A Sky Full of Stars 仰望夜空的星辰
Good visual novel.
If you interested in astronomy you should try this one.
Heroines list:
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Korona: Sister-like heroine.
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Orihime: Rich innocent senior.
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Hikari: Tomboyish childhood friend, has same vibe as Ageha (IMHHW)
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Saya: Cute, innocent but also stubborn childhood friend
My fav girl is Orimihe, but my fav route goes to Hikari’s route.
Short review:
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Long VN, around 50h~ (im slow reader).
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Has 4 routes, after first choice the common route divided into two.
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Less words censorship rather than previous coming of age title.
– Real player with 738.1 hrs in game
Read More: Best Romance Visual Novel Games.
Overall I quite liked it. You can tell at least some of the same writers of If My Heart Had Wings were on here. Had lots of feel good slice of life romance but the main 2 childhood friend routes had some love triangle melodrama.
Honestly I think the common route was one of my favorite parts.
The childhood flashbacks were some of my favorites in VNs because of how fleshed out they were and had really good buildup and feel good friendship scenes. Akito having more character than Aoi due to common route beginning alone (though he kinda become generic after the second common route starts). And everyone got to shine in some regard. And the first common route was really nice and a good way to show how the 4 routes would ultimately end.
– Real player with 72.1 hrs in game
The Play’s the Thing
This one was enjoyable, would recommend
– Real player with 89.3 hrs in game
Read More: Best Romance Alternate History Games.
My mom was very much into theater.
– Real player with 45.9 hrs in game
Ethereal Enigma
PixelFade’s VNs for a while now achieve absolute hights when it goes to production quality while struggling a bit when it goes to writing. Ethereal Enigma is basically a culmination of that trend, which means you’ll likely either love it or hate it, depending on how much substance you want from your story and how much whimsical slice-of-life content can you stomach.
For me, EE was ultimately more enjoyable than this studio’s previous game, Crystalline, as it didn’t try to be anything more than a straightforward waifu game, but it also has its share of issues. Erilynn, the princess from another world, is not a bad character, but her route is very hit-and-miss and lacks a strong theme. The whole story is theoretically about her being stranded in our world and trying to find her way back, but it’s a really thin layer on top of fully-generic slice-of-life fluff – and some scenes with her are just awkward and fail to properly build up the romantic tension. The protagonist is the blankest of blank slates, which theoretically gives the player a lot of space to self-insert, but I wished he had something that made him stand out – Ace Academy, studio’s debut title, reached a really good balance in this regard, as the lead there had a tragic backstory and a few quirks that defined him to a decent degree, while also leaving a lot of space for player agency. Here, there’s simply nothing that makes the protagonist feel like an actual person. Also, there’s barely any justification for the story being set in a Japanese high-school – it feels like if the developers were actively trying to make their game look generic and uninspired. And, as the last complaint, the sexual humour in this game is nearly universally awful and I died inside a little during each of the few scenes completely based around crude innuendos.
– Real player with 49.8 hrs in game
Read More: Best Romance Visual Novel Games.
So I’ve completed all of PixelFade’s games so far. And as always, I wanted to share my thoughts on the game I’ve just finished.
Pros:
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Great visuals, both BGs and CGs are meticulously designed, polished and beautiful. Live2D technology makes the game more vivid.
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The characters are elaborately built, from appearance to personality. Each one of the characters is unique and interesting. This proves that the important thing is not how many characters you throw into your game, but that each character has to be well designed. Quality over quantity.
– Real player with 35.5 hrs in game
Crystalline
Most of you reading this have probably never heard of PixelFade. They’re a small company, who have only produced two visual novels so far. ACE Academy, and now Crystalline. I have read through many VN’s from many developers, yet PixelFade has shown themselves to be the best. Both games are extraordinary, but Crystalline in particular is an experience. It’s currently taken the position of my favourite Visual Novel ever, and I seriously doubt it will be topped (until hopefully, PixelFade’s next game).
– Real player with 45.0 hrs in game
Well, I’m glad I took the time to read this after I finished Kaori’s After Story. This visual novel has been quite a journey… Quite literally, I suppose.
