Our scoring methodology for adult visual novel reviews: criteria, rubric, and editorial independence policy.
How We Review Adult Visual Novels
Every game reviewed on Adult Visual Novel has been personally played by MaC. No review is written from trailers, screenshots, or secondhand sources.
Scoring Rubric (1–10)
Scores are whole numbers. Each game is assessed across four equally-weighted criteria:
- Writing & Story (25%) — Narrative quality, dialogue, pacing, and emotional impact.
- Characters (25%) — Depth, believability, and how characters evolve.
- Visuals & Presentation (25%) — Art style, UI polish, animations, and overall aesthetic consistency.
- Technical Quality (25%) — Stability, save systems, performance, and platform support.
A score of 8–10 means the game excels in most criteria. 5–7 is a mixed bag with clear highs and lows. 1–4 is reserved for games with significant quality issues.
Editorial Independence
Games are not scored higher because of affiliate relationships. Some developer links are affiliate or sponsored links — this is disclosed inline. The final score is never influenced by monetisation.
Review Updates
When a game receives a major content update, we replay the relevant content and update the review score and body. The updatedDate field in the article reflects the last editorial revision.