Hello hello! My name is Pix (they/them), and welcome to Pix Plays! Here, I talk all things visual novels from reviews and recommendations to my personal experiences with the genre! Let me help you get started with navigating my content.
♡ Welcome: A formal introduction to myself and this blog
♡ Account User: My Carrd (includes all my other socials)
♡ Folders: A masterlist for all my posts
♡ New Download: My latest long-form post or game diary entry
Note: This blog is targeted toward individuals who are 18 years of age or older and may contain content that isn't suitable for all viewers. Please read all content warnings thoroughly before interacting with my posts.
Congratulations!
You’ve just landed a night shift at a gas station for minimum wage — spooky enough already. But your customers tonight aren’t exactly human.
Meet talkative monsters, flirt with an eldritch being, pet a werewolf, and try not to end up on the menu. Your choices shape relationships and endings — from romantic to nightmarish.
Diary Entry
Month Finished: April 2026
I got a first look at this game on Tiktok and I knew I had to play it. I mean, what's better than a good old fashioned monster romance? It took me a while to play through the entire game because I was playing this one with a friend and our schedules didn't always align, but we got there! By the way, if you haven't tried it already, I highly recommend playing visual novels with your friends. That was the most entertaining couple of hours of my life.
The dialogue is the perfect amount of unsettling and camp. It's enough to make me awkwardly uncomfortable while keeping my underlying fear at bay. The way the characters interact with the MC is perfect as well! I think it's a little funny how all three of them are enamored by the MC at first sight, but it's an otome game so who cares. The MC choices really stole the show. These dialogue options are hilarious and so unique compared to other dating sims I've played.
It's so difficult to pick a favorite datable character. All of them had their own unique charm that had me wanting to find out more about them. If I had to pick, I'd probably choose Viktor. He's so cute and sweet! I might also be bias because he's an incubus.
A witty and distinct experience made by a talented group of people. I would love to see another game featuring these characters, though I understand if there are no plans for that right now. Besides, it holds up pretty well on its own.
Ever watch Gravity Falls and think, man, that Stan sure is hot? Well, indulge that thought by playing this Grunkle Dating Sim, a Gravity Falls fangame!
A summer road trip leads to an unexpected pause in Gravity Falls. Can you capture the heart of one of the Mystery Shack’s most eligible bachelors? Or will you leave empty handed?
Diary Entry
Month Finished: March 2026
Over the past month I've had a rather persistent Gravity Falls hyperfixation, especially when it comes to these two lovable brothers. After I finished two entire rewatches of the show, I figured that it was time to pivot my attention toward the show's fan content, and what better way to start then with one of my favorite fangames of all time!
Both routes seemed to progress nicely! I will say that Ford's route felt a little slow at times, at least in comparison to Stan's route. Intentional or not, the creator certainly seemed to have a bit of a bias in terms of building up toward the actual romance and getting some quality time with these grunkles. I'm not saying that's a bad thing though! I don't "dock points" for things like that. Sometimes it boils down to personal preference. I totally get it.
The writing, dialogue, and character art in terms of quality. They feel like they're on par with the show! I'm a firm believer that Ford and Stan are the biggest, most inexperienced dorks when it comes to romance (at least in the more traditional sense), and I feel as though that was beautifully portrayed in this game. I also adored how Mabel and Dipper were written, especially with Mabel trying to set her grunkles up with the MC. It feels so in character for her to catch onto that chemistry and try to make the most out of it. Love that girl.
I really don't have much else to say other then this was a charming dating sim and a perfect example of an excellent fangame. I would love to see the creator put out more games (not even Gravity Falls related, just in general), as I really do believe that they have a talent for it!
🔑🔞 Game Diary #9 — Something's Wrong With Sunny Day Jack, Original Demo
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Information
Developers: SnaccPop Studios
Release Date: November 21, 2021
Genre: Horror | Romance | Yandere | Dating Sim
Base Price: Free
Platforms: Windows
Content Warnings: Graphic Sexual Content | Yandere Themes | Violence | Gore | Psychological Trauma | Supernatural Elements
Download Sites: Steam | Itch.io
Official Description
He's kind! He's sweet! And he's never without a smile on his face!