MC finds himself nodding off in the middle of studying. When he wakes up, he finds himself on a grassfield of an entirely different world called Terra. There he comes across Leanna, a Mage-Knight investigating a strange energy activity that’s happened recently, which she then links to the MC. Leanna offers to help the MC to fit in Terra and also takes him to the Mage Academy to check in on this energy phenomenon. Eventually it becomes a story to try and get our beloved MC back home. Along the way, the rather mysterious mercenary Zack, the studious Mage-Caster Amelia, and the charming treasure hunter Kara all join the party to help out in this process.
– Real player with 38.8 hrs in game
Dawnbreaker - Aeon’s Reach
I am in love with this game. There was sex, nudity and fun. I do admit that the ladies are cute and sexy, the creators tempt you with sexy outfits and promises of fun. Over all 5 out of 5 Stars, but you have to buy the the +18 patch. This game has so many possibilities. Lets see what happens next…
– Real player with 7.8 hrs in game
Solid Sci-Fi story with a nice Plot twist and sexy girls. :)
Played around 1,5-2 hours for the first ending of three.
– Real player with 5.9 hrs in game
Your Story
Your Story is a Visual Novel that takes place in a fantasy world. You will become a guide to a young half-elf named Lia, who is a somewhat lost girl with an unclear future. She spends her entire life helping her parents run one of the most popular taverns in the kingdom. She will need your help to move her life forward. Your decisions will guide its narrative in various possible ways. The most crucial elements of the storyline are your own emotions - we want to bring forth even the most extreme and controversial ones. You’ll experience a mix of joy, sadness, love, regret, and even terror.
You will lead the plot to both the brightest and the darkest corners of your own mind by making decisions in accordance with your own conscience. That’s the idea behind Your Story.
Features:
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guide our protégé in multiple fashions,
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multiple storylines with unlockable, alternative paths,
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variable gameplay (each act has its own motive),
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over 10 reachable endings,
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over 20 interactive characters,
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over 30 CG’s,
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a unique mix of fantasy, mystery, conspiracy, suspense, romance.
ACE Academy
Wow. So, this one came in as a complete surprise. I didnt expect much when i bought it, but boy was I wrong.
TL;DR:
Pros:
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Intriguing Story
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Good, genuinly funny writing
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Tons of choices, that also have an impact
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Unique and likeable characters
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Fully voice-acted
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Decent length
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Nice Artstyle & Soundtrack
Cons:
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Abrupt, unsatisfying ending
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Minor: Artwork occasionally gets re-used
In Detail:
Pixelfade. Never heard of that Developer before, nor about the game itself. So I expected a pretty run-of-the-mill Visual Novel…This was not what I got.
– Real player with 61.1 hrs in game
Do I recommend it, even though this is only the first episode? Yes I do.
The scores below are from 1 to 10, 1 being terrible, 5 being average and 10 being excellent. I am confident in this Visual Novel and I think it can be one of the best Western Visual Novels. Keep in mind that the scale I am using is the same that I use to evaluate japanese visual novels (like Grisaia no Kajitsu):
Story: Not rated at the moment (episode 1)
Since this is only the first episode and was pretty much about introductions (and there’s still another girl to be introduced in the next episode), I can’t rate the story. My personal thoughts are that this is going to be a straightforward comedy slice of life romantic visual novel, so I don’t expect any serious developments or mind blows.
– Real player with 28.4 hrs in game
Kaori After Story
It has been eluded to in other reviews, but let me preface my review by saying that it’s almost impossible for you to get the whole effect of this VN if you don’t read Ace Academy first. There’s a lot of references that you can’t just get from context clues or brief discussions. In fact, since I completed Kaori’s route months ago, even I had to really think back to all that happened in that arc to make sure I understood everything the MC was talking about.
I must admit, when I played Ace Academy, I felt rather unsatisfied by how it ends, at least as it relates to the main plot of the story. I’m not sure if PixelFade is planning on making an AA2, but it was left sort of open-ended, and I’m not the biggest fan of those kinds endings. With that said…Kaori After Story was AWESOME! It bookends the Kaori route amazingly, and it really helps sell the permanency of their relationship. The dialogue and the conversation trees are vastly improved from AA, and feel much more natural. Hell, I’m secure enough in my masculinity to admit that towards the end, I had some serious feels. The artwork here has also improved drastically. I must be part psychic, because I had pictured what an Ace character would look in the engine PixelFade used for Crystaline. Not only did the devs actually give me such a scenario in real life, but it looks almost exactly how I pictured it in my head, and it looks great. Kaori’s redesign for the new game engine is adorable, mainly because they’ve made her features much softer in this iteration. Given that she’s a Tsundere, having softer features makes it easier to believe that she has the capacity to be gentle and kind. Although there were some custom screenshots in AA that showed her appearing tender/lighthearted, and they looked fine, but not as good as she looks here overall.
