Lemmasoft Forum Visual Novel Reviews

Yaruge Girl Triona - Synopsis

2008-02-21T19:26:00.000-08:00

Warning: This synopsis contains adult content

Story: My name is Craig Shirakawa, and I got me a Waifu. With Waifu, I can do all sorts of fun things. Life is good.

Relationship Type: BxG

Positives: Extremely customizable ‘waifu’, creative actions in the sex scenes, limited animation for some actions, highly effective use of Ren’Py functions to minimise game size.

Unusual features: Integration of plot and sex, no overall goal in the sex scenes, solo project, non-standard aspect ratio

Playtime – 40 minutes

Sexual Content: Mainly breast related, including lactation. Only the male organ (or dildo) is depicted in penetration scenes.

Yaruge Girl Triona - Review

2008-02-21T19:21:00.000-08:00

Warning: This review contains adult content

In the world of OELVN’s, Yaruge Girl Triona is only the second H-game available from the Ren’Ai Archives (although there have been several commercial English H-games released with playable demos). DaFool’s previous H-game, The Nettestadt Troll is a plot-driven game with visually depicted H-scenes only being present at the end of each path. In contrast, Yaruge Girl Triona is primarily sex driven, with the plot establishing a context for each scene. Before discussing the various innovations and unusual features of this game, I will briefly touch on the basic elements of the game. Triona herself is well drawn and coloured in all of her scenes. Notably, her breasts are much more natural and realistic in shape than those seen in most other H-games. The five original pieces composed for this game all convey a strong underlying mood, whilst not dominating over the other in-game elements. Yaruge Girl Triona uses a non-standard aspect ratio, and consequently the game might not be able to be played full-screen at some resolutions.

Triona is extensively customisable, in appearance, with two to five options being available for her skin, body type, clothes, and eyes. There is also an option to give her glasses and another which can customise her and Craig’s interests (anime, cars or religion). Many of these customisation features involve changing the shadings on one layer of an image, allowing a variant of the image to be presented without requiring the image to be redrawn.

The sexual content, if you’ll excuse the pun, is rather top heavy, with Triona’s breasts being the prominent features of each scene. They are positioned roughly at the centre of the screen, and are thus emphasised compared to the penetration scenes, where only Craig’s penis is shown. In each scene, a number of actions can be selected from a menu, including one ‘special’ for each scene. Although some actions need to be performed in a certain order to allow other actions, there is no overall goal in the sex and the scene can continue for as long as the player likes. This comes with an unfortunate downside, as it is impossible to make Triona orgasm. It should also be mentioned that all in each scene, Craig performs all of the ‘actions’, while Triona remains as a passive partner, providing supporting dialogue. When considered in this way, YGT is perhaps the most male-oriented OELVN so far.

Within each scene, one or more of the actions are animated. These are mainly used to emphasise the upper body, although a few are used purely comically, and make references or pay tribute to various influences on the game.

Quite unusually, the sexual content of the game, which sits firmly in the yaruge (‘doing it’) and fetish genres, is integrated as part of an overall plot, with each scene describing the growth of Craig and Triona’s relationship. Although many of the dialogues and discussions might have been more overtly successful in a different VN genre, they do create a context for each scene, and personalities for each character, which also emerge in the actions available during sex.

One slightly annoying downside, perhaps caused by the complexity of the coding, are the several seconds of loading time between scene changes. These recur between scene changes, and interrupt the game’s flow. However, this is a minor flaw in what is otherwise a very innovative and enjoyable game.

Overall, whether or not you will enjoy Yaruge Girl Triona depends on your own feelings towards yaruge and male-oriented ero. What it does, it does very well, but the concept may not appeal to some gamers. However, even if you feel that the genre or game design isn’t particularly to your taste, it is still worth playing to see a very effective use of Ren’Py in action.

Review by Ignosco

Idol/TYPE - Synopsis

2007-11-24T21:45:00.000-08:00

‘I am a different person when I write. More open, saying things I would never say’.

Story: You and your idol, the lesser-known supporting actress Hirae Erishima write letters to each other. At first they were just fan letters. But now, is there something more?

Relationship Type: BxG

Length: Between 15-30 minutes on the longest paths (depends on typing speed).

Positives: Very unusual and effective game-play, well written story supported with good art and music.

Unusual Features: Timer for each letter shown by the disappearing picture, the whole game is a ‘mini-game’.

Download Idol/TYPE here

Idol/TYPE - Review

2007-11-24T21:33:00.000-08:00

Warning: This review contains some spoilers.

Idol/TYPE is an amalgamation of two different ‘genres’ – the ‘typing’ game, and the epistolary novel. Based upon an earlier game (Mr. Typer) by mike.pr, the gameplay of Idol/TYPE involves typing out a number of short letters that Reijiro writes to Hirae before a time limit (indicated by disappearing pictures of Hirae). Although the time-limit requires the player to be a reasonably proficient typist, accuracy is much more important than speed, as the time penalty for errors is quite heavy. It is also easy to accidentally forget a letter or a space, and end up with a number of errors caused by being out of ‘time’ from the original.

The usual positive features of mikey’s stories are present, including his writing style built from short, emotional sentences, and a surprising and very effective plot twist. Unusually though, this twist is only hinted at in the ‘good’ ending, whilst being fully revealed in the ‘new’ ending. This story also contains the clearest examination of the ‘idol’ or ‘dreamgirl’ themes that permeate several of the other ATP games. As the characters never interact directly with each other, they only understand each other through the images they present in the letters. Consequently, the resulting dialogues perhaps do not portray the true personalities of the characters, but rather the images they aim to present to each other.

The art and music are both integrated into the game very well. The art consists of a number of CGs (no character sprites) that appear as the ‘timer’ for each letter, as well as other pictures that show up at the game over scenes or the endings. Ending 3 (arguable the ‘true’ ending of Idol/TYPE) contains most of the bonus pictures. The music for Idol/TYPE is also very effective – it has a somewhat hypnotic feel, but always remains in the background enough so as not to distract from the typing.

Sadly, there are a few potential downsides to Idol/TYPE. The primary one is the typing-speed issue described above. There has recently been a patch released, which allows for the game to be played with the timer off, although this eliminates the sense of pressure created by the time limit. Consequently, the gameplay component almost becomes redundant, and the game essentially becomes a very short VN. To quote from a PM mikey sent me:

Indeed the point was to maybe even fail once or twice, so that the player absorbs the contents of the letters more and so that there is some meaning behind them - in a normal VN, the text would be 5 minutes of reading, of course. But typing them gives more thought to the words, since typically people think or often rewrite their formulations - this was the intention.

There is no save function (although there is a continue function, which resumes from the dialogue after the last letter typed), so for the player to understand the full story, they are forced to replay the game. Personally though, I found the need to re-read (or ‘re-type’) helped me to understand the content of the earlier letters, in light of the plot twist.

Overall, Idol/TYPE is a very unusual and well made game. Although the format and concept might not appeal to everyone, the themes explored in this game are very important in most of the other ATP projects VNs as well.

Review by Ignosco

River Trap - Synopsis

2007-10-03T19:38:00.000-07:00

Short evaluation:
Story: Shigeko live with Akemi, the love of his life, and Shizuka his sister and close friend. But soon their relationships will change forever. Very original and well told story. Almost no branching until end, despite the eight possible different endings.
Presentation: Interesting scenarios. The whole game has a blue filter, something that enhances the mood of the story. Good art and presentation. Excellent music, despite being rather short.
Strongest points: Original and deep plot. Many endings. The game has many strong elements and they all combine well to form a meaningful whole.

