As We Know It
I saw this tagged as “sci-fi” but I don’t know if it should be categorized as that. It’s a post-apocalyptic story, but the science/technology in it isn’t fictional at all. Anyway, it’s got Mad Max: Fury Road vibes, but takes place within a setting similar to that District 13 underground city from The Hunger Games. The implication is that climate change eventually impacted the livelihood of humankind, and for some, the answer was to move into underground city shelters.
Good Stuff
- Racial diversity. More than half of all the characters are not white.
– Real player with 20.6 hrs in game
Read More: Best Futuristic Post-apocalyptic Games.
I played Pinewood Island first and had high expectations for this one! I bought it during a sale since I couldn’t bring myself to buy it at full price!
Long story, short? I really enjoyed this game! Customization of your character was simple but I felt it added to the immersion of the game! The plot is phenomenal and I wanted to know more and more about the world we’re in! As of writing this i’ve gotten 2 out of 30 endings; 30 endings?! That’s insane but it shows how much thought went into this!
– Real player with 10.1 hrs in game
Yakuza Kiss
A really intriguing game so far. I am excited at the idea of having only one romantic interest in an Otome. As much as I love choice, this gives the game much better opportunity to fully flesh out this relationship. Also, it’ll be interesting to see how player choice effects the story, possibly in ways outside of the main romantic plotline.
This is very short as of yet. I was disappointed when it ended! The themes are dark and heavy and the setting immediately leaves an impression. I think a lot of players will be able to sympathize with some of what Jeong is going through right away, setting her aside from the common shallow player-insert or overly pure otome protagonist. Art and music help set the stage quite nicely and this early chapter is well paced. I was engrossed, and usually VNs take some time to catch my full attention.
– Real player with 21.9 hrs in game
Read More: Best Futuristic Indie Games.
I got this game because: I was curious about visual novels, the art style looked interesting, I like futuristic settings, and I wanted a story told in a way that had a female audience in mind. I feel satisfied with my choice. The story and the characters have pulled me in so far and I’m curious to find out what happens next. There was an enjoyable amount of tension and building of relationships. I really like the art style and the overall color palette. The music and sound effects did a good job with helping set the tone. The rainy scenes were kinda relaxing despite what was happening. The touch of animation on some of the scenes and character portraits added to the mood or intensity of the scene. It also helped bring the characters to life. As of right now, the game is early access with 3 chapters so far, but I checked their social media and it’s still being worked on. No idea how many chapters there will be, but I’m ready for whichever ones drop. I suck at writing reviews, lol, but wanted to show support.
– Real player with 16.1 hrs in game
Arcade Spirits
First things first: I really, truly enjoyed this game. That maybe sounds like an understatement, but I think it’s worth stressing: Arcade Spirits is just. so. enjoyable. It’s good-natured, goofy game about pursuing your dreams and the power of friendship as much as it is a dating sim, and I was completely charmed by the total sincerity of its story and characters. My literal only complaint is that I couldn’t spend more time with all of them (more on that below).
Arcade Spirits’s core cast is obviously the main draw, and in terms of characterization, the game really delivers. I was really impressed by how the game avoided obvious dating sim archetypes and introduced a lot of depth to characters I wasn’t certain I would connect with (particularly Ashley and Teo). I also appreciate how the game doesn’t shy away from more serious issues, particularly in Percy and QueenBee’s routes – it’s not a coincidence that these are the two routes that I think are the game’s strongest, and it has a lot to do with how Percy and QueenBee’s problems (and dating hang-ups) are rooted in real-world issues. The overarching plot is goofy (in a good way!), but the characters feel grounded and real, and you’re encouraged to take them seriously in ways that I think really, really work.
– Real player with 37.7 hrs in game
Read More: Best Futuristic Retro Games.
