I love my 3DS, but I have noticed over the years that there’s one game category that’s sorely lacking from the games presented, and it’s a genre that I not only enjoy a great deal but one that lends itself very well to hand held devices.
Of course I’m talking about visual novels.
These types of games are still sort of new to mainstream Western gamers, sure they’ve been around but in very limited spurts as we wait for translations and development. It wasn’t until recently that Steam started carrying a greater selection, and even then a lot of the more popular ones are either created just for Playstation (think Vita), or stand alone on the PC. Even if you speak Japanese and don’t need to wait for a translation getting your hands on a copy here in Canada can prove difficult.
I’m sure Nintendo has a good reason for avoiding the genre, it’s not exactly “family friendly” which is what I typically associate with Nintendo games (I know there are exceptions) but I really think there’s a market for them that is being missed.
In the meantime I just live vicariously through my friends who own a Vita and the few titles that trickle down to steam – if you enjoy VN games don’t forget to support developers and let them know that you want to keep seeing them! I realize they’re not everyone’s favourite, but it’s important to support development so that we continue to get the content that does make its way to this part of the world.
As always, happy gaming, no matter where you find yourself!