Visual novel recommendations

[zeross87]

Im sorry if a thread alredy exist, i didnt find it.

Im searching for a new vn to play but im running out of idea. With the annonced delay due to licensing of sakusaku i need some more vn while waiting for dc3

A general rule is i like light and happy vn, absolutly no "death" one, i dont wannabe depressed. Slice of life comedy is the tag that define me the most. I like multi route (hate vn with 1 girl) and relatively long vn
A list of the vn i played and that i remember not in order of preference or anything

Princess evangile (my favorite vn)
Noble works - was okay but bored me at the end
Koisuru no lastresort - common route ok, girls route boring
Koi iro chu lips - same
Koi choco - loved it, finished all route
Period - loved it finished all route
Dc1 and 2 - finished all route
Shuffle - finished 50% of the route
Fortune aterial - finished all tranlated route
Hoshizora memoria - finished all route
If my heart had wings (yes i plaayed crap translation) - finished all route expect for sempai one
Kamidori - finished several time
Deardrops - finished 1 route
Yosuga no sora - finished all route expect sempai
Snow sakura - finished all route one of them 2 times
Heart de roomate - finished all route
Sono hanabira - finished the first but didnt really like it
Oto boku - finished all route
Hinataboko - finished all route

I must forget somes
Edit : forgot, english only

[DarkForestCrow]

Awesome list, good taste.

Thank you!

[zeross87]

Originally Posted by DarkForestCrow

Awesome list, good taste.

Thank you!

No problem I edited the last name as I remembered it during the day

If you have any suggestions to me I'll gladly accept it I'm eager to discover new things.

God the annonced vn from mg at ax2016 look goods

[VDZ]

If you're okay with partial patches, I highly recommend Daitoshokan no Hitsujikai. It's from the same company as Fortune Arterial, but much better. A partial patch exists translating 4 routes, and the rest of the translation was recently resumed and is at ~90% translated.

Another game you would probably really like is Quartett!. Same company as Period, it has a very relaxed form of storytelling via the unusual comic style. My only complaint about the game is that the plot never really heads anywhere, but if you're just in it for the slice-of-life that shouldn't be a problem.

Other games you might be interested in:
Ikinari Anata ni Koishiteiru (aka Ikikoi)
Lamune (only one route translated, not sure if there's any drama later on, only played part of it)

If you're not entirely allergic to drama, I also recommend Key's works, particularly Clannad and Rewrite (the latter also has action and a bunch of other stuff).

[zeross87]

thanks !

i actually almost started daitashokan as i liked the anime, but decided to restrain myself if final translation is on the way.
quartett is on my to watch list, the only thing that restrained me to watch it sooner is it seem rather short so i don't execpt amazing development.

ikikoi got me interested, but i've read sooo many bad review on this one it actually made me hold it a little. did you play it ?
lamunei didn't know, i'll check it.

clannad i've cried so much watching the anime (i couldn't finish after story alone, i asked a friend to watch it with me ) that i swear i won't touch the VN. i'm an easily depressed person and don't want to risk it xD
rewrite seem the same so wont even watch the anime ^^"

[VDZ]

Originally Posted by zeross87

ikikoi got me interested, but i've read sooo many bad review on this one it actually made me hold it a little. did you play it ?

Yes, though I never finished a single route (but that's not uncommon for me). It has a very unusual style and quirky humor; you might like it or you might hate it. It's not an amazing game by any means but it was definitely amusing.

[rladls2121]

What I recommend:

Nora to Oujo to Noraneko Heart(This one is maybe better than you think.)
Dracuriot
Amairo Islenauts
Sanoba Witch
Koi x Shin Ai Kanojo
Acchi Muite Koi(This one really made me laugh a lot.)
Ren'ai 0 Kilometer(This one makes you laugh a lot too.)
Hitotsu Tobashi Ren'ai
Puramai Wars

Maybe I'll add more later.

[zeross87]

well thanks but i don't read japanese

[VDZ]

Dracu-Riot! has a partial patch translating most of it, but I heard the translation is pretty terrible.

[Mahou]

You could try Koiken Otome (https://vndb.org/v10608) as it has received a translation patch.
It has some tournament combat in it, but is otherwise within it's school setting and the special abilities. If you survived were fine with Koi Choco and Princess Evangile's drama, you'll be likely fine with most forms of normal romance-drama variations

Maji de Watashi ni Koishinasai! is quite long and is outside of the school battles quite slice-of-life iirc. Don't know if the translation patch is complete, though.

To Heart 2 is from what I've heard as slice of life as it can get but quite old (e.g. you can't progress the text with your mouse wheel, no voice cut option). The translation patch has been incomplete, but a good deal of routes should have been done.

[Sayaka Rei]

Planetarian from Key !

[VDZ]

Originally Posted by Sayaka Rei

Planetarian from Key !

