@Yasako

I'm not really bothered by het if it's a towards anything resembling a female player surrogate since I can just detach.

It's so odd that this is even applicable in a game where you technically play as the father. Regardless, if a game has yuri options I will staunchly ignore all het as best as I can. I do not play yuri games to experience het content. If I do engage with het works then I obviously already made up my mind to deal with it and can appreciate it more naturally.

I do not mind missing out on 100% completion in this case, that's for sure.

they fight over Rose. Like, what are you doing? That's the entire opposite reason of why you would go for poly, practically speaking?

I hear that is the ultimate fantasy of most straight women. Two hot guys who fight over you.
Imagine me rolling my eyes.

I wish the NPC/villager romance endings had more content. Rebecca is sooooo cute. I had to turn off the part of my brain that remembered her age (I wouldn't have had to if she only joined the town when Rose hit 15 or if she was even two years younger though rip) but she's still so sweet with Rose.

I like Rebecca too and this is going back to my statement that the game definitely leans more towards het romance. Out of the 7 female love interests, 3 are immobile NPCs with very limited interactions and involvement (Rebecca, Mary and Connie). Lebsa and Gwyneth being house leaders also only hang out at the base, but at least they have more general presence. Meanwhile all the direct male love interests can appear all over the map and have a lot of involvement with the world and each other. The only stationary ones are the real outliers like Mark (that one knight who never shows his face) and the blacksmith and the boatman who both don't actually romance Rose themselves (thank the goddess for that brrr).

You'd think Nina fails in the androgyny metric, but she has a mullet, so like, even applying the male standards, she passes, if barely.

A mullet is not a masculine hairstyle, it is unisex, but I suppose that is what makes it androgynous in your mind? Also final year/adult Nina has no mullet, she has long free flowing hair. In general I actually like the sprite changes in the winter year a lot. Nina definitely gets the best glow-up though.

@h3x

Finished Flowers series.
-printemps- 7/10
-ete- 8/10
-automne 6+/10
-hiver- 6/10
Yeah, the grande finale was disappointing.

Putting Printemps above Automne should be a violation of the Geneva Conventions. I have seen war crimes less gruesome! I can only assume this evaluation is pairing related or something and not an objective assessment of the writing.
Automne is still objectively better written than Printemps and Hiver though, whether someone likes it or not. Ete is rather popular and it often is a head to head race between these two, but I generally see it come down to pairings. EriChido is simply that good, so it is not hard to see why Ete often wins out for people. On the other hand those who do not like Ete generally think it is too much fluff with very little actual advancement of the plot. It is definitely the lightest course in the 4 set meal of Flowers.

That aside, on the prior pages me and a few other posters had some... intense discussions about Hiver and I did indeed find myself on the same side as you, one who is a bit disappointed with it. Though I would not rate it that low because of it. It stumbled in a few crucial places, but it still hit the emotional highs it needed and serves well as a cap on the series.

last edited at Jun 28, 2023 6:00PM

Good news everyone!
Volcano Princess sold 600k copies. That is an incredible achievement for a small indie game. I believe this will set a good example for future Princess Maker style games and perhaps also give them the funds to make either some DLC or a sequel.

Today I come not with a recommendation, but rather a topic of discussion that pertains to how I deal with the recommendation list.

AI generated art

A contentious thing to be sure, but one that will become harder to avoid as time goes on. It has come to my attention over the past year that some Visual Novel devs (and of course any other kind of game dev) are starting to rely more on this tool than they perhaps should or are capable of. I will not name any particular groups or studios, but there has been a flood of yuri visual novels and games that use AI art quite liberally, both for characters sprites/CGs and even backgrounds.

The issue with AI art has been and will continue to be heavy uncanny valley, basic mistakes that even an amateur can spot and bad anatomy. In many cases these mistakes are so obvious that it seems outrageous they are not at least touched up in post. Bent bones, extra fingers, hair fusing with skin, impossible clothes, inhuman writing etc. Devs who do not even care to hide these flaws in their screenshots or trailers exist now.

I do see AI as a double-edged sword and as long as it is of good enough quality I may even be accepting of its use. As long as the writing is human and interesting, perhaps art is a secondary concern.
But these are after all in the majority products that cost money. Money that rewards the use of what in some cases can only be considered art theft (most AIs are fed with existing art to remix it).

