The Garden Society: Kykuit - Synopsis

Story: As a recent transfer student and new member of the Garden Society, will you be able to fit in? Make friends? ... Or something more?

Relationship Type: BxG

Length: 25-40 minutes for each playthrough.

Positives: Excellent artwork and writing, unusual highly atmospheric and romantic setting, one-person project completed in 1 month, challenging gameplay.

Unusual Features: Art entirely in black and white, very unique game.

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The Garden Society: Kykuit - Review

Facts may tell you, that GSK was released in March 2005. They may also tell you that it was part of some NaNoRenO. And, facts say this is a 40-minute visual novel game that's all done in black-and-white. It has 8 endings, 4 courtable characters and several alternative paths. In summary then... facts tell you nothing.

In order to know more, to really understand this game, one must travel to its past, way beyond the actual release date of March 2005. Let us go then, to the summer of 2004. At that time, a small group of people gathering around the Lemmasoft forums, dedicated to creating English ren'ai games was already starting to feel like a community of game-makers. It was roughly a year since they were formed and 2004 marked the peak of their first successful efforts to create games. The games from that time were later to be called their first generation OELVNs and they were created with various technical methods. From this point of view the numerous projects as well as the few completed games, all had one thing in common - the lack of a dedicated technical tool, an engine. Almost every project or group had to overcome this problem somehow and indeed this was the time that almost every project had to have their own programmer, their own engine. It's safe to say that this was one of the biggest hurdles of OELVN creating of that time. But necessity and enthusiasm meant that very soon the idea of a dedicated VN engine, designed specifically for the OELVN creators was formed.

Since the famed long-running Sourceforge Dating Sim Engine project never really took off and therefore couldn't really be used, by the summer of 2004, American Bishoujo has created a fresh new engine from scratch - called Ren'Py. Its simplicity and effectivity was revolutionary - an easy scripting language meant that the creators were typing right into the code, with simple commands to show backgrounds and characters, with the option of branching and multiple paths - and a menu and save system was already present. It all took away a lion's share of work from the creators, and while in its early stages the Ren'Py functionality was basic, it was all people could ever ask for.

The community felt strengthened and new possibilities opened up almost immediately. The story of Ren'Py started here, and a few months later it opened the floodgates for wave after wave of new games. The engine would go on and continue improving at breakneck pace, gaining more and more popularity, and, in a recent episode, decimate a rival engine effort, even though it was backed by a commercial entity. But the story of Ren'Py is perhaps for a different article. We are still way back from that time - in fact we are still in the year 2004, which was nearing its end. With Ren'Py born, the community formed two new ideas, related to its growing self-awareness. The first one was the Ren'Ai Archives, a site that would serve as a repository for all the community's and other people's creations, so that no OELVN and ren'ai game would ever disappear. It helped hosting the games and ensured equal treatment for all - projects were added regardless of art quality, story rating or other rather personal opinions. It also underlined the concept of that a finished game, however small, was being valued more than a grand but unfinished project. The RAA only accepted - and to this date still only accepts - complete works.

But there was another idea that was formed as 2005 was approaching, this time something that was geared specifically towards game-making. Much like the challenge NaNoWriMo, which sees its participants try to write a sizeable short novel in a month, the community's equivalent NaNoRenO would put the makers before a challenge of trying to make a complete ren'ai game... within a month. The emphasis was on complete - and by limiting the time to one month, it was also assured that people don't take too much work upon themselves - a frequent problem with game projects. The idea was to plan from the outset, to make a small game. There were still too few games that were being completed, and this one month should help in achieving people's first projects, or simply offer a challenge to those who already completed some.

There is a lot more to be said about NaNoRenO than just that, though. Its rules aren't competition, they are cooperation and support. There is no winner, no pressure to be better than the others. Arguably the most important thing about NaNoRenO is the sense of not being alone - all others have the same problem, the same goal. NaNoRenO provided the necessary motivation, the jump start that many people needed and over the years it has proven itself to be a very helpful concept that's now a part of the community. It's not surprising that NaNoRenO was indeed a tremendous success for a community as small as the Lemmasoft game-makers. Together with three Ren'Py releases even before its start, NaNoRenO and Ren'Py were responsible for a whole new wave of games - in the history books (if the OELVN community will ever have any), these will be later called the second generation.

