Arc the Lad R is a disappointing experience whether you play any of the PVP or PVE modes. Auto-battle will get you through most encounters, but this is as barebones as you get. It’s sad to see such a memorable series be reduced to this gacha element, but it’s still nice to be playing an Arc the Land game in 2021.

Empire of Angels IV is a strange strategy RPG with a narrative that conflicts so heavily with the game’s tone. You’ll likely ignore all reasoning for why any of this is happening and just be happy with a clever battle system. With some improvements and added modern options, the next entry could very well be worth the wait, but be sure to know what you’re getting into here.

Jeanne at the Clock Tower is a fun romp through time with interesting spins on both familiar and obscure characters. The plot loses steam partway through, and the obligatory sex scenes feel out of place, but the lovely art and soundtrack bolster some fascinating worldbuilding that should satisfy fans of the genre.

Suzukuri Dungeon offers an unexpectedly light-hearted narrative with a charming cast of villain characters who are each memorable in their own way. The gameplay sections of strategic dungeon customization kept me engaged for multiple playthroughs to access the additional routes. It’s this blend of gameplay and decent scenario writing that makes it an easy recommendation from me.

Island Diary is never incredibly moving or particularly hypnotizing or eventful. However, it still manages to be a casual-laid back time with a sense of distant urgency, regardless of its efficacy of utilization. The four characters in this title have enticing relationships and exchanges as they are undoubtedly the crux of the package at large. If you desire a quick, wholesome time with some cute girls overcoming petty and relationship-defining conflicts, this is the visual novel for you.

Bakumatsu Renka Shinsengumi is an otome from the past that deserves to be experienced by modern fans of the genre. It’s like a time capsule that delivers on a maturely political and action-filled narrative along with some decent romance routes that we don’t see too often. The pacing and required replayability pad the runtime, but the full narrative is a compelling and almost nostalgic experience.

It’s a shame the Switch version of Heart of the Woods has so many issues and offers a generally poor experience. The story and characters are really enjoyable, and the game deserved more care and polish for its console debut. However, if you want to play Heart of the Woods, the PC version is a better way to experience it.

Nekopara: Cat Boys Paradise is a fun visual novel that can be enjoyed by otome catboy lovers everywhere. The narrative doesn’t overstay its welcome and is only hurt by a lack of quality-of-life features. Each route provides enjoyable insight into the four main characters, which expands the Nekopara universe. The free nature of the visual novel also makes it an easy recommendation fur the purr-fect afternoon otome.

Black Hair Girl is Best Girl is a title that is not worth your time, even if the title fits your preference. If you want to enjoy a love story, there are plenty of other options out there in the visual novel space. The plot points are generic, and the pacing is all over the place. Further, the dialogue is bizarre and confusing. Despite having two opportunities to present a compelling story, this combination proved to be incompetent.

Lovekami: Useless Goddess is a well-paced comedic romance that doesn’t overstay its welcome. It’s not going to surprise you, and it might be tough to remember a week after you played it, but it’s fun while it lasts. I would have appreciated balanced character routes and possibly an additional character to help round out the story. It’s okay for what it is, but it’s nothing special.

Compared to other eroge of the time, Do You Like Horny Bunnies? 1 and 2 don’t really stand out; they’re worth playing more out of nostalgia or historical curiosity than on their own merits. Still, the fact that the remastered versions in Do You Like Horny Bunnies? Complete Collection runs smoothly and looks great on modern systems at a budget price makes me inclined to recommend them over similar visual novels.

B.ark shines. The traditional 2-D animation is stunning, and gameplay gives off that retro shoot ’em up feel with modern sensibilities. Some features go underutilized and crowd the screen, but that doesn’t take away how excited and diverse the gameplay is. This feels like a Saturday morning cartoon and offers multiple difficulty options and characters to approach the shmup experience no matter your skill level. B.ark happens to be as strong as its bite, and it shouldn’t be overlooked.

While D4DJ Groovy Mix is a pretty standard rhythm game, it’s a solid one. There are many catchy songs to tap along to through a responsive display but be warned that the emphasis is on electric music. However, there’s a satisfying gameloop that does require a premium investment unless you absolutely want to.

Star Hunter DX is a charming and dazzling tribute to the classics of the genre. The 2-D art style is reminiscent of the old arcades paired with a nostalgic 16-bit soundtrack. Controls are responsive with a nice variety of abilities and difficulty modes to play through the campaign. However, the lack of extra modes was disappointing and weighed on the replayability. Still, if you’re looking for a colorful shmup to test your skills, look no further.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: The Siege of Paris is an awesome expansion featuring gorgeous environments to explore and dozens of ways to progress through the campaign. There’s around 15 hours of content to dive into, packed with choice-driven events and distracting treasures. The added infiltration missions make the expansion feel like a true Assassin’s Creed title, but that also includes the limited enemy AI and random glitches fans of the series are used to by now.

