Visual Novel Recommendations

Shikkoku no Sharnoth is a linear story focused around a guy called M. Romance is only hinted at.

A rather small and free VN called The Knife Of The Traitor mainly has to do with political intrigue.

@Arha You forgot to mention that the main character's name is the ultimate Mary Sue Name: Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie. Or that there's a strange turn-based thing going on between chapters. Thanks for the recommendation! @GMH Sorry, was kind of looking for something that didn't half-dressed girls in it for once. Thanks, though.

Recently I've read for the 100th time about my favorite game in the multiverse, Planescape: Torment, being compared to a visual novel. So I started reading about them online and wasn't satisfied. Most of the ones I've read about seem to be dating sims for middle-schoolers, and that's not exactly what I'm searhing for.

I can't really say what I'm searching for, because I haven't read/played one before. So I'll just lay out what my preferences are towards games in general. I'm a fan of rpgs with lots of dialogue and original settings, the first element also makes me think visual novels are something for me, because I usually treat fights in them as a necessity that fills in between what interests me, the dialogue and story. My favorite rpgs are Planescape: Torment, Morrowind, Fallout series and Mass Effects (in that order). Other games that I like with focus on story would be Zeno Clash, the Thief series and Oddworld.

It seems to me that most if not all are japanese, but the only japanese games I played were pokomon silver and Final Fantasy X. And I wasn't really a fan of either of them (although I liked some of the weirdness in FFX)

I hope this might give you some clues towards finding some visual novel that might interest me.

Fate Stay Night is about mages summoning heroes from the past like Cu Chulainn and having them fight to the death to gain a wish. It has three different stories in it. Pretty good, but takes awhile to get started.

Steins Gate is a story about time travel and internet culture, I suppose. It has a linear story, though the second half is very different from the first. It's not like an RPG or anything, but it's a good story.

Utawarerumono actually basically is a game. A guy named Hakuoro shows up in a tiny village with an indestructible mask covering his face and no memories, but a lot of knowledge that he uses to revolutionize the region and eventually gains control of it. Linear story, no choices, no radical plot shift like in Steins Gate.

Ever17 is a story about a half dozen or so people trapped in an underwater park and their attempts to escape it before it collapses. It's nearly impossible to talk about since it's a very twisty sort of story. The story structure is rather odd because there are two primary protagonists and both tell very different stories as the story sets up the final route, which explains all the craziness.

And I guess I'll make my last recommendation Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni. There are others I love like G Senjou No Maou, but they're not what you asked for. Anyway, Higurashi is about a group of friends in a small town with some sort of contagious insanity going around when people aren't just hanging around being goofy. It's sort of like a mystery where you have a bunch of hints and try to figure out what's really going on, why some people get murdered and what's going on in the creepy town. It's structured with multiple different arcs, some of them from very different perspectives.

Whee~

I'm in the mood for another VN. So far I've read only a couple (Katawa Shoujo, Shuffle, and G Senjou No Maou), as well as part of Steins Gate, but I don't feel like going back to Steins;Gate yet. Does anybody have any recommendation of something generally light-hearted I could read/play? Preferably not one with an official English translation; I feel guilty enough as it is, and I can't afford to buy anything myself. >_>

How light hearted are we talking here? Like Shuffle level? If so, there's... wait, both of the things I thought of have official English releases. Um... Okay, moving up a level from Shuffle, there's Majikoi, Osadai, Otoboku damnit, official release. Uh, Majikoi, Hoshizora and your standard KEY stuff, Rewrite aside. Going up a little bit darker, Kamidori or goddamnit that's an official English thing too.

Sorry, most of the stuff translators pick up is fairly dramatic. Not all of it is as bleak as, say, Cross Channel, but GSNM would probably be about standard fare.

Katawa Shoujo level Excluding Rin's route. That was kinda depressing and confusing. Shuffle is largely fluff with (theoretically. Still dun like Kaede >_>) no wrong choices, but I'm not opposed to bad ends and other downers, so long as it generally has a positive mood outside of these.

I don't consider the mood difference between Katawa Shoujo or GSNM to be that different. Try Majikoi or Sharin no Kuni. Kamidori if you want a game. I guess recommending Higurashi would be cheating.

