Daydreamer97

This and TyranoBuilder. I don't like it and its save system. Visual Novel Maker and TyranoBuilder games don't feel nearly as nice to play as Ren'Py games for some reason. Ren'Py requires some coding but the games built on it are usually more user-friendly and polished. I think we're a little bit used to being ignored by the general VN fandom lol. The otome and bl community have some overlap, but not that much and do tend to be more insular. I do wish more people would pay attention though, especially since both communities have thriving indie scenes that are very far from the common misconception of what the EVN scene looks like.

Personally, I don't care about categories much because I also play all kinds of video games (except MMORPGs) and read books- heck I even have a book blog. I care about a good story sure, but I'm also fine with a nice, fluffy romance. I don't even care about other Japanese media like manga or anime to be honest. I don't watch anime, I don't read manga. I got into Visual Novels because I like reading and I like stories with choices and endings I can influence, the same way I like Western RPGs more than JRPGs. Personally, I don't care to categorize myself all that much because I'm open to reading different kinds of visual novels. If once asks me, I'm glad the EVN scene is growing and we're getting stuff more influenced by the likes of Bioware than Japanese adventure games or other VNs. It makes for a more diverse genre, and helps it grow more. There's more experimentation, more pushing the boundaries. Anime art styles are nice and all, but variation is good and western art styles are beautiful too. I love indie otome games for example, some of them definitely feel more Bioware-influenced and I like that more are implementing customization options. Should there be a more restrictive definition of what a visual novel is? Sure, otherwise the line between a VN and an RPG or an Adventure game gets a little blurry. I think VNs that have mini-games or stat-raising elements are still VNs because those don't take up the majority of the medium. Visual Novels are more like a distinct genre for me, a mix between a movie and a game, although there are VNs with more game-y elements. That said, even if I like having stories where my choices matter, I'm not opposed to Kinetic Novels either. I liked the two episodes of Higurashi I've read. I just prefer the ones where my choices do matter. Of course, this might also be influenced by me also being a book reader where protagonists make annoying decisions or choose the worst person. In that sense, it kinda feels natural for me to turn to visual novels where the choices I make for the protagonist can make up for the things that annoy me in traditional media.

The expansion also adds bonus stories for the other characters.

I'm actually surprised that they announced two things I'm interested in. I haven't bought Steam Prison yet, but I will once the expansion's out. Also, liar-soft titles are probably the plot-heavy VNs I'm interested in the most so I'm definitely getting Jeanne at the Clock Tower once it releases.

Mangagamer announcements:

I played KonoSora and it's the first (only?) moege I played. The best part of the game for me was the common route and even though I used the retranslation patch, I skipped every H-scene because honestly, it felt like it ruined how I perceived the characters. I played Kotori's route first, which was good, then Asa and Yoru, then Amane. After playing Asa and Yoru, both routes left a sour taste in my mouth so I skipped Ageha after reading that a lot of it revolves around sex and stupid drama. I'd rather just leave her and Aoi as best friends. Amane's route was the best one I think because it explains a lot about the Soaring Club, their motivations, and their teacher's motivations. Also, I feel like Aoi had the best chemistry with Kotori and Amane. I did enjoy the friendship dynamics and the high points where they were flying in the glider. I also decided to watch Amane's route in the fandisc on Youtube just to see Isuka and Tatsuya get together. A small rant, but I disliked how the scene replay was exclusively all sex scenes. I wish there was some romantic fluff in there somewhere. Overall, I felt like the game was okay. As I said, it was the first moege I played and while the art looks good, I felt like the character designs were a little lackluster. Although, this might be because I'm used to otome games and more plot-heavy games with elaborate character designs. I did enjoy parts of the game, but I think I'd stick to otome games and plot-oriented VNs.

I'm not really one for episodic releases but a bunch have been cropping out on itch.io lately and I thought why not? There are free one, the art looks nice, there's a lot of CGs per episode, and it looks like most have a consistent release schedule. With that in mind, I picked up Andromeda Six. Oh boy, what a great start. It only has three episodes out so far but what they have is really intriguing. Like most recent episodic releases, it has pronoun selection (meaning the MC doesn't show up in CGs), lots of love interests, both male and female (5 male, 2 female), and race selection (because space opera?). Episodes are fairly short but there are a lot of options, with flirt options clearly labeled which would make you closer to your chosen love interest. This makes it replayable for me in between waiting for episodes. So far, I'd describe the story as a mix of Firefly and Anastasia. Anastasia was one of my favorite animated films so I was pretty excited to see the Anastasia in Space storyline. You play as an amnesiac who wakes up in a ship full of mercenaries but you regain your memories in like, Episode 3. The story is pretty well-written so far and there's also pretty strong characterization as you get to know the characters and their backgrounds. Really, my only complaint is the episodic release makes waiting so hard. I'd definitely pay money for this once it's complete- plus whatever special DLC episodes they may have.