He calls himself Sunny Day Jack, and there's nothing he wants more than to spend every day together with you. In a world full of dark, cloudy skies, it almost seems too good to be true.
...And it just might be.
Something strange is going on with Jack. And whatever it is, it's sinister. Now, Jack will do nothing to secure your shared happily ever after at any cost.
Can you resist his tantilizing promises of forever warmth and happiness in a world so filled with misery? Can you protect your friends, your loved ones, from his jealous wrath? Or will you succumb to his charms in this R-18 visual novel filled with nostalgia, romance, and horror.
Diary Entry
Month Finished: January 2026
WE'RE SO BACK AGAIN! This semester has been so packed that I completely forgot to finish this draft, but I've cleared up my schedule so I should have more free time to post now! Hopefully we'll get some more long-form posts soon...
Anyways, lets talk about Sunny Day Jack. I recently remembered that this game existed and decided to replay the demo since I've been following the games development for a while now. It's just as enjoyable as I remember it being! The premise of the game had me hooked from the start. I love the idea of a dating sim that draws inspiration from mascot horror, and I think that this game has a lot of potential to expand on its lore, as well as the rest of the Sunny Day Jack crew.
I really want to know more about the star of the show himself, especially after listening to the cassette tapes (these can only be accessed by subscribing to the developer's patreon, although screen recordings are available on YouTube). I loved the one where Jack was speaking with the child psychologist because it explains so much about his behavior and the way he interacts with MC. There are moments where Jack speaks to MC similarly to how you'd speak to a child, especially during the scene where he was explaining his definition of "love" and reassuring MC that it was okay to love someone. I love that detail about his character. That's how I knew that this game was going to be something special.
Of course, all the other love interests are amazing too. Well, actually, I'm not a fan of Ian, but at the very least I'm interested in seeing what his deal is and how his route is going to go. Shaun is hilarious and adorable. His presence in the game as MC's best friend feels so grounding. Honestly, he feels like someone I would be friends with in real life. Nick is also wonderful and I'm glad that they made the executive decision to make him a romanceable character. I really want to see more of him later in the game.
It's unfortunate that we haven't heard any updates from the team behind Sunny Day Jack's development. I'd love to see this game finished, even if it takes a while to get there. I'd also love to do a further deep dive into Jack's psychology since he seems like he'd be a fun character to analyze (and I'm a huge psychology nerd). Beautiful visual novel and I hope that this post encourages more people to check it out!
Platforms: HTML5 | Windows | macOS | Linux | Android
Content Warnings: Screen Shaking | Blood | Death | Murder | Gore | Allusions to Cannibalism | Abuse | Strong Language | Kidnapping | Non-consensual Drug Use | Physical Domination | Mild Physical Harassment/Non-consensual Physical Contact
Download Sites: Itch.io
Official Description
The Circus of Horrors has arrived in town.
Uncover its secrets and face the terror it hides, all while being led
by Pierrot, the silent yandere, or Harlequin, his seductive rival.
Don’t be fooled by their smiles, they’re not what they seem.
You work at a café, and one day, on your way to work, fate leads you to cross paths with Pierrot. That’s when his obsession begins. But he’s not alone, his stage rival decides to join the game, turning this twisted dance into a dangerous competition… all for you.
Diary Entry
Month Finished: January 2026
This diary entry's game is a bit more on the darker side compared to previous entries. I was actually recommended this game by a friend who's been hyperfixating on it, so I figured I'd give it a chance since I was starting to get a bit curious about this "Pierrot" character she kept talking about.
I'm usually not the biggest fan of Yandere-esque love triangles but the way that Pierrot and Harlequin's dynamics with both the MC and each other are written is just so entertaining! I loved all the hilarious little interactions like Pierrot throwing a knife at the apple and Harlequin just generally attempting to piss off Pierrot as much as possible. I don't know, I have a soft spot for petty rivalries.
