Noctuary

Noctuary is a visual novel with a touch of action RPG that shines primarily through its story, art, and atmosphere. It’s ideal for patient players, fans of deep narratives, and anyone who enjoys that charming anime-style flair. Despite minor technical limitations on the Switch, the game delivers a memorable and engaging experience.

As a unique blend of visual novel and action RPG, Noctuary is one of my favourite recent indies and I'll be thinking about it for a long time. ✨

For the patient adventurer looking for something heartfelt between the sword swings, Noctuary is a little gem well worth playing.

Gratesca Studio and Serenity Forge’s Noctuary offers a gripping, emotional narrative in a richly detailed world and while the combat feels underused, its stunning visuals and story shine.

Noctuary is a small pearl that succeeds where many have failed: building a credible bridge between two distant genres, enhancing their peculiarities without distorting them.

Noctuary blends a heartfelt visual novel with stylish, accessible action combat. Its strong story and presentation shine, especially on Switch 2. A must-play for VN fans craving light gameplay.

Noctuary is an excellent choice if you wish for a story-driven experience with just the right amount of interaction to keep it interesting. Not everyone will like this game. It could turn out to be a hidden gem for people who like stories that take their time, beautiful art, and stories that come from the heart.

If you’re down mostly for the story, and don’t mind the reasonably-good combat being in too short a supply, it may work out for you

The console edition expands the original vision, polishing the experience with new content, better accessibility, and richly layered voice work. Noctuary delivers, and it lingers long after the credits roll. A must-play for visual novel fans on console.

Despite the weak action, Noctuary has good ideas and a rich world that could build on what worked here and address a few issues that were lacking. Starting with one that I find quite problematic: the game's lack of visual accessibility options: While beautiful, the interface limits text size, making it difficult for those with some degree of visual impairment to read the menus and subtitles. While uninspired, the action scenes are entertaining to a certain extent, but their limited number makes them seem more like barriers to admiring the game's story than a playful element where the characters' powers can be seen in action and the antagonists can demonstrate the magnitude of the threat they pose. I hope the developer sees the project as a good start and brings us an adventure in which the quality seen in the narrative is also seen in the action!