Developed by Kanawo, Noel The Mortal Fate is an excellent example of how RPG Maker can be used for interesting and varied gameplay. Before in the Case Book of Arne review, I’ve mentioned that the software isn’t bound to only creating RPGs, allowing, for instance, for unique adventure games to be made. Keep in mind that the game is still ongoing, with 7 chapters as the base version on Steam. The Japanese release is currently up to season 11. Each chapter is short, usually taking at most 2 hours to finish. https://youtu.be/rWWZmQWLLFs Noel the Mortal Fate tells the story of Noel…
Author: Ivanir Ignacchitti
Ivanir Ignacchitti
Random Japanese games are my jam. Handhelds, RPGs, VNs and PC banzai.
Meteor World Actor is a visual novel developed by Heliodor and written by Syougo Kinugasa, known for works such as Akatsuki no Goei and the light novel series Classroom of the Elite. With gorgeous arts by Yuu Akinashi (Koi to Senkyo to Chocolate), the game has a stylish and cool ambiance that is clear from the very first minutes of the story and its opening video. One thing worth of mention before getting into more details is that this game is only available in its 18+ version (with mosaics in the sex scenes) and sold exclusively via the Johren storefront.…
2020 hasn’t been a good year for a whole bunch of reasons. Still, at least when gaming is concerned, it was a solid year with interesting experiences. Though the five games below are my favorite this year, I could just as well list at least another 20 that I really fell in love with. Without further ado, this is my personal list. 5. 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim I’ve been following this game since its original announcement in 2015. My only previous contact with Vanillaware was Dragon’s Crown, but I knew of their other games, and just the concept art of…
Though it’s been more than a decade since the previous game, Drawn to Life: Two Realms continues a series that was an interesting part of the DS library. It further develops the story and introduces new gameplay systems blending adventure game elements with puzzle platformer segments rather than action-focused ones. With both the Raposa and human worlds in danger, it’s up to the hero to find a way to identify and solve the big problem this time. Following the events of Drawn to Life: Next Chapter, Mike is back to the human world. However, the Raposa world is now facing…
Publisher ShiraVN has announced that Meteor World Actor is now available on PC-via Johren. Meteor World Actor is a visual novel developed by Heliodor originally released in Japan in 2019, with an English release originally planned for Steam. However, the game received a ban in Valve’s storefront before it was announced, meaning that it was up to the publisher to figure out a new way to release the game in the west. Meteor World Actor takes place in the Seventh Republic, a place where humans and elves live together. Despite how the protagonist, Detective Ruka of the 13th Division, only…
Sometimes all we need to have fun with a game is to appeal to our desires and offer some comfort in dire times. Wanting Wings: Her and Her Romance is a simple visual novel covering the daily lives of a group of girls in a dorm. As an observer, the player has the chance to see how their relationships develop across two months. The result is some charming scenes of yuri romance. https://youtu.be/dGZPeOZz-po Wanting Wings is actually composed of two games. The first one tells the story of three girls who share a room in a dorm supervised by Sachiko…
Drawn to Life is a series of action-adventure games in which you draw your own character who’ll act as the hero to help the inhabitants of Raposa Village. Originally developed for the DS in 2007, with a sequel following in 2009 and a few spin-offs, we haven’t heard much from the series. Now, after more than a decade, Drawn to Life: Two Realms is a direct continuation that promises a magic adventure for PC, Switch, and mobile. In Drawn to Life: Two Realms, the world faces a new crisis, Mayor Mari of Raposa Village asks the Creator for the…
SukeraSparo is a visual novel developer focused on girls’ love yuri titles and worked on The Expression Amrilato before. While their previous games were focused on otaku romance and teaching the Esperanto language, their newest game, The Curse of Kudan Remastered, is a much darker tale. https://youtu.be/pJD3dPQ15P4 In The Curse of Kudan Remastered, the main character, Sakuya Kudan, is a tomboyish girl who’s had a recurring nightmare for years. It comes and goes from time to time, but it always eats at her mind. At her girl’s only school, Kudan Women’s Academy, she practices kendo and can often be seen with…
Aokana: Four Rhythms Across the Blue is a great visual novel about a bunch of high school students playing a fictional sport called Flying Circus. As fans of sports anime would likely expect, it really explored the characters’ growth through hardships that made it easy to empathize and root for them. Aokana EXTRA 1 is an epilogue to the Mashiro route and focuses on her, as she was ranked second in the game’s popularity poll in Japan. https://youtu.be/Eu69xOjhGxs Aokana – EXTRA 1 is primarily a fandisc expansion of the original game’s silly antics, reducing Flying Circus to small mentions. Instead…
RPG Maker is quite a prolific tool that can be used not only for RPGs (as the name suggests) but also to create games of other genres. The Case Book of Arne is one of those games, making use of the software to create an intriguing first title in a murder mystery adventure series. https://youtu.be/IRWiKkI4ucc The Case Book of Arne tells the story of Lynn Reinweiß, a noble girl whose mother died two years ago. Her father continues to grieve and deny the event, acting as if she were still alive. His health has been deteriorating over time, and he’s…