General BL Games Discussion Thread

[liam_g]

Are there any BL games with a afab trans MC? I played Date with death where you can pick your pronouns, genitals and whether top/bottom and I really liked being included the same way I am in irl so I've been searching the market for anything similar.. T-T

 

[Riou1]

Are there any BL games with a afab trans MC? I played Date with death where you can pick your pronouns, genitals and whether top/bottom and I really liked being included the same way I am in irl so I've been searching the market for anything similar.. T-T

Bewitching Sinners. You can pick a male or female body type and your pronouns (which includes a non-binary option too).

 

[ishibashi]

Are there any BL games with a afab trans MC? I played Date with death where you can pick your pronouns, genitals and whether top/bottom and I really liked being included the same way I am in irl so I've been searching the market for anything similar.. T-T

Actually there is one! It's super indie so the art is a little bit "...." but it's a BL game with an AFAB transman MC! Only one love interest, but I understand that's also a bit of a trend in smaller games lately,

The title is Canvas Menagerie and it's on Steam.

 

[Fishish]

Are there any BL games with a afab trans MC? I played Date with death where you can pick your pronouns, genitals and whether top/bottom and I really liked being included the same way I am in irl so I've been searching the market for anything similar.. T-T

Killer chat also lets you pick pronouns and how you look akin to date with death! I also know 2 darker visual novels that are fully first person (I think one lets you pick pronouns actually) and use gender neutral pronouns or just the name entered in to refer to the player character but I would recommend you check the warnings if you wish to play them since the stories are less romance and more survive a killer They are called "the price of flesh" and "ykmet; strade".

I think there are a few more mainly western visual novels that let you edit the player character to suit your preferences but I would have to refresh my memory and actually check to be able to list them here! (Like I swear red embrace Hollywood let's you make a character and touchstarved but I haven't personally played them so I can't say for certain) but none I think are as inclusive as a date with death is in regards to the amount of choices relating to character presentation. Regardless I hope you find a few games you're interested in! If I find / remember more I'll list them here! (Also apologies all my recommendations are darker stories, my own preferences lean that direction so games with those themes naturally end up on my radar more frequently )

 

[liam_g]

Killer chat also lets you pick pronouns and how you look akin to date with death! I also know 2 darker visual novels that are fully first person (I think one lets you pick pronouns actually) and use gender neutral pronouns or just the name entered in to refer to the player character but I would recommend you check the warnings if you wish to play them since the stories are less romance and more survive a killer They are called "the price of flesh" and "ykmet; strade".

I think there are a few more mainly western visual novels that let you edit the player character to suit your preferences but I would have to refresh my memory and actually check to be able to list them here! (Like I swear red embrace Hollywood let's you make a character and touchstarved but I haven't personally played them so I can't say for certain) but none I think are as inclusive as a date with death is in regards to the amount of choices relating to character presentation. Regardless I hope you find a few games you're interested in! If I find / remember more I'll list them here! (Also apologies all my recommendations are darker stories, my own preferences lean that direction so games with those themes naturally end up on my radar more frequently )

omg thank you so much!! i absolutely love darker plots as well and ykmet; strade has actually been on my wishlist but I thought it was another case similar to 'what I wouldn't do' where the mc is female from the get-go. I'll definitely check it out along with the other games you mentioned >3< thanks!!!

 

[liam_g]

Actually there is one! It's super indie so the art is a little bit "...." but it's a BL game with an AFAB transman MC! Only one love interest, but I understand that's also a bit of a trend in smaller games lately,

The title is Canvas Menagerie and it's on Steam.

I just looked it up and indeed the art is indeed a bit.. eh, but I'm honestly not one to judge too much since they put all the effort to make it. I'll add it to my wishlist and hopefully it goes on sale :>

 

[Fornstrand]

hiii im someone i'd consider to be a beginner to blvns so i was hoping if all of you here would be willing to share any recommendations ^^ im open to both localized and jpn-only games !

