When I think of Idea Factory otome games, much of what comes to mind is as cute and colourful as the upcoming Cupid Paradise: Sweet and Spicy Darling. Don’t get me wrong, those are wonderful and creative games – but what if an otome visual novel decides to go dark with a supernatural theme? You end up with 9 R.I.P.,…
I would describe Read Only Memories: Neurodiver as a cyberpunk psychic mystery visual novel with point-and-click adventure elements. Or is it the other way around? Either way, use the word psychic in any capacity describing a game and I’ll instantly be interested. (Or the word cryptid, kind of funny because…
Those who have been reading DDNet for some time know that for…
With the same creative team behind it as Olympia Soiree, Tengoku Struggle:…
Formerly set to release on August 25, Idea Factory’s Jyuzaengi: Engetsu Sangokuden 1 & 2 for the Switch has instead been pushed back to a new release date of September 22, with a somewhat vague “various circumstances” being the explanation. The history of Jyuzaengi has its roots enveloped in the…
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Australians should make more visual novels. I don’t just say that because I make them and need to kick myself into actually finalising my latest one (it’s getting there, day by day!). It’s just that whenever an Australian produces a VN, it’s typically gold. Max’s Big Bust is a hilarious…
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Perfect Gold: The Alchemy Of Happiness highlights just how mundane love and romance can be. I don’t mean that in a negative sense, though. Far too often in the arts romance, as a subject, either deviates toward smutty eroticism or overly sentimental tear-jerking. There’s nothing inherently wrong with either of…
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There was a time when video games were primitive enough that a book could be a more vivid gameplay experience. For example, the original Wizardry came out in 1980, and though it’s rightfully remembered as a classic, it’s also not much more than the seemingly endless sequences of corridors and…
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We get a lot of games, films, books, and other such media that take place during the Sengoku era. Samurai Warriors and Nioh, for example. There are endless films that depict various battles from the era. Netflix even produced a documentary, which was terrible, but highlights that the Sengoku era…
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Uchikoshi Kotaro has a well-deserved reputation for being one of the thinky game artists going around. The Zero Escape series established that reputation, while the original AI: The Somnium Files reinforced it. The sequel, nirvanA Initiative (‘A’ and ‘I’ capitalised, geddit?) doesn’t break new ground, but then again it also…
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Piofiore: Fated Memories is one of the most powerful, provocative, and interesting visual novels that you will ever play. It tells a story of a woman and three rival mafia factions, and it goes places. Now, thanks to Aksys, we have a release date for the sequel, Piofiore: Episodio 1926.…
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I’m a big fan of itch.io for the freedom and open platform that it allows for developers to be creative, experimental, and directly canvas the audience for feedback for games that are not yet ready for primetime on Steam and its ilk. In addition, itch.io allows you to be transgressive,…
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13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim did to me what all good science fiction does – it made me, just for a little bit, question my perception of reality. Vanillaware’s latest title deviates from its gorgeous 2D fantasy brawlers to deliver a visual-novel-RTS hybrid that’s heavily focused on character interaction. The strategy…
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… And no, it’s not Fate/Stay Night. In fact, I think at this point it is safe to say that Type-Moon is having a laugh at our expense. The first game launched a massive, money-spinning industry in its own right, and we still do not have an official localisation of…
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