Visual novels are distinguished from other genres by their minimalist gameplay. Typically, the majority of player interaction is limited to reading, decision-making and graphics. Even so, the term interactive fiction is not coined in vain, in fact, these titles manage to absorb players similar to how literature may absorb readers. What's particularly interesting about Sakura River's visual novel, Fading Hearts, is the way in which the title manages to satirize the genre.
oprainfall's Crystal Baltimore writes:
"Fading Hearts is a visual novel that I only recently heard about, thought it has been around for quite a while. I hate when games that have the possibility of being thought provoking or even just fun as hell slip by me. Luckily (for me) it recently became available on Steam, which brought it to my attention."
No lie, this game is almost a true oldie. Originally released back in 2007, and now on sale on Steam, Fading Hearts is a visual novel that comes the closest to a true emerging narrative experience. While the player is locked into the role of the protagonist Ryou, the capacity for player freedom is massive. Fun, yet at times repetitive, Fading Hearts actually turns out to be pretty good.
akura River Interactive is happy to announce that their interactive visual novel, Fading Hearts, has been Greenlit on Steam, and has peaked in the Top 20 Steam Seller’s List. Now featuring updated monster art, user interface and battle effects, Fading Hearts has already set itself apart from others in the genre by allowing players to change the style of game depending on the choices they make.
