IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE PERFECT, IT JUST NEEDS TO EXIST

2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021

The way I keep adjusting the title of these reviews to accurately reflect the shit I play each year 😂

Usually I plug my sideblog, but errrr, this year I didn't post much there?? Soooo, maybe next year!! A second note, I played a few more smut titles than I realized, and it's ironic given the big crack down that happened this year. Please check out the game and decide if its content is what you want to engage with. I recommend all the games on here, but I'm also a random stranger on the internet. So.

As always, I do nooot bash the games that displeased me (which for once is a shame because I've got TWO at least that need a swift kick in the rump). On with the review!!!

DEMOS

Blood & Play - I'm still on my werewolf romance soap box but don't for a SECOND think my bias kept me from enjoying this demo (it only hindered me from playing it sooner zjfhjsdfh). Yeah it's vampire media, but it's just so....wonderfully queer? And grounded?? Anyhoo, I need more eyes on this one, the full game is gonna slap!

Snowkissed Romance - I was...alive in the 90s but my childhood memories are of the early 2000s. That being said!!!! I can appreciate the marriage of shojo anime, falling in love during the holidays, and all the little callbacks to the 90s. I was able to support the Kickstarter for this one and I am soooooo excited to see the progress of this title and how things are coming along 😙

summer haze/glory days - Laughing because my *plan* was to play the updated demo and have more fun things to say about this game (and also refresh my memory??) but the vibes were spectacular with this one!! I love a throwback to the early 2000s (looking at you Butterfly Soup sksksk) and given how obsessed I am with the Interactive Fiction work Infamous, I think other fans of that might find some crossover appeal with Summer Haze!

Strapped - Bruh, all my smut enjoyers PLEASE rise for the national anthem. This. Is. My. New. Shit. I'm actually distraught that this is only a demo and I am sobbing on the ground over how itch.io's decisions due to credit card and other payment option companies having lost their damn, fascist minds have jeopardized this game and others' ability to reach the audience it deserves. College Craze gives a taste of BDSM and femdom but Strapped is the fully realized world with a host of interesting characters and a need (read: my need) to see how our MC deals with her new found abilities...heavy are dem hips that carry dat STRAP!!!!

Resonance in Orbit - Coming off the high of enjoying what's been released thus far of Summit Library, RiO is a fun, dipped in mystery, sci-fi romp aboard the Harbinger and introduces us to a cast of characters who all intrigue me. Y'all can have everyone else, but Amarak is mine 😏

Cupid's Bargain - Y'all gonna get sick of me talking about gamedev miseri's games and to that I say WELL THAT'S TOO DAMN BAD!!! Lol, this project resides in the universe of The Things You Do For Love, and we play a high school matchmaker who's summoned a pair of deities in the name of love. Like...what could possibly go wrong??? I await the full version and y'all will see this game again once that happens LOL!

Where the Day Springs Red - Carrot of Our Wonderland has blessed us unworthy folks with another horror delight with another group of childhood friends I am ready to fall in love with!! The demo is fantastic with it's use of animations, hilarious banter and physical humor, and the promise that something darker, perhaps sinister is on the way 👀

Under Heaven or Hell - Funny thing about this title, it's the LAST demo I played and it only popped up on the radar because of a follow notif from the dev team (shout out to them!!). I'm happy to report that the demo is absolutely gorgeous and I already know the finished game will be amazing?? Between the art, the animation sequences, the music and how it all elevated the game experience, I was tickled pink!! I met all but one of the featured characters and all of them intrigue me so much that I have no idea who I'll want to romance! Y'all keep an eye out for this game.

Fully Released & Played (at least 1 playthrough)

Arcadia Fallen - Found on itch.io and Steam, but this was a switch title for me that I got on sale a while ago. Bless the snow days that allowed me to blow through this game in a day. And I do mean a day, it was like 7 hours I think??? Maybe I took meal and bathroom breaks?? Anyway, this satisfied the RPG hole in my heart with the character banter, fascinating lore, choices that have serious consequences, and the promise of a sequel!!!!!

vampires in your area - Every year brings me a game that I love to pieces and instantly alerts me to the fact that I'm gonna fall in love with the dev team and need to play their entire backlog (or start keeping an eye out for future titles.) This game was so perfectly nostalgic, and pink, and girly, and fun.

