Your thoughts on Visual Novels?

[SlasherMcGirk]

I like them a lot and wish they would get more attention. The genre is very much slept on. I think a lot of normal people think it's all anime weebo junk but it's simply not true. Sure there is that but there is a lot of varied stuff out there. I can count on my hands how many books I've read on my own free will but I can't do the same for visual novels as I don't have that many hands. They are way more engaging to me audio and visual help me get way more engrossed than just simply words on a page. I wish more people would see it that way.

 

[thediamondage]

I loved 13 Sentinels, the sci fi setting and story really hooked me and there was enough gameplay to keep me going.

I tried 428 Shibuya Scramble and found the game absolutely miserable, didn't care about anyone or the story. I'll probably keep pushing at it in a few weeks but not for me.

In general I don't like them, but if its a weird sci fi story with some level of combat I'd probably like it.

 

[Enduin]

Depends. I was much more into them when I was younger, but now I find them to all too often to be rather tedious and drawn out when it's just lots of text and some artwork with the occasional dialogue prompt.

VNs with greater interaction and sense of direct player control to them that veer a bit more into the Point and Click genre like AA, 999, VA-11 Hall-A, AI Somnium Files and 2064: Read Only Memories are a lot more my speed these days. Just don't have it in me for more traditional VNs like Steins Gate or The House in Fata Morgana.

 

[BadWolf]

Tried a bunch over the years but they put me to sleep for some reason.

 

[Sybil]

I treat them the same as LNs, aka I keep my expectations very low and actually get impressed when I come across something I truly can say is good, lol.
I do really enjoy the genre as a whole, but I don't blame people for not liking VNs. There's so much muck (no offense to those who like eroge and/or nukige, but) when you get past the mainstream VNs.

 

[shoptroll]

Definitely a genre I want to try more of in the future, since I've increasingly started to embrace my enjoyment of narrative focused games after branching out further from JRPGs into point & click adventures more lately and I see VNs as a related genre.

My only real encounter with them was a playthrough of Radical Dreamers in college (enjoyable but the combat was very opaque), the story mode in Persona 4 Arena (I found boring and didn't like how the fight segments interrupted the flow and if you lost you had to go back to the last story checkpoint), and the demo for VA-11 Hall-A (which I liked). I also picked up 999 at one point based on word of mouth but have yet to play it.

I've been especially curious about Christine Love's titles in particular (Rock Paper Shotgun has given them a lot of praise in the past) over the years but I've always been a bit afraid of / intimidated by them because of the content and not really knowing if it would turn me off from them. But I don't really know any other good entry points into the genre aside from Phoenix Wright and maybe Hatoful Boyfriend.

 

[Jonathan Lanza]

I wish they would make a new Muv-Luv game. It's not an incredible series or anything but I've always felt it had lots of potential and I'd like to see that realized.
Also I like mechs.

 

[Deleted member 86891]

Aside from the Ace Attorney series and 999, I really don't care for visual novels.

Now indie visual novels made by queer women, I live for that shit.

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the "one night, hot springs" series is great

 

[Nilou]

I love them, they are one of my favorite genre's of video games. I've played just about every version of Hakuoki released in English, Clannad, Code Realize, Amnesia: Memories. 999, Hotel Dusk (the last 2 aren't strictly VN's but they have that aspect to them. House in Fate Morgana is one I hear lots about that I want to play one day too.

 

[Bishop89]

Not for me.

I think they're really boring.
"gameplay" is dull.

 

[RROCKMAN]

The majority of the popular ones have really embarrassing moments of sexualization that most people try to gloss over when recommending them.

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Unfortunately true, but that doesn't mean that the little known ones with ZERO sexual content
Like Root Double or 428 aren't worth your time.

 

[Astral]

I've loved all the ones I've played but it's not a lot. I've played:

999, my first - Absolutely loved it.

Virtue's Last Reward - Loved it.

