Jenny LeClue - Detectivu
Note: When I wrote this review, Jenny LeClue had no voice acting, which is why the review doesn’t mention it. The game recently updated with the voice acting. It is extremely good, and on this replay, I can’t imagine going back to no voices. It turned a great game into an exceptional one.
Jenny LeClue is positively adorable. The eponymous hero, yes- exceedingly so- but also the game itself is just overall incredibly charming.
As far as gameplay goes, it’s nothing you haven’t seen before. There’s a lot of conversations between Jenny and the various residents of Arthurton, as she walks about a 2d world, flicking switches and pushing boxes. There’s some neat investigation sections that will feel very familiar to fans of Danganronpa or Phoenix Wright.
– Real player with 22.5 hrs in game
Read More: Best Female Protagonist Atmospheric Games.
I first learned about Jenny LeClue a few years ago through Adventuregamers, after it had already been funded on Kickstarter. I followed the progression of the game through the developer’s page and eagerly awaited the arrival of this beautifully animated detective game, led by a young girl no less!
I regret to say that even though the developers obviously put a lot of effort in this game, it’s poorly constructed in terms of gameplay, plot and pace. After spending 21 hours of my life on it, which I’m never getting back, I feel a bit outraged – so forgive my long review and negative rant. I really regret being a completionist since I otherwise would have deserted the game maybe an hour after trying it.
– Real player with 21.7 hrs in game
Flowers -Le volume sur printemps-
This is the first in a series of a planned four visual novels. The second and third entries are already done, and the second one is slated to be released in the English market sometime this year. That’s important to note because this is not at all a complete story by itself, which is why I wouldn’t unconditionally recommend buying it. I don’t like saying that, because I think it’s good as far as yuri goes, and I’d personally like to see more content like this, but they are charging you $20 for one-fourth of a story. As long as that’s not a dealbreaker for you, and as long as you’re interested in about 20 hours of (mostly) 14-year old girls being very passive-aggressive, Japanese, irrational, and sarcastic by turns, then I would recommend it.
– Real player with 171.8 hrs in game
Read More: Best Female Protagonist Story Rich Games.
Flowers -Le volume sur printemps- is the first game in a 4-part series of VNs (the final entry is just now having its Japanese release, the second one already have an English one planned). It’s a pretty expansive (circa 15 hours for a full playthrough) Shoujo Ai, that is a female/female romance without explicit sexual content (it never goes further than a kiss). It tells a story of a shy, insecure girl who enters an all-female boarding school to find friends and change her previously solitary life, but also comes to terms with her attraction to women and finds love.
– Real player with 29.1 hrs in game
Ghost Follows
A Halloween legend surrounding a cursed old house becomes the lived story of one trick-or-treater who looks to solve the mystery of Spector Manner. Upon entering the house, the energy goes through the roof and the house comes alive. Knocks, bumps and flickering lights seem to be attempts at communication with the brave young adventurer. As she looks around the property, spooks and specter are leaving clues that accumulate into a riddle that can only be solved by exploring all the rooms in the estate
Read More: Best Female Protagonist Atmospheric Games.
Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller
When I started playing Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller in 2016 the game’s unusually brutal and violent nature caught me unaware and scared me away (the fact that the pace of the game slowed down after the opening events was also one of the reasons why I stopped playing it). When giving it a second chance more than 2 years later, I was positively disappointed. After having finished it I must say this is the goriest adventure game I have ever seen - many characters ended up getting killed/mutilated by the time the credits started to roll. This unexpectedly serious tone of course has nothing (or at least little) to do with Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller being a great point and click adventure game, if we can overlook some of its shortcomings (and the base concept of the use of psychic abilities).
– Real player with 30.5 hrs in game
Introduction
When I first encountered Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller, it was in a bundle -It looked interesting but I put it on the back burner since I was busy with other games. Fast forward a few years, I asked my friends on Steam what game I should play as a break from my usual things, and this title came up. After looking into I realized this seemed like a great idea! I had not played a point-and-click adventure game in a while, the other reviews seemed positive and it was recommended by friends as well. Drawn in by the comic book art style and the opportunity to play a female protagonist I booted the game up and instantly became addicted. This title offers a solid story, good gameplay and hours of fun for any gamer.
– Real player with 26.6 hrs in game
Date Warp
**It’s astounding
Time is fleeting
Madness takes its toll…***
Date Warp is the oldest of Hanako games here on Steam, as a cute VN with science fiction and dating elements. Even though it may be the weakest of all Hanako titles so far, it definitely is interesting and entertaining enough to present you 6-7 hours of playtime.
Janet Bhaskar is a freshman in Brooke College, Memphis. She is an introverted young woman who never dated before, and agrees to go on a date with young jock Bradley Dalton to appease her roommate, Vanessa. They go on a pretty much text book date without much attraction and got hit by a furious storm in the middle of the night while they were trying to go back. Bradley’s car gets busted in the middle of nowhere and phones do not pick any signal, yet luckily Janet manages to spot the lights of a mansion nearby. They decide to ask for help, and spend the night there if necessary. Unbeknownst to them, they may never leave…
– Real player with 11.0 hrs in game
“Date Warp” is an otome game that’s perfect for those just starting to check out the genre. That being said, it’s just as obvious this is an early visual novel work. This isn’t to say it’s bad – everyone starts out somewhere! The story is extremely intriguing as it seems you are to figure out how Janet disappears. But for me, the way it was done disappointed me. Because of the synopsis of the game, I figured there would be a way to work somehow “backward” and figure out the ‘true’ story from Bradley’s point of view (for example) but this is fine.
– Real player with 10.9 hrs in game
Eldritch Academy
A nice mild magical girl (without the flashy change scenes or clothes change)
type horror with mild yuri romance. This is the prelude of the Eldritch University VN which is The Girl who got Badly hurt and her girlfriend..
