FREE GAMES ARE GREAT: A RECLIST

A little while ago I made some noise about possibly putting together a big reclist of my favorite free/indie games for people who just happen to have an awesome free game void in their lives. A lot of my favorites also happen to have queer characters or lady protagonists in them, so all the better.

So, here is a list with some basic information on these games, download links, and a little bit of plot synopsis/why I’m recommending them!

Unfortunately, nearly everything on this list was made in RPG Maker, so they will not work on Mac or Linux. Running these games with your computer in Japanese locale is recommended (especially the Japanese versions of the two visual novels up top won’t work otherwise since they were made in kirikiri).

A lot of these games need content warnings, but unfortunately, some of the content that needs warnings for is serious spoiler territory. So I have a list of content warnings at the very bottom of the post, which you should only check if you know there’s content that you need to avoid to be safe.

Games with a ♀ next to the title have a female protagonist; games with a ♥ have queer characters (I’m counting games where characters are implied to be queer).

True Remembrance
Satomi Shiba
Genre: Kinetic ADV visual novel
Play Time: About 2 hours
JP: http://true-re.sakura.ne.jp/true1.htm
ENG: http://trueremembrance.insani.org/

This game is a classic, so it’s going on here in case anyone hasn’t heard of it. True Remembrance is an ADV-style visual novel, set in a fictional modern country besieged by an epidemic. The main characters are a young man called Kurome (Blackiris in the localized version), one of the few doctors who can treat this mysterious disease, and his patient, a girl named La.

Highlights involve excellent worldbuilding and atmosphere, good use of alternate POV, and a nice balance of slice of life elements with mystery. The banter between the cast is great–there’s quite the eclectic mix of personalities here–and the narrative feels a lot bigger and more fleshed out than its two self-contained hours actually holds.

There is honestly not much I can say about this game without spoiling anything, oops.

Narisokonai Snow White | Half-Baked Snow White ♀
3 Under B Step
Genre: Fairytale romance(?) ADV visual novel
Play Time: 1-2 hours per playthrough
JP: http://3under-b-step.sakura.ne.jp/snow_white/

This game is a SUPER CUTE and also occasionally dark otome game with multiple endings. It’s a fractured retelling of Snow White: You play as Princess Biancheneige (Lady Neige for short), tiny precious brat child, proud “Fairest Of Them All” titleholder, whose father has just remarried–meaning that she has just acquired a new stepmother and stepsister. Lady Neige is… not sure if want, to say the least! Thus begins a life of ANTICS and SHENANIGANS between Lady Neige, her brutally honest manservant Estelio (Lio) Ambrose, and her new stepsister Nocsia.

There’s one other character you may or may not meet, and once you’ve gotten the first two endings, you unlock a new choice early on that takes the story in a totally different direction. That’s all I’m going to say here.

The art is adorable, so are the characters, and I love the worldbuilding. The game comes with a hint corner where Lady Neige consults Spoiler-kun about how to get the rest of the endings (there are seven in total). This is invariably adorable and you should check it repeatedly even if you’re not having trouble, since even the options that you’ve already looked at change based on which endings you’ve gotten.

shit this is the second game in a row where i can’t actually talk about some of the main reasons why it’s awesome without giving everything away shit fuck i fucked up

Ib ♀ ♥
kouri
Genre: Horror/adventure
Play Time –
JP: http://kouri.kuchinawa.com/game_01.html
ENG: http://vgperson.com/games/ib.htm

Most people have probably already heard of Ib by now, but it’s just that good. I am EXTREMELY fond of this game and its goofy cast, so I would be remiss in not including it on this list. To give an overview for the newcomers: Nine-year-old little rich girl Ib comes to a small art gallery with her parents, and some very curious happenings lead to her getting lost in an alternate dimension where the art comes alive.

The main draw of Ib is its characters and its worldbuilding. It’s a horror game, but everyone and everything is incredibly endearing (sometimes regardless of how scary or disturbing it is). The cast is very limited if you don’t count all the critters, but they’ve all got a lot of personality. The story itself is designed to create attachment and investment–you’ve got to work to take care of your party members.

Gameplay mostly consists of solving puzzles, running away from enemies, and building relationships with the other characters. There are multiple endings and a lot of hidden content to enjoy, from easily-missed events to the intricacies of the pixel art.

Alice mare ♥
Miwashiba
Genre: Adventure
Play Time: 2-3 hours
JP: http://alicemare.chottu.net/
ENG: http://vgperson.com/games/alicemare.htm

Young amnesiac Allen, who recently lost his parents, is brought to a strange group home for young children in similar situations to himself. When he decides to investigate a rumor going around, he and all the others in the boarding house are brought into a strange dreamlike world.

Miwashiba is a relatively well-known Vocaloid PV artist, so the character designs and pixel art are both beautiful. The characters are all very endearing too (it’s a bunch of rambunctious kids and their den mom teacher; tell me that that’s not adorable). The whole story is heavily influenced by fairy tale/storybook motifs. Alice in Wonderland is the most obvious, but each one of the kids has their own separate motif.

The queer subtext is a little less apparent in this game than with Garry in Ib–in the case of the trans character especially it’s at the “if you stop to think about it” level–but it’s handled with so much grace and kindness and subtlety in-verse that it counts. I insist that it counts.

As with the other horror games, gameplay here mostly consists of solving riddles and puzzles. There are multiple endings.

Haiiro Teien | The Gray Garden ♀ ♥
Mogeko
Genre: Angels & demons RPG
Play Time: About 6 hours
JP: http://funamusea.com/story/gray_garden/
ENG: http://vgperson.com/games/graygarden.htm

On the topic of “games that just bowled me over with how good they are”, let’s talk about Haiiro Teien for a while. This game takes place in a world where angels and demons were once at war, but have since reconciled and now live in peace. You play as Yosafire, a demon girl. The game starts out at a leisurely pace, easing you into the swing of things by having you play through Yosafire’s everyday life. Things… don’t stay leisurely forever, let’s put it at that.

The story is very cute and funny, and this is probably the best use of an extended cast I’ve ever seen in a video game. In case you don’t know Mogeko’s well-deserved reputation already, come in forewarned that this game gets really gory in places.

