Tsukihime, VN Recommendation of the Week!
Article at a glance:
- Tsukihime is the original vampire-centered VN by Type-Moon, predating Fate, with deeper lore and character-driven storytelling.
- The remake splits the VN into two parts, expanding the story with improved writing, voices, and routes for Arcueid and Ciel.
- Gorgeous art, an incredible soundtrack, and strong character development make Tsukihime a must-play for VN fans.
The Tsukihime VN and Kara no Kyoukai are the lesser-known precursors to the massively popular Fate franchise. These media pieces set certain ground rules for the world that are further explored in the Fate franchise, starting with Fate/Stay Night. If you thought that the Fate franchise was complex, the whole Tsukihime mini-series is no different lol. However, this was made complex because of how the remakes are being handled.
Instead of remaking the original VN as is, the remakes expanded the writing and split the original VN into two parts. More on that in just a bit. So welcome back to another VN recommendation article and today we are talking about Tsukihime! The introduction for this will be a bit messy so please forgive me.
Introduction
The original Tsukihime VN was released in December 2000. If I am not mistaken, the original copy of this game was released on a floppy disk lol. I don’t think most people reading this article will even know what a floppy disk is. Anyway, the VN spawned quite a few different pieces of media including a bonus disk and a fighting game series, Melty Blood. The remake was originally released in Japan in 2021. The worldwide release of the remake came this year and you can play the Tsukihime remake part 1 on PS or Switch.
You’ll have to wait just a bit longer for the PC version of the remake though. Part 2 of the remake was teased through an unlockable trailer and we have no info on it just yet.
Plot
Unlike the Fate franchise, Tsukihime is centered around vampires. The remake is also the better version of the story now because of the rewrites. Tsukihime now serves as a direct sequel to Witch on the Holy Night, don’t worry, you don’t need to play that to immerse yourself in Tsukihime’s plot. So Tsukihime follows Shiki Tohno. He had a life-threatening accident when he was young. And this caused him to awaken an ability that allows him to see the “death” of everything.
He has severe headaches and is unable to cope with the sight of death. He soon meets Aozaki Aoko who gives him a special pair of glasses that deactivate his ability and allow him to live normally. Because of this accident though, he is banished from his family. The story takes place 8 years later when Shiki returns to the Tohno household after his father’s death. After this in typical VN format, the story will shift depending on what route you are pursuing. And let me tell you, Tsukihime is a lot heavier on the lore compared to the F/SN and I like that.
Characters
Each route focuses on a different character so each major character will be explored in depth. Part 1 of the remake has the routes for Arcueid and Ciel. So as you might expect, we get a lot of character development for them. The remake does a great job of expanding their characters and the added voice lines help a lot. Shiki’s character development also kind of carries over through routes and I appreciate that. Even though we don’t have their routes yet, Akiha, Hisui, and Kouhaku are still important characters and they are handled well.
Art and Soundtracks
I don’t know why but I haven’t played a single visual novel yet with a bad soundtrack. Tsukihime is no different, it has a banger soundtrack collection. And as for the art, Nasu rarely misses with his art. His character designs always manage to be iconic and a lot of that stems from Tsukihime.
Summing up
Here’s why you should play the Tsukihime VN:
- Deep and complex lore
- Great character-driven stories
- Good characters
- Awesome art and soundtracks
So yeah, that is all for now. Let me know what you guys think in the comments. I know this got a little complex so forgive me for that. With that said, I will take my leave here. Time to watch the new Bleach episode! See ya!
Also, check out this week’s manga recommendation here!