And GSK is one of them. A NaNoRenO game, a second generation OELVN. It was done within the one month framework and released one day before the first ever NaNoRenO ended. And although all NaNoRenO games have had this special aura inside them, with GSK, Ren'Ai Games, the maker - have achieved something extraordinary. GSK is a not only a game that embodies everything that NaNoRenO stands for, it's also a consequence of Ren'Py, and it contains the very spirit of the times it was created. You see, every beginning is romantic, and GSK is from the time that is usually the most romantic of them all. It's a time that follows the very early tries and successes, a time when one already knows enough to make visions into reality, but at the same time is still not skilled enough to not need to use all available resources and invention to make up for that lack of skill or resource. GSK is such a special game, because its era, the times of dreams and possibilietes radiates from it.

I remember playing it for the first time - that piano music and the panning picture and a custom font, I was amazed how that was done - special effects like these weren't everyday at those times. It wasn't spectacular though - what struck me most was that it was subtle. It was inspiring, it was atmospheric and it was new.

It was the introduction to the most beautiful English ren'ai game ever made.

As a player in those times, you could feel from NaNoRenO, from Ren'Py and most of all from the game itself, that something was going on, that good games were being made and it was simply awe-inspiring when one realized just how much was possible. Now, we had the tools, the skill and the self-respect to create what we always wanted to create. It was this time that the community was perhaps most thrilled, excited and enthusiastic about ren'ai games. And it's this game where all of this is preserved - even when I set out to write this review and installed the game, it has lost none of its impact. It could move one to tears.

With such praising words for a game, one would imagine that it would have a gripping and well thought-out story. But - and those that were expecting a review, please forgive me for taking so long to get to it - it doesn't. In Kykuit, it's not important how things end. And I'd even go so far as to say it doesn't matter. The real beauty and soul of the game is in the playing itself. In talking with the people, in growing to like them, in getting absorbed by the atmosphere of it all. It is black-and-white, but you can clearly see the green and colors of the summer gardens, you can feel the heat and haze of the sun and the air, and you could just bask in all of them forever.

And it's not just the surroundings, the atmosphere of a school trip with holidays in the air and the art around you that warms your heart - it's the characters as well. If there was ever a perfect way to make drawn characters fit with photographs, this is how it would be. The symbiosis of the abstract (manga characters) and the real (surroundings, summer atmosphere) is so natural, there would just be no other way of creating it. Colors would break consistency, drawn backgrounds would lose atmosphere and more music would stand out. Some believe flawlessness defines the term, but in fact it's the inability to make something better - The Garden Society: Kykuit indeed is... perfect.

It's difficult to explain fully what the characters, its most memorable part, do for the game. You really need to see them, how they are drawn - each line drawn with love, even mistakes contributing to their personalities. You realize by playing this, just how different they feel to other manga drawings. They are original, have their own style and soul. They epitomize what OEL ren'ai games are. They were inspired by Japanese works, but they have their own ways, their own character. And most importantly, you can find in them what Japanese games can never give you. Something familiar but still special, something that has a heart which you can undertand and appreciate. Something... unique.

Just look at all of them again - and start with the girls. These are no dating sim archetypes with stock personalities. And neither are they drawn with all the sexy stereotypes. They have summer attires, short skirts even - yet none of them feels cheap, or provocative. Instead, they feel sophisticated, and very feminine - none of them shows off, none has the need to grab attention - their clothes are as simple as they are elegant and they just need to appear and smile to completely enchant you. Maybe you'll notice all the small details on their clothing, their hair and accessories, how they are all so subtle and discreet that all of the sudden the obsessive in-your-face designs from the bulk of Japanese games feel so obvious, much too flashy, two-dimensional, too pronouced and in general... completely wrong.

Even when you read this visual novel, it all fits so perfectly. While the story that revolves around a school trip to the art gardens and conversations with your friends slowly goes on, you'll notice that it's a joy to read - the style is balanced, it's never dramatic, always sophisticated yet not wordy, calmingly simple but never flat. The romance is just the same - metaphorically, rather than being the love of your live, Kykuit is the girl that you notice every other day in the subway and somehow it just makes your day a bit brighter. Like the characters, like the atmosphere, the romance has a melancholic flow and soft presence, soothing your soul.

