Visual Novels (Recommendations, Discussions, Etc.)

Armymond

CAGiversary!
Well, I just finished Steins;Gate last night and before I get to the point of this thread, I implore everyone who bought this game and put it into their backlog to start playing this ASAP. The term "modern classic" definitely applies to this game and I believe it will hook you very fast.

That said, I'm sad that the whole Visual Novel genre is rather niche because more people should try it out. Yes, the genre as a whole is confined and strips the player of most freedom, but in return, you, hopefully, witness a fantastic story and elicit strong emotional bonds with the characters. 

While Steins;Gate is definitely going to be the "hot topic" to me for awhile, other Visual Novels that I've found worth my time are Fate/Stay Night, the Zero Escape Series, and Clannad. 

I'm wondering what everyone else recommends playing in the genre. I'm itching for another VN.

 
I hope this thread takes off, VNs are sorely underappreciated. You probably have tried it already, but what about Katawa Shoujo? That was a great one, and a nice one to click through on humid summer like this. It's pretty campy though and is solely a love story. Also, even though it stretches the definition of Visual Novel, Digital: A Love Story is absolutely amazing. You go through the story by communicating on BBSes, dial-up and all.

 
I recommend:  "Hotel Dusk: Room 215" and "Last Window: Secret of Cape West."
I suggest, but have yet to play, the "Corpse Party" series.

 
Steins;Gate chat (major spoilers):
For the most part, I enjoyed it (especially the Suzuha chapter, the card game tournament, and the big reveal about FB), but the final chapter really, really bugged me. I'll just copy and paste what I wrote about it in my review:

There are some small inconsistencies here and there, but, unfortunately, the culmination of the story contains the most gigantic plot hole in the entire game. It turns out that, for some weird reason, deleting that initial D-Mail from SERN’s database would return the world to the past in the Prologue, in which Kurisu died. From a practical standpoint, this makes no sense whatsoever, not least of which because SERN’s D-Mail is a copy of the original sent from Okabe to Daru, and, more importantly, in order to delete it, no time travel is involved. On the date on which Okabe has to decide whether or not to delete the D-Mail, it has existed on that database for about two weeks; it seems like the idea that deleting it would mean that “it never existed” is being taken far too literally here. That said, in a way, it’s rather cheap and dishearteningly silly to have to decide between the very lives of either Mayuri or Kurisu (and having the future be either a nuclear wasteland or a SERN-ruled dystopia, respectively, though these concerns aren’t nearly as important to Okabe) when the mechanism for doing so makes no logical sense whatsoever. For the record, when it came to this point, I chose to save Mayuri and kill Kurisu… and yes, according to the game, the past was changed and Kurisu went back to being dead. There’s also the matter of the second successful D-Mail, the lottery one, which wasn’t only not cancelled, but was largely forgotten about altogether.

These end-game events led me back to a thought I had during the prologue: is Rintaro Okabe a reliable narrator? Sure, the Hououin Kyoma alter-ego is pretty much dead by this point, but after embarking on the Mayuri route, and not long before the SERN database deletion was carried out, Kurisu left Akihabara to fly back to the United States. That said, it lessens the impact of her dying, or “dying”: either way, Okabe’s memories would be pretty much all he had left of her.
I can't have been the only person bothered by this. I mean, given the tons of (sometimes irrelevant) scientific explanation that gets thrown around earlier in the story, it doesn't make sense to me that the final chapter's main premise is this illogical. It also makes me wonder about the True Ending. If I'm not mistaken, that hinges on what's done with
the Metal Upa capsule toy during the Prologue,
so given my choice then, there was no way I was going to get it. I'm not the sort who tends to go for more than one ending anyway :razz:
As far as other VNs go, +1 for Hotel Dusk and +2 for Last Window; the latter in particlar has the most glorious food porn I have ever seen in a game. All games need more food porn!

Also, and although it is a bit closer to a Western-style adventure game, I really loved Ghost Trick. It has one of the best game stories I have experienced, ever.

Cherry Tree High Comedy Club is fun, even though it's more like a life simulator than a VN, and doesn't have the best localization. Still worth picking up during a Steam sale.
 
