Anna MirabellaValentine’s Day may be over, but that doesn’t mean the romance has to stop, especially if a 2D character is involved! There are so many amazing romantic visual novels on the market currently. Some have a lot of drama, death-defying moments, and even mysteries to be solved. Yet the one thing that stands out the most is those heart pumping moments when you get some one-on-one time with your love interest of choice.
Check out some of these moments that we’ve considered to be pretty romantic in visual novels.
Blooming Panic (xyx)
There’s a whole lot to love about Blooming Panic. There are cute boys, an incredible amount of original art, and even mentions of other visual novels by other indie devs. However, the most appealing part of the game is the existence of a simulated online chat server you use to communicate with not only your love option of choice, but also a whole group of the titular webnovel’s super fans. It is through text that we see the characters’ online personalities unfold and learn more about this webnovel. When you get locked into one of the routes, they’ll start to ask you if you’d like to join a voice call where you’ll be able to see them face to face as if you’re really on the other side of the computer screen.
Do virtual dates count? Well, of course. With the pandemic still being a thing and the use of technology expanding, online dates are more prevalent than you think. Go ahead and ask some couples where they met—I’m sure some will say online! That being said, some of these stand out to me more than others. xyx is the game’s newly added love interest, with an Australian accent and jokes for days. His dates are particularly heartwarming because you can slowly see the wall he’s built up crumble as you get a glimpse into his life outside of the computer. It’s the progression of these events that make the final one that much more romantic.
See our interview with the Blooming Panic team here!
Ebon Light (Haron)
Ebon Light is a massive free fantasy otome game with five love interests. This game focuses on a tale of political intrigue among elves and humans. What happens when you accidentally eat a mysterious ‘herb’ known as the cuthintal? Your journey across the water to dangerous lands will provide answers, and maybe a little more… like love! Since Ebon Light’s story is mostly dark, with the idea of death (or sometimes worse) looming overhead, the romantic moments between the protagonist and her love interest are all the sweeter.
One particular moment that stands out to me is a day that the MC and Haron, one of her newfound elven friends, go out to buy a new outfit to wear. The moment is a pivotal one where you get to tell him how you feel about him and solidify the relationship between the two of you. Not only that, but you get to pick out a new outfit yourself, which Haron will comment on. You get to choose what your protagonist looks like at the beginning of the game, which makes the dates even more immersive as your character is truly meant to be someone you create and shape. It may seem like a mundane pastime, but I’m a sucker for new sprite art, and it really does feel like a nice reprieve from all the heaviness of the story otherwise!
Our Life: Beginnings & Always (Cove)
With the marriage DLC finally being released recently, I think it’s fitting to talk about the incredibly romantic moments in this game. Trust me, there are a lot of them. I really enjoy the way the game allows you to experience these “dates” (some more officially dates than others) by giving the player a scrapbook menu to choose their memories. Our Life is all about creating memories that follow you throughout your life as you grow from a child to an adult.
Within these memories are sugar-sweet moments that can change based on options you’ve chosen in other moments or in the main story itself. I think one of the most romantic moments, as cheesy as this sounds, is when Cove and the MC meet for the first time. I’m a sucker for childhood crushes, and this game does that dynamic so well.
You meet Cove on top of a hill beside your house. He’s crying and you have the option to comfort him. Though you’re both only children, this moment veers into romantic territory for the simple fact that it shapes the way you go about playing the game later. This is the beginning of your romance with Cove Holden and the experience is entirely in your hands.
See our interview with the developer GB Patch here!
Do you know of any more romantic moments we might have missed? Let us know!