This game also nails the horror atmosphere! I mean, there's already clowns in the mix so that isn't going to be too hard for me (I'm not the biggest fan of clowns), but man, there were parts of this game that had me on edge even if I knew that nothing was going to happen. Especially when we were in the Doctor's tent. The creepiness of all those ominous blue eyes staring at you as this random stranger straps you to a chair and attempts to "treat" you. Maybe it's just leftover paranoia from other horror dating sims I've viewed in the past but for a split second I genuinely thought that we were going to die here even if that would make no sense. Good stuff!
I truly can't wait to see the rest of the story unfold, as I've already grown heavily invested in the worldbuilding and lore behind the circus. I'll definitely be following along any future development!
Content Warnings: Depression | Self-Harm (Graphic and Non-Graphic) | Suicide (Graphic and Non-Graphic)
Download Sites: Steam | Itch.io
Official Description
'goth gf’s iPhone’ airdrops you - accept or decline? A love/horror story about life, death, & memes.
Diary Entry
Month Finished: December 2025
Replayed what I consider to be a cult-classic since it was one of the first indie visual novels that I played! This game was just as heart-wrenching as the last time I played it. Even now I still felt myself frantically trying to reach the good ending and save May even if I knew how to get there.
I find it interesting that this game classifies itself as a "horror" since I don't know if I would use that particular word to describe the nature of the game, even if that's how it presents itself during some of the darker story segments. Nothing about this game screamed "horror" to me other than some of the visual choices and the build-up to entering May's room. It felt more like a PSA to check in on the people who are closest to you, especially if you notice anything that might signal that something's off with them. The closest thing to what I imagine is standard fictional horror is the fact that this story is unfortunately something that occurs many times in real life, which makes the message in this game all the more important.
Overall, I had a pretty positive experience! Some of the dialogue options felt a bit cliche and the pacing is rather quick, but I think that Missed Messages still did a pretty good job at squeezing in a good amount of character and emotion into such a short runtime. I've been meaning to check out more games by this developer, and I think that replaying this game gave me that extra push that I needed to motivate myself into doing that.
🔑 Game Diary #6 — Jackpot Crash Course, Chapter 1-1
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Information
Developers: RachelDrawsThis | STUDIO INVESTIGRAVE
Release Date: October 18, 2025
Genre: RPG Maker | Death Game | Story-Driven
Base Price: Free
Platforms: Windows | macOS
Content Warnings: Graphic Blood | Gore | Violence | Disturbing Imagery and Audio
Download Sites: Itch.io
Official Description
"Jackpot Crash Course is a multi-chaptered casino-themed death game visual novel about crime, luck, and spectacle.
"Against all odds, Eddie must take part in a game show starring only criminals and gamble against rival players to prove himself still worthy of being pardoned for his wrong deeds."
"But is the show really about proving your innocence?"
Diary Entry
Month Finished: December 2025
I've been a long-time fan of Studio Investigrave, so I was pretty excited to hear that the first part of this game had finally been released! Much of this segment was spent on setting up the plot and introducing the unique cast of characters, so there isn't too much for me to talk about regarding the game's overarching narrative.
I know some people may not be a fan of slow burns, but I personally appreciate how the game is letting us take the time to really interact with each of these characters before we get to the main attraction, especially since getting to spend quality time with them through each of the three routes will make any future horrors and/or deaths all the more impactful.
The atmosphere and general aesthetic of the entire game is gorgeous, as per usual for RachelDrawsThis. I'm also a huge fan of the casino aesthetic so that immediately drew me in. I also really love all of the character designs. Each one is so distinctive and suits each character's personalities so well. They might be some of my favorite ones out of all the Studio Investigrave games!
I loved seeing all the different team dynamics as well. Sometimes I get bored when replaying similar segments, even if it's with a different group of characters, but the way that each team interacts with one another is so entertaining and different from one another that I didn't mind having to replay the game at all! My favorite character has to be Cupid though. I can't help but love the television host character archetype.
Can't wait for the next part to drop! Hopefully we get to learn a little more about these characters backstories and how they ended up in this situation.
"I want to make a visual novel but don't know how"
visual novels are one of the most diverse and varied mediums out there and can be so much fun to make. if you've ever wanted to make one, it's pretty easy to get started!!
