Idea Factory International is scheduled to have their first ever press event sometime next month, and I’m crossing everything that can be crossed in hopes that they announce an otome game localization for the PS Vita. It’s been a little over a year since they first commenced operations on September 30th, 2013, and despite a wealth of otome games in the Otomate line at their disposal, they have yet to release, let alone announce, a single title.

But why haven’t they? Comments from publishers in the past have alluded to the immense amount of money and work that goes into localizing the book’s worth of text in the usual otome game, but dialogue-heavy RPGs such as Idea Factory International’s Hyperdimension Neptunia must be a similarly text-heavy affairs. Of course, there’s also the argument that series such as Hyperdimension Neptunia already have an established audience in English, whereas many otome games do not, but Idea Factory International has already had relatively good success with a number of games in their Hakuouki otome game series on various platforms (most recently smartphones).Idea Factory International has already published a number of games from one of its subsidiaries, Compile Heart, so it’s not a stretch to assume that it could just as conceivably work with its otome game subsidiary, Otomate, to bring one or more PS Vita games to an English-speaking audience.

I contacted Idea Factory International regarding the inclusion of certain Japanese games on the site, but was told by Marketing Coordinator David Alonzo that it did not indicate an intent to localize said games. If nothing else, however, it shows that Idea Factory International has some interest in informing English-speaking fans about their otome games, though they haven’t kept their site up to date with every single release.Looking at the game section of Idea Factory International’s website, it’s interesting to note that there are two listings for Japan-only PS Vita otome games, Hakuouki SSL ~sweet school life~ and AMNESIA World, both spinoff titles for their respective series. With new games coming out from Otomate nearly every other month, it’s noteworthy that these are the only two Japan-only PS Vita otome games listed on their site.

It’s also worth mentioning that a new company called Otomate World recently launched a website, Facebook, and Twitter account. So far, it has only been used to promote iOS and Android versions of Hakuouki, which currently only appear to be available in Asian markets (when I attempted to view Hakuouki in iTunes, for example, it asked me to switch to the Vietnamese store). These smartphone versions of Hakuouki do not appear on Idea Factory International’s website.

But is it necessary to appeal to a broad audience for an otome game to be successful in English? While smartphone games are certainly easier to get into people’s hands due to nearly everyone owning a device that can play them, the fact that the Shall We Date? series and others have seen so many installments suggests that there is definitely a market for otome games in English. Unfortunately, most console otome games over the past few years have been released for the PSP, and it’s not a stretch to say putting the effort to localize and release a PSP otome game in English in 2015 would be financial suicide. However, the PS Vita is seeing more and more otome games, particularly from Otomate, and while the install base is but a fraction of the smartphone market, have Hakuouki and Sweet Fuse not proved that there is room for otome games on underdog handhelds?In response to my request for a comment regarding the potential of Idea Factory International localizing an otome game, David replied, “I will say that we’ve heard a lot of requests from people to bring over certain otome titles, and I think it’d be awesome to do so! Hopefully we can do so in the future, but for now we don’t have any news about that.” Notably, the company has a section in its forums for localization requests that features an otome game thread that was created in November 2013 and remains relatively active. Otome game fans seem particularly interested in AMNESIA, which was also one of the top requests in Aksys Games’ forums (which are currently down, so unfortunately I can’t provide a link to that thread). AMNESIA, Diabolik Lovers, and Hakuouki are undoubtedly Otomate’s most popular series in Japan currently, but the fact that Hakuoki is the one to have received an English release suggests that AMNESIA and Diabolik Lovers might not have as wide-reaching appeal (as someone who has played both, I can attest to that).

I was originally going to make this article a list of otome games I would like to see announced at Idea Factory International’s press event, but in all honesty, I don’t care. There are so many Otomate titles to choose from on the PS Vita now, from AMNESIA and Diabolik Lovers to Code: Realize ~Sousei no himegimi~, Binary Star, RE: VICE[D], Kokuchou no Psychedelica, upcoming Shinobi, Koi Utsutsu, and more, that I would be happy to support whatever it thinks will be most successful. But if Idea Factory International announces the rest of its lineup for 2015 and chooses not to include an otome game, I feel it will be making a clear statement that handheld otome games are not an avenue it does not consider worth exploring.I don’t profess to assume anything about the business end of games localization, and don’t want to sound like I am dismissing the risks involved with localizing games with very niche audience. However, we have seen time and time again that western publishers are happy to take risks with titles that will appeal to the hardcore “otaku” crowd, such as Idea Factory International with Monster Monpiece and NIS America with Criminal Girls, both of which required editing out potentially offensive content in order to release in western markets (it’s worth noting that despite getting a European release, Monster Monpiece never made it to Australia).

