Janine "Iris Ophelia" Hawkins' ongoing review of gaming and virtual world style
NaNoRenO 2015, a month-long game jam devoted to the creation of visual novels and dating sims, wrapped up a little over a week ago. Now that it's over (and most of the late submissions have filtered onto itch.io) it's the perfect time to sit down and spend a weekend with some of the dozens of games that were made. Given the development time most of these games are short -- brief slices of what they'll be when they're fully completed, the perfect length to enjoy with a cup of tea and a cookie in hand. Just about every single one available is 'pay what you want', which for some that translates to 'free'. For me (and hopefully some of you) it's more like 'come back and pay if you enjoyed it'. Either way, it's a varied line-up of games to check out with a pretty low commitment.
If you're curious but not quite sure where to start, here are a few NaNoRenO 2015 games that are at the top of my own 'To Play' list this weekend:
Sunrise
Described as a "Dieselpunk Fairy Tale", Sunrise has star-crossed lovers, royal intrigue, curses, and a pretty arresting aesthetic. Even its color palette sets the game apart, making this one an absolute must-see for someone who enjoys both playing and making visual novels.
6.8x1014 First Dates
A procedurally generated dating sim made in Twine that puts the player on a series of randomized first dates. I have a particular fascination with procedural generation when it's employed beyond the usual dungeons and enemy spawns and loot, so I'm very interested to see if and how 6.8x1014 First Dates pulls it off.
Speed Dating on the Citadel
A Mass Effect tribute in the form of a speed dating sim. If that's not enough to get your attention then this one's probably just not for you.
Farewell, Bunny Boy
Countless visual novels are about coming back to your childhood home and reconnecting with people. Farewell, Bunny Boy is the exact opposite. Its cutesy art and hyper-saturated colors can't mask the fact that this will probably be a game with a muddled blend of pain and hope and awkwardness, but I'm curious to see how all of that plays out.
The Blind Griffin
This might be the game I'm most looking forward to out of the lot. Just read the description:
It's the roaring 20's. Alcohol-loving Americans are chafing underneath the restrictions of Prohibition, but speakeasies have thankfully risen to fill the void with ill-begotten booze. The Blind Griffin is one such speakeasy in San Francisco, California, but it's about to go out of business...because its employees are a den of magicians who are more concerned with their magical studies and experiments than moonshine! Desperate not to lose the building that has become their haven, they hire the first streetsmart guttersnipe they find with some experience to help turn things around, but could she perhaps turn out to be the strongest magician of them all?
Speakeasy magicians. Sold.
Of course there's a lot more available to play than what I've listed here. There are games about sexy demons, battle maids, lopsided cat detectives and more, so be sure to check out the full collection over on itch.io.
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