After shutting down last year, Dischan Media has decided to release all its visual novels for free.
Hardcore Gamer: Juniper’s Knot is a visual novel that might be familiar to fans of Dischan Media. This team, also behind Dysfunctional Systems, released a free VN back in 2012 for PC. However, up until now, it wasn’t available via Steam.
Visual novels are something of a niche of a niche for gamers in the West. The majority of them are imported from the East, with only a few receiving critical acclaim – or attention at all.
But that doesn’t mean they’re a medium best left alone. Representing a wholly different method of interactive storytelling and portraying games as art, the visual novel is gaining momentum here in the States.
This list will hopefully serve as an introduction into the world of visual novels. A couple of these games you’ll probably recognize; others, not at all. All that’s required is an open mind and a willingness to be surprised.
BT writes: SHHH! This week we’re talking about Juniper’s Knot, a great little gem from Dischan that was made in under a month. If you haven’t heard of Dischan before, that’s not too big of a surprise. While their site does host a number of notable indie games, Dischan only has a couple completed projects under their belt (Juniper’s Knot and the episodic retail game, Dysfunctional Systems: Learning to Manage Chaos). However, if Juniper’s Knot is any indication, Dischan is a group whose work is worth looking into.