I really hope, for the diversity of niche Japanese games in English, that my cynicism is proved wrong.

Note: I don’t intend to discredit the importance of smartphone otome games, but rather assert that there is a wide range of quality games being released on the PS Vita that would be great candidates for potential English releases. 

One of the things I struggle most with when coming up with content for Chic Pixel is photos. I’m by no means a pro photographer, but at the very least, my previous apartment was blessed with great lighting that allowed me to pull off relatively decent photos with minimal preparation. My current dungeon of an apartment, however, gets very little light during the day, making it very difficult to pull off anywhere near the quality of photos I was taking before. Combine that with a little nudge from my pal Ayu, and I finally had the push I needed to make my very own light box!

Making your own light box is extremely cheap and easy, so if you have a spare box around, I highly recommend giving it a try! I used this tutorial at Action Figure Fury, which, again, was suggested to me by Ayu. Definitely check out her site – many of the photos in her latest posts were taken using the light box she made, and you can totally see how much it helps! Uses for light boxes are not at all limited to blogging or figure photography, so if you want to try a new look for your photos, give this a shot!

All you need are a pair of scissors, precision knife (it makes cutting out the sides of the box much easier, white tissue paper/tracing paper/cloth (enough to cover three sides of the box), one sheet of heavy paper (white or whatever color you’d like your backdrop to be), tape, and, of course, your cardboard box. A ruler is also recommended if you’d like the windows in the sides to be even, but it’s not really necessary as long as you can make a relatively straight line by hand.

As you can see from my photos, I’ve just cut off the flaps from the top of the box as well as “windows” from three of the sides, leaving about a 1 inch allowance around the edges. Then, you can use your thin paper or cloth of choice and either glue or tape it down (I used tape so I can change to another material if I want), and tape the piece of paper you want to use as a backdrop on the inside! To achieve the “endless” background effect, you want the paper to slope gently and not have any creases in it. That’s it!

My light box only took me about 30 minutes to make and ended up costing less than $5. You’re going to want a box that can fit the objects you’d like to photograph, but also have some room for maneuvering your camera around. I almost wish my box was slightly larger, but it was so easy to do that I’ll probably make another one when I acquire a suitable box!

Also, most people will recommend having three lights, one for each side of the box. I’ll readily admit that less is more for me, and if at all possible, I’d prefer not to have dedicated photography lights sitting around that I need to lug out every time I want to snap some photos. So, I decided to test the box out using the natural light of my study (see first photo for my setup) first to see if it was workable!

Not bad, if I do say so myself! This photo is completely unedited (aside from the watermark) and was taken with the same camera I use for all the images on my site, in completely natural lighting. I can already see a huge different just by having the light box! Let’s see how the image looks after I work my subpar image editing magic…

Ta-da! I’m really happy with the result, and think that with some more tweaking such as trying different lighting conditions at different times of the day, I’ll be able to achieve even better photos. No lights required! I highly recommend making your light box first before buying lights (unless you really want them!) to see if you can work with your natural light and purchase lights as a last resort.

I hope you enjoyed this quick tutorial, and if you do end up making a light box of your own, share your spiffy new photos in the comments!

Who doesn’t love a good visual novel? English speakers are slowly catching on to what might my favorite video game genre, one that focuses on text-heavy narratives and “choose your own adventure”-like branching story lines instead of complicated, action-based gameplay. Whether it be a traditional dating sim, otome game, or something else entirely, visual novels are unique and now, even easier to make yourself!

