Simpler Times Review (PC)
Sometimes a gaming experience doesn’t have to be long to be good. A game like Sayonara Wild Hearts is merely an hour and some change but it is a definable and repeatable experience. That Annapurna classic proves that it’s better to feel and connect with a game than it is to count the minutes you have spent with it. And maybe that is an underlying message that has a deeper meaning that we all need....[Read More]
Stray Gods – Orpheus Review (PS5)
Back in August of last year, I had the pleasure of reviewing Stray Gods, a visual novel – musical. I had never seen a game like this before in my life, and it was just a blast to take in the engaging narrative, compelling characters, and musical talent that went into it. It was truly something special and I highly recommend checking it out, if you haven’t yet. Nearly a year later, the good folks a...[Read More]
TSUKIHIME – A piece of blue glass moon Review (PS4)
If you want a visual novel, this is a visual novel. TSUKIHIME – A piece of blue glass moon from developer Type-Moon is a deep and well-written monster and mayhem-driven story. It’s quite a journey. While I would certainly like a bit more interactivity in my visual novel, as you’re often making dialogue choices rather than action-based ones, having a good story with hard turns and twists make...[Read More]
Bahnsen Knights Review (PS5)
I may be a child of the 90s, but I’m familiar with the PC home computer adventure games of the late 80s and early 90s. By that, I mean the likes of text-based games like Oregon Story and Maniac Mansion. These games utilized crude 2D graphics while encouraging players to make simple, often binary, decisions that offered the illusion of branching narratives that often lead to the player’s demise. Th...[Read More]
Little Goody Two Shoes Review (PC)
When you think of Square Enix, you often think of Final Fantasy XVI, Dragon Quest, and a bevy of classic role-playing games. They have a huge history of hits…and then they have little oddities that are satisfying and yet, kind of weird in concept. The latter of the bunch is where Little Goody Two Shoes falls. It’s a game that consists of RPG elements, a dating sim (to an extent), a horror-driven n...[Read More]
Kentucky Route Zero: TV Edition – Xbox Series X – Review
Visual novels and branching narratives come in a variety of sizes and flavors. Some of them are heavy on dialogue and are more focused on delivering a good storytelling experience, while others lean towards a more interactive journey with a good portion of storytelling on the side. Regardless of what you run into with these types of games, you’re almost always guaranteed an experience that will st...[Read More]
Stray Gods Review
In my pantheon of publishers, I’m beginning to think that Humble Games deserves a spot at the table. The last few original games they have released have been stellar. From the horrors of Signalis to the Metroid-like experience of Ghost Song, and even the mesmerizing and delightful Unpacking, Humble Games has been really knocking it out of the ballpark lately. And their hot streak continues with St...[Read More]
Harmony: Fall of Reverie Review
Throughout my tenure as a video game writer, spanning over 20 years, one of the more delightful elements of choice for me in gameplay design has been branching narratives. While I think this harkens back to my enjoyment of Choose Your Own Adventure books in the 1980s, where you get to choose the fate of the character you’re reading about, I think it goes deeper than that where I need to be in cont...[Read More]
Before Your Eyes Review (PSVR 2)
Going into my latest adventure on the PSVR 2, I had no idea what to expect with Before Your Eyes</em>. Would it be a first-person shooter? Would it be an adventure game? What is Before Your Eyes? You should know that it’s a visual novel. And it isn’t just any novel, it’s an emotional journey through the eyes of a person who has passed on and the judgment that awaits them in the afterlife. Ge...[Read More]
Persona 4 Golden Review
It has been two years since I jumped into the Persona world. Back in June 2020, I reviewed the PC version of this and came out of the experience with a glowing review. That said, I still have some of the same immediate feelings that I did the first time around. Those were: – So much dialogue. Yes, there are branching narratives mixed into it that make you feel like you’re shaping the story, ...[Read More]
Hindsight Review (PS5)
It was interesting returning to the world of Hindsight again. The last time I reviewed this was in August on the PC, and it was quite the journey. If anyone has gone through the grief process before, then you might be all too familiar with this game. It is the journey of a young woman trying to deal with, feel, and process her grief through memories she holds dear from her mother. It’s a personal,...[Read More]
Ghostwire: Tokyo – Prelude free playable visual novel released on PS4/PS5, Steam and Epic Games Store on March 8th
That should give some good setup to the game. Check out the details below. Today, Tango Gameworks and Bethesda are excited to announce the launch of the Ghostwire: Tokyo – Prelude visual novel, free for all PlayStation®5(PS5™) and PlayStation®4 (PS4™) owners. All Steam and Epic Games Store players will be able to experience the prelude for free starting on March 8, 2022. Dive deeper ...[Read More]
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