I’ve only had the time to sit down and play through this great game once, but I feel like it’s given me a pretty good grasp of the game as a whole. And I love it. I’m a huge fan of visual novels and throwing in a dash of romance is…just another nail in my coffin. I’ve been following this game for a while now, exactly how long I can’t say, but I’ve been waiting. And it was worth the wait. I’ve never played a visual novel that has allowed me the customization this game has. I found I was playing me rather than playing the who can I romance game VERY early on. Sure, the game has it’s issues, and I’ll detail the good and the bad shortly, but I highly rec the game no matter what I say below. If you’ve got a hankering for a good story, high amounts of customization, and arcade game references abound this game is for you. And never fear, I’m leaving spoilers out of my lists. (As of writing this review there were still some wrinkles in the game but the dev team seems very on top of it when it’s reported. Don’t let the fact they are there dissuade you from buying the game.) I will update this review pending further play time and any additional content that might get released.
– Real player with 31.4 hrs in game
Planet Stronghold
A choice-laden narrative and attractive soundtrack are minor positives for a game let down by an immature story, horrible dialogue, and boring, badly implemented / balanced combat. Avoid unless frustration is your preferred form of masochism.
First the choices. There are a lot of choices, and they do branch convincingly: if you wanted to romance a certain character and screw it up, there’s no way to charm yourself back into their good graces. Find a save, and re-load. The choices aren’t just about romancing: every single member of your party has dialogues and side missions that will unlock if you talk to them enough and make the right dialog choices. Even faction alliances are contained within mutually exclusive dialog choices. Full marks for a branching narrative.
– Real player with 20.1 hrs in game
I had long wanted to play this game, as well as Winter Wolves' Loren The Amazon Princess, mostly because I was curious as to how well an RPG made in a visual novel engine would work. Now that I’ve finished this game once, I can say that its value lies mostly in being a curiosity, an example of what is possible in Ren’Py.
Unfortunately, whether I look at it as a visual novel with RPG combat or as an RPG with visual novel storytelling, as a game Planet Stronghold falls short.
The RPG part alternates between dull and irritating. The battles themselves fall into predictable patterns. I’ve seen the threat mechanic before in other indie RPGs, so it wasn’t particularly impressive to me.
– Real player with 17.4 hrs in game
ASTLIBRA Revision
Genre
Side scrolling 2D action RPG
Features
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Trading, exploration, long story in chapter form, battles with huge bosses, rare equipment.
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Various strengthening elements, exhilarating and flexible combat, item synthesis, etc. Estimated playtime: 40+ hours
Story
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The main character is separated from his childhood friend when his village is attacked by a demon.
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When he comes to his senses, he finds himself in a world with talking birds and no humans.
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This is a full-length story about the many adventures of a young man who is tossed about by time and fate, but faces them with true courage and kindness.
What’s new in Revision
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Wide screen, high resolution support, multi-language support, various useful functions added, and
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Changes to the specifications of the possession technique, addition of a tutorial demo, and additional events.
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Gorgeous graphics by illustrators Shigatake and Ryubuchi Haku
Planet Stronghold: Colonial Defense
First of all this game is a pretty unique mix, it has some flaws yes, but its strengths definitely outweighs them.
The card game, while unusual for such a game is actually really good. Compared to the standart rpg fights in similar games where you have 3 or 4 different spells or attacks and you just have to see which type of elemental damage does the most harm and spam that and throw in a heal or stun from time to time, the card battles feel more challenging. On the highest difficulty level you actually have to think about which cards suit in which situation. Also it kinda suits the theme. While in fantasy settings I prefer the party of heroes wandering around fighting its battles itself, here it feels more like you are the base commander managing troops and resources of your colony and thinking strategically.
– Real player with 33.0 hrs in game
One of the worst Winter Wolves' games out of the ones I have played. It has very few redeeming qualities and while I usually like WW games despite their flaws, I had a hard time enjoying this one.
Characters
Unfortunately, the characters were very weak in this game. WW can create some interesting characters and I know this, but in this case, I think they missed the opportunity to do so. The good news is that there are many characters you can choose to romance (with the free DLC). The bad news is that the characters felt shallow and unrealistic. I know you don’t play these games for their realism, but one would expect them to at least have some common sense. Instead it seemed like they were doing the most irrational things. For example at some point
! the rebel guy implied that he has assassinated people. Why would he admit that in front of people who are military officers? It makes no sense.
– Real player with 18.4 hrs in game