Visuals Novels : Where to Begin? The Genre's Best ?

[eXistor]

I didn't see the Grisaia Trilogy mentioned, so I'll add that. The characters are really well defined and unique and the overarching is pretty good too. The first game is by far the best, as the later ones feel more like fan-sequels. They're still a lot of fun, but it becomes more action/adventure than the comedy/drama of the first game. The first is also by far the longest btw.

Clannad

It has a great Switch port. I have no idea why no one else ever recommends it. It's a classic.

CLANNAD Review | Bonus Stage is the world's leading source for Playstation 5, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch, PC, Playstation 4, Xbox One, 3DS, Wii U, Wii, Playstation 3, Xbox 360, PS Vita, and DS Video Game Reviews with over 5500 in-house reviews to

The matriarch of the visual novel world has come to the Switch, and allows a new generation to see if they, too, can get dehydrated from crying too much.

www.bonusstage.co.uk

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I liked it but for a VN with such a high pedigree I found it to be kinda disappointing. The dialogue wasn't particularly well-written and the after-story should have been called after-thought. None of the emotional beats in that did it for me. The high-school part was pretty good though, but I don't consider it to be nearly as good as its reputation makes it out to be.

 

[NeoBasch]

Persona 3 was my first exposure to visual novel-like games. Then I played 999. O_O It's just one of those games now I recommend to everyone, regardless if they like visual novels. To me, it's one of those games that everyone should play before they die.

 

[Chopchop]

I'd say 999, then the Ace Attorney games.

I'd recommend against AI: Somnium Files unless you really like anime. It has a lot of very anime tropes that are off-putting to people who dislike that stuff, and some of its humor is embarrassingly stupid.

 

[fanboy]

I would like to try 999 but I am not buying the DS because of it..

 

[afreaknamedpete]

I would like to try 999 but I am not buying the DS because of it..

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It's available on PC, should also be able to run on a toaster.

 

[makonero]

hatoful boyfriend is still one of the best*

*best meaning best pigeon dating sim visual novel

 

[Mimosa]

AI: The Somnium Files was literally all I could think about for like a month after I played it. It's from the same guy as 999 (also highly recommend, as others are in this thread), but it has a more human/grounded approach to his signature plot twists that I personally found landed really well.

Great characters, an emotional plot, and fun twists. There's some anime bullshit of course, but it was kept to mostly tolerable levels for me.

 

[Kiria]

I would like to try 999 but I am not buying the DS because of it..

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The pc/ps4 port is still great it just

Spoiler

lessen the emotional impact

 

[StereoVSN]

Try Steins;Gate again, it really is worth it. Mind you it starts a bit slow, but its an amazing ride once you get past first few hours. Heck, maybe try Elite since it has the "animes" built in :P.

 

[BlackLagoon]

Root Double is an excellent suspense VN, ostensibly about 9 people trapped in a nuclear research facility in near future Japan while fires are raging and the reactor is undergoing a meltdown. Lots of twists and turns and mysteries piled on mysteries before you start understand what's really going on. It's similar to the Zero Escape series in atmosphere (not made by Uchikoshi, but by some of his earlier collaborators), but is purely narrative with little in the way of puzzles.

 

[arcadepc]

Any of those untranslated VNs considered among the genre's best? Genuinely curious

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The ones of the PC-98 era especially are considered some of the best for their artwork. Of course there is also the smut types that would made you feel disgusted even from the cover.

 

[fanboy]

The pc/ps4 port is still great it just

Spoiler

lessen the emotional impact

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Is it this?

Zero Escape: The Nonary Games

Two Nonary Games, two sets of 9 unwilling participants kidnapped to an unfamiliar location. One set trapped on a sinking boat with 9 hours to escape, the other locked in a facility and forced to either trust or betray each other. If they break the rules or fail to escape...theyll die. Why were...

store.playstation.com

is that some bundle with more games or what? ..it does what? like.. is the game changed a lot? or just something at the end? I can always google he original ending..

I read something about the version where VLR is included as well.

 

[spineduke]

What are peoples opinions on this? I picked it up cheap and it seems well done, but I've only put an hour into it.

 

[Kiria]

Is it this?

Zero Escape: The Nonary Games

Two Nonary Games, two sets of 9 unwilling participants kidnapped to an unfamiliar location. One set trapped on a sinking boat with 9 hours to escape, the other locked in a facility and forced to either trust or betray each other. If they break the rules or fail to escape...theyll die. Why were...

store.playstation.com

is that some bundle with more games or what? ..it does what? like.. is the game changed a lot? or just something at the end? I can always google he original ending..

I read something about the version where VLR is included as well.

Click to shrink...

Yes thats it.. 3 games in 1 !

999/VLR/ZTD are all part of the nonary games

a puzzle change towards the end but the ending is still the same it will make sense and if it doesn't just google the ending when you finish 999

 

[SlasherMcGirk]

THE HOUSE IN FATA MORGANA

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This. Can't recommend it enough with also including Ace Attorney, Steins Gate and Danganronpa.