Kaleidoscope 2
^{Browser, Free}

【 ♥ ♦ 】 This is a dating sim-style game to be played online, and I love its bright, beautiful designs and art with animated elements! The plot is negligible, making it a very relaxed game with sweet love interests and cute dialogue; nevertheless, due to some gameplay elements, I would still recommend using a guide.

All in all, this is a short-length game that is absolutely worth playing!

The Knife of the Traitor
^{Windows, Free}

A short visual novel about a hated protagonist who was betrayed and stabbed through the neck, this game has quite the unique story and setting, including some bizarre humor. The art is great, if unusual in a way that fits the overall feel of the game.

The plot revolves around the mystery of who betrayed the protagonist, and although the romance element is mostly overlooked, Corvus' route is adorable and my favorite. The protagonist herself should be likable to anyone who, like me, is too tired of doormat-like otome heroines.

The plot is straightforward, but well-written. The worldbuilding appears naturally through dialogue, without over-exposition, making the setting feel organic. There are other neat details to explore as well, such as an ‘inventory’ where you can see the items mentioned during the game.

The Knight’s Dilemma
^{Windows, Free}

【 ♦ 】 “The Knight’s Dilemma” is a perfectly polished short-length visual novel following a knight protagonist as she struggles with her worries about the new king and the future of the kingdom. There are two love interests, each representing a separate route - support the king or join the rebellion.

The game is fully voiced, with beautiful art, nice writing and cute romance. The protagonist is one of the best I have found in otome, and I was also (pleasantly) surprised to find out she is older than both the love interests. Characters and characterization in general are a strong suit of this game.

Lads in Distress
^{Windows, Free}

【 ♦ 】 A colorful visual novel about a magic-wielding princess who must marry one of three love interests, all based on well-known fairytales (Snow White, Rapunzel, and The Little Mermaid). Each route is separate after the prologue, and while there are bad endings, it isn’t too difficult to make the right choices.

The art is cute and the story is both interesting and fluffy, but the highlight of the game are the characters themselves. I especially love the protagonist for being strong and self-assured, and Zel for having that sort of kind and naive personality that is sadly uncommon for male characters in media, much less when they are possible love interests

The Lady Knight and the Three Princes
^{Windows, Free}

With a cute art style and adorable characters, this short visual novel tells the tale of a knight (and her pet bear!) who must pass a difficult trial in order to marry one of three princes. Each route features a different trial, with all of them being fairytale-inspired.

I liked both the characters and the story, despite it being a bit nonsensical at times. The choices are neither too difficult nor too obvious, making the gameplay enjoyable. Overall, it is a sweet game that was worth playing.

Lake of Voices
^{Windows, Free}

This horror-themed visual novel tells the story of a group of characters crossing an ominous lake, knowing not everyone will reach the other shore. There are four fully-voiced love interests - three male, one female.

With a focus on difficult decisions and harsh consequences, the most well-executed parts of this game are the branching paths and the lore and plot points that connect like puzzle pieces. The characters are also unique and likable, including the protagonist, and the art is lovely. There are also three bonus comedy stories unlockable after playing.

Let’s Not Stay Friends
^{Windows, Commercial}

【 ♥ ♦ 】 A visual novel game centering around a magical exam, where the protagonist needs to choose one of her three classmates to pair up with. These classmates are also the possible love interests, all very different between themselves, and each has their own separate route with bad, good, and best endings.

The game has beautiful art, both regarding sprites and event illustrations. The fantasy aspects were intriguing without overshadowing the plot, and there are humorous moments in the writing as well. The romance aspect is great too, with the childhood friend’s route being the highlight of the game, in my opinion. An extra gallery is also included once you finish the game for the first time.

Locked Heart
^{Windows, Free}

【 ♥ ♦ 】 This is a short, fairytale-themed visual novel where the protagonist must break a family's curse. Rather than it being a gruesome curse, however, they have all been turned into cute living toys.

There are three love interests, and although Sol was my clear favorite, I honestly liked all of them. Each route has a good and a best ending, the latter requiring making all the right choices, and they are different enough to maintain player interest after the first playthrough. The overall tone is very sweet. The art is nice, the romance and friendships are wholesome, and I love how the story still has twists and ties together at the end without being overly complex.

Love & Order
^{Windows, Commercial}

【 ✘ 】 A simulation game with visual novel elements where you play as a young woman who got a new job at a law firm. There are four love interests - three male, one female - and the game allows you to date one of them while also trying to solve a mystery. Solving the mystery effectively ends the playthrough.

