VA-11 HALL-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action by Sukeban Games had an interesting road to us. Starting with a game jam, the original had such broad approval that Sukeban invested the time and resources to make it into a full game. At its core it’s a visual novel, however its main method of storytelling and its decidedly […]
So, what is it about wish-fulfillment protagonists that rakes my crotch? I can’t say I have a problem with the overall concept. Some of my favorite characters could be considered a wish-fulfillment fantasy after all (Batman, James Bond, Sherlock Holmes, etc.). But, at least to me, it never felt like we were supposed to like […]
Thanks to the good folks at Wispfire, I will be giving away a game code for Herald over the next few days. Follow VNs Now on Twitter and RT our tweets of this review for a chance to win! (6/23/2017) I was wrong. If a critic is honest, these are the three words they have […]
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I’m okay. I’m okay. I just started thinking about what’s on the chopping block today and got a little upset. What I am about to say here, I say knowing the full implications of everything I’ve reviewed up to now: Blossoms Bloom Brightest may be one of the worst visual novels I’ve […]
I like Alice in Dissonance for the most part. Despite my well-earned reputation, I do love to see good art, ambitious use of technology and the group has consistently delivered on that end. Their artistic work alone can easily stand with other Japanese games, not just VNs, and the fact that they’re determined to improve […]
Being creative is a difficult burden to bear. Regardless of how that creativity manifests itself once a person realizes they can create something unique and interesting they’re immediately put under the watchful eye of two critical forces: the public and themselves. The public is the most innocuous as it comes at creativity from the strict […]
The Gold Standard here is written in blood. That hasn’t stopped being true for VNs Now from the moment I first uttered it. However, even my long-time readers forget the corollary to it. Exploring the more dramatic and even the more traumatic side of fiction gives your work a better chance at being good, this […]
This…this has been a long time coming. In the opening of my Impulse review last year, I specifically stated that this very title was on track to be the Worst of 2016 until the broken wreckage of that wannabe Scooby-Doo crew landed on my desk. But why? Impulse earned its criticism, yet Lucid9: Inciting Incident […]
Before we begin I want to announce I’m doing a little giveaway to celebrate this fantastic series! Sekai Project has been gracious enough to grant me an extra key and I want one of my good readers to have it! All you have to do is follow us on Twitter and retweet my original link […]
The concept of a civilization has various appearances in the pages of history, but usually follows a few noticeable guidelines. Those guidelines are how to keep its people fed, how to ensure some sense of order and on how to care for those people who, for whatever reason, cannot function in established society. That last […]