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I hope this thread takes off, VNs are sorely underappreciated. You probably have tried it already, but what about Katawa Shoujo? That was a great one, and a nice one to click through on humid summer like this. It's pretty campy though and is solely a love story. Also, even though it stretches the definition of Visual Novel, Digital: A Love Story is absolutely amazing. You go through the story by communicating on BBSes, dial-up and all.
Katawa Shoujo is what started it all for me. After experiencing a few more VN's, I wouldn't call it my favorite but it seems to be a great starting point for those interested in the genre. All of my friends started with that VN, actually. Hmm... Digital: A Love Story. Is it on Steam? It sounds similar (in title) to Analogue: A Hate Story or something like that. Haven't heard much praise for that game though.

Steins;Gate chat (major spoilers):
For the most part, I enjoyed it (especially the Suzuha chapter, the card game tournament, and the big reveal about FB), but the final chapter really, really bugged me. I'll just copy and paste what I wrote about it in my review:


I can't have been the only person bothered by this. I mean, given the tons of (sometimes irrelevant) scientific explanation that gets thrown around earlier in the story, it doesn't make sense to me that the final chapter's main premise is this illogical. It also makes me wonder about the True Ending. If I'm not mistaken, that hinges on what's done with
the Metal Upa capsule toy during the Prologue,
so given my choice then, there was no way I was going to get it. I'm not the sort who tends to go for more than one ending anyway :razz:
As far as other VNs go, +1 for Hotel Dusk and +2 for Last Window; the latter in particlar has the most glorious food porn I have ever seen in a game. All games need more food porn!

Also, and although it is a bit closer to a Western-style adventure game, I really loved Ghost Trick. It has one of the best game stories I have experienced, ever.

Cherry Tree High Comedy Club is fun, even though it's more like a life simulator than a VN, and doesn't have the best localization. Still worth picking up during a Steam sale.
I'm glad you commented on the premise of the true ending of Steins;Gate.

I was also perplexed at the logic behind the true ending. The entire story required Okabe to send D-Mails to the past to undo alterations to the timeline, but deleting the information of the database, in present time, somehow changes everything? I suppose it wasn't supposed to be a possibility on the Alpha timeline, but it still doesn't mean everything would shift to the Beta timeline, would it? That's the best explanation I can think of, but if the SERN database was not meant to be deleted on that timeline, why is there still a possibility to do it in present time, on that timeline? Hell, Okabe could have done it earlier if he decided to look at the database right after he found the IBN.

In regards to the Metal Upa, yes, like every other seemingly insignificant detail in this story, this item is of vital importance due to the butterfly effect. I'm not sure if you know what role the Upa plays, so I won't spoil it for you, unless you're sure you won't play the game again.

Actually, the only route I didn't finish was Mayuri's route and that is for two reasons.

1. I'd have to play the entire game over again since even having one true fending flag will at least get you the "Kurisu" ending.

2. I may get hate for this, but I didn't give a shit about Mayuri. I think I was too focused on her archetype as a character and found little depth in her. Yes, she does break out of the mold by discovering who Suzuha's father is and by being a sort of glue that keeps everyone together, but those moments seemed few and far between. The game tried to tell me she was important but I didn't feel it. She's super important to Okabe, but not to me as the reader. It's kind of surprising because the game does a great job at making me care about the rest of the cast. Maybe it's just a case of the story trying too hard. What happens at the end of her route, by the way?

I'm taking it the other VN's being recommended are on the DS? I know I've heard of Hotel Dusk and Ghost Trick sounds familiar. What is the full title to that game, Ghost Trick?

And a recommendation for a VN on Steam? I totally forgot that VN's have slowly been trickling from Steam. I usually try to get physical and translated copies, but I haven't found a good site with a wide selection.

 
I'm glad you commented on the premise of the true ending of Steins;Gate.

I was also perplexed at the logic behind the true ending. The entire story required Okabe to send D-Mails to the past to undo alterations to the timeline, but deleting the information of the database, in present time, somehow changes everything? I suppose it wasn't supposed to be a possibility on the Alpha timeline, but it still doesn't mean everything would shift to the Beta timeline, would it? That's the best explanation I can think of, but if the SERN database was not meant to be deleted on that timeline, why is there still a possibility to do it in present time, on that timeline? Hell, Okabe could have done it earlier if he decided to look at the database right after he found the IBN.

