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Amare Games

@amaregames / amaregames.tumblr.com

'Amare' is an inclusive genre tag for relationship focused visual novels and interactive fiction games, spanning multiple genres including Otome, BL, WLW, and blends of these themes.

Amare Genre Tag Faqs

While Amare games share a distinct "vibe," they place no restrictions on the gender of the Main Character or Love Interests, embracing diverse romantic narratives. This includes requiring a gender variable MC. This is not a requirement for Amare and Amare games may have gender-locked MCs.

What makes an Amare game?

What Amare games tend to have in common is that they focus on relationships and romance, with an emphasis on diversity and authentic storytelling.

Key characteristics include:

Varied Gaze - Games that use this tag are often told with a feminine or neutral gaze, but that isn't a requirement. No specific "gaze" is given pre-eminence over others across the tag but individual games may lean in a single direction.

Flexible Roles - There are no restrictions on the gender and sexuality of the MC or the love interests. Games display a wide range of relationships from from BL, Otome, WLW, and a blend of these genres. Some games may be limited to one experience (such as being purely BL) while others may explore a range of experiences.

Expansive Relationships - Relationships in Amare games range from romantic, sweet, spicy to purely platonic.

Diversity in Cast and Creators - Amare games often feature a diverse array of characters and creators, promoting representation across different experiences and identities.

Who is the target audience for Amare games?

Amare games are targeted to a wide demographic comprised of adults and young adults who want to read narrative stories exploring relationships and romance as told from a wide range of cultures, conventions and experiences.

What makes Amare different from other relationship genres?

The Amare tag was created to supplement existing tags like BL, Otome, and WLW, that sometimes have stricter labelling requirements. It hopes to expand beyond the conventional boundaries that define games purely based on the gender and sexuality of the MC or a narrow target audience. Amare is meant to help bridge gaps left by other genre definitions, as well as create a home for games whose creators don't want to categorise them purely in that way, offering one more avenue for labelling and advertising games.

What is the "vibe" Amare games have?

The vibe of Amare games is heartfelt and immersive, focusing on deep emotional connections and character-driven narratives. They often blend romance, personal growth, and engaging storylines, allowing players to explore meaningful relationships in a variety of settings. Amare games cultivate a vibe of genuine and inclusive stories that celebrate love in its many forms, emphasizing choice and individuality, and celebrating variety in all its forms, making each experience unique.

How do I know if my game is Amare?

Does it have a focus on romance or exploration of relationships? Do you feel comfortable in this space and want to label your game as Amare? People use the Amare tag for a lot of different reasons - because they feel slightly out of sync with other genres that have narrower definitions, or emphasis on specific art styles or story conventions, because they don't want to be limited to a more narrow target audience, because they don't feel they quite fit another genre, because their game spans multiple genres or for a host of other reasons. This genre is focused on offering space to people who feel they fit here.

Links

Issue 36 of the Amare Fortnightly Bulletin (Mar 15 - Mar 31)

Hello everyone!

Issue #36 of the Amare Bulletin is out now! 🎉

This edition focuses on non-jam releases and crowdfunding updates, with plenty of exciting news to share!

Inside, you’ll find:

  • New full game releases, including a gothic dark fantasy and a horror otome.
  • Fresh demos for a yandere thriller, a Yuri/GL romance, and more.
  • Episodic updates for a stat-management visual novel and a dark fantasy romance.
  • The latest in interactive fiction, featuring a gothic mystery and an urban fantasy story.
  • New game announcements, including a yuri mermaid tale.
  • Crowdfunding highlights for upcoming romance visual novels, including an isekai fantasy, a Cinderella-inspired romance, and a story-driven RPG.

We hope you enjoy this issue. Have a fantastic fortnight, and we’ll see you in the next one!

~ The Amare Bulletin Team

Special Edition - Amare Games Festival Issue Release (2025)

Hello everyone!

The Amare Games Festival Bulletin is out now! 🎉

With 55 total submissions, this special edition compiles all the incredible games from Amare Games Festival into one easy-to-navigate bulletin. 