Zero Time Dilemma - I hated it less than most people but lol.

The House in Fata Morgana - Almost flawless and I think about it so often.

Right now I'm playing VA-11 HALL-A and I'm completely engrossed by it. I haven't stopped playing it and don't want it to end. It's making me consider buying 13 Sentinels. Does 13 Sentinels have a love story? If so I'll likely buy it in a heartbeat because I'm a sucker for that shit.

I'm kinda weird in that I like playing them on my TV though. I played Fata Morgana with my laptop connected to my 55 inch through a HDMI. I'm playing VA-11 HALL-A mostly docked. I also actually prefer that they have as little gameplay as possible. I hated when I eventually had to reload save files in Fata Morgana to pick different dialogue options and see different endings. Lately I just wanna sit back and enjoy them as a novel. VA-11 HALL-A is perfect because I just mix drinks every now and then. It's so chill. I never picked up AI: Somnium Files partly because of the gameplay even though I really enjoyed the puzzles in the Zero Escape series.

 

[zswordsman]

I've only ever played both Stein Gates. I loved them a lot but I will say that pacing matters way more for VNs. SG had some moments that could have been cut in order to keep a better pacing and a tighter story but I also understand that they probably did it to flesh out the world.

That being said, when things get rolling, they become awesome experiences. Like with SG:Zero, it was a bit of a slog through the first chapter and then bam I couldn't stop once it got to the meat.

 

[CannonFodder52]

Started playing them over the past few years and have mostly positive feelings. I've found a few that I absolutely love, 428 and The Silver Case being the peak, also really enjoyed the Phoenix Wright games. The others I've tried have varied from decent, to eh.
Also tried: Death Mark, 999, Danganronpa 1, 2, V3, 13 Sentinels.
Currently I've got The House in Fata Morgana lined up next to play.

 

[MeepMerp]

They're great. Better than most Naughty Dog and Ubisoft games in hundreds of ways.

 

[Giga Man]

I know some folks will hate me saying this, but I don't find visual novels to be "games" if all I do is scroll through text. There needs to be some interactivity or player influence for it to be a "game" to me, such as dialogue choices, branching paths, or some other game play mixed in like point & click, puzzle solving, a battle system, whatever.

That being said, I've considered AI: The Somnium Files. Haven't tried it though. Saw somebody playing it on Twitch and thought it looked really interesting.

 

[Mona]

never played them really, but 13 Sentinels is one of the best experiences ive had in recent memory

 

[Zen Hero]

I already like reading novels so I like them! It's just like a story with visuals and some interactive elements.

My favorite one I've played recently is 428. A great story and really well made throughout.

13 Sentinels hurts me because there is too much battle gameplay, which gets in the way of the story. I wish it had stuck closer to being a pure visual novel.

 

[rickyson33]

I wish they would make a new Muv-Luv game. It's not an incredible series or anything but I've always felt it had lots of potential and I'd like to see that realized.
Also I like mechs.

Click to shrink...

no idea what kind of development timeline it's on but that got announced last year actually:

Muv-Luv Alternative Sequel Muv-Luv Integrate Announced with First Beautiful Images

Âge is hosting its 20th-anniversary "Still Breathing" event, which Twinfinite is attending, and they announced the development of Muv-Luv Integrate.

twinfinite.net

 

[LazyLain]

I like the ones that are a bit more like adventure games (i.e. have some sort of gameplay/exploration/puzzle solving, even if rudimentary), or ones that have production values that make them less "novel" and more cinematic (or at the very least "audiobook"). Phoenix Wright, Ghost Trick, Zero Escape, and AI: The Somnium Files are some of my favorites... and I'm looking forward to jumping into 13 Sentinels soon. JRPGs that are dialog heavy to the point of occasionally feeling like VNs (Persona, Fire Emblem) or that have explicit VN-esque segments (NieR, Lost Odyssey) are also to my liking. Walking sims are also in the same wheelhouse, and I very much enjoy those... Gone Home, Life is Strange, Stanley Parable, etc.

