Free coming-of-age visual novel
Nekojishi is a free-to-play simulation from Studio Klondike. This visual novel combines anthropomorphic animals and modern young adult ideas to bring a fun, immersive coming-of-age video game. You follow Lin Tian-Liao as he moves to Taipei to study and turn his dreams into reality, all while escaping his family tradition. As his link to the celestial world opens, it’s up to the player to balance Liao’s new life.
With impressive character designs, smooth and natural scriptwriting, and various storylines that involve queer romance, Nekojishi is a sleeper hit. Also, check out ERROR143 or Cyberbang 2069 for similar visual novels.
Fantasy BL, with cats
Nekojishi combines elements of boys’ love (BL) storylines with the cultivation subgenre, which sees normal everyday beings interact with gods and celestial beings. In this game, you guide Liao as he deals with his newfound powers, his days in school, and three cat dudes he keeps bumping into. This premise is enough for dozens of hours of gameplay, with a playthrough reaching about 5 to 7 hours.
Like some visual novels, this game doesn’t have voice acting. However, later updates included a Chinese Voice Pack, a separate add-on also available for free. It’s worth noting that the characters in this visual novel all have detailed and quality character designs. Their outfits and character arts convey a part of their personality, from traditional and majestic to something casual. Combined with the scriptwriting, you have an impressive VN entry.
As mentioned, it has quite the content volume. You can complete a run in five to seven hours. More importantly, its replayability value is significantly boosted by its multiple endings. There are three romantic partners to choose from, giving you over 12 endings. Apart from the boys’ love involved, expect the game to contain a couple of mature content along the way.
A top-tier VN for a specific audience
With an unusual premise, quality artwork, and hours of immersive dialogue, Nekojishi definitely belongs to the list of top visual novels. It caters to a very specific demographic but casual visual novel players can also find something to enjoy, whether from the multiple endings or just the overall art style. It lacks voice acting, apart from Chinese through a separate add-on but it’s still largely enjoyable.
