Fall in love with visual novels! These romance-themed stories about love, horror, comedy, and more will never leave your heart.
This year, I had the opportunity too stream for the Fall in Love Festival! The Fall in Love Romance Visual Novel Festival is an event held annually by Studio Élan, a yuri visual novel development studio focused on making romance stories about the love between women. The festival ran from September 1st to 9th this year. We tried out 11 lovely games from the collection. Thank you to the developers who reached out to introduce their games!
Click on the game name to jump to its short review:
1. Dissolution of the Silent Union (Steam link)
2. Love Limit (Steam link)
3. Dearest Darling Dragon (Steam link)
4. Petting Lover (Steam link)
5. Jest Messters (Steam link)
6. Blood Lily: Killers Can’t Sink a Yuri Ship (Steam link)
7. RE.Dive Wonderland (Steam link)
8. I Write Games not Tragedies (Steam link)
9. Monster Girl Therapy (Steam link)
10. Talents (Steam link)
11. Love the Guard, Be the King (Steam link)
1. Dissolution of the Silent Union (Steam link)
Embodying the melancholy of a once past relationship, Dissolution of the Silent Union is a semi-scary liminal short story which spans about 5-10 minutes per playthrough. The calm, steady voice acting is surprisingly grounding in the settings you’re put in. Every choice matters, and for me, each playthrough was different. Vera’s internal dialogue might resonate with my younger, more nihilistic self. At times, I wished I could reach out to give our MC a hug. The story made me incredibly curious about our protagonist’s relationship with Lena and had me hoping things would turn out okay for them.
2. Love Limit (Steam link)
Love Limit was HILARIOUS! Somehow, we chose one of the options that led to a short end, but even with the short time spent with the game, every turn was a laugh. The graphics, music, and interface all worked together to make it a pleasant and memorable experience. I’m curious how the longer version of the story will go once I embark on it! Our love interest, Egen, is really adorable. It’s free to play, so please try it out!
3. Dearest Darling Dragon (Steam link)
Previously, I tried Sweet Valentine Chocolatier by the same developers, VeryFatCat and Friends, and ended up loving it so much I 100%-ed it! So when the devs announced they had a new game in the works, I had to try out the demo. It ran a little laggy when I was streaming, but I’m sure this will be easily circumvented once the full version is out.
In Dearest Darling Dragon, you are placed in the shoes of a divine beast kindergarten-teacher-equivalent position. Where most Otome games would require you to raise the stats of your MC, Dearest Darling Dragon twists this mechanic so that you are raising your students’ stats instead! I’m not sure if the way you raise them influences the story in any way since that has yet to be seen, but it would be cool if it did.
Along the way, you meet sweet colleagues and a mysterious dragon man. It felt like I was Kobayashi from Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid, reining it all in and trying to herd the divine beasts while keeping an eye out for a possible love life.
I look forward to seeing where the story develops from here!
4. Petting Lover (Steam link)
We didn’t get to meet the black cat boy (Ark), but Dane and Frey were very charming as they were, so I am very intrigued what romancing them would be like. Petting Lover has a fun way of making you explore various locations in succession so that you can acquire items that further your relationship. The CGs are pretty and the voice acting is soothing. I enjoyed the demo thoroughly and can’t wait to pursue a relationship with each love interest.
5. Jest Messters (Steam link)
A classic and genuinely funny Otome game where each romantic comedy trope can be found! You play the MC, Neim…. (whose name is a pun on ‘name’). In this story, you have a childhood friend, a tsundere overachiever, a smooth talker, and a mysterious one. Though it feels like each character has their own secrets that they are hiding. The love interests are introduced at a slower pace and the game gives you time to warm up to them individually.
I enjoyed the group dynamics shown in the game, where all the characters get acquainted with one another and interact. Our protagonist is cursed with being full of puns, so be mentally prepared for the flurry of dad jokes you will get to experience.
Despite its unserious tone, Jest Messters really had me invested. I think I spent the most time on this game, and there’s more to discover if you’re interested! The demo is out now with the full 6 chapters of the prologue and 1 chapter for each love interest.
6. Blood Lily: Killers Can’t Sink a Yuri Ship (Steam link)
A continuation of the Blood Lily series presented by a game dev familiar to us, Sounding Stone! Back with another installment of seemingly paranormal happenings featuring the Blood Lily Cast, journey with Lily and Sally to a resort in the mountains where strange happenings begin to occur…
The full game is scheduled to be released on 14th September 2026!
7. RE.Dive Wonderland (Steam link)
With gorgeous visuals and a gripping storyline, RE.Dive Wonderland’s English-language support will be coming soon! Meet 4 distinct love interests working together with our Alice to escape the mysterious world they’ve found themselves in. At the moment, the full version of this otome is available only in Korean, but the port is looking very good from the demo thus far. I look forward to getting to embark on all 4 routes when the language support is out! EATME… I miss you… 😭
8. I Write Games not Tragedies (Steam link)
Being a teenager was a simpler time, wasn’t it? From the get-go, I Write Games not Tragedies gripped me with its heartfelt storytelling that was painfully familiar to my younger years. The emo art aesthetic is a real throwback, taking a sort of sketchy style that feels like a personal journal. The dialogue exchanged by Ash and his companions was also reminiscent of the silly banter teenage me would have blurted out among friends. Though half of the time I was going “Ash nooooo” or “Aww, Ash”…
The writing made me feel for him and want to be there for him. The songs were fun to engage with and added an interesting interactive element to the gameplay, but your performance does not impact the story too much. I’ve yet to unlock the endings but I look forward to it!
9. Monster Girl Therapy (Steam link)
I’m only one area into Monster Girl Therapy, but I LOVE the concept! Instead of just making you feel like “I can fix her!” this game also flips the script at times and makes you feel like “We could fix each other”. Shaliva, the slime girl I got to know, was relatable and a believable character. Her existential crisis sent a PANG to my heart and made me really want the best for her. Exploring the different dialogue options was my favorite part because the character really shone through in the writing.
This game rewards curiosity, but also seems to require it as a way to unlock the ‘good’ ending with the characters. At times I had to spend time brute forcing the puzzles, which I’m not amazing at. I think if I got stuck for real, it might be a little unforgiving. Then again, I haven’t tackled the other areas, so maybe there are hints you can unlock if you are stuck for a while. I hope to get to know the rest of the monster girls!
10. Talents (Steam link)
Ever wanted to co-found a game development company with 4 eligible bachelors? Neither have I, but once I was thrown into the situation in Talents, I found myself hooked and rooting for her! The gameplay for this Otome game is a little different from the traditional pick-your-dialogue gameplay. There are some moments where you’re given a selection, but the core part of developing or embarking on a love interest’s route lies in choosing the right keywords. You get a small taste of it in the demo and honestly it’s quite challenging! Different keywords correspond to a different love interest.
All of the boys are driven individuals with their own charm and history, though I lean heavily towards our childhood friend Kris; he seems really sweet and reliable. Souma, however, pissed me off! So I might redirect my hatred and make him fall in love with me instead. >:(
11. Love the Guard, Be the King (Steam link)
Possibly the visual novel I had the most fun reading all stream! Love the Guard, Be the King is accompanied by the tension that often weighs on games based around the nobility. Much tension surrounds the expectations of royalty, and as the guard, you’re also subject to some of those tensions. You can customise your guard and their personality through the choices you make, so it really felt like my choices mattered in this game. What awaits our dragon commander and their king?
Thank you so much for giving my short reviews a read, I hope you found something you might like and give it a try!