You have the 3 girl endings and a harem and a secret ending, I have the secret and harem to find.
It is a good VN so give it a go.
– Real player with 68.3 hrs in game
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cute yuri game
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interesting mystic concept
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a few fun conversations
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this is NOT a horror or a thriller. there are definitely no scary or tense moments in the game
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the game is short, but terribly repetitive
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I expected more from Akomi, almost all her innuendo are dull
This is a cute short game with misleading tags in the annotation. The characters and the story itself lack depth. Even so I enjoy this game. You should give it a chance
– Real player with 27.3 hrs in game
Flowers -Le volume sur ete-
Wow, wow, wow. What a game. Let me just say that this is usually not my kind of thing, but by the end of it, I really quite enjoyed it. This is the second game of the series but if you didn’t play the first game like me, you really wouldn’t be lost at all so there is nothing to worry about there.
I don’t think the main story is particularly interesting. In some ways, the main story is actually really cliche. But I think what really carries the story through is the dialog and character development these characters go through on top of just being interesting and likeable characters in themselves. I particularly love Erika, the MC of this game and Suoh who I think is the MC of the last game. Chidori never rubbed off on me that well but I feel like that was the point of her character and her development by the end of it made me care for her all the same.
– Real player with 39.4 hrs in game
Score: 10/10
Spoiler warning: If you don’t want any spoilers for this game, jump to the last paragraph
(I will refer to Flowers -Le volume sur printemps- as Spring, this game as Summer, Flowers -Le volume sur Automne- as Autumn, and Flowers -Le volume sur hiver- as Winter.)
Scores for the series
Whole Flowers Series: 9/10
– Real player with 32.0 hrs in game
Ghosts of Miami
Omg this game is good 3. I loved the Rose of Winter with all my heart, and when I saw this game (only month ago actually), I was really surprised and sad that it has only 12 reviews. Ofc I bought it as soon as I could (because I wanted to support developers and also to try this game ‘cus I loved the trailer), and it definetely was amazing! I love the characters and their diversity, plot is really interesting and Janet is my bae 3 When I saw the third case, especially after the second one (no spoilers), I was really invested into solving it lol. Also I love main characters of both games nearly as much as romance interests, it’s rare for me to like the MC and relate to them, but this girls are likable af! Thank you, Pillow Fight, because your visual novels are always gonna be the ones that I refer to when I talk about good examples in the genre 3
– Real player with 19.0 hrs in game
Ghosts of Miami is an ’80s-themed visual novel detective story (with, I assume, some romantic elements I have not yet unlocked b/c I got the WORST good(?) ending FIRST) where failure is totally an option. There is real challenge to the game; it’s not enough to just choose each of the different places to look for your missing person, because how you proceed with the case will affect the outcome. However, this won’t stop you from being able to take a new case!
Perhaps the only letdown is no good way to skip sections I’ve played before, or save in the middle instead of only “Resume/Restart” a case. I imagine this would make the game a LOT easier in terms of solving the mystery, but I feel like my spacebar deserves a break.
– Real player with 18.5 hrs in game
Knee Deep
Knee Deep is a point and click adventure game revolving around a murder mystery. Set in a small backwater town called Cypress Knee in Florida, you control the three main characters as they investigate an actor’s murder, digging deep into a world of political corruption, blackmail, intrigue and even a bit of sci fi weirdness. The story is accompanied by nice graphics, atmospheric music and a unique take on gameplay where the story takes place as if it was a theater play complete with moving sets and all. The game is available on PS4, XBox One, and PC via Steam, which is the version I played for this review.
– Real player with 19.0 hrs in game
DISCLAIMER: This is a review of the first episode. No score will be given. A full review of the entire season will follow once all three episodes have been released.
It’s a good thing that I’m playing this game on a hot summer evening. It’s also interesting that I live just a few miles away from one of the largest swampland areas in Europe and the humidity, as always, is unbearable. It’s just curious that there are no mosquitoes tonight. All in all, a perfect situation to immerse myself into Knee Deep, a self-proclaimed swamp noir in three acts. And I am immersed in a matter of seconds. The first thing that strikes me is the music, a brilliantly moody mixture of American folk and blues. I start the game up and I am immediately seated in a theater. I silence my mobile phone out of respect for the actors. As the curtain rises on the stage, I find myself in a backwater Florida town of Cypress Knee. It’s a grim start as a washed-up actor has hanged himself from a tower next to a local inn.
– Real player with 8.1 hrs in game
Misadventures of Laura Silver
PLEASE SUPPORT THESE DEVELOPERS AND THIS GAME! I couldn’t recommend it more. I’m a massive fan of detective noir themes and everything involving 1890-1959, so this game was exactly what I was looking for. Like a visual novel sent from heaven.
PROS: Just about everything else.
-The art is unique and memorable. Every character design, pose, emotion, everything is absolutely fantastic. The artist has fantastic use of fashion from the time period, as well as strong shape and color language in their designs. I was attached to the cast the moment I saw the steam page, it had me totally hooked.
– Real player with 216.2 hrs in game
The Misadventures of Laura Silver :Chapter 1 is billed as a visual novel created by 3 college students in their free time. By that standard, it is an admirable product.
Summary: OK visual novel when things worked, but bugs ruined the game for me.
Basics: You follow the protagonist, Laura Silver, through her investigations in 1935 Czechoslovakia. Although it has supernatural themes, they are treated in a very matter-of-fact way and the game is not at all scary. You make choices along the way. Some matter, but most do not. The art style is consistent and the music is a bit minimal but adds to the ambiance. The writing is OK, but does feel awkward and clunky at times. The overall effect that of a fair to good visual novel.
– Real player with 8.7 hrs in game