I've recently played a couple of new releases that seem potentially quite promising. Neither have much content just yet, but I still found them both worth playing already.
Actual Roommates is a comedy about Violet, a data analyst who moves into a new apartment with three roommates...ACTUAL roommates, that is. It is lighthearted, energetic, fresh, and a lot of fun, but what makes it stand out the most to me is the way the dialogue flows. The conversations -- even over text -- sound natural and authentic. That makes the characters feel really alive even before we know much about them.
Violet is an excellent MC and definitely the most developed character so far. She's fun-loving and friendly, but has faced her fair share of struggles in life including financial hardship, a troubled and turbulent college career, and a breakup with a girlfriend she still seems to have lingering feelings for and who is still very much a part of her life despite the physical distance that currently separates them. I particularly enjoyed seeing a MC who actually seems to like her job, takes it seriously, and talks about it with some enthusiasm.
One thing that makes AR something of a novelty is that it is a lesbian harem game. I don't expect the harem to make much more sense than any other VN harem, but, like Mythos, the game's sense of humor will likely make the odd relationship structure a little easier to accept considering it's far from the only unlikely aspect of the story. After all, the game also stars a cat who has very human thoughts named Sir Francis Giles Blackfang the Fifth (my second favorite character so far after Violet!).
On the plus side, the harem isn't forced, and there will also be solo romantic paths. While AR is primarily a comedy, I think there's definitely some potential for some good drama and heartfelt romance down the line as well. I'm particularly curious to learn more about Violet's relationship with her ex because those two seem to have some unfinished business left to settle.
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Fallen is about a criminal named Lucas who has recently been released from jail and his tempestuous relationship with the voluble, volatile, and passionate Lola. Both characters are written well, but Lola is the absolute standout here. Whether she's being flirty (not just with Lucas!), manipulative, bossy, teasing, or loving, she demands your attention any time she's on screen and the one thing she always is is unpredictable. Granted, there's some leaning into stereotypes about Latin women at work here, but she's still an amazing and quite unique character in my view.
The precise nature of Lucas and Lola's relationship is a bit mysterious at first play. They clearly have a romantic past, but they had to be either discreet about it or put it on hold due to being married to other people. In any case, Lola is very interested in rekindling things, and it's clear she knows just about everything there is to know about Lucas, including how to read him like a book and play him like a fiddle.
I was shocked to learn from the game thread that there's an incest patch for the game and Lucas and Lola are intended to be brother and sister. I didn't get that vibe AT ALL -- theirs is definitely not the typical sibling dynamic seen in AVNs -- but I suppose it can explain their obviously deep and profound familiarity. It might be the rare incest game that actually makes sense without the patch; thankfully Lola doesn't greet Lucas outside the prison walls with a breezy, "Hi roomie!" The one incestuous couple in fiction that these two remind me of is Felix and Alys Buckman from Philip K. Dick's Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said. The passion, the clash of personalities, and the dysfunction are definitely similar, but perhaps Lola and Lucas won't be as ill-fated.
The branching in Fallen looks like it might be extensive. You can get some quite different scenes and dialogue with different choices, though somehow the platonic route although acknowledged by the game ended up not being very platonic when I attempted it. Maybe Lola is just that irresistible? I personally wasn't too thrilled with the focus on dom and sub points -- Lucas and Lola's relationship dynamic seems way more complicated than that to me, but we'll have to see how it plays out. An alternative protagonist is due to be added at a later date...no idea what to expect there.
