Not long along, its was rather difficult for Westerners to play a localized visual novel. As former Nippon Ichi Software president (and now CEO of Idea Factory International) Haru Akenaga once explained, Sony Computer Entertainment ...
Read More »Nekopara Vol. 2 review
What is the concept? 2014’s Nekopara Vol. 1 introduced readers to Kashou Minaduki, an aspiring chef born into a long line of confectioners. Hoping to cultivate his own brand of success, he moves out of ...
Read More »Deathsmiles (PC) review
While new STG coin-ops might be distressingly rare, PC owners are experiencing a bullet-hell renaissance. At least some credit for this resurgence should be given to Tokyo-based Degica- who have published a succession of top-notch ...
Read More »Lucy -The Eternity She Wished For- review
Ruminations on robotics are hardly new. In 1939, Isaac Asimov began writing about the Positronic Brain, a reoccurring narrative device which endowed machines with human-like sentience. 1968’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? was another ...
Read More »Hero Defense – Haunted Island Preview
In tower defense games, survival hinges on the ability to adapt to a tenacious threat. Defeat is an inevitability that can only be deferred. In some ways, the genre faces a similar predicament, with stagnancy ...
Read More »Rabi-Ribi review
What is the concept? For those bored by the melodrama faced by Castlevania’s dour Belmont clan, Rabi-Ribi offers a refreshingly cheery alternative. In this PC release, players assume the role of Erina, who was once ...
Read More »No One But You review
2015 was the year the visual novel reached a tipping point in the West. Thanks to the efforts of publishers like Aksys Games, Idea Factory International, MangaGamer, and Sekai Project, the medium has finally fostered ...
Read More »Swords and Sorcery – Underworld Definitive Edition
Being an indie developer often means working with a skeleton crew under a tight, sometimes non-existent budget. Of course, this results in small versatile teams capable of rapidly adapting to any challenge that comes their ...
Read More »Shooting Stars review
Shooting Stars makes me feel like a 90 year-old who has ventured onto the internet for the first time. The game’s pixelated visuals do a convincing job of mimicking the decline of visual acuity. The ...
Read More »Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak review
For years the Homeworld franchise laid dormant, its engaging gameplay, beautifully immersive visuals and intriguing lore abandoned after just two games and one spin-off. For nearly a decade diehard fans clung to hope that a ...
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