So frankly, is it even permissable for me to add such VNs to the list?
Should I make a separate section that specifically lists these AI riddled products? But in that case would I not simply create a contamination zone so to speak rather than a recommendation?
And in cases of devs who are much more adept at altering the AI base and make seamless transitions into handcrafted works, must I make a distinction?

I would appreciate some insight from other users so that I may figure out how to deal with the recommendation list going forward. Thank you.

EDIT: It appears the topic is not that important to people, so for now I just chose not to include AI generated art VNs on the list. Ultimately anyone can still just recommend them normally in here anyway.

last edited at Oct 3, 2023 1:29PM

Today marks the release of the free story DLC for Synergia: Sunrise

A very short and succinct epilogue taking place 1 year after the events of the main story. I will avoid spoilers, but it is both depressing and hopeful, much like the main game. The writer has a knack for making incredibly immersive and interesting tales that always leave you wanting for more. So I end up at the same conclusion as the first time I finished Synergia - please give me more!

PS: As usual I have added more VNs to the recommendation list.

last edited at Oct 3, 2023 1:47PM

The next game of the Fatal Twelve devs, UsoNatsu ~The Summer Romance Bloomed From A Lie~, is out now~

Been looking forward to playing this one since i heard about it, can't wait for the download to finish!

The next game of the Fatal Twelve devs, UsoNatsu ~The Summer Romance Bloomed From A Lie~, is out now~

Been looking forward to playing this one since i heard about it, can't wait for the download to finish!

OH my god that was so GOOD???? introspective and raw and well paced and oh my lord.

def mind the content warnings bc woof. it's not over the top or indulgently dramatic at all, which makes it hit so much closer to home with how candid it is and doesn't gloss over things. woof

i want to gush but i also don't want to talk more about it, so i'm just gonna leave a big recommendation to play it xD

The next game of the Fatal Twelve devs, UsoNatsu ~The Summer Romance Bloomed From A Lie~, is out now~

Been looking forward to playing this one since i heard about it, can't wait for the download to finish!

OH my god that was so GOOD???? introspective and raw and well paced and oh my lord.

def mind the content warnings bc woof. it's not over the top or indulgently dramatic at all, which makes it hit so much closer to home with how candid it is and doesn't gloss over things. woof

i want to gush but i also don't want to talk more about it, so i'm just gonna leave a big recommendation to play it xD

(https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images//44431254/18056d5005bca8afdaef9db707354b485687ca4d.png)

I have bought it on release myself, but still have to work through some of my backlog (Crymachina is taking most of my time). I am looking forward to it because I was a big fan of Fatal Twelve.

Until you pointed it out I had not paid attention to the content warnings. I expected some mild nudity and mentions of tobacco due to the teacher, but those warnings are a lot more sinister than that. I can only wonder where and how tags like "Self-harm" and "Suicide attempts" will be implemented...

That being said, I have already listened to the voice dramas which tell the events before the game on the developer's Youtube channel. I think this will be quite interesting for anyone who likes this VN, although there are no translations to speak of.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7uWsiMnhUU
This is an hour long prequel that details how Kaoru met her teacher and how she fell in love with her.
The channel has several more smaller voice dramas involving the cast.

last edited at Nov 7, 2023 9:22AM

I have bought it on release myself, but still have to work through some of my backlog (Crymachina is taking most of my time). I am looking forward to it because I was a big fan of Fatal Twelve.

Until you pointed it out I had not paid attention to the content warnings. I expected some mild nudity and mentions of tobacco due to the teacher, but those warnings are a lot more sinister than that. I can only wonder where and how tags like "Self-harm" and "Suicide attempts" will be implemented...

That being said, I have already listened to the voice dramas which tell the events before the game on the developer's Youtube channel. I think this will be quite interesting for anyone who likes this VN, although there are no translations to speak of.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7uWsiMnhUU
This is an hour long prequel that details how Kaoru met her teacher and how she fell in love with her.
The channel has several more smaller voice dramas involving the cast.

it's very well written, to the point that i can't think of any other VN that handles these subjects better than UsoNatsu does.

