Foreword: Why would KeroQ make a moege? This thought bothered me for a while. But what if KeroQ tricked everyone and made something entirely different under facade of moege?
Title: Moekan
Developer: KeroQ
Date: 2003-01-31
VNDB link:https://vndb.org/v3139
Youtube walkthrough:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=011WabnKsQ8&list=PLs4Gp5VU4Fv_47rfDklNMh3spmTY4nrpl
Synopsis: An anarchistic country that is said to dominate the world exists on a vast island known as
Moekan is the only masterpiece of the month
1. F no Fuuin Fの封印 [030124] Girl's Software Main character is a university student who studies local history. As a part of his investigation he visits ancient shrine maiden island. There he finds and breaks a mirror, which is followed by a dream of a woman who lost her mind and wore girl clothes. Mysterious incidents start to happen from that point. What secret is sealed in maiden that came to his dream?
Main ch
Year 2002 was quite curious. A lot of heavy weight candidates finally entered the scene.
New portion of Visual Novel Openings 2002 with songs.
My list of masterpieces in 2002:
Baldr Force
Bokura ga Koko ni Iru Fushigi.
D.U.O. ~Song for All~
Ever17 -The Out of Infinity-
Higurashi no Naku Koro ni
Hotosenaru Uta Chitosenaru Shirushi
Kikokugai - The Cyber Slayer
Kusarihime ~Euthanasia~
Masaru: Ashita no Yukinojou
Foreword: Girls with swords - will they repeat success of Gunsister?
Title: Tamamayu ~Miserareta Mitsu no Ito~
Developer: Mireille
Date: 2002-12-06
VNDB link:https://vndb.org/v6182
Youtube walkthrough:https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLs4Gp5VU4Fv9XSjuPuqPVDpGPnkGKY1Z-
Synopsis: Mysterious girl Shoko suddenly transfers to main character's school. One day she confesses to protagonist, but gets rejected. She says she has an ability to control the darkne
There are no masterpieces this month. This is becoming a tradition! Guess Popotan can be called VN of the Month. I'm choosing Tamamayu ~Miserareta Mitsu no Ito~ for review. Girls with swords not as cool as with guns, but will do.
1. Tamamayu ~Miserareta Mitsu no Ito~ 玉繭 ~魅せられた蜜の糸~ [021206] Mireille Mysterious girl Shoko suddenly transfers to main character's school. One day she confesses to protagonist, but gets rejected. She says she has an ability to control the dark
Foreword: Guns and girls is a great concept, but it can go all way wrong as it happened with DoNoR. Can Silver Co., Ltd. really pull it through?
Title: Gunsister
Developer: Silver Co., Ltd.
Date: 2002-11-29
VNDB link:https://vndb.org/v2814
Youtube walkthrough:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pt49qIwDIFw&list=PLs4Gp5VU4Fv8Da9PQZfIpp0SKP3KvrVNi
Synopsis: 250 years from now. Human race is reduced to 2.5 billion due to fierce confrontation with the fairy race.
Blocked games surpass normal ones three times this month. Baldr Force is the only masterpiece of the month. I'm true to my fetish and thus reviewing Gunsister
1. Baldr Force [021101] Team Baldrhead 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 As a hacker of the renowned hacking group "Steppenwolf", Tooru Souma and his partners earn their living by hacking into servers and selling the information they steal.
As the last hacking before disbanding their group, they hacked into a milit
Foreword: Absolutely unknown game in the West that has overwhelmingly positive evaluation in Japan. Which side would I take?
Title: Rocket no Natsu
Developer: TerraLunar
Date: 2002-10-11
VNDB link:https://vndb.org/v4190
Youtube walkthrough:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_HLI2A5oFE&list=PLs4Gp5VU4Fv_3lP089VAcjTRvabUf9dJf
Synopsis: There used to be a season called "Rocket summer"...
The Earth has become a member of the Galactic Federation and has acce
Rocket no Natsu is the only masterpiece of the month.
1. Minami no Umi no Odyssey 南の海のオデッセイ [021003] Global A Main character is 6th grader in elementary school. He comes to Guam island with his twin brothers fleeing from the plague. The uninhabited island gets flooded with time, and there's no other option but to try to flee the island.
