By Patricia Baxter, Guest Reviewer
With a whopping 110 entries, from full games to demos, the 2024 Yuri Game Jam was a smashing success both for the developers who participated and fans of the genre looking for new video games to play. With so many intriguing games to choose from, it can be overwhelming to know what kinds of games are available and what to expect from each title.
While I have admittedly only scratched the surface of the types of games on this massive list, the games I have already played were extremely impressive, whether it is for their unique approaches to the yuri genre, clever writing, distinctive art style, creative game design, or some combination therein. Here are six games, five full games and one demo, that caught my eye from this year’s Yuri Game Jam.
A Witch is Getting Married by FeatherBoy
Content Warnings: Depictions of anxiety and complicated relationships
Available for: The three major PC operating systems
A Witch is Getting Married follows the life of a witch named Thyme, who finds herself gradually drifting apart from her best friend, Safflower, who she may or may not have a crush on, after said friend gets a new boyfriend. With gorgeous visuals and grounded dialogue, this game covers the topic of losing connections with the people you love with a great deal of care, while not glossing over the ugly emotions and anxieties that come with it.
Art: 10
Story: 9
Characters: 9
Service: 1 (optional flirtatious dialogue during dream sequences)
Yuri: 3 – 6 (players can choose to depict Thyme’s feeling for Safflower as romantic or platonic)
Overall: 9
Bridgewater Deeproot Access Radio (Demo) by Runa Liore
Content Warnings: Disturbing/scary stories from the callers, one caller being a massive creep (misogyny, stalking, trespassing)
Available for: The three major PC operating systems
A new demo from the developer of 77 Oleander Avenue Ghost House Investigation, which I reviewed for Okazu last year, Bridgewater Deeproot Access Radio follows Reb Wychwood the co-host of a paranormal radio show, where she sits opposite of her sceptical co-host, Zinnia Braxton, as they take in listener’s calls and unsubtly flirt with each other. Each story presented in the demo is given a great deal of polish in terms of their visuals and sound design, which makes me excited to see what we will experience in the full game, scheduled for release next year.
Art: 10 (various art styles used for each story in the anthology)
Story: 10
Characters: 10 (realistic personalities, for better and for worse)
Service: 1 (some flirting)
Yuri: 7 (Reb is more than fond of Zinnia, but we only see hints that it’s reciprocated in the demo)
Overall: 10
Content Warnings: Non-explicit nudity & sensuality, description of missing body parts from past injuries, past character death
Available for: The three major PC operating systems
It’s a common tale: a woman wanders into the woods at night despite the repeated warnings from her community, compelled by an unseen force. But even familiar stories can feel fresh and rejuvenated, when designed with such love and care as Come Towards Me. The developer’s creative approach to graphic design, and ability to build up a foreboding atmosphere, have deeply impressed me, and it makes me curious to see what they will make next.
Art: 6 for imagery (number of images in the game can be counted on one hand, and they are intentionally obscured), 8 for font and overall graphic design
Story: 7.5
Characters: 7
Service: 6 (gets very close to sexually explicit near the end)
Yuri: 9
Overall: 7.5
Mechanical Relations by gaybreast
Content Warnings: Explicit sexual content, minigames that simulate sexual foreplay, temporary loss of a limb for a robot character, flashing images, shaking images
Available for: The three major PC operating systems, also playable on web browsers
This game is meant for adult players aged 18 and older. Mechanical Relations is a completely different game from the rest of the titles on this list, being an adventure game built in RPG Maker, rather than a visual novel. Marmalade and Fritter are two girlfriends who find themselves stranded on a moon after a delivery goes wrong. Thankfully they are safe and are able to “unwind” together. A game that is both cute and sexy, this is recommended for players looking for gay robot sex featuring endearing characters.
Art: 10
Story: 6 (admittedly not a lot of plot)
Characters: 10
Service: 10
Yuri: 10
Overall: 10
The end of an obsession by ebi-hime
Content Warnings: Blood, stabbing, murder, kidnapping, toxic co-dependency, manipulation, gaslighting
Available for: The three major PC operating systems and Android
The most intense game on the list, The end of an obsession is a grim fairytale for those who enjoy twists and discussions about the nature of stories. That being said, the major caveat with this game is that in order to fully appreciate and understand it you need to play the developer’s previous title, It gets so lonely here, first, but both games are more than worth the experience thanks to their excellent writing, visuals, and sound design.
Art: 10
Story: 10
Characters: 7
Service: 1 (any physical activity between the leads feels squeamish and coercive, which is intentional)
Yuri: 4 (YMMV depending on how you perceive their dynamic by the end of the game)
Overall: 8.5
To Constrict And To Suffocate by peridon
Content Warnings: Obsessive behaviour, background character death and suicide
Available for: Windows and Linux, also playable on web browsers
Maca, a jellyfish-like sea creature, has always been curious about humans and life above the surface. One day, she takes a chance to speak with Lyra, a seemingly disinterested human, and the two soon form a connection. But is this bond healthy for them, and will they be able to bridge the gap between their definitions of love? A well written, and unexpectedly sweet, visual novel about how our connections impact us, for better or for worse.
Art: 8
Story: 9
Characters: 10 (flawed and complicated)
Service: 0
Yuri: 10
Overall: 9
