Let’s talk the thin red line between holding contempt for a character, and holding contempt for how a character is written. For the most part, it comes down to the writer themselves. A good writer knows how to build a pathological case for why a fictional character does what they do. When an audience has […]

Oh, my children; I have some good eating for you today. This is in large part to the subgenre Date or Die it has chosen to work in: the death game scenario. Beyond its current levels of market saturation, the death game scenario can vary in execution, but there are certain…let’s call them ‘structural necessities’ […]

One of the more interesting themes I’ve seen come up and used with various degrees is success in visual novels is slavery. As a student of history, it’s a subject you cannot avoid because of its prevalence. However, its portrayal isn’t already successful, at least to this one, because of the inability of writers to […]

The University setting is quickly becoming an ideal breeding ground for what I’m loosely calling the ‘Infatuation’ subgenre. We’ve seen this in a handful of EVNs starting with Winter Wolves’ Roommates and arguably Obscura’s Coming Out on Top and Love Conquers All’s Ladykiller in a Bind (still haven’t played it either, so I’m just going […]

You know what is rare for me? Getting bored playing a visual novel. I have experienced the full spectrum of emotions as a critical voice of this subgenre. From the pure awe of playing a true artistic gem like Cave Cave Deus Videt to the blinding rage that can only come from scraping the bottom […]