I wish i understood enough Japanese to listen to the voice drama, def sounds like it'd enhance the experience. Though to be fair, the why and how of Kaoru falling for Mirei is touched upon in the main game, so at least one doesn't miss out completely by skipping it~

it's very well written, to the point that i can't think of any other VN that handles these subjects better than UsoNatsu does.

I wish i understood enough Japanese to listen to the voice drama, def sounds like it'd enhance the experience. Though to be fair, the why and how of Kaoru falling for Mirei is touched upon in the main game, so at least one doesn't miss out completely by skipping it~

From what I can recall watching it months ago it mostly focuses on how Kaoru ran from home due to her family situation, was picked up by her middle school teacher and sought refuge at her home. Although this sensei acted a bit cold, Kaoru fell in love with her kindness and even after returning home kept coming to visit her and confessed her love eventually... but was rejected.

There is also this short about the teacher and another woman I don't know interacting at a bar.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruuBBN6tLVI

There is also this short about the teacher and another woman I don't know interacting at a bar.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruuBBN6tLVI

Ohh, those tiny shorts are really cute~ It's fun seeing these moments that are only mentioned or recounted in the main game play out directly~

After 10 long years Fate/Extra CCC the sequel to Fate/Extra has finally been translated by the awesome people on https://iwakuraproductions.wordpress.com/2023/12/08/fate-extra-ccc-english-patch-released/

As you may be aware, I have put the Extra games on the list on page 1, though once again this is an RPG/VN hybrid game. Fate/Extra is an amazing game with several options of Servants and heroines, most of which will lead to yuri should you pick a female protagonist.
They have huge amounts of content and replay value and thanks to emulators like PPSSPP can be played comfortably on your PC and Adnroid even if you do not own a PSP.

If you have not tried Fate/Extra yet, I highly recommend it. For everyone who has played it, CCC is more than worth your time and a brilliant sequel that ups the ante in every aspect. Even if you have no interest in any other Type-Moon property, these games are perfectly standalone (CCC requires Extra to make sense, obviously), so there is no need to feel overwhelmed.

If you have not tried Fate/Extra yet, I highly recommend it.

Huh neat, I never felt like getting into any of the Fate stuff bc male protags but I might actually check those two out then.

That reminds me, since VN hybrids are fine, I'm gonna put out a recommendation for Little Goody Two Shoes, by AstralShift!

Three words: Cottagecore. Lesbian. Horror.
If you're unfamiliar, it's a RPG-Maker style game that's part mystery horror, part yuri dating sim and my god is this game pretty.
It's just absolutely dripping with gorgeous early 90s anime aesthetic ala Sailor Moon or Revolutionary Girl Utena, has a beautifully atmospheric OST, a haunting mystery and a great cast of characters you'll love to love or hate or be suspicious of (and sometimes all three xD).

It has puzzle sections, Minigames and time/resource management but the majority of gameplay is walking and talking so I figure it qualifies.

last edited at Dec 9, 2023 1:44PM

That reminds me, since VN hybrids are fine, I'm gonna put out a recommendation for Little Goody Two Shoes, by AstralShift!

I apologize for my late response, I was busy playing CCC.

Little Goody Two Shoes is a game that I actually have finished myself. I bought it on release and got all 10 endings. Would I consider it a VN hybrid? If I were to be put on the spot my answer would be no. It is very much an RPGmaker horror game inspired affair, but not one of the visual novel types. However, it is a very good and polished game that is worth playing.

When it comes to atmosphere and visuals it outclasses all its contemporaries. Following a lesbian protagonist who can date three incredibly well written girls is unique as well, although due to the plot and genre there are a lot of bad endings and caveats for this as well.

Getting Lebkuchen's good ending is worth the entire experience. It is truly the best.

last edited at Dec 14, 2023 11:33PM

Getting Lebkuchen's good ending is worth the entire experience. It is truly the best.

I hear you, Leb is a good~ For me personally Freya is best girl though :D

last edited at Dec 15, 2023 12:01AM

Getting Lebkuchen's good ending is worth the entire experience. It is truly the best.