Other than that: Disgustingly adorable couples! Lesbians! Bisexuals! Misandry! Friendship! It’s like a laundry list of everything I love in a game. On top of that, one important character’s gender is intentionally ambiguous and, according to Mogeko, can be read as a boku lady or nonbinary. WHAT GREAT CHOICES, AM I RIGHT??

The game as a whole is very easy and combat is more or less optional.

Sweet*Sweet ♀ ♥
uta
Genre: Modern-day minigame adventure
Play Time: About 3 hours
JP: http://www.ab.auone-net.jp/~uta_m/games.html

EVERYONE PAUSE; IT IS NOW UTA TIME. I’m a big uta fan–I’ve played a lot of their work and loved most of it–so let’s get started on all my uta recs.

Sweet*Sweet is a cheerful, laid-back game about young middle schooler Toshimura Youko (Yokko to her friends), who was adopted into her current family as a child. Due to reasons and shenanigans, she and her next-door neighbor Akira start an on-request baking service for the townspeople where they live. Meanwhile, Yokko is about to learn some of her friends and family’s long-held secrets.

Gameplay mostly involves finding people to take commissions from, buying ingredients, balancing your budget, and playing the baking minigame. There’s also multiple endings and new game plus bonuses.

Nearly all of uta’s work contains a few throwaway references to an old game of theirs called “lost brave” that is no longer being distributed. It’s not at the level where you won’t be able to understand the game if you don’t know the jokes–you usually won’t even notice that the jokes are being made–but if you’re curious, you can find an LP on Nico Nico Douga in the lost_brave tag.

Oikakeru | Chasing
uta
Genre: Modern-day (?) text-based RPG
Play Time: About 10 minutes
JP: http://www.ab.auone-net.jp/~uta_m/games.html

A game where you just chase after her as she runs away. Giving a more detailed explanation would spoil the plot.

Like everything else of uta’s, this game has a very unique system–your HP parameters increase when you defeat enemies, and you can pick up items and stat bonuses by bartering some of your parameters away. You can choose to run away from enemies if you don’t want to fight them, and if you have trouble fighting, you can always backtrack to search for more items or weaker monsters. You’ve only got one save file, so don’t hesitate to go forward and back as much as you need.

Teitai Shoujo | Standstill Girl ♀
uta
Genre: Fantasy RPG
Play Time: About 4 hours
JP: http://www.vector.co.jp/soft/win95/game/se487961.html
ENG: http://vgperson.com/games/standstillgirl.htm

Teitai Shoujo is a game on the same list as Haiiro Teien in that it was MADE FOR ME. Okay, it wasn’t literally made for me, but it’s got a lot of things in it that I love.

Alice is a girl who lives in the Land of Clocks along with Tiska (the Warden of Time), Gulinello (her and Tiska’s gruff and ill-tempered father figure), and the adorable little black slimes known as the shadow people(/shadelings in the English version). The Land of Clocks is a parallel world that supplies the real world (the Land of Life) with time, and it’s Tiska’s job to look after the clocktower. But one day the clock breaks, and its hands are scattered in the Land of Life.

Ordinarily it would be Tiska’s job to go get the hands back, but when told to stay home because it’s dangerous, Alice is like “lol no” and decides to go instead.

This game has really beautiful pixel art, a highly customizable system, multiple endings, and loads of bonus bosses/hidden extras. The next three games on this list take place in the same overarching universe.

Eve no Hi ni Shindeshimau Anata no Tame no Soumatou Kikou | A Flashback to Commemorate Your Death on Christmas Eve ♀
uta
Genre: Text-based fantasy RPG
Play Time: About 1 hour
JP: http://www.vector.co.jp/soft/win95/game/se492621.html

A side story to Teitai Shoujo. You don’t need to play Teitai Shoujo to play Eve, but Eve has some pretty big spoilers for it, and also has some unlockables if you enter a password from Teitai Shoujo when you start a new game. I’d recommend playing Teitai Shoujo first.

Wendy (a minor character from Teitai Shoujo) has died on Christmas Eve. There’s an urban myth that if you die on that day you’ll have a wish granted, and though Wendy is atheist, she thinks that she may as well see if there’s any truth to it. On her way to the Land of the Dead, Wendy is dropped off in the Land of Flashbacks, which supplies the real world with memory. Together with the Warden of Memory, a girl called Gulinora, Wendy must search for her memories until it’s time for her to move on. However, the traumas of her life will stand in the way of her most potent memories.

The battle system is simple but very original, and you may have trouble in combat until you can find a few memories. You can attempt the final boss battle at any time, but you can only get the true ending if you recover all of Wendy’s memories and defeat the three minibosses.

Take note that if you’re running Windows Vista or higher and have your midi soundfont set to the default, some of the BGM won’t play. You can run the game just fine without it, but if you want to know how to change your soundfont, try looking up software like Timidity and Midi Mapper.

Migawari Nightmare | Bodyswap Nightmare ♀ ♥
uta
Genre: Fantasy RPG
Play Time: About 30 minutes
JP: http://www.vector.co.jp/soft/win95/game/se494921.html

Set in the same ‘verse as Teitai Shoujo, but takes place before it. This is also the only game in the 'verse that’s consistently funny.

On the night before Christmas in the Land of Instruments, Gulimas (the Warden of Music) and Clay Doll are hard at work delivering carols and hymns to the Land of Life when Gulinello comes to crash the party, filling the Land of Instruments with Noise. Due to Stuff and Things, it’s up to Clay Doll to defeat the Noise and kick Gulinello out.

Clay Doll has two personalities–one female and one male–and their body changes to reflect the personality in control. Both personalities have separate stats and equipment, and in order to progress through the game you have to become adept at switching back and forth between the two during battle.

There’s a whole bunch of unlockable stuff as usual, plus a very difficult hidden boss you can get after clearing the game once. Do come in forewarned that there’s some catcalling/sexual harassment because the boy Clay Doll is kind of a little shit. This game has the same BGM problem as Eve, and is also prone to a save file-eating bug, so save often and back your saves up often too (I only ran into this bug once, but once was enough).