GBA exclusive is of zero interest to me and pretty much everyone in English visual novel community.
Foreword: With script size of around 4.5Mb Hello, World is one of the largest visual novels ever created. Cyberpunk, Nitroplus and positive reviews (1 2 3 4) all promised a great time. However...
Title: Hello, world
Developer: Nitroplus
Date: 2002-09-27
VNDB link:https://vndb.org/v431
Youtube walkthrough:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsNedut_3eE&list=PLs4Gp5VU4Fv-KYrXbyAGXRCg720guyMwo
Synopsis: Set in Akihabara in the near future, "Hello, world." is a he
Masaru: Ashita no Yukinojou 2 is the VN of the Month. Hotosenaru Uta Chitosenaru Shirushi is definitely a masterpiece as well. As for "Hello, world." with its great reviews, I'll tell you in next issue whether I consider it a masterpiece or not.
1. Hoshimatsuri no Uta ほしまつりのうた [020906] Softhouse Dew 1 Soichiro Sugimoto is a kind, quiet boy attending Yuigasaki High School. Students at this school like to throw festivals, and the upcoming festival, the Star Festival, is
Foreword: I'm always curious about another FlyingShine game, but this time scenario by Arakawa Takumi is the biggest attraction point.
Title: Bokura ga Koko ni Iru Fushigi.
Developer: FlyingShine
Date: 2002-08-09
VNDB link:https://vndb.org/v6544
Youtube walkthrough:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBEIudaA_x8&list=PLs4Gp5VU4Fv8VvcJZUr-a2osG0BOPAdMl
Synopsis: Shinichi Manabe attends Seiryo High School. His father is a writer. 5 years ago, Shinichi went to se
Ever17 -The Out of Infinity- is undoubtedly the game of the month. Higurashi no Naku Koro ni makes the second masterpiece. But the world does not need yet another review of either of it, so I'll review Bokura ga Koko ni Iru Fushigi. which I also consider a masterpiece.
1. Beast 21 ~Ryoujoku no Yakata~ BEAST21 ~凌辱の館~ [020802] Birdy Soft 10 years ago the hero suddenly became plagued by strange nightmares.
He remember something about a strange woman in an o
Foreword: RSR is the last big game of Sogna. I can't pass without saying farewell.
Title: Viper-RSR
Developer: Sogna
Date: 2002-07-31
VNDB link:https://vndb.org/v970
Youtube walkthrough:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsrmSBbNUMM
Synopsis: A game that blends old school dungeon crawling along with animated cutscenes.
It is a dark age in the kingdom of Alitalia. Monsters ransack cities, slaughtering the men and taking the women as their slaves. Four adventu
Viper-RSR is the only masterpiece of the month
1. Psychicer Mimi サイキッカー美々 [020705] Soubi Kenkyuujo Main character is a genius young man. One day he has his psychic powers awoken in front of a female classmate. She agrees to help him train these powers with a series of exercises, but others think of them as usual lovers. Strange incidents start to happen at school - is it possible to investigate them with newly acquired powers?
Training is a form of H. The
Foreword: I was wondering what FC experimental branch (Dreamsoft) was capable of. Synopsis is quite fantasy-ish and girls with katana are featured, so I'm sold here.
Title: Asa no Konai Yoru ni Dakarete -Eternal Night-
Developer: DreamSoft
Date: 2002-06-28
VNDB link:https://vndb.org/v1205
Youtube walkthrough:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooV-q4jSD9A&list=PLs4Gp5VU4Fv-k2sH-Gg8wOnLUF96lDXAB
Synopsis: Main character dates his childhood friend. Days pass hap
There are no masterpieces this month AGAIN. I hate D.C. ~Da Capo~ series so much that I'd prefer literally any game over those. It's time to pay credits to Purple Software and nominate Kanade as game of the month. For some reason I picked Asa no Konai Yoru ni Dakarete -Eternal Night- for review. Why? Oh, Why?