I hear you, Leb is a good~ For me personally Freya is best girl though :D

To me this is less of an evaluation of which girl I like best (though that would probably still be Lebkuchen), but rather who I believe is most compatible with Elise. Her relationship with Lebkuchen is simply the most supported by the game I suppose. Childhood friends, Elise admitting that the only reason she stayed in Kieferberg is because Lebkuchen is there and so on. Even her bad ending is the only one where Elise gets some kind of closure. Even though Lebkuchen felt the most betrayed out of the three heroines and accused Elise the most, she still forgave her beyond the grave.

Rozenmarine despite her plot connection, simply doesn't sell the relationship well. They first met at the start of this game and despite all this insistence on fate I cannot bring myself to buy that their connection became this strong in 7 days.

Freya is very sweet and the most straight(hah)forward of the three. She is quite incredible in her own way and I definitely believe the love between her and Elise. Unfortunately she has very little presence in the game unless you go out of your way to pursue her, which makes her feel like more of an outsider.

Getting Lebkuchen's good ending is worth the entire experience. It is truly the best.

I hear you, Leb is a good~ For me personally Freya is best girl though :D

To me this is less of an evaluation of which girl I like best (though that would probably still be Lebkuchen), but rather who I believe is most compatible with Elise. Her relationship with Lebkuchen is simply the most supported by the game I suppose. Childhood friends, Elise admitting that the only reason she stayed in Kieferberg is because Lebkuchen is there and so on. Even her bad ending is the only one where Elise gets some kind of closure. Even though Lebkuchen felt the most betrayed out of the three heroines and accused Elise the most, she still forgave her beyond the grave.

Rozenmarine despite her plot connection, simply doesn't sell the relationship well. They first met at the start of this game and despite all this insistence on fate I cannot bring myself to buy that their connection became this strong in 7 days.

Freya is very sweet and the most straight(hah)forward of the three. She is quite incredible in her own way and I definitely believe the love between her and Elise. Unfortunately she has very little presence in the game unless you go out of your way to pursue her, which makes her feel like more of an outsider.

Yea I agree with your thoughts for the most part. The thing about Freya is a bit unfortunate, that's where her "mundanity" holds her back in the end. Though when looking at the story as a whole, I find that can also work to her advantage thematically.

She has the least connection to the plot and what's happening in the game but I like the idea of her being the most "plain" or mundane choice for Elise that takes her farthest away from all that stuff. Which is probably the best that could happen to her, considering the otherworldly/eldritch horror-y nature of said happenings and how those usually tend to go xD

last edited at Dec 15, 2023 12:25AM

I finally finished the game as well, I don't think I'm going to bother with all endings because it's too time consuming and I have other gays to read, I just watched the rest on YT.
I actually went with Freya first because idk, no particular reason, I just think she's neat, Leb is also wife material tho.
-The game is gorgeous both visually and musically. The dates are great, easily the best part and I like how it's directly connected to the main plot rather than a side objective.
-Didn't like how reliant on the no vision gimmick the puzzles ended up being, especially the "ram yourself against the walls until you make it" one, also the game really hurts from having a big interconnected world without fast travel.

Solid game, definitely recommended stamp from me as well.
- I seriously need a harem update/mod. They're all down horrendous lol

last edited at Dec 23, 2023 4:21AM

-Didn't like how reliant on the no vision gimmick the puzzles ended up being, especially the "ram yourself against the walls until you make it"

There are basically no such gimmicks outside of a single puzzle though? And even within that "Weeping Angels" statues puzzle you are allowed to turn on your lantern. You just can't move while it is on. That way you can get your bearings, plan a route and then turn the lantern off to follow it. Whenever you feel lost, turn it back on. The whole area is full of matches exactly for that reason.

When it comes to this game I rather often see people misinterpret their struggles for bad game design, when in reality they just didn't figure out the gimmick and then brute forced it. Which in itself is almost praiseworthy, as the game lets you get away with such methods.

Ooohhh, Ever Maiden finally getting an English Release! Let's goooo~

https://twitter.com/lovelabjapan/status/1735665028752191574

Ooohhh, Ever Maiden finally getting an English Release! Let's goooo~

https://twitter.com/lovelabjapan/status/1735665028752191574

Oh my, I thought it would never happen. This year starts off with good news.

