza family... that sentence alone should make any chuunige reader want to play it.

This was an unusually crowded week, with multiple high-quality releases and a lot of games worthy of playing multiple times. Kajiri Kamui Kagura- The erstwhile sequel to Marie's path in Dies Irae (Rea is canon). This is perhaps the most revealing of the games about the nature of the Shinzabanshou universe and comes with a unique visual style that goes along with the false era it projects (early Edo Japan). To people who haven't played Dies Irae, 80% of this game will be lost on you. To a lesser extent, reading Paradise Lost adds to the experience as well. I will say that this game is extremely hard to read due to numerous linguistic issues (turns of phrase from various - mixed - eras of Japanese history, archaic linguistics, use of ritual language, etc). I'd put this as the single hardest VN to read in Japanese, with Bradyon Veda being just behind. That said, it is the game I consider to be the last Masada masterpiece (Kaziklu Bey being a side-story), as his later works were mostly derivative or of lesser quality. Mirai Nostalgia- Purple Soft's first true nakige. This was the game that first hinted at what Purple Soft was capable of, and it is based in the same universe as Seishun Fragile (so far, there are two major timelines in Purple soft games... this one and the one containing Amatsutsumi, Chrono Clock and Aoi Tori). This game is truly excellent, though it lacks some of the refinement of later games by this company. Otomimi Infinity- This is one of three games I recommend to people who want a solid game with animal-ear heroines. It has a decent story, good comedy, and an interesting setting (and heroines). If you like girls with animal-ears (like the protagonist does), this is an excellent choice to play. Shion no Ketsuzoku- This game had good potential, but it was unfortunately crippled by the haphazard and slapdash inclusion of too many varied elements into the setting (the protagonist in particular). The protagonist being a vampire, a messiah, and a philanderer all at the same time made creating an actual plot impossible. Yuyukana- Like all the games in the series (Alia's Carnival, Haruoto, and Shirokoi) this game has a lot of elements I like... and it somehow comes together in a way that feels mundane and disinteresting. Seriously, I've never fallen asleep in the middle of playing a VN as often as I have for this series. This is despite it having some interesting fantasy elements and decent heroines. Koikishi- Actually an excellent game with a decent protagonist, good heroines, and excellent heroine paths. It does have frustrating aspects (seriously, using blunt swords as instruments of law enforcement?), but overall it is a fun read with great characters (and a great incest path). Kotowari- Going to be straight with you... I have seriously mixed feelings on this game. The biggest reason is the seriously crappy approach they had to using sprites. The story, in itself, is good to great depending on which path you are talking about. However, I got serious headaches with how they handled the sprites. Lunaris Filia- for some reason, despite this being one of Whirlpool's best games, it is also one of its most forgotten ones. This is a vampire plotge focused on a protagonist who ends up surrounded by vampiric beauties that want him to be with them forever (and two vanilla heroines). Despite how that sounds like just your standard harem protagonist, it is actually a pretty interesting setup, and I seriously enjoyed playing it from beginning to end, both times. Venus Blood Abyss- My least favorite VB game. It is a dungeon-defense plus breeding simulation VN that introduced me to the side of VB I liked least (I hate the mechanics of the breeding sim VB games). Story is decent to meh, protagonist is an incubus who is moderately impressive but has an unhealthy fascination with breeding girls using tentacles.

Most rewatched is probably Overlord. Overall favorite? Hard to say (thousands watched) but probably LOTGH.

To me, this month is a competition between Tiny Dungeon 2, Tenshi no Hane o Fumanaide and Irotoridori. Tiny Dungeon 2 is my favorite of the first three entries of the series, for various reasons (well, mostly Hime being badass and Fon being awesome). Tenshi no Hane o Fumanaide is Shumon Yuu, which should make it the game to play for any sensible person. It really is about as good as it gets in terms of quality, even stepping onto the level of a kamige. Irotoridori no Sekai is... the game that turned Favorite from a curiosity to a dominant nakige company. Some people will argue that it was Hoshimemo that did this for Favorite, but Irotoridori is far more likely to be referred to by fanboys in general. Ikinari Anata ni Koishiteiru is a mediocre game that tries and fails to bridge about a half-dozen genres with its eccentric cast of characters but falls on its face (at least partly due to the protagonist being too bland). Kimi ni Aogi Otome wa Hime ni is another mediocre game from this month... sadly my memories of it are blurred by time, but I do remember being unsatisfied with it, in the end. Princess Evangile is translated, so most will be familiar with it... but I'll just say that I never understood why this got a localization when it did. If I was going to pick a VN from this year to localize in 2015, when VN localizations were on the verge of beginning to release at a rapid pace, it wouldn't have been this one, considering how mediocre it is. Shikigami is a kusoge of a conquest strategy-rpg based in an alternate history of the pre-Genji era of Japan, when Onmyouji were supposedly in charge of everything. As a concept for a game, it wasn't horrible, but the actual execution was abominable.