In terms more pure visual novels whose gameplay consists strictly of just a rare choice prompt or perhaps not even that (i.e. kinetic novels), I'm not against those but haven't really gotten into 'em either. And while I wouldn't argue they aren't "videogames" (since I consider that term to encompass all software entertainment), I wouldn't necessarily consider those to be "games"... though I'm obviously not gonna be a dick about it and jump down anyone's throat to tell 'em that they aren't real gamers if those are what they enjoy, especially since I consider "gamer" to mean someone who consumes videogames, not someone who plays Actual Games™.

 

[RM8]

Not into narrative games, not into anime 🤷‍♂

Nothing against the medium, it's just 100% not for me.

 

[ghibli99]

I need to play more of them. I've basically only gone through Phoenix Wright 1, 999, Virtue's Last Reward, and Code Realize. I have quite a few of them, but there's a part of me that gets immediately fatigued/discouraged knowing that the majority of them will likely require multiple playthroughs to see everything.

 

[meataem]

I used to be able to no problem back in the day, but nowadays I find it much harder to get immersed in a VN if I'm reading it on a desktop PC.

 

[AwShucks]

I love them. Currently "playing" Robotics;Notes. I like a lot of them. Steins;Gate, Zero Escape series, Danganronpa, Muv Luv, AI The Somnium Files, Corpse Party, etc.

13 Sentinels comes after Robotics;Notes for me. Have some on my backlog as well like Planetarian, Little Busters.

 

[edamame]

I've actually been on a visual novel kick this year. In the past I'd play maybe one or two in a year (if any) but in 2020 I ended up playing five:

Sakura Wars (PS4)
Danganronpa 1
Root Letter: Last Answer
Raging Loop
Death Mark

Ended up liking all of them. I also bought 13 Sentinels, but haven't started it yet. So yeah, I think visual novels are great. Like probably many people, the Ace Attorney series got me interested in the genre. Those games, along with Steins;Gate and 428 Shibuya Scramble, are my favorites.

 

[SnazzyNaz]

The Silver Case and KTP as a whole have ruined other VNs for me to be honest.

 

[StereoVSN]

428 Shibuya Scramble is GOAT.

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Yep, besides Steins;Gate, it's possibly the best VN I have played, and it has legit great moments. Muv Luv - you have to wade through a lot of fairly boring and stardard setup to get to the better parts. Heck, I backed the whole thing on Kickstarter and I still don't think its worth it.

Steins;Gate, 428 Shibuya, Ace Attorney series, possibly Utawarerumono games are the better ones. Personally, I couldn't get into Danganronpa at all. 999/VLR were interesting as well, but I liked the above ones better.

Also, Persona 3 through 5 (in their various releases) have a lot of that VN feel during their schedule and such. I really enjoyed 3 FES/P3P and 4/4G. 5 and 5R were good but to lesser extent, IMO. You can try and give say P4G on Steam or P5/P5R a shot.

 

[Zalman]

They peaked with Ace Attorney and Ghost Trick.

 

[BlackLagoon]

I really like visual novels, put them on auto and they're a great way to wind down and relax, a good mid point between the complete lack of sound and visuals in book and the constant bustle of a movie/TV series.

Anyway, I'll continue to advocate for Root Double. It's a great suspense/science fiction story, starting out with the premise of 9 people trapped in a nuclear research facility with a reactor that's melting down.

 

[craven68]

I dont want gameplay on visual novel. I just want to read them!
Vn game are in my top game ever !

 

[norealmx]

The first VN I ever played was Runaway City. Yes, I know, but at the time (~1998) I didn't know about them, there was none on the SNES/N64 and the few recommendations I found later on VG sites were all Japanese-only and romantic-oriented (which I don't really enjoy, mainly, because of the common tropes).
The first one I enjoyed was 999, and I got that barely by accident (I was on a job trip to NH, was checking any VG store close-by, saw the game on the top of the DS list of games, read a bit about it and decided to buy it). I still don't get much into them, tried the Phoenix Wright games but I drop them after a while (not getting really involved with story). I have a few on my Steam account, but I have not gotten around to play them.