Download River Trap here

River Trap - Review

2007-10-03T19:35:00.000-07:00

Ah, is it time for another of my long, nonsensical reviews already? Well, yes… And no… Because this review is special to me, in a certain way. River Trap is one of my favorite games ever, and my number one favorite of ATP projects. Period.
Reviewing games can be very rewarding, since it’s a privilege to share your thoughts and ideas of English VNs here, and keep them recorded in bits and pixels long after you’ve forgotten about them. But when you get to a personal favorite, there is a very difficult, and yet exciting task ahead of you. You must explain your thoughts and opinions carefully, without too much bias or personal rambling (like what I am doing right now) and your writing has to live up to the great work that inspired you to write the review in the first place. It is hard, but also incredibly rewarding. I can only hope this will actually accomplish what I meant it to be.
River Trap is a complex game, with a story that is difficult to label and a superb atmosphere that is ATP’s specialty. It is the second game of ATP projects and took more less 6 months to finish, being unsurpassed in length and production values for some time in the early Lemmasoft forums.
The story of the game initially seems to be that of a love triangle with a twist, that being the fact that two of the characters are actually brother and sister, and maybe something more… The beginning already sets the tension that will continue through the rest of the story, and leaves the player imagining what is the nature of Shizuka’s relationship with her brother, the main character Shigeko. The ambiguity of the situation remains for the first half of the game, and helps create the atmosphere. Akemi is also a very complex character, and her many sides add interest and make her more than a mere rival. In fact the plot spins almost as much around her as around any of the other characters and we learn to care for each one of them. That makes the whole situation all the more dramatic when things unfold as we expect (or fear). But in the middle there is a plot twist that gives the whole game a different meaning, relying on the player’s expectations they built from the first part and surprising them with a development that is unexpected and original, forcing you to revise the first part of the game and realize the clues and references that you missed.
AKEMI’s revelation (I spell the name in the same way as mikey did, to separate her from Akemi) also gives the game a different theme, that is too complex and deep to be properly explained, and yet links perfectly with the first theme. If the first half was about a love triangle, incest and the relationships between the characters, the second is about identity and validity of love. AKEMI is, in my personal opinion, the most complex character to ever grace and ATP game, a biased and very personal statement, but that has a very good reason to exist. AKEMI personifies the dilemma of seeing yourself without being yourself, realizing how you really are without the charitable perspective of your own eyes, and how one can change by the circumstances around them and what people believe they are. AKEMI is Akemi, and yet she is different. Her experiences changed her and now she fights against her other self for the man both love. Although the writer himself appointed his favorite character as Akemi, the true heroine of the game is AKEMI, that is certain. Maybe a tragic heroine but, nevertheless, the game would not be truly “River Trap” without her. Her ending is also quite difficult to obtain, and considering the fairly large quantity of endings (eight in total, more than any other ATP game, except for Ori, Ochi, Onoe) the odds are more in favor of an unhappy ending to AKEMI, rather than a happy one, although there is not truly happy or unhappy ending. That is another strong feature of the game, which ties with its themes and general atmosphere… In the end one must get hurt.
But if the great story carries the game, the execution is no less effective, with the blue tinge and the interesting backgrounds helping immersion in the rich mood of the game. In the “author’s notes” mikey mentioned that the game would be a lot about bridges and rivers, and there are many parallels between that choice of scenario and the plot. Rivers are strong symbols of the passage of time, the water always flowing and yet the river remaining constant and steady. Maybe it’s no coincidence that the main change of the game is caused by a river. The second visual theme, bridges, is deeply connected to the first. If rivers represent time and the inescapable changes that follow it then bridges are the ties that bind people together, especially love, and that can resist even the passage of time. The characters of the game are tied together, for good or for worse, and in the end one bridge must be severed. AKEMI, in the climax of the story, tries to kill herself by jumping from a bridge. The tragic irony of killing yourself in a place that is supposed to connect people together is perhaps a metaphor on how love, the strongest of all connections, can cause so much pain. Of course I may be reading sings where none exist. Mikey, in an answer to my review, revealed that he had no intention of drawing such parallels in the first place. I guess that if sometimes a game looses some of the author’s intentions along the way, other times it can mean more than what the creator himself thought, creating a deep, personal meaning for just the right player. The character images are thoughtfully designed, and the close-ups and different poses enhance the general effect.
The music also does its job remarkably well, even though all tracks are fairly short (the whole track doesn’t even reach 5 minutes) the emotion they convey is perfect for the game, especially the “walks” and the “think” tracks. I believe that this is the one and only project in which the musician Xenorakis worked, and he has a style that helps the mood of the game on both the thoughtful and tense situations. It is one of these occasions where it just clicks right and everything works well together, creating one unified and atmospheric game that has an original development and manages to touch and impress as few stories ever can.
As I’ve rambled on about this wonderful game, I have also realized something else: the importance of reviewing games, especially the ones you liked/preferred. It makes you analyze the components and think “Well, what made this game become what it is? Why is it so meaningful to me?” It’s a great pause to think about VNs in general and that game in particular, and makes me reflect on the separate parts that make the whole so powerful. This review also made me play River Trap again, and that just by itself was already worth it.
Now I only wish that you, patient reader that has stuck with this long, long text until the very end, have also gained as much benefit from reading my review as I have from writing it.

Review written by Mr. E, founder and sole member of the AKEMI fan-club.

Jitteh Dawn - Synopsis

2007-09-20T09:26:00.000-07:00

‘Lord Koji Ippongi’
‘Yes, Your Excellency’
‘It has come to my attention that you have married a half-demon.’

Story: You are Hogi Hasekura, an eager student who wants to find out a secret about the once-glorious Ippongi family.

Relationship type: Non-romantic

Length: 40-60 minutes (all endings)

Positives: Very intriguing mystery presented, effective use of character art.

Unusual Features: Impulsive young protagonist, very strong Japanese influence (for an OELVN), solo project.

Download Jitteh Dawn here

Jitteh Dawn - Review

2007-09-20T09:20:00.000-07:00

Warning: This review contains spoilers.

Amongst the OELVN scene, particularly in 2007, there have been a lot of solo VN’s made. One of the advantages of working by yourself, is having total control over all the creative aspects of the game, and perhaps because of this, some very distinctive and original VN’s have been released recently. One game that can be described in these terms is Jitteh Dawn, particularly because of its’ unusual and intriguing storyline.

Personally, I found the story arc where Hogi continues to pursue his research to be more interesting. There were a lot of clues given as to what the Ippongi family’s secret might be, and with careful thought the mystery could be deduced, The other arc felt a bit odd, as the reader will probably have to suspend their belief for some of the wilderness scenes, particularly as to how the characters get lost. The other story element I found problematic was having Tatsunami immediately introduce himself as a member of the Ippongi family, which felt a bit odd, given the families notoriety. On the whole though, the story presentation was well done, particularly the opening allegory, which effectively foreshadows the Ippongi family’s secret. I should also add that the Death scene(s) are rather unusual.

The other thing that really struck me about Jitteh Dawn, was the protagonist, Hogi Hasekura. Although his age is not given, his over-eager and somewhat immature personality suggests that he is quite young. When playing I found myself enjoying his personality, but at the same time often wanting to stop him from saying or doing certain tactless things. However, that does not mean that I dislike Hogi – on the contrary, having a protagonist with a strong personality really made the game come to life. Also, without a protagonist like Hogi though, it is unlikely that any of the mystery would be uncovered.

One of the more unusual features of Jitteh Dawn (in terms of OELVN’s) is its heavy use of Japanese. Although a few OELVN’s use Japanese honorifics, and several have Japanese settings (and many display at least some Japanese influence), the extensive use of Kanji on maps and the family tree As an aside, the player does not need to be able to read Japanese. At the same time though, there is probably a hidden dimension to the game – for example the various name Kanji are unlikely to be randomly chosen. In some ways, perhaps this game might have worked even better in Japanese rather than English, although the OELVN scene would be much poorer as a result.

The character art (all from the public domain) uses a combination of head graphics and sprites, with Sayaka being shown at various times as both of these, depending on the situation. There is a version with improved artwork in progress, and this paragraph will be extended once the revised game is released.

Overall, I found Jitteh Dawn to be a very unique and enjoyable experience. It’s definitely worth playing if you’re looking for a VN experience that’s different from a typical romantic game.

Review by Ignosco

Black Pencil - Synopsis

2007-09-12T22:27:00.000-07:00

Short evaluation:
Story: Kiyoshi sees a woman die in his dreams, and when he discovers that such a woman exists he tries to rescue her from this bleak fate. Excellent story, despite having only two characters. Almost no branching until the ending. Very original.
Presentation: Intresting use of scenarios for conveying an specific mood. Good art, regular presentation and no music.
Strongest points: Original plot and powerful atmosphere. An excellent example of how a good game may be done using few, but well-chosen resources.