In regards to the Metal Upa, yes, like every other seemingly insignificant detail in this story, this item is of vital importance due to the butterfly effect. I'm not sure if you know what role the Upa plays, so I won't spoil it for you, unless you're sure you won't play the game again.

Actually, the only route I didn't finish was Mayuri's route and that is for two reasons.

1. I'd have to play the entire game over again since even having one true fending flag will at least get you the "Kurisu" ending.

2. I may get hate for this, but I didn't give a shit about Mayuri. I think I was too focused on her archetype as a character and found little depth in her. Yes, she does break out of the mold by discovering who Suzuha's father is and by being a sort of glue that keeps everyone together, but those moments seemed few and far between. The game tried to tell me she was important but I didn't feel it. She's super important to Okabe, but not to me as the reader. It's kind of surprising because the game does a great job at making me care about the rest of the cast. Maybe it's just a case of the story trying too hard. What happens at the end of her route, by the way?
In regards to the Metal Upa, I read through the LE's fanbook after reaching Mayuri's ending, so I have a vague sense of what happens; at the very least, I know who killed Kurisu. Good looking out, though; I appreciate it! :)

As for Mayuri, she wasn't my favorite of the girls (that would be Suzuha), and although she came across as annoying a few times, I did like her. That aside, I went for her ending because when I play these types of games, I try to put myself into the shoes of the protagonist as much as possible. Given Okabe's strong history with and attachment to Mayuri, there was no way I wouldn't shoot for an ending where things work out in her favor.

It's been roughly a month since I beat S;G, so my memory's a little fuzzy, but Mayuri's ending was pretty ordinary, all things considered. Kurisu has left town by that point, so she doesn't instantly vanish from the lab or anything when Daru deletes the email. Mayuri has a vague memory of a friend who's no longer around (Kurisu) and is now officially Okabe's girlfriend. I think she does that thing where she momentarily wanders off for a moment, too, and there's a CG of her doing Stardust Handshake while holding hands with Okabe. It was a very sweet ending, but the lead-up to it, with that whole deleting-the-email-from-SERN's-database stuff, was just too unbelievable.

I'm taking it the other VN's being recommended are on the DS? I know I've heard of Hotel Dusk and Ghost Trick sounds familiar. What is the full title to that game, Ghost Trick?

And a recommendation for a VN on Steam? I totally forgot that VN's have slowly been trickling from Steam. I usually try to get physical and translated copies, but I haven't found a good site with a wide selection.
Yeah, Hotel Dusk, Last Window, and Ghost Trick are all DS games (for Last Window, you'll have to hunt down a European copy, as it was never released in the US. That said, it's a little weird experiencing a story set in LA with everyone speaking British English). Ghost Trick's full title is "Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective". It was made by the Ace Attorney creator and is on par with-- and better than, in certain ways-- the earlier games in that series. I highly recommend it.

And yeah, it's interesting that Steam's starting to get some more VNs now, though Greenlight seems to be the major driver of that. One of the more interesting recent releases there is World's End Economica episode 1, which is by the author of the Spice & Wolf light novels. Haven't played it, but I might check it out once it's no longer in Early Access.

I think Higurashi: When They Cry has also been greenlit for Steam, though it's been available in English for years. The character art that I've seen for it looks amateurish, even compared to other doujin games, but the story's supposed to be incredibly good.
 
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Katawa Shoujo is what started it all for me. After experiencing a few more VN's, I wouldn't call it my favorite but it seems to be a great starting point for those interested in the genre. All of my friends started with that VN, actually. Hmm... Digital: A Love Story. Is it on Steam? It sounds similar (in title) to Analogue: A Hate Story or something like that. Haven't heard much praise for that game though.
Yeah, it's from the same guys behind Analogue. It isn't on Steam though.

 
My expectations were through the roof for Steins;Gate, and it really just didn't do it for me. I can't even really tell why people like it so much, it didn't seem to do much that hadn't been done in other time travel fiction.

