In Winter Wolves’ first The Flower Shop game, we were introduced to a Steve the slacker who, after a summer working at his uncle’s farm in the small town of Fairbrook, realized he needed to get his act together and maybe even found love with one of the four young women in his life. Now, Winter Wolves has teamed with Sakevisual for the sequel, which introduces us to an entitled young woman named Natalie whose parents insisted she get a job over her winter break to learn responsibility. It’s time for Fairbrook and its residents to work their magic again….

A year ago, Sakevisual introduced us to a mysterious young man with the ability to experience the final moments of someone who’s recently died in Jisei. The story ended on a cliffhanger, with the police still wanting to investigate this young man, even though he had proven himself innocent with his ability and subtle assistance from some other young people with similar abilities. Finally, a year later, this mysterious young man’s adventures continue in Kansei.

Sakevisual first made its debut as an indie developer in February, 2010, with the release of the free visual novel and dating sim RE: Alistair. Now, a mere four months later, Sakevisual has returned with another story to tell, Jisei. Let me assure you that its first commercial game is every bit as goodas its first free project. It’s a wonderful visual novel with a compelling story to tell.

Our hero is a nameless young man with the unique ability to see the final visions of the dead. He finds himself in a coffee shop in Edgewater, a city he’s been in for two days. For the past three years, he’s been lost in a fog with no memories of his past and drifting through places. He just woke up from a nap, and goes to get more coffee to hopefully wake himself up. When at the counter, he starts to feel strange, and the girl at the counter suggests he visit the bathrooms.

It turns out he gets this feeling whenever someone has recently died nearby. Sure enough, as he heads to the bathroom he sees the women’s is open and a fresh body is lying on the ground…

Visual novel and dating simulation fans are going to want to take a second look at RE: Alistair. Independent developer Sakevisual announced April 10, 2010 via the Lemma Soft Forums that the game has been expanded, enhanced and rereleased as RE: Alistair++. It’s still free, still available for Windows, Mac and Linux and there’s even an updated walkthrough at the RE: Alistair++ website.

RE: Alistair++ gives you more. More events with the guys, more CG scenes and more after game extras and bonuses. There are also character profiles now, along with a gallery and bonus section that unlock as you play…

Free games typically fall into one of three categories – “surprisingly exceptional,” “good, but I wouldn’t pay for it” and “I can see why this is free.” Sakevisual’s latest visual novel and dating simulation, RE: Alistair, definitely is a member of the surprisingly exceptional group. It’s only failings stem from it’s bland music and short storyline, and other than that it’s a really entertaining game. It also makes me wonder, if Sakevisual’s first game is this good, who knows what to expect from the next two, Ripples and Hanami x2

Merui is a gamer girl, and her favorite is Rivenwall Online, a massive multiplayer online RPG where she is the knight RuiOfTheSword, and she and her online friend FionaWings explore a virtual world and beat up monsters in hopes of getting awesome stuff. One day, they’re out venturing as usual, and fighting a difficult boss in the hopes of Merui finding a Blessed Stone. Right when Merui is about to deal the final blow, some other player called Alistair jumps in, kills the boss and takes the stone.

Merui is displeased to say the least. If the Rivenwall Online censor would allow it, she’d show it verbally. She and this rogue, Alistair, agree to duel. Just as the duel’s about to start, the school’s internet goes down…

Free games are always great, so let’s start the week out right with RE: Alistair! Sake-bento, tooaya and Thee Forsaken One have come together to create a brand new visual novel for PC, Mac and Linux owners. It’s free, so there’s no reason not to give it a try. If you’ve always been interested in visual novels or dating simulations, but didn’t want to pay for something you might not enjoy, RE: Alistair could be a good game to start with. It’s a pretty substantial download, a little over 72mb, but the game isn’t too long or complicated.

RE: Alistair revolves around a girl named Merui who adores the massive multiplayer game Rivenwell Online. She usually has a fantastic time playing as RuiOfTheSword, until another user named Alistair steps in. See, RuiOfTheSword and her friend FionaWings were fighting against a really strong boss, because Merui wanted a Blessed Stone. Right when the the Troll of Mt. Mourning is about to die, a user named Alistair appears, delivers the final blow and gets the Blessed Stone. He then just walks away. Merui won’t abide his insolence! You’re tasked with helping Merui take Alistair down, even though she has no idea who he really is! What follows is a visual novel where you try to find Alistair in real life, while also managing Merui’s daily life and maybe even finding her a boyfriend.

If you’re having trouble, the people behind RE: Alistair have even put together a brief walkthrough…