I've been playing more of Ebon Light and seeing such a high-quality free/PWYW game is really a delight. The main story is the same throughout your playthrough but the branching is really unique and provides a lot of replay value. For one thing, your MC has stats which help define or shape her personality and there's a variety of choices you can make to increase/decrease these stats which impact the storyline. The painterly style is beautiful and provides a unique aesthetic for this dark fantasy game which also has a lot of interesting lore accessible from an in-game glossary. There's also MC customization available so you can change the MC's hair style/color, eye color, skin tone, and even clothes later on. However, what I love the most about this is that your personality doesn't impact whether your love interest stays with you or not. I mean, you can play a sweet, kind main character or a ruthless, cunning one and still get a happy ending. The story involves a young woman who drinks something she shouldn't have (which kinda gives her abilities) and gets taken to an island full of elves with a militaristic society. From there, she can choose if she just wants to survive or seek power- although, power may be the key to her survival. It's quite choice-heavy so again, a lot of branches. Also there are emo elf LIs. Each playthrough is fairly short- maybe four hours, but the branching makes it so that things don't get stale. In any case, I have been following the development of this game for years and the end product is everything I wanted and then some. It has garnered quite a few fans in the otome game community and I really want to share it with everyone. Seriously, please check this game out. You don't really even have to romance anyone to get a happy ending. It's a good plot-focused VN with romance and emo elves I happen to love. Ebon Light is a very unique game and one of the best VNs I've played. And did I mention it's free/PWYW?

I've been reading another indie otome called Dark Nights. It's like Cinderella Phenomenon in the sense that it's a high-quality medium-length indie vn which probably should have cost money but is free. It's also something I've been looking forward to for years because the art is really pretty and Pinlin, the solo dev who worked on it is seriously talented and her art is absolutely gorgeous. So far, I'm only on my first route but it's been doing a good job at setting this horror tone and a multi-route mystery. I also played another free-but-should-have-been-commercial indie I've been looking forward to- Ebon Light. There are love interests but it's not a traditional otome (although I do count it as one) because the romance is more of a side thing than the main thing. It's more plot-focused and is a little more game-y with stats. It also has beautiful western-style art and a dark fantasy aesthetic which really kept me hooked. You get to shape the MC's personality in this one so there's a lot of branches and ways to get a good ending.

To be honest, I think that when it comes to VNs being mainstream, mobile otome games have the better chance of pushing them to the mainstream than traditional PC or console games. For one thing, they're everywhere and their advertising is very on point. A lot are free, some are pay-per-route and it targets its intended audience very efficiently with pretty art, pretty boys, and romance. It's also often the entry point for a lot of players to the better VNs out there. Personally, I got into VNs with mobile otome, and a lot of people in the otome community can say the same. Also, otome players don't necessarily read just otome forever. Some of them, like me, also get drawn into more plot-based VNs like Fata Morgana, When They Cry, or liar-soft's steampunk games. Also, there are a lot of indie otome/bl/moege devs who are doing good work and I've noticed that the number of them are growing and getting better. Like, some devs I've followed for years and you can really see their growth when it comes to art style and writing quality.

I've been playing an indie otome EVN called Changeling and it's really really good. The art wouldn't be for everyone but the story and characters really makes up for it because it does have one of the best otome stories I've read. Not very romantic (but appropriate for their situation) although heavy on plot and characterization. It's a high school otome I actually like because of the dark urban fantasy story and how it also makes fun of common paranormal tropes. It's also probably the longest indie otome game I know of. Plus, I'm really looking forward to the dev's next game because it looks like it's going to be longer (9 routes!) and the art style and QoL looks to be dramatically improved.

Going to re-read The House in Fata Morgana after a long time of not playing VNs because dumb translation controversy just reminded me that this is my favorite VN of all time. Also, the chapter select after you finish the game is a godsend because sometimes, I just want to pick and choose which chapters to re-read.

I know this forum is mostly male-focused but some niches really do have a lot of potential. Some would say drop the porn but I can see that the otome crowd actually wants more of it. We don't get a lot of R18 stuff that the moege/charage crowd do and I don't know if it's because the protags tend to be younger. The BL stuff has more of it though. Also, otomes and BL games with Japanese school settings tend to be rarer so it confuses me when people say EVNs are same-y and school focused. The only similar aspects I see is usually the anime artstyle and even some games feature unique art. I saw that Fata Morgana only sold about 8k copies in Steam which really saddens me because it's my all-time favorite VN. I would love to see more of it. I honestly don't mind games without character-based routes if I can get a game with the love, pain, beauty, and catharsis of Fata Morgana. If there could be more like it, maybe VNs would be seen as a legitimate medium by the mainstream and more people would try them.

I'm mostly interested in the more niche otome genre but I'm really seeing a lot of potential there. However, most are really interested in F2P mobile games (see how popular Mystic Messenger is). Also, there are so many EVNs for PC which are mainly otome (and even Russian ones which get translated in English). On the PC side, there's a lot of growing interest with how successful Cinderella Phenomenon is. I think as the fanbase matures even more, there would be more interest in the paid stuff. I mean, several kickstarters were successful and expected to deliver. The quality in general is also becoming better with more interesting plots and characters. (They even feature LGBTQ+ love interests!) Especially since otome EVNS love their strong female characters. What I'd also really love to see though is something like The House in Fata Morgana. Not otome but compelling narrative, strong visuals, and an absolutely beautiful and haunting soundtrack. I hope to see something like that as the audience grows.

Thank god I'm 18 and can buy stuff without my parents knowing.