Review by Matt S. Nekopara is not the first adult visual novel to have had its more pornographic elements shaved off for the benefit of a console release. Utawarerumono on the PlayStation 4, and Eiyuu Senki on the PlayStation 3 are both very notable examples where the developers have kept…
Read MoreReview by Matt S. There’s a romance that has been built around the very concept of the Shinsengumi that has made the military police force of a bygone era a source of inspiration for video games, manga, and other forms of popular culture. In the video game space specifically we…
Read MoreReview by Matt S. This is going to be a short review, because Ayakashi Koi Gikyoku is effectively unplayable. “How might a visual novel be unplayable?” I hear you ask. Well, consider the very first couple of lines from the prologue: When the stars and the moon appeared in the…
Read MoreNews by Matt S. The title “YU-NO: A Girl Who Chants Love at the Bound of this World” probably doesn’t mean much to you. But for many visual novel fans, the news that Spike Chunsoft dropped today is a big deal: the game is finally getting an official localisation. This…
Read MoreBy Matt C. For some reason or another, I’ve never played Steins;Gate (I know, I know, I’m sorry). That makes reviewing Steins;Gate 0 tricky, because is very much a sequel that’s tied closely to its predecessor. The central plot is broadly self-contained, but all the little details and character interactions…
Read MoreOpinion by Matt S. A number of Japanese developers (predominantly visual novel developers) have been getting notices from Valve to the effect that their “game features pornographic imaging, and this is in violation of Steam’s rules”. If the developer doesn’t fix its content, according to the note, their game will…
Read MoreNews by Matt S. Visual novel specialist, Otomate, has announced a simply staggering amount of support for the Nintendo Switch. One of the last bastions of PlayStation Vita development, this wholesale shift is perhaps the final nail on the coffin for Sony’s underappreciated console. Otomate had already announced Hakuoki Shinkai:…
Read MoreNews by Lindsay M. and Matt S. Welcome to Digitally Downloaded’s regular catch-up news feature. With each issue we will bring you the best news that you may have missed. Grab the biggest mug you’ve got, fill it with your favourite brew, and catch up with us (and our favourite…
Read MoreBy Matt C. I’ve spent literal hours agonising how to approach this review, because Chuusotsu! 1st Graduation: Time After Time is a game that defies description. On one level, it’s a surreal comedy reminiscent of light novels and anime like FLCL, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, and Eromanga Sensei (indeed,…
Read MoreBy Matt C. You wake up in the entrance hall of an elegant, old-fashioned manor, with no memory of how you got there or who you are. Your confusion and disorientation soon make way for fear when you find yourself attacked by a strange, minotaur-esque monster. As you flee, you…
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