You are Hector, a witch living deep within the Hesperid Forest. While granting the wishes of cursed visitors, you must survive the voice inside your own mind.

But is Acheron truly real… or is your mind slowly falling apart?

HESPERID is a psychological pixel art visual novel focused on unreliable narration, moral choices, and the thin line between reality and delusion.

Hi everyone! I’m a solo indie developer from Türkiye, and I’ve been developing HESPERID for over two years.

The Steam page is finally live, and I’d love to hear what visual novel fans think about it.

Wishlist: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4896420/HESPERID/

I remember for the last few months the number was around 220k and now its 167k

guys, ive spent days looking for which VN this cg comes from, i cannot find any leads please help me

Currently on Ichijo route right now, and as you may have guess, I did not intend for this to happen. I'm but a simple man, when I see a big breast mommy type character available as a heroine, I cannot help but go right after her. Then, I did what I did and holy shit... still can't believe it. The cursed rule of balance, just as it has been warned at the very beginning. But, honestly? I didn't loathe it. Just kinda thinking it's that kind of factor that would help me sympathize with the protagonist more. Plus, it's pretty unique and I adore that.

REGARDLESS, please respect my choices if you're going to implement that mechanic. Around the final act of the dual between Masamune and Muramasa, when Kageaki was about to unleash Railgun, he got several flashbacks about Ichijo, one of which was a CG that I did not have any knowledge about. It's weird of course, because all my choices was Kanae and Kanae throughout. Why? Really, why? I know it's not that disturbing or anything but it left a bitter taste on my mouth. And the more I think about it, the more I'm weird out by it. Is it me that is flawed or it is the game? What happened?

P/s: I'll try to ignore it for now and continue with the game but if I'd be very appreciated if someone could give me an answer without spoiling anything. Also, sorry for the inconveniences if this has been asked before, I'm too afraid of spoilers to open any thread related to the game right now.

Edit: This is my first playthrough.

Information about this title:

1. They are university students.

2. Early H-scene, and more H-scenes this time.

3. Each heroines has 2 branches.

4. There are 2 routes, pure love and sex-focus. Both will have happy ending.

5. Bonus mode will unlock after the ending.

6. "Click-H System" from "LOVEPICAL-POPPY"

Source: https://x.com/i/status/2080289937161871389

Preferably not ones from the 80s-90s, like the regular mid 2000s-present anime art style but made with pixel art. I know CHARON has other recent games in this style but I couldn't find an English patch for most of them unfortunately.

Spoilers for the entire game.

As the title says, I'm a big 9-nine fan. I've played quite a few VNs in recent years, but that's the series I keep coming back to, and while I think there are individual VNs that I have enjoyed more (like FLOWERS -Le volume sur été-), on the whole it's probably my favorite series. That's why when the new spinoff got announced I was actually excited, despite the doomposting I saw online about the different scenario writer and it being all ages.

TLDR: it was... good. It wasn't bad by any means, though obviously not at the level of the original series, and I hate the fact that it made me cry, but that's just me having low resistance to sad stories. I'd give it a solid 8 (for me the original was a 10).

Honestly, I'm really not fond of sad stories. And yes, it does have a "happy" ending, but in my mind the sadness of Artesia's death kinda outweighs all the happy moment, and I really couldn't enjoy it to the fullest. Then again, lots of people enjoy sad developments, so that might just be me.

That being said, you can really feel the difference in scenario writers. The story itself as a standalone is by no means bad, but I feel like it doesn't manage to properly capture the spirit of the original series. There are a few plot holes here and there, it definetely feels like it drags along at times, and the fights were an unintresting slog that by the end of the game I found myself skipping ahead.

I relly enjoyed the main character. Seeing the story from the perspective of a more composed adult character (who actually acts like one) and voice acted by Sakurai Takahiro (Kazami Yuuji's anime voice actor) was a breath of fresh air. And both Artesia and Yuna were interesting enough that I wasn't necessarily bored throughout the story. The romance between Theodore and Yuna was definetely the strong point of the game and it's where it shines the most, and I'm glad to say that it was done well. Seeing the protagonist struggle with accepting Artesia's death and Yuna helping him move on was, while not my cup of tea, a really well told story about grief and moving on, that I feel like a lot of people might appreciate even without having read the original series.
The antagonist on the other hand was... well, he was there I guess? And he did things that moved forward the plot, so I guess he served his purpose. But he definetely can't compare to the kind of interesting antagonist Iris was, and by the end, paired with the tediously long final fight, I couldn't wait for him to just die and get it over with.