Download Black Pencil here

Black Pencil - Review

2007-09-12T22:20:00.000-07:00

Back in the Dawn of Time, when dinosaurs walked the earth and The Ren’ai Archives were still only a distant idea rising in the horizon (i.e. January, 2004) there came to be a game called Black Pencil.
Forgive the strange words of the previous paragraph, but I thought they were necessary for a number of reasons. One of them is that it was the first game created by ATP games, which would later contribute with other 11 games in the following three years, an impressive number in the free English visual novel scenario. Other is that it was the second game to be created and posted in the Lemmasoft Forums, right before Tales of Lemma. But if you think that the game is old, and therefore bad, think again.
The game IS old. And it shows. The Ren’Py engine still hadn’t its popularity and so the game used a different engine, different controls (it’s impossible to rollback or skip) and no music. The art is also quite sketchy and has no colors, just black and white. But Black pencil somehow manages to get these things, which some would consider drawbacks, and make them part of the game. Actually they ENHANCE the experience (ok… Maybe except for the inability to skip).
But first you must understand the mood of the game. When mikey wrote the game he had one emotion in mind: Loneliness. The game focuses only on the main character, Kiyoshi, and Yuki (a name that, incidentally, means “snow”. I don’t know if that was intentional or not.) There is only one character graphic (Yuki’s) and no dialogues with any secondary characters. In the game there’s Kiyoshi and Yuki, no more no less. The sketchy art gives a somber tone to the whole story and reminds the player of the game’s title, which will only be understood in the ending. Indeed the game seems like it was entirely sketched with a black pencil, giving it a very different and meaningful atmosphere. Some of the backgrounds, especially the windshield and the fog, defy belief in sheer melancholic impact.
The story also shines as original and true to its theme, with many characteristics that would later become iconic in most ATP’s games. The introspective, somewhat passive hero, only one heroine per game, the heavy focus on atmosphere, the plot showing small and simple things in the everyday lives of the characters and of course, the twist ending. Getting the “true” ending in this game may not be so easy, but it’s worthwhile, and even the bad ending has the merit of its tragic impact. The manga version of Black Pencil in fact focuses on the bad ending, which proves its value and importance for the player. Even the good ending is not a “happily ever after”, although much more cheerful than any of the others, which just reinforces the theme of the whole game. The whole script may be a little short, but says what it needs to and works.
Black Pencil is a classic. It came from a time when creating a game was an astounding feat and resources were hard to find (both of these are still true today, but less so. Ren’Py and a strong community have done wonders for the game creators and now that the Ren’ai Archives holds 76 games creating one more doesn’t sound such a Herculean feat, although any creator will readily tell you that it’s no bed of roses either). It also hails from a simpler time, when any good graphics and music were a pleasant surprise. But now that age is gone, for better or for worse and the Lemmasoft Forum right now has more than 800 members as I write these words.
Why am I writing about the changes in the Visual Novel creating scenario, you ask? Because Black Pencil IS an iconic example of the games in that period. Some would call them bad-quality but I, unashamedly and in a completely biased way, call them unique and personal. Of course, limited resources and being old doesn’t render a game automatically good, just as being new and having professional-quality doesn't nescessarily mean game is good, but Black Pencil WAS good and still is, even today, which was the whole point of this review anyway...
Although I cannot deny I liked the old period, I don’t regret the new one. Interesting things show up every time and the quality of the average games improves more and more. Time moves things move forward, never backwards.
The king is dead, long live the king.

Review written by Mr. E, archaic teenager

The Loyal Kinsman - Synopsis

2007-09-11T20:56:00.000-07:00

Story: In the 14th century, Gunther is a page on Castle Berwartstein on the verge of becoming a squire. However, when the knight who was meant to train him dies unexpectedly, Gunther suspects murder and begins to investigate...

Relationship Type: Non-romantic (male protagonist)

Length: 30-60 minutes

Positives: Very well written and challenging detective game, strongly evocative historical setting

Unusual Features: Medieval setting, solo project, young protagonist, non-romantic

Download The Loyal Kinsman here

The Loyal Kinsman - Review

2007-09-11T20:47:00.000-07:00

The Loyal Kinsman is the fourth mystery/detective game from the OELVN community, and the inspiration from it is derived from the third of the Jane Whitman games, The Wandering Child. Many elements are found in both stories, such as a historical, non-romantic setting, a large cast of characters, and challenging gameplay.

What particularly impressed me with the Loyal Kinsman's story was the character’s personalities and the setting. The feudal society with its’ Old Testament based morality is portrayed very well – and this VN, perhaps more than any other I’ve played so far, really made me feel like I was there, despite some of rather modern idiomatic expressions in the dialogue. The characters all came from a very diverse range of classes and backgrounds, and the resulting dialogue between them accurately reflects the conventions of a medieval society.

The game’s use of actual portraits as a substitute for character sprites was an idea taken from Mokenju’s games, (which use old photographs). This approach works has several advantages, particularly as the need for a sprite artist is avoided, which allows the script-writer to create a one person project using public domain resources without reusing existing character sprites. Notably, both the Jane Whitman games and The Loyal Kinsman both have historic settings, which the portrait approach is ideally suited. The music, whilst being more in a Renaissance than Medieval style, still suits the game’s atmosphere very well.

In terms of solving this mystery, Gunther is several stages ahead of the player, as he is able to link the evidence to provide a near-complete explanation for the murder and the surrounding circumstances. In contrast, if the player takes the correct path through the game, they will be able to deduce who the murderer was and some of the surrounding circumstances, probably without being able to figure out the background surrounding it. For me, having the mystery told in this way works well, as it allows for there to be focus on both the storytelling and the mystery, as well as providing a satisfying ending when the true ending is reached and all the details of the crime are revealed.

Overall, The Loyal Kinsman combines a well developed medieval setting with an excellent mystery story, and can be highly recommended to anyone interested in detective stories or historical settings. The game’s true ending definitely leaves open the possibility of a potential sequel, and personally, I would be very interested in reading more about Gunther’s future.

Review by Ignosco

The Garden Society: Kykuit - Synopsis

2007-08-17T00:53:00.000-07:00

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.

The Garden Society: Kykuit - Review

2007-08-16T21:15:00.000-07:00

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

Time's Tear - Synopsis

2007-08-14T07:14:00.000-07:00

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.

Time's Tear - Review

2007-08-14T07:13:00.001-07:00

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

Project Nattsu - Synopsis

2007-08-10T06:34:00.000-07:00

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.

Project Nattsu - Review

2007-08-10T05:37:00.000-07:00

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

The Missing Tickets - Synopsis

2007-08-03T05:42:00.000-07:00

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.

The Missing Tickets - Review

2007-08-03T05:25:00.000-07:00

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

Winter Shard - Synopsis

2007-07-31T16:52:00.000-07:00

Short evaluation:
Story: Bleak story in a medieval fantasy setting with gothic undertones and an anti-hero as the main character. The story has a good number of branches and the choices change significantly the story and the ending you get. Strong characters and many CGs help giving this game a powerful impact. The game contains some gory descriptions, but they are fairly short and well done.
Presentation: Good art and an impressive amount of CGs. Regular presentation and good music.
Strongest points: Interesting characters and story. Your actions affect the story profoundly. Unusual setting for the story.

Download Winter Shard here.

