Thursday, August 8, 2013

Quick List: Android Visual Novels - Revisited

It has been about a year since the last venture into visual novels, so time to look and see what is new in the Android VN world. Surprisingly, there are a few decent new titles. Many of them have the added bonus of being cross-platform, so you aren't quite stuck on a mobile if you're interested in playing.


Nanolife (53M) by Circle Pegasi

If you've ever liked the idea of a pseudo-online world like the .hack series, Nanolife is definitely a must play. The visuals are rich and diverse, plus there are many characters and environments keeping things fresh throughout. This game also shows some real creativity by simulating an online world while still sticking to a VN style of game-play.
(Official Website)


a2 ~a due~ (50M) by Navigame

With the crazy story that it had there didn't seem like much to expect from this title, but it turned out to be quite amusing. Not only did the dialogue become rather engaging after a short period of time, there was also a good amount of anticipation for extra music and doodles to keep things rolling. Just like what most gamers would expect from a full VN there are tons of goodies to unlock as you progress through the story. The UI is a little tough to navigate especially on smaller screens, but not intolerable. As unique and polished as it turned out, this is a highly recommended game on the list.

Days of the Divine (123M) by Circle Pegasi

Days of the Divine is one of the largest games on the list, but worth every byte of space. It is another fantastic title by Circle Pegasi created for NaNoRenO 2013. The visuals are smooth and pleasant, really giving off a quality impression. In-game music is wonderful and doesn't get annoying or repetitive, and the story seems just as good and rich as the music and graphics. This game is a great piece of work overall.
(Thread


Duty (44M) & Magus Opus (13M)


Here we have a couple of extra-short games built with the Ren'Py engine. They're both based on personality tests and give you a result at the end of completion. They seem good enough to satiate some boredom and curiosity.
(Thread - Duty)
(Thread - Magus Opus)


Love Academy (42M) by Koyonplete

While not entirely free, this stands as one of the fullest VN experiences you can get on Android without spending a penny. Love Academy has a rich and diverse story. Thanks to the limit imposed by its freemium model, you can only play so much of the story each day at a time before you need to buy in-game points to progress to the next stage.
(Official Website)


NaNoRenO
 has made a hugely positive impact on the VN community bringing out some shining stars on mobile platforms. Circle Pegasi and Navigame are definitely worth keeping an eye on, hopefully we can look forward to more releases from them in the future.


Non-free Mentions
By roseVeRte
East Tower (Paid for by character story, req. Adobe Air)
CAFE 0 ~The Drowned Mermaid~ (Full game IAP, req. Adobe Air)
dUpLicity ~Beyond the Lies~ (Full game purchase)

By Koyonplete
Pure Love (Freemium - Energy recovered every 24 hours)
Love Academy -YAOI- (Freemium - Energy recovered daily at 4AM)

By Voltage
Be My Princess (Paid for by story)
A Knight's Devotion (Paid for by story)

By Circle Pegasi
Firefly (Full game purchase)

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