Someone already suggested Messiah by CORE so I'll chip in and say that Fanatica deserves more recognition too. I'll be honest, some of the endings disappointed me a bit, but otherwise I found the game incredibly enjoyable -- the mystery, characters, music and all. But beware, one of the pairings doesn't entirely get closure. The game namedrops a sequel that would continue their story, but it was never developed (I was very salty since that was my favorite pairing LOL).

 

[Riou1]

Finished Asuma's Best Ending route in Tokyo 24 ku ... I really likes his gentleness during the H scene, but the development of their relationship felt a bit rushed to me, especially on the protagonist's side, his switch up in feelings towards Asuma happened pretty late into the route and felt sudden ... Ig I prefer protagonists who know they're into men from the start (like Tengenjibashi) or accept their feelings for men much more quickly (like Kyouichirou), but maybe I'll like the protagonist better in either Shirasu or Taiga routes (btw these 2 didn't even show up at all in this route so they're both still a mystery to me and the route as a whole felt really self contained).

Tbh I marathoned 90% of this route in 2 days which I don't usually do so this may have hurt my enjoyment a bit. I reckon I'll wait for Suito wa Hakumei to play Hozumi's route before playing any more routes in 24 ku.

 

[Gappy]

Someone already suggested Messiah by CORE so I'll chip in and say that Fanatica deserves more recognition too. I'll be honest, some of the endings disappointed me a bit, but otherwise I found the game incredibly enjoyable -- the mystery, characters, music and all. But beware, one of the pairings doesn't entirely get closure. The game namedrops a sequel that would continue their story, but it was never developed (I was very salty since that was my favorite pairing LOL).

I haven't had the chance to play Fanatica yet, but I really want to. It's a shame to hear they never got to make the sequel they wanted. Which pairing gets the short end? I wanna be able to temper my expectations.

 

[Fornstrand]

I haven't had the chance to play Fanatica yet, but I really want to. It's a shame to hear they never got to make the sequel they wanted. Which pairing gets the short end? I wanna be able to temper my expectations.

Liwen and Souha. It's a shame, they really deserved a happy ending with no loose ends...

 

[fr4pp3cinn]

Recently, while clearing my backlog, I've been writing down my thoughts on some characters. Although I'm not done with the game yet, Towa from Slow Damage is on his way to become my favorite BL protagonist he's such a messy but interesting character.

Youji from sweet pool is always on my mind as well, the story feels very unique for me, and his dynamic with his sister and Tetsuo is so interesting as well (for the NitroChiral protagonists, I feel like Youji and Konoe are not as popular as the others!)

Now, which BL game protagonists you think deserve more love? Feel free to gush about them :)

 

[BLFan]

My favorite protagonists are usually the ones who make me laugh. Three of them are clowns, and JJ is my favorite because he's so badass. This is my list; there are more, but these are my favorites.

1 Eiden (Nu Carnival) The King of BL Gacha

2 JJ (Omerta) Badass Sicario Seke prota

3 Giancarlo (Lucky Dog 1) Mafia Boss and Puppy Mascot

4 Kia (Absolute Obedience) Nazi very funny and pervert prota xD

 

[laidy]

I almost forgot BL falls under the otome corner LMAO...

I looooooooooooove Towa... I love all my sweet Nitro+Chiral boys... They're a close second race for me. I even bought keychains of them...!!! But there's also another developer on the scene who's ML may rival Towa for me.................. Maybe even Aoba...!

TAMAMORI!!!! TAMAMORI FROM HASHIHIME OF THE OLD BOOK TOWN!!!!! (yap incoming)
ahhh where do I begin...

First of all- he's beautiful. The whole artstyle of Adelta's works are so captivating to look at. CG's galor.

