Visual Novel News:
Various Halloween sales are taking place on Steam, JAST USA, MangaGamer and other storefronts. Looking for something to fit the spooky season? NookGaming has highlighted some visual novels, many of which are currently on sale.
You can find more visual novels on sale here
Frontwing USA have now released GINKA via Steam. This visual novel is by a team that includes Asta Konno and Yusano, the duo behind “ATRI -My Dear Moments-“. You can watch the concept trailer to see more.
Five years ago, Aoba Ryusei’s childhood friend, Shinomiya Ginka, disappeared without a trace on the night of the summer festival. The superstitious islanders believed this to be an act of God, saying that she was “spirited away.” Now in high school, Ryusei decides to visit the island over summer break. He needs to know: Did Ginka ever come back? Could she be living a normal high school life? Sadly, his faint hopes are crushed when he learns that Ginka was never seen again after that night. He dejectedly prepares to depart, but then he meets a young girl who looks exactly like his missing childhood friend? Ginka. “Welcome back, Ryusei.” The girl doesn’t know her own name. All she knows is that she loves Ryusei. Where has she been? Why hasn’t she aged? Finally reunited with his long lost friend, Ryusei vows to have the best summer vacation ever on the tranquil little island of his childhood.
Entergram have released Aquarium, the visual novel starring Minato Aqua from Hololive. While Aqua is the main heroine, fellow Hololive streamers are included, with Honshou Marine playing a senior maid and Shirakami Fubuki playing the master’s sister. The Steam version includes an extra story based on Twitter submissions and is the only version including English support.
This is the summer story of Aqua – a beginning maid carrying a secret – and her master (the player) who lost part of his memory. The young Master, heir to the Francois family, has the same nightmare every night. In it, he meets a girl, but they always end up quarreling and parting ways with the words “I hate you” ringing in his ears. But just who is this girl…? One summer’s day, the young Master’s elder sister tells him that in order to prepare for succeeding to the Francois family estate, he is to practice his leadership abilities. To do that, his sister wishes for him to take a new maid under his wing so that he can guide and help her grow. “I am the new maid, Aqua. From today, I will be responsible for your well-being, Master.”
The crowdfunding project for Kimi Ga Nozumu Eien’s rerelease (also known as Rumbling Hearts) has now launched, with an initial surge of funding, reaching 30% of the 30,000,000 Yen goal within 30 minutes. This rerelease will be based on the Kimi ga Nozomu Eien ~Latest Edition~ version, with an updated user interface and English support in a later update. The price for a digital copy is listed as 4400 Yen (approx $29 USD), but we have found that an additional ‘system usage fee’ of 946 Yen was also charged.
This is advertised as an all-ages version, with no announcement has been made regarding an adult patch yet. There has been some community speculation that they may be unable to mention it, based on this recent post by Bamboo of Overdrive. It has also been stated that the Hotaru/Slave ending will not be included in the Steam version, with staff on the Discord following the linked post saying “This time, there is no support for the HOTARU route for English translation because it falls under the domestic STEAM standard”. Update: It was clarified that the Japanese version will include the Hotaru route for the downloadable version, to be available post-release. It will be included on the Japanese-only DVD version.
Find the Crowdfunding Page Here
Developer sprite have announced that everlasting flowers will be released on Steam due to survey feedback, in addition to the original plans for Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4. More information is planned to be released in mid-November, 2023. Traditional Chinese will also be added as a language option in addition to Japanese, English, and simplified Chinese.
sprite are known for their work on Aokana – Four Rhythms Across the Blue and Love, Elections & Chocolate (Koi to Senkyo to Chocolate) which have been localized or are in the process of release by NekoNyan. Frontwing are listed as translating this title into English and Chinese.
Unfortunately, UsoNatsu ~The Summer Romance Bloomed From A Lie~ has been delayed due to a delay in the Valve review process. This is an all-ages yuri romance, published by Sekai Project. Our initial impressions were positive and a demo is available for those interested in trying it themselves.
This is a story about finding love to overwrite the feelings for the one they held dearest. A girls love visual novel about summer, love and adolescence
Studio Elan and Salty Salty Studios have launched Twofold, an LGBT+ romance visual novel that follows a nonbinary college student stuck in the middle of a feud between 2 former friends. It includes full English voice acting and 150k+ words over both routes. A demo is available.
Olive’s situation is dire. They’re on the verge of being thrown out of college unless they can salvage their GPA, and their only chance rests on classes they know next to nothing about. Their lifeline: two club leaders who are more than willing to help them succeed. However, no solution is that easy. Olive soon finds themself in the middle of a conflict between these two friends that threatens to undo their long-standing love for each other. Twofold is a story about love, family, and connection. It celebrates family of all kinds, and explores the strength (and fragility) of bonds between people.
More Visual Novel News
- A Kickstarter has been launched for House of Chavez
- Hana Awase New Moon has been released on Nintendo Switch
- Hatsumira -from the future undying- is coming to Nintendo Switch in 2024 with English language support
- The store page for Irotoridori No Sekai – The Colorful World has been released. No release date is yet available
A gamer since the days of Amstrad and DOS and someone who has dabbled in a variety of professions. He enjoys a wide variety of genres, but has been focusing on visual novels and virtual reality in recent years. Head Editor of NookGaming. Follow him and the website on @NookSite.
