Idol/TYPE - Synopsis

‘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

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Idol/TYPE - Review

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

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The Garden Society: Kykuit - Synopsis

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

Relationship Type: BxG

Length: 25-40 minutes for each playthrough.

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

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

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The Garden Society: Kykuit - Review

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Review by mikey

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Wings - Synopsis

'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.

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Wings - Review

'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

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Moonlight Walks - Synopsis

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.

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Moonlight Walks - Review

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

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