TECHMASH

Tag: #VisualNovel

  • Return to Liamson: ‘Afterimages’ DLC for Award-Winning Adventure ‘Until Then’ Out Now

    Return to Liamson: ‘Afterimages’ DLC for Award-Winning Adventure ‘Until Then’ Out Now

    Get ready to have your heart broken and beautifully mended all over again. Publisher Maximum Entertainment, in partnership with indie developer Polychroma Games, has officially dropped Afterimages—a brand-new, highly anticipated downloadable content expansion for the critically acclaimed, award-winning narrative adventure Until Then.

    The DLC is available right now across all major platforms, meaning you can dive back into its stunningly detailed, Philippine-inspired world on PC via Steam, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox Series X/S

    Emotional Scars & New Beginnings: What is Afterimages About?

    For those who played the base game, Until Then left an indelible mark with its “Overwhelmingly Positive” storytelling, striking pixel-art aesthetics, and bittersweet exploration of adolescence, memory, and trauma. Afterimages promises to deepen that emotional resonance across two brand-new narrative chapters that explore grief and the quiet persistence of life in the wake of loss.

    The expansion splits its focus between two beloved central characters navigating their separate journeys forward:

    • Sofia returns home, forced to confront the haunting memories and ghosts of the past she thought she left behind.
    • Mark finds his world shifting once again as he encounters both a new love interest and a familiar old friend, trying to figure out how to move on while carrying the weight of absence.

    Bonus for Physical Collectors: If you prefer keeping your games on a shelf, Maximum Entertainment also revealed that a physical edition of Until Then will launch on 3 September. This physical release will handily include both the base game and the Afterimages DLC on one disc/cartridge!

    New Minigames and Phone Features

    It wouldn’t be Until Then without some incredibly immersive, everyday slice-of-life mechanics. Alongside the heavy emotional narrative, Afterimages introduces a variety of fresh interactive activities and expanded features to play with:

    • Fresh Interactive Minigames: Tap into the mystical with all-new tarot reading mechanics, or clear your mind with a cosy baking minigame.
    • Upgraded In-Game Phone: Mark’s smartphone features have been expanded significantly, allowing players to scroll through newly integrated dating apps and dedicated video platforms that flesh out the game’s modern, digital world.
    • Familiar & New Faces: Reconnect with the original cast you fell in love with while crossing paths with entirely new characters.

    Whether you’re looking to dive straight back into the digital trauma on Steam and consoles today, or holding out for the physical release this September, Afterimages is a must-play companion to one of the finest modern narrative adventures in recent memory.

    Until Then: Afterimages is available now for $4.99 / £3.99 on your digital storefront of choice.

    Find out more here

    #UntilThenGame #AfterimagesDLC #PolychromaGames #MaximumEntertainment #IndieGames #NarrativeAdventure #GamingNews #VisualNovel #CozyGaming #Steam #PS5 #NintendoSwitch #Xbox

  • Uncover the Cosmic Horror: ‘Omen Exitio: Hunger’ Hits Steam This June

    Uncover the Cosmic Horror: ‘Omen Exitio: Hunger’ Hits Steam This June

    Get ready to step into a shadows-drenched alternate history. Publisher 2P Games and developer Tiny Bull Studios have officially announced that their highly anticipated visual novel, Omen Exitio: Hunger, is launching on Steam on June 25!

    Priced at an affordable $9.99 | €9.99 | £9.09, this title is a must-play for fans of cosmic horror, noir mysteries, and choice-driven narratives.

    A Lovecraftian Nightmare in the Roaring Twenties

    Set in a twisted, Lovecraftian 1927 version of New York, Omen Exitio: Hunger blends the aesthetics of the Roaring Twenties with the creeping, existential dread of Eldritch horrors.

    In this investigative gamebook, you won’t just be reading a story—you’ll be surviving it. Players are pulled headfirst into a gripping criminal case that weaves fictional cosmic terror together with real local history and folklore from 1920s New York.

    Key Features to Expect:

    • Immersive Gamebook Mechanics: Your choices shape the narrative, steering your investigation toward salvation or absolute madness.
    • Authentic Historical Backdrop: Explore a meticulously stylised 1927 NYC, where real-world history collides with the occult.
    • Psychological Horror: Manage your character’s sanity as you dig into secrets that the human mind was never meant to comprehend.

    If you love deep narratives, striking art styles, and the unsettling atmosphere of H.P. Lovecraft’s mythos, make sure to add this to your Steam wishlist ahead of its June 25 release.

    Are you ready to face the hunger lurking beneath the streets of New York? Let us know in the comments below!

