News
Visual novel fans who have been eagerly awaiting the latest release from Lupiesoft, The Stargazers, will be happy to hear that it is out now on Steam, MangaGamer and itch.io. The game, which is inspired by pulp sci-fi, follows the adventures of three pilots who are part of the Allied Defense Force Signals. These girls are tasked with venturing deep into uncharted space and then explore the hell out of it
PC Game Reviews
The setting and characters are all good, but nothing ever happens to really make you care about either. The game does feature a free patch to add back all the censored content, so anyone looking for a nukige title will probably enjoy Sakura Nova. Unfortunately, those looking for a memorable story or plan on playing without the patch are likely to be disappointed.
Gameplay: There are choices to be made and three different endings, but the story is a bit lacking.
Graphics: Like other titles in the Sakura series the visuals are beautiful, but static.
Sound: Not much to say about the music, but the voice acting is pretty good
PC Game Reviews
Not everyone enjoys navigating a hail of bullets with pinpoint precision while retaliating with excessive firepower, but if bullet hell shooters are your thing then you can’t go wrong with DoDonPachi Resurrection. The story will probably be lost on most players and the game can be very daunting at first, but it packs a wealth of modes and options. The action is relentless and chasing highscores is undeniably addictive. This Steam version does suffer from a couple of minor issues, but overall it is a great example of the genre and one that all shooter fans will want to add to their collection.
Gameplay: The action is relentless, but very addictive.
Graphics: Good, but the playing area is rather small and mostly filled with bullets.
Sound: The soundtrack is fast paced and upbeat while the sound effects deserves to be cranked up high
News
Good news for fans of Princess Maker 2 Refine, the life simulation game recently released on Steam by Korean company, CFK. Following the positive reception of the game, CFK has now also made the Princess Maker 2 Refine original soundtrack available on Valve’s digital distribution platform
PC Game Reviews
It has been quite a long wait, but Princess Maker 2 Refine is finally available to western audiences. There is no denying that it is a very niche title and still has a couple of rough edges to smooth out, but it is still a very addictive title with plenty of replay value. Prepare to lose at least a couple of hours when you get hooked on this game.
Gameplay: Very stat heavy, but once you get the hang of how things work it becomes extremely addictive.
Graphics: The visuals have been spruced up, but still look a little dated compared to more modern titles.
Sound: Nice tunes and full Japanese voice overs
PC Game Reviews
Nurse Love Addiction might look like a typical yuri visual novel at first glance, but it actually has a lot more to offer. The story starts off very light, but depending on the choices you make and route you take it can become quite dark. It is also one of those games where it is better to experience the plot twists and turns for yourself instead of having them spoiled for you, so play the game and find out what all the fuss is about.
Gameplay: Features a branching storyline with plenty of different endings to reach.
Graphics: No animation and limited locations, but the art style is very good.
Sound: Full voice acting and a great soundtrack
PC Game Reviews
Step into the shoes of a gravure photographer and help the adorable model Sonico to kick-start her career. Sonicomi is more than just a typical visual novel as it also places a camera in your hands and requires you to take photos of Sonico according to the briefs of clients. Thanks to 18 different endings, interesting characters and a multitude of clothing options for the shoots the game has more than enough replay value to keep players busy for ages.
Gameplay: An interesting mix of visual novel and 3D photography scenes.
Graphics: Sonico is the only 3D model in the game, but she looks great and has plenty of charm.
Sound: Good music and sound effects along with two different voice actress options for Sonico
PC Game Reviews
Cherry Tree High Girl’s Fight is a 2D, turn-based, girl raising simulator with a card battle system for combat, which makes it a pretty niche title. It features a varied selection of girls from which to assemble your team, but lack of animations and a rather lackluster storyline detracts from the experience. The fights are also based a lot around luck, which can further frustrate players. However, anyone who is willing to overlook these flaws will find an enjoyable game with a charming cast of characters.
Gameplay: Raise the stats of your girls and then send them into card based battles for victory.
Graphics: Great artwork, but not many animations.
Sound: The soundtrack is catchy, but the game has no voice acting
PC Game Reviews
Join the all-female cast of fighters in Koihime Enbu for some great 2D fighting. The character roster is fairly small, but very unique and the game is designed to be accessible to newcomers. However, there is still plenty of depth and experienced players can take the fights to a whole new level. Even if you are not familiar with the source material we recommend the game to anyone looking for a fun, accessible and great looking 2D beat ‘em up.
Gameplay: Deceptively simple, but with enough depth to keep you coming back for more.
Graphics: Great character designs with plenty of detail and colors.
Sound: Full Japanese voice acting and some nice background music
PC Game Reviews
Nukige titles are not really known for their story or gameplay, but Beat Blades Haruka definitely bucks this trend. As implausible as it is the story is actually quite neat and training the girls to fight in battle is very addictive. Of course, seeing as it is a nukige title there is an enormous amount of H-content as well and fans will be happy to hear that it is all completely uncensored. It is not a game for the easily offended or sensitive, but fans of the genre should definitely add it to their collection.
Gameplay: The stat raising and battles make it a lot more engrossing than a typical nukige title.
Graphics: Excellent character designs and a ton of CGs.
Sound: Good voice acting and lots of music
