Idea Factory and its otome factory, Otomate, is at its best when working with stories based in history. Hakuouki, for example. Or the first Birushana, which was set in the Heian period of Japanese history and let you hang out with Benkei and other famous boys (made pretty) while the Genpei War raged around Japan. I believe this to be…
People love K-pop idol groups, and this is one of the least controversial things I’ve ever written. Where J-pop has traditionally struggled outside of the domestic market, K-pop has become one of Korea’s most powerful cultural exports. So it’s entirely unsurprising that there would be K-Pop Idol Stories: Road to…
As you all know, I’m working on a visual novel about my…
FallenCranberry and Okasan’s Recipe have announced that the dark dating sim and…
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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Lached Up Games serves a very specific niche with its quirky and colourful visual novels. Is there much of an audience for fanservicey visual novels filled with Australian humour about genderswapping (and now, with Help! I’m Turning Into A Mermaid!, species swapping)? Probably not. But for the people who do…
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Today, Idea Factory International announced a late March release date for otome visual novel Homura: The Crimson Warriors, although in Europe, the physical edition won’t be available until late April. The game will be available to pre-order at the IFI Online Store beginning February 2. IFI has also update the…
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Temirana: The Lucky Princess and the Tragic Knights is a little bonkers, and that makes it delightful. The very concept of the thing is silly, funny, and charming: Cecilia is the third princess in a family that, generally, hates her. She’s also meant to be “unlucky” but has a mysterious…
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Idea Factory International has announced a release window for its upcoming otome visual novel, Homura: The Crimson Warriors. Digital and physical versions of the game will be released in North America during March 2026. Digitally, the game will be released in Europe during the same month; however, its physical version…
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