Sakura Spirit

Sakura Spirit

Sakura Spirit features some very nice visuals, but despite an interesting setup the plot never really goes anywhere. The lack of animations or poses are also very noticeable, although the CGs are very good. The nudity that is included in the game definitely leans more towards the ecchi side of the scale and not hentai, which might be a letdown for fans of the genre. There are better visual novels available, but hopefully Winged Cloud learns from their mistakes, as there are not many Western developers who bother making these titles.

Gameplay: The story is rather short and not very engaging.

Graphics: Very detailed and features nice character designs, but the amount of outfits and poses are lacking.

Sound: The soundtrack is nice, but the game features no speech

Kana Okaeri

Kana Okaeri

Kana Okaeri improves on the original title with updated visuals as well as full Japanese voice acting. Thankfully the original story remains untouched apart from some translation fixes. It is a pity that the resolution has only been increased slightly over the original version, but anyone who have not yet experienced this game should definitely check it out. The new art and visuals also make it an enticing offer for players that want to relive the emotional roller-coaster of a story.

Gameplay: The storyline is incredibly moving and you can actually make choices that affect the outcome of the game.

Graphics: The updated visuals look great, but the resolution is fixed at 800×600.

Sound: The soundtrack is still great and the new voice acting is done professionally.

Girlish Grimoire Littlewitch Romanesque: Editio Perfecta

Girlish Grimoire Littlewitch Romanesque: Editio Perfecta

Girlish Grimoire Littlewitch Romanesque: Editio Perfecta is absolutely the definitive edition of this great game and an essential purchase for fans of the raising sim/visual novel genre. The plot might not be very epic, but it makes up for it with wonderful characters and gameplay that is a bit more involved than simply clicking through lines of dialogue. With titles such as this and the equally superb Steins;Gate JAST USA is really on a roll.

Gameplay: Some great scenes, characters and a very addictive dice mini-game.

Graphics: Excellent artwork from the very talented Oyari Ashito.

Sound: Great tunes, sound effects and the original Japanese voice acting

Ef: The First Tale

Ef: The First Tale

As far as visual novels go, Ef: The First Tale is one of the best that I have played to date. There isn’t much in the way of choices but the story is engrossing and kept me hooked until the end. Ef is also one of the longer titles I have played in the genre but remains polished and charming throughout. For a feel-good story with likeable characters and some great dialogue you can do far worse than Ef.

Gameplay: A visual novel with very little choices but a touching story.

Graphics: Beautiful artwork and plenty of scenes.

Sound: Original Japanese voice acting and an amazing soundtrack

Kana: Little Sister

Kana: Little Sister

Don’t play Kana: Little Sister if you expect a typical Hentei game and don’t play it if you are not a fan of reading and drama. If you can appreciate a good story with well written characters and a lot of heart ache then I can’t recommend this game enough. It’s definitely one of the crowning achievements in its genre.

Gameplay: It’s a visual novel so the gameplay consists of lots of clicking with the occasional multiple choice question.
Graphics: Nicely drawn characters but the focus is firmly on the story.
Sound: Minimal sound effects, no voices but touching music