Reviews of games with LGBTQIA+ characters and/or themes.
Short, sweet and cute visual novel in which you text your ace best friend, a guy whom you have a crush on. It's free, browser-based and charmingly written to fit some interesting constraints. 5/5 stars - outstanding.
Free, funny, sweet superhero visual novel about the power of love. Good portrayal of depression, social anxiety, bipolar, PTSD. 2 males (1 trans), 2 females, 1 non-binary alien. Protagonist pronoun options: they, she, he. 5/5 stars - outstanding!
Short, free text-based game about a teenage guy going to see a gay cowboy movie with another teenage guy. 5/5 stars - outstanding.
A free very short story with two endings that pack an emotional punch. You play as a non-binary AFAB person on a date with a woman. The writing is painfully true to life - undoubtedly because it's #OwnVoices. Content warnings: misgendering. 5/5 stars - outstanding.
Amazing zine exploring masculinities through games. From brilliant concepts for D&D 5e, Monsterhearts and Apocalypse World to fantastic self-contained games, there's something here for everyone. Free community copies available for those who identify as queer or non-cisgender masculine. 5/5 stars - outstanding.
Free, wholesome love and loss story told through beautiful art. Features two female characters in a relationship. 4/5 stars - excellent.
Free, thought-provoking short interactive narrative where you play as a therapist with control over whether your patient will be able to transition. Best when played through to both extremes. 4/5 stars - excellent.
This short Twine story is a thoughtful, well-paced examination of a transgender person's feelings as they perform a ritual to help them battle their dysphoria. It has some beautiful moments, particularly burning the items from the box. And as an added bonus, it also features words specific to the Finnish setting, which you can translate with a click! 4/5 stars - excellent.
Free, short game where you play as a trans woman who magically gains the ability to see what other people are thinking on the bus home. Content warning: misgendering (though it's not malicious). 4/5 stars - excellent.
A cute, pay-what-you-want romantic kinetic novel about an angel and a demon becoming friends and girlfriends. Features brief mentions of porn for comedic effect. One secondary character is asexual and demons are implied to commonly be aromantic. 4/5 stars - excellent.
Free, charming short game riffing on Pokémon's unnecessary focus on binary gender. Non-binary POC protagonist. 4/5 stars - excellent.
Cute puzzle game where you must match colours in the requested shapes to clear the board. Ruya is a woman who fell in love with another woman and adopted children.
Free, short visual novel which follows on from the events of 'one night, hot springs'. It gradually builds the protagonist's awareness of her trans friend's anxiety (and Japanese society's widespread transphobia) in a way that feels authentic, but may be a little slow-paced for some people. Still, a great choice if you're looking for a cute, relaxing visual novel with hopeful vibes and good representation of a trans woman and wlw affection. 3/5 stars - enjoyable.
A cute, silly and sweet micro-TTRPG where you play as dragons in love, talking about how much they love each other. If that sounds like your thing, you should definitely check it out. Bonus points for inclusive asides regarding gender and polyamorous relationships! 3/5 stars - enjoyable.
A short Twine story that compellingly evokes the everyday struggles of a transmasc person putting on testosterone gel in the morning. Content warnings: dysphoria, self-harm, skin picking. 3/5 stars - enjoyable.