    Find out more here

    #OmenExitio #OmenExitioHunger #IndieGames #GamingNews #Lovecraftian #VisualNovel #SteamGames #PCGaming #TechMash

  • The Ghost in the Machine: Why WITCHHUNTER.exe is the Digital Haunting You’ve Been Waiting For

    The Ghost in the Machine: Why WITCHHUNTER.exe is the Digital Haunting You’ve Been Waiting For

    If you grew up in the era of creepypastas and “cursed” .exe files, you know the specific brand of dread that comes from a program that feels like it’s looking back at you. WITCHHUNTER.exe, the latest horror visual novel hitting the indie scene, taps directly into that primal tech-fear, blending 17th-century hysteria with 21st-century glitch horror.

    Inspired by the grim history of the Salem Witch Trials, this isn’t your standard “choose your own adventure.” It’s a descent into a digital purgatory.

    The Premise: History Repeating

    Set in a fictionalised, modern-day New England town still reeling from its ancestral scars, you play as a researcher who uncovers a corrupted file on a discarded hard drive. As you boot up WITCHHUNTER.exe, the lines between the historical accounts of 1692 and your own reality begin to blur.

    The game utilises a “meta-UI”—the interface looks like a vintage OS, making it feel less like a game and more like a piece of forbidden software you shouldn’t have installed.

    Why It’s Giving Us the Chills

    What sets WITCHHUNTER.exe apart from the flood of indie horror titles? It’s all in the execution:

    Dynamic Corruption: The game tracks your choices not just through dialogue, but through the “health” of the game files. Make a morally grey decision, and the sprites begin to warp; push too far, and the audio desyncs into a cacophony of period-accurate whispers.

    The “Salem” Factor: Rather than relying on jump scares, the horror is rooted in paranoia. Much like the original trials, the game forces you to point fingers. The catch? The more people you accuse, the more the “entity” within the software gains control of your system.

    Procedural Hauntings: No two playthroughs are identical. The game uses a subtle randomisation engine to trigger “glitch events”—fake system errors, browser windows opening to historical death warrants, or the feeling that your cursor is moving on its own.

    A Visual Style That Bleeds

    The art direction abandons the polished anime style typical of many visual novels. Instead, it opts for a dithering aesthetic reminiscent of 90s PC-98 games, mixed with charcoal-style sketches that look like they were pulled from a frantic colonial diary.

    “It’s not just about the ghosts of the past; it’s about the ghosts we create in our machines.” — Lead Developer on the WITCHHUNTER.exe project.

    Verdict: Should You Download?

    If you’re a fan of Doki Doki Literature Club, World of Horror, or the atmospheric dread of The Witch (2015), this is a mandatory play. It’s a short, sharp shock to the system that reminds us that while we may have traded gallows for gigabytes, the nature of a witch hunt never truly changes.

    WITCHHUNTER.exe is available now on itch.io and Steam. Just… maybe don’t play it with your webcam covered. You never know who’s watching the trial.

    Find out more here – https://noahdundasgames.com/

    #NoahDundas #WITCHHUNTERexe #haunted #horror #visualnovel #gameupdate #games #gaming #gamers #platformer #gameplay #demogame #videogames #arcadegames

  • Sink Your Teeth into Self-Care: Vampire Therapist Arrives on PlayStation and Switch!

    Sink Your Teeth into Self-Care: Vampire Therapist Arrives on PlayStation and Switch!

    If you’ve ever wondered how a 3,000-year-old bloodsucker deals with an existential crisis, you’re about to find out. After a critically acclaimed run on PC, the BAFTA-nominated Vampire Therapist has officially made its way to PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch as of February 17, 2026.

    Developed by Berlin-based Little Bat Games, this isn’t your typical visual novel. It’s a dark, witty, and surprisingly educational dive into the (im)mortal mind.

    What’s the Story?

    You play as Sam, a former Wild West gunslinger who has traded his revolvers for a therapist’s notepad. Having realised that centuries of murder and chaos aren’t exactly great for the soul, Sam travels to Europe to mentor under Andromachos, a 3,000-year-old reformed assassin who now runs a therapy practice above a moody German goth club.

    Together, you’ll help a cast of emotionally baggage-heavy vampires—from ancient Greek warriors to Renaissance aristocrats—confront their “cognitive distortions.”

    Key Features of the Console Launch

    The console release isn’t just a simple port; it’s the “Definitive Edition” of the game, including:

    • The Full Experience: Includes the base game plus all free content updates like The Blood of Troy and Spanish Nights.
    • Couples Therapy DLC: The latest expansion is included right out of the gate.
    • Revamped Controls: Specifically optimised for controller support, making it perfect for “relaxed couch play” (or lounging on your chaise longue).
    • Star-Studded Cast: Fully voiced by industry legends, including Matthew Mercer (Critical Role, Baldur’s Gate 3), Sarah Grayson (Hades II), and creator Cyrus Nemati (Hades).

