Visual Novel Archives - Tech-Gaming

My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom: Pirates of the Disturbance review

Robert Allen — Thu, 30 Nov 2023 05:03:22 +0000

Reincarnated as the villain in one of your favorite visual novels! Contemporary gaming is full of curiosities. Although hardly as tedious as being forced to scroll through a massive terms and conditions document, My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom: Pirates of the Disturbance begins with an atypical warning. A splash ...

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UsoNatsu ~The Summer Romance Bloomed From A Lie~ review

Robert Allen — Mon, 13 Nov 2023 20:31:38 +0000

Heartbreaks and Uwus A myriad of visual novels chart the progression of relationships. LYCORIS’ UsoNatsu ~The Summer Romance Bloomed From A Lie~ begins with an unexpected event. The linear novel’s first chapter details a breakup between second-year student Tachibana Kaoru and her former middle-school teacher Shimotsuki Mirei. The pair had an unusual bond that couldn’t ...

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ANONYMOUS;CODE review

Robert Allen — Mon, 11 Sep 2023 16:26:00 +0000

The latest SciADV is the most fantastical and fast-paced entry. But that means we don’t really get to know some of the characters. Long before science fiction habitually became a conduit for escapism, it provided imperative forewarnings. Before the release of 2012’s Prometheus, Ridley Scott noticed a mounting issue with the genre. “Everything is used ...

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White Album: Memories like Falling Snow review

Robert Allen — Sat, 12 Aug 2023 22:36:56 +0000

Thinking being the boyfriend of an up-and-coming music idol is easy? Relationships are minor miracles White Album: Memories like Falling Snow reminds us. Susceptible to a myriad of misunderstandings and even misdeeds, moments of interpersonal harmony are just as common as conflict in Leaf’s 1998 visual novel. Thanks to a capable localization from DMM Games ...

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Ghostpia: Season One review

Robert Allen — Tue, 30 May 2023 17:22:46 +0000

Where ghosts are more human than most human characters If you’ve spent most of your life watching blockbuster movies, the arthouse film might seem unappealing at first. Big-budget commercial films are made for mainstream appeal, driven by lighthearted romantic entanglements or extravagant action sequences. Like fast food, they’re crafted to be effortlessly consumed and hastily ...

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Trials of Kokoro review

Robert Allen — Thu, 25 May 2023 02:51:42 +0000

Kokoro is the Japanese word for “heart”, and this game has it. Franchises like Utawarerumono, Tears to Tiara, and of course, Disgaea have married the expressive storytelling of a visual novel to turn-based combat. The results have largely been rewarding, with pulpy dialog providing plenty of motivation when fights inevitably break out. The sophomore effort ...

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A Light in the Dark review

Robert Allen — Thu, 20 Apr 2023 15:02:48 +0000

Things aren’t quite as they initially seem in this visual novel with sleuthing elements. Hao-Chen Jiang’s likely finds solace in the predictability of his daily routine. Every weekday, he attends class while his afternoons are spent at buxiban, a Taiwanese term for “cram schools”. These extracurricular lessons provide pupils with an academic edge. But his ...

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Meg’s Monster review

Robert Allen — Thu, 09 Mar 2023 01:45:48 +0000

“If she cries, the whole world dies”, Meg’s Monster warns. Likely, any tears shed will be your own. 2019’s Bear’s Restaurant helped establish Odencat’s ambitions for poignant storytelling. Players who peered past the game’s modest pixel art found a plotline about a restaurant run by a pair of animals. While Bear was responsible for the ...

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void* tRrLM2(); //Void Terrarium 2 review

Robert Allen — Sat, 04 Mar 2023 01:28:40 +0000

Tamagotchi-style care for the last member of humanity provides a stirring stimulus for Void Terrarium 2’s dungeon crawling. Released amidst a tempestuous pandemic, 2020’s void tRrLM(); //Void Terrarium envisioned a setting that embodied melancholic isolation. Catastrophically, a toxic fungus had overrun the world, pushing the populace to burrow into the earth for safety. But the resettlement ...

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Please Be Happy review

Robert Allen — Tue, 27 Dec 2022 23:55:11 +0000

Please Be Happy reminds us that learning about ourselves often involves the risk of revealing your insecurities. Fear has become the prevailing implement of politicians, marketers, and the media. The result of this persistent trepidation seems to be a growing sense of distrust and the erosion of human compassion. But periodically, acts of altruism threaten ...