Overall Guide
this is a lengthy guide I made going over different parts of visual novels and how people make them! now let's go over some parts~
A quick overview on how to make visual novels including terms, engines, communities and more. You can get started making your own visual nov
What Are Visual Novels?
Visual novels are a medium of video games focused on storytelling through the use of static or low-gameplay mechanics. Most can be considered a subsection of interactive fiction. A lot of visual novels have no gameplay or minigames, but some do feature light gameplay. The important aspect is that the gameplay in visual novels is never the focus, and instead the game focuses on a story delivered through dialogue & narration in textboxes on the screen.
Some visual novels are romance, some are fantasy, some are mystery, some are NSFW, some are cutesy, some are kiddie. Visual novels come in all shapes and sizes.
Visual Novel Misconceptions
Visual novels have been around for several decades now, but parts of them are still misunderstood by wider audiences. Here’s some frequent misconceptions about visual novels.
"Every visual novel has sexual content."
Visual novels come in all shapes and sizes, which includes content. Not every visual novel has sexual content, nor is it required to sell well. Visual novels are a medium for storytelling rather than a genre, so they can be anything you want them to be.
"Every visual novel is a dating sim."
Similar to the last one, some people think every visual novel is a romance game or a dating sim. Not every visual novel has romance in it, nor is it required to sell well.
"Every visual novel has choices and multiple endings."
Some of the most popular visual novels out there like Umineko When they Cry don’t have choices. Choices and multiple endings aren’t required to make a visual novel—completely linear experiences are fine.
"Visual novels need to be long."
Some of the top visual novels on itch.io right now are under 25k words, which puts them under 2 hours of playtime. Visual novels don’t have to be a certain length—they can be as long or as short as the story needs them to be. There’s even an annual visual novel jam, O2A2, that focuses on making a visual novel under 1k words with limited assets.
"Visual novels don’t sell well."
This is very much your mileage may vary. Some visual novels sell very, very well, such as how the recent Our Life: Now and Forever Kickstarter gained almost $300k. Marketing is an entire field just like art and writing and isn’t something you can skimp on or push to the end.
"Visual novel players hate reading."
A vast, vast majority of visual novel readers want a visual novel—they want a game that is light on gameplay and heavy on reading. You don’t have to add gameplay to a visual novel to keep people interested. Rather, minigames added at random can deter players. Visual novel players want an engaging story—if you’re worried of losing their attention, then focus on a tighter script or cinematography.
"Visual novels need to be anime style."
Visual novels originated in Japan and most do have an anime style, but visual novels do not need an anime style to sell well. The art style for a game will change the audience for the game—players who want something anime style probably won’t be interested in a semi-realistic style, but other people will be. It’s all about finding the right style for your story and finding the audience who responds well to it.
Visual Novel Terms
Here’s a list of terms you might encounter in visual novel and game dev communities.
EVN / OELVN – stands for English Visual Novel and Original English Language Visual Novel. Two terms used for describing Western VNs that are made in English, although EVN is used more frequently nowadays. An EVN/OELVN is specifically a visual novel made in English first, not a visual novel that has an English translation (and was made in a different language first). There are several variations of this, such as JVN meaning Japanese Visual Novel and RVN meaning Russian Visual Novel.
Kinetic novel – a visual novel that’s linear with few or no choices. Has only one ending. Also called a linear visual novel, linear game, etc.
Game jams – an event where developers have a set amount of time to make a game, ranging from a weekend to several months. Some jams have themes that the games must follow as well as other restrictions while others are more freeform. Nowadays, most jams are hosted on itchio. You can find a list of visual novel game jams here.
Game engine – a piece of software used for developing video games. The most popular ones for making indie VNs in English-speaking areas are Ren’Py and Unity, though Tyranobuilder is very popular in Japan for indies.
Text/code editor – when programming, you’ll need another piece of software to edit and write code that works with the game engine. Some popular text editors are Visual Studio Code, Sublime, Atom, Notepad, and more.
Character sprite – the individual character art that changes expressions and can move around the screen. Can include multiple outfits, pose changes, and more.
