Spooky season is still in full swing, so I’ve been playing some creepy games over on Twitch and boy did I find a good one. From brain eating parasites that wanna wife you up and now your beautiful girlfriend is burying you alive… it’s been an interesting time all around.
Stop Burying Me Alive, Beautifulis a psychological horror/comedy developed by Angela He, Robobarbie, Destinii Islands, and Allie Vera in 72 hours for Ludum Dare 54 on the theme “Limited Space”. It’s kind of all on the tin with this one—your hot girlfriend is burying you a live. You can either convince her that you’re not dead and hope she lets you out or you can chill with the equally cute girl living underground… just watch out for the rats.
Hey Hey Blerdy Tribe, I’m back with another Behind the Games post! For those of you just joining the party, Behind the Games is a segment where I interview the folks ‘behind the games’ I review. Giving you guys a chance to get to know the developers and publishers that spend so much time carefully crafting the games you enjoy.
Gwynne, Team Lead GSE studiosWrenna, author of Vision
This time around I’m chatting with GSE Studios, a newer indie team and the creative minds behind the Greek myth inspired, visual novel Heart & Soul. More recently, the team has been hard at work on their next title, Keepers of Astraela, which is based on the fantasy novel ‘Vision’ by Wrenna Stone.
Keepers of Astraela is currently in Kickstarter and I recently played the demo over on Twitch and I was blown away by the story! So, made some time to catch up with team lead, Gwynne and the author of ‘Vision’, Wrenna to chat about Keepers of Astraela and their experiences adapting a novel as a game.
It’s spooky season, so here is my playthrough of Night Asobu’s psychological horror/romance visual novel, Parasite in Love! The game was developed for Spooktober VN Jam 2022 and follows the “romance” between you and a brain eating parasite that has infected your brain. Will you be able to convince the parasite to leave your body before it’s too late? Or will his love consume you “until death do us part”?
I originally played the game on my Twitch channel in October of 2022.
At long last, Brittany based indie studio, Träumendes Mädchen released their fairytale inspired visual novel, Chronotopia: Second Skin. The project was crowdfunded on Kickstarter in 2016, but due to various circumstances spent years in development limbo. But, the developer has been working on the game and now it is finally available to play. Chronotopia: Second Skin is a unique rewriting of the Donkeyskin fairytale, a darker variation of Cinderella. Follow Kionna into a painful but ultimately rewarding search for her true self.
Indie studio Two and a Half Studios is making their own chat sim, A Date With Death! Flirt like your life depends on it…literally.
A Date with Death is a supernatural romance chat simulator visual novel about the week long bet you enter against the Grim Reaper to attempt to keep your soul. Create your own character, from appearance to pronouns, decorate your apartment, and spend the (possible) last week of your life getting to know the one hunting for your soul.
I played through the demo over on my Twitch channel and the Grim Reaper is fine~ 😍 In case you missed the stream, you can still check out all the thirsty moments in the VOD over on my YouTube channel!
Grow from childhood to adulthood with your two neighbors and experience a one of a kind life in this customizable, choice-heavy story🍂
At long last indie studio, GB Patch launched the Kickstarter campaign for the much anticipated second installment to the nostalgic, Our Life series—Our Life Now and Forever. Grow from childhood to adulthood with your two neighbors and experience a one of a kind life in this customizable, choice-heavy story.
The campaign is set to run until November 9, 2023 and to celebrate the launch, GB Patch has released an new extended demo. I reviewed the demo back in 2022, but this new demo comes with brand new scenes and interactions!
Update: The campaign was fully funded less than 20 minutes after launch!
Update 9/12: Indie studio, Harlevin has relaunched the Kickstarter campaign for their upcoming 18+ amare visual novel, Celestial Crowns. The team launched their first crowd funding campaign in May 2023, however, they failed to make their initial campaign goal. They have relaunched with a new goal of $10,000 USD which they hope to meet by the campaign end date, October 12, 2023.
