If you're in the mood to visit a nostalgic world that calls back to old-school visual novels, then developer Chosuido and publisher PQube have a treat for you. The visual novel ghostpia Season One is heading to Nintendo Switch next month, the two studios have announced, and a Steam version is also coming in the future.
ghostpia has already been released on Switch in Japan, where it hit Nintendo's console last month, but a Western release is on the cards now too. PQube has also released a date announcement trailer for ghostpia, which adopts a deliberately glitchy and lo-fi visual style to call back to the classics. You can see the trailer and get a feel for the game here.
The style is called "denshi", which is Japanese for "digital" or "electrical", and it's a mixture of "warm, delicate art" and "glitch and noise effects", which creates a nostalgic vibe, according to the devs. If you notice you're getting a warm, fuzzy feeling while you're playing ghostpia, that's probably why.
Unlike many other visual novels of its kind, ghostpia doesn't have any branching narrative paths, nor does it ask you to complete quick-time events to continue. Instead, Chosuido says they've put "all of [their] efforts into making the best possible story [they] could", so you can enjoy the story without anything else getting in the way.
The setup is pretty compelling, too, with ghostpia taking place in a town where ghosts are unable to move on to the afterlife. Against this strange, supernatural backdrop, the game tells a story of friendship, belonging, and loneliness. If you're looking for a good story to cozy up with on your Switch next month, then ghostpia looks like it'll provide just that.
Chosuido and PQube's ghostpia will arrive on Switch on May 23rd. It's also due to come to Steam in Q2 2023, so look out for more info on a potential PC release date for the game soon.
