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Visual Novels - What should we play?

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Jolly

Jolly

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Finished Zero Time Dilemma last week. Did think it was quite a drop in quality from either 999 or Virtue's but pleased I played it anyway. Some major spoiler thoughts... 

 

Spoiler

The reveal of Zero was faintly ridiculous I thought. It felt like it could or should have been handled far better. Unless I've completely missed something, there were no clues nor suggestions that there was a tenth person on the site and it just felt a bit of a cheat really. A shame, because some of the other twisty reveals - the watches all being at different times, not everyone being awake simultaneously, Q being an AI, Mira being utterly terrifying - were all handled much better, so 'the big one' fell a bit flat. 

 

That said, I did throughly enjoy the 'What Happened To Rich Marty?' reading of Back to the Future - an element of time travel I'd not really considered or encountered before. That's the good shit; along with a rather good explanation of The Monty Hall Problem (and another similar puzzle that I can't remember the specifics of at the moment). I think it landed the puzzles and the theoretical problems but just missed the KERBLAMMO, sadly. 

 

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therearerules

therearerules

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I’m replaying it now, and actually there are a number of times Q team either talk about or talk to Zero. It’s just framed in such a way you think they’re referring to either the robot child or Gab. Additionally at the start of the game it shows that everyone has no idea who the robot child is, but is non-plussed by there being 3 team members in Q team. It’s incredibly subtle, and probably too subtle.

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Jolly

Jolly

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Finished Stories Untold a moment ago and thought it was completely brilliant. Very little more you can say about it given that it's so short (although while I'm here, more two to three hour games please), but I loved it. Thanks to @therearerules for bringing it to my attention. 

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deKay

deKay

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I’ve not finished it but I’ve been playing Secret Little Haven. It plays out in the form of a 1999 anime forum and an ICQ-like app but there’s some interesting diversions.

 

Plot is about you coming to terms with being trans without realising that’s even a thing, while your online and RL friends converse with you and your dad gets increasingly psycho.

 

It was in the itch.io bundle so you may already have it.

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therearerules

therearerules

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Just finished Zero Time Dilemma for the 2nd time. Gained a much bigger appreciation for it this time around. Still some issues- no escape rooms in the second half, and the story is completed in the files rather than in game, meaning that you have to complete the game, then go back into a random fragment and read the epilogue, before quitting back out. It leaves it with a real dissatisfying feel. Still love the whole trilogy though.

big spoilers

And the Delta twist is so obvious when you know it's coming. So many things highlight the fact that there's a 10th person on the Q team. The fact it's the DECisision game, and for once not the Nonary game. The references to the old man, as well as nobody knowing Sean. The dead/alive statuses (including when Delta is born- amazing touch). The sound effects always show an extra person on the Q team, and of course the options when you input Q vs Sean.



And we all know how important anagrams are:

Zero Time Dilemma = Me, I'm Zero, I'm Delta.

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Thwomp

Thwomp

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I've been playing Doki Doki for three days now and I'm thinking 

Spoiler

It's an elaborate hoax, right? All the 10/10 reviews and whatnot? Because nothing has happened other than finding out that the girls have personalities and flaws beyond their overly-sexual appearances.

 

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Wiper

Wiper

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37 minutes ago, Thwomp said:

I've been playing Doki Doki for three days now and I'm thinking 

  Reveal hidden contents

It's an elaborate hoax, right? All the 10/10 reviews and whatnot? Because nothing has happened other than finding out that the girls have personalities and flaws beyond their overly-sexual appearances.

 

 

I'm hoping that's not been a solid three days, given the game's only a few hours long, but no, it's not all a big hoax!

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Thwomp

Thwomp

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Well, I finished Doki Doki Literature Club. It was alright. I thought it was going to turn out 

Spoiler

as a message of the importance of mental well-being and valuing friendships, but it didn't. I also wondered about Natsuke - she said in one poem that her father sexually abused her, but deleting Monika would have no impact on that. The good ending didn't clarify that it didn't happen in that timeline :(

 

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strawdonkey

strawdonkey

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I enjoyed the first Muv-Luv but it was just... weird. Get the feeling it all gets interesting in the second game.