 

[Viale]

Fata Morgana is peak for me. Legimately one of the stories that had most impacted me across any medium, and I think about it a ton.

Going through raging loop now, and I enjoyed it a lot during the end of the first main route/second route, but I've been feeling myself lose interest towards the end game now especially with some of the reveals. Will likely finish it tomorrow.


I've tried 428, and admittedly, the live action pictures are such a huge turnoff for me that I haven't dropped something that hard in a while. Maybe I'll give it another try at some later point.

Otherwise, I like most of the genre staples. Higurashi question arcs were really compelling and I started the answer arcs a few days back.

999 and VLR are great with VLR being particularly stand out imo. I loved steins;Gate and 0(albeit to a lesser degree)

Even if I didn't enjoy it nearly as much as some of the people on this forum who love it, I also enjoyed sentinels, though it's hard to consider it a VN in the same way as some of the other ones on this list.

 

[CrazyDude]

A lot of them have a harem vibe to them that instantly turns me off.

 

[LazyLain]

A lot of them have a harem vibe to them that instantly turns me off.

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Yeah, that's part of why I don't particularly care for Steins;Gate (the anime, haven't played the VN but I'm sure it'd be the same). The time travel stuff isn't nearly as brilliant as fans make it out to be, and plays second fiddle to the harem-esque aspect of the story.

 

[cyba89]

428 is one of the best game of all time. Didn't care much for SteinsGate.

 

[Astral]

How's Death Mark? A horror VN sounds like it could be really good.

 

[SuzanoSho]

Will never get used to people calling these "games".

Also, i have a natural aversion to fanservice, and the slightest bit is usually enough to turn me off of an experience altogether.

Honestly, I'd rather just read a book or comic. I get a vastly superior story and I don't have to slog through extremely lackluster bite-sized portions of "gameplay" to get it...

 

[HotHamBoy]

Would rather read a real book or a comic book.

 

[lord_of_flood]

I really enjoyed 999 and VLR, was extremely disappointed by ZTD, generally enjoyed Hotel Dusk, and was amused by Phoenix Wright. I really need to play more of them though. Thinking of picking up The House in Fata Morgana, but not sure if I want to grab it during the Steam sale or wait for the Switch version.

 

[GhostTrick]

Some of the most amazing games are VNs.
Don't know why those are dismissed on era, but it's not like it's a board with people of tastes. What I dont get though is why it's allowed for people to shitpost. :"")

They peaked with Ace Attorney and Ghost Trick.

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Nah, there's been far better stuff released before and after those two games.

 

[Dany1899]

Visual novels are among my top 3 favourite genres, contending the first position with JRPGs. They aren't for everyone, especially the ones having barely no gameplay, but you cannot know if you like them or not until you have tried any. I started with Virtue's Last Reward by chance, because it was free on the PS Plus for PS Vita, and I got totally hooked. I then slowly moved to other VNs with gameplay such as Ace Attorney, and then to traditional Visual Novels - and at that point I understood that this was a genre I could not do without.

If OP is interested in recommendations and reviews about Visual Novels, there are plenty in the ERA OT:

Visual Novel Community Thread: No Auto Read Required

Hello friends, welcome to the Visual Novels Community Thread! Built from the ashes of a fallen wasteland, this community was created to serve as a place of discussion for beginners and veterans alike. It's a new ERA, yes it is! No untagged NSFW posts in the thread, generally try to avoid...

www.resetera.com

 

[LazyLain]

Will never get used to people calling these "games".

Also, i have a natural aversion to fanservice, and the slightest bit is usually enough to turn me off of an experience altogether.