Customize your Monarch and romance 3 love interests in this fantasy tale about powerful kingdoms and ancient magic. How will you rule?
The Steam Visual Novel Fest is in full swing and with it comes a ton of great discounts for some amazing visual novels! If you’ve been waiting to snag some of these games, now is the time to take advantage of these great deals! The event runs from August 7 through August 14 at 10am PT.
While it can be a pain searching through Steam’s extensive catalogue of titles, doing so can unearth some true indie gems! So, here are some indie romance visual novels I think are worth checking out!
Indie Studio, Open Late Games recently launched the Kickstarter campaign for their upcoming 18+ romance visual novel, Speakeasy. This steamy 1920’s romp takes players on a whirlwind of forbidden, decadent romances in the depths of an exclusive jazz club.
Female founded and run indie studio Nochi Studios is working on their latest project, Sweetcore Brews! This is the team’s fourth game, coming on the heels of their exploration adventure romance, Untold Atlas.
Sweetcore Brews is an otome about a tea-brewing witch called “Milly”, whose dream is to open her own magical tea shop in the city. In this latest project, players can romance one of two love interests, Zero (female) and Kingsley (male). This is Nochi Studio’s most ambitious project to date, the team also plans to include AR gameplay mechanics that will bring the characters of Sweetcore Brews into the real world!
Sweetcore Brews is an otome about a tea-brewing witch called “Milly”, whose dream is to open her own magical tea shop in the city. She is currently an apprentice witch working at an existing magical tea shop where the shopkeeper is rarely around. So Milly manages the shop full-time, practicing daily her new magical teas on her own by using them as solutions for her customers’ lives. She meets two love interests – Zero and Kingsley, both are also magical humans who run their own unique businesses. This game is a slice of life romance where Milly deals with the funny mistakes she makes from her magical teas causing problems, and she falls in love with Zero or Kingsley over time.
Official Game Synopsis
Characters of Sweetcore Brews
Meet the Heroine, Milly Blythe!
Millennium “Milly” Blythe is the bewitching new girl in town working hard at her new apprenticeship at Sweetcore Brews, a bustling tea shop managed by a shopkeeper who chats by cauldron, and where all teas aren’t just made with love… but with magic.
Fall in Love with Kingsley and Zero!
Key Features in Sweetcore Brews
Over 20 hours of Content to Enjoy
20+ Hours of Gameplay where you can romance complex and intriguing Love Interests to unlock spicy situations and various storylines! 10 Unlockable CGs. With 72 chapters of story content planned for the full game that can be played on your own time – no real time based management system! And there could be more chapters created, depending on stretch goal funding!
Available on both PC and Mobile
Previously, Nochi Studios has exclusively released their games on mobile. But, for Sweetcore Brews, the team plans to release on both mobile and PC – with the game being optimized for both platforms. The PC version will have mad lib styled mini-games, while the mobile version will introduce a unique AR gameplay experience.
Unique AR Gameplay Mechanic
But, the most exciting aspect of Sweetcore Brews is the inclusion of AR tech for the mobile version. Bring the characters of Sweetcore Brews out of your phone and into the real world, for a more immersive gameplay experience!
Nochi Studios is giving players a new way to interact with their favorite love interests, by giving us access to exclusive voiced content and scenarios. Hear amazing voice lines in settings like at a coffee shop or even before going to bed if they want to be cheered up with a lovely line about how awesome our players are!
Keep an Eye Out for More Sweetcore Brews
I am so excited for this latest release from Nochi Studios! Sweetcore Brews is the studios’ most ambitious project to date, with the inclusion of AR gameplay mechanics, male and female love interests, and finally being available on both PC and mobile. You don’t want to miss out on this game! Nochi Studios plans to launch a Kickstarter campaign to help fund Sweetcore Brews on June 28, 2023, so mark your calendars!