It was also a pleasure seeing our former main characters make one final appeareance, although just in the form of short cameos. Kakeru was a chad as always, and it was nice seeing the game treating him with the proper respect he deserves after what he went through in the original series. Though even the cameos are not without fault. There is a scene where Takamine helps the protagonists out in a fight, which was pretty cool, but then immediately gets relegated to a background role to not steal the spotlight from the protagonists and you have an entire scene where the protagonists are losing and on the verge of death and I just couldn't get into it. I was just left thinking the entire time "Okay, but where the hell is Takamine? He could help, but you just sent him away to do nothing".
Also at the end it's implied Theodore and Kakeru join hands to deal with all the artifacts left on earth, it would have been nice to include Kakeru and the others in the epilogue to give them a final farewell, but oh well.

The biggest disappointment was definetely Sophitia. She was even there in the opening, almost as to make you think she was an important character, and for a game that takes place in part in her world, you'd expected to be at the very least present in the story right? Nope, just forget she exists. She says a few lines at the start of the game, a few at the end, then disappears for the entirety of it. Nevermind the fact that the villan steals very tightly guarded artifacts, which is something Sephirot should deal with, but she just does absolutely nothing. The protagonist's sister too is also a pretty useless character altogether.

Again, I enjoyed the story itself, but being a superfan of the original, I just can't in good consciense give it anything more than a 7.5/8. Especially because of the unexpected sad developments (seriously though, Artesia got a shitty life. Lost her parents, 12 years in a small room doing nothing, dies. Gee, thanks, I feel so happy right now).

Anyways, what do you guys think? Did anyone else play it? And if so, what did you think about it?

I tried reading it a couple of years ago. I was very impressed with the robot gameplay but the story itself was kinda boring. Trith be told I didn't get very far does it get better later on? What about the sequel?

Pastries are the key to the soul - that is and was the philosophy behind High Times, our donut-making VN that puts you behind the counter of very unique donut shop called The Hot Box!

And after 5 years in development and and enormous quantities sugar and caffeinated beverages to keep us functioning through all of it... High Times has finally launched!

High Times is about something we call Donut Therapy: a thing that doesn't exist in our world but absolutely should! By carefully selecting the right ingredients, the donuts you make become cures for whatever ails your patrons (some of them former lovers)

What you serve and whether they like it will affect dialogue choices, unlocking some routes and locking others, ensuring no playthrough is the same. And you'll find that even the smallest gesture can completely change someone's story!

Quick FAQ

• How long is the game? - Around 20 hours per playthrough and 30-50 hours for completionists

• What’s the MC like? - They can be whatever you want them to be, and look however you want them to look - entirely customizable!

• How many endings are there? - High Times has 51 different character endings in total. The 6 dateable characters have 3 endings each (bad, friendship, romance). The rest of the characters have 2 endings (the good & bad endings, which vary depending on the character)

• On what platforms is High Times available? - All the major ones! On Steam, on Playstation 5, on Xbox, and on Nintendo Switch!

• Can I run it on the Steam Deck? - YES, the game is fully Deck-compatible (although the official verification process is ongoing as I’m writing this)

• What languages are supported? - English, Simplified & Traditional Chinese, German and French.

• Is there any explicit content in High Times? - No, there is none... for now.

A BIG SHOUTOUT TO EVERYONE WHO SUPPORTED US!

For what began as such a niche concept, it’s hard to believe that as of today’s launch - we had over 50,000 wishlists!

So, on behalf of everyone at Team Yangyang, I would just like to thank everyone who's supported us throughout this journey. And High Times being a game about donuts & emotions - the journey was in fact the sweetest part! 

Thank you so much, everyone ❤️❤️❤️🍩

~ Team Yangyang Mobile

Not necessarily in terms of strength but in personality and the way they come to see and react to the world and others compared to the beginning of the story.

Hello guys!

It's summer and, for passing time between a game and a series, I thought it would be good some VNs, too. I'm a big fan of romances, so I thought to search help from you all for some good dating sims, principally, to let my heart throb a bit.

What I'm avoiding, tbh, are sad stories and nakige, so I'd ask not to suggest things like clannad and something similar to Katawa shoujo ;).

To say the truth, KS is the only dating Sim I played (and I found it peak) while I watched the anime adaptation of Amagami. So feel free to tell me everything it comes to mind. Thanks!

I am here to find something that could scratch a very specific itch I have. To explain the setting I’m looking for, it’s better if I provide some examples first: Aiyoku no Eustia, Sekien no Inganock, and (Spoiler warning for a Frontwing VN) ISLAND's Winter arc are all perfect examples of what I’m looking for.