Nyu Media has just announced plans to release an English version of the visual novel studio TyranoBuilder on March 27th for just $14.99. While Ren’Py, the go-to visual novel engine for many indie creators, is open source and supports Windows, Mac, Linix, and Android, TyranoBuilder appears to be much more flexible,* and may be even easier to use for newcomers to game development. Take a look at the launch trailer to get an idea of what the software looks like:

TyranoBuilder touts the ability to create games for Windows, Mac, iOS and Android (requires porting through a free thirds party app), as well as gaming devices that run HTML5, such as the Nintendo 3DS and PS Vita. While Linux is surprisingly absent, the HTML5 and iOS compatibility coupled with the studio’s very intuitive-looking interface make it look very appealing!

While developers familiar with Ren’Py may not be looking to switch, TyranoBuilder looks like it could be a great tool for those interested in trying out visual novel game development! Coupled with a Steam release, it has the potential to get even more people interested in visual novels, which can only be a good thing in my book! There will also be a demo available on the official site at a later date, so keep an eye out for that.

*I confess to know not much of anything about game development, so I am only saying this from the perspective of someone who has had a cursory look at both TyranoBuilder and Ren’Py! People familiar with Ren’Py, please feel free to chime in with your thoughts in the comments.

Amazon Japan can be a little intimidating for importing Japanese products, but it’s also has some of the best deals on books and manga. On top of that, recent decrease in its international shipping costs means that you can get a packaged shipped anywhere in the world faster and cheaper than ever. But did you know that you can get virtually any number of manga shipped for just $10.50? I thought it was too good to be true, but I can confirm that it works. The secret is buying manga lots!

If there’s one classic game series that I know next to nothing about, it’d be Sonic. But while my actual experience with the games may be lacking, I am more than aware of the impact they’ve had on the game industry and the icon the blue blur has become over the years… Even if some of his more recent adventures have been less than well received.

I’ve alluded on Twitter to the fact that I’ve been working on a very exciting project over the past couple of months, but now I can finally share what it is. I’m assisting with the translation and English promotion of a Japanese indie game for smartphones titled Fantastic Boyfriends: Legends of Midearth!

The basic gist of the game is you play as the adorable protagonist holding the sword in the image above, who gets magically spirited away to the fantasy world inside an app on his phone (so meta!). Like many epic fantasies that have come before, you’re tasked with nothing less than saving the world from the forces of evil. Fantastic Boyfriends is unique, however, in that you gather a band of hunky fighters and adventurers to aid you in your quest… and maybe share a budding romance with, too!

The developer, Lifewonders, is an emerging LGBT-friendly company with the goal of showing a wide variety of different kinds of relationships and genders in their games, starting with Fantastic Boyfriends. While Fantastic Boyfriends was generally created with a gay male audience in mind, they hope to expand their reach even further in future titles!

Needless to say, it’s been an honor to work with a developer that values diversity in gaming. I’ve already done significant work on localizing the game for them, but as a small indie developer, they’re going to turn to crowd funding to raise the remaining funds to localize Fantastic Boyfriends. The crowd funding campaign will be announced by the end of spring, but for now, you can head over to the official English website to learn all about the characters, gameplay, and world.

You can also follow them on Twitter for updates, but rest assured, I definitely won’t stop talking about it when the crowd funding actually gets rolling!

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!

Tuxedo Rose Tea – The name speaks for itself, and at ¥850, you might as well grab one of the desserts and get the drink that comes with the set! The iced tea features a mixture of rose and strawberry that sounds downright delicious…

Crystal Power Makeup Tea – Last but not least, this tea changes color when you add the lemon, emulating Sailor Moon’s transformation sequence! This drink is also ¥850 and has a blue mallow tea base.

I’m throwing all my money at the screen, but nothing’s happening! Hopefully the jewelry will be available on their international store, but considering it’s a special collaboration, I wouldn’t count on it. As for the café, unfortunately you’ll need to be in Japan in June or July to be able to attend… Maybe if we’re lucky, some lovely folks will blog about their experiences when they go!

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.

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!

Sailor Moon S.H. Figuarts (Jlist, CDJapan) – So far, I only have one Sailor Moon S.H. Figuarts, but it’s taking all my willpower not to buy every single one. Most recently, Sailor Moon has gotten her Super Sailor version (pictured above), with Tuxedo Mask and Sailor Chibi Moon also on their way. The amount of accessories, face plates, and alternate hands the S.H. Figuarts come with is very extensive for the price, making these perfect for anyone who wants a figure of their favorite scout that won’t break the bank!