Winter Shard - Review

2007-07-31T16:48:00.000-07:00

Warning: Spoilers below:

Well, I am quite a suspicious person to review Winter Shard, since I was one of the game’s beta testers and am very fond of bleak stories, complex anti-heroes and difficult moral dilemmas, all of which can be easily found in Winter Shard. For any regular VN players, accustomed to reading a romantic story in a familiar, modern-age scenario, Winter Shard may feel like a bucketful of freezing water. It has a dark story, which does not refrain from showing murder, war and tyranny as well as many tragic or disturbing scenes, like Rosetta and the flower that sustained her and Rosetta’s burial. The hero, while not completely unlikable, is far from the ideal hero of an average story. Although initially he may seem a cold hearted tyrant, in fact Frederone is much more complex than that, with a very basic, and human, conflict inside him: How to deal with the changes that inevitably come with time, especially the tragic death of someone we love. This is one of the main driving forces in the whole game and such a rich theme is explored by F.I.A. in a very tasteful, strong and above all dramatic manner.
The Gameplay is also a strong feature of this game, with a good amount of branching in the story, leaving you to deal with the consequences of your acts. There are endings for all tastes, from the romantic, to the evil, to something in between these two. The game must also be praised in the fact which the game doesn’t “punish” you for bad decisions ( except one single choice in the very beginning ). The player is given liberty to choose whatever path he wishes, and can be as evil, or as kind as he pleases without fearing that some higher power ( i.e. the morality of the author of the story ) will automatically punish you with death or lousy endings. One could argue that evil itself is already a just punishment for evil actions, but I’ll leave that for the philosophy conversations. The game does have a true ending, and one which I believe many agree to be the most satisfying of them all. None of the other endings are bad ( most, in fact, are fairly happy, with the exception of one sudden ending near the start of the game ) but the True ending is, by far, the most dramatic, moving and well executed of them all. While the other endings happen easily, with little or no conflict, the true ending reaches a truly epic scale in which creation and creator battle for their ideals and the story goes full circle, finishing in a bittersweet gran finale that would be difficult to surpass.
The art is fairly well-executed, with some sprites that deserve special praise like the hydra image or Rosetta’s burial CG. The quantity of event images is also good, and none of them feel wasted, each contributing to the story resulting in a unique effect. The game music can be found freely in the internet, but is still very good, and works well with the somber, moody ambience of the story. The sound effects are good, and presentation is normal.
Concluding this review, I can only say that it took courage and determination to make such a rich game, with a fair amount of violence, following almost no “standards” of the genre, with various paths and event CGs, it is a game that deserves praise and full merit for its accomplishments.
I did warn you that I was a suspicious person to write this review, remember?
Review by Mr. E

KAORI - Synopsis

2007-07-31T01:34:00.000-07:00

‘She became my dream girl. And also something I always returned to. Something inspiring.’

Story: Souji, the popular writer for an art magazine gets all his inspiration from his old flame Kaori. But articles from the mysterious Ghostwriter seem to be even more popular.

Relationship Type: BxG

Length: 40-60 minutes to complete all endings

Positives: Very well told story, large number of endings, very effective use of passwords as part of the gameplay.

Unusual Features: Minimalist approach (2.2 MB download, 7 MB installed), password required to fully complete the game.

Download K*A*O*R*I here.

KAORI - Review

2007-07-31T01:28:00.000-07:00

‘She became my dream girl. And also something I always returned to. Something inspiring.’

Warning: This review contains spoilers

K*A*O*R*I (hereafter KAORI) was one of the earliest OELVN’s, and for me it seems to be one of the most important, not just for ATP projects, but also for OELVN’s in general. Being able to tell a story in an original, effective way using minimal resources has become somewhat of a hallmark for the Lemmasoft communities VN’s, and KAORI was one of the first games to demonstrate this.

KAORI was created as a prototype for what mikey describes as ATP’s ‘simple games’. Compared to River Trap (which is still one of the most complicated and graphically intense OELVN’s), KAORI is about 1/15th its size. To reduce production time (and to keep the game small), there is only one pose per character sprite, no music and a rather low resolution background photographs. There is still a strong atmosphere created by the minimal resources used, particularly the filter of the backgrounds, which for some reason reminds me of yellowing paper.

One of the most unusual features of KAORI is the characterisation. None of the characters’ personalities are described to a significant extent, even when they engage in conversation. The characters function more as inspirations to each other rather than as people, and because of this, in some ways they become 'idols' for each other.

The other strongly innovative feature is the overall structure of KAORI, in particular the way that 5 out of the 9 of the Endings (where some or the entire Kaori/Inami story is revealed). By constructing the game in this way, the reader is forced to read most (or all) of the endings to discover reach the True Endings. KAORI’s choices are structured such that each ending can only be reached in one way, which combined with the newly added keyboard support, allows the player to easily retrace the paths to the password endings. Additionally, the decision points in KAORI are well thought out – one choice in particular seems rather ambiguous, but makes perfect sense after the whole story is revealed.

KAORI differs from most of the other ATP games, as a (slightly) greater focus is placed on the storytelling rather than the emotions attached to it. Overall, I didn’t find KAORI quite as successful as the other early ATP games – but it still integrates gameplay and story in a way that’s perfectly suited to the VN format.

Review by Ignosco

Wings - Synopsis

2007-07-18T03:04:00.000-07:00

'To be always alone, but never lonely...'

Story: A mostly emotional and psychological drama told from the point of view of two characters.

Relationship type: Friendship (BxG)

Length: Both versions are approximately 15 minutes

Positives: Honest storytelling, very effective use of artwork, extensive author’s notes, solo project, two protagonists

Unusual Features: Protagonists appear as sprites and have very strong personalities, story exists in two versions, minimal dialogue, linear visual novel.

Download Wings here.

Wings - Review

2007-07-18T02:59:00.000-07:00

'To be always alone, but never lonely...'

Wings is a rather unusual VN in several respects, as there are two versions of the story included in the one download, two protagonists and a storyline conveyed mostly through internal thoughts.

In a few places the writing doesn’t flow particularly well, feeling at times like a compressed list of facts. However, what really stands out is the overall honesty and immediacy of the story. Both protagonists convey their thoughts to the reader very frankly, without an attempt on the author’s part to express any moral judgements, leaving the ideas presented open to a personal response. What I also found interesting was the personalities of the protagonists, which are quite likely to rile the players. While their thoughts are often highly arrogant and condescending in their thoughts, it is unlikely that they will completely distance anyone. On a personal level, at times my thoughts have drifted down those lines, and I imagine that this is true for many other readers, making this a somewhat confrontational VN.

As Lordcloudx mentions in the authors notes, there is a strong influence of some of the translated doujin VN’s, particularly Narcissu and Until We Meet Again. The influence of Narcissu is particularly evident, through the tightly squeezed backgrounds and Kotori’s appearance (which resembles Setsumi’s in Narcissu).

While the other elements of the game (art, music etc) aren’t quite on the same level as the story, they are still well done and effective. The art in particular is an essential part of Wings, as there are minimal character descriptions, which I think is why the protagonist is also presented onscreen. In the ending of the revised version the use of art is highly effective too.

It’s difficult to say which version I prefer, as the primary difference between each story is the artwork, with only a few sentences of the original storyline being changed. If you enjoy the story, it’s definitely worth playing through the other version to draw comparisons between them. Additionally, Lordcloudx’s comments in the author’s notes and in the Completed Games section of the Lemmasoft forums are well worth reading. It’s also hard to say who this story might appeal to as it operates on a rather personal level. However, I think Wings is well worth downloading if you are looking for a slightly different VN experience.

Review by Ignosco

The Nettestadt Troll - Synopsis

2007-07-12T06:19:00.000-07:00

WARNING: This synopsis contains adult content.

Story: You play the role of a young woman, Katja, in the quaint hamlet of Nettestadt, in medieval Bavaria. Peace once again comes to the town after a failed uprising. But there is a new fear for the townspeople: The Nettestadt Troll. To appease this lost soul and leave the town alone, you are sent to live in an isolated cottage outside of town as the troll's concubine. The troll turns out to seem very human. As your relationship with him progresses you are granted certain freedoms. You use this opportunity to investigate to see if, indeed, the troll was someone you knew from the past.

Relationship Type: GxB

Length: 90 minutes

Positives: Solo project finished in two months, high quality in all game elements, very effective use of Ren’Py, first OELVN H-game.

Unusual Features: Minimalist approach, mystery/detective element to the game, several mini-games, character sprites only shown to the side in a ‘head-graphics’ type approach, female protagonist but at places has more of a BxG feel.

Sexual content: Some rape (not graphically depicted). Softcore H-scenes (genitalia are not shown and are described by euphemisms).

Download The Nettestadt Troll here.

The Nettestadt Troll - Review

2007-07-12T05:59:00.000-07:00

WARNING - This review contains adult content, and some spoilers.