My same exact thought. Hope it'll be a good translation, the studio doesn't exactly have much to their name

A notice for the interested:

LipTrip ~My Boss Is My Heat Suppressant?!~ The new Omegaverse yuri VN by dev team SukeraSomero of OshiRabu fame, with character art by Chigusa Minori (Convenient Semi-friend, Shino and Ren) come out this week on the 22nd!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2793290/LipTrip_My_Boss_Is_My_Heat_Suppressant/

LipTrip ~My Boss Is My Heat Suppressant?!~ The new Omegaverse yuri VN by dev team SukeraSomero of OshiRabu fame, with character art by Chigusa Minori (Convenient Semi-friend, Shino and Ren) come out this week on the 22nd!

Omegaverse? Apologies, but that is definitely not for me. How unfortunate, because I very much like the artist's work.
I hope you enjoy it at least. It has been a while since this team released something yuri adjacent after all.

That does bring up the question whether I can even put it on the recommendation list however. Omegaverse is in most part not really yuri. I'm sure that at least in this game's case they avoid the hermaphrodite aspect. Oh well, maybe if someone plays it and makes a case for it we can come back to that.

---

Added more games to the recommendation list and changed up one of the categories to include VN hybrids. This will perhaps make it easier to justify some of the games on the list. I even added Little Goody Two Shoes in that category, though it may be a bit of a stretch.

last edited at Feb 22, 2024 9:30AM

LipTrip ~My Boss Is My Heat Suppressant?!~ The new Omegaverse yuri VN by dev team SukeraSomero of OshiRabu fame, with character art by Chigusa Minori (Convenient Semi-friend, Shino and Ren) come out this week on the 22nd!

Omegaverse? Apologies, but that is definitely not for me. How unfortunate, because I very much like the artist's work.
I hope you enjoy it at least. It has been a while since this team released something yuri adjacent after all.

That does bring up the question whether I can even put it on the recommendation list however. Omegaverse is in most part not really yuri. I'm sure that at least in this game's case they avoid the hermaphrodite aspect. Oh well, maybe if someone plays it and makes a case for it we can come back to that.

Almost everything in (yuri) omegaverse depends on the author, and they usually explain somewhere what they do with it. Changes to genitals are optional, and if a story wanted to go there, you wouldn't even need them for things like pregnancy (one ABO-lite yuri web novel has pregnancy literally transmittable via kissing).

In case of this visual novel, you have the following in the description:

Alphas sit at the apex of society with their superior looks and abilities. Meanwhile, Omegas have a special characteristic: they periodically go into heat, at which time they become irresistible to Alphas.

and

Yuri is totally compatible with the Omegaverse!
It's the perfect setting for a romantic drama, where conflict arises from the differences between Alpha and Omega.
Enjoy a casual sapphic visual novel with a pinch of spice.
※This game is based in a general Omegaverse setting. There are no references to hermaphroditism.

.

As an aside, would you consider putting Stray Gods somewhere on the list? It's something between a visual novel and an interactive still image film with a pause, and two out of four romance options are yuri.

last edited at Feb 22, 2024 10:18AM

Almost everything in (yuri) omegaverse depends on the author

Indeed, that's the crux. While the core idea of Omegaverse unfortunately has countless issues, a talented author will bend and mold the setting to suit their preferences in a meaningful and sensible way. The pure yuri section of this fandom is drastically the smallest of all though, so one can never be too careful.

That being said even if it has pure yuri focus, I abhor it. On every level I cannot bother to invest myself in a silly over the top caste society with inborn dynamics and scent glands and whatever else this subsection of fiction has to uh... offer.

※This game is based in a general Omegaverse setting. There are no references to hermaphroditism.

I assumed as much. That wouldn't be this team's style.

As an aside, would you consider putting Stray Gods somewhere on the list? It's something between a visual novel and an interactive still image film with a pause, and two out of four romance options are yuri.

I have encountered Stray Gods, although I didn't find the time to play it yet. I had the impression it was mostly a mystery game with musical elements. If you vouch for the yuri routes in it then I can put it on the list. As usual, I need someone to make an actual recommendation post for things I didn't personally play.
So if you could give a short summary of the game and why you like it that would be splendid!

last edited at Feb 22, 2024 10:36AM