CGs – although it typically stands for Computer Generated, CGs in visual novels typically means the cut scene art where no sprites are shown (unless there's a side sprite on the textbox). CGs are usually reserved for special scenes and are the type of artwork you’d see in a CG Gallery or as promotional artwork.
UI / GUI – the User Interface / Graphical User Interface. This is what the player interacts with such as the textbox, main menu, save / load screen, settings, and more.
ADV mode – the standard reading mode for visual novels, short for Adventure mode. The textbox is located at the bottom of the screen. Popular examples of this are Steins;Gate, AI: The Somnium Files, and Amnesia.
NVL mode – a different reading mode for visual novels, short for Novel mode. The textbox covers most of the screen. Popular examples of this are Fate/stay night, Tsukihime, and Umineko When they Cry.
Dating simulator – dating sims are some of the oldest forms of visual novels and are essentially stat raisers where you spend time with various characters with the goal being to romance them by getting your stats high enough. In Western spheres dating sim has become synonymous with a romance game, where stat raising is not involved, but it’s important to note that dating sims refer to stat raisers a lot of the time. Unlike otome, a dating sim doesn’t refer to a specific sexual orientation.
Otome / Otoge – roughly translates to “maiden’s love” and is used to describe games with a female demographic, usually dating sims & romance games which feature male love interests and a female protagonist. Some otome games feature female and other gendered LIs, but male LIs are still the primary focus.
Eroge – an erotic game. If a game has sexual content in it, it’s an eroge. The original Fate/stay night (not the remastered version on Steam) is a popular example of an eroge.
Resources
And now, let's look at some tools and links for actually making visual novels.
Engines & Programming
Ren’Py – free visual novel engine
Twine – free text-based game engine (usually used for interactive fiction)
Feniks Ren’Py resources – various add-ons and tutorials by Feniks
Game Jam & Short Dev Advice
Game Jam Survival Guide - Essential Tips and Tricks
Releasing 8+ games (ft. game jams) and when to take a break
making game development backup plans
Advice for Leading VN Game Jam Teams
How to Make a Visual Novel Solo
How to Finish Your Visual Novel
Design
How to Make Visual Novels
Visual Novel Conference Talks
Visual Novel Cinematography & Design
Art Direction & Execution in Visual Novels
Making Impactful, Impressive Character Sprites
Post-production Techniques for VNs
Vimi’s Visual Novel Design
Writing
Writing Interactive – guides for narrative games writers
Visual Novel Conference Talks
Writing Mystery Visual Novels
How to Design Interesting Choices in VNs
The Intrigue of Ambiguity
Artwork
Clip Studio Paint
Krita
FireAlpaca
Medibang
GIMP
FastStone Photo Resizer – batch photo resizer and editor
FotoSketcher – various settings to apply artistic filters to photos
Marketing
How to Market Visual Novels
Marketing Visual Novels FAQ
Marketing Fundamentals for Indie Game Developers
Marketing your first indie game – What we learned from releasing the same game twice
The stairstep approach to indie game marketing
Marketing your Visual Novel for Kickstarter
Visual Novel Press-Kits
Audio
Eric Matyas music & SFX
Vita-chi SFX & graphics
Free Music Archive
Free Sound
dova-syndrome
Misc.
Lemmasoft Creative Commons Forum
itch.io visual novel resources
Google Fonts – free fonts
Uncle Mugen backgrounds
Canva – browser & desktop graphic design tool
Unsplash – free photos
Wrapping Up
all in all, visual novels are a fun medium to explore and play around with. if you want to make something short as a test run, try joining a game jam! if you want to see how varied visual novels can be, try playing some indies from itchio! at the end of the day there's no bad way to start making your own visual novel. hit the ground running and go for it!!
I've been developing visual novels for over 10 years now, blogging about them on my own blog and releasing visual novels through my studio Crystal Game Works. I hope this guide helped shed light on how to get into the medium!
Hi my name is Ebony Dark’ness Dementia Raven Way and I have long ebony black hair (that’s how I got my name) with purple streaks and red tips that reaches my mid-back and icy blue eyes like limpid tears…
"You're struck with a serious condition and the only treatment available is an expensive operation. $25,000, to be exact. How are you going to get that money in time? It seems hopeless. Dire, even."