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CHAOS;HEAD NOAH and CHAOS;CHILD Double Pack review

Robert Allen — Sat, 08 Oct 2022 15:39:02 +0000

Prepare yourself for a double dose of top-tier storytelling where reality and delusion disturbingly intermingle. When it comes to visual novels, the Science Adventure series belongs in a league of its own. As a collaboration between MAGES (formally 5pb) and Nitroplus, the franchise’s six mainline entries are astonishingly creative, cerebrally stimulating, and visually rewarding. If ...

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fault – StP – LIGHTKRAVTE (Switch) review

Robert Allen — Fri, 07 Oct 2022 03:55:20 +0000

While fault – StP – LIGHTKRAVTE is a tightly-focused novel about a person chasing their dreams, it packs an emotional payoff and provides insight into Rughzenahide’s rich history. Few visual novel franchises are as capricious as doujin developer ALICE IN DISSONANCE’s fault series. Originally published in 2013, inaugural entry, fault milestone one, enjoyed three different releases. Each subsequent iteration demonstrated creative ...

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Amnesia: Memories+Amnesia: Later x Crowd review

Robert Allen — Sat, 24 Sep 2022 17:14:48 +0000

Whether you prefer navigating the dysfunction of the original Amnesia: Memories or the lighthearted escapism that the bundling of Amnesia: Later and Amnesia: Crowd brings, Idea Factory International’s pair of Switch releases delivers. Let’s take a look at each title: Amnesia Memories With the release of Amnesia: Memories, another noteworthy otome earns a home in ...

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Kokoro Clover Season 1 mini-review

Robert Allen — Sun, 07 Aug 2022 18:18:10 +0000

Kokoro Clover’s conceit is undeniably clever: the game is presented like a serialized anime. Twelve episodes flaunt the traditional characteristics of Sunday morning animation. From recaps of previous shows, title cards, commercial breaks, eye catches, and even closing credits, the game offers a loving tribute to late twenty-century children’s television. Lead character Treffy attempts to ...

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Digimon Survive review

Robert Allen — Tue, 02 Aug 2022 20:40:36 +0000

Don’t expect a full-blown role-playing experience similar to Cyber Sleuth or even a digital monster nurturing game like Re:Digitize or Next Order. Digimon Survive is an engrossing visual novel that sporadically sends you onto battlefields for some turn-based encounters. This shift brings some of Digimon’s best characteristics to the forefront. It’s not uncommon for games ...

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Yurukill: The Calumniation Games review

Robert Allen — Wed, 06 Jul 2022 02:37:35 +0000

One instant, Yurukill: The Calumniation Games is poking fun at the spectacle of reality TV. The next moment it might subject you to a deadly interrogation or a 2D shooter that’s a visual representation of an accuser’s mind. It’s one of those wild fusions of genres and a wellspring of creativity that is tragically infrequent. ...

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Birushana: Rising Flower of Genpei review

Robert Allen — Thu, 30 Jun 2022 02:26:15 +0000

“The voice of the temple bells / ring the passing of all things. Even the mighty cannot long endure / they are like a spring’s night’s dream”, The Tale of the Heike. Please note: This review contains light spoilers within a discussion of historical references and a few of the novel’s more contentious themes. History, ...

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fault – StP – LIGHTKRAVTE review

Robert Allen — Sun, 29 May 2022 18:46:28 +0000

While fault – StP – LIGHTKRAVTE is a tightly-focused novel about a person chasing their dreams, it packs an emotional payoff and provides insight into Rughzenahide’s rich history. Few visual novel franchises are as capricious as doujin developer ALICE IN DISSONANCE’s fault series. Originally published in 2013, inaugural entry fault milestone one enjoyed three different releases. ...

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Dōkyūsei: Bangin’ Summer review

Robert Allen — Thu, 21 Apr 2022 20:06:30 +0000

Sure, Dōkyūsei: Bangin’ Summer’s setup is skeletal, mostly centering on making the last few weeks of summer vacation memorable. As a remaster on the original 1992 eroge, this is a dating sim where your actions dictate most of the story. Surprisingly, it’s replication of the complexities of romance are fairly sophisticated. Romance is pervasive in ...

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13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim (Switch) review

Robert Allen — Sat, 09 Apr 2022 00:49:41 +0000

13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim seamlessly pivots from guarded conversation to massive, kaiju-killing rocket barrage. That’s a feat for any game, but especially when you’re hopping between thirteen different characters. Vanillaware’s latest remains an astounding achievement on Nintendo’s system. Best known for Odin Sphere, Muramasa: The Demon Blade, and Dragon’s Crown, Vanillaware could have kept their fanbase content by offering ...

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