    Real Science, Real Stakes

    What truly sets Vampire Therapist apart is its commitment to authenticity. The game uses real Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) concepts vetted by licensed professionals.

    As you navigate conversations, you’ll have to identify actual psychological patterns—like “catastrophizing” or “black-and-white thinking.” It’s rare to find a game that manages to be hilarious and gothic while teaching you skills you can actually apply to your own life.

    Console Details at a Glance

    FeatureDetails
    PlatformsPS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch (Xbox coming March 5)
    Release DateFebruary 17, 2026
    Price~$14.99 (Check your local eShop/PS Store)
    GenreNarrative Adventure / Therapy Simulator
    Voice ActingFully Voiced English Cast

    Whether you’re a fan of What We Do in the Shadows or just someone looking for a cosy (yet dark) way to spend a rainy evening, Vampire Therapist is a must-play. It’s proof that even if you’re dead, you can still grow.

    Find out more here;

    PlayStation – https://shorturl.at/329ON

    Nintendo Switch – https://shorturl.at/B8xx6

    #LittleBatGames #UltimateGames #VampireTherapist #PlayStation #NintendoSwitch #visualnovel #therapysimulator #WildWestgunslinger #games #gaming #gamers #gameplay #demogame #videogames

  • Welcome to the Labyrinth: Why AENIGMA is Your Next Essential Psychological Thriller

    Welcome to the Labyrinth: Why AENIGMA is Your Next Essential Psychological Thriller

    We all love a good mystery, but some games go beyond simple puzzles and deliver a truly mind-bending, almost unsettling experience. Get ready to add one to your wishlist: AENIGMA – The Light At The End Of The Tunnel Is A Train.

    More than just a game, this upcoming title is shaping up to be a sprawling, multi-layered narrative journey that plunges you into a dark, sci-fi world with a heavy dose of Kafkaesque dread.

    A World Disconnected: The Setting

    The year is 4XXX, and humanity is clinging to existence in vast underground megastructures. Why? The surface has been overrun by an ever-expanding threat: silicon-based lifeforms. This serves as the bleak canvas for the narrative, immediately setting the tone for survival and isolation.

    But the real isolation is perhaps not the physical separation from the surface, but the psychological disconnection experienced within the depths of this future dystopia.

    Storyception: Narrative Layers

    What makes AENIGMA truly fascinating is its commitment to complex, multi-perspectival storytelling. The core narrative is described as a “story within a story within a story” told through a non-linear chronology.

    • Non-Linear Chronology: Expect to piece together the truth in fragments, jumping across timelines, much like a true detective in a complex case.
    • Multi-Perspectivity: You won’t just follow one protagonist. The game boasts a wide and varying cast of over 40 unique characters, suggesting you’ll see this devastating conflict from many conflicting viewpoints. Who is telling the truth? Who is the real villain? This is where the psychological thriller element truly shines.

    A Visual Masterpiece of Dread

    The look and feel of AENIGMA are a character in themselves. The developers have created a vivid, oppressive aesthetic, promising an exploration of:

    • Brutalist Architectures: Expect massive, imposing, and cold concrete structures that perfectly embody the oppressive atmosphere of an underground city.
    • Sci-Fi Monuments: The world is littered with monuments to this advanced, yet failing, civilization.
    • Kafkaesque Worlds: This is the key aesthetic draw—the unsettling, nightmarish feeling of being trapped in a bureaucratic, illogical, and anxiety-inducing system.

    With over 50 locations and more than 2000 rendered backgrounds, every scene is meticulously crafted to draw you deeper into its overwhelming reality.

    Sound and Score: The Soul of the Story

    Beyond the visuals, the game’s audio design is clearly a priority. AENIGMA features an incredible 102 unique soundtrack tracks, ensuring every moment and every scene has its own distinct emotional and thematic layer.

    This deep investment in the soundtrack—shying away from repetitive scores—suggests the developers want a truly cinematic, high-impact experience that matches the gravity of the story being told.

    Final Verdict (So Far)

    AENIGMA – The Light At The End Of The Tunnel Is A Train is not shaping up to be a casual experience. It’s for gamers who crave a deep, challenging narrative, who enjoy piecing together fragmented timelines, and who aren’t afraid of the existential dread that comes with truly Kafkaesque storytelling.

    Keep an eye on this title—it looks like it will set a new standard for narrative depth in the sci-fi psychological thriller genre.

    What kind of sci-fi thriller themes do you enjoy the most? Let me know in the comments!

