Recent reviews by Onilane

Yeah sure, it's a cute dating sim released in 2024 with LOTS of influences and references, what could go wrong :)
Joke aside, it was deeper than some of said references and i enjoyed the entirety of the ride. Plus, it's free, it's short, really, i wouldn't understand anyone not recommending it, especially if you're curious about Visual Novels and such. Comes with an excellent music album too.

One of the best slices of life out there. If you're familiar with VA-11 Hall-A, it's basically this but with shishas instead of cocktails.

What seems like a dating sim is in fact a reflexion about death, what we do with our life, how to deal with our traumas and grieves, and how to find hope along the way. It's in the simplest of things. And what distinguishes Hookah Haze from the other games or even Visual Novels which shared the same themes is how it's using dating sim archetypes to deliver its message. Rarely we saw these types of characters seem so... real ? They truly care for the MC and maybe you'll truly care about them too. And since they shared our burdens, maybe you'll somehow find a game that truly cares about you.

Condensed N64-ish exploration metroidvania, i mean, aren't you already convinced ?

Once you get one or two upgrades and the platforming possibilities open to you, it's sincerely one of the best 3D game to play, everything is smooth and you got plenty of options to go where you wanna go.

It's short, it's cheap, it's cool, you can pose like a FF's Dragoon : play Pseudoregalia.

Literally Touhou X FF14 (PvE), if you like one or both of them, you're in for a treat. While the screen is often filled with a bit too much information and lack visibility when 3 or 4 players play together, ultimately, it's just fun to play and to share with friends.

If a full run can take around 45mn, you will most of the time die and retry and train on the first 10mn for a while, so it can be a quick and nice rogue lite if you don't have that kind of time, or a real 3h progress evening with your friends, hitting that replay button again and again. Be warn though for the game is *really* hard in high difficulties. You can still unlock new classes and stuff on lower difficulties -and even in solo- (which is nice), but don't expect to get all the achievements this way (which is... a choice).

In any case, the charming artistic direction and the absolute banger of an OST composed by Steel Plus (who already worked on "One Step From Eden" which i recommend too) should be enough to convince you to give it a try.

Short review : Detective Conan / Case Closed with lesbians
Real review :

How can you put so much love for a genre into a game so short ?

Murder on the Marine Express very much felt like reading a detective manga. I was under the impression to meet again some old friends from my childhood, as we share some references and as it didn't feel like we need to be introduced.
Ranko and Astrid are wonderful leads and every character is well written and unique in the story, even if some of them are archetypes : it's a detective visual novel after all ! It's all about writing something new upon the same foundations !
Also, i was surprised (and delighted) that the game dwelled into very feminist subjects, and it was done with such care it should become an exemple to be followed.

So yeah, play the game, spread the word, and wait for the next adventure of Ranko Togawa !

I found the story kinda common, and the metaphor used are straight from "how to write Yuri / Cyberpunk 101".
That being said, it is still well written, narrated and short enough to be read through to the end even though some chapters felt rushed to me. But i'm not gonna lie, I came for the art style and was not disappointed, i didn't expect this game to have a Gallery this huge !
Along with the soundtrack which well manage his reccuring themes (thanks to these enjoyable loops) Synergia is a good enough Visual Novel that meets his ambitions. Not the best, not perfect, but a well crafted one that deserves to be praised nonetheless.

First thing first, don't go spoil yourself too much about this game. It is very well written, the dub is exquisite, the art is gorgeous and the music : top notch. I don't like reviewing a game like this but to be honest, as a visual novel, it is objectively one of the best just from this point of view.

If you want a short description of what to expect, it's kinda like The Stanley Parable X Disco Elysium X any Visual Novel made in Ren'py. I won't say too much, so go play it or try the demo if these games speak to you !

(The rest is spoiler-free story-wise but i will talk about some of its themes so if you absolutely want to be surprised, don't read the rest of my review !)

Now for what gives Slay the Princess its charm, that little thing that distingues a good VN from a unique one : it is splendidly well paced. There are soooo many endings but they're not hidden behind a 10 hours routes (and i speak as a fan of Clannad and Umineko). Pretty sure you can unveil most of them in under 15 or 20 minutes. And everytime, one sentence, one picture and one music is enough to understand what to expect from the route you're in. And, it's not because it's short that it's fast paced : it just feels like the right amount of time is spend on every line of dialogue. Slay the Princess succeed in giving you the urge to know what's next. Even after you reach a "true" ending.

Also, the last VN i read this year was Umineko No Naku Koro Ni, which is an absolute and timeless masterpiece. And Slay the Princess share some of its themes with it, especially the relationship between an author and its audience. They don't give the same answers, but it was a nice feeling of continuity to go deeper into the rabbit hole. It also questions the essence of existence and many others features of what is to write and narrate a story in the best of ways.

I didn't expect anything of a random VN i bought on a whim and got the perfect thing i needed at the rightiest of time. Sometimes, you just have to follow that little voice in your head and trust it i guess !

One of the worst game i ever played, outside or inside the RE / Biohazard franchise. A (really) bad TPS that manages to not even be a funny parody of itself. Sure it's playable but the absence of feedback, one of the worst cover system in existence (even in 2012) and the absurdity of being this long while having absolutely 0 fresh ideas or comprehension of game design, level design or scenario, all these things make RE6 not even a bad game so bad it's fun : it's just a game devoid of any interest whatsoever.

GTFO stands for Get Three Friends Ohmygod-whatsthis-helpme-no-not-this-way-aaaaa

She's the reason i loved Monster Prom and the reason i waited before buying Monster Camp. Best 2 bucks spent.