It is still a proper game, though. There are three main girls that the player can become closer friends with, and one, the teacher, which is a little more difficult to get closer to. Throughout the game, your decisions about friendship, personality and art will determine which girl will like you most. The girls have their personalities and to be honest, it never feels anything like the usual girl-getting scheme. On the contrary. In this game you seem to find out what girl you have the most common with. The usual formula of trying to find your bishoujo archetype and then playing the game to get her does not apply. Even I, with my weakness for teachers didn't feel disappointed when my first playthrough did not get me close to her. It was just... alright. None of the "getting" pressure that stereotype-character-driven stories often have.

Backgrounds are livened up by people, the game's music plays to evoke the right mood and even the troubles that the protagonist, Arthur, will recall, they seem to go away in the garden parks.

And you feel sad, no matter how good the outcome of the game, when that final background comes up and you know that very soon the bus will take you home. It's one of those times when you wish you could go back and remember the whole day again. How it began, how your teacher explained to you about art, and how later on you had your free time in the garden. Even now, that beginning where you meet all the people you'll spend the day with is carved into my memory, because I've fallen in love with this game at the very fist sight. And then... you do it. Start the game again. And again. You tell yourself you play to get endings with the other girls, but you're simply feeling at home. For me, it was also the rare, or maybe even the only occasion where I really wished that *I* was there. Even though, technically, I was**. And I couldn't be more honored.

** Vivian Muse always has a group of fans following her. And on the very left, there is a boy with a black pencil on his t-shirt.

The Garden Society: Kykuit was never a game that revolutionized. While having subtle features and attention to detail, it wasn't ground-breaking or trend-setting. There is no feature that it could call its party-piece and there seems to be no effort to push the boundaries. And as more and more games are coming out, its black and white screenshot is often not enough to attract players. But this game was never destined to be popular. And about half a year after its release, it showed. And the times for OELVNs began to change yet again.

It was the August of 2005 and as many others, the community of OELVN makers was hit by the release of the English localization of the Japanese doujin visual novel Narcissu, a tragic and thoughtful story in the typical Japanese fashion. Many say it has brought a lot of good and a lot of respect for visual novels - contributing to freeing them from the hentai game stereotype at least somewhat. Many also say it has inspired the OELVN community. But among all the positives, many overlook, that for the OELVN makers, there was also something else that Narcissu has brought to them. It was competition.

Narcissu had started a new era in the history of the fan translation community. Shortly after its release the translation group insani went on and completely changed the face of visual novel fan translations. It brought respect and dignity to the world of translating, treating it like a craft. It started a new initiative, a translation festival al|together, that in the span of one month was the equivalent of NaNoRenO for the fan translators. Numerous releases started to appear, most of them from doujin makers, most of them free of charge. This was the first time that OELVN creators could see and experience the works of their counterparts from Japan. Just as themselves, the doujin makers were often small groups of few people, with limited resources, doing what they could with the tools at hand.

Narcissu's popularity shadow however did not leave the fandom. And all that was left for the OELVN community was to study and wonder how an on-purpose budget-like production gained popularity, how games that didn't have significantly better or more assets have attained respect and recognition that was unheard in the realms of OELVN making. While all of this is again, probably material for a different article - the outcome is not. It was after all this has happened, in late 2005 and in the following year that the first serious attempts for popularity from the OELVN makers have started. And to this day, this silent race for recognition and popularity continues, and in many cases it isn't silent anymore.

Of course, it's not like the OELVN has betrayed its own values. It has evolved and went on to create really great games that the community itself and many others still enjoy with the same enthusiasm as before. And it's one of the very few communities that still have to exhibit non-friendliness and un-supportiveness. It's always the spirit that's at the heart of things and even though there are more people and more opinions, the spirit is, I believe, still the same.

However, ever so often, especially when motivation is scarce, people will want to go back to the roots. To find something unique, something that feels special and cannot be found anywhere else, something which in turn inspires them and gives their work a meaning. If OELVN works would just mimic Japanese doujin or engage in pointless popularity races, surely, there would be no soul to be found underneath the fandom's releases. A maker searching for the heart of OELVN would only find hollow imitations, and visions of fame that can never inspire.

But, this is not the case with OELVNs. And it takes just one playthrough of garden Society: Kykuit to realize just how unique OELVN works are. GSK symbolizes the first and most basic idea on which the whole fandom was created - creating your OWN visual novel. Making it just the way you always wanted it, having it respect your background, having it more accessible to your friends, while keeping the spirit of the Japanese works that were the inspiration. And since the fandom started from absolute nothing, it's also about remembering that the mere completion of your game is enough of a reward, and how every single comment from players feels special.