One of the problems I’ve had with Hentai games is reconciling the sex scenes with the story. These two elements are in some ways diametrically opposed to each other, and in some of the Hentai games I’ve played, some of the scenes seem to have no direct purpose in terms of the overall plot. One way to avoid an awkward juxtaposition of is to have a plot with sex as an important element, and this is the approach that The Nettestadt Troll takes. To quote DaFool, ‘The Nettestadt Troll is a story whose primary objective is to uncover: “Just who the hell am I having sex with?” ’. The game is not remotely close to a sex-romp though (the Hentai appears only after unmasking the troll in the endings), and more time is spent on establishing the backgrounds for each character and showing the abduction by the troll, the gradual development of a relationship between them, and Katya’s attempts to discover who is behind the mask.

The Nettestadt Troll does contain some mature content. There are two visually depicted H-scenes, one on each characters path after the troll has been unmasked (only topless nudity is shown, and the genitalia are described by various euphemisms. On another note, to unlock the 4th H-CG for each character, Katja needs to have acquired the herbal aphrodisiac.) The other sexual encounters (some of which involve rape) between the Troll and Katja are not visually depicted, but are described. On the whole, all of the mature content is tastefully done – however if you feel like you will be offended by it, it’s best not to play this game.

The creator of a solo project has some advantages over a team project, the biggest of which is total control. Having the ability to write, draw, program, compose etc all the elements of your game will ensure that it remains as close as possible to your vision. The obvious downside is the vastly increased workload, but in return it is possible to strongly unify the different elements of the VN. What I found particularly effective was the combination of the backgrounds and sprites. The zoomed-in backgrounds would not work especially well with a full-body character sprite, and so a head-graphic off to the side is used instead.

Perhaps the strongest of the game’s elements are the graphics, although every part of this game is of a high quality. The headshots used for the males and females are done partially by a pallet-swapping technique, but all of the characters are strongly distinctive and attractive. However, throughout the story, no one component seems to dominate, and what comes across a lot of the time is a strong unity between all the elements. For example, the first time Katja encounters the Troll, while out searching for the key in Chapter 2, the player knows that at some point in the minigame (exploring various areas of a map), that Katja will encounter the troll - but it is unclear when it will happen. The overall feel created by the ominous music and dark backgrounds culminate in the on-screen appearance of the troll’s CG. I should note that there are also some other menu based mini-games included, which integrate well into the game, particularly where you try to unmask the Troll in Chapter 5.

One of the other big achievements of The Nettestadt Troll is its utilisation of some of the more recent Ren’Py features to keep the overall download side of the game under 7 megabytes. By splitting the large backgrounds (which generally function as the maps) into four quadrants, when Katja journeys to a particular area within the maps’ area, by zooming in to the particular quadrant, effectively, another background is created from the original. Also, some of the ‘shading’ features within Ren’Py are used to produce alternate states of backgrounds (such as the grey backgrounds for the flashbacks). This efficient, minimalist approach to game creation is well worth considering, as it saves effort on the creators’ part, and can make the game more accessible to those using dial-up connections.

The Nettestadt Troll’s development thread is very extensive and the overall approach that DaFool took during the game’s development might be worth considering. The game was scaled down several times over the course of the thread, to ensure that the VN would be completed within the self-imposed deadline (two months). This approach is the same as that taken for NaNoRenO (make a complete VN within one month), and in both cases, the time-limit and the associated pressure are important factors in ensuring the games’ completion (and generally, games that aren’t completed by the deadline are usually left unfinished). In some ways, The Nettestadt Troll is a compromise from the original premise, but what’s far more important is that it’s a complete VN.

The above paragraph is not trying to demean The Nettestadt Troll or take away from DaFool’s amazing achievement. Almost all free games to a greater or lesser extent are compromised versions of what the creator would ideally have in mind, and the final version of this VN is still of a very high quality. The script can also be opened using Ren'Py - with the programming for the minigames and the use of the zoom function being well worth examining.

Overall, The Nettestadt Troll is a well-made love/detective story, designed to appeal to both sexes. Unless you would prefer to avoid games with adult content, this VN is well worth playing.

Review by Ignosco

Elven Relations - Synopsis

2007-07-12T03:40:00.000-07:00

‘We ought to do our bit at improving human-elven relations, don’t you think?’

Story: Takuya is a swordsman in the Royal Army of the Kingdom of Reachfar, who is sent on a unique mission into the Endless Forest to establish diplomatic relations with the Elven people. Could there be love awaiting him in the depths of the Elvenglade?

Relationship Type: BxG

Length: 60-90 minutes, 3+ hours to complete every ending/get all CG’s.

Positives: Very well written story (Ren’Ai/Fantasy), vast amount of artwork, RPG minigame, extensive omake and gallery (includes character expressions and backgrounds), highly replayable.

Unusual features: Choice between RPG minigame and narrative-style combat, very long-term project completed as a result of NaNoRenO 2007.

Download Elven Relations.

Elven Relations - Review

2007-07-12T03:33:00.000-07:00

‘We ought to do our bit at improving human-elven relations, don’t you think?’

Warning: This review contains some spoilers

As mentioned in the Omake section, Elven Relations was initially begun in 2003, but ended up stalling with about 2/3rds of the script done. It ended up being completed in 2007 as an IntRenAiMo project, making it one of the few games to be successfully completed after being left on hiatus for a long time.

The overall story of Elven Relations combines a traditional Ren’Ai experience with a relatively standard fantasy world (pre-gunpowder). At times the overall storyline and plot feel a bit conflated as the scale of the mission is rather grand, and everything goes very smoothly throughout. Even so, Elven Relations is (I think) the second longest Lemmasoft forums game, behind Gakuen Redux. However the game’s focus is more on the Ren’Ai aspect, rather than the overall plotline, and as chronoluminaire mentions, the depth of the game comes from the back-story, which requires multiple playthroughs to fully discover. Tohko, Yurika and Asilana all have very well developed personalities/backgrounds etc, and while certain parts of their stories are revealed on every path

One of the best features of Elven Relations is its replayability. Although the overall plot is the same no matter which character you pursue, there are changes not just in the interactions which the character you romance, but also in some of the other conversations. I particularly enjoyed the way other characters noticed and responded to your growing romance – it really increases the realism of the game. Elven Relations will probably require multiple replays to track down the best endings (particularly the semi-hidden Ending 1) – it’s definitely worth replaying to find all of the endings as they are all well-written and each of them has at least one CG associated with it.

Almost all of the art appearing in the final version of Elven Relations was completed under NaNoRenO conditions by Sunkitten. The quality is consistently high, and the amount is staggering (15 CG’s and many characters (including costume changes) with) numerous facial expressions). More importantly, the expressions are matched very well to the character sprites, for example Yurika’s subtle expressions fit her somewhat reserved personality. The backgrounds (a few of which are hand-drawn) and music were very well chosen too - and the gameplay never feels overly repetitive due the numerous resources employed over the course of Elven Relations.

The combat minigames are at the right level of difficulty – they require a little bit of thought (particularly the Dragon combat), but they can all be beaten even if the only character you defend is your love interest. In these sequences, the combat is continuous (as opposed to turn-based), but your actions can only take place (as menu choices) in a reactionary way (you can only decide how to interact with one of the NPC’s as they are attacked). The romantic interactions between your love interest are also carried over into combat, as one way to get ‘her’ to like you more is to protect her in combat, and in return, they will defend you in some way too (for example Tohko distracts enemies from attacking you by Fireballing them)

As there are only three combat sequences in the game, it raises the question of whether they are needed in the game. Personally, I much prefer this mini-game to the story-mode overview, as the written-out comments seem a bit perfunctory. It’s good to have the flexibility to choose between them though, particularly when replaying a characters’ path to achieve the best ending.

Overall, Elven Relations is a high-quality OELVN, with an excellent mix of Ren’ai, fantasy, and some other elements (eg humour). As long as you don’t approach the game expecting a really deep and meaningful story you are likely to really enjoy this.

:)

Review by Ignosco

Pymalion - Synopsis

2007-07-04T22:54:00.000-07:00

'Are you jealous?'
'Of a character I created? No way.'

'You have power over hundreds of people. People read your stories. People send you letters, and even gifts, without even knowing you. People have their lives changed by you.'

Story: Andrew is a successful manga artist that, in a fit of disappointment over his work, creates a character just like the woman of his dreams. But characters can't come to life, can they?

Relationship Type: BxG

Length: 20 minutes

Positives: Well told thought-provoking story, very effective expressions/poses for Andrew, extensive extras.