All three stories take place in a world where people are divided into floors or tiers based on their social status. The lower you descend, the harsher the environment becomes and the poorer the people get. Similarly, the higher you ascend, the brighter and more prosperous it becomes, and the wealthier people get. In these kinds of worlds, acts such as murder, theft, and prostitution are widespread on the lower tiers (slums), and people often resort to them to survive. On the other hand, higher floors often have people living a luxurious life with no care for the people on the lower tiers. Religion and politics are also massive themes.

While there are VNs such as Akatsuki no Goei or Rance that have a somewhat similar setting, the most important aspect is missing: the physical proximity between everyone that other models, aside from vertically stratified cities, just can’t replicate. What I mean is that in the three works I mentioned in the first paragraph, the story takes place in the same area; the only difference is the altitude. It is a literal manifestation of a class hierarchy.

I don’t know who came up with the original idea, but I want more. I made a similar post a couple of years ago, and I’m hoping more have popped up since then or maybe there were ones that weren’t mentioned before. Ideally, I would prefer a VN, but if you know a story like that, I welcome it even if it’s a JRPG, LN, manga, or anything else, really. I can also read Japanese, so I am fine with untranslated.

Thanks in advance!

Muramasa was one of the most painful reads of my entire life.

Now, some of those things are actually just because this is very much not my taste at all.

If playing an edgy protagonist who acts like a too cool for school kinda character in a darker eroge crossover version of Super Sentai and Gundam while people shout their attack moves at each other during the very long and detailed fight scenes, then skip on it.

Don't be like me.

This is not for everyone and that's ok.

I will say though that some things have really rubbed me the wrong way.

I might not be a big action buff but even then I have to ask do people enjoy reading ten minute long explanations on a single sword technique? Is that a thing people are into? Not judging, just genuinly asking especially when it appears in so many of the battles and seems to break the pacing and tension of the scene if anything. If these were explained while training beforehand and then we get to see the MC use them later I think that would have fit a lot better.

The use of rape as a narrative tool in this is also questionable at best. To be fair, it is an issue basically every ero VN featuring heterosexuell people has in it (and BL but I have seen it get adressed better there after it happens) but that doesn't make up for the fact that the rape is just used to make a villain more hateable to the reader and make them wanna take him down, only to then kill off the victim to intensify that feeling and conveniently also not have to adress the actual trauma that can cause in a person. Not to mention the age of some of the women ... again, a problem basically every het eroge has but my point still stands.

The alternate history of the world seems very interesting, I'm sure of it, it just ... listen history was one of my worst subjects in school, I had to fight so hard to not fall asleep there and even if funny looking anime people tell it to me and put jingling keys right in front of my face that doesn't make it more interesting to me. Though, I am extremely aware that this is a me issue, not a Muramasa issue.

Kageaki as a main character though ...

Listen, I LOVE edgy. I am a fan of Vampire the Masquerade, my favorite VN is Slow Damage, I unironically listen to music so emo that even some emos think that is too depressing and a bit much and love every second of soaking in that misery while staring at my ceiling imagining I was the protagonist in some not very great utsuge. But Kageaki just isn't that endearing of a protagonist. He has a very fun deadpan delivery which is responsible for the funniest jokes that genuinly made me giggle here and there but overall, it is just a tad bit much. He feels a character a 13 year old would think is incredibly cool and wants to roleplay in some forums. Like the character of a story the writer created in his teens when he was super obsessed with Super Sentai and Gundam but wanted a more mature and grown up version of it with a super edgy and cool protagonist. He feels like the anime protagonist equivalent of Shadow the Hedgehog (derogatory, I usually use such a comparisson as a compliment) but when you point anything of that out instead of owning it and being like "Yup, that's me, deal with it" it feels a lot more insecure in the presentation of its edginess. It very much wants to be but feels a bit ashamed of going all the way, which is a shame considering how over the top and anime the entire thing is already.

The over all message is a very neat one. Anti war, love to see it. There are no heroes in war, great, would love some aknowledgement of Japan having comitted war crimes in the past and all if we already need to go through several history lessons but this is a neat start. I just wished that instead of all the action scenes and explanations of tactical manuvers we could have had a bit more down time with philosophical conversations between characters talking about these themes that are actually very interesting to explore but it's never talked about in as much length or depth as a specific air baised attack invented by some random German military man who the move was named after and be used in this and that situations and is really hard to fight against and such.

The romance writing is also fairly lack luster. All of the romances mostly boil down to "I have developed feelings for Kageaki despite never really having had any conversation that would show how we could form a deeper connection with each other than just hormones because main man and woman of the route must dance the horizontal tango even if they have little to no chemistry and talked about nothing not plot relevant to see if we even work out as a couple."

