I don’t think Akiba Lost is the best name the development team could have come up with here. It’s accurate, in that it’s a game about people who got lost in Akihabara (pet name “Akiba”), but given the presence of Akiba’s Trip, this game is just asking for players to make assumptions. It is, of course, an entirely different game.…
Kodansha Creators’ Lab has announced that it will publish the Bon-developed visual novel Buzz or Die. In it, you compete in a new gruesome game show for viewer votes to avoid being sent to death row. Buzz or Die is in development for PC and is expected to launch this…
There was a time when visual novels were a rare thing in…
Six years after its original Japanese launch, Cupid Parasite is now coming…
Publisher Idea Factory International has announced a preorder date of April 22 for physical copies of otome visual novel fan disc Birushana: Winds of Fate; it will be available through the IFI Online Store and participating retailers. The company has also announced the contents of the game’s Plus Version, exclusive…
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The first otome visual novel that I played – in fact, the first visual novel at all – was Hakuouki, back on the PlayStation 3, when visual novels on console were a rare treat indeed. These days, we’re inundated with the genre, but Idea Factory, the publisher behind Hakuouki, have…
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Sekai Project has announced that comedic visual novel Welcome to Café Lumière! ~A Dragon Girl Concept Café~, the first game from Japanese developer Cutephoria, will be released for PC later this month. It originally launched in Japan in November 2025. The game features artwork by veteran bishoujo game illustrator Koucha.…
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Idea Factory International has announced that it will be publishing 9 R.I.P. sequel, a sequel to the otome visual novel 9 R.I.P., digitally and physically for Nintendo Switch later this year. The game features nine full routes, including direct continuations of the Heavenly and Godly Endings from 9 R.I.P. Players…
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Nintendo’s decision to revive the Famicom Detective Club series seems to have kick-started a mild rush of new games that are, effectively, mystery visual novels, but have point-and-click elements and light puzzles to keep players interested and intrigued. That’s a good thing. This genre is excellent. And Aksys’ decision to…
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Back in 2023 (dear lord, time flies fast), Paranormasight: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo was a surprising release by Square Enix. By that company’s standard, it was a humble and straightforward visual novel, but clearly the execs had seen the success of Danganronpa, AI: The Somnium Files, Famicom Detective Club…
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Jen Williams has seen the future, and like many of us, she’s worried about it. The studio lead at Cherrymochi, the Japan-based indie outfit behind the cult hit Tokyo Dark, spent the early 2000s working with Hewlett-Packard on GPS-triggered gaming experiments in Bristol. Back then, everyone was certain they were…
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After introducing Paranormasight: The Mermaid’s Curse at last week’s Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase, Square Enix has released new information about the supernatural mystery adventure game. Specifically, it has introduced seven characters and two game systems. The title will be launched next week.…
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Idea Factory International has announced a late May release date for Birushana: Winds of Fate, an otome visual novel fan disc set 15 years after the Heiji Rebellion. It will be released digitally and physically in North America and Europe, and anyone who picks up the physical edition early enough…
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Nearly three years ago, Square Enix released the visual novel Paranormasight: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo. In his review, DDNet editor-in-chief Matt wrote that it was ” one of the better visual novels that [he’s] played in some time.” Today, Square Enix surprised the world by announcing its sequel, Paranormasight:…
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