Memoirs of an Angel
^{Windows, Free}

Review pending...

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Mauris et augue sodales lacus porttitor malesuada nec vel elit. Aenean gravida diam sit amet finibus varius. Ut eget aliquam justo. Curabitur at libero vulputate, elementum metus sit amet, auctor augue. Sed a ante sit amet mauris tempor interdum ac convallis nulla. Vivamus sit amet suscipit dui. Vivamus gravida sollicitudin interdum. Vestibulum posuere vitae nisl non feugiat. Aliquam ornare mi quam, a posuere nisl laoreet eu. Morbi semper, tortor ut pellentesque ornare, urna purus elementum massa, eget sollicitudin diam nisl non lacus. Sed nec sodales libero. Duis risus neque, porta nec tempus quis, mollis commodo tortor. Suspendisse ornare accumsan lacus id volutpat.

Memories on the Shoreline
^{Windows, Commercial}

【 ✘ 】 Having pretty art and a mermaid-themed story, this visual novel looked interesting at first glance, but it turned out to be nothing if not disappointing. The writing is atrocious - misspelled words and punctuation errors abound, the pacing is not the best, and there are several plot holes and inconsistencies. In fact, this game is so poorly written that I struggled to understand what was happening in a couple of scenes.

Characterization is also inconsistent. The background stories for each of the two love interests lead nowhere, and the game ends too abruptly. I would not recommend playing this even if it was free.

Midnight Cinderella
^{Android, Freemium}

Midnight Cinderella is a mobile visual novel with many different love interests in a vague historial court setting. It also features an avatar system with competition between players.

There are several love interests. All routes are separate and can have a bad, a good, and a best ending. Progression is fairly slow and often frustrating unless one is willing to spend money on the game. Still, the nameable protagonist is its worst flaw - she has no agency or personality or any real impact in the storyline. This makes player choices feel irrelevant, and it is impossible to predict an outcome when both choices given are equally vapid and superficial.

Mind Rite
^{Windows, Commercial}

Set in a low fantasy world, this visual novel stars a detective trying to catch a murderer who might be targeting her. There are three love interests - the best friend and partner, the eccentric pathologist, and the boss.

The writing is good, though I question the choice of having the investigation stall at some point, leaving the characters stumbling around until the case resolves itself. The art is beautiful, with lovely event illustrations. I liked the characters and the romance aspects as well.

Mori no Monogatari
^{Browser, Free}

Mori no Monogatari is a short Flash game loosely based on Little Red Riding Hood, with a rabbit-eared protagonist going to visit her grandmother’s house and meeting other characters on the way.

The game has different kemonomimi as love interests and includes both good, bad, and weird (comedic) endings. The art and event illustrations are cute, and the romance endings are sweet. A game worth playing, although it now requires a roundabout way to do so due to Flash being discontinued.

Munster Academy
^{Windows, Free}

This is a short-length visual novel about a werewolf protagonist who is a new student at a high school for monsters. The plot is very simple, featuring two love interests - a werewolf and a vampire.

The game itself is unpolished. There are some mistakes and inconsistencies in the writing, no event illustrations or UI art, and the background and sprite art are mismatched. Still, the story itself manages a few cute moments.

My Lady
^{Windows, Commercial}

【 ♦ 】 A visual novel set in the Victorian era, with a short and straightforward story that can nevertheless end very differently depending on player choices. Despite the lower than average word count, the plot does not feel rushed to me.

There is only one possible love interest, but it is interesting that the main character is pursuing him rather than the opposite. I also like the overall aesthetics of the game; the faceless yet distinct character sprites are an original thought.

My Raising Diary
^{Windows, Fanmade Translation Patch}

Using life-sim and raising game mechanics, the concept of this game involves the scientist protagonist directing the learning of a boy she artificially created and who grows at an accelerated rate. The choices made throughout the game will result in one of many different endings once he grows up.

There is only one love interest, and many endings that are not romantic, focusing on the boy rather than having him end up with the protagonist. Somehow I wasn’t a fan of this game as it gave me an odd feeling of melancholy even when getting the best endings, but maybe it is worth a replay.

My Secret Pets
^{Windows, Commercial}

【 ✘ 】 This is a visual novel centered around five pet-turned-human love interests.

I disliked both the characters themselves and the terrible story. The writing - or perhaps the translation - is not the best, but that still bothered me less than the plot making no sense, while the characters themselves are boring, frustrating, and even downright abusive. The artwork is good, but not in any way enough to salvage the rest of the game.

My Teacher
^{Windows, Free}

This is a short visual novel following a teacher who is hired to teach life skills to five adult brothers. There are five love interests, each with a separate route that is selected right at the beginning.

The art isn’t professional grade, but there are event illustrations, and it’s easy to figure out what choices lead to good endings. The romance plot is rushed, however, taking place over a few days only.

Mystic Messenger
^{Android, Freemium}

【 ♦ 】 A mobile game with original gameplay based around real-time “chat rooms”. There are six male and one female love interests, each with their own separate route that lasts a week; the player can achieve the best ending by responding properly during the group chats and occasional visual novel scenes.