Lovely Magicals - What a precious game ohhh my God. if you love magical girls and magical girl media, QPR representation, fun group dynamics, and a lovely soundtrack to bop to as you play, boom! Here be your game!

Pivot of Hearts - Returning readers of these wrap up posts will remember when I mentioned PoH on my highlighted list of demos. Well, the full game finally dropped this year and it was more than I could have hoped or wished for. The card mechanic is used in a cool way when it comes to influencing your choices and what you can say/do from that list, and the table-top campaign side plot lends itself well to a replay. Annnd a replay is a MUST if you want that poly end!! Which trust me, you do. You really do. Also showering love to this game for taking place in Brazil, and reminding me that I need to play more non USA centric VNs like...yesterday.

A Simple Twist of Fae - It's actually a damn shame that I wasn't on my side blog much this year because if there is ANY game I should have be obnoxious and feral over and let the world know just that, it would be Twist. I'm not kidding, I love this game, it's in my top 5 list of games to recommend to anyway without reservation. I already love the fact that as a lover of romance and shojo/josei tales, the GUI is a masterclass of how to get Gemini to foam at the mouth. The music choices are perfect, and every choice with the game mechanics and presentation feels intentional. But all the bells and whistles aside, what makes me truly want to hug this game to my chest is our MC Kalaira. She makes me feel so seen (anxious Black girlies lemme hear ya cry!!!) Her journey from the time we meet her to the one of the endings your choices lead you to is extremely healing. Also...we really need more Black MCs and LIs in the VN space good LORD!!

Golden Bonds - *Bangs table* I need more poly romance games thank youuuuuu. I also just need more eyes and players on this game. Another sweet story with precious group dynamics and a fun take on the King Midas touch myth.

The Dragon Princess - Reflecting on this months later after I played, I think I'd described this game as tragic in a beautiful and healing way. At my grown age I still love picture books so much, and often times I wish there were more adult picture books (and not the comical or sexual ones lol). I think Dragon Princess is that perfect fit of lovely illustrations with a story with weight that still leaves you satisfied with the way it all ends.

Yarns & Yums - This is such a cute game with a simple but fun mechanic!

(UN)DRESS ME - This game was really just horny meets dress up games and I think that's so valid of the dev team. Like...if you grew up dressing your Barbie and Ken dolls, this is just the grown folks version of that 😂 10/10 would always recommend!!

Heartstop Tour - I need more silly games made and I need more people to PLAY those silly games. Anyway, I played this game when it was just Julian's route, and he's cool, and I LIVE for how unserious and fluffy and cute and funny the game is. But Riku's route???? MAMA I LOVE HIM!!!! I'd like to go on record that this is the first game in a hot minute where the blonde LI option didn't run off with my heart, so we're gonna say a win is a win.

Criminally Yours - More like criminally suffering from brain rot a month straight after playing 5(??) of the endings 😭 I still stand by the fact that I'm not a yandere person, but oh my fuck, I cannot stay away from a blonde LI!! It's my morale failing and I can't do better. ANYHOO, I truly enjoyed myself. Which is obvious since I got multiple endings lol. But Nik quickly became one of my fave LIs this year to the point where he can honestly do no wrong in my eyes. He's obsessed with me?? Okay, and who doesn't want that??? 🤨 Quickly. (Another win for the girl, gay, and they MCs btw)

Taking my Dark Knight Girlfriend to the Corner Store - This is a shorter game that packs a sweet and tender punch. T4T couple, pretty art (same team that made my fave, Breathless Winds, weeeeeee) and the fun use of physical comedy sandwiched between a very sweet love story was beautiful. (I watched a lot of animated shorts this year and this game gave me the same comfy vibes.)

