Your games of the year

[Sarisa]

Most of the games I've played this year have been older titles that released quite a while ago, but here's a list of my top 5 regardless. The good news is they all have free demos for you to try on steam before the winter sale is over. They’re all visual novels since that’s pretty much my main genre these days.


# 5 Remember, Remember

The premise on this one is really good. You and your friends end up getting kidnapped on your way to your graduation ceremony by a man who tells you that some of them are responsible for the disappearance of your little sister years ago. You won’t be let go until someone confesses, and your job is to figure out who is responsible. The game progresses through a combination of maze mini games and the choices you make.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/6...mber_Remember/



#4 The Letter

While the art style definitely takes some getting used to at first, I actually really enjoyed this despite not usually liking horror games. It’s got good character development, your choices affect the story in MASSIVE ways, and there's even some mini games of sorts where you try and escape from the monster that's chasing you.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/4..._Visual_Novel/



#3 Chess of Blades

This one’s a boy’s love game so if you’re not really into that you’ll probably want to stay clear, but if it happens to be your thing then this definitely ranks up there for me. You play a young noble with a rather snarky personality who happens to find himself in the middle of a political scandal. You have 4 love interests to work with to help you solve the case, and all the routes are pretty different from each other.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/6...ess_of_Blades/



#2 Break Chance Memento

This is primarily a story about family bonds across time and involves time travel, tracking down a serial killer, and potential romance. The protagonist is also really likable and I think they managed the time travel aspect surprisingly well.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/4...hance_Memento/



#1 Soul Set

This might honestly be my favorite visual novel of all time. You and 5 other people all wake up trapped in a mansion with your memories missing. Your objective is to figure out how to bust out of there, but you’ll find out that the world outside the mansion is just as dangerous as the one in it. Romance is optional, but if you choose to go that route you can pursue love interests of either gender. The sprites are absolutely gorgeous; I just wish they’d had the CGs done by the same person.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/589860/SoulSet/
https://nobreadstudio.itch.io/soulset