Unusual Features: Made entirely by one person, influenced/inspired by Greek tragedy/mythology and other Western literature, protagonist’s sprite is frequently shown on-screen.

Download Pygmalion here.

Pygmalion - Review

2007-07-04T22:46:00.000-07:00

'Are you jealous?'
'Of a character I created? No way.'

'You have power over hundreds of people. People read your stories. People send you letters, and even gifts, without even knowing you. People have their lives changed by you.'

Although the Pygmalion myth has been retold many times by different authors, even showing up in another Visual Novel (as an important part of one characters’ path in a very highly regarded game), Pygmalion presents a relatively original, well told version, with a strong basis in real-life. The historical links this VN has with the myth are evinced through the inter-textual references made to other re-tellings, such as Andrew’s pseudonym being Higgins.

In some places the art is a bit rough, but it is always highly expressive. Andrew’s poses are extremely diverse and serve to express his internal emotions very well. Having the protagonist pictured on-screen as a sprite outside of CG’s is rather unusual – but it could almost be suggested that the statue and Andrew are both protagonists at these times. Besides, it’s much more interesting and effective to see Andrew, as opposed to the statue. The music is also very expressive and fits the story well – for example there are different tracks for Victoria depending on which personality you have ‘given’ her.

If you haven’t heard of the Pygmalion story before, it’s probably better to play the game before reading about it in the extras (or from any other source). For me, what was especially interesting about this retelling was the basis that it had in reality – Mr. E mentions in the extra notes about meeting someone whose had 'modelled' their personality after Sakura (from CLAMP's Sakura Card Captors). Although I’m no sociologist, for better or worse, there seems to be an increase in the number of people creating alternative personalities, or crafting themselves after existing ones. Personally, this was the most interesting aspect of Pygmalion for me – that the myth was presented in a 'real' situation.

It’s a question that’s well worth thinking about. The statue seems to point out to Andrew, and indirectly to any potential ‘creators’ the responsibilities that we have over our characters. As the old adage goes, ‘the pen is mightier than the sword’ – and clearly most people acknowledge the power the written word can have on the human mind. What sort of responsibilities do we have as creators (moral or otherwise)? For me, it’s nigh-impossible to draw a clear dividing line, and strong arguments can be put up for any position that can be taken. The aspects of the statue as Hubris and Nemesis emerge at the end of the story, to present this choice. None of the three endings are 'bad', suggesting that the author doesn't want to advocate one view over another - instead leaving them open for consideration.

Overall, like a lot of the Lemmasoft forum games, Pygmalion is not a ‘typical’ Ren’Ai story. It’s a well told, thought-provoking story, which happens to include some romance. Like most of these VN’s, as long as you don’t go into it with the wrong expectations, you won’t be disappointed.

Review by Ignosco

Secretary of Death - Synopsis

2007-07-04T01:38:00.000-07:00

‘… the meaning of life is death.’

‘Everything is simple. You are just making things complicated to give it more meaning.’

Story: Is there a meaning to everything? Can love last forever and never die? Can happiness be anything more than just temporary? Do our lives even matter at all? Well... of course not.

Relationship type: BxG

Length: 25-40 minutes

Positives: Very interesting subject, investigation of life, love and death, lots of ‘death’ jokes, very small download (2.9 Meg, about 8 Meg once installed).

Unusual Features: Relationship with a female personification of death, 1 main path with several dead (literally ;) ) ends coming from it, relatively minimalist game.

Download Secretary of Death here.

Secretary of Death - Review

2007-07-04T01:32:00.000-07:00

‘… the meaning of life is death.’

‘Everything is simple. You are just making things complicated to give it more meaning.’

Secretary of Death is not so much a game focused around a particular emotion, but is more an examination of some ideas surrounding life, death and love. The story is roughly in two parts, the first (more light-hearted part) being before the other deaths while the second more philosophical part comes after that (although mainly near the end of the game) – although clearly there is a large degree of crossover between the main theme for each part. Although there are some death jokes and many romantic scenes in the second half of the story, what stood out the most for me were the discussions between Aleksandra and Hiroaki.

While it could be suggested that these jokes are unnecessary and do not fit with the main theme of this VN, for me they really show how a relationship between Hiroaki and a death can develop. They also prepare the reader for the later discussions of death, through their light-hearted but never trivial nature. From my part, I would have preferred a few less ‘love’ scenes and some more investigation of the philosophical part of the story, as that was the more unusual and intriguing aspect of the story for me. I don’t mean to detract too much from the romantic scenes – I guess you could describe them as being funny, touching and (in a good way) full of clichés.

The real substance of Secretary of Death for me is in the second half, in particular with the philosophical discussions. I think the two quotes prefacing this review explain why certain emotions are the focus of some other ATP games. The age-old question of the meaning of life is presented by Aleksandra in a somewhat cold, impersonal and almost nihilistic – but no matter what you believe, to a certain extent it’s undeniably true. Hiroaki’s response is much more ‘human’, and I guess it reminds me [completely off topic reference] of the consideration of life as being like a bridge, with the current step on it being the only important choice. The final view presented Aleksandra and Hiroaki agree on, is that from a distance nothing matters, but to each other we matter a lot. The view arising from this (which can apply to other ATP games), is the need to matter to someone else, expressed through romantic love. (At least, this is my interpretation of Secretary of Death.)

Perhaps this view could be applied to most Visual Novel’s – by considering the nature of endings. Usually, the endings referred to as ‘best’, ‘good’ or ‘true’ often revolve around forming a successful relationship, while ‘bad’ endings generally have the protagonist remaining unattached. As such, arguably meaning can be said to arrive from ‘winning’ a game. Just a passing thought…

In some ways Secretary of Death is very much like a minimalist game, with the absence of music, the blurred backgrounds (processed photographs) and the somewhat rudimentary character art. I can’t quite remember my exact feeling when I first played this but it’s one VN’s I’ve replayed quite a few times since then - behind Gakuen Redux, this is my favourite of the ATP games. For me, I guess to a certain extent this game answered (or at least gave me a lot to ponder over) questions that I’ve been thinking about for a long time, and I think this has a lot to do with my high appraisal of Secretary of Death. So apologies if this review is somewhat biased :P.

Secretary of Death makes very effective use of the 'double vision' script, which was first used in Gakuen Redux. I think this is also the first game to use the customised slider icons in the options menu.

To paraphrase a comment mikey sent me about this game; Secretary of Death explains a lot about the other ATP games, because there is a kind of common nature present in most, if not all of them. Some of the ideas dealt with, such as loneliness, and the ‘dream-girl’ idea stem directly from the ideas expressed in this game (which I will discuss in future reviews).

While Secretary of Death (as mikey has mentioned), is not a game for everyone, if you are interested in the other ATP games or examining ideas about love and death, this VN is definitely worth playing. While there is an ‘amateurish’ feel to this game, it shouldn’t detract from the overall experience.

Review by Ignosco

Tales of Lemma - Synopsis

2007-07-04T01:31:00.000-07:00

Short evaluation:

Story: Light-hearted, funny and charming story with many choices that, while not having major influence in the story, are excellent in making the player relate with the protagonist. Some mild fan service in one path. Many choices and freedom in a fairly linear story. Gameplay includes an RPG fight in the middle, although it is not too hard.

Presentation: Good art with photos as backgrounds. Good presentation and music.

Strongest points: The games have many choices the enable the player to define the main character and empathize with him.

Download Tales of Lemma here.

