If you’re a fan of otome visual novels then you and your PlayStation Vita are in for a treat. At the Anime Expo 2017, Aksys Games announced a slew of new titles for the West alongside revealing release dates for those that were previously announced.
Idea Factory’s Psychedelica of the Black Butterfly, Psychedelica of the Ashen Hawk, and 7’scarlet are all headed to North America in 2018. Here are the descriptions available via the Visual Novel Database:
Psychedelica of the Black Butterfly
As she fell deeper and deeper into the darkness, she could hear the sound of rainfall.
Also, she heard an animalistic cry.When she woke up, the young girl found herself in a Western-style mansion.
An unknown, terrible monster rushes to attack the confused girl.
As the young girl ran away from the monster, she thought:“Where is this place?”
“Who am I, anyway?”Having lost pretty much all of her memories, she eventually met and joined up with some men in the same circumstances as her.
They all held weapons that were strange handguns.
From there on out, with their lives at stake, they must participate in the “Black Butterfly Hunt”, and collect “Kaleidoscope Shards” possessed by those monsters.Inside the Western-style mansion in which despair and betrayal swirls, will they be able to find hope in their futures?
7’scarlet
The summer holidays.
A town caged by nature, Okunezato.
One year ago in this town, her older brother suddenly disappeared without a trace.Shaped like a fragment of the moon, a nostalgic atmosphere permeates the town. It is known for having many legends and folklores. As a result of the continued population decline, the amount of modern-looking buildings have increased in the main street. The town is starting to gain attention due to its status as a “mystery hot spot” amongst the youngsters in the underground scene.
One day, during summer vacation, the protagonist and university student Hanamaki Ichiko is invited by Kagutsuchi Hino- her childhood friend in the same university year level as her- to go to Okunezato in order to look for her disappeared older brother together. Hino had found the “Forbidden Okunezato Club”, a website in which its visitors discuss the mysteries and legends of Okunezato. Taking advantage of the offline meeting between the visitors that will take place during the summer holidays, he suggests to look into her brother’s disappearance during this time. With Hino having pushed her back, Ichiko wills herself to go to Okunezato.
The young men from the Forbidden Okunezato Club website had gathered at the Fuurin Hotel- the live-in chef Amari Isora, the cat lover otaku Kushinada Toa, the med student Tatehira Sousuke and the owner of Fuurin Hotel Murakumo Yuzuki. Others such as the genius middle schooler who assists with managing the hotel, Hirasaka Yuki, the landscape photographer Tsukuyomi Kagura, the unsociable novelist Karasuma Chikage and the video game-loving female employee of Fuurin Susano Yua also become involved as they all get caught up in mysterious incidents.
The “other face” of Okunezato comes to light as rumours regarding the “Legend of the Dead” are treated as though they were fact. Everytime they follow the footsteps of her disappeared brother, mysterious events spark. The true existence of the forbidden grounds, and the legendary flower that only blooms in Okunezato…
The truth behind these incidents lead to a surprising and totally unexpected ending.
Bad Apple Wars, which was announced last year, has been given a North American release date of September 29, 2017. A VNDB description is as follows:
Congratulations on your DEATH admission!
Welcome to NEVAEH Academy!!The heroine, who was caught in an accident on the first day that she was to enter high school, suddenly found herself on the premises of an unknown school.
This was NEVAEH Academy, a school for those whose souls were left behind after death.
In this school if you were a good student who followed the rules then, upon GRADUATION, you would be able to return and RESUME YOUR LIFE.
The heroine, having been informed about her death from a suspicious man wearing a RABBIT HEAD and thinking that this was all a dream, followed him to the school entrance ceremony.
Suddenly, a piercing explosion echoed from over there.
What started at the sign of that noise was the school war between those who defy the school’s rules, the DELINQUENT TEAM BAD APPLES, and members of the DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE.
In the middle of that battle, the heroine meets a RED-HAIRED young man.
That young man faced her directly and asked a question.
“– Do you want to live?”
Finally, we have a North American release date of August 11 for the action game Drive Girls, which released in Europe back in May. Here’s an official description via Rising Star Games:
An experience straight out of Japan, Drive Girls is developed by the legendary Tamsoft and features characters designed by popular illustrator UGUME. This fast-paced story-driven game transports you to a world where it’s normal for humans to transform into supercars – a world that is being invaded by mechanised Bug enemies! It’s up to the Drive Girls – five supercar transforming supergirls – to defend their home of Sun Island, cross the finish line and save the day.
Featuring an extensive single-player campaign, as well as local and online multiplayer for up to four players, play as any of the five Drive Girls in this action, driving, hack ‘n’ slash hybrid, and battle it out in human or supercar form to reign victory over the enemy. Deal devastating combo attacks and let loose using Over Drive moves to light up the screen with Bug-punishing pyrotechnics.
Players can boost the Drive Girls’ stats in the garage by tuning and customising their ride with new parts and sleek decals using the currency earned after every mission. The tighter your tuning, the more protected the Drive Girls are against losing their armoured clothing in combat. In between battling, driving and modding, players can also enjoy the cheeky chatter and interactions between the five heroines as they bond, get to know each other better, and form close friendships amidst the heat of the battle zone.
Are our readers looking forward to any of these? Let us know what you think of the lineup.