Highway Blossoms
Highway Blossoms isn’t really what I would define a “game” in any sense. There aren’t really any game elements, or any way to make choices or impact the story, like there is in some branching visual novels. I still like it, but just a heads up for those expecting choices, you are in for a linear experience with this one, like a book with music, movement, and pictures. I fully recommend it to those that enjoy a linear, non-interactive, character focused story, with cute and likeable characters.
Because of this most of this review is going to be commenting on the story, characters, and themes, and I am going to put most of it under spoilers.
– Real player with 32.0 hrs in game
Read More: Best America Visual Novel Games.
This game justified a detailed review, so if you’re interested in others like it, check out my Curator page here:
Val’s Visual Novels, Anime & Hentai
I felt this VN deserved a more detailed review, just because of how frustrating it was at times playing it, being drawn in and enjoying many parts of it, yet being put off by others.
While I’m putting it as not recommended, this review is more to indicate what might put people off, rather than discouraging others from trying it, because this VN was put together with effort, and definitely worth a look if it touches on topics that you’re interested in.
– Real player with 21.6 hrs in game
🧠 OUT OF THE BOX
It really is a shame that this game doesn’t seem to be getting much attention. I think it is quite a hidden gem.
I really like the art style. All the character sprites just ooze personality. The only thing that bothers me a bit is that the idle animations in some cutscenes look a bit exaggerated, with some characters constantly headbanging for no reason. Less animation would have been more here. But I am willing to overlook that minor flaw because I just enjoy the style so much. Also, don’t let the cutesy look fool you. There are some really brutal scenes in this game.
– Real player with 12.1 hrs in game
Read More: Best America Singleplayer Games.
It’s a good game where you play a bouncer hired by your maffia boss after being released from prison and no one else will give you a job, while all the while trying to stay on the straight and narrow and keep your bills paid. You have to check people coming into the night club for simple stuff to start with (dress code, ID, correct tickets, not under age, not drunk etc) but as things go along, you start getting extra requests and criteria to meet.
There’s a basic storyline. It doesn’t have many ways it can significantly branch from the linear storyline (so far the majority I tried don’t make a lot of difference or cause you to hit dead ends (sometimes literally.) So unless you enjoy the ticket checking side of things, replayability is limited. Checking tickets is fun and challenging for the first round, but does have threshold where it starts to lose its shine. (I kind of wish it was mixed up a bit with more variation.)
– Real player with 12.0 hrs in game
King of Bali
King of Bali {KoB}, is an enjoyable visual novel {VN} with an interesting, though not too complex, tale of a “hentai” nature. Choices do make a difference, and there are multiple endings.
At its current {19NOV2019} price of $1.99 US in the Steam Store, it is well worth the cost in terms of entertainment value. Also, there is a FREE 18+ DLC available that automatically is installed with the game.
KoB has 9 reasonably easy {but NOT instantaneous} Steam Achievements. So, they are not “junk” achievements. HOWEVER, Steam does not recognize KoB as “Completed” when one achieves 100% :steamsad:
– Real player with 3.2 hrs in game
Read More: Best America Indie Games.
King of Bali is one of those visual novels I didn’t enjoy and thus I used the guide here on Steam in order to take screenshots and explore every route, since the story itself really did never manage to get me involved into the game.
It should be a comedy dating novel but many factors have always made it hard for me to play it.. starting from the artwork, the backgrounds are somehow nice but the girls aren’t so beautifully designed or particularly expressive. Some of them, like Madison and Rosie, are just the same picture with some small differencies and overall the graphics aren’t that good in my opinion.
– Real player with 2.8 hrs in game
Medal of Honor™
Based on the real Battle of Roberts Ridge (Takhur Ghar) where SEAL PO1 Neil Roberts and Air Force Combat Controller TSgt John Chapman both lost their lives fighting alone. The game, despite it’s horribly cheesy and sometimes downright bad moments, portrays a solid image of what it might have been like to have been in the Shahi-Kot valley during the early days of the War in Afghanistan. The game has the player playing as members from two different AFO teams from the SEALs and Army Delta Force and as a Ranger from the 75th Ranger Regiment, all of which were present at some point and in some capacity in the real battle.
– Real player with 25.7 hrs in game
Unlike Call of Duty - Black Ops II, this actually gets Afghanistan right. The setting looks like the mountains I flew over and the valley I rucked in. It looks like Afghanistan, it sounds like Afghanistan, and despite the game-isms, does a good job of telling the story. Little things stand out to me - the visible selector switch from semi to full, the relatively realistic weapons models, the radio chatter and dialogue - as authentic. There are some reality breakers, like a general in a suit during cutscenes or the wrong time period highspeed gofast gear on dudes in a game set in 2001, but I can put them aside and enjoy the atmosphere.
– Real player with 15.7 hrs in game
The Walsingham Files - Chapter 2
These are really nice little games. I like the characters and the plots.
I can’t wait for episode three!
– Real player with 9.4 hrs in game
Really cool game!