Kikai Jikake no Yume | Mechanical Dreams
uta
Genre: Fantasy ADV visual novel
Play Time: About 30 minutes
JP: http://www.ab.auone-net.jp/~uta_m/games.html

Kikai Jikake no Yume is set in the Land of Tin, which supplies the Land of Life with power. Most humans go straight to the Land of Flashbacks when they die, but those with outstanding abilities are brought to the Land of Tin to help the clockwork androids produce all different kinds of power. Our hero, a boy who goes by the nickname Nina, is one such human. He is put in charge of raising a Tin Rabbit, which generates the power to jump.

Gameplay is pretty low in this game–once you’re through with the introduction, all you’re obligated to do is raise your Tin Rabbit–but as Nina, you can explore the Land of Tin and get to know some of your fellow residents, as well as getting to hear about the elusive Warden of Power, Gulibell.

There are two possible endings to this game.

Hisou Ningyou | Tragic Muppets ♀
Yuzuri Hatsuka
Genre: Horror-ish adventure/puzzle
Play Time: About 1 hour
JP: http://sky.geocities.jp/rebellsong/tragicmuppets.html
ENG: http://dialoguelostloop.tumblr.com/tragicmuppets

High school student Aoi wakes up one day in an unfamiliar mansion with gaps in her memory. But when she decides to investigate her surroundings and how she came to be here, she is warned to stop by a mysterious boy named Souma–because discovering the truth will force her to make a “painful choice”.

As with all the other horror games, this is one where gameplay mostly consists of solving riddles and puzzles. There are a lot of endings, and an unlockable bonus chapter (that also has multiple endings).

A friend of mine made this and I also happen to be the translator, in case that’s any incentive.

Toki no Rougoku | The Gaol of Eternity ♀
Yuzuri Hatsuka
Genre: Fantasy RPG
Play Time: 8-12 hours
JP: http://tokinorougoku.web.fc2.com/index.html
ENG: http://dialoguelostloop.tumblr.com/thegaolofeternity

300 years ago, the Demon Lord was struck down by a human hero wielding the holy sword of the goddess. Now, the Demon Lord’s daughter Agena has taken his place and rules the demon world in peace–until she suddenly gets the news that her father has reappeared in the human world and is wreaking havoc there. When Agena tries to get a look at what’s happening in the human world, she winds up falling through–and there, she joins forces with a human boy named Reck and a sprite girl named Sylephin. Together, the three of them decide to go on a journey to get to the bottom of what’s really going on here.

Toki no Rougoku is a traditional RPG, and it’s one of the longer games on this list. The battle system uses ATB; you need gimmick items to get through the dungeons and get to the extra content. Outside of battle, you also get to make friends with your teammates–you can have Agena woo Reck with her unending suave savviness (Yuzuri jokes a lot about Reck being the “heroine” of the game for a reason), or you can go “who needs boys tho” and be Best Friends with Sylephin instead. There are certain parts of the story that change depending on who you’re closer with, and their affection levels also influence the ending. (There’s a hidden third ending, too.)

THE CAST OF THIS GAME IS REALLY CUTE. LIKE. I CAN’T STRESS THIS ENOUGH; THEY ARE REALLY REALLY CUTE. Like of course Yuzuri’s art is cute but the characters’ personalities are cute. Their interactions are cute. The story is cute, except for the parts where it’s not… being cute… and in general this game is just really great.

Here is a tegaki MAD that Yuzuri did of Gearth shaking cola, because bless. http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm20238982

Cross resolution ♥
Yuzuri Hatsuka
Genre: Fantasy RPG
Play Time: 10-13 hours
JP: http://sky.geocities.jp/rebellsong/crossresolution.html

This is the second game in the same series as Toki no Rougoku. I’d recommend playing Toki no Rougoku first, since Cross resolution is a bit more cavalier with how the 'verse works, but the games are set in different worlds, so one won’t spoil the other or anything.

Cross resolution is set in a small world where humans have only two countries, Eldia and Rintia. Up until five years ago, these countries were at war over possession of the World Tree; the war ended when Rintia developed magical weapons of mass destruction and used them to attack Eldia. All of Eldia was reduced to wasteland in the attack, but Rintia’s capital city was caught up in the blast and destroyed along with it. Even now, five years after the end of the war, the survivors are struggling with its aftermath.

Meanwhile, a young adventurer named Ted with unusual abilities is wandering the world in search of his lost memories. Along the way, he meets a mysterious woman named Refina and takes on her request to escort her to a certain town. This unassuming encounter brings him into contact with many different people, and may even help him learn the truth behind his own identity and what’s about to happen to the world.

Like Toki no Rougoku, Cross resolution is a traditional RPG. It’s turn-based, but the combat system has a few interesting quirks, and the dungeons have a lot of puzzles. There’s a new game plus feature, and some sidequests (and one of the endings) are only accessible from your second playthrough onward.

ALSO THE WHOLE CAST IS REALLY REALLY PRECIOUS LIKE DON’T EVEN TALK TO ME THEY ARE SO. THEY ARE SO??? ? ? The story’s a lot more serious right out of the gate than Toki no Rougoku, but that’s because of the subject matter. The party’s also a lot bigger, which is a lot of fun because FRIENDSHIP and TINY PRECIOUS NERDS and help me i just have a lot of feelings about this game

Here is a tegaki MAD of this game’s cast and the three party members from Toki no Rougoku because BLESS THO: http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm24148995

Since I’m translating Yuzuri’s other games, expect to see Cross resolution and the upcoming third game in this series in English eventually!!

Basiliska ♀ ♥
Carrogath / Clua
Genre: Kinetic ADV
Play Time: ~1 hour
ENG: http://carrogath.itch.io/basiliska

Are you sick of stories prominently featuring unhealthy relationships and bad communication but never acknowledging that these are not good things? Do you like stories with a windowpane look into dense, detailed worldbuilding? Do you like LADIES??? Then Basiliska is probably right up your alley.

In a world like a magical version of early colonial America, we are introduced to Cecily, a reclusive and slippery apothecary who very much does not want to go back to court, and Thea, a traumatized and compulsively suspicious apprentice magician who needs a new teacher. Between their poking and prodding at that whole “healthy communication” thing, they may be able to help each other out. At least, the Sorcerer General would like for things to get resolved with no body count, anyway.

Carrogath currently has plans to write more in this universe; you can find some extra tidbits in her #basiliska tag, and there’s a follow-up Twine short story called Drink (cw alcohol, slurs).