Duck Detective: The Secret Salami - What's this?? Another Steam game I played on Switch and want to recommend?? Why yes! If you like puzzles, goofy but engaging stories that also lend to engaging gameplay, amazing voice acting, and a mystery to solve, here's your game. There's a sequel out but I didn't get to it before this post went live SO expect to see it mentioned next year most likely. Hey y'all, I waited so long to finish this damn wrap up that me and my sibling played the sequel too LOL. It's shorter and not as entertaining as the first game BUT I still recommend both these games and I hope a 3rd game will be made.

Early Access or Episodic Release titles (Oooo! New Category!!)

Alaris - I had plans to have both Fenir and Druk's routes under my belt before I started being annoying about this game, but bro, you'll just have to trust me 😭 I got to play the beta of Fenir's route and it was BEUATIFULLLLLL. I love my mans. My man my man my mannnn But also this game overall is so stunning. The demo I played and was entranced with way back when has evolved into this beautiful swan of an experience and I hope that next year I'll be able to talk in depth about the other routes in either a wrap up or on the side blog.

Made Marion - Hehehehehehehehheh wow. Wow wow wow. This was another game I wished to complete more than one route before the wrap up went live, but it's okay!!! That means that I recommend it enough that I don't even need to play the other routes yet!! I had the opportunity to get through John's route and I want to give Velvet Cupcake their flowers. This is a project I've been watching and cheering for on the sidelines for a hot minute and this is a another game that was amazing in demo form and just became even more wonderful as a full game. I'm not really into the Robin Hood legend and folklore but I love media that makes me interested in something I wouldn't have bothered with because it's just that engrossing.

Fields of Mistria - I think last year my game that needed zero introduction and I sank so many hours into was Wylde Flowers. This year it's FoM and I actually had to stop because the early access has been too much of a good thing I really need that full game ahhhhhhh 😭 If anyone cares, Ryis and Caldarus are my loves and I need mods so I can marry them both. Yep.

I Watched a Full Game Playthrough and Highly Recommend

Amanda the Adventurer 3 - I want to go back and rewatch the first 2 games and come back to the 3rd just for my own purposes, but it has been such a treat to follow the lore and story of this game. I personally have an unhealthy attachment to the Pied Piper tale, have always since I was kid. The game having a black girl protagonist meant it was basically inevitable I would find this game and want to see it through, my horror aversion be damned LOL.

I have my criticisms about this last game and find the 2nd game to be the strongest of the series, but those are thoughts I won't get into in this wrap up. I just want more eyes on this game and for possibly more productive discussions on the themes and characters and puzzles and maybe less misogyny and racism fueled takes when it comes to this last game in the series.

...

"And that's what you missed on Glee!" 😂 As always, let me know if y'all share any favorites or even if you think there's one I should hold space for in 2026!

in another timeline, I had more energy, more creativity, & less manic energy coursing through my body. But we're in this timeline!!! it's Black History Month and once a day here and over on Bluesky, I'll be linking the itch.io or steam page for the next 28 days and shouting out visual novels that have unambiguous Black love interests.

Taking my games out of the running, I struggled a little too hard to come up with at least 28 and that's a problem. I can't make the industry progress faster and I can't make current American society reckon with it's evil past, but I sure as hell can make be annoying and make it everyone's problem!!!!

Much love to @crescencestudio for hosting this spot of fun and joy every year!!

my giftee was @flowersforjoy and while I adore all the games I've played that her team has created, I was especially charmed by Criminally Yours (which I implore all of you to download and play!!)

No, seriously. This project has made me feel better about the current state of VNs and where we can go from here.

My only true requirement for this series is that there has to be at least 1 unambiguously Black love interest who is described as such by the game/game developer whether it's a romance focused visual novel or not. But it has to be a visual novel lol.

I've included demos, abandoned games (*wails loudly*) finished games, old projects, new projects, and anything in between because the purpose of this series is to show that there can and should be more. Any games not included this year means I can do this again next year, so I don't mind people reaching out to me!!