The Garden Society: Kykuit is a game that can never have a Japanese doujin equivalent. It's a game that only the OELVN fandom can produce, it's a game that takes you back to the creative roots of the community and it's a game that carries the heart and spirit of the first of the English ren'ai games.

And there isn't anything more that one could possibly want.

Review by mikey

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Time's Tear - Synopsis

Story: Kazuhiko and his brother Hideo are orphans living under the supervision of their caretaker. Then, one night, Kazuhiko has a dream. Will it help him pass a test in school?

Relationship Type: BxG

Length: 1-2 hours

Positives: Very well told unusual story, outstanding music, vast amount of artwork which is stylistically ideal for this sort of game, several unexpected plot twists, adventure-style mini-games.

Unusual Features: Young protagonist, user-friendly and children-friendly game, quasi-linear VN.

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Time's Tear - Review

Warning: Some spoilers below

Ostensibly, the Visual Novel genre at present is a rather adult form. A majority of VN’s deal with romantic (or perhaps not so romantic) relationships, and a majority of these games contain adult content. Although, arguably the VN is in some ways like an interactive children’s picture book, at present there are very few VN’s which focus on a younger audience (Hikari no Ribbon, in the Ren’Ai Archives is one of the exceptions). Although many of the games in the Ren’Ai Archives for example have an all-ages rating, this more relates to the lack of any potentially objectionable content, rather than implying that the story might appeal to pre-teen children. Generally, these games also have teenage or adult protagonists too, which might also make the games difficult to relate to.

Time’s Tear is a game that goes outside many of the standard conventions – the protagonist Kazuhiko is 10 years old, and the story in some places (though not always) feels like it is being told from a child’s perspective. As well as this, the romantic elements, whilst not insignificant are fairly downplayed compared to some of the story’s other themes. In many ways it feels like Time’s Tear has been designed to appeal to a younger audience. Whilst there is a lot of reading involved in many places it plays more like an adventure game. Probably for Time’s Tear to be successful with a younger audience, it would have to be approached as a computer game, rather than a 20000+ word interactive book.

One of the most innovative components of Time’s Tear are the mini-games. For me, they reminded me a lot of some of the adventure games from the early 90’s (choosing the right object or combination of objects to perform a task). All of them are well integrated into the story, and in some ways act as a substitute for a branching storyline. The mini-games will vary greatly in difficulty from player to player – but the game gives unlimited retries (and a hint when you don’t succeed). In this respect, the game is much more forgiving than most VN’s difficulty-wise, making it ideal for a younger audience.

Like most other ATP games, there are some subtle clues in the story that suggest what will happen in the ending. The ending manages to tie together almost all of the story’s elements, and was completely unexpected for me. What impressed me most was seeing the complete Time’s Tear poem on-screen after finishing the game – it really made the ending feel complete by having the game come full circle.

The main reason for this game’s success is probably Lordcloudx’s artwork. As Mikey mentions, the ability to draw anime-style children purely as children (without any of the common extraneous connotations), is rare among artists. His art fits perfectly with the game, and really captures the personality of each character. The amount of artwork for Time’s Tear is vast (58 images in the CG gallery for example) and processed background photographs - in the extras section, there is the expected CG gallery, but also a CYOI (choose your own image), where you can superimpose your favourite character sprite over any of the game’s backgrounds. I’ve never come across a CYOI gallery in a VN before, and it’s a very nice addition to the game. Because of the large number of resources used, the download is unfortunately very large for users who are on dial-up connections.

As with O3 (and a few other games), Renesis’s trance/ostinato driven music is outstanding, and is at least the equal of the music from an average commercial VN. The soundtrack (which comes with a printable CD cover) can be listened to in ogg format.

Despite Time’s Tear being a children’s adventure (and to some extent an adventure for children), there is just as much content in the game for older gamers (besides possible nostalgic feelings it may induce). It’s one a few VN’s that almost anyone is likely to enjoy.

Review by Ignosco

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Project Nattsu - Synopsis

Story: The protagonist is a young man, Shoichiro Yoshizumi, whose grandfather has a job as a summer remedial instruction teacher. However, his gramps' has to have a surgery, so Shoichiro will be a substitute teacher for a while... And then he discovers that he's going to teach three girls, not very far from his own age!