LiEat ♀
Miwashiba
Genre: RPG
Play Time: ~1 hour
JP: http://lieat.ifdef.jp/
ENG: http://vgperson.com/games/lieat.htm

The creator of Alice mare returns to us with the story of a baby dragon named Efina and her hapless father-figure con man, Leo, as they investigate rumors of vampires in a small town. Soon after they arrive, a murder complicates things for them, but fortunately Efina and Leo are well-equipped to handle mysteries like these: Efina has the power to turn lies into monsters and eat them, a handy ability when one is trying to suss out a liar.

As with Alice mare, all the pixel art in LiEat is Miwashiba’s own work; this series also features her original music and short animated videos. Also as with Alice mare, everyone is criminally precious, so I highly recommend the whole series to anyone who wants to play something cute.

There are three games in the LiEat series, and there is continuity between them, so I’d suggest playing them in order.

LiEat II ♀
Miwashiba
Genre: RPG
Play Time: ~1 hour
JP: http://lieat.ifdef.jp/
ENG: http://vgperson.com/games/lieat2.htm

Continuing from where the first game left off, baby dragon Efina and her con man father-figure Leo Hal commit a little identity theft to get a job as security guards in a casino. Their objectives are simple: Get paid, get a place to sleep, and try to find out more about dragons. But barely have they been hired when lo and behold, A Crime Occur. It’s up to Efina and Hal again to track down the truth and sort out the damage that the liars have done.

Everyone is still adorable, and Miwashiba is still a treasure. LiEat II features the return of a few familiar faces along with the casino staff newcomers; you can also get to hear a little about what happened to the cast of the last game.

There are three games in the LiEat series, and there is continuity between them, so I’d suggest playing them in order.

LiEat III ♀
Miwashiba
Genre: RPG
Play Time: 30 minutes to 1 hour
JP: http://lieat.ifdef.jp/
ENG: http://vgperson.com/games/lieat3.htm

The third and final game in the LiEat series finds baby dragon Efina and her con man father-figure Leo Hal Sid … you know what let’s just go with Theo. Efina and Theo are traveling to a high-class dinner, courtesy of Theo’s frienemy Rosalie from the first game. The rich host intends to show off his golden treasure to his guests, but this doesn’t work out so well when the mysterious phantom thief The Butterfly crashes the party. She has a bone to pick with Theo, whose past has finally come back to bite him in the butt. Now it’s up to Efina to master her powers and save Theo before it’s too late–with a little help from her friends in the police force.

While this game is just as full of cute people as the rest of Miwashiba’s stuff, LiEat III is more of a horror story than the two previous mystery ones. The body horror elements especially are a lot stronger in this game, so come in prepared.

There are three games in the LiEat series, and there is continuity between them, so I’d suggest playing them in order.

Kansensei Nightmare | Contamination Nightmare ♀
yotabana
Genre: Suspense/Science Fiction Adventure
Play Time: 1-2 hours
JP: http://yotabana.zashiki.com/

High-school student Hellen wakes up in an abandoned hospital after some sort of explosion to find that she’s missing big chunks of her memory–including all recollection of her younger twin sister Cru. Stranded in a strange world, the two girls venture into the recent past to try to discover what has happened to them.

This game was the grand prize winner in the first-ever Nico Nico Free Game Festival. All the music used is original (and it’s REALLY good, especially the main theme Night of Moebius), and it’s a good idea to keep checking the status screen as the story progresses–Hellen and Cru’s face graphics change a lot depending on what’s going on.

But above and beyond that, this game is worth playing just for the sake of Hellen and Cru’s really cute sibling relationship.

Gensou Otome no Okashi na Kakurega | Little Miss Escapist’s Mad(eleine) Hideaway ♀ ♥
Buriki Clock
Genre: Dark Fantasy Adventure
Play Time: 3-5 hours
JP: https://www.freem.ne.jp/win/game/7275

Ange, an ordinary sixteen-year-old girl, and her close friend Bernd, a fifteen-year-old hunter, wander a little too deep into the forest one day during a coney hunt and decide to spend the night at their old secret base. But the next morning, Ange wakes up to find that all the windows and the door have been boarded up and nailed shut from the outside, leaving her and Bernd trapped. And then things start to get really, really weird.

As Ange, you get to kill a week’s worth of time playing with the strange fairies who’ve taken up residence with you and fulfill their requests, collecting breadcrumbs in hopes that the mysterious bird hidden in the clock will show you the way out. You’ll also get to reminisce over good times past with Ange’s friends. But as time passes, the world around you gets more and more sinister as you discover more clues as to the truth.

Once you’ve cleared Ange’s storyline, you will then get the option to replay the whole game from  Bernd’s point of view. Which is… very different, to say the least. Here, your efforts in Ange’s story will determine which endings are available.

Have I mentioned the lesbian ghost yet? No? There’s a lesbian ghost, by the way.

If you like unreliable narrators, black comedy, cute childhood friend relationships, and MILLIONS OF DESSERT PUNS OH GOD, you will probably enjoy this game a lot. The caveat is that this game is pretty gory (if not to Mogeko levels) and features loads and loads of disturbing imagery (and chase events). All of the pixel art and all of the music are original, and are really well-done. Basically yoooooooooooooooooo this game is really good yooooooooooooooooooooooooo it has an ADORABLE OT3 what more do you even WANT.

Buriki Clock apparently intend to update the game several more times with refinements to gameplay and one more ending (it’s currently at 3.03 as I’m writing this).

Autumn’s Journey ♀
Apple Cider
Genre: Fantasy ADV
Play Time: About 1-2 hours per playthrough
ENG: http://autumn.ishtera.net/index.html

Athletic, outgoing Auralee wants to be a knight just like her legendary hero mother, but having been homeschooled in a small town with no academy, she needs her mother’s permission and a reason to visit a big city to officially be proclaimed one. It seems that it’s going to take her a while to obtain both of these things, but then one day while patrolling the local woods for monsters, Auralee runs into a pair of young dragons who have been sent here in human guise to learn about humans’ customs. In helping them get the experience they need, she just may have the chance to go on her own adventure.