Huh. Interesting; to me, GSNM is much more serious. Again, in KS, ignoring Rin's route. I'd probably only consider the two games as similar if all of GSNM was tonally like Mizuha's chapter, which as you know, it's not. :P

Okay then, what about if I retract the afore-stated preference for unofficially translated VNs?

There's the Shuffle sequel with Nerine that came out... last year?

If you liked the first one, it's pretty much more of it.

Then I'll add on Da Capo, Osadai and If My Heart Had Wings. Yumina the Ethereal is alright, I guess.

^ Tick! Tack! was okay, I guess. Nerine was probably the least interesting character in the story, but since it's not about her that works out okay.

edited 21st May '14 1:26:08 PM by Arha

I would also say Da Capo, but only if you're willing to play both of them, one after another.

Da Capo 1 is okay.

Da Capo 2 is really good, it has a great pay-off that makes playing the first one totally worth it.

Apparently Higurashi has an iOS version. Is it any good? It seems like it might be overpriced.

I haven't played that version myself, but I don't see what could go wrong. Visual Novels in general should translate rather well to more portable media. It is not like they need much out of the hardware. The only problem is you can't apply the graphic (and music) patches.

As for the price. It is a bit overpriced, yes (ten dollars more expensive than buying by mangagammer). Probably because they are selling the episodes separately, instead of bundling the together.

Also, it is not fully released yet. The last three episodes are still missing.

I noticed the missing episodes. :P (It also annoys me that each episode is a separate app in the English version, whereas the Japanese version is finished and is all one app with in-app purchases...)

I think I'll hold off for now, then. Thank you. :)

...Are there other good visual novels you can recommend?

Does it have to be iOS compatible? If not, then you can still read Higurashi. Steins Gate is also good. G Senjou No Maou is a favorite of mine. If you're looking for something specific, let me know.

edited 21st Aug '14 9:12:24 AM by Arha

Maybe they will make a bundle once it is all released.

Btw, I just realized your question might be referring to Higurashi itself instead to the iOS version. In that case, yeah, Higurashi is really good. I recommend it.

As for other VN. If iOS compatibility is not a must, than I suggest Umineko. Since there is no official English version, nor is likely to ever be, it is unlikely it will go to iOS so you might as well read in a PC.

I am definitely going to obtain the entire When They Cry series somehow or another, you may be assured of that. It has already made itself very special to me in adaptation. :)

iOS would be preferable, just because it would be convenient for me and seems pretty ideal for this form of storytelling, but I'm open to PC as well; I just have pretty much no idea what to look for, or expect. I will look up Steins;Gate and G-Senjou no Maou.

Is there some kind of story you're looking for in particular or anything you want to avoid?

edited 28th Aug '14 9:44:10 PM by Arha

Umm.

Mysteries of any kind are fantastic, especially psychological thrillers. Also speculative fiction.

I'm not particularly interested in erotica.

Higurashi and Umineko are good bets even if only the latter is a murder mystery. Ever17 is an Ontological Mystery. If 'mystery of any kind' means 'Try to figure out what's going on in the story' then the rest of the Infinity series would also count.

It's not exactly a mystery, but Steins Gate might interest you.

As for a psychological thriller, there are lots of those. Cross Channel is one of the best, but some people find the main character way too disturbing and unsympathetic. G Senjou No Maou or Sharin No Kuni might be more what you're looking for.

Out of the ones I mentioned by name, only the last three have any sexual content and it's very minimal. You can play through the entirety of Sharin No Kuni without seeing a sex scene, for example.

edited 2nd Sep '14 3:06:10 PM by Arha

Just to complement what Arha said, there is a patch for G-Senjou that removes most of the objectionable content.

Some scenes are too ingrained to the plot to remove, so rays of light or shadows are added to obscur the scene.

G-Senjou is great.

edited 2nd Sep '14 5:48:39 PM by runoeddie

Hey guys! I like interesting art styles and deep characters, specifically a character who just wants everyone to be happy would be nice.

Daitoshokan No Shitsujikai seems to fit that description. Dunno about interesting art style, but I'm impressed with the writing and characters (but the plot's kinda meh). A story about people dealing with some of life's dilemmas, and the MC basically guiding them to a solution, and how there are people who's life's purpose is to do just that. What makes it standout is that the MC's no idiot, and is very very sharp at reading people. And lots of banter between between characters that's actually pretty funny. No translations though, but there is an anime adaption.