Inside, you’ll find:

✨ Fully released games – complete, self-contained experiences ranging from fantasy to slice-of-life romance ✨ On-going & episodic projects – visual novels, interactive fiction, and stories still in development ✨ Demo releases – sneak peeks at exciting upcoming games

Whether you're looking for a finished game or eager to support projects in progress, this bulletin has something for everyone!

Check out the festival submissions page and discover your next favourite Amare game. 💖

Download for free and start exploring today!

~ The Amare Bulletin Team

Issue 35 Release (Mar 1 - Mar 15)

Hello everyone!

Issue #35 of the Amare Bulletin is out now! 🎉

As spring begins in the northern hemisphere (and summer lingers in the south), we have plenty of exciting news to share!

Inside, you’ll find:

  • A cute new spring theme for the bulletin
  • New game releases, from cozy slice-of-life to sci-fi and fantasy romance
  • The latest interactive fiction titles, including supernatural and time-travel adventures
  • New game announcements featuring otome RPGs and narrative-driven VNs
  • Crowdfunding updates on upcoming romance visual novels
  • Highlights from game jams, including the Yandere Jam, and Black VN Jam
  • A look at the Steam Spring Sale and other ongoing events

We hope you enjoy this issue. Have a fantastic fortnight, and we’ll see you in the next one!

~ The Amare Bulletin Team

There are just under Two Weeks left before the end of the Amare Games Festival We are so excited that over 100+ have joined us this year and already have 20+ Entries

Check them out following the link and don't forget to join and submit your game before the deadline.

Issue 34 Release (Feb 16 - Feb 28)

Hello everyone!

Issue #34 of the Amare Bulletin is out now! :tada:

As we say goodbye to winter and welcome March, we have plenty of exciting news to share!

Inside, you’ll find:

  • New game releases, from mystery, fantasy and spicy Otome titles
  • Fresh episodic updates for visual novels and interactive fiction
  • Exciting new game announcements, including supernatural and sci-fi romance adventures
  • Crowdfunding updates, including campaigns that recently ended
  • Highlights from the latest game jams, including Queer Vampire Jam and Trans Joy Jam
  • We hope you enjoy this issue. Have a fantastic fortnight, and we’ll see you in the next one!

~ The Amare Bulletin Team

Itch Link for Download - https://amaregames.itch.io/amare-news-bulletin-2025/devlog/896775/issue-34-release-feb-16-feb-28

Issue 33 of the Amare Fortnightly Bulletin (Feb 1 - Feb 15)

​Hello everyone!

Issue #33 of the Amare Bulletin is out now! 🎉

With several game jams wrapping up and new ones beginning, we have plenty of exciting news this fortnight!

Inside, you’ll find:

  • Brand-new game releases, from horror and historical to yandere and fantasy titles
  • Fresh episodes and chapter updates for episodic games
  • The latest interactive fiction releases
  • New game announcements to look out for
  • Crowdfunding campaigns ending soon and upcoming projects
  • Game jams, bundles, and special events featuring Amare-themed entries

We hope you enjoy this issue. Have a fantastic fortnight, and we’ll see you in the next one!

~ The Amare Bulletin Team

Issue 32 of the Amare Fortnightly Bulletin (Jan 15 - Jan 31)

Hello everyone!

Issue #32 of the Amare Bulletin is out now! 🎉

With January ending and February beginning, things have slowed down outside of game jams, but we still have plenty of exciting updates for you!

Inside, you’ll find:

  • New game releases, including fantasy, otome, and yuri titles
  • Fresh episodes and chapter updates for episodic games
  • Exciting Kickstarter campaigns to keep an eye on
  • Highlights from Queer Winter Jam, featuring Amare-themed entries

We hope you enjoy this issue. Have a wonderful fortnight, and we’ll see you in the next one!

~ The Amare Bulletin Team

*Ps Yes we listed the year wrong as 2024, clearly, we aren't ready to let go yet.

In just over a week the 2025 Amare Games Festival will begin!

A celebration of love and diversity in story-focused games.

For this game festival we invite you to create or update an existing game.