    AENIGMA – https://neuromance.neocities.org/

    #AENIGMA #scifi #psychological #thriller #NEUROMANCE #visualnovel #pc #steam #games #gaming #gamers #videogames

  • In Search of the Ice Pop: A Short Visual Novel of Modern Melancholy and Forgotten Memories

    In Search of the Ice Pop: A Short Visual Novel of Modern Melancholy and Forgotten Memories

    In the world of indie games, where massive open worlds and cutting-edge graphics often dominate the conversation, there is a quiet beauty to the narrative-focused, pixel-art experience. This is precisely what solo developer Guanpeng Chen delivers with his newest project: “In Search of the Ice Pop.”

    Just announced with its Steam page launch, this short visual novel promises to be a poignant journey back through time, exploring themes of modern melancholy, forgotten connections, and the powerful pull of a simple childhood memory.

    The Premise: An Unexpected Nostalgia Trip

    The game’s setting is a suffocating summer night in modern society. We follow the life of a young, aspiring writer grappling with a sense of hopelessness. It’s on his way to a convenience store shift—a common, almost mundane experience—that a memory strikes him: a forgotten ice pop, and the “big sis” who took him to the arcade some 15 years ago.

    This is the core of the quest. It’s not an epic adventure, but a deeply personal, internal one: Where is she now?

    The narrative is positioned as “a story of modern melancholy,” suggesting a gentle, perhaps bittersweet exploration of adult disappointment contrasted with the bright, vivid simplicity of youth.

    The Vibe: Pixel Art Meets Strong Narrative

    Guanpeng Chen is no stranger to crafting powerful stories through pixel art, having previously released the “pixel art × strong narrative” title, Booth: A Dystopian Adventure. He returns to this style, using the medium to evoke a specific sense of nostalgia and atmosphere.

    • Visual Style: Expect rich, evocative pixel art that brings the everyday settings—the convenience store, the city streets—to life with a dreamy, almost wistful quality.
    • Genre: Classified as an Adventure/Visual Novel, the focus will undoubtedly be on the text, dialogue, and emotional resonance rather than complex gameplay mechanics.
    • The Theme: This isn’t just about an ice pop; it’s a metaphor for a cherished moment, a lost connection, and a simpler time that the main character is trying to recapture in a difficult present.

    If you enjoy games that prioritize a strong, emotional narrative and beautiful, retro-inspired aesthetics, this is one to keep firmly on your radar.

    Why You Should Watch This Space

    In an era of endless content, the promise of a short, nostalgic visual novel is incredibly appealing. It offers a focused, memorable experience that respects the player’s time while delivering a powerful emotional punch.

    “In Search of the Ice Pop” is a testament to the power of solo indie development and narrative art. We can’t wait to dive into this quest for a forgotten friendship and the bittersweet taste of memory.

    “In Search of the Ice Pop” currently has its Steam store page live, and while the official release date is yet to be announced, you can wishlist it now to be the first to know when this melancholic journey begins!

    Are you excited for a story-driven pixel-art game? Let us know your favorite nostalgic indie game in the comments!

    In Search of the Ice Pop on Steam – https://s.team/a/2775540/

    #InSearchoftheIcePop #pc #steam #GuanpengChen #roguelike #Dystopia #pixelart #visualnovel #games #gaming #gamers #videogames

  • Die By Anything a visual novel game with deadly consequences

    Die By Anything a visual novel game with deadly consequences

    Coming next week is the Die By Anything game, It’s more of a mix between a game and a comic where players need to make decisions before every move however even the most simplest and easiest moves can end up having deadly consequences for the players, hence the title of the game. The Die By Anything game/visual novel will be launching on the tenth of this month.

    To find out more about the Die By Anything visual novel game go to the official game website here https://shorturl.at/5FWvP

    #DieByAnything #VisualNovel #GuaridaGames #PlayStation #Steam #NintendoSwitch #Games #Gaming #Steam #PCGames #ConsoleGames

  • History Has Changed In Space is Red

    History Has Changed In Space is Red

    History has changed from what we know and it is the USSR that has an equal standing in the space race with the USA, the action takes place on a soviet space warship in the Space is Red game. The warship has jumped to a strange planet far away where there are plenty of unexplained adventures to be had. The Space is Red game is set for launch on PC in the early part of next year.

    To find out more about the Space is Red game go to the official game website here http://www.dreamloregames.com/

    #SpaceIsRed #SciFi #DreamLoreGames #VisualNovel #Comics #Horror #Games #Gaming #Gamers #Soviet #USSR #Spaceship

  • Long Live The Queen The Visual Novel

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  • Ghostwire Tokyo Prelude Visual Novel

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