Foul Play - Yuri Visual Novel
Great characterisation, good art, and very fitting music. It’s easily as well written as (if quite different from) others I enjoyed like RazzArt’s Starlight Vega, Studio Elan’s Highway Blossoms, and Hanako Game’s Black Closet. This is on top of its reasonable replayability (ignoring bad endings and minor variations, there’s at least two completely distinct endings following each romance). Just overall a very well put together story.
– Real player with 19.8 hrs in game
Read More: Best LGBTQ Visual Novel Games.
I have laughed plenty, I have sobbed myself to sleep, and perhaps a couple of other unspeakable activities. Good, relatable, real wlw content. Plenty of moments where I saw myself in my own experiences, especially when navigating the community and the coming-out process. Makes me feel better about who I am and what I’ve gone through. ggwp, thank you for your work 3
– Real player with 17.8 hrs in game
Ms.Director
Ms. Director is a game I can’t give justice to in just words. Either by my terrible writing skills or by repeating what others have said. Yet I can say that Ms. Director is one of the best RPGmaker-style games I have played in a very long time. It succeeds with the good ol’ cliche 2D horror game formula, but feels like a refreshing new experience in the RPGmaker-style genre. Either by well-written characters, fantastic links to LGBTQ+ Hollywood history, or fantastic music.
My final words about this game being a wonderful and beautiful small indie game that has been clearly made with passion and creativity. True love, research and time went into making this and it shines with it. It’s got the typical growing pains and teething problems of being a first major RPGmaker project, but those will eventually go away when the developer learns more and grows from mistakes. Ms. Director is a game I can’t recommend enough. Just writing this review isn’t even doing it justice.
– Real player with 11.8 hrs in game
Read More: Best LGBTQ 2D Games.
I found this game through a friend on twitter, and saw that it was an indie horror title. I went and played it, not knowing what to expect, and fell in love with the characters, art style, puns, and presentation. It’s a really solid title, with a lot of thought put into it. It is a bit short, and there are a few text errors, but it’s pretty easy to miss when you are focused on all the weird stuff happening in the mansion. I’m looking forward to seeing what sketchy nonsense puts out next.
– Real player with 8.3 hrs in game
Roman’s Christmas / 罗曼圣诞探案集
English version is only in an Alpha state.
Pros:
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A story that keeps you hooked from start to finish.
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Thinking and deduction skills are actually required to solve the mysteries.
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Trials use a casino-style overlay.
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Sniff out additional clues with your nose. You’re a wolf after all!
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An interesting cast of characters from many different walks of life.
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Very well animated and gorgeous portraits. Yes, they all move and blink!
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The soundtrack fits the atmosphere.
Cons:
- Sentences require a few moments to piece together, but it’s not too difficult to understand.
– Real player with 26.6 hrs in game
Read More: Best LGBTQ Visual Novel Games.
First of all, I’d like to say,
UWU OWO furry time hee hee. Owo Notices your blood stains. Did somewon do a kiwwy wiwwy? Hang them -w-. But, this game is not just fun if you’re a furry. Seriously, very fun to play. Play time for me was about 18-20 hours, but most was silent contemplation and there was a fair bit of offscreen thinking too(I try to predict who did it, with little success, because these murders are quite hard). Kinda a point and click style adventure where you pick up clues to try to solve several murders. But, you really do have to step away from the computer and think as to what happened/contradictions in testimonies, as some are very subtle. The characters feel individual and have interesting personalities. Some get killed off quickly, buut that’s to be expected. The murder trials are fun, and you really have to be thinking the whole time, as the slightest flaw in a theory might make the difference in the suspect. There aren’t too many story-influencing choices, mainly to get funny dialogue quips but there is one great choice you can make at the end, which kinda makes you think “if someone’s going to be killed because you find out the truth, and the truth really won’t change anything in the end, is it really worth getting that justice? Would the guilt that person has be enough? Wouldn’t there life be worth more than their death?” Props for that.
– Real player with 22.7 hrs in game
Murder by Numbers
As soon as I started playing this game, I was incredibly hooked on the detective puzzle format. It was a lot of fun and very relaxing to not have to worry about getting choices wrong and just take my own pace at solving the puzzles. I do have quite a few nitpicks and grievances but this game is well worth the price if you love picross and cute stories.
Story
Overall, it’s a super cute story and I love S.C.O.U.T., Honor, Jena, and Cross, as well as everyone else. The supporting cast were fun to see, but I wish I had gotten more details about them. If you like complete realism in your stories, though, be warned that there’s a lot of points that just don’t make sense. For example, a civilian getting involved with a murder investigation and not being arrested for interfering with evidence, hacking police files, etc.
– Real player with 103.1 hrs in game
I’m at the start of chapter 4 of this game, but want to review it at this point.
Overall, I give this game a thumbs up. But it is a game that I like and enjoy very much, but I also want to say that I found its implementation deeply annoying.
I love picross, and as a collection of picross puzzles, it’s a good game. The completed puzzles don’t try to “look like things” in the way most picross games do - they look like fragments of things. And that’s fine. It gives them freedom to create some really interesting puzzles and you aren’t really tempted to ignore logic and just guess what looks like it fits. The puzzles are challenging and satisfying. I really like that part of the game. I also like that there are a good selection of bonus puzzles. I played all the puzzles (up to chapter 4, including bonus puzzles) on hard mode and can confirm they can be solved with pure logic, which I really appreciate.