Tales of Lemma - Review

2007-07-04T01:27:00.000-07:00

Tales of Lemma

Tales of Lemma was the first Lemmasoft VN, one of the pioneers in the English VN scenario and incidentally the first VN I played that was originally in English, so it’s hard to talk about it without getting slightly nostalgic but I’ll try. First, the plot is fairly simple. Those expecting a complex story with elaborate twists and deep psychological background will be disappointed. Tales of Lemma is delightfully unpretentious, hence one of its greatest charms. The story has some very funny moments and others that are just plain surreal. The unexplained mushroom attack and the squirrel rescue are strange and the fact that the characters aren’t very surprised and never question these only adds to the whole bizarreness of the situation, but it’s all for the sake of humor and entertainment, and Tales of Lemma succeeds in both.
Also of note is the choices system, which remembers the choices you made and gives further choices accordingly, an ingenious system which unfortunately wasn’t used as much as it should be. The game gave the player a “fanservice” option only if he had shown interest in that earlier in the game, which is perfect in terms of experience since you really feel in the protagonist’s shoes. If you don’t like fanservice then the character won’t look for fanservice ( yes, in one part the main character stumbles into fanservice regardless of the player’s choices, but partial control of the story doesn’t mean total control, just like in everyday life really… ) I only lament that this system wasn’t used much in any other part of the game. Giving the artsy persona a special choice would be equally rewarding and the appeal of the game would be higher, although the game maker’s workload would be increased too. All in all, the choices system is sound and only need a more broad approach.
The background photos are ok and work surprisingly well with the character art, despite the fact that Miko is not especially photorealistic. The music and sound effects do the job, no more, no less ( although the campfire sound effect deserves some special praise ) and the fact that the game has no saving system is at least eased by the fact that the game is small, taking 15-25 minutes.
Overall Tales of Lemma is a good game for those that want to relax and have fun. It is also one of the main inspirations for many amateur VN creators of the “early generation” ( i.e. Three years ago. ) and a good stop for the terminally nostalgic, a group that includes this sorry game reviewer
Review by Mr. E

Lucy's Revenge - Synopsis

2007-07-04T01:25:00.000-07:00

Synopsis:

Story: So, Eileen has been getting all the spotlight, all the fame and all the credit for Ren'Py, has she? Well, it's time to turn things around...

Relationship Type: BxG

Length: 10 minutes

Positives: Excellent art and use of Ren’Py features, very funny, full script can be viewed with Ren’Py.

Unusual Features: Completed within 1 week (!), the most ecchi game in the community at the time of its release, one of the few comedy/parody games in the Archives, (essentially) a linear Visual Novel.

Some background information: The Ren’Py demos up to the 6^th version have featured Eileen almost exclusively, as she describes introduces the viewer to Ren’Py. Lucy’s appearance in the original was only on the ‘Make a Choice’ screen in the Ren’Py demo, used to demonstrate Imagemaps. She ended up being dropped from the 5.6.3 demo.

Lucy's Revenge - Review

2007-07-04T01:23:00.000-07:00

Review:

Potential spoilers below:

(The Ren’Py demos up to the 6th version have featured Eileen almost exclusively, as she describes introduces the viewer to Ren’Py. Lucy’s appearance in the original was only on the ‘Make a Choice’ screen in the Ren’Py demo, used to demonstrate Imagemaps. She ended up being dropped from the 5.6.3 demo.)

Lucy’s Revenge is parody at its best. When I first played this, I had never seen Lucy in the Ren’Py demo, and after I’d downloaded an earlier version of Ren’Py, I was impressed by how mugenjohncel developed such an ‘interesting’ character out of the one ‘Make a Choice’ screen. Many on the jokes are tied into particular features in Ren’Py, but even without knowing about these, the humour is still apparent.

Aside from the wacky and somewhat perverse humour the other element that really stands out is the art. For a game produced in a week, there are a lot of high quality CG’s, sprites, as well as several animations. The ‘grabbing’ one in particular is very well done.

It’s definitely worth downloading if you’re interested in seeing what can be done art-wise with Ren’Py. As all of the script and images are accessible from the game directory, Lucy’s Revenge is almost like another Ren’Py tutorial, featuring several of the more advanced features in action.

Mugenjohncel’s upcoming VN, My Dear Teacher – Mr. K (there’s a demo available on the Lemmasoft forum in the Works in Progress section) will have Lucy (and maybe Eileen?) in it - so if you enjoyed Lucy’s Revenge it’s definitely a game to look forward to.

Review by Ignosco

Starlit Sky - Synopsis

2007-07-04T01:21:00.000-07:00

“… when people die they become a new star in the sky and live out a second life as that star, shining down upon their sleeping loved ones.”

Synopsis:

Relationship type: Essentially non-romantic (BxG friendship)

Length: About 60-80 minutes

Story: A story about a boy named Jack who is trying to reach the stars.

Positives: A very well told and moving story, highly effective and well utilised artwork and music, excellent ending.

Unusual features: Linear Visual Novel (no choices), two main and equally important characters whose relationship develops into a deep friendship (as opposed to romance).

Download Starlit Sky here.

Starlit Sky - Review

2007-07-04T01:19:00.000-07:00

“… when people die they become a new star in the sky and live out a second life as that star, shining down upon their sleeping loved ones.”

Spoilers Below

Starlit Sky is the story of both Jack and Marivel as they work together to fulfil a promises they have made. This is one of the first games to explore a relationship purely of deep friendship, rather than romance. It was originally conceived as a NaNoRenO game (made entirely in 1 month), but ended up being completed in May.

Describing the setting is difficult – it’s partially a combination of a (roughly) 19th century like world with a world of magic, where fairy tales can be real. Perhaps there is a degree of incongruity in this unusual setting but for me it never really detracted from the story – especially since many scenes in the story can be seen somewhat allegorically.

The protagonist is a fairly unusual age (13) for a VN – for much of the story, the slightly older Marivel is a more dominant character, due to her magical abilities and greater On the other hand, Jack is much more level-headed and in some ways wiser, enabling their characters balance very well with each other as they solve the problems they encounter together. As their friendship develops, they begin to share more of their pasts with each other, which for example reveals why Jack is always looking at the sky. Marivel’s story is only explained fully in the penultimate scene – although there are some clear hints given throughout the story as to why she forgot so much about her sister, I was very surprised upon reaching that scene. Significantly, the relationships Jack and Marivel had with their siblings, closely parallel their own friendship, except here their ages are reversed. The relationship they develop through the story seems to replace their previous friendships with their siblings.

Although Starlit Sky is mainly the story of Jack and Marivel, the secondary characters they encounter on their two side-trips are also very well developed. The theme of friendship is strongly prevalent again, as Jack and Marivel work together with Violetta, and then Kareena to solve the problems they encounter. For me, what was especially significant is that all three characters in each encounter were needed to best resolve the problem – for example without Jack, Violetta would have ended up taking the memory potion. I guess it was primarily because of the strong emphasis on friendship, that the story never felt sad for me, but instead was more of a heart-warming tale.

When I first discovered VN’s about 8 months ago, one comment I read (I think it was relating to Kana – Little Sister), emphasised that in a Visual Novel, you are playing primarily for the ending. From me, it is mainly (though not exclusively) the games with really well done endings that stay in my mind well after I’ve finished them. The ending to Starlit Sky is fairly short, but it is very moving and it really gives a sense of hope for the future, as Jack and Marivel both fulfil their promises together. Having the two stars showing at the end is a very effective artistic touch.

The character sprites in particular are utilised very effectively, with horizontal positioning and flipping used to show both the positions and emotions of the characters (ie facing away when they are angry or leaving the scene). I particularly like Violetta’s facial expressions, as they strongly enhance her personality. The music is also very well chosen – as a fairly small number of tracks are used, when certain pieces are repeated they link between sections of the story and emphasise the unified moods these sections share.

Overall, Starlit Sky is a beautifully told and moving story of friendship. As long you don’t approach the game expecting a story of romance, you are likely to enjoy this VNReview by Ignosco

Embraced by Green - Synopsis

2007-07-04T01:15:00.000-07:00

"... that weakness, it felt like death."

"And my mind, it can't paint Yumiko's picture for myself anymore."

Story: Working as researchers for the Yukiyama City institute, you and your colleague Yumiko are out in the botanical garden one morning. It's nine o'clock and everything is quiet and peaceful.

Relationship type: BxG

Length: 20-30 minutes for 1 playthrough.

Positives: Very strong atmosphere created throughout the game, highly original story, very well done good ending.

Unusual features: Completely linear gameplay (the choices do not affect the dialogue shown, only the ending), requires a different approach to most VN’s to reach the good ending and without this it could prove very frustrating. However these features are all essential parts of the overall game – even if you might prefer a different design in VN’s, it is definitely worth playing Embraced by Green.

Download Embraced by Green here.

Embraced by Green - Review

2007-07-04T01:13:00.000-07:00

"... that weakness, it felt like death."