Doushite Daite Kurenai no is a comedic VN of mediocre quality. The concept is a guy gaining the ability to make girls fall in love with him, but if he has H with them, they forget him. Diamic Days is one of LoS's many mediocre games, not really worth mentioning.

Tokyo Babel or Dies Irae

HHG would be my highest pick for this month (Hyper Highspeed Genius). It is by far the best game from this month and one I played three times (unusual for a non-chuunige with me). If you pick the main path, it is a serious plotge with a pretty creepy antagonist and a loop-like structure. If you pick the side paths, you have solid heroine paths that are actually pretty fun to experience. Stellar Theatre Encore is worth mentioning because it adds on a path to a game that was pretty popular with moe-addicts of the time. In fact, it adds on a path for the most popular of the female characters (hehe). Sukimazakura doesn't really need an intro. You either like it or you don't. It is a pretty solid game (all but the first and last two Propeller games are) with a good plot and characters. Rewrite is pretty infamous as the game that changed Key's trajectory (and really ruined the company, at least in my opinion) with precisely two paths that were interesting (the true ones). I honestly never recommend this game to people, despite the fact that it is essentially a chuunige. Kimi to Boku to Eden no Ringo is a pretty standard trap protagonist harem charage. In quality, I'd say it stands above the more modern games by Ensemble but well below Koi no Canvas or Otoboku 3.

I need to find a place to buy this one...

Draculius (Vampires and lycans) World Election (angel, demons, alien, beastgirl) Sakura Iro Quartet (genetically-altered lifeform fox, bunny, and dog-girls) Hatsuru Koto Naki Mirai Yori (dragon-girl, wolf-girl, zombie, mermaid) Ore no Tsure wa Hitodenashi (Vampire, werewolf, manifestation of air, robot, prescient witch) Satsukoi (cannibalistic mermaids) Tiny Dungeon series (catgirl-like dragon, demon, deity) Vermilion Bind of Blood (vampires) Sora no Tsukurikata (dog-girl, homonculus) Ayakashibito (all heroines are either part-blooded or full-blooded youkai) Inpyuri (Fox, half-Tengu, oni) Toppara (a bunch of different youkai) Kaminoyu (youkai and monsters) Otomimi Infinity (artificial lifeform mimikko) Unjou no Fairytale (foxgirl, elf)

Itoshii Kanojo is a middling entry by AXL. It isn't a kamige by any stretch, but it is worth playing if you like the company's style. Kamikaze Explorer is another oppai fantasy by Clochette, and it retains the surprisingly high quality seen in other works by the company (considering the visual style (not to mention the pyrokinetic girl has some seriously great h-scenes, lol). World and World's End was probably supposed to be food for thought, but it falls on its face rather abruptly. Vermilion is without a doubt one of the best chuunige out there... great action, great story, and an awesome protagonist. The only downside is that the setting can't be reused, lol.

Ikusa Megami Zero comes to mind... easily one of the most solid VN/rpgs in existence. For the harem fantasy, perhaps Sengoku Koihime. In all honesty, Utawarerumono's setting is easily one of the most unique ones I've ever seen. It uses a unique mix of 'after the post-apocalyptic era', Ainu culture, and war that creates an atmosphere I've never seen matched anywhere else (oh, and lots of girls with ears and tails, lol).

So far, none that I know of. Vanadis made several that were less ero-centric and actually had character development, but they were still nukige (the last three before Monmusu Gakuen, to be specific). Vampires, succubi, and werewolves are the most common monmusu types in VNs, with 'true demons' and aliens coming after. World Election, for instance, has a humanoid demon heroine who is functionally immortal. Other types like youkai, tsukumogami, etc are also around...

Define what type of monmusu you want. Non-human humanoids are relatively easy to find, but most monmusu games with the less humanoid types tend to be nukige.