Sailor Moon Sweets Mascot keychains (Jlist, AmiAmi) – Who doesn’t love fake food? Okay, well, I love fake food, and there’s not much cuter than fake food styled to look like Sailor Moon-themed cookies and cakes! I actually just received this full sweets mascot set in the mail, so look for an unboxing video in the near future! Bonus: This Sailor Moon Sweets Re-ment series is equally awesome (Jlist).

Sailor Moon Cameo Charms (Jlist) – For those who don’t want something overly cute and pink, this cameo series is more classically romantic. I love that you could clip these to a zipper, bag, or even convert them to a necklace if you wanted. I especially like how Sailor Moon’s background is colored blue here, as opposed to her usual pink, which they’ve saved for Princess Serenity.

Sailor Moon Puchi Chara (Jlist) – Of all the Sailor Moon blind box figurines, the Puchi Chara series is definitely my favorite. There are so many iterations that it’s difficult to keep up, including glitter versions and school uniform versions, but this Candy de Makeup! series is the most adorable yet. Can you tell I like fake food yet?

Sailor Moon pens (Jlist) – A lot of the items I’ve highlighted aren’t very practical or a little on the pricey side, but these pens are not only cute, but something you can use every day! I got the Sailor Venus pen, and I love it so much, I’m thinking of ordering another one. It’s certainly a great way to spice up your work or study!

I could go on forever about Sailor Moon merchandise, I’m sure, but I’m going to turn it to you! What Sailor Moon items have you got on your wishlist?

Note: Some Jlist and CDJapan are Chic Pixel affiliates. Purchasing products using my links earns me a small commission. Thanks for your support! 

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?

As you can see, the core gameplay revolves around a classic match three-style head-to-head puzzle system, which is expanded on with the addition of customizeable charms. Each player can equip up to four different charms, all with different abilities that aid you in battle. If that sounds fun to you but you’d like to see how it plays, the alpha is available to try on PCs. Unfortunately, I haven’t had a chance to play it myself, so if you give it a go, please post your impressions in the comments!

100% free to play, adorable graphics, local multiplayer… There’s a lot to like about about Charmixy (Can I admit I keep typing “Charminxy”?), but one aspect detailed on the Kickstarter page really sticks out to me:

In Charmixy, you play as you! Or at least, you play as the witch version of yourself. You can create a custom avatar of any race, any gender (or no gender), and any magical lineage you like! It’s important that you feel comfortable with the way you look… just as long as you wear a school uniform, too (don’t worry, it’s very cute!)

For a game that could be easily marketed to younger players, representation is so important, so it’s really great that they’re making sure you’ll be able to choose any race or gender you want! There are a few brief, vague mentions of romance options in the game, so hopefully the full game would be as varied in romances as it is for player customization.

Unfortunately, the Kickstarter has just 5 days left and still a long ways to go to be fully funded. It may be partially due to the fact that the game will be completely free, considering most game Kickstarters offer the full title at a reduced price for backers as an incentive… But hopefully folks who value getting fun games like this out to younger players (or people like me who just like cute things) will consider lending Charmixy: Witch Academy their support. I know I’m rooting for it!

You can follow the game’s development on Tumblr.

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!

The snack subscription can be purchased for one, three, six, or a full 12 months with either Airmail or EMS shipping, an option that I haven’t seen any other similar services offer. I purchased my box for one month only, and opted for the cheaper Airmail shipping option, which arrived in about three weeks. At $10 cheaper than EMS (the total including shipping was $29.99), I was happy to wait.

I received the January box (don’t worry, the box wasn’t late… this review is!), which came with this list of the items and short description of the theme. I thought it a little strange that they would choose to celebrate fall flavor in January, and the items selected didn’t seem to really fit the theme, either. In addition, the pamphlet names eight different snacks from the box, but indicates there will be more than that with the “… and more!” at the end… but the eight listed are exactly what was inside. Now, I’m not complaining – eight snacks for $29.99 is very reasonable, but I do find it silly that they would add “and more!” when there actually isn’t anything extra. It would be great if they could include the names of the snacks with actual images of the products, too, so people can know what their favorite items are called.

Some of the items in the box even came in this cute pouch, which I’m definitely planning on reusing for something! What a nice touch.