"And my mind, it can't paint Yumiko's picture for myself anymore."
WARNING: Potential spoilers ahead

Like most ATP games, the game’s story is largely driven by one emotion – for Embraced by Green, it seems to be an aspect of loneliness, examined through the relationship between Etsuya and Yumiko. This is juxtaposed with the setting of the story; being trapped within a garden while on a scientific field trip and trying to escape from it with Yumiko – the ‘science’ side of the story. Each question asked by the game contributes a point towards one of these areas if answered correctly. The questions focus on the two themes of the game separately (both have to have enough correct answers to get the good ending), and if you get the bad ending, the game tells you on which theme(s) you have made mistakes (mikey mentioned on the Embraced by Green thread that you are allowed around 2-3 bad choices for each theme).

Normally the choices in a Ren’ai game revolve around pursuing a particular character, eg deciding who you will talk to and what you will talk to them about, and to a certain extent the player does not need to consider the personality of the protagonist, and can focus only on the ‘winnable’ character. However in Embraced by Green, the choices are almost all based on Etsuya’s inner thoughts or thoughts leading to action, and to find the good ending the choices have to be made according to Etsuya’s personality, (particularly his approach to science). This gameplay mechanic, where you have to become the protagonist to succeed is rather unique, and because the game requires this non-standard approach, it can easily become frustrating if you come into it with the wrong intentions.

There is a variable tracker integrated into the game (see the Embraced by Green thread in the Lemmasoft forums) which lets you see which choices give you points – if you get stuck trying to reach the good ending, this will help you.

The good ending is definitely worth seeing – it explains the mystery of the garden, and through that it validates the choices you have made. You also get to see the start of the relationship between Etsuya and Yumiko (there’s also an easter egg reference for one of the previous ATP games).

Aside from the storyline, the other really strong feature of the game is the overall atmosphere created. The music, the highly effective backgrounds (heavily processed photographs), the effects in Ren’Py and Yumiko’s art all combine to draw the player into the game – the feeling of being trapped in the garden.

Overall, while I prefer some of the other ATP projects VN’s above this one, this is still a very good game, and it is worth playing both for the storyline, the overall mood, and the good ending. The experience is something that would be virtually impossible to replicate in a print form and the gameplay mechanics of Embraced by Green, are completely new compared to any other Lemmasoft VN
Review by Ignosco

Moonlight Walks - Synopsis

2007-07-04T01:11:00.000-07:00

Short description:

It's the summer before you go away to college, and you're spending it visiting with your aunt and uncle on a small island in the Atlantic ocean. One night, while out taking pictures of the full moon, you meet a girl walking down the beach...

Short evaluation:

Story: Short but very well done. This story is very romantic and even melancholic, but never heavy. A good start for anyone new to the VN scenario. Average number of choices and gameplay.

Presentation: Average art, excellent presentation and use of effects. Good sound effects and music.

Strongest points: Romantic and mysterious atmosphere. Excellent ending (ending 4 to be more specific).

Download Moonlight Walks here.

Moonlight Walks - Review

2007-07-04T01:06:00.000-07:00

Originally sent in a PM to Py'Tom in Thu Jun 21, 2007 1:43 am (altered)

Just remembering Moonlight walks already brings very fond, and somewhat nostalgic feelings within me, as it was my first Ren’Py game (my first English VN being Tales of Lemma) and it was a very good beginning in my opinion.
First, the presentation: Py'Tom really used many different features of Ren’Py to enhance the game, which is appropriate since it was supposed to be a demonstration of Ren’Py, but none of the effects feels wasted or awkward. They all were really well used, and added a certain uniqueness to the game. The menu, the textbox, everything fits the wonderful, and slightly melancholic, atmosphere of the game.
Which brings me to the second point: the atmosphere. It’s simply one of the best ever in all the VNs I’ve ever read. The sound of waves fits the theme of the game. I think the sound of waves in the background actually enhances a feeling of silence in the game. Even so, when the waves stop (in the sunrise scenes) you feel the difference in the atmosphere, a certain tension that fits well with the mood of both scenes. The pan from the night sky to the moon and ocean at the introduction of the game is brilliant and the artwork, while no masterpieces, worked very well. I think the backgrounds were especially well done and the change in Mary when it’s almost sunrise is a very nice touch indeed. Artwork, music and writing: all help creating the wonderful atmosphere of the game: a feeling of loneliness and at the same time hope, with a bit of romance and tragedy for good measure. The heartbeat soundtrack at the “Together, into the light” ending works wonders, especially when it stops and there is a moment of silence… And you know the character is dead. But that brings me to one very important statement: of all the paths the best, and most cohesive one, is without a shadow of doubt the fourth one (Together, into the light) and all the other endings pale in comparison to it. But that is for topic number 3.
The story. And here comes one of my most heavy criticisms of the game: the other endings. The first two endings are basically a variation of “bang, you’re dead” endings. They were fairly ok, since they finished with tentative hooks that left the player wanting to see the real ending of the game, but they didn’t add anything to the story. Now ending three is, in my opinion, the biggest defect of the whole game (actually this is some kind of praise, since I usually find many other, much more serious, in the average game). The third ending is, at best, an interesting alternate ending, and at worst a distraction and a “mood spoiler”. Let me explain: When I first played Moonlight walks I got endings 1, 2, 3 and 4 in exactly that order. When I reached ending three the mood lightened up considerably, loosing some of its wonderful atmosphere for an “easy way out” ending and, worse of all, closed the story for me. When I reached the ending, even knowing there was still another ending to go, I said to myself “Okay, this story’s finished.” In a more-less subconscious way. I actually stopped playing to do something and decided afterwards to go back and play ending 4 from a saved game. That’s when I was blown away. That’s when the story REALLY revealed itself fully to me. I’ve just played it again before finishing this review and path 4 really carries the whole mood of the game from beginning to end without faltering one bit. It’s complete, in a sense. But I understand why Py'Tom put the choices there, and here we arrive at one of the big dilemmas in game-making: do we sacrifice the impact of the story ( both in mood and in quality ) to give the player more choices, more challenge and more freedom? Or do we concentrate only on the paths that really matter, even if that reduces us to only one path and effectively turns our game into a story, or a Kinetic story in VN language? I shall leave the question hanging in the air, shall I? Every game maker should decide the best answer for them, but I still hold the view that ending three could be cut out with little impact to the rest of the game (and the impact would be mostly positive, in MY own very biased opinion).
Well, that pretty much covers the whole game… Moonlight Walks will always hold a special place in my gallery of played games, being one of the first and one of the best. It was a big encouragement to me in both seeking the other games of the Ren’ai archives and making my own game and its author deserves congratulations for creating this wonderful game entirely by himself.

Review by Mr. E

Lemmasoft Forum Visual Novel Reviews

Yaruge Girl Triona - Synopsis

Yaruge Girl Triona - Review

Idol/TYPE - Synopsis

Idol/TYPE - Review

River Trap - Synopsis

River Trap - Review

Jitteh Dawn - Synopsis

Jitteh Dawn - Review

Black Pencil - Synopsis

Black Pencil - Review

The Loyal Kinsman - Synopsis

The Loyal Kinsman - Review

The Garden Society: Kykuit - Synopsis

The Garden Society: Kykuit - Review

Time's Tear - Synopsis

Time's Tear - Review

Project Nattsu - Synopsis

Project Nattsu - Review

The Missing Tickets - Synopsis

The Missing Tickets - Review

Winter Shard - Synopsis

Winter Shard - Review

K*A*O*R*I - Synopsis

K*A*O*R*I - Review

Wings - Synopsis

Wings - Review

The Nettestadt Troll - Synopsis

The Nettestadt Troll - Review

Elven Relations - Synopsis

Elven Relations - Review

Pymalion - Synopsis

Pygmalion - Review

Secretary of Death - Synopsis

Secretary of Death - Review

Tales of Lemma - Synopsis

Tales of Lemma - Review

Lucy's Revenge - Synopsis

Lucy's Revenge - Review

Starlit Sky - Synopsis

Starlit Sky - Review

Embraced by Green - Synopsis

Embraced by Green - Review

Moonlight Walks - Synopsis

Moonlight Walks - Review

KAORI - Synopsis

KAORI - Review