Most Anticipated Visual Novels: 2012

It has been a while... again! It has been almost a month since I've last updated, so I decided to share something a little different with you guys today. This is a completely unrelated post from my usual walkthroughs/reviews, but I thought it'd be nice to let you guys have a little 'sneak peek' into the games I usually play. Or maybe even introduce you to some new games?

I've played countless Visual Novels (more so than I can remember) and 2012 is a pretty huge year for VN developments. The following is just a few that I've heard about, and am currently anticipating. If you're on the prowl for new games to play, I do sincerely recommend these!

1. Hakuoki: Demon of the Fleeting Blossom

SUMMARY: “Japan’s Edo Period was drawing to a close. The shogunate, who’d held power in the country for more than 200 years, found itself challenged by the imperial court, and by several domains who had chaffed under shogunal rule. In this midst of this political unrest, an organization rose to prominence: The Shinsengumi. Originally formed to protect the street of Kyoto from master less samurai, they came to represent the last, tragic bastion of the honor-bound samurai culture that had defined much of Japan’s history. 

In Hakuoki: Demon of the Fleeting Blossom, a young woman by the name of Chizuru comes to Kyoto in search of her missing father, and soon encounters danger and the Shinsengumi in quick succession. When it becomes clear the Shinsengumi are also searching for her father, Chizuru is put under their protection. But odd things are afoot in Kyoto-possibly even supernatural happenings. 

Can Chizuru navigate this maze of mortal danger and political intrigue? Amidst so much mystery and death, can she find romance? ”

OPINION: I stumbled across this recently, and it intrigued me so much because it's regarded as the first 'official' North American release of a Visual Novel. I was simply overjoyed since it is for the PSP platform, and my PSP3000 has been collecting dust for quite some time. It was the perfect excuse to finally use it, since when I think back on it now I don't even know why I purchased a PSP in the first place. 

It's not quite what I usually play since I'm really into the usual modern day otome game but the premise/complex storyline was enough to win me over. Not to mention the fact that it comes with the original Japanese voice, and the limited edition comes with original soundtrack + 72 page artbook for only an extra $10!!!

I took a look at the art beforehand, and it looks amazing. I've already purchased mine from Amazon, and waiting to receive it in a week or so (as you can tell... I'm super excited). From what I've heard, it's very popular/successful, so hopefully it means more licensed Visual Novels in future. If you would like to support the cause, I do recommend purchasing it. 

You can buy it from Amazon here.

2. Kaguya Hime: The Moon Princess Tale

SUMMARY: “Haunted, being followed, being haunted by your misfortune. Is it such a terrible thing… or, is it destiny’s way to carve out the truest path? 

Lyric is living in an orphanage when she was still a newborn baby. She’s spent her entire life, alone, in an old attic of an orphanage hidden away in a solitary valley. Along with her strange appearance and the fact that any families that adopted her died in some horrific accident after living with her for a short time, she’s locked in the world which feels alien to her, a world which she feels she does not belong in, a world where all she has experienced is pain and suffering.

Until one day, the orphanage’s calamity comes like a whirlwind, just like any families that adopted Lyric.”

OPINION: I was browsing Lemmasoft Forums quite some time ago, and I stumbled across this in the 'works in progress' section. I was amazed at how truly beautiful the artwork was seeing as how its an amateur, non-commercial game. I was so sure it was a commercial piece, as the art truly lived up to it. The premise of the storyline itself sounds extremely interesting, and I'm curious on the writer's take of the original 'tale'. Not much updates have been given so far, other than the character profiles but it's definitely high on my list of '2012' Visual Novels.

The characters themselves are very diverse, and wonderfully drawn to their personalities. You can check progress through the author's blog or on the lemmasoft forums. 

3. Shape of Love x Thief

SUMMARY: Year 201X, Tokyo. You have a great-grandfather, also known as Leonardo da Vinci Taisho, a curator of a museum. One day, a letter of notice arrives from the mysterious "Black Fox", an infamous thief. Their next target is you, for you hold the key to the treasure of your great grand-father!

OPINION: It's just a rough translation from Voltage Inc's page so my apologies for any mistakes ^_^ You guys know how much I love Voltage's works, and this one is no different. It has only been recently released in japanese in the iTunes store, but I sincerely hope this one is translated within the year of 2012. The premise sounds so interesting, and I've never played a VN surrounding the central idea of a 'thief' before. Not only this, but I feel like out of the titles Voltage has released thus far, the art in this one is the absolute best.