"But then, BOOM! THERE HE IS! THERE IS HARVEY HARVINGTON! IN A STALL ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD! $1 IN EXCHANGE FOR JUST ONE CLICK! THAT'S THE DEAL OF A LIFETIME!"
"'Really?' YES! 'How much will he give me?' AS MUCH AS YOU CAN CLICK HIM FOR! 'Can he give me more?' YEAH~!"
"Sure, $1 per click is good, but how about $2? $4? $8? All you need to do is hurt him! Needles, hammers, scissors, whatever! The more pain you inflict on him, the more money you'll get! The question now isn't 'how much will he give you' so much as it is 'how much can I make him fork over?!' The only limit is your sanity, as well as Harvey's life force!"
Diary Entry
Month Finished: September 2025
I'm baaaaack! Miss me? Sorry, college (and life in general) has kind of been kicking me in the ass lately and I lowkey forgot I started this account... and also that I had hobbies.
But we're back and hopefully I'll be posting more consistently again! Anyways, here's a post that's been rotting in drafts for two months.
The voice acting was definitely this game's strongest, especially during Harvey's emotional breakdown. No clue who this VA is but they really put their heart and soul into giving a strong vocal performance. The art is also really pretty with its simplistic style and bright pastel colors. It makes for a disturbing contrast with the red from the blood that appears later in the game. Nailed the "seemingly cute game that's actually disturbing" aesthetic!
Story-wise, I have mixed feelings when it comes to meta games like this that try to guilt the player into feeling bad for hurting the game's characters. Don't get me wrong, I do think that it's good in concept, especially when it's a slow burn kind of thing that requires the player to make a lot of intentional choices (cough cough Undertale), but I didn't really feel any effect when playing this game, especially since I'd argue that the game kind of forces you to go the sadistic route.
I'm also not a fan of the reveal that the player didn't actually need the surgery. For context, the whole reason you're maiming this guy is to earn money for a life-saving surgery that a doctor claims the player needs in order to live. The more you hurt Harvey, the more money you earn. During the bad ending, you find out that the player never actually needed the surgery. It just feels like a cheap way to guilt the player as much as possible. I feel like at the very least keeping things ambiguous would have more of an impact, but that's just me.
Despite those two things, I still enjoyed playing the game (not hurting Harvey though, admittedly the voice acting made that very hard). The dark clicker game concept was an interesting route to go in!
"A visual novel about gay asian girls playing baseball and falling in love."
Diary Entry
Month Finished: August 2025
One of my favorite visual novels of all time! From the perspective of a second-generation South Asian-American who also happens to be queer, this game makes me feel so seen in a way that no visual novel, game, or even general piece of media has managed to do so. I especially love Diya and Akarsha's segments and find myself heavily relating to their personalities and struggles. I even had to pause during the scenes with Diya and her mom, as well as Akarsha's struggles with mental health. They were all things that I would say or do and it was so eerie how spot-on the game was.
The story doesn't shy away from exploring the many highs and lows that may come with being Asian-American, especially those who are children of immigrants. It's also incredibly diverse, going as far as having Diya and Akarsha speak two separate Indian languages. I loved getting to explore the different cultures that all the girls come from and seeing how they embrace those cultures.
Another strong aspect of the game are the characters. The writing for every character interaction, especially between the main four girls, is perfect. I was really feeling how close they were all becoming as time progressed and they bonded over the baseball club. Even when they're bickering you can still feel the underlying care they have for each other. If I had to choose a favorite pairing, it definitely has to go to Noelle and Akarsha! Their personalities make for a hilarious contrast and I love watching their relationship grow despite their vast differences.
I want to go more in-depth on my thoughts on this game, as well as share a few of my personal experiences growing up as an Asian-American, so I'll be drafting up a post for that to put out as soon as I can! This is really great stuff and I really hope the game developer puts out more of it in the future.
I've been stressing out about life stuff recently so I decided to replay Butterfly Soup to clear my mind! Love love love this game by the way. I'm a queer Asian-American (South Asian to be specific) myself so I really resonated with the characters. Honestly one of my biggest comfort games.
