JP3’s Top Ten Best VNs of 2017
6) Walkerman Act 1 (Scalemail)
It says something about this list where one of my most anticipated titles of 2017 ends up outside of the top five. But that doesn’t weaken my feelings for Walkerman or its potential as we get closer to the release of Act 2: Herdchaser Girl. On the surface, Walkerman is about as straightforward of a series as you can get: fighting the supernatural in a fantastical medieval setting. It isn’t until our protagonist Jorgen steps foot in his home city-state of Midgard and see how much it has changed do we really get into the meat and potatoes of this tale.
Walkerman, at its heart, is about a society on the cusp of monumental change and the remnants of the old traditions not ready to follow along. As I’ve mentioned before, in a genre known for its progressive characters, Jorgen is the most purposely regressive zealot I have ever seen. He is a LITERAL FASCIST. AND YET, because of his characterization, all of the characters and larger themes of the game stand out so much more. The girls who would otherwise be fighting over his dick (although that’s unfortunately not out of the question…we’ll see in Act 2) instead serve as foils to his views of the world and bring a new dimension to the plot that wouldn’t otherwise be there. I cannot imagine this thing without the literal fist-fights Jorgen sees Sigrid get into, or his arguments with Kaula because they give his actions both context and complex, while building tension for his eventual fights with the supernatural.
Walkerman is an incredible game: even with some post-production slip-ups during the Summer. I cannot wait to see what the next chapter and beyond brings us.
2 Comments
Almost half of those aren’t even VN… Story rich isn’t doesn’t always mean VN you know. Some of this are way closer to a point & click or just and adventure game than a VN. Though there’s still debate over what a VN really is, I don’t think A Mortician’s Tale, Herald, Detention and Old Man’s Journey are even close to being visual novels. Maybe they’re great games, but not of the VN kind.
Hello! While I understand your point-of-view, I clearly disagree with it. If your argument is simply that there is more gameplay involved with those titles in particular than just a static image and narrative, I would remind you that the following games are marketed and accepted as visual novels that feature similar gameplay elements:
– Danganronpa
– 9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors
– Hotel Dusk: Room 215
– The Silver Case
– Symphonic Rain
– Policenauts
– Sakura Wars
Now, outside of that, all I can tell you is that on this site, we have seen both Japanese and English creators evolve the formula. You may not see them as VNs and that is fair enough. However, none of them are without precedent and, if anything, should be commended for not sticking to a strict formula and giving us something still in the visual novel medium, but also uniquely their own thing.