Nintendo Switch Visual Novels, Summer 2023 Edition

[rynling]

Here are six visual novels I'm thinking of playing this summer:

We Know the Devil (45 minutes)
https://www.nintendo.com/store/products/we-know-the-devil-switch/

Three kids pass a tense night in the woods at a summer camp haunted by the devil.

If Found (2 hours)
https://www.nintendo.com/store/products/if-found-switch/

A vaporwave transgender coming-of-age story with sci-fi elements.

Perfect Gold (3 hours)
https://www.nintendo.com/store/products/perfect-gold-switch/

A cute yuri romance about teenagers in a high fantasy world.

Chicken Police (10 hours)
https://www.nintendo.com/store/products/chicken-police-paint-it-red-switch/

A noir mystery thriller where all the characters are animals (but not furries).

Paranormasight (12 hours)
https://www.nintendo.com/store/products/paranormasight-the-seven-mysteries-of-honjo-switch/

A horror story set in central Tokyo in the 1980s. Developed by Square Enix and rumored to be very good.

The Letter (20 hours)
https://www.nintendo.com/store/products/the-letter-a-horror-visual-novel-switch/

A psychological thriller set in England with a J-horror vibe. Apparently inspired by that infamously creepy Korean webcomic, you know the one: https://comic.naver.com/webtoon/detail?titleId=350217&no=31

Comments

[lassarina]

I've heard such good things about We Know the Devil. Haven't played it yet.

[rynling]

I heard good things about it too, but I was disappointed by the actual game when I played it last night. I had to go online and read more things about it in order to understand what was going on, which helped me appreciate it a bit more.

I'm not really sure how to process or asses what's going on here, and I feel like the essays people write about the game are better than the game itself. I think maybe Christian summer camps are an aspect of American culture that the target audience takes for granted...

...but unfortunately this requires additional research for me. 😅

[lassarina]

huh. I never went to Christian summer camp, but 13 years of private religious schooling means it'll probably make some amount of sense. INtriguing.

[runicmagitek]

If Found was a lovely experience! Very raw at times, but I liked how it presented the story.

I have a handful of friends who have played Paranormasight and have said nothing but good things about it. Haven't tried it myself, but I trust it's a decent game.

[rynling]

I just started playing Paranormasight last night! It's fantastic. I was just thinking of playing 13 Sentinels again from the beginning, and Paranormasight is probably the next best thing. I love that "always sunset" retro vibe.

I downloaded If Found when it was on sale, and it's been sitting on my Switch unplayed for months. Your recommendation fills me with motivation to finally give it chance, thank you!

[deemoyza]

Chicken Police looks AWESOME!!! And the voice acting sounds great! Paranormasight intrigues me, too (especially that homemade Ouija board XD). Hope you have fun with any/all of these, and I look forward to your reviews of them!

[rynling]

Thank you so much! I just started playing Paranormasight last night, and it's super fun. I wonder why there wasn't more of a buzz when it was released in March, but I guess Square Enix has been having a busy year.