Chihiro Himukai Always Walks Away is an exploration of the fuzzy lines between friendship, romance, and sexual attraction — not making any sweeping, universal statements about the subject, but focusing on a single couple, how they’re able to communicate through sex, and the ways they define their relationship. It’s a sweet, low-conflict love story that should leave you with a warm, comfortable feeling.

Christmas Tina: The Ephemeral Views of Winter is a fantastic adventure that makes the most of the visual novel medium to tell a compelling narrative about some fascinating characters. It’s an introspective story where our duo will need to confront themselves if they want a chance at confronting each other. It made me cry, it made me laugh, and it made me want to listen to Michael Jackson songs for some reason. If there’s any visual novel I absolutely want to reread from this year when I get the chance, this is on the top of the list.

IdolDays is yet another entry in this series, and it doesn’t try to be anything else. Maybe I’m just getting used to them, but I enjoyed the ups and downs this story presented, along with the goal of overcoming the hand you were dealt in life and facing your fears. It’s just a low impact, short romance, and nothing more.

Slobbish Dragon Princess Love + Plus won’t change your mind about the series one way or the other, but it does well at providing quick and cute outings with these characters. It also establishes a nice support system for Takeru as his friends become closer and more understanding of their unique situation. It’s low-impact for sure, but if you couldn’t get enough of this slobbish dragon, well, here you go.

I know I’m coming off as overly pessimistic, and I apologize for that, but Zengeon fails when executed in almost every possible way. The variety of playable characters is neat, and the co-op feature is nice, but I can’t see myself recommending this. After playing, players will swiftly notice the inept synergy between the combat mechanics alongside the mangled performance and atrocious enemy frequency. There are plenty of other roguelikes out there, and I promise that any one of those is likely better worth your time than Zengeon.

Swords & Souls: Neverseen has a constant stream of humour, looks fantastic and is a breezy ten hours or so of thoroughly entertaining action.

Yuoni doesn’t break new grounds in the first-person horror genre, but it offers an interesting premise of folklore that will definitely have you engaged for its short runtime. Its sound design is at the forefront of its jump scares, which is the crux of the most heart-racing moments. Still, repetitive level design, confusing direction, and limited exploration elements dampen the overall experience.

Tsugunohi is not one of the most terrifying Japanese horror games of all time as it claims to be, not even remotely close. I’m certain the honor is just as made up as the urban legends. The basic jump-scare structure is identical across the nine chapters, so once you’ve tried one you’ve basically seen it all. There’s no real meaning or substance here, and real horror is when the anticipatory fear transforms into sheer boredom.

Mega Man X DiVE is a passable experience, but I would definitely not recommend it to anyone, even hardcore Mega Man fans. The title is just too bland, and you’ll probably run out of things to do really quickly. The story is also pretty meh at best as it doesn’t really add anything to the beloved series. Overall, the game can excel, but it is mediocre due to its faults.

Kitaria Fables is a laid-back experience of item collecting and farming, all brought together by a decent narrative and a responsive action system. Pace yourself, though, because getting the most of this adventure requires it. However, the artificial padding on the gameplay found in the limited fast travel, lack of universal storage, slow-moving characters, and much more causes some confusion and endless backtracking. This won’t replace your love for Rune Factory, but it’ll definitely supplement your craving for a charming adventure.

Metallic Child is a rogue-lite with a grand narrative of saving Earth through some truly addicting action systems. The fast-moving structure of dungeon exploration is complemented by engaging combat mechanics and ever-changing challenges. The challenge becomes easier to manage in the later hours. Still, the repetitive gameloop weighs on the experience if you aren’t in the mood for lengthy dialogue and cheesing your way through encounters using the same combos.

Monster Harvest feels like it wants to set itself apart from its counterparts in the genre, and there is undeniable potential here. However, I felt like I was playing an early access game despite being fully released. So much of the world feels like fundamental revision and polish are missing, and I can’t see myself revisiting Planimal Point anytime soon.

Mary Skelter Finale is a worthy conclusion to this turbulent saga of struggles against seemingly impossible to overcome odds. The cast is spread apart and segmented but undoubtedly bound together by the simultaneously cruel yet compassionate whims of fate. The gameplay is arguably at its height in this entry. The returning systems are satisfyingly addicting with the inclusion of the Zapping mechanic and standout character interactions. Even when accounting for the poorly paced main narrative and over-indulgent dungeon design, this is absolutely a finale worth experiencing in all of its unabashed, climatic glory.