The highlights of the game are the realistic effect provided by the real-time gameplay, the professional art with plenty of illustrations, and the characters themselves. There is also a lot of extra content, such as post-game stories and the characters communicating with the player through fake phone calls.

On the other hand, aside from the mystery plot being a bit messy, the real-time gameplay can be impractical and exhausting; the chatrooms will close if not participated in before the next one opens. It is possible to reverse this with in-game currency, but seeing that that currency is earned only sparsely through gameplay and also needed to unlock all but three of the character routes and all the extra content stories, using it becomes an issue for free players.

My Valentine
^{Browser, Free}

A bite-sized browser visual novel about an unseen, nameable protagonist getting a temporary job at a café. There are two love interests, each having a bad, good, and perfect ending.

The art is nice. Gameplay is simple, choices obvious, and routes clear. The characters could have been better with some development, but because the story is rushed everything becomes lackluster.

Nachtigal
^{Windows, Free}

This is a visual novel about a woman who gets lost and ends up at a vampire mansion. Although the premise might seem cliché, the plot and background stories for the characters are well-thought out and develop nicely throughout the game.

There are two love interests, both of which are vampires. The protagonist is amusing, standing up for herself and often making jokes. There are several endings, which can be considered good, bad, or simply neutral. The art is also quite nice.

NEKOPARA - Catboys Paradise
^{Windows, Free}

A game about a new café manager taking in four catboy employees who also intend to become her housecats. This is a fully-voiced visual novel featuring four nekomimi love interests and a light-hearted ambience.

The art is beautiful and the characters are lovely. However, this is as of yet more of a prologue than a full game - the only interactivity is choosing which character route to start on, and those mostly covering introductory scenes to the love interests and their relationship to the protagonist.

Never Forget Me
^{Windows, Commercial}

【 ✘ 】 Despite being a sequel and me not playing the original, this plays just fine as a standalone visual novel, but is otherwise very lacking. The plot follows the newlywed protagonist and her husband, who is chosen between four different love interests, all having entirely different routes.

The art is good, but the writing is shallow and repetitive, and so are the stories themselves. Even the good endings fall flat and feel boring.

Never Give Up
^{Windows, Commercial}

【 ♦ 】 A visual novel set in a fairly low fantasy world that follows a half-elf protagonist and centers around the danger of a serial killer who has been targeting those of her race.

The protagonist is a great example of how to write an otome main character who is insecure but learns to stand up for herself, making her likable instead of annoying. There are three love interests - the childhood friend, the rival classmate, and the detective investigating the murders - and side characters which are also well-developed. The art is beautiful, and the crime plot is intriguing too, making this a pretty great game overall.

The Nine Lives of Nim: Fortune’s Fool
^{Windows, Commercial}

【 ♦ 】 This stat-raising visual novel features many characters and plots based on Shakespearean plays. Protagonist Nim is a cat spirit spending a month in the human world to search for the missing prince of her land.

There are many endings, with variations, based on stats and choices made during the game. Unlocking endings also grants stat bonuses for subsequent playthrough. The art is nice, and although the style is not necessarily my cup of tea, I still quite liked some of the ending illustrations. Also, aside from the main romance options who have special endings with illustrations, it’s possible to romance almost all of the side characters.

Norn 9
Norn 9: Last Era
^{PS Vita/Nintendo Switch, Commercial}

【 ♥ ♦ 】 This visual novel follows a group of young characters as they embark on a strange ship for an unknown mission. The unfolding story has a very unique concept, and there is even a short ‘epilogue’ - unlocked by finishing every route - that reveals the truth about the setting. Still, in spite of the sci-fi and mystery themes, romance is always the focus, which I appreciated.

The game is unique in that there are three protagonists to choose from, and each has three possible love interests. The choice of protagonist and route happens after a prologue, and each story develops in a different direction. Characters and routes range from bad to decent to best - for example, I loved Sakuya and Natsuhiko’s routes, and hated Masamune’s.

The sequel begins with a lengthy introduction showing the events that immediately preceded the original game. Once that’s finished, the player has a choice between after stories for each of the happy endings, a review of the past routes from the love interests’ point of view, or a funny side story including the various characters.

Although there is less gameplay and some event illustrations are simply ones from the first game, the quality is upheld and again there are a few extras to unlock, as well as extended insight given on the story’s setting.

Notice Me, Senpai!
^{Android, Freemium}

【 ♥ ♦ 】 Notice Me, Senpai! is a fun and adorable idle game - take it from someone who hates idle games! - where you decorate a school café in different ways to attract customers. Achieving a certain number of visits from each character, all of which are based on common otome tropes, will unlock new features, romance short stories, and cute illustrations.

Despite the apparent simplicity, this game features lovely scenarios, and it’s a delight to play, while also not demanding too much time or commitment.

Nuts: A Dark Romance Game
^{Windows, Free}

Featuring a cast of food items and animals that have become humans, this short visual novel sets up a dating show where the protagonist must choose between six love interests. A solo route or a friendship route with a female character are also possible choices.

The game is mostly a bizarre comedy, full of puns and moments of breaking the fourth wall. Still, it does manage a few cute moments. The art is overall quite nice, though it is impossible not to notice some character sprites are drawn in a different style, clashing with the rest.