The game is very simple and rather shallow in all aspects, except maybe that it has nice art. Some bugging can be expected. Finishing the game also unlocks some extras; one of them reveals the true colors of one of the love interests, and it sounded rather unnecessary to me to add such a backstory to this sort of game.

Love in Oasis
^{Windows, Free}

The nameable protagonist of this visual novel attempts to keep herself and her young friend alive in a world overrun by zombies; maybe she will find love along the way. There are two love interests, each with their own separate route. One of them is revealed to be transgender; I consider this a small flaw, as I feel that kind of information I think should have been stated from the start on what is clearly a romance-oriented game.

On a more positive note, the art is quite nice and impressively cohesive for a short, free indie game. The characters are also a strong point – from the protagonist to the side characters, all have clear personalities and different dynamics between them. The romance feels a bit rushed, and there are some consistent issues with punctuation, but the overall writing is good.

Loveless on Lockdown
^{Windows, Free}

【 ✘ 】 A short visual novel with a nice aesthetic and some cute art, and also an incredibly shallow and rushed storyline about a young woman trying to find a boyfriend during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The writing feels unnatural at times, pushing the “internet speak” too far. The most off-putting aspect of the game, however, is that it presents itself as having two male love interests, but one of them turns out to be female at the end of his - actually her - route. There is no hinting at this reveal and no logical reason why the character was lying about her gender. I cannot imagine why anyone thought this would make a good romance plotline.

Lover Pretend
^{Nintendo Switch, Commercial}

Lover Pretend is a visual novel following a college student who dreams of becoming a screenwriter and finding her absent father. The slice-of-life plot is low stakes and focused on romance, with great writing, likable characters, and many wholesome moments.

There are four main love interests, and a fifth route that is playable after all the others have been cleared. Each route has several bad outcomes, a good ending, and a happy ending. There is an indicator for correct choices as well.

The most engaging aspect of the game is a mechanic called “Pretend Time” - on occasions in which the protagonist has to deceive or convince others, the player is called on to make a series of timed choices in order to succeed. It is a smart twist on classic visual novel choices.

The game has beautiful art, with a distinct style and great use of patterns, and many event illustrations to collect. I also found the soundtrack engaging. Unlockable extras include not only an image gallery and music room, but also an ending list, character profiles and short stories.

Love Ritual
^{Windows, Commercial}

【 ✘ 】 Love Ritual is a visual novel with point-and-click elements that I would not recommend for the simple fact that it is full of bugs - loading previous saves can freeze the game, for example, and the game shows uncensored event illustrations in the gallery even when one chooses to play the censored version of the game.

The magic mystery story is interesting but it feels rushed, and one of the two love interests is insufferable all the way through. The most positive aspect of this game is the beautiful art, being colorful and seamlessly animated, but that alone isn’t enough to salvage it.

Love Spell: Written in the Stars
^{Windows, Commercial}

In this visual novel, a nameable protagonist is gifted a magic book that allows her to cast a temporary love spell on one of four love interests. Thus begins a slightly magical adventure through four different stories.

The highlight of the game is the art - some sprites look a bit off, but overall it makes great use of subtle animations and the event illustrations look beautiful. There are also nice unlockable extras, like interviews with the love interests and side stories, in addition to an image gallery and navigation features. There are also achievements, which frustratingly can only be fully achieved by buying the DLC that adds a fifth love interest and route.

The downsides are definitely the story, characterization, and gameplay. The childhood friend love interest has an infuriating personality, and the professor one makes for a questionable power dynamic. None of the three routes I played was particularly interesting, and the plot has the tone of an over dramatic soap opera, complete with unnecessary misunderstandings and dragged out drama. All player choices are meaningless aside from the final one in each route, which pushes the game too far into kinetic novel territory.

In the end, Love Spell: Written in the Stars is not a bad game, but neither is it a very good one. It is not worth the price outside of sales, and I could not justify buying the DLC.

Lucky Rabbit Reflex
^{Windows, Commercial}

This game is a visual novel with stat-raising elements, and centers around the classic high school theme. The art takes some getting used to, as it is quite unusual for an otome game, but it seems a lot of care was put into it. The comic book style scenes are particularly interesting and unique.

The game has a nice amount of content, and the stories and endings are cute. There are five main love interests plus one minor route, and side characters you can befriend; overall, some characters are more lovable than others, but it would be difficult not to like at least a few of them.