The long-awaited official memorial book for Alicesoft’s 35th Anniversary Exhibition, “ALICE no Yakata 35” has finally arrived.
It’s so thick! The weight of 35 years bound together…
Back in the late ’90s through the early 2010s, I probably played about 70% of their games. This book is filled with titles I have deep emotional ties to. For me, the finale of Rance X served as a beautiful conclusion to Japan’s entire bishōjo game culture. Tracing the long journey of Rance in this book feels, in a way, like reading the very history of one strain of VisualNovel itself.
Whoa—Zero Shiki!
So cool… That jacket (the budget version used this illustration) radiates a serious atmosphere, while the game itself unfolds with a picture-book-like whimsy—though of course it still contains the hard-edged developments that are unmistakably Alicesoft. That strange, mixed tension is so characteristic of the era. Everything about it is wonderful.
The First Stage—yes, it’s the arranged version from Mamanyonyo. A masterpiece BGM track.
It just screams “This is a game!” and fills me with energy.
So cute… Naraken’s artwork lends both young girls and mature women the same captivating charm.
What an exciting screen. When you see a UI cluttered with numbers all over it… it just looks so cool!
I loved Mamatoto, and the entire -nyo series! When Rance IX came along as the culmination of that system, I was moved to tears. The soundtrack even called back to Mamatoto. It really felt like a closing chapter not just for Rance, but for Alicesoft’s non-Rance titles too.
Nalzgis… what an incredible design.
If I count all the hours I sank into the -nyo systems, it must be hundreds.
That innocence… it’s history itself.
And of course, ATLACH=NACHA was breathtaking. After playing it, I happened to read Mouryou no Hako, and suddenly I couldn’t escape the spell of those twisted, beautiful relationships between mysterious schoolgirls. A gothic lady draped in spider motifs… unforgettable.
Every line of its writing drips with decadent beauty.
I’d say it’s the pinnacle of biographical-style visual novels in the ’90s.
Three minutes into the game, and you’re already hit with this still. Instantly pulled me in.
Magnificent…
The aura radiating from a single illustration needs no explanation. That sense of an impossible youth exploding in your brain—that is the very essence of bishōjo games. Every so often, miracles like this are born, crystallized into a single image.
I even wrote an article before, just about how wonderful this still was.
“Don’t you think dancing with the one you love under the moonlight is a beautiful thing?”
↑ I couldn’t agree more.
The history of eroge and still images is itself a rich subject of study. From pixel art to CG, resolution climbing ever higher.
As pixel artists vanished, CG illustrators became more in demand, and it became impossible to tie down big-name illustrators for years on end just for one niche bishōjo game project. Naturally, as you know, the genre declined.
Nowadays, Alicesoft itself produces mostly erotic browser games. That’s the times we live in.
Meanwhile, I’m currently making my own visual novel as a personal project—and I’ve entrusted the artwork to Ohisashiburi-sensei. I want to tackle a classic visual novel head-on, and that means her workload is naturally enormous. I’m deeply grateful. Precisely because of that, I believe it’s meaningful to launch a straightforward VN in today’s world, and that doing so can shine a light on illustrators taking on new challenges. If my writing turns out boring and drags things down, then all the blame is mine. In that case, please at least enjoy staring at her stills and get your money’s worth!
I’ll give it my all. This book stuffed with too many memories rekindled my drive to create, reminding me once again: “I’m making games because I admire you.”
A little sneak peek at the new project.
Our task is to showcase Ohisashiburi-san’s artwork to the fullest. After all, it’s the visuals that make a visual novel.
Comments (0)
Leave a comment
No comments yet. Be the first to comment!