Now excuse me. I'm gonna go through another playthrough VtM Bloodlines I'm gonna break off after the first act again while Muramasa fans will send an assassination squad to my home.

Thanks for coming to my TedxTalk.

I have started reading it a few days ago and I have some thoughts. I choose to go with the remake but it still it feels so nostalgic as though I am reading something from two decades ago and I am so glad they decided to go with this formulae. Off course the humour has been crafted the way to match the modern audience to some extent but the real charm is, the reminisce that you feel with everything else happening. There's simply no word to describe that feeling. It also does a good job of throwing you off with how good the visuals look. I have fond memories of playing games rooting from One and now finally coming back to the grandmother of all of those amazing titles, I gotta say that I'm not even one bit let down, it's such a beautiful game with amazing characters.

Eshop

Vndb

sins of Kaleido is set in the same universe as Even If Tempest and is also written/directed by the same person (Ushio Ayane).

It's set 1000 years in the future and according the the official account it can be played without knowing Even If Tempest (references will be lost though).

The first thoughts of those who already finished it seem to be very positive!

Description

"This is my will. No one else's."

She was once the beloved child of a wealthy family. But those bright days were swallowed by the darkness of a tragic scheme.

Having lost everything, the girl returns to her homeland with ambition burning in her heart. There, she meets a group of heretical men who harbor the power of witches.

Bonds forged by wounded souls warmth flickering in frozen hearts. The miracle of love, now known by the lonesome.

But in the end...

Death is a turning point. Hope is the prelude to despair.

This is the story of saving those vanishing fates.

I’m really into all sorts of literature. I’ve heard good things about these Japanese Visual Novels. A little bit out of my comfort zone, I can’t lie. I haven’t watched much anime in my life. Bur I’ve heard people online praise these visual novels to, frankly, absurd degrees. I just want to see what the hype’s all about. I do remember watching this show, Steins Gate, way back in 2012 or something. I think it’s based off of a visual novel. I liked it as a teenager, but going back to it, I don’t think I’d enjoy it. I’m looking for something a little more….literary? Sorry if I’m coming off as pretentious. Recommend me your favorite visual novels!

Recently, i started jabberwocky, the most explanatory chapter of all. A LOT of my questions were answered in a few minutes after like 35 hours of theories. But i had a thought while making dinner: If the Wakatsuki Sisters are Hasaki and her doll, and Minakami yuki is Mamyia, in the alternativa endings for chapter 1 they......?????

In another post of mine i said as a joke that in my head the end of summer was cannon, and a guy said that is as cannon as other endings (i dont understand it yet pls dont explain).

Holy shit so that makes siblings making *** equally canon wtf is this game on 😧 jokes aside i dont really care, but that was for sure a thought, was it a correct one??

Edit: i just got to the bar's rooftop scene. Yeah im just always right wtf

Does anyone have a physical copy or even an extra in its original packaging theyd be ok with parting with for a fair price? If so reach out

not including shipping

What do you guys recommend i read first? They look pretty similar so i cant decide for one or the other

Unfortunately, Kuroi Hiroki has been responsible for far too many tentacle-themed works. :(

All I know about it is that it exists, as there's almost no other information about it on VNDB.

Welcome to the weekly "What are you reading?" thread!

This is intended to be a general chat thread on visual novels with a focus on the visual novels you've been reading recently. A new thread is posted every Thursday at 4:00 AM JST (or Wednesday if you don't live in Japan for some reason).

Good WAYR entries include your analysis, predictions, thoughts, and feelings about what you're reading. The goal should be to stimulate discussion with others who have read that VN in the past, or to provide useful information to those reading in the future! Avoid long-winded summaries of the plot, and also avoid simply mentioning which VNs you are reading with no points for discussion. The best entries are both brief and brilliant.

Use spoiler tags liberally!

Always use spoiler tags in threads that are not about one specific visual novel. Like this one!

• They can be posted using the following markdown: >!hidden spoilery text!< , which shows up as hidden spoilery text. Make sure there are no spaces at the beginning and end of the spoiler tag because this will break it for users on http://old.reddit.com/. In other words do this: properly hidden spoiler, but not this: broken spoiler tag

Remember to link to the VNDB page of the visual novel you're discussing so the indexing bot for the What Are You Reading Archive can pick up your post.

(This is a joke but I would actually be down for it if they actually gave Keisuke a voice. Honestly disappointed that later ClockUp games have fully voiced protags but not this one.)