Hey folks,
Lolinia here. Figured I would drop a quick article here on the site about why I primarily choose to play and review Visual Novels. After all, when it comes to VNs, most people would think there isn’t much to review. However, as time goes on and the idea that ‘VNs aren’t games’ is very slowly falling to the wayside and communities evolve and game engines improve, that really isn’t the case any more. On the other hand, there is still a growing number of people who believe that VNs are nothing but anime porn games. While there is certainly a market for 18+ erotica, not all VNs pander to the perverse, and some of those that do only do so after they make you cry from how emotional the story is.
Before I get too far into this, let me tell you how I got into visual novels. Back in the good, old year of 2009, I was playing a browser MMO by the name of Billy VS. SNAKEMAN. It was a silly little game, but it won my heart with its random fun and the people I met there were close to my heart (some of which I still talk with to this day). I was loitering around the forum chat we had in Knowledge Village and some one brought to my attention a 4chan link. For those who haven’t figured it out from that statement alone, the game demo I was shown happened to be Katawa Shoujo.
While I did have my PS2 and N64 in those days, I wasn’t much of a gamer since I couldn’t afford games (7 years later and I still can’t afford games. HAHA), but I made do with what I knew I could do. With the crappy PC I had and years of trudging through forum communities behind my belt, I dove into the world of Katawa Shoujo and it was a grounding experience. I loved it. And I wanted more.
Even though I wanted more VNs, no one around me at the time knew where to get more games like Katawa Shoujo… other than illegal torrenting sites or sites COMPLETELY in Japanese. While MangaGamer was founded in 2008, all the visual novel enthusiasts around me were practically pirates, so I never heard of any legit sellers until I got onto Steam about three years ago. So, until then, I didn’t touch VNs, except one.
In 2012, Katawa Shoujo was fully released and I fell in love again. I once again had a visual novel in my life, but I still wanted more. For the next two and a half years, I wondered why there weren’t more games like it. Then I found Steam and was introduced to Sekai Project and World End Economica in June 2014. From there, I found If My Heart Had Wings on (the now defunct) Desura as well as finding MangaGamer soon after. I found myself finding out about all the games I had missed out on in my time wandering about on the internet and had much to catch up on! … But wait
What about others who may have been like me? What about those who haven’t yet learned what a visual novel is? How can I help more people like me who love this type of game? Not long after the creation of We Touch Games (long after I became a reviewer for The Drastik Measure), thoughts like those started appearing for me. How could I help people find more visual novels? The answer was simple:
Review them.
The more visual novels posted to this website, the more chances there are for people to find them. While I can’t afford to buy the games, if the publishers/developers decide to put their trust in Draul and myself, I can then use their kindness to spread the word on more and more visual novels. Yes, I do enjoy getting ‘free games’ in the sense of not paying money; instead, I barter what little writing talent and sound judgments I have left in exchange for a game. Thanks to folks at companies like Sekai Project, Degica, Idea Factory International, MangaGamer, and all the indie VN/OELVN developers who put their faith in us, I have a chance to bring awareness to something I dearly love. Who knows? I may help someone find their passion. I know I’ve found a bit of mine. ^^
-Lolinia
—-
Thanks for reading! Keep up with the latest news from Lolinia by following him on Twitter: @TaisiHyuuga. As always, keep up with the latest news with The Drastik Measure and We Touch Games by way of Twitter, as well: TDM = @TDrastikMeasure / WTG = @WeTouchGames. Add the site to your favorites so you can always find your way back to us!
- KONOSUBA – God’s Blessing on This Wonderful World! Love for These Clothes of Desire! – PC Review - February 16, 2024
- Testament: The Order of High Human – PC Review - November 28, 2023
- Assassin’s Creed Mirage – PC Review - November 10, 2023