Highway Blossoms
VN ‣ short (2 - 10 hours) ‣18+ patch ‣girls love only VN picks from BLAEO17 of 17 achievements (100%)
I played this in October and I had already written about this in another thread, so this is a long due update.
I absolutely loved it. This is one of those visual novels (it's actually a kinetic novel) that you can easily recommend since it's of a really good quality. It's a safe yuri vn, so it's not done for the male gaze and there's no tragic ending or unnecessary drama. The characters are adorable and the story is set in the deserts of New Mexico.
I truly loved the opening video of Highway Blossoms, along with all the subtle animations that were present every once in a while.
The music is well-done, although there were many silent moments where I wished for music. I understand that this choice was done to mirror the desert's quietness but also the protagonist's state of mind.
I'm being nostalgic today. One of the artists who worked on this is Weee, who has been Hanako's artist in Katawa Shoujo. I surely do hope that people here on BLAEO are acquainted with it, you'd better be!
Anyway, good yuri recommendations from me are Kindred Spirits on the Roof if you're looking for another happy slice of life, and the series Flowers that also has amazing opening videos.
Over The Hills And Far Away
VN ‣ very short (< 2 hours) ‣kinetic novel ‣nakige8 of 8 achievements (100%)
This is one of those kinetic novels whose genre is supposed to make you cry. It has a bittersweet story that can be completed in 2 hours time. I very much loved the art, especially the backgrounds. The music was also well done. If I’m not wrong, an orchestra did the music for this.
Thanks to stupid annoying zombies, I can’t even be bothered to go for the non puzzles achievements.
-???-
As a bit of an aside...
I'd like to share with you a little fact of life, my dears.
I finally got my Fata Morgana artbook!! Considering that many people were interested in its artstyle and that this is the best visual novel ever made that we can set our eyes upon, here are a few non spoilery pictures of it! The quality of the photos I took is a little sad and doesn’t do it justice
Oh, I like yuri as a setting, but few anime I saw were not of a very impressive quality (I still like some of them, but I mean rather shoujo-ai), and I played only one yuri VN. It was Love Ribbon, and except last extra scene it was pretty fine.
All other VNs I ever played were either mediocre or plain bad, unfortunately, as general mechanics of VN itself I find to be great. I liked interactive fiction in childhood and made some games for myself too. Considering yuri games I would really like to avoid ones created for boy-players. One thing is to ignore someone’s too big breasts, but most of such games with their strange plots, characters and else porn-looking pictures only upsets, not womanly at all :|
I guess I can play this one.
I had to completely give up on yuri anime because of the exaggerated fanservice which at times was distasteful.
In the past there was a major lack of yuri VNs, but in the recent years there are many new good ones that are being released and also translated. Highway Blossoms is indeed really recommended!
You should check Flowers -Le volume sur printemps- that I named, which is soo aesthetically pretty and done for a female audience, there should be no fanservice.
I forgot to name the developer ebi-hime, the whole majority of the VNs she’s doing are yuri and are really good.
Oh, thanks for advice. A couple of Ebi-hime novels were in my wl back when I had it, but I was a bit suspicious about this dev: e.g. game Sweetest Monster doesn’t look attractive to me and it was dragging expectations down.
Good to know
Well, that looks beautiful! Also I guess now I finally know from where I know some of those pics and what I should read ;)
But maaaaaan! (Actually I just wrote Butmaaaaan, which looked a bit like Batman but… yeah, guess now he is the Buttman! :] )
Highway Blossom is a KN? Well I guess thanks for telling me, so I can set my mind on that :)
And yep, I run out of words.
Have a great time!
Happy backlog killing :)
play the house in fata morgana!!
Yes, it’s a kn and it really works. It can be completed in just a day/6 hours.
I understand what you’re saying with KNs, that’s why I always check a title on vndb before starting it, so that I won’t be in suspense waiting for a choice that’s never to come!
I have that somehow in mind…. think
Don’t ask me where and how, but it’s on my Radar :)
6h? Well, that works. I just don’t see me playing it in one go - unless I’m so super duper into it :]
Ha! I was so… less motivated when I finally realized World End Economica was a KN and not a VN. Took me suddenly way longer to get trough. It’s all about the mindset :)
[Fata Morgana] is the best visual novel ever made
Really? I remember reading that YU-NO: A Girl Who Chants Love at the Bound of this World was the best (or at least the best at the time of its release). Then again, I’ve never been a fan of Visual Novels myself, so I couldn’t say either way.
Well, I don’t know it, are you talking about this one made in 1996? it’s been 20 years help
Obviously everyone has different tastes, but it’s usually the most popular and famous vns that attract people’s attention. Fata Morgana is still very underrated but only because people do not know about it. I have yet to find someone who played it that hasn’t liked it.
Yeah, that’s it. If you’re interested in playing it, there’s a remake for Windows with a fan-made English patch; that version shouldn’t be too hard to get working.
The art book is SO SO SO good.
I also am in love with the fact Novectacle partnered with a jewelry company and they did a jewelry line for the VN. I’m not a big jewelry person but…
Me and my friend are crying over the fact that those jewels were a limited edition :( :( :( You cannot even find them in Japanese online auctions :(
NOOOOOOOOOO
At least we’ll always have the promotional art, though. Getting that book and flipping through it is seriously a joy.
\o/
Highway blossoms was sooooooo cuuuutteeeeeeeee asfk
also thanks for the upteenth reminder that I need to read Fata Morgana
It is my honorable duty to remind people of its existence, I need to spread it like a plague.