Originally Posted by zeross87

A general rule is i like light and happy vn, absolutly no "death" one, i dont wannabe depressed.

Originally Posted by zeross87

I like multi route (hate vn with 1 girl) and relatively long vn

Originally Posted by zeross87

i'm an easily depressed person and don't want to risk it xD

Planetarian is anything but light and happy, being about a post-apocalyptic scavenger discovering the beauty of what mankind used to take for granted, it's renowned for its drama, and it's a short single-heroine game.

Originally Posted by Mahou

Maji de Watashi ni Koishinasai! is quite long and is outside of the school battles quite slice-of-life iirc. Don't know if the translation patch is complete, though.

Majikoi has a complete translation patch nowadays, some folks picked up the incomplete translation from where TakaJun left off and completed it.

Originally Posted by Mahou

To Heart 2 is from what I've heard as slice of life as it can get but quite old (e.g. you can't progress the text with your mouse wheel, no voice cut option). The translation patch has been incomplete, but a good deal of routes should have been done.

If I recall correctly, the latest patches translate 100% of the game, just not fully edited yet.

[Tsundere_Maid]

I have a VN recommendation for you guys. It just came out on steam and there is an 18+ patch if you are into that sort of thing.

Fruit of Grisaia. I went in kind of cautiously and I left.. wanting more. The stories, the characters. I really did enjoy them and everything about them. It was a really great experience. I can provide links if you don't want to buy it on steam to the official translators site if you want to pick them up. I think they just released Labyrinth of Grisaia too (which is its sequel). It was really an enjoyable game.

It can get a little heavy sometimes with the characters issues so just a fair warning.

Edit: I know Fruit of Grisaia is kinda old. Some people seem to be sick of it.
Anyway here is one of my favorite scenes in the game.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ncADFZgvnk

[joswilliams]

Air( although it's a rather sad game, it has a lot of comedy elements in the common route, and in general it's awesome VN), Clannad, KiraKira( if you liked Deardrops), Ever17,Rewrite, Katawa Shoujo.

[zeross87]

Originally Posted by Mahou

You could try Koiken Otome (https://vndb.org/v10608) as it has received a translation patch.
It has some tournament combat in it, but is otherwise within it's school setting and the special abilities. If you survived were fine with Koi Choco and Princess Evangile's drama, you'll be likely fine with most forms of normal romance-drama variations

do you have a recomendation for route order ? i heard that kamishiro route is to be done rather early as its a little spoiled otherwise.
i plan to do akane > kamishiro > the two other in whatever order

[PhoenixG]

Even I've finished Koiken, can't really recommend it. Story-wise it's really average, lots of cliche + they really ruin the setting. They really should do more stuff about the tournament and abilities, but instead it ruin all the hype downed into an average high-school story.

[FatesEnd]

Yeah, Koiken Otome is... underwhelming. Everything feels like it'll end up a lot more climatic and actiony than it is, but it... doesn't. Akane's route suffers the most from this, since it's the one most connected to the backstory. Childhood friend's route is underwhelming all-around, and even ice girl and Yves' routes suffer a bit from it, despite being the best routes due to avoiding it as much as possible.

Now, if you want some detailed recommendations on games like it that do follow through, I can dig up some of the ones I made for a friend of mine a ways back.

Spoilered for length!

Spoiler for Ayakashibito:

AKA: Like Touhou But Not Cute Or Happy. Actually Not Much Like Touhou At All

Genre: Action

I was wondering at first whether or not to put this in [the ]Shounen[ category] or not, but I decided that since a lot of the routes didn't really follow the typical shounen progression of strength (you know, hero gets stronger, villains get stronger, hero gets stronger to fight them etc. and/or hero reveals secret forbidden attack at last minute) it shouldn't go in there.
After World War II, strange people began to be born, exhibiting characteristics of the youkai of legend. They ranged from simple enhancement of normal human characteristics to more extreme and odd urges and powers such as having the compulsion to sew human arms to oneself, or being incredibly strong, but only when picking up objects, or having the ability to turn one's fingers into knives. Officially it's a hereditary illness, but many people have taken to calling these people jinyou, a term used in myth to refer to the half-human children of youkai.
Many people fear and hate jinyou, and the government keeps those considered the most dangerous isolated in a facility on an island off the coast of Japan. Takebe Ryouichi is one of them, and after being kept there since the young age of five, he and a friend of his have just escaped the island on a boat. What will become of these two?

Sex Scenes: 2 or 3 "proper" sex scenes per route, but there's some short ones peppered throughout the story that really didn't need to be put in. There's one of them near the very start, though it's not as much a sex scene as it is a helping-pee scene. Thankfully that sort of scene doesn't happen again, so don't be too put off. Really those little ones are best skipped through, the only thing you need to take away is the basics of what's going on in order to get what they're trying to establish. For example, the closeness between two characters for the pee scene. Otherwise the sex is pretty standard.