This game is very cute and offers you the opportunity to woo brusque tsundere earth dragon Kerr or sweet nerdy water dragon Ilmari–or to be best friends with both of them instead. It’s pretty nice to see a story where none of these options is presented to be “better” than the others, I’m not gonna lie. If you want a short and sweet fantasy story filled with dorks and humor/cuteness derived from cultural differences, this game is definitely for you.

It also looks like there’s an OP animation (in rough stages) by tumblr user guzusuru that you can check out here?! Pretty neat. http://guzusuru.tumblr.com/post/86164589081

Juniper’s Knot ♀ ♥
Dischan
Genre: Kinetic ADV
Play Time: About 1 hour
ENG: http://junipersknot.dischan.org/ (available in other languages at same link)

One lonely day, a Fiend’s solitude is disrupted by a lost Boy. By hook and by crook, she manages to convince him to stick around and keep her company, and they entertain each other through the night with stories. Any deeper description than this is going to spoil the plot.

The production values of this game are so nice and shiny that it’s hard to believe it was created in a month. The Fiend and the Boy’s continual confusion over each other’s slang is funny and the story is otherwise so bleak that the humor is much-needed. I know a lot of people who like that kind of thing (grimme darque sadde situations and awkward silly character dynamics), and this game’s short, so you might as well give it a try.

The caveat is that this game is filled with slurs. It’s just swimming in the stuff. While it is a part of the period dialogue and characterization, if you are bothered by this kind of thing you are definitely going to want to sit this game out. Some of the main aspects of the story could trigger players with severe claustrophobia, too, and there are references to homophobic lynching. While this IS a good story, that’s still not worth being triggered, so please go in aware that here there be objectionable content.

Mimicry Man
Norakumo Kazusa
Genre: Mimic Simulator/Puzzle
Play Time: ~1 hour
JP: http://www.freem.ne.jp/win/game/6327
ENG: http://vgperson.com/games/mimicryman.htm

Humans and demons have been at peace for ages, but recently a young self-proclaimed hero has decided to pick a fight with the demon king, and is searching for the legendary Sun Sword to do so. Also he is a complete butthead. So the demon king tasks Mimicry Man with stopping him… but as a Mimic, the only thing Mimicry Man can do to defeat enemies is to bait them with the item they want and then attack.

In order to obtain the Sun Sword and defeat the hero, you have to work your way up to it by completing item trade chains. You can get most items by luring prey in with what they want and then using their items to hook your next victims, and other items can only be obtained through item fusions or story scenes. (All story items can be re-obtained if you accidentally trade them away, so don’t worry!) The game has multiple endings plus bonuses for 100% completion, and the story is very silly and funny, so it’s a great way to waste an hour on a rainy day.

Knight Night ♥
Tarou2
Genre: Comedy RPG
Play Time: ~6-10 hours
JP: http://taroutwo.tyonmage.com/game.html

Probably the result of a traditional 90s RPG being raised by Earthbound and Princess Tutu or something. King Barn of the Castle Moste Shittey (yes) is sick of having to foot the bill when asked out to the Demon Lord’s parties, and so he tasks his knight captain, our hero (who you can name whatever you like with “Adonis” as the suggested default), with going to defeat her. But to face down a Demon Lord, one requires the power of a god… and so despite the protests of his son Gail and daughter Mika, the king performs the secret royal art of god-summoning to turn the hero into a vessel for a god.

And this is how you turn into the vessel for Kiefer, the Demon Lord of the Seventh Realm, general tsundere disaster. Thus begins a journey to defeat the Demon Lord, by the Demon Lord, for the Demon Lord. YEAH.

Along the way, you’ll make such friends as Lyuka the 100% perfectly ordinary medicine seller girl, Nanaly the (male) witch, and Kate the perverse (in all given definitions of the term) sage, and you’ll visit a variety of charming locales such as the Perfectly Generic Town, the Village of Debts Repaid, the Village of Incredibly Lazy Fishermen, and the Tower of No Meaning. Essentially, while Knight Night features all the good old traditional RPG elements, all of those elements are skewed in sillier and sillier ways.

What’s even better is that all of the hero’s lines are player-chosen. You’ve usually got the option of a reasonable answer and an out-of-left-field one. Because this game doesn’t have multiple endings, you really can choose whatever you like with no consequences, so if you want to play as the ULTIMATE HEAT-SEEKING GUIDED MOMENT DESTROYER, you can do that.

Knight Night does eventually evolve into a very serious story, which I can’t discuss because I don’t want to give it away, but I probably cried as much as I laughed (and screamed “IM GONNA MARRY THIS GIRL/BOY/TSUNDERE DISASTER” about lyuka and nanaly and kiefer). If you’d like to play something funny and ultimately very heartfelt, I can’t recommend this game enough.

After all, everybody wants their story to have a happy ending.

(if there’s one warning that ought to go here in the introduction, it’s that nanaly gets misgendered kind of a lot. he doesn’t seem to care and most of the time doesn’t even bother to correct people, but even so)

Chloe’s Requiem
Buriki Clock
Genre: Horror/Puzzle
Play Time: ~1-2 hours
JP: http://cloeslequiem.uunyan.com/ (other languages available, but no English yet)

In the middle of the night, 12-year-old prodigy violinist Michel runs away from home, bribing a carriage driver to take him as far away as possible. He winds up at a mysterious mansion under a terrible curse, and there meets a strange young girl named Chloe, who begs for his help in lifting it. Unable to leave and not really interested in going back anyway, Michel agrees, but he’s going to have to contend with the skeletons in his closet as well as the ones in Chloe’s if he wants to succeed.

While rougher around the edges than GenKaku, Chloe’s Requiem has the same intimate portrayal of characters’ psychology and relationships. It has a ton of endings and a Lot of puzzles to solve and foes to run from. Fortunately, as in Ib, it takes more than one hit to kill off Michel–this is good because some of the puzzles and traps are not very forgiving.

Chloe’s Requiem was Buriki Clock’s first major game release, and it shows–there are some Issues with the pacing because (as they have readily admitted in interviews) they came up with the plot as they went. It’s still going on this list nevertheless, largely because of…

Chloe’s Requiem -Con Amore- ♀
Buriki Clock
Genre: Adventure
Play Time: ~1-2 hours
JP: http://www.freem.ne.jp/win/game/8113 | http://cloe1104conamore.hannnari.com/

The “understory” to Chloe’s Requiem, told from the perspective of Chloe’s kitten Noire. Will not make very much sense unless you’ve played the main game first, but it’s much, much better and explains some of the vaguer points of the original’s story.