I played Silver Creek Falls a few years ago and found the Walsingham Files by coincidence. Since the first chapter is also free to play, I thought I’d give it a try…
I was immediately captivated by the characters and the story again, so I bought chapter 2 right afterwards. And now I can’t wait to play chapter 3! :D
If you are interested in challenging puzzles as well as thrilling and mysterious plots, then this game is definitely worth a closer look ;)
– Real player with 5.9 hrs in game
Ninja Girl and the Mysterious Army of Urban Legend Monsters! ~Hunt of the Headless Horseman~
There is good and bad with this V/N.
Pros:
God tier art quality! The characters are absolutely gorgeous, and leave you craving more. It almost makes it unbelievable, because 2 of the girls are supposed to be hardened ninjas, trained from birth to push their bodies beyond their limits, and to expect death at any time. Yet they look like perfect china dolls, with no scars, perfect skin and hair, and still have their teenage innocence. Obviously not realistic. At least the perfect appearance of the 3rd girl who isn’t a ninja can be explained.
– Real player with 11.9 hrs in game
是茉宫 我冲了 你呢
キセリ確認 即購入完了
OMG it’s Kiseri Shut up and take my money
– Real player with 8.1 hrs in game
Colorado Cocoa Club
A Nice cute VN,,
Not long on either Route but very enjoyable.
I liked both girls, both very different to each other and different back grounds.
I Replayed Bahamian Rhapsody yet again and realised Kay Was Rebecca’s Ex,
Nice One Double Peach,,
The Music spoken about and the Jazz guy are in all the stories of these to.
As you read these VN’s you can build the stories all connecting.
I am wondering how far it all goes :p
Will a reunion happen ? hahahaha, all the new sets of Wives..
I recommend it to Yuri fans
– Real player with 107.8 hrs in game
I liked this game. In short, there’s enough discussion about food to make a halfling happy, the ladies are lovely and make good conversation, and the story setting is nice and relaxing. I could nit-pick some things (Little Black Book Entertainment, if you ever decide you need a copy editor or proofreader, look me up :P ), but the story comes through loud and clear, so why bother? I come to yuri Cesira, not to appraise her.
– Real player with 10.0 hrs in game
Santa Monica Paradise
The game is really simple, and the choices are obvious as can be for the routes you want. It’s a bit buggy though, making it annoying. And the characters are pretty simple, so better for achievement seekers.
– Real player with 4.5 hrs in game
Charming little summer tale. I just went the Rica path and I was not disappointed. Don´t expect anything too deep, but it´s not bad. Backgrounds look like being hand painted, the avatars are in steep contrast to it by being a moderately western Manga style, but they look just right somehow. Lots of talk about food and about human relationships and having broken up recently.
The weakest part actually was the H-scene: Almost static picture, awful lot ot talk, over and over again with references to food.
– Real player with 4.5 hrs in game
Cafe Deux Femmes
This is one of the 1st in this world..
Though these girls are not, at presnt, linked to others in the following stories, Boston, Aspen and Seatle are
in some of the others and the Creators say that this will change in the the the coming months.
I forgot that I had played this when it first came out as I got side tracked by the brilliant VN’s that followed in it’s wake.
I did enjoy this story,, 2 Love interests, both at different ends of the scale, a loving older sister who is very hard working and she is straight BUT,,, issues in that area and it’s over Thanks Giving.
– Real player with 25.6 hrs in game
It’s simple and short, but really nice. Just a cute little week in a life of changes. Nice arrangement of choices for little personality moments, but they kind of just add to basic tallies. A plus though is nice background music.
– Real player with 4.4 hrs in game
Ashland Dossier
«Ashland Dossier» is an espionage thriller packed with elements of turn-based stealth tactics and role-play adventure. Use your cunning, agility, and wit to finish off the Nazi plague for good this time. Ahead of you lies a deadly confrontation as the enemy threatens to drive the world into the depth of dreadful and pointless war once again.
After WWII, numerous Nazis managed to slip through the cracks and escape overseas. Like rats, they scattered around the world to hide in shadows believing that the long arm of justice will never reach them. However, this is one fatal delusion.
In the late 1950s, a private investigative organization has been formed. INCU (International Nazi Crime Unit) has only one specific goal in mind: to find such criminals and get them back for a fair trial.
You will assume the role of an officer that is looking for a group of the most rotten scoundrels. In the past, all of them committed extremely heinous crimes which are still left unpunished. Your goal is to find their trail, gather all the possible evidence, and finally bring them to justice.
Easier said than done, though. There is another new force that has just appeared out of nowhere – «Ashland». Unfortunately, these people will stop at nothing in their decisive effort to help runaway Nazis…
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Tense operations that include pinpointing, following, and extracting a suspect
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Rich lore and backstory of the unfolding events
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Scrupulous analyzing of intel, evidence, and witnesses’ testimonies
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Two playable timelines: 1960-1964 and 1941-1945
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Unique characters, unexpected plot twists, multiple endings
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A deep and realistic look into the truthful dreads of WWII
