#fearbonding

Fairytales, witches, and deals with the devil, this game has it all! I honestly cannot praise this one enough because it's such a fun experience. This game's beautiful art (including fullbody sprites inspired by 90s Shoujo manga and adorable pixel sprites) and haunting soundtrack enhance its darker storytelling really well, creating a striking divide between the everyday life of Elise (and her three girlfriends!) in the picturesque village of Kieferberg and the darker world she explores during the Witching Hour each night. Elise, our delightfully spiteful and ambitious heroine is looking for something more than life as a poor maid-of-all-work in this stifling little village, but it’s important to consider what she might have to give up in order to grant that wish of hers… Little Goody Two Shoes is a perfect game to pick if you like fairytales, RPG-maker style horror (though the game was not made in RPG-maker), and yuri!

Fearbonding — Best One-Night Game!

BL Horror, Toxic Relationship, Short, Indie

If you're looking for something bite-sized that you can finish all in one night (like say, on Halloween), Fearbonding is a great choice! It explores a compellingly toxic dynamic between a fear-eating demon and a fear-inspiring yandere, and despite its short length it offers a satisfying story with several creepy bad ends! This one is perfect for my fellow toxic yaoi fans out there! (I was giggling and kicking my feet nearly the whole time I played!)

Homicipher — Best Puzzle!

Otome-Adjacent, Horror Adventure Game, Language Puzzle

Homicipher is a delightful little language puzzle with the most endearing creepy characters you'll ever meet. As a puzzle-lover, I thoroughly enjoyed deciphering the language spoken by the other-world characters, and I frequently found myself "ooh"-ing and “awww”-ing whenever my favorite creeps crawled or rolled or glitched onto the screen. It fits the spooky season quite nicely, and is a great pick if you're looking for a Halloween game that's otome-adjacent (though the relationships with the characters can be read as completely platonic as well)!

Gnosia — Honorable Mention!

Suspenseful Atmosphere, Werewolf-like Gameplay, Time Loops, Anime Adaptation Now Airing!

While not really a spooky game, I wanted to add it to this list—mainly because of the anime that started airing this month! Gnosia translates the social game Werewolf to a single-player visual novel format featuring a vibrant cast of characters and incredibly fun argument-based gameplay. I'm a sucker for time-loop plots, and the way this game is structured often makes you really feel like you're experiencing these loops. I always highly recommend this one to everyone who will listen to me, and my full review of it can be found here.

Last on this list is the game I'm currently playing, and I've been going about it pretty slowly so I'm unable to write a complete review just yet. However, it's so perfect for the season that I absolutely have to include it!

9 R.I.P. — Currently Playing!

Otome, Ghost Stories, Nine Love Interests???

I originally bought this game because I've been a big fan of Yuuya's art ever since I played Cupid Parasite, and let me tell you, this one is beautiful! Not only the sprites and cgs, but the UI as well! I just finished the "Urban Legends" common route, and started Sena's route! I adore all the characters I've met so far, especially Sena and Koyo since they've been the focus of my current route, so I'm really looking forward to seeing what else this game has in store! (It's also currently on sale on the Nintendo eShop until November 1st!)

If you've read this far, thank you!! And if you're a fan of any of these games, I would be thrilled to chat about them!