Noire has watched over the cast of Chloe’s Requiem all along but been unable to do anything; now, as Michel and Chloe struggle to break the curse, she has come to carry their true feelings back to them in the form of the music they treasured. So that their curses may be purified, and turn into love.

Con Amore’s gameplay is mostly cutscene-based, though some puzzle-solving is required to advance the story. Noire’s task is to collect fragments of music (there are three per character), and while you obtain some of them automatically as the game advances, others require some extra puzzle-solving to get. There is only one ending, but the epilogue changes depending on whether you’ve recovered all the music for each of the human kids.

Both the story and the puzzles are cleverly done (I had more fun with them than the ones in the original game, though some were frustrating) and Noire’s interactions with the world around her are wonderfully cattish. The focus on relationships is much stronger this time around, and in a Buriki Clock game that’s a very good thing. This game also goes a long way to explain the significance of the two cats to the original story, and Blanc’s characterization in particular was a pleasant surprise. I think it’s probably thanks to Ib that there are so many more games nowadays with a little girl protagonist and an adult male heroine, but I love this trend and I love that Buriki Clock has implemented it here.

Green Eyed Monster ♀ ♥
Carrogath / mooncakesfrommars
Genre: Drama ADV
Play Time: ~1 hour per playthrough or less
ENG: http://carrogath.itch.io/gem

College junior Lana is profoundly done with her high school career as a magical girl. Inimitably done. Finished, in fact. So finished, she’s spent the past four years trying to adjust to normal life. Too bad magical girlness isn’t finished with her; she gets a call from her fellow magical girl and ex-girlfriend Jory that the two of them are being summoned to kill one last monster.

It’s been four years, and all the old issues between Lana and Jory are just waiting to erupt and yank the rug out from under them. Can they survive a fight with the nastiest critter they’ve yet seen, and more importantly, can they survive having to deal with each other?

Basically if you enjoyed Basiliska, you’re going to be shoveling this one down with both hands. Weird, awkward sexual tension and old grievances are the order of the day, and the fact that Jory is dating someone else now is not exactly helping. Nobody does Characters Determined To Not Get Along like Carrogath. No matter how you roll the dice, Lana, Jory, and the future of their relationship are now in your hands. Good luck with that.

Those Without Names ♀
yuucie
Genre: Slice of Life/Drama ADV
Play Time: ~1 hour per playthrough
ENG: http://yuucie.itch.io/those-without-names

Eight has a real name, but she can’t remember it, and neither can anyone else in the strange establishment where she woke up. She now lives in a building where everyone’s personal quarters reflects their desires, you can make most things you wish for appear in the recreation rooms, and the amnesiac residents disappear to relive any memories they recover only to reappear in strange places. Most bizarre of all, the Earth hangs in the night sky outside, much too close yet impossibly far away.

Socially anxious and claustrophobic Eight’s only comfort are her friends Seven (a middle-aged woman) and Thirteen (a teenage boy), and her brother Zero. The more Eight remembers about her life, the more she begins to feel that something is wrong here. She used to think this place was just a dream, like Thirteen believes; lately she thinks that Zero’s fears about its true nature might be right. Exactly what will become of Eight is up to who you decide to believe.

This game’s art is gorgeous and its story is intriguing and sad, but probably the most noteworthy aspect (to me) is the close, supportive, healthy relationship between Eight and Zero. If you have a sibling who you count among your best friends, you’re probably going to enjoy this game a lot.

Line
Karanashi Ayumu
Genre: Fantasy RPG
Play Time: 7-10 hours per loop
JP: http://karanashiayumu.blog.fc2.com/blog-entry-20.html

In a world divided by a white Line that keeps monsters on the opposite side from humans, the young boy Flamme is on an errand for his foster brother Laum when he mistakes a girl in the bushes for a demon and (maybe) gives her amnesia. On their search for clues as to the girl’s identity, the trio meet the self-proclaimed King of the Sprites, who insists that the girl is the only one who can break his seal, and promises to restore her memories in exchange for her help. Joined by a positive menagerie of friends including Apis the trigger-happy bounty hunter, Vani the sweet-toothed prodigy, Kanna the spacey ninja, and more, Flamme and company embark on a quest to break the seals and discover why the Line seems to be malfunctioning.

Line is meant to be played by New Game Plusing over and over in an attempt to get to the true ending–there are ten of those, by the way, and the endings available to you change based on your in-game choices, your affection level with your party members, and which endings you’ve already cleared. At the very least, you need to play the game four times to get to the true ending, so it’s a serious time sink (as those of you who’ve heard me complain about time loop heck can probably tell). But the characters and their relationships are a lot of fun, and the balance of comedy and serious events are very well-done; events change in small ways after you clear new endings, too.

Right now, Line is still partially incomplete: While you can get to all the endings, the postgame bonus dungeon is not yet available and some scenes in the true route were cut in order to get the most recent release out in time to participate in Wolf RPG Editor Fest '15. There are still a few bugs being squashed, too. But since you can get to all the endings, you can still enjoy it if you don’t want to keep waiting until the complete release. As of right now (April '15), the current version is 2.22.

While I do find Line’s writing to be rough in places, I love the characters a lot and there’s also plenty of stuff that’s My Interests, so if you like time loop stuff you might be interested in giving Line a try!

Bevel no E | Bevel’s Painting ♀
Maninu
Genre: Horror/Puzzle
Play Time: ~2 hours
JP: http://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/projects_sumasuto_maninu
ENG: http://vgperson.com/games/bevelspainting.htm

A young schoolgirl named Bevel jumps into and explores the world of a painting she made in class. The world inside the painting starts out cute and welcoming, but gets darker and more ominous the further in she goes.

This is a deceptively simple game with a very interesting world. Most of the in-game text is displayed in cipher letters (there’s a helpful chart included in the game folder), and you’ll have to decode it in order to understand some puzzle hints and most of the context for the story. The story itself is largely provided without context, though you’re provided with ample hints as to what’s going on. There are also a heck ton of run-away-and-hide and instant-death-trap-from-nowhere types of gameplay elements, so I would not recommend it if you’ve got anxiety or health problems.