Relationship Type: BxG

Length: 20-25 minutes for one path, about 1 hour for all endings.

Positives: High quality ‘traditional’ Ren’Ai game, numerous well integrated choices, game has fairly universal appeal, informative Omake section.

Unusual Features: Ending 5

Download Project Nattsu here.

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Project Nattsu - Review

Warning: This review contains some spoilers

While it’s difficult to describe a game as being traditionally representative of its genre, Project Nattsu contains some stereotypical features, for example a quasi school-based setting in Japan (a few Japanese words are used too), with a ‘harem’ of females around a male teacher. There are a few more unusual features too, for example Anna’s best ending being non-romantic, and of course Ending 5. On the whole, the game doesn’t stray too far outside the standard ‘conventions’ of Ren’ai VN’s though.

Hime’s thoughts about each character are explained in the Omake section. To a certain extent the characters are typical stereotypes, which work well for a game of this length and genre. That is not to suggest that the characters are dull – on the contrary, these archetypes are used to create three completely different, yet likeable characters. The protagonist, Shoichiro is much more generic, which as explained in the Omake section is almost a necessity for this sort of game.

The overall gameplay is excellent, with well thought out choices than in some cases are not immediately obvious. Getting to each girl’s good ending requires a little thought, and the true ending (where you have to act in a way most in character with Shoichiro) can be challenging to get. [Whilst on the topic of endings, Ending 5 is one of the most amusing scenes I’ve come across in a VN.] Although the game only takes place over four days (with only the first three having any choices), there are a relatively large number of choices, which are all well-integrated into the storyline. Importantly, every choice increases/decreases the value of at least one variable, so that none of the choices are meaningless. I feel that this approach is by far the best for a game with a linear storyline – as only the ending, and small sections of text will differ on each playthrough, it makes sense to always let the player influence the ending they will receive.

Overall, Project Nattsu is the sort of VN that is likely to appeal to most Ren’Ai gamers. The gameplay/choices are at a good average level of difficulty, and are combined with likeable characters, and good CG’s and music. Whilst the story isn’t overly ambitious or deep, it always reads well, and along with the other elements creates an enjoyable ambience. I highly recommend Project Nattsu to anyone looking for a light-hearted, ‘traditional’ Ren’ai game.

Review by Ignosco

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The Missing Tickets - Synopsis

Story: Jasper invites Augustus to a baseball game with her, only to find out that her season tickets have gone missing.

Relationship Type: Non-romantic (play as Male and Female characters)

Length: Each part of the game (main game and extra stories) is about 10-25 minutes.

Positives: Very well designed game, light-hearted and fun to play, one-person project.

Unusual Features: The main game functions like a large-scale minigame, as do the extra stories.

Download The Missing Tickets here.

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The Missing Tickets - Review

Warning: This review may contain some spoilers.

Unlike the other mystery/detective games from the Lemmasoft forums, The Missing Tickets is a light-hearted investigation of a ticket theft, rather than a murder. This is in no way a serious game, as can be seen when the motives of the culprit are revealed, and when playing I really got sucked into The Missing Tickets’ infectious sense of fun. Whilst the story in places is a bit short, this is made up for by the enjoyable and effective way in which it is told.

The characters are mostly based on real life stuffed animals, and this comes through in some of the designs (and I imagine partly in their personalities as well). All of the character sprites are coloured very brightly, which lets them stand out well from the darker backgrounds. Although the character sprites and their personalities aren’t overly refined, this approach works very well in a VN like this.

What struck me most while playing was the overall layout of The Missing Tickets. From the non-static main menu (which doubles as an introduction) to the information sheets on each character, everything is very well designed. The information sheets in particular might be worth including in future mystery games, to reduce the amount of note-taking that a player needs to do.

Whilst playing the game, certain choices will unlock one of the four bonus stories (minigames). Three of the extra games are very short, but Midnight’s extra story (a dating sim type game without the dating) is more substantial and fairly challenging, with multiple endings and three different statistics to juggle.

Overall, The Missing Tickets combines a fun experience with some very effective design features (which are worth looking at for any potential game creators). If you’re looking for an enjoyable way to spend 20-30 minutes, then The Missing Tickets is well worth downloading.

Review by Ignosco

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