Set in the cyberpunk city of Love Shore, Sam and Farah attempt to navigate the monstrous underworld in hopes of uncovering the means of saving their friends. Love Shore is a visual novel cyberpunk noir featuring an entirely LGBT+ cast. With 8 unique romanceable characters and routes, multiple endings and packed with action and thrills.
ValiDate: Struggling Singles in Your Area is a romantic visual novel about 13 adults in Jercy City navigating new relationships and the harsh realities that come alongside them. I’ve talked about this game a few times; Veritable Joy’s dedication to including authentic BIPOC and LGBTQ+ representation in Validate definitely caught my attention. So, I am super happy that the team gave me a sneak peek at the demo before its public debut!
Deliver Us From Evil is a gothic amare visual novel developed by Galen Games, for Otome Jam 2021. Follow Ariel, an angel as she investigates the truth behind dark events taking place on Earth. Along the way she will enlist the aid of three attractive companions to help her with her heavenly mission. Thanks to the amazing team at Galen Games, I had the chance to check out the game and the additional DLC and I am here to share my thoughts on this impressive game!
Hey there Blerdy Tribe, it’s a brand new year and there have been some huge strides within the gaming community. Indie games are becoming more prominent, with more mainstream sites covering them much more frequently than they have in the past. But, for me the most exciting is the shift towards more visibility for traditionally underrepresented groups in games! Don’t get me wrong, there is still a ways to go, but, I’m happy to see that there has been an effort to create more representative games and a lot of that has to do with a diverse creators stepping in to create games that reflect their own experiences, identities, and cultures.
As a Black gamer I am always on the look out for diverse games, so once again I did a call for games with planned 2022 release dates that feature characters and stories centered around often underrepresented groups–and as always the community provided!
Thank you to everyone who sent me their projects or shared the tweet–you guys are the real MVPs! So, I spent some time shifting through all the responses and checking out game pages for this post and y’all I am excited for all of these games! If you’re like me and you’ve been craving more diversity in your games, this is the list for YOU!
Continue reading “Diverse Games to Keep an Eye Out for in 2022”
Looking for something with a bit more bite? Check out First Bite the upcoming 18+ LGBTQ+ dark comedy visual novel from First Bite Games–a small indie team made up writers from some of my fave indie projects (When the Night Comes, High Elo Girls, Akash: Path of Five, and Arcade Spirits). In First Bite, you play as Noe, a human fascinated by all things supernatural who ends up in the hands of three centuries-old vampires. What would you do if you had the chance at a second life, after death?
Pre-order the game now, before the November 17th, release date!
Continue reading “Indie Spotlight – First Bite”
Hey Blerdy Tribe!! It’s Monday once again and I want to kick off the week with some melanin friendly games! If this is your first time here at Blerdy Otome, welcome!
Every Monday I spotlight video games that focus on stories surrounding more diverse casts of characters—for folks like me looking for a bit more representation in their games. Video games are for everyone, so shouldn’t their stories and characters be just as diverse as the people that play them? So I created this series to celebrate games that strive to tell much more diverse stories centering on Black and Brown individuals. But, I welcome all diversity and the series has expanded to include games featuring LGBTQIA rep and characters from other underrepresented groups.
So, if you’re interested in seeing previous Melanin Friendly Games posts, click HERE. This week, I’m spotlighting the upcoming romance visual novel, ValiDate: Struggling Singles in Your Area, from Veritable Joy.
Hey Hey Blerdy Tribe, it’s LGBT Pride Month, the annual celebration dedicated to the richly diverse LGBT+ community!! Now more than ever, representation matters, especially in the wake of the recent string of injustices carried out here in the United States and abroad.
These past few years I celebrated Pride Month with lists of 10 LGBTQ positive visual novels—2018’s List , 2019’s List, and 2020’s List—and I highly recommend giving those a read, there are some seriously great titles there that definitely warrant a look. Because it’s June once again, I have compiled another list with loads more LGBTQ+ positive Visual Novels!
I tried my best to choose games that presented members of the LGBTQ+ community in a positive light, focusing less on sexual orientation or gender identity and more on telling meaningful stories that focus on the human experience. As in previous years, I have include links to each of the games, a synopsis of the story, and a short summary of the types of representation you’ll find in the game. So, without further ado, here are Loads More LGBTQ Positive Visual Novels that you should totally check out this Pride Month (and beyond)!
Continue reading “[Pride Month 2021] Loads More LGBTQ Positive Visual Novels”
Perfect Gold: The Alchemy of Happiness is a short slice-of-life yuri visual novel developed by Yangyang Mobile, an indie game studio based in the Philippines. This isn’t my first title by the studio—their horror visual novel The Letter had me afraid to sleep with the lights off for weeks after I finished it—but, their newest release offers a much more lighthearted experience. Follow estranged friends Marion LaRue and Audrey Clary as they explore the magical city of Castlecoast and get a second chance at love and friendship.
Continue reading “Perfect Gold: The Alchemy of Happiness Yuri Game Review”
No Honour Among Thieves is an upcoming LGBT crime-thriller visual novel developed by Tris Ravens—the project was on Kickstarter, however the team working on it was unable to reach their funding goal by the campaigns conclusion. Though, there are still plans to continue working on the project!
“Be gay, do crimes, break hearts and ruin lives” is a fitting tagline for No Honour Among Thieves, a gritty crime thriller/romance visual novel that takes players on a deep dive in to the less than savory underworld as you attempt to pull off the biggest con of your life!
Continue reading “First Impressions: No Honour Among Thieves Demo Review”
Hey Blerdy Tribe!! It’s Monday once again and I want to kick off the week with some melanin friendly games! If this is your first time here at Blerdy Otome, welcome!
Every Monday I spotlight video games that focus on stories surrounding more diverse casts of characters—for folks like me looking for a bit more representation in their games. Video games are for everyone, so shouldn’t their stories and characters be just as diverse as the people that play them? So I created this series to celebrate games that strive to tell much more diverse stories centering on Black and Brown individuals. But, I welcome all diversity and the series has expanded to include games featuring LGBTQIA rep and characters from other underrepresented groups.
So, if you’re interested in seeing previous Melanin Friendly Games posts, click HERE. This week, I’m spotlighting the upcoming match-3 game, Spirit Swap, from Soft Not Weak.