But if you enjoy atmospheric figure-it-out-yourself stories, and if you’re willing to get all the endings and play through the hidden extra story, this is a game that’s going to reward you.

Reincarnation ♀ ♥
Kinugasa Maruni
Genre: RPG
Play Time: 2+ hours per playthrough
JP: http://rabbitpotion.web.fc2.com/ | http://www.freem.ne.jp/win/game/6143

Asked by a familiar voice to identify yourself, you become Angelica the witch, Charles the swordswoman, or Yirga the wanderer, and alight in a strange and interconnected universe. You have allies—other girls who are held captive by the “bad girls”, and the mysterious rabbits who supply you with information. Explore worlds, defeat enemies, and gather your allies—but what is your real purpose in this world?

The first time you play the game, your objective is to gather and raise as many allies as you can. From the second playthrough onward, your objective is to meet the girls’ master.

Most of Reincarnation’s gameplay is comprised of exploration and character raising, so if you like level grinding you’re going to enjoy it a lot—folks who prefer strongly story-based games may find themselves a little bored on the first cycle, though. I implore you to stick with it, because once you get to the heart of the story it’s very rewarding. There’s a ton of bonus content to find, and you must play the game at least three times to get everything and everyone; check the notebook pages in each of the girls’ rooms again on your second playthrough to get extra insight.

This is a very meditative and unassuming game, but especially if you have original characters and stories, it’s great to play when you’re feeling down.

Kinugasa regularly updates the game with new characters and redrawn portrait art, so check back every now and again to see what’s new.

1bitHeart ♥
Miwashiba
Genre: Friend-Making ADV (Mystery/Slice of Life)
Play Time: 4+ hours
JP: http://1bitheart.nobody.jp/
ENG: http://vgperson.com/games/1bitheart.htm

14-year-old shutin Nanase Yoshi (affectionately and not-so-affectionately known as “Nanashi”, or “Nobody”) lives together with his genius programmer cousin Aisaka Mikado. He has the ability to see everything in the world in numerical statistics, but he doesn’t find it to be all that special; in fact, though he’s overflowing with affection for everything in the world, he cheerfully identifies himself as garbage and a freak.

On just another ordinary day, Nanashi returns to his room to find a mysterious girl named Misane sleeping in his bed. She claims to be suffering from amnesia, but she’s much more worried about Nanashi’s situation than her own–when she learns that he has no friends, she tells him that they’d better head into town to make him some. But when they do, they get caught up in some strange incidents…

Solve mysteries, play minigames, and make friends with the locals. This game is largely event-centric, but there’s a ton of stuff to do, so you won’t be getting bored anytime soon.

If you’ve played any of Miwashiba’s other games you’ll know what to expect here (lots of incredibly precious characters, cute and silly banter, critical hits to the feelings). The production values for 1bitHeart are very high, and the game is even partially voiced–which is definitely something given that there are about 50 (!) characters. While Miwashiba currently does not have plans to make any more games, she’s left us with a great final work.

[R-18] Cute Demon Crashers! ♀ ♥
SugarScript
Genre: Consent-Friendly Smut/Comedy ADV
Play Time: About 30-60 minutes per route
ENG: http://sugarscript.itch.io/cute-demon-crashers

College student Claire is busy bemoaning being stuck at home over spring break while her family’s out on vacation and her friends are all on hot dates. She wants the freedom to explore her sexuality too, but she’s not comfortable doing so with someone she hasn’t got the chance to know yet. Barely does she voice this complaint aloud but, lo and behold, a bevy of scantily clad sex demons (incubi Akki, Kael, and Orias, as well as succubus Mirari) come crashing into her bedroom!!!

Stuck in the human world for two days because of portal shenanigans, the four of them decide to keep Claire company and give her time to decide whether she wants to experiment with any of them. Sex demons may gain nourishment from sex, but only consensual and positive sex, after all; they have no desire to push Claire into anything she’s not comfortable with.

This game is very short and cute and fluffy–it’s literally what it says on the tin; get to know your demons and then decide which if any of them you’d like to bang (“none of the above” is an answer!)–but it’s got great production values (a billion CG and BG variations! tons of object cutins! custom coding! partial voice acting!) and has garnered a lot of attention for its consent mechanics. During the sex scenes, you’re presented with multiple options of how you want to proceed, plus the option to stop at most points. You’re also given the option of enabling or disabling censor mosaics whenever you want. Claire’s prospective partners are always supportive, no matter what you decide to do.

The development team decided to make this project in the hope of promoting more safe and consent-friendly R-18 games aimed towards a female audience, always a noble cause. Here’s to hoping.

Cerulean ♀
Pink Pomeranian Parade
Genre: Friendship/Slice of Life ADV
Play Time: 1-2 hours
ENG: http://laniessa.itch.io/cerulean

Cello Aufiero has been living in the island town of Amorina for two years now, but she’s still homesick for the life she left behind, and she has no friends at school, only interacting with her glassblower mother. One day her history teacher assigns her class to perform presentations about what life in Amorina means to them; this seems like an impossible task for Cello at first, but thanks to her project partners and a lost puppy, it might be her chance to start feeling at home instead.

THIS GAME IS HELLA, IT IS SO CUTE AND NICE, and also it’s filled with beautiful pixel-style sprites and backgrounds. Explore the town, get to know your friends, and make important choices. It will be philosophical, and also it will be cute.

Starbot ♥
cloudhime & enderbabby
Genre: Sci-fi adventure
Play Time: 1-2 hours
ENG: http://cloudhime.itch.io/starbot | http://cloudhime.tumblr.com/starbot

Play as newborn robot Starbot as their creators(/moms) install the last few updates they need, explore the satellite they live on and get to know their neighbors, travel through strange dreamscapes, and make friends with a star.

