Community Game-Along: Play Visual Novels in May!

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A new month means a new Community Game-Along theme, and this year, May is all about visual novels! We’ve had a ton of great otome game visual novel announcements recently, and while romance definitely is a central theme to many visual novels, for the month of May, any and all visual novels are game!

If you’re new to the visual novel genre, now’s as good a time as any to start! While visual novels generally forgo traditional gameplay to focus on text-based narration, voiced dialogue, and the occasional decision to change the course of the story, many other genres also incorporate visual novel elements. In the interest of getting as many people involved as possible, any games with significant visual novel portions, such as Danganronpa and Zero Escape, are going to be included in the “visual novel” umbrella.

Since we didn’t get a lot of buzz for last month’s theme (poor Yuji Naka!), I’d like to remind everyone to utilize the hashtag #VNMay on social media. All you need to do is pick a game that fits the theme and talk about your experiences to participate in the Game-Along. Don’t forget to share any lengthier thoughts you may have in blog posts, podcasts, or your favorite medium of choice! If you’re stumped as to what to play, here are a few games to get you started.

Code: Realize English version on the way courtesy of Aksys Games

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It’s raining otome games! First, Idea Factory International announced plans to release Amnesia: Memories for PS Vita and Steam this August, and now Aksys Games is following up with another Otomate title, Code: Realize! According to the announcement on the Official PlayStation Blog, the game will be released both on PSN and physically for the PS Vita sometime this fall.

I recently lamented the fact that Idea Factory International still hadn’t announced an otome game localization (this was before Amnesia: Memories), but the article could really have been directed at any publisher, so I’m extremely happy to see Aksys Games following suit. The fact that Code: Realize is the third otome game IP Aksys has localized says a lot for how well the genre is doing for the publisher, which is extremely exciting.

coderealizeenglish — Whatever you say, amazingly good-looking man!

Last year, I even wrote that Code: Realize was one otome game I wanted to play before the end of the year, as its steampunk aesthetic and use of famous literary characters as romance options (Arsène Lupin! Victor Frankenstein!) looked like a lot of fun. The use of recognizeable characters may help the game appeal to a broader English-speaking audience than, say, Amnesia: Memories, so it will be really interesting to see how the two fare.

Aksys Games will be launching the official Code: Realize site shortly (update: the English site is now live), but in the meantime, you can head to the Japanese website for some promotional videos, wallpapers, Twitter icons, and all kinds of fun materials.

Jlist Snack Subscription Review

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Jlist is one of the go-to sites for Japanese snacks, anime/manga merchandise, video games, and more for folks living outside of Japan. It makes sense, then, that as Japanese snack subscription services have been popping up left and right over the past couple of years, Jlist would also jump on said bandwagon. Since I’m already a fan of the site, I knew I had to try out their snack subscription box for myself and see how it compares with the likes of OyatsuBox, Japanese Treats, and Candy Japan. Of course, I had to share my impressions!

Charmixy: Witch Academy is the cutest Kickstarter game I’ve seen yet

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I’m so glad Tess Young, creator of Charmixy: Witch Academy, approached me about covering the game’s Kickstarter campaign, because otherwise I might’ve missed out on this adorable mobile title! Charmixy is a puzzle action game for mobile phones that the developers plan on releasing completely for free if development is funded in order to reach as wide an audience as possible. It even has some romance game elements and a Puyo Puyo vibe… Totally awesome, right?

Apricotsushi Shops: Sailor Moon Merchandise

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Welcome to Apricotsushi Shops, a new series where I highlight cool Japanese products I’ve found in my travels and the all items I’m currently pining over on my wishlist! Sometimes I’ll focus on a specific theme, and sometimes I’ll share whatever I can’t get off my mind, but one thing’s for sure… You’ll want to hold onto that wallet!

I think I have a Sailor Moon problem. I’m not even watching the new anime, Sailor Moon Crystal, but I can’t stop looking at Sailor Moon merchandise! For someone who grew up with the series, the recent revival is everything amazing you didn’t get when you were a kid (well, if you were a kid like me living in the middle of nowhere, USA). But, not all Sailor Moon merchandise is created equal. Today, I’m going to show you the cream of the crop!

Rejoice! Otome game Amnesia: Memories is coming out in English

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That’s right, Amnesia: Memories, one of the most requested otome games by the English community, is actually getting localized! I take back everything I said in my slightly scathing article about Idea Factory International not releasing any games from their Otomate library. According to folk son Twitter who attended the company’s inaugural press event, it turns out they’ve been hard at work localizing Amnesia: Memories for both PS Vita and Steam! Update: The official site is now live, along with an English trailer!

Amnesia: Memories is a relatively unique otome game that starts you out in the shoes of an amnesiac protagonist (okay, that part’s not that unique) who is thrown into a reality of your choice where she’s already in an existing relationship with one of the game’s dateable men. Each reality is slightly different, but the ultimate goal is always the same: figure out what caused the protagonist’s amnesia and get lovey-dovey with your sweetheart of choice.

Amnesia: Memories is slated to launch digitally for PS Vita and Steam in August. Stay tuned for future posts where I’ll talk about my experiences with the Japanese game!I honestly believe Amnesia: Memories is a great choice for an English release, given how popular the title is in Japan and among English-speaking otome game fans. But, while you may find yourself so excited for the game’s impending release that you’re tempted to watch the anime adaptation, I’m going to advise against it… Unless you enjoy things that are laughably bad.

This Q-Pot x Sailor Moon collaboration is everything I’ve ever wanted

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I’m not usually very savvy when it comes to things like high-end jewelry and cosmetics, but Q-Pot has always been on my radar for their amazing sweets-inspired collections. But since the vast majority of their items carry a hefty price tag, I’ve been able to stay away… until now. Their upcoming Sailor Moon collection, due to launch June 30th (Usagi’s birthday), contains some of the most gorgeous pieces of jewelry I’ve ever seen!