Love Bakudan by Noodletub Games

Love Bakudan by Noodletub Games

There has been a bit of a boom lately when it comes to visual novels, but fans of the genre will agree that there’s always room for more, especially yuri ones. That’s why it’s great to see that there are small indie teams like Noodletub that are trying to make great yuri themed games. Noodletub recently launched a Kickstarter for LOVE BAKUDAN an 18+ yuri visual novel that takes place in Japan. The game promises to combine elements of comedy and drama, along with a spicy adult twist on top

Seven Days

Seven Days

Seven Days is a visual novel that starts like something straight out of a horror movie as the protagonist, Kanzaki Shuuichi, receives a cursed Blu-ray disc from a friend. However, thanks to the exorcism skills of his childhood friend, Shuuichi is saved from the evil spirit trying to possess him after watching the disc. This leads to the unexpected development of the female ghost gaining a physical human form and revealing that six other girls are trapped inside her. Shuuichi ends up with his hands full as he attempts to make the last days of these spirits as pleasant as possible, but it’s impossible for him not to grow attached to them along the way. Seven Days is a captivating and well-written visual novel that will stay with you even after the credits roll.

Gameplay: The story is well-written, and there are enough choices for multiple playthroughs.

Graphics: Everything from the character sprites to the backgrounds looks great.

Sound: Full Japanese voice acting for all the girls, and the soundtrack is pretty neat, too

The Princess, the Stray Cat, and Matters of the Heart 2

The Princess, the Stray Cat, and Matters of the Heart 2

The Princess, the Stray Cat, and Matters of the Heart 2 sees the return of Nora Handa as well as the bevy of girls who ensure that there is never a dull moment in his life. Like the first game, it is a mixture of romance, comedy and even a few serious slice of life moments. Unfortunately, it is also censored like the first game, so all traces of adult content has been removed. Despite this, The Princess, the Stray Cat, and Matters of the Heart 2 is an entertaining visual novel with enough content to keep you busy for a long time.

Gameplay: A new cast of romanceable characters as well as the return of some old ones.

Graphics: The artwork looks great and the game features plenty of CGs.

Sound: Full Japanese voice acting once again and a mammoth soundtrack

Euphoria

Euphoria

Euphoria is a dark and twisted visual novel with plenty of explicit and over-the-top sex scenes. However, while it may seem like a pure nukige title, it also has a storyline that draws you in right from the start while continually going in unexpected directions. It’s definitely not a title for the faint of heart or easily offended, but if you can appreciate a good story and put up with some rather unsavory elements, then it’s worth checking out.

Gameplay: Very twisted and filled with plenty of unsavory stuff, but the story is also dark and compelling.

Graphics: Plenty of uncensored CGs, but the backgrounds are limited, and there are no animations.

Sound: A dark and moody soundtrack and full voice acting for all the female characters

9-nine-:Episode 2

9-nine-:Episode 2

9-Nine-: Episode 2 features more of the vibrant art and excellent writing that was featured in the first installment. However, it’s not quite a sequel as it focuses on a different heroine compared to episode 1. This can be a little annoying for players who want to uncover all the mysteries instead of just learning more about the other heroines. The game is also short and left us wanting more, primarily due to the excellent character dialog and superb translation. Despite some questionable elements, 9-Nine-: Episode 2 is a great visual novel, and we have no qualms recommending the entire series to fans of the genre.

Gameplay: Features a lot more humor compared to episode one, and the writing is still superb.

Graphics: The art is detailed and vibrant, although many of the character sprites and backgrounds are reused.

Sound: Excellent voice acting, but most background tunes are the same

Saya no Uta ~ The Song of Saya (2019)

Saya no Uta ~ The Song of Saya (2019)

The new remastered version of Saya no Uta ~ The Song of Saya updates this classic visual novel without messing with the things that have made it so popular. It is still as disturbing as ever, although Steam players will have to spring for the adult patch to get the whole experience. The original artwork looks great in high definition, and the new engine means it’s no longer a hassle to try to run the game on modern hardware. It’s also good to see that the already great translation has been polished even more. If you can handle disturbing content and enjoy the genre, then we cannot recommend Saya no Uta ~ The Song of Saya enough.

Gameplay: The game only features a few choices, but the story is so good you won’t mind.

Graphics: The visuals are still very disturbing, especially when played uncensored.

Sound: The soundtrack is excellent, and so is the voice acting

The Witch’s Love Diary

The Witch’s Love Diary

The Witch’s Love Diary is a unique visual novel that has plenty of stories to tell and a unique way of telling these stories. It offers quite a lengthy tale and the pace is somewhat on the slow side, but it is definitely worth the read. It also doesn’t skimp on routes for any of its characters, even the minor ones. Add to that beautiful visuals, along with a great soundtrack and you have yourself a visual novel that is worth investing some time in.

Gameplay: Not a lot of meaningful choices, but the story manages to remain captivating to the end.

Graphics: Beautiful character designs and detailed backgrounds.

Sound: Features a great soundtrack and top-notch voice acting

The Princess, the Stray Cat, and Matters of the Heart

The Princess, the Stray Cat, and Matters of the Heart

The Princess, The Stray Cat, and Matters of the Heart is a charming and humorous visual novel with a large cast of interesting characters. It opens with the protagonist, Nora Handa, encountering a girl claiming to be a princess of the netherworld, and events spiral further out of control from there. After encountering this newcomer, Nora has to decide whether he is falling in love with her or if his heart beats for one of the three other girls in his life. Of course, the fact that he has been cursed to change into a cat whenever he is kissed also complicates matters further. Overall, this is a great visual novel, but there are some gaping holes where all the adult content has been removed.

Gameplay: Completing all four of the routes in the game is a lengthy process but very enjoyable.

Graphics: The artwork is really good, but it is a pity that the adult content had to be removed.

Sound: Full voice acting for the characters, along with a varied soundtrack

When Our Journey Ends – A Visual Novel

When Our Journey Ends – A Visual Novel

When Our Journey Ends follows the adventure of Mariko, a high school student who ends up stranded at an unfamiliar train station on her way home one day. She quickly discovers that it is not an ordinary place and learns about the spirits that dwell there. This visual novel features a unique graphical style, with lovely animated backgrounds, but it is rather short and the main story is not as fleshed out as much as we would have liked. It does feature a number of side stories that take place after the main story, but even with these the game is over way too soon.

Gameplay: Short and lacking in meaningful choices.

Graphics: Interesting character spirits and beautiful animated backgrounds.

Sound: English voice acting for all the characters and a very decent soundtrack

Kotodama: The 7 Mysteries of Fujisawa

Kotodama: The 7 Mysteries of Fujisawa

Uncover the mysteries of Fujisawa Academy by using your special powers to reveal their secrets in this first development project from PQube. The game is a lot of fun and offers a nice mixture of visual novel, match-3 mini-games and even a sprinkling of ecchi content. The story is gripping from the get go and to uncover all of the secrets you are going to have to pay attention and make the right choices or else you might find yourself back at square one. Although it can become a little repetitive and it is a little too easy to miss some vital story branches, the game is a lot of fun and well worth the effort.

Gameplay: The story is interesting and your choices have a big impact on how things play out.

Graphics: Great character designs and some nice Cgs.

Sound: Full Japanese voice acting for all the characters