1. PINK PANZER [020607] Liar-soft After decades of anarchy and dark times humanity regains its nation and civilization, but science, technology and cultural maturity r
Foreword: Voiced protagonist has become deciding factor to choose Fearless] over Shitai o Arau. Fearless] also is a mystery to me structure-wise and story-wise.
Title: Fearless]
Developer: Active
Date: 2002-05-10
VNDB link:https://vndb.org/v2360
Youtube walkthrough:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsCMKS_aJ5M&list=PLs4Gp5VU4Fv8rKP5oDa1nzt0KevjFrmhw&index=22&t=0s
Synopsis: Azumi Shizuhara is an orphaned student attending Rakuryo Gakuin.
One rain
There aren't masterpieces this month. I could not decide what to review myself. But in the end Akane Maniax has enough English reviews and Shitai o Arau is of quite familiar Silky's signature to me. I decided to play Fearless] . Akane Maniax is VN of the month even though I don't consider it a masterpiece either.
1. Akane Maniax ~Nagareboshi Densetsu Gouda~ アカネマニアックス~流れ星伝説剛田~ [020501] Age 1 2 3 Jouji Gouda is a new transfer student at Hakuryo High School. On his first day
Foreword: A bad-ass cover and cyberpunk setting is all that it took to interest me.
Title: D.U.O. ~Song for All~
Developer: Panda House
Date: 2002-04-26
VNDB link:https://vndb.org/v2235
Youtube walkthrough:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ttjs7mdDS3Q&list=PLs4Gp5VU4Fv_0xb07WK6DgqoNosWs_kET
Synopsis: It happened on December 25, 2001, right after the new century began.
It was the biggest and worst disaster in human history, "Apoptosis Crisis."
A vir
D.U.O. ~Song for All~ is the VN of the Month Among masterpieces are One 2 ~Eien no Yakusoku~ , Suigetsu and Utawarerumono
1. Trans' ~Boku to Atashi no Kyoukaisen~ Trans’~僕とあたしの境界線~ [020404] Catear 1 Christmas Eve... it's a night when many couples confess feelings to each other and spend this time happily. This story starts on such a holy night. Instead of happy time there is a sudden breakup on her part. Her clothes are left in the room. It was just a small urge. Until then
Foreword: Girl with a gun and concept similar to EVE from FlyingShine - that's a curious thing to investigate provided that only a year later the same brand will create Cross Channel!
Title: Donor - Onna Tantei Ryoujoku
Developer: FlyingShine
Date: 2002-03-08
VNDB link:https://vndb.org/v6542
Youtube walkthrough:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlZTV0b7nLY&list=PLs4Gp5VU4Fv-uWqueJwenXF1BJZOgphqE
Synopsis: Futaba Kawana is an attractive American detective, wh
Kikokugai - The Cyber Slayer and Subete ga F ni Naru ~The Perfect Insider~ are masterpieces, but only the former is the winner. I'll be reviewing Donor - Onna Tantei Ryoujoku
1. Sister Angel しすたぁエンジェル [020301] TerraLunar Main character loses his memory in an accident. After being discharged from the hospital, he starts to live with his self-proclaimed sister. Hero regains his memory while in contact with her.
And at some point the feelings of the two go
Foreword: I already chose another game for review in February... but in the end just could not ignore this huge pillar of today's visual novels. Without Kusarihime there would not be Saya no Uta, Cross Channel, Fate/stay night and Higurashi, so it's significance for the history can not be overerestimated.
Title: Kusarihime ~Euthanasia~
Developer: Liar-soft
Date: 2002-02-08
VNDB link:https://vndb.org/v37
Youtube walkthrough:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6J_joeqKri0&
The sweet goddess of February 2002 is Kusarihime ~Euthanasia~
1. Ame ni Utau Tanshikyoku ~A Rainbow After the Rain~ 雨に歌う譚詩曲~A rainbow after the rain~ [020201] Emu 1 Throughout the game you are presented with various flashbacks of a psychiatrist talking with a girl named Ame.
At the start of the story the protagonist lives with Chinatsu due to various happenings in his childhood that caused him to become an orphan, and as such mainly sees her as an older