5 Narrative Games that are Coming Soon

Some of my favorite game genres are Visual Novels, Interactive Fiction, and Narrative Horror. These story-driven experiences have grown tremendously over the years, delivering some truly unforgettable titles. Because of their narrative depth, I tend to have high expectations for these games. With that in mind, here are five upcoming narrative-driven games to keep an eye on:

• Arcadia Fallen II

The first game of this franchise was really well done. It had a good story, a basic character creator, a decent alchemy mechanic, and good characters to interact with and romance. The art style was cute, too, and it's continued in the second game.

This time around, the character customization accessible in the demo from Itch IO has a new feature. It looks like we'll be getting an interesting skill that allows us to decide which branch of magic we'll be studying.

And you read that right. This story (link) takes place in a magic school! I am always down for a magic school VN. I will say, after playing the demo, I'm not 100% sure it's going to be as good as the others in this list but I am trusting the process.

• Scarlet Hollow

I've already purchased this game and played the existing chapters and I assure you it's going to be a banger. You start off by choosing a couple of skills your character starts with, such as talking to animals and being psychic. The skills offer more choices in dialogue throughout the game.

The game (link) itself has an interesting art style that works well with the horror undertones of the game. The story, too, is very interesting and it has a lot of lore tied in to real-life creature theory (bigfoot, for example) and things of a more paranormal nature. Anyone interested in spooky vibes will love this visual novel.

They've been working on it between other games, so who knows when it will be done. I do recommend waiting on the completion of this game to buy it so you're not on the edge of your seat waiting the next x amount of chapters like I am. But you should definitely try the demo and decide for yourself.

• Touchstarved

Hang on to your hats, folks, because this is one of my TOP most intriguing visual novels on its way. The incredible art, paired with the post-apocalypse nature of the game has me riveted!

The entire premise of the story is that you are cursed to turn others to madness by touch alone, and you are desperately searching for a cure. You are TOUCHSTARVED. Hence, the name.

The romance options all appear to have their own form of monstrosity, though some are more vague than others. And the demo makes these characters shine even more than their pretty faces do. I would definitely check this out on Steam (link) and put it into your Wishlist.

• Exiler

I was on the fence about including this game, but I decided to put it in here because I think it's going to be a pretty good game. It's an interactive fiction with some darker tones and hand-drawn art. It is very comic, and it feels like Scooby-Doo meets Supernatural.

The story of it is that you, Adam Wayne, are an exorcist and P.I. trying to help people who have been possessed.

As you can see, the game is a side-scroller and the animation is VERY COOL. The supernatural/paranormal vibes are what led me here, and I am ready to buy this when it comes out (link).

• Bye Sweet Carole

This absolute beauty of a narrative-game is CALLING to me in ways I cannot describe. The art is stunning, imitating the gorgeous animation style of old cartoons. It has a definite darker vibe and is considered a survival-horror game. I hope you're ready to feel like the protagonist of a Disney movie, but darker.

Story-wise, you're on the hunt for your bestie Carole, who has gone missing from Bunny-Hall Orphanage. You must carve your way through a spooky world of tar-bunnies and deadly challenges while avoiding the watchful eyes of Mr. Kyn.

I cannot understate my hopes for this game. I will definitely be buying this (link) at launch.

That's five of my carefully curated narrative games that are coming soon! I hope at least one looks interesting to you. If you have any recommends, existing or coming soon, comment down below!

Until next time, gamers!