And that's it for the visual aspect. LMAO. Because what I like about him is way more than that- I like Tamamori for his personality... because... He's a fraud. He's a boyfailure. He's selfish and delusional and weak willed and foolish... In fact, it's hard to think of his good traits... BUT I LOVE HIM FOR IT. He's such an incomplete person thrown into life events so far beyond the scope of what he can handle, that he simply reacts in ways that the lowest common denominator- or perhaps the worst common denominator of human-being would. He's a character so consistently imperfect and flawed in their thinking that I can only describe them as "human". But not in the imperfection of the many usually emotionally stunted MC's of some games (cough cough literally every N+C character...) He's someone who's paradoxically expressive, he gets afraid, he gets hopeful, he gets hurt, he gets healed- and it makes him endearing.

That's what he is. An incredibly endearing character- every time he gets rightfully criticised or caught out he just responds with a stupid "Nyahahha....", when things go awry he always feels the need to bounce back- not cuz he's an optimistic or spirited person, but because all he has is his pride. He's scared to lose what little he feels makes up his incomplete identity, which is why I route for him so badly in the game. He reminds me of the N+C characters- but he's still different to them.

Tamamori cries, he gets broken and destroyed over and over in the story's events. AND IM NGL I WAS CRYING THERE TOO WITH HIM

It feels like the N+C protagonists are somehow teetering on the edge of broken but still coping- it feels as though the part of them that went through something painful and traumatic was something that they learnt to live with, succumb to in the bad ends- and accept in the good ends. Which is why you feel that the "true route" is the one where they felt most fixed and healed. I don't know if you'd put Mink or Madarame as the best endings for their MC (*insert my rape seme is worse than your rape seme*) (fr tho they need to stop with that shit) Where as with Tamamori- no matter who he ends up with, his journey and progress and healing- the trauma he underwent and the needs he ends up getting fufilled- are so drastically different that it might as well be a different Tamamori in every ending.

A lot of the endings are bittersweet too, but that's just kinda the breaks for everything in poor Tamamori's life- but when you see the ways more "well adjusted" characters react to things. You start to empathise more with him, because he's doing and being the only thing he knows how- himself. And I guess maybe this is just me, but I think in his shoes, maybe I too would be a delusional bum.

Probably not but I just like him so much I can put aside the fact he's so pathetic i get angry and I want to compress him into a ball.

he's.......... HE'S BASICALLY CHIIKAWA IM NGL

(IK this is hachiware but the resembalance is uncanny................... oh... also play hashihime of the old book town<3 it's really GOOD)

 

[Fornstrand]

I am a total JJ simp (as you can see lol). He is unafraid to kick ass when the situation demands it, but is quite prudent, not taking any unnecessary risks or putting himself in dangerous situations for no reason. When it comes to action media (yeah, even slideshows with text like VNs), above all, I love protagonists who are competent. Scenes where the MC knows exactly what they are doing and why are very fun to read/look at. But even though JJ is professional, he doesn't read like a Gary Sue and makes mistakes -- and since guns are involved, not ones that are easily brushed off.
Now contrast JJ with someone like Akira, who is supposedly an excellent fighter but makes extensive use of his plot armor in practice. Letting the protag have an easy way out if things go south feels very cheap and quickly removes any tension from action scenes. But Omerta delivers.
Well, combat skills aside, I love JJ's deadpan sense of humor and his moments of self-awareness in some routes. JJ's personality makes for some very interesting chemistry with the LIs.

 

[bugpudding]

Oosaki from Ooe. I read a review that said he was kinda boring and monotone but I dunno... I kinda like that about him, especially after you learn more about him. It just makes sense with his character. I haven't finished any other routes aside from the first but I would DIE FOR HIM.

Also it's funny you say Youji and Konoe aren't as popular as the other protagonists but they're my N+C favorites T_T I just love those vns so much. They really had me out here feeling completely immersed in the story and their lives.

