Idea Factory International announced at the New Game+ Expo that it will bring us a brace of new visual novels, and is taking on the publishing duties for the sequel to the well-regarded Dusk Diver.
Dusk Diver 2
Dusk Diver 2 is a direct sequel to the original, as an action JRPG that vaguely aimed to capture a similar aesthetic vibe and blend of fantasy and a real-world setting. The only difference is that rather than take place in Japan, Dusk Diver is from Taiwan, and one of the rare games that uses the Ximending neighbourhood as its playground. The first game was by no means perfect, but it had a lot of potential, so this is one to watch.
Birushana: Rising Flower Of Genpei
Launching on June 28 in North America, and July one in Europe/Australia, Birushana: Rising Flower Of Genpei should be one that everyone keeps a close eye on, because this comes from the same group that brought us Hakuouki – another history-themed otome visual novel, and one of the all-time greats of the genre. Birushana takes place fifteen years after the Heiji Rebellion (12th century – a very long time ago), and places one of the few remaining people of the losing Genji family at the centre of the story. She (Shanao) is a warrior that sets of to restore her family and ultimately live a peaceful life. This game promises to be something special.
Amnesia: Memories and Amnesia: Later x Crowd
Amnesia: Memories has been one of the better-regarded otome visual novels over time, and now it’s coming to Nintendo Switch, in a two-pack with a previously unlocalised companion VN, Amnesia: Later x Crowd. As the name suggests, you play as a mysterious Heroine, who has no memory of who she is, but does have a whole bunch of ultra-cute boys that are keen on her. With over 20 endings and even deeper narrative thanks to the additions of Later x Crowd, this will be the ultimate opportunity to experience one of the genre greats.
I’ve been playing the JP release of Dusk Diver 2. It’s fun and stylish (if rather lean) just like Dusk Diver 1 — the main difference being in combat you can hot-swap between characters during battle (between 2 to 4 depending on the stage of the game), and all four play quite differently. Definitely worth playing for fans of the first game.
Ah, that’s a little bit of a pity. I enjoyed Dusk Diver 1 enough, but I was hoping that the sequel would be a little more. Nonetheless, a bit of stylish fun always goes down well 🙂