 

Bought the first two on Vita but now it seems that the remaining one has not been discounted since (as with basically any other Vita game) but at least they're also available on Steam I guess.

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strawdonkey

strawdonkey

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This might be a bit left-field for this thread, but I was gifted the utterly superb World of Horror at Christmas and feel like it deserves a plug:

 

https://store.steampowered.com/app/913740/WORLD_OF_HORROR/

 

Despite being still in Early Access this feels very complete already. I believe the stuff that is "missing" is additional scenarios, rather than the game mechanics/etc being unfinished. Inspired by Junji Ito and HP Lovecraft, you play as one of a cast of characters who are investigating paranormal occurrences in a Japanese town in the 1980s, and it plays out a bit like a fancy Choose Your Own Adventure, but in 1-bit glory. 

 

I've only had a couple of runs so far (one successful) but it is dripping with atmosphere, pulls off the fake 80s PC vibe really well, has a brilliant soundtrack and - crucially if you're like me and don't deal well with traditional horror - it's not "scary", though it is definitely creepy and unsettling.

 

So yeah, pushing the boundaries of the term "Visual Novel" but I think if you like VNs you will get on with this too. Can't wait to go back and play around more, and there's a second scenario that I've not even touched yet.

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MW_Jimmy

MW_Jimmy

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Worth mentioning here as well - the Famicom Disk only games Famicom Tantei Club Parts I and II are finally getting English releases. These games came out in 1988 and have never been officially translated, and only the 2nd game has a fan translation.

 

That's a 33 year wait for a Nintendo game to be localised for the west!

 

 

The games are being remade by Mages/5pb of Steins Gate fame. It's only been mentioned as a digital release currently and £50 bundle on the eShop.

 

I do kinda wish it was closer in style to the box art of the original though!

 

fdt2_1.thumb.jpg.172d8ad624c01703faca32220078c353.jpg

 

Out in the summer.

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b00dles

b00dles

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Something to do with George foreman? The grill who stands behind back? :P

 

I thought 50 quid was a bit lumpy but they do seem quite extensive remakes and I love me some detective nonsense. 

 

I was almost tempted to get the ds out for some apollo justice or one of the old phoenix games I've only finished twice already.

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MW_Jimmy

MW_Jimmy

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55 minutes ago, Alan Stock said:

Haven't heard anything about that series. Any good? Anyone here played them?

 

I've heard it described as Phoenix Wright without the courtroom scenes and has scenes which are quite dark for a Nintendo game.

 

Game scenario was written by Yoshio Sakamoto of Metroid, Wario Ware and Rhythm Heaven/Paradise fame. He is consulting on this remake.

 

Personally, having a new old game with such history is really special and hopefully captures similar vibes to other 80s adventure titles. Not sure on that price tag though.

 

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mdn2

mdn2

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Gnosia has been dated for March 4th on Switch. Sounds really interesting. 

Quote

First announced for western release last year, the game is set on a drifting spaceship beset by the titular Gnosia, shapeshifters that attack humans. The game is presented like a traditional visual novel, but plays akin to a single-player take on a social deduction game like Among Us, or Werewolf.

 

Each playthrough takes around 15 minutes, and asks you to speak to a variety of characters before deciding who to put into "cold sleep" for being the suspected Gnosia – in each turn of play the Gnosia will eliminate a character until they're selected for cold sleep, at which point the human team wins.

 

Each replay of the game can unlock new events and mysteries, and an RPG stats system affects how well your character can sway the group in each new loop (as well as avoiding being put into cold sleep yourself). Over the course of many loops, you'll learn more about the central mystery, and the characters who make up a part of it.

IGN Japan gave the game 10/10 when it released there last year. 

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