The creator describes Starbot as a “light, melancholic rpgmaker game tribute to The Little Prince”, and the loving homage definitely shows. Most of the NPCs have a bunch of different dialogue patterns, and you can discover a lot about the overall setting and atmosphere by snooping around people’s computers, notes, and trash cans once you learn how to read. The custom pixel art and map designs are also really great…

This game has got some disturbing imagery and a lingering sense of memento mori, but it’s also filled with a lot of love and tenderness too. IN CONCLUSION, PLEASE PLAY STARBOT

Gesshou ~Tsuki no Terasu~ | Moonshine ♥
Sakura Mint
Genre: Drama/Romance NVL (queer lit)
Play Time: –
JP: http://www.sakuramint.net/tsukiteras/tsuki_index.htm
ENG: http://altogether.insani.org/2008/4.html

Moonshine is a short, melancholic love story about an unnamed ex-salaryman who was fired for disability and a trans girl named Mai with big dreams that the world keeps getting in the way of. The protagonist finds a new job at the bar where Mai works as a popular hostess, and the two of them slowly get to know each other and become closer still. At first the protagonist is weighted down by his own depression and internalized prejudice, but that doesn’t last for long as he gets a first-hand look at the way Mai is treated in day-to-day life.

Upon its initial release, Gesshou was the focus of a lot of consternation, and was the target of everything from massive transphobic wank to glowing praise from respected reviewers. While the original version of the game is free for download online, it’s also possible to order a physical copy with a series of bonus stories included (including one from Mai’s own perspective). Sakura Mint has also gone back to revisit Mai’s character again and again in other visual novels.

If you’re planning on giving the English version a whirl, I’d, uh, avoid looking through insani’s liner notes if I were you. There’s thankfully little to no reflection on the actual translation of the game, but they throw around about as much casual cissexist/well-meaning-but-still-transphobic terminology as you might expect of a bunch of dudes in 2008.

Uncommon Time ♀ ♥
me (Feral Phoenix)
Genre: Orchestral Fantasy RPG
Play Time: 15-25 hours
ENG: http://dialoguelostloop.tumblr.com/uncommontime
JP: http://dialoguelostloop.tumblr.com/uncommontimenihongoban

i guess as long as we’re doing these i might as well, amirite

So… I made a game! And there’s a demo out in Japanese too! Literally the entire party is queer, plus the majority of the party is female (3 girls, 1 boy, 1 nonbinary), so there’s no harm in putting it on this list, right?

Eighteen-year-old cellist Alto Cantabile is heir to an ancient legacy, and in order to fulfill her duty, she brings her skeptical best friend, violinist Teagan Almace, along with her to the far northern country of Harmonia. Alto must gather three other players to form a quintet, and find the sheet music she needs for a very special performance.

Uncommon Time is a lengthy turn-based RPG with a very character-centric story. You’ll probably enjoy it if you like music and worldbuilding. It’s recommended for ages 15+ for mild sexual content and violent/disturbing imagery; there’s a list of detailed content warnings at the link above.

Refinery ♀ ♥
me (Feral Phoenix)
Genre: Magical Realism (?) Kinetic NVL
Play Time: 2-3 hours
ENG: http://dialoguelostloop.tumblr.com/refinery

i guess as long as we’re doing these i might as well, amirite x2

In a world much like our own, small-town Hokkaido girl Kouro Tomomi is struggling with the daily ennui and restlessness that come with recovering from Adjustment Disorder when cheerful newcomer Kuro Daiya hires her to landscape his house unseasonably early.

I’ve been working on Refinery for a very long time, and hope to put the full version out in late 2015 or early 2016. It’s mostly slice of life with a focus on friendship and character interaction, but there’s some influence from other genres too.

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CONTENT WARNINGS (including spoilers):

True Remembrance: Consent issues in a non-sexual context, depression, guns
Narisokonai Snow White: Partner abuse, child abuse, character death (in some endings)
Ib: Blood, body horror, character death, jump scares
Alice mare: Body horror, character death, child abuse, jump scares
Haiiro Teien: Attempted sexual assault, blood, gore, vore
Sweet*Sweet: Incest, age gap relationship (in some endings)
Oikakeru: Body horror
Teitai Shoujo: Blood, suicide, child abuse, body horror, character death, jump scares
Eve no Hi ni Shindeshimau Anata no Tame no Soumatou Kikou: Suicide, child abuse, character death
Migawari Nightmare: Sexual harassment
Kikai Jikake no Yume: Suicide
Hisou Ningyou: Blood, suicide, implied abuse, jump scares
Toki no Rougoku: Character death, sexual harassment
Cross resolution: War horror, genocide, blood, character death, discussed racism
Basiliska: Referenced homophobia, referenced death, referenced body horror, referenced eye trauma, consent issues in a non-sexual context
LiEat series: Blood, character death (first game only), body horror, jump scares
Kansensei Nightmare: Blood, character death, body horror, jump scares
Gensou Otome no Okashi na Kakurega: Blood, character death, body horror, animal harm/death, derealization
Autumn’s Journey: N/A
Juniper’s Knot: Slurs, rape mention, homophobia, lynching mention, referenced character death, loss of partner/grief, body horror, claustrophobia
Mimicry Man: Character death, blood, alcohol
Knight Night: Misgendering, character death, cannibalism, implied transphobia, war horror, textual descriptions of gore, blood
Chloe’s Requiem: Character death, gore, blood, jump scares, eye trauma, abuse, animal harm/death
Chloe’s Requiem -con amore-: Character death, blood, abuse, animal harm/death, drugs, age gap relationship
Green Eyed Monster: Textual descriptions of gore, stylized blood, avoidable character death, abuse mention, avoidable non-graphic sexual content
Those Without Names: Claustrophobia, character death, child abuse, anxiety
Line: Textual descriptions of gore, character death, ableism, Japan-typical gender essentialism, blood, child abuse, fantasy discrimination, body horror, torture mention
Bevel no E: Gore, torture, jump scares, bullying, implied abuse, body horror
Reincarnation: Bullying, implied self harm, body horror
1bitHeart: Character death, bullying, suicide, mind control, animal death, fatphobia, sexual harassment, self harm, toxic relationships, avoidable strangulation
Cute Demon Crashers!: Explicit sexual content
Cerulean: N/A
Starbot: Character death, body horror and other disturbing content, subtle horror
Gesshou ~Tsuki no Terasu~: Transphobia, ableism, classism, xenophobia

Uncommon Time: See official webpage
Refinery: See here