Corpse Party & sequel are great, aside from a small handful of annoying difficulty spikes in the first game. I recommend 'em if you're OK with a lot of blood.

I've heard good things about Banshee's Last Cry on iOS (the English version of the SNES's Kamaitachi no Yoru), but so far I've only barely touched the demo. That'll probably be my next VN.

 
My expectations were through the roof for Steins;Gate, and it really just didn't do it for me. I can't even really tell why people like it so much, it didn't seem to do much that hadn't been done in other time travel fiction.
A lot of the hype surrounding S;G apparently had to do with the fact that huke did the character art. It seems like everything he creates, or helps create, drowns in its own hype. For instance, his original Black Rock Shooter illustrations are good-to-great, but they led to a so-so Hatsune Miku song/PV and some mediocre anime and a game. He's a good illustrator, but there's only so much an illustrator can do...

Maybe the S;G anime is better, which might've also been a factor, but certain core parts of the game's story aren't very good, so I'm skeptical about that.

 
Some MangaGamer VN news from Anime Expo!

Quick summary of the non-adult VN news:
- They've licensed Poni-Patchet's OZMAFIA, an otome game.
- The Steam release of Higurashi will get new sprites.

JAST USA had an AX panel as well, though it looks like nothing new was announced-- well, no all-ages stuff, anyway :razz:
 
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Hatoful Boyfriend
^ This!
Don't get put-out by the fact that they're pigeons.


999 for DS and it's 3DS sequel Virtue's Last Reward were really good.

Dangan Ronpa was good too.

Ever17 was also pretty good, but I never finished getting all the endings.

 
I found a store selling a ton of copies of Ever17.

Unfortunately it's the Taiwanese T-Time version, with Chinese characters. I tried applying the English patch for the regular Japanese version but that didn't work.

Anyone have experience with this or any ideas on how I can set it to English?
 
I've only done it for Never7 (not sure if it's the same thing for Ever17). Unfortunately I can't remember what I did when I installed it, though I remember having some issues with the music. You also need to make sure you're launching the english .exe instead of the original.

 
Bringing this old thread back from the dead with some news...

Sekai Project currently has another VN Kickstarter up, though this one looks especially promising. It's currently sitting at less than half of its goal with 16 days left to go - Root Double: Before Crime*After Days - Xtend Edition

Danganronpa's going to be released on Steam next month. This is a must-get for me, especially since I don't have a Vita.

 
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Bringing this old thread back from the dead with some news...

Sekai Project currently has another VN Kickstarter up, though this one looks especially promising. It's currently sitting at less than half of its goal with 16 days left to go - Root Double: Before Crime*After Days - Xtend Edition

Danganronpa's going to be released on Steam next month. This is a must-get for me, especially since I don't have a Vita.
If I can get in on time. Ends on Feb. 12, might get a physical copy. I want this on Vita, going through Paypal. Wording is kind of vague if I will really get a physical Vita copy at $60.

 
There won't be a physical Vita copy, the game is too big to fit on a Vita card.
Yeah, I noticed that after I posted. Kind of misleading for me when you look at the collector's edition image. I'll get it in March, least that's what appears to be the release date, if I'm reading that correctly.

News to me that the game is larger than a standard Vita cartridge/game. Are there a lot of titles like that?

 
Here's another VN translation Kickstarter, this time for a Steam release of the otome game Beastmaster and Prince.

I'm leaning towards backing it-- there needs to be more quality otome games in English, this one has a solid overall rating on VNDB, and the team behind the KS seems to have a reliable enough track record.
 
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Yeah, I noticed that after I posted. Kind of misleading for me when you look at the collector's edition image. I'll get it in March, least that's what appears to be the release date, if I'm reading that correctly.

News to me that the game is larger than a standard Vita cartridge/game. Are there a lot of titles like that?
I don't think I've ever heard of another case. Kind of surprising, considering there's a physical version of Steins;Gate which is fully voiced and of comparable length IIRC.

 
I ended up backing the Beastmaster and Prince Kickstarter over the weekend at the $25 level. It seems to be slowly but surely gathering support, and is currently at $41,466 (the goal is $150,000) with 25 days left. Hope it succeeds!
 
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