The Most Anticipated VNs of 2018
2) Love, Money, and Rock ‘n Roll (Soviet Games)
Love, Money, and Rock ‘n Roll is a game about a pretty nostalgic era in Japanese history: the 1980s. The chaos of post-occupation had ended, but as the adults began to enjoy the peace dividend it created. Because of this period of time, we saw the rise of some of the most important figures in anime and manga; as well as the evolution of both mediums. Also, the youth of the nation became disconnected leading to varying degrees of teenage rebellion. Properly capturing that era seems to be the name of the game and, at least in the demo, the developers come out strong with a version of Japan that strikes a chord of familiarity while telling a unique story. And for a game that focuses on the daily lives of teenagers, that’s saying something for me.
One other feature of note is how the developers are approaching the presentation and art direction. I have been critical in the past of Live 2D as well as animated backgrounds in the visual novel sphere because it usually lacks the necessary polish to make it work. Alice in Dissonance has been experimenting with the technology and both Side: Above and the demo for Silence the Pedant have shown strong progress. However, if the following clip is anything to go by, Soviet Games may have beaten them to mastering the tech. There will be a a lot to see in this one and I’m looking forward its full release.