– Real player with 24.3 hrs in game
PixelFade did it again. I absolutely loved Ace Academy it is one of my top visual novels. I was pleasantly surprised when I saw that they made an after story for the ace academy story and super excited when I saw that it was of my favourite route as well. Instantly bought the game (had to replay ace but didn’t mind that) and I am so pleased with it
The story is sweet and romantic. The characters are likeable and fun, And Ofcourse Kaori is the same firey red head she always is, I am very glad to see that PixelFade is still working on ace stories. This visual novel was very well written and of course the character is awesome I mean who doesn’t love a tsundere?
– Real player with 13.1 hrs in game
Remember When
This game was wholesome, sweet, and kind of surprised me. I was looking for a quick game to waste my time, and this was a good way to spend said time, I may come back and play it again sometime if I remember. Its worth your time, so ye, play it!
– Real player with 1.4 hrs in game
After a while, the Developer updated the Game and now it don’t stuck again. I played the Game and i am absolutly suprised. It is a short little story about a man and his memories. The ending hit me hard and remebered me to say “I love you” to my wife everytime we talk or spend time together…
Game is free… give it a try. You play though story in about 1 hour. :)
– Real player with 1.2 hrs in game
Dear Althea
About this game
This visual novel, full of decisions and repercussions, is a fun reinterpretation of the novel “Dear Faustina” (1897) by British author Rhoda Broughton. Each chapter is filled with beautiful, high quality artwork that illustrates all the situations and moments you will experience alongside the charismatic characters. The art that you will be able to see has been made with special care in the representation of the British Victorian era as well as taking into account the class difference that is present at all times. The entire video game has 51 chapters that you will only be able to see if you play all the routes and enjoy the nine endings of the video game.
Story
In Dear Althea, you play as Althea Vane; a young upper class British woman whose life is turned upside down after the death of her father which causes her family to fall apart along with her future. She will be forced to choose a new future, a place to call home and a group to belong to. To get there she will have to face all sorts of situations in Victorian London, but love and romance will fortunately abound and make her quest more enjoyable.
Choices matter
You will find that the choices you make will change the story from the very first chapter, even if they change there will be many of them that will affect the story in the long run. In Dear Althea, your choices can affect not only your fate, but also the fate of other people. They can also change your relationship with other characters and open up new routes of dialogue that will change the dynamics of relationships.
Diverse relationships
You don’t have to fall in love with anyone or enter into any kind of romantic or sexual relationship in the game, but depending on your choices you can enter into a relationship with up to four characters that fall within the LGBT spectrum, however you don’t have to choose just one relationship; you can enter into a variety of polyamorous relationships.
Consent
In this video game, consent is discussed and encouraged in all aspects of relationships between characters. In romantic relationships there is no obligation to have sex, and refusing to have sex has no negative repercussions.
Characters
There is a great diversity of charismatic characters in “Dear Althea” but there is a clear division between upper class and working class characters. As a protagonist you can decide from the first chapter and throughout the story which group you are more sympathetic to. Defending characters from one class or the other can have repercussions.
Puzzles
If puzzles are not your thing you can skip them without missing any important plot points; however, there has been a lot of effort in the creation of the puzzles to make them all diverse. They have been integrated in the best possible way into the storyline as well as being completely set in the era in which the story takes place.
Typography
The typography has been created to help people with dyslexia to identify letters more easily. It is based on the typeface that appears in the original 1897 book.
Endings
There are a total of nine completely different final chapters, many of which are the result of decisions that took place several chapters earlier.Due to the branching of the story, finishing a single route can cause you to miss even twenty whole chapters that belong to the other routes, so the title invites replayability. Also, as a final surprise, there are some small post-credits scenes that will change depending on the decisions made throughout the story.
Duration and text
Counting all possible decisions, the game has 112408 words and (although it is not finished yet) I estimate that approximately and depending on the decisions chosen, the game can last about 5 hours.