Duelist Engage is actually an excellent (first class) charage. I remember enjoying it immensely, though part of that is because I wasn't as jaded as I am now. Aiyoku no Eustia is the single most frustrating chuunige I've ever played. Part of it is this is when August began using the ladder-style story structure, but the largest part is that only the Eustia path is internally consistent with the story and setting (and I hated Eustia and her path). The 11eyes fandisc is actually better than the original game... by a large degree. Funny that. Vanitas no Hitsuji is a medieval everyday-life fantasy focused around a rare magic-user protagonist and a set of heroines with a varying set of problems ranging from everyday worries to wondering when she'll end up a prostitute. Generally speaking, I enjoyed this one greatly. Primary Step is a mediocre charage, perhaps the worst Purple Soft game ever. Sakura Iro Quartet is a first-class game, despite being made by a company that specializes in nukige. I'm not just saying that because it is a mimikko game and mimikko is my primary fetish. No, I'm saying it because the game's story is actually really good. Kamidori is my least favorite early-era Eushully game. Mecha-con is a straight-out literal harem game. It is actually surprisingly enjoyable, despite the unbelievable setting. I won't say it is a kamige, but it is fun to read a story about a guy and a group of heroines that had no choice but to get together because the protagonist is wealthy and the law requires it.

tbh, I hated re:zero so I would have dropped anything that was similar in terms of VNs. I tried to think of something that might have been similar, even vaguely, but I drew a blank. Part of it is that the protagonist switching sides is an unusual trope in visual novels, the other part is that VNs never really got that many isekaijin protagonists in the first place, compared to LNs, manga, and anime. However, if you want the partial mind-break+some of the atmosphere, perhaps Kenseiki Alpha Ride? The second protagonist experiences hell and ends up in some twisted relationships on the side of the game's antagonists.

Onigokko is your basic 'Phantom Thief of Justice' combined with a plot-heavy charage. It is generally amusing and enjoyable to play. It is also based in the same setting as Shogun-sama wa Otoshigoro and Naka no Hito Nado Inai! I will say that I enjoyed the game immensely both times I played it, which is rare for a non-chuunige, so I can verify its quality. This version of Secret Game is easily the best in that battle royale series. That isn't saying much, of course... but it was moderately enjoyable, despite being by Flat.

Flag Heshiori Otoko is basically focused on the comedic antics of an ultra-dense harem protagonist who keeps putting his foot in his mouth whenever it seems things will turn to romance. Soukyuu no Soleil is a middle of the road game in the Soleil series in terms of quality. It doesn't fall into the trap of being a truly mediocre entry, but it lacks the sheer blood and guts approach of Blade X Bullet. Nekonade Distortion is the product of a somewhat disturbed mind. I say this because this basically has the protagonist romancing a version of his own family that has come to embody concepts rather than people. It is extremely surreal but also rather enjoyable, at least for me. Artemis Blue is something I kinda-sorta recommend if you are a fan of Sousei Kitan Aerial, as it is a pre-existing sequel (same universe, much much later despite the game summary). It isn't the best VN out there but it is a reasonably solid VN.

Closest would be to compare them to a digitalized light novel if you added sound effects and voices in, in most cases. Calling VNs close to plays is a bit ridiculous, because 1) it isn't live entertainment 2) reading is a large part of the medium, 3) Visual aspects are mostly static except when a company is willing to pour ridiculous amounts of money into emote systems, and 4)the only actors are voice actors. It also cheapens the efforts of actual play actors and the non-VA members of a VN-making staff to a ridiculous degree. Very few VN writers ever go in for the description of every individual action... to be frank, even Masada (Dies Irae) didn't do that. Though, if you find reading tedious, you should probably find another medium, since 80% of VNs is reading. Writing in a good VN is more involved in the 'situation', as well as the emotions and thoughts of the characters. The details of an action are rarely described, though the action itself is often done so in a straightforward fashion. Exceptions are rare (Muramasa, which has a lot of swordsmanship infodumps, comes to mind). Where stuff like Silverio or the aforementioned Dies Irae tend to bury you in details is the complex interactions during combat scenes and the twistier characters and situations. The fact is, if you can't revel in the details of a character's motivations and the results of their actions, you are probably reading the wrong VN in that case. On the flip side, it is hard to compare any given VN to a novel by a first-class author. The reason I compared them to LNs is because LNs are written with the expectation that illustrations will be used to fill in some of the gaps in the writing (or the writer's skills). As a result, most LNs are both easier to read and more limited than a true novel or even some VNs.

For high emotion combined with a serious story, Akeiro or Moshimo. For laughs Sakura Nikagetsu. For world-building, Tamayura Mirai. Izayoi no Fortuna is pretty good if you like slow stories that build the drama over time. For a bit more detail, look below.

Akeiro Kaikitan Hatsuyuki Sakura Kami no Ue no Mahoutsukai Moshimo Ashita ga Harenaraba Hana no No ni Saku Utakata no Tamayura Mirai Izayoi no Fortuna Junjou Karen Freaks Suika (English translated, if poorly) Sakura Nikagetsu Meguri Megureba Meguru Toki Nekonade Distortion

I will say the true end was better than the anime end, but that isn't saying much. August is horrible at endings in general.