Valentine Video Games Festival: Meeting in the Flesh

At first glance, this next title might look like it belongs in our October celebration rather than this one, but that is not the case.

Meeting in the Flesh is a free visual novel set in a horrific world of monsters… but it’s not a horror story.

You play as Vil, whose job is to deliver salt to the inhabitants of this town since they need it to live. Over the handful of days in which the story takes place, you interact with several of Vil’s monstrous associates and get to know them. A key choice puts you on one of three monsters’ routes, with additional choices that then lead to either a romantic ending or not.

(The love interests are all male, but Vil’s gender is never stated, so I’m not sure if it would be considered otome.)

It’s fairly text-heavy, with dialogue and narration written on one side of the screen while character sprites appear on the other side. Most of its worldbuilding carried by its writing, therefore, although there are a handful of CGs for important moments as well.

Despite being set in a world of flesh and blood and a fair amount of body horror, it’s surprisingly sweet and wholesome.

All three of the love interests are nice and personable, despite their monstrous appearances and everything else that comes with this setting. Each route follows a similar pattern of being introduced to the character’s situation and then having a choice to make at the end, but the conflicts faced by each character are pretty distinct.

While you do need to be okay with some unsettling descriptions and situations, it’s a very sweet visual novel. I’d go so far as to call it fluffy.

Crafting a nightmarish world in such a way that it feels cozy and comfortable is an impressive feat of Meeting in the Flesh, and it’s worth checking out if you’re looking for a monster romance.