Changes This year we have made a couple of changes to the festival to better suit the needs of the community. The main change being that the festival now takes place in February and runs for 6 weeks till mid-March.

For those who have participated in previous Amare Festivals, we kindly ask you to review the rules of the festival so you are aware of any changes that have been made.

Make sure to sign up on the festival page below!

Issue 31 of the Amare Fortnightly Bulletin (Dec 15 - Jan 15)

Hello everyone! Issue #31 of the Amare Bulletin is out now! 🎉

We experienced a few personal events that delayed our usual two-week schedule, so this issue covers December 15th to January 15th.

Inside, you'll find plenty of exciting updates:

  • New game releases
  • Fresh episodes and chapter updates
  • Exciting Kickstarter campaigns
  • Highlights from the Winter VN Jam, including Amare-themed entries

We hope you enjoy this packed issue. Have a wonderful fortnight, and we'll see you in the next one!

~ The Amare Bulletin Team

Issue 30 of the Amare Fortnightly Bulletin (Dec 1 - Dec 15)

Hello everyone, Issue #30 is out now!

We are back with a new winter theme we hope you enjoy.

As 2024 comes to a close, it's hard to believe how quickly the year has flown by. With the holidays approaching, Amare news is slowing down, but there are still some exciting new launches, updates, and projects to check out

Have a great fortnight and we will see you in the next issue!

~ The Team

Itch Link for Issue Download - https://amaregames.itch.io/amare-new-bulletin-2024/devlog/851847/issue-30-release-dec-1-dec-15

Issue 29 of the Amare Fortnightly Bulletin (Nov 16 - Nov 30)

Hello everyone, Issue #29 is out now!

With the last month of the year finally upon us things are starting to quieten down as the holidays pick up for people. However, we still have some exciting new releases and game updates.  The bulletin is a labour of love for us, something we created to try to help people have a more centralised location for quick bite-sized updates. We don't take donations and have no plan to monetise the bulletin. The best way to support us is to simply share the bulletin and let your friends and communities know about it. We hope this will help players find new titles to check out and developers find new players. Have a great fortnight and we will see you in the next issue!

~ The Team

Issue 28 of the Amare Fortnightly Bulletin (Nov 1 - Nov 15)

Hello everyone,

Issue #28 is out now!

This fortnight brings plenty of exciting updates and new releases!

With three game jams wrapping up, there’s a wealth of fresh games to explore. Be sure to check out the amare tag on Itch.io, along with the jam pages for Monstrous DesiresJosei After Dark, and Phantasia for a fantastic selection of new titles.

Thanks for reading the bulletin, don't forget to share it with your friends and we’ll see you in the next issue!

Issue 27 of Amare Fortnightly Bulletin 16/10/24 - 31/10/24 - HAPPY ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY

Hello everyone,

Issue #27 is here, and it’s a special one! This marks our first anniversary!

We can hardly believe it’s been a whole year since we started bringing you the latest in Amare game releases, announcements, and updates. It’s been an amazing journey, and we’re so grateful to have shared it with all of you and we can't wait to see what else the community continues to create.

In this milestone issue, we're celebrating with a fresh batch of exciting new games and demos, updates on some episodic releases, and a  few new crowdfunding campaigns. Thank you all for your continued support over the last year, and we can’t wait to see you again next issue! ~ The Team

Itch Link for Issue Download - https://amaregames.itch.io/amare-new-bulletin-2024/devlog/826307/issue-27-release-oct-16-oct-31-happy-one-year-anniversary

Issue 26 of Amare Fortnightly Bulletin 1/10/24 - 15/10/24

Hello everybody,

Issue #26 is out now! This month we are starting off with a bang with a brand new 'Autumn/Fall' themed design. What do you think about our cozy new theme? Are you enjoying spicy crunchy leaf season and spooky season? or spring? for those of us in the southern hemisphere. 

We’ve got a mix of everything in this issue, with quite a few new releases. So make sure to check them out. Thank you all for your continued support, and we can’t wait to see you again next issue!

~ The Team

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