Anime Expo 2025 took place this past weekend, bringing a ton of announcements, including from visual novel publishers. As such, we’ve decided to post our regular weekly visual novel updates in this article. Our regular anime and gaming news will follow separately.
Descriptions and further details have been included where provided by the publisher.
You can find other recent visual novel news in our regular weekly news round up article.
MangaGamer
MangaGamer announced that they’ve licensed Alicesoft’s erotic simulation RPG, Pastel Chime 3 – Bind Seeker. It includes fantasy RPG gameplay, five heroines to choose from and art by Geppei (Evenicle) and Onigiri-kun (Beat Blades Haruka, Beat Valkyrie Ixseal).
Two continents sat opposite each other; a vast ocean shrouded in dense fog filling the gulf between them.
One day, the fog suddenly lifted, revealing the “New World” of Colwayd. The people of the western Continent were overcome with colonizing fervor, with scores of people taking to the high seas to seek their fortune in this new land of opportunity. But that era is in the distant past now, and over half of Colwayd’s lands have been charted. Society at large has lost its enthusiasm for adventure, and the number of those who seek to stake their claim in the exploration of the unknown has dwindled considerably. Yet the world would do well to remember… In this land of swords and sorcery, of divine power and calamity, there is no end to that which might stoke conflict and threaten peace. When the seal is broken, one may have no choice but to take their blade in hand and fight if they seek to protect the ties that bind.
Pastel Chime is a simulation RPG set in a fantasy world. Multiple stories overlap as you progress through the events of the game, clearing key points to reach your desired ending. The game features five main heroines in total, each of whom can become the protagonist’s lover as the story progresses. The game progresses through selected events, which vary by day and by character. By selecting certain events, you can increase your intimacy with certain characters and advance your relationship with them. During the daytime, you may fight as many battles as you like through the Guild, allowing you to level up while earning money and items. By clearing each chapter’s key events, you can progress to the next chapter. You can modify character stats and skills by equipping them with Binds, special entities from other worlds. Each character has a Bind that cannot be removed, referred to as Master Binds. Lesser Binds which can be freely swapped out between characters are referred to as Slave Binds. The strength of your Binds increase with further combat.
They’ve also licensed Ooe, the latest Boy’s Love visual novel from ADELTA, the developers of Hashihime of the Old Book Town and UUUltraC
A memorial service for the second anniversary of the actress Ann Ooe’s death is being held on Ooejima, a remote island even further from Tokyo than Hachijo-jima. Our protagonist, Osaki, is employed by a detective agency, and he receives a most curious request——to attend the service in the guise of his client.
Tension hangs between the mourners, and it turns out that none of them have so much as seen the event’s host. But things only go from bad to worse when the ferry set to return them to the mainland never shows up… and the guests discover the servant who had been attending them murdered.
Tormented by distrust and paranoia, the mourners search for the murderer only leading to further and further tragedy. The guests must unravel the mysteries of their shared pasts and the untimely death of Ann Ooe in this classic closed circle Showa horror mystery.
All nine mourners are guilty, and they’re all romancable (including the initial murder victim). Each route offers both mystery and romance, and more potential love interests and choices open up as you progress through the routes.
JAST USA
JAST has announced that they will be localizing School Days Remastered. This release includes Windows 11 compatibility.
The Marketing Director noted in their Discord server that if you own School Days, School Days Remastered will be free. This is similar to their other remastered releases.
They will also be publishing Winter Girl, a Korean visual novel by Slimebox, in English.
‘Winter Girl’ is a visual novel game that begins with a miraculous encounter with the alien, Seah. Combining modern direction with classic visual novel charm, it offers an immersive story and interactions. Experience various endings based on your choices.
Finally, they announced that they will be publishing Sweet Canvas, an OELVN.
Due to certain unforeseen circumstances, Yoshiya Isa finds himself moving from his small, backwater town at the edge of the Eastern Province, all the way to the unfamiliar metropolis at the heart of it.
Although, having ended up lost at the very start of his first real day there, due to a series of strange and unfortunate, but seemingly random events, Isa’s first impression of city life couldn’t be further from positive.
That is, until, he finds his salvation in the form of a girl wearing the exact uniform of the academy that he’s transferring into. Or so he thinks-
“…You’re not from around here!”
“Oh… Yeah, I actually am lost, so-”
“I know! I can help you!”
Little does Isa know that this chance meeting- this one, genuine coincidence, will completely change how the story of his life unfolds from this point onwards.
Sekai Project/Denpasoft
Sekai Project/Denpasoft announced quite a few titles at Anime Expo 2025.
Widenyo is an SRPG with a large cast pulled from Alicesoft’s various games.
Nandomeka No Hajimemashite from Purple Software will first release in Chinese in October 2025, with English coming in February 2026.
Onii-chan Continue is an upcoming game from Panmimi Soft with art by Pan (Yome Sagashi ga Hakadorisugite Yabai) and a scenario by Nissy (Tamayura Mirai, Akane’s route in Kinkoi) The game is still in development and is aiming for a Q3 2025 release.
Finally, they announced that Rewrite Harvest festa now has a release date. It will be released on July 14th, 2025, and keys have already been distributed to Kickstarter backers.
Aksys Games
Aksys Games has announced an English release for the mystery mystery visual novel Path of Mystery: A Brush with Death for the Nintendo Switch.
Find the Announcement Trailer Here
In addition, they have announced an English release for Otomate’s Otome Daoshi -Fighting for Love-, an otome visual novel.
Find the Announcement Trailer Here
A gamer since the days of Amstrad and DOS and someone who has dabbled in a variety of professions. He enjoys a wide variety of genres, but has been focusing on visual novels and virtual reality in recent years. Head Editor of NookGaming. Follow him and the website on @NookSite.