As for the snacks themselves, I have to say I am quite pleased with the selection! Strawberries are a winter fruit in Japan, which made the above three strawberry items perfect for the season. While the Mentos seem rather pedestrian when compared with candy taiyaki and Japanese chocolate,  the three different strawberry flavors were very nice. I particularly enjoyed the strawberry Pukupuku Tai (another nitpick: the item is misspelled on the pamphlet). It was very light and airy, and had a great strawberry flavor! If you’re interested in reading more about this fun candy, there’s a great writeup at Japan Can(ada) Mix.

It wouldn’t be a Japanese snack subscription box without a Kit Kat of some kind, and this time it was a whole bag of Otona no amasa (adult sweetness) matcha-flavored Kit Kats! I love the Otona no amasa series because they tend to be less sweet, and matcha is always a go-to Japanese Kit Kat flavor. It was very generous for Jlist to include a whole bag of 12 mini Kit Kats in the box.

I’m a big fan of Japanese gummies and mangoes, so I was thrilled to find these mango gummies. As expected, they had a great consistency and flavor!

A good snack subscription box should have a good mix of salty snacks and sweet candies. The Jlist box was about 50/50, making it a great mix. I’d never had these O’Zack chips before, but they were a nice potato chip with nori seasoning, which is really nice! If you ever want to jazz up your boring western potato chips, just get some nori seasoning from your local Asian grocer and sprinkle it on. It’s great on french fries, too!

This snack is called Kopan, which means “mini bread,” and that’s exactly what you’ll get in the bag. These tasted just like little garlic croutons, which was nice but nothing special, and I probably wouldn’t go out of my way to have them again. I like the packaging, though!

The final item in the Jlist snack subscription box was this amazingly-packaged corn snack. I absolutely love the painter corn characters on the bag! The puffs themselves weren’t that great, but I will always remember that adorable bag.

Though the Jlist box is slightly more expensive than its competitors if you only buy a single month at a time, it gets much more competitive the more months you pre-purchase, and the number of items included is generous for the price. The option for Airmail or EMS shipping also makes it a great choice for a gift if you need it to get to someone quickly. Hopefully their information pamphlets will improve in subsequent months, as that’s the only thing I can critique from the box I received. All in all, however, you can’t go wrong with Jlist if you’re looking for a new subscription box to try!

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.

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.

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.

Danganronpa (PS Vita) – I feel like I pretty much recommend the Danganronpa games whenever I’m given half the chance, but that’s because I love them that much! NIS America recently revealed that the games sold over 200,000 copies in North America and Europe, which is a major feat and a testament to their quality. Start with Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, and if you’ve already played through that, be sure to knock off Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair before the third game in the series, Another Episode comes out in English later this year. If you’re not quite ready to go full visual novel but want to see what the fuss is about, these games are a great place to start.

Analogue: A Hate Story (Windows, Mac, Linux) – Many incorrectly assume that the only visual novels worth playing are Japanese, but there are many western developers doing equally interesting things in the genre. Christine Love’s Analogue: A Hate Story and its sequel, Hate Plus are both worth checking out if you haven’t already for their take on visual novel-style storytelling.

Hakuoki: Demon of the Fleeting Blossom (PSP, 3DS, PS3, iOS, Android) – It’s extremely difficult to find a visual novel to recommend that isn’t exclusive to PC, so its extensive availability is  one of the reasons why I absolutely have to mention Hakuoki. Set in feudal Japan, this is one of the first major otome games to be released in English, and its popularity has seen it on a variety of consoles, and most recently smartphones. If you’re curious but not quite ready to take the plunge, the iOS and Android versions have a free demo you can try before committing to the purchase.

Narcissu 1st & 2nd (PC, Mac, Linux) – For those who are wary of the time investment and seemingly endless text of visual novels, Narcissu may be worth a try before writing off the genre entirely. The short games come bundled together and can be played entirely for free, but just make sure you’re ready for a rather sad story of terminal illness before you dive in.

There’s plenty more to be played, but I’ll leave it at that so I can get back to my pick for the month – the recently-released BL visual novel No, Thank You!!!. Whether you’re new to the genre, or a major fan, I want to know what you’ll be playing! Let me know in the comments, and don’t forget to hit up #VNMay!