– Real player with 76.7 hrs in game
Pebble Witch
Pebble Witch is more of a thumbs in the middle opposed to a clear recommend. Overall, the game is polished and doesn’t have a ton of hiccups outside of some minor camera issues on the northern part of the map. The level and it’s layout out look great, but the game play is pretty dry even when you take the genre into consideration. You speak to 15 different rocks who mostly contribute mundane observations or seemingly nonsensical outbursts. Although there are a couple profound and comical moments found in Pebble Witch, there are also more memorable micro relaxation games out there.
– Real player with 0.7 hrs in game
cute little gay game. wish it fleshed out the protagonist a bit more though
– Real player with 0.5 hrs in game
COME ALIVE!
you just wanted to hang with your crush!
so how’d you end up stuck between them and your friends in your tiny dorm room watching a campy horror film?
And what happens when the movie comes to life?
…
This is not what you signed up for.
COME ALIVE! is a first person 2.5d mystery visual novel about a group of friends, where you play from several of their perspectives. Can you get to the bottom of why this movie has come alive? Or should you just roll with it and have fun?
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A regular cast of normal characters
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Definitely nobody dies ahaha
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~1 hour playtime
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Original, dream-like art and music
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Gamepad + keyboard/mouse support
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For MacOS / Windows / Linux
SHINRAI - Broken Beyond Despair
“What had transpired here tonight was a rather complex chain of events, but I was going to explain everything as best as I could… So that they, too, would be able to understand the tragic truth behind it all. “
-Raiko Shinpuku
–——————
SHINRAI ~ Broken Beyond Despair is a murder mystery visual novel and first in the SHINRAI series, as well as the first game developed by indie German video game developer “Gosatsu”, a duo consisting of core members Gospel and Natsu. As a visual novel, gameplay in SHINRAI ~ Broken Beyond Despair consists primarily of reading, with interactivity delegated to segments wherein the player is prompted to present evidence in order to prove or disprove character deductions. Through a series of just such segments, the player progressively pieces together the identity of an anonymous killer and reveals the truth behind an otherwise seemingly straightforward death.
– Real player with 90.8 hrs in game
Shinrai provides a thrilling substitute for mystery fans, providing that itch of content when the well of other mystery titles dries up.
Despite a small team of about two people, Shinrai is a rare example of an indie mystery novel delivering a surprisingly good mystery. Shinrai isn’t without its flaws, but given its budget constraints, its a testament that a little passion can go a long way!
The game takes place at a secluded mountain resort, as a group of anime schoolmates convene for a Halloween party. Needless to say things go horribly wrong as murder and mayhem ensues. Piece together the clues, and discern who’s truly responsible, otherwise you may wrongly send an innocent character to jail!
– Real player with 18.1 hrs in game
Unmemory
Unusual game - reminiscent of the old text-based games we used to play. A little frustrating at times, trying to work out how to move forward. Worthwhile if you like adventure games and fancy something with a different interface.
– Real player with 10.2 hrs in game
Fun puzzle game with a nice multisensory story telling emphasis. I have to say though that the process of garnering the “materials” for the puzzle can be somewhat frustrating; for example the KLF puzzle requires something that is fairly obscure to find just to get started. The puzzles themselves, once you have all the materials needed, are alright at straightforward difficulty (hints are really optional), although I am particularly impressed by the last puzzle, the Dancers Numbers, the solution of which (the only I looked up online) really blew my mind for the cleverness. (as aside, I was too taken up with the thought that the dancers might be instructing a sequence about how the button ought to be pressed; which is quite tempting, but this is not nearly as clever as the official solution). Overall it is a great game
– Real player with 9.4 hrs in game
Nowhere New
TLDR: If you like indies, play this game. Its story and atmosphere are well worth a few hours of your time.
This is not a full size game. It was created by a small group of students on no budget, and it shows. However, for that size and scope, it is impressively complete. I greatly enjoyed the couple hours I spent playing.
Narrative:
The writing is very strong. The mystery is intriguing, the characters are likable and complex, and the story is well constructed. There are several emotionally impactful story beats; at various points I felt shock, anger, suspense, horror, compassion, etc. I enjoyed the prevailing theme of identity, trust, and how our experiences shape who we are. Also, LGBT rep is a plus!
– Real player with 3.2 hrs in game
Even though the game has unappealing visuals, I thought that the writing was very strong and I liked most of the characters. However, I ultimately was disappointed with the experience because the ending felt very anticlimactic, a big exposition dump to what otherwise was a mysterious story that could have gone in many ways. We play as a character that crashlands on a mysterious world where inhabitants lose their memories as they share them with other people. The game presents memory share as a mechanic but it’s somewhat cosmetic, for the most part, the story is pretty linear and you can only trade a few memories for a couple of hints, although I cannot confirm that as I decided to keep them. I wouldn’t say that it has any puzzles, you just have to talk to the characters in the right order, it’s not too convoluted. If anyone cares you can complete the game in about 90 minutes.
– Real player with 2.3 hrs in game
The Light at the End of the Ocean
I actually really liked this visual novel, and if you like queer based visual novels - you’ll probably like it too! You can play it multiple times to get different endings. It’s fun unraveling the mystery. It’s also very nice that the creator showed you how to unlock a special Easter egg. I circled around it for about a year, trying to decide if I pull the trigger or not. By the time I grabbed it, I was kicking myself for not getting it sooner. It’s just seemed so obvious that I would have enjoyed it.
– Real player with 6.0 hrs in game
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The Light at the End of the Ocean
Developer: Jane Titor
Publisher: Jane Titor
Pros:
1. The story is a unique mixture of mystery and pain, how each character has a large purpose guiding the main character through the mysterious place.
2. The characters are all presented in an interesting way in the beginning, just going by who they are instead of their names until later on such as Guest, Keeper, Archivist.
– Real player with 2.1 hrs in game