 

[fr4pp3cinn]

1 Eiden (Nu Carnival) The King of BL Gacha

3 Giancarlo (Lucky Dog 1) Mafia Boss and Puppy Mascot

I love Eiden and Gian as well! They're very assertive, so it's fun seeing how they deal with the other characters in game. I've started Absolute Obedience before, but ended up putting it on hold! I have to finish it sometime

I almost forgot BL falls under the otome corner LMAO...

To be fair, BL games seem to be a bit unpopular on the forum side! Maybe because there's not many translated games

TAMAMORI!!!! TAMAMORI FROM HASHIHIME OF THE OLD BOOK TOWN!!!!!

I like Tamamori for his personality... because... He's a fraud. He's a boyfailure. He's selfish and delusional and weak willed and foolish... In fact, it's hard to think of his good traits...

I love a boyfailure! Tamamori is a complete mess, but a very human character, so you want to see how he deals with all the stuff that comes at him (and oh boy, do they come!)

Adelta characters do have a more introspective feel to them than N+C, I suppose because most Nitroplus plots are very edgy (not in a bad way!) and the characters accept their condition as a unavoidable truth. Some games have weird pacing (and I think DMMD's routes suffer a bit from not integrating into the story very well, only True route really explains what happens)

 

[fr4pp3cinn]

I am a total JJ simp (as you can see lol). He is unafraid to kick ass when the situation demands it, but is quite prudent, not taking any unnecessary risks or putting himself in dangerous situations for no reason. When it comes to action media (yeah, even slideshows with text like VNs), above all, I love protagonists who are competent.

But even though JJ is professional, he doesn't read like a Gary Sue and makes mistakes -- and since guns are involved, not ones that are easily brushed off.
Now contrast JJ with someone like Akira, who is supposedly an excellent fighter but makes extensive use of his plot armor in practice.

I haven't played Omerta yet, but it's a game I've been interested in for a while. I liked the setting of Togainu no Chi, but the execution was quite poor, especially regarding Akira's characterization.

 

[fr4pp3cinn]

Oosaki from Ooe.

Also it's funny you say Youji and Konoe aren't as popular as the other protagonists but they're my N+C favorites T_T

I've been looking forward to Ooe! I like Adelta titles (and love a mystery!)

Youji and Konoe get sidelined a lot for N+C protagonists. sweet pool is a short game that doesn't really follow traditional route-style VNs, and Lamento hasn't received an official localization (the only N+C game without one...) but they're more introspective than the other MCs!

 

[GoreDreams]

I like quite a few! Dunno if I can call them "favorites" but:
1- Michael Levi (Shingakkou): he's just adorable and cute, I like his VA too.
2-Aoba Seragaki (DMMD): I feel like he's a very nice and warm guy, also his VA is tea.
3- Yoshino (Lesson): dunno if we could call him a protagonist... I feel like he's quite relatable to how I think and process things. I really enjoyed his character and learned a lot from him.

 

[Riou1]

Finishing up Guillermo's route in Guilded Hearts before starting Suito, I liked his route better than Archie's but for some reason I remember the sprites looking better back when I played the blondie's route.

 

[Kakashi_lv]

I usually prefer the love interest over the protagonist. But 'Tamamori' from Hashihime and 'Oosaki' from Ooe really catch my mind.

 

[fraizumin]

Choutsugai Shiro from UUULTRA C and Tamamori from Hashihime. I really like how each of them have flaws.

 

[fujobabiee]

I also have to say oosaki from ooe, i really like how he was written... and aside from that, hes just super adorable to me! T^T

aside from him, i have to say tasuku from LKYT and konoe from lamento~

 

[sawayaka]

ADELTA characters r so good so of course I also have to mention Tamamori and Oosaki!!

Also, Azuma from Paradise (the difference between how he presents himself vs. his actual inner world/thoughts) and Hisora from Nie no Machi (overall just very cute and loveable <3)

 

[Marrychan]

Without a doubt, my favorite is Aoba. DRAMAtical Murder was one of the first games of its genre that I played, and I have a lot of affection for it. I must have finished it three or four times; Clear's route remains my favorite.