All the characters look amazing and promising, so I'm definitely looking forward to this one. For more information, you can check Voltage's page, or if you understand japanese you can purchase it from iTunes. 

4. Hanami x2

SUMMARY: Teisen is a young girl who makes a living selling dango from her small cart. Every year, she looks forward to the cherry blossom viewing and the increased business that comes with it. But this year, things are different. Will the cherry blossoms bring romance, or will Teisen spend another year alone? 

OPINION: It's by the same creators of RE: Allistair, which a lot of people should have played already, or heard about (it's a pretty famous, free otome game ^_^) The art looks beautiful, and although it will only be a relatively short game (30mins or so) it looks very promising. I'm certain it'll be the sweet kind of romance, and since I love Sakevisual's Visual Novels, I'll be sure to play it when it's released. 

For more information, visit here.

5. (P)lanets 2 - the life of happiness has started!

SUMMARY: What shows happiness? Is it the smile on your face? Or the light surrounding you?

Mizutani Rinko has had the ability to see colored lights around people since she was young. These lights are called ‘aura’, which change color based on the person’s emotion. Because of her special power, Rinko is beginning her first year at (P)lanets, a psychic academy with a reputation for craziness. While there, she’ll learn there’s more to her power than she knew, and that emotions are much more complex than expected… all while making friends with (P)lanets’ colorful array of students. Can she balance her psychic life and her love life as she progresses through the year?

OPINION: This is the sequel to the super popular free otome game, (P)lanets - the life of normalcy has ended! I personally really enjoyed the first one, and loved the art, so of course I'd be anticipating this release ^_^ I like the new take on the previous environment, since it's refreshing and different. Rather than a protagonist who developed psychic abilities, she is now born with it. Although I'm a little disappointed in the new obtainable character designs, we shall see how progress comes along.

For regular updates, check Lemmasoft Forums.

6. Heartstring Bugs

SUMMARY: Unsatisfied with her first year of high school, Tori's (or Elly) decided to break out of her mould. After crashing into a baby virus, she is able to see h@x, basically a hack on life itself. Though not strong, she is only able to to see emotions and special qualities about other people. This gave her an extra confidence boost to open herself up.

OPINION: I'm unsure whether or not that is the 'final' summary of the game, since it is a work in progress but that has been posted up so far ^_^ It's by the same author as Frozen Essence (which I have yet to post a review for), but it was the first VN that I ever played. I adored the game so much, and it has always had a special place in my heart (corny... but true). 

So of course I had to keep my eyes peeled for any new releases by the same author. Originally then the game was suppose to be a 'stat-simulation otome game' based on the whole concept of 'The Seven Deadly Sins'. I thought that the idea was so fresh and original, but sadly it was scrapped due to the difficulties of programming it. 

Although I am disappointed by this (since it really was a great idea), we shall see how things go with this game. I'm looking forward to see what happens, since the game is rather lengthy (50k+ words... or so it says). It is still however, a stat simulation. 

For regular progress updates, check out the website here. 

7. Shugojin!

SUMMARY: The story follows Aiko Fujiwara who was living a perfectly normal life until one fateful day. One accident changed her life forever. She was somehow teleported to an alternative universe where traditional lifestyle meets spiritual magic. She is greeted by beautiful guys who call themselves the Shugojins (Guardian Spirits).Things get complicated when the reason behind Aiko's arrival is revealed.

OPINION: I've never played games by this author before, so I have no idea what to expect. The story although incredibly cliche, I can't quite judge how good it is yet since we'll just have to see. The art so far looks very pretty for a free otome game, and I'm a sucker for the fantasy genre ^_^ I just love the 'magical/ plot twists, since it just spices up the game so much more than a typical high school shoujo game. 

It's apparently quite lengthy, and is one of the most popular "works in progress" on Lemmasoft forums. You can download the DEMO, read more about the Visual Novel and keep track with updates here.

I know that there aren't many commercial Visual Novels on this list - but it's simply because there hasn't been any news (that I know of) of english VNs being released, or "licensed". This is pretty disappointing for me, but not to worry - since it's still only early 2012.

Hopefully with the release of Hakuoki, this will encourage more companies to license Japanese Commercial VNs ^_^

If you guys know any VNs that you would recommend me, feel free to comment below or in the chat box! I will most certainly check it out, or even add to this list if it interests me.