When the world is feeling dark, cruel and cold, I often feel the urge to gravitate to things that make me feel soft, warm and wrapped in bubble wrap. Like I’m floating on a cloud. Consider my luck, then, when I was feeling such a way that Serre, a lesbian Yuri visual novel starring a human girl and bug alien from the developer of In Stars and Time, was newly released on Steam and fell into my lap just this very week.
Featuring an art style that’s colourful, vibrant and as soft as cotton candy, an adorable pair of women that depicts their first introduction to getting to know each other intimately all in the space of less than an hour… did you really expect anything else to be Checkpoint’s Queer Game of the Month for April 2025?
Serre stars human Arlette and alien Oaxa. When the latter crash-lands into Arlette’s place of residence, she declares to Arlette that she now rules the planet. Arlette, finding her cute and eager to convince her that within her modest greenhouse walls is all that the planet has to offer, goes along with it and declares that Oaxa has been successful in her mission to win the planet. Little does Oaxa know… she has won the heart of Arlette.
What ensues is the pair getting to know each other. Oaxa takes a particular liking to the teas that Arlette has an intricate, delicate knack for making, including the various flowers and greenery surrounding them that she uses. Oaxa is fascinated by Arlette’s teas and though she can’t drink them (being a mouthless alien and all), she is just as invested in their scent. A fish out of water character meeting an everyday person and learning about their life is a trope I always adore in romances, and through simple, cutesy writing from developer insertdisc5, I’m invested in that setting all over again.
There’s an intimacy that Oaxa and Arlette develop that’s really impressive for the just shy of 20(!) minutes it took me to clear Serre. It’s a game that knows how to do a lot with a little, showcasing how the two learn from one another. getting insights into each other’s history, their civilisation, and what makes them tick… They note differences with one another; how Arlette has two eyes, which is odd next to the six that Oaxa has. How Oaxa is more firm and a no-nonsense being, while Arlette has learnt about and enjoys the indulgences of life. The two develop their rituals each day, talking about things big and small, getting to know each other through their souls. It’s in this that Serre feels like a deeply involved lesbian romance story.
Even in their small time together, obstacles know no bounds for the pair. When Oaxa does eventually learn about the outside world that exists outside of Arlette. She has no interest in it. She only has her six eyes for, nor does she care about, anyone but Arlette. Can you imagine how unbelievably romantic it is for someone to come into your life and only have eyes for you? I’m flustered and giddy just recounting these events to you.
Serre is full of moments when the closeness of these two women gets you squealing and feeling all warm inside. From their first meeting when Oaxa falls on top of Arlette and they both end up on top of one another, lost in each other’s eyes, to later in the game working out just how they’re going to kiss when Oaxa is mouthless… As a lesbian who enjoys reading about lesbians and wants to eat up as much of that goodness as I can, it’s good food for the soul.
All while this incredibly soft story is told out to the player, Serre is painting its world in lots of pastel pinks, oranges, yellows and red. The flower detailing in the background of scenes appears like soft, delicate clouds of pink, mid-sunset. Arlette’s flowers bloom as does her relationship with Oaxa. As Arlette and Oaxa fall in love, I’m falling in love with this alternate, beautiful and painterly Earth, where there is only love. No cruelty. It’s the kind of lesbian fulfilment and escapism I so desperately crave right now.
I’ve been thinking a lot about queer resistance and what that looks like in 2025. It’s hard not to be furious about the state of trans and queer people’s rights being eroded. I, an Australian woman who falls into both of those categories, am nervously watching to see if similar rulings trend and take place on these shores. It’s important then that people resist, protest and march. It’s how change is made. However what’s also important is games like Serre that show queer resistance through just simple being. Two queer people sharing space, loving each other, free of judgment. We must show queer happiness and tenderness to not burn out from the dark world. We must love.
Serre boldly asks the question, ‘What if a human girl and an alien six-eyed bug girl fell head over heels for one another?’ The game and insertdisc5 are right to ask this. The answer, or, well, result, is one of the warmest, kindest and most loving visual novels you will ever play. I respect their game.
Serre is available now on both Steam and itch.io. Yuri lovers, check this one out. You will not regret it!
About the Author
Charlie Kelly
She/Her, They/Them
Charlie loves her video games as much as she loves dumb, charming JRPG protagonists: probably way too much. You can often catch her spending too much time being emotional over LGBT stories in games. She also thinks Yakuza 6 is the best one.