Honestly, I'd rather just read a book or comic. I get a vastly superior story and I don't have to slog through extremely lackluster bite-sized portions of "gameplay" to get it...

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Sounds like you've got some incredibly strong and broad preconceived notions, assuming that their stories will be vastly inferior or that the gameplay must be lackluster.

Ghost Trick's Rube Goldberg puzzles are up there with Portal in terms of brilliance, and its story is just as wild and clever... the cast of characters is equally excellent too. And while some of the female characters are definitely made to be cute/attractive (just as they are in, well, almost everything), it's pretty much devoid of anything I'd classify as fanservice.

 

[GhostTrick]

Will never get used to people calling these "games".

Also, i have a natural aversion to fanservice, and the slightest bit is usually enough to turn me off of an experience altogether.

Honestly, I'd rather just read a book or comic. I get a vastly superior story and I don't have to slog through extremely lackluster bite-sized portions of "gameplay" to get it...

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Yeah, because clearly books and comics are the same and offer the same medium.
Yknow what ? You're right. Why even read stuff, watch movies or play games ? Imagination is even better !

On a more serious tone: vastly superior story is arguable. It's likely you never played one or just a few. There's nothing for you to say that a book or a comic has a better story, except for that elitist stance you're taking with "lol I prefer to read REAL books" (which then, is kinda ironic to put comic books here as if they were a pinnacle of litterature).

But apart from the story angle, books are limited by the lack of visuals and comic books are limited by interactivity, voice acting and animated visuals.

You're not getting a soundtrack in neither of those, you're not getting voice acting and you're not getting choices/gameplay which can offer narrative twists those medias cant.

 

[Aranjah]

I really liked 999 and Hotel Dusk (and its sequel) but it seems like the ones in that direction (Hotel Dusk, especially) are few and far between. :/

 

[martincrimson87]

Are Policenauts and snatcher visual novels? Because I played those 2 games this year and loved them. I'd really like to try more games like that. What turns me off visual novels is that they all seem to have this modern style that's really off-putting.

Are there more VNs with late 80s to mid 90s anime style like Legend of the Galactic Heroes?
I am not a big anime fan but most of the stuff I like comes from that era for some reason.

 

[Phoenix944]

I experienced the best stories in visual novel. My favorites are House in Fata Morgana (seriously, play this people), Steins;Gate, Utawarerumono, Danganronpa, 999/VLR.

Expect Danganronpa, they all have a really slow start. I almost dropped Fata Morgana because of it (played like 5h then stopped for months), but boy I'm glad I've finished it... If someday they make a version with VA I'll probably jump back in day one.

 

[.exe]

I like the format. I prefer having some degree of input like in 999 or even 428 Shibuya, but I'm fine with the more straightforward ones as well. What puts me off are the (anime) tropes that come with the territory — most of the ones I've played are Japanese. Higurashi could stand to gain a lot without all the fluff, for example. But the writers just can't seem to help themselves.

I should just look into more western VNs. Haven't finished Eliza, but I really enjoyed what I read of it.

 

[sirap]

Love them.

 

[Azriell]

Love them, but I'm only interested in playing then on Switch. I don't want to "read books" from my tv or PC (although there are a few I will play this way, if I ever get to them).

I prefer VNs with additional gameplay mechanics, but it's not a deal breaker if it's just reading. However the story and characters really have to hook me for that to work.

 

[Ego]

Are Policenauts and snatcher visual novels? Because I played those 2 games this year and loved them. I'd really like to try more games like that. What turns me off visual novels is that they all seem to have this modern style that's really off-putting.

Are there more VNs with late 80s to mid 90s anime style like Legend of the Galactic Heroes?
I am not a big anime fan but most of the stuff I like comes from that era for some reason.

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I'm with you friend. I loved and adored the Kojima VN back in the days, but can't stand the newer ones. They look samey and boring. I can't stand this modern 'Digimon Anime' style, while I loved the 80's and 90' anime style.