Recommended Route Order: Touko's Bad End (Engrave Touko-san's face->Cut Hounan)->Touko End 1 (Outside->Remember all->Accept Hounan)->Touko End 2 (Inside->Engrave Touko-san's face->Accept Hounan)->Tonya's End->Kaoru's End->Suzu's End 1 (Don’t use)->Suzu End 2(Use->No)->Suzu End 3(Use->Yes)

Quotes:
"...I understand. I'll... give you time to decide whether to go out with me or to slap me in the face and spit out 'You just want my money right? You bitch.' So please take your time and decide."

"Listen carefully, this is from an anime that's extremely popular right now. These sextuplets all love the same guy, and the show develops into a genuine erotic-juicy-guro-breast-sucking family quarrel--"

"Your hands must be clean, your heart must be fiery, and your mind must be serene."

Tagged: Youkai, Martial Arts

Spoiler for Yumina the Ethereal:

AKA: Not even Umineko debates are this hardcore

Subtype: Turn-based SRPG/Visual Novel

Genre: Action

Midorishita Yumina is a girl with terrible grades. So terrible, in fact, that after having failed yet another class due to missing it after accidentally pushing her classmate, Akashima Ayumu out of the window in an argument, she's forced to take the year over again. She's at a loss for what to do, but an upperclassman named Kurokawa Kirara tells her that if she becomes student council president, she'll be able to change a single class rule. Naturally, she jumps into the Student Council War, dragging Ayumu in with her.
Yumina's debate battle system is rather unique, though there is another game in the list with a simpler version of it. Basically, you use various moves not only to damage the enemy, but also to garner audience support. There's also various colors, and various attacks need a certain amount of one color to use, after which that amount is divided into the other colors, and there are various skills that interrupt enemy attacks, as well as skills that interrupt those interruptions. It's rather difficult to explain, but it's fun, and you get the hang of it after a few battles.
One of Yumina's strength is its characters, as they're well fleshed out and even the protagonist has a personality, backstory, and a voice of his own. Even the bosses of the various chapters have their own events throughout the chapter that fleshes them out, and , if you finish them all, gives a special skill that is highly effective in the fights against them.
Even the grinding in this game isn't as bad in other games, because it takes place in one big sidequest with random conversations between characters between battles. The fact that you can skip battle animations with the control key helps too.

Sex Scenes: There's one optional one after each boss battle, and 2 per route, and the sheer length of the game makes them feel even rarer.

RRO: Kirara's Route->Ai's Route->Yumina's Route-(Remember to raise your difficulty each playthrough)> True Ending

Quotes:
"Wait, why? Don’t tell me...... You enjoy making snappy remarks at the Library Committee? Is S not just your size, but your personality as well?"

"You shouldn't worry about it. It's just that Yumina has slightly different tastes than most people. We call it 'abnormal'."

"For some reason my tears just won't stop... I don't even know if I'm happy or sad..."
"...? Ayumu, did you eat an onion or something?
Where's the onion? I want my share."

Tagged: Great Battle System, Ridiculously Long, Might Want a Walkthrough, Too Bad the True Route is the Worst

[KanbeKotori]

What I recommend:

Subarashiki Hibi
Sakura no Uta
Kitto, Sumiwataru Asairo yori mo,
White Album 2 C.C
Kono Yo no Hate de Koi wo Utau Shoujo YU-NO
Oretachi ni Tsubasa wa Nai

all of these are great reads. Wonderful stories.

[zeross87]

Originally Posted by FatesEnd

Yeah, Koiken Otome is... underwhelming. Everything feels like it'll end up a lot more climatic and actiony than it is, but it... doesn't. Akane's route suffers the most from this, since it's the one most connected to the backstory. Childhood friend's route is underwhelming all-around, and even ice girl and Yves' routes suffer a bit from it, despite being the best routes due to avoiding it as much as possible.

Now, if you want some detailed recommendations on games like it that do follow through, I can dig up some of the ones I made for a friend of mine a ways back.

Spoilered for length!

Spoiler for Ayakashibito:

AKA: Like Touhou But Not Cute Or Happy. Actually Not Much Like Touhou At All

Genre: Action

I was wondering at first whether or not to put this in [the ]Shounen[ category] or not, but I decided that since a lot of the routes didn't really follow the typical shounen progression of strength (you know, hero gets stronger, villains get stronger, hero gets stronger to fight them etc. and/or hero reveals secret forbidden attack at last minute) it shouldn't go in there.
After World War II, strange people began to be born, exhibiting characteristics of the youkai of legend. They ranged from simple enhancement of normal human characteristics to more extreme and odd urges and powers such as having the compulsion to sew human arms to oneself, or being incredibly strong, but only when picking up objects, or having the ability to turn one's fingers into knives. Officially it's a hereditary illness, but many people have taken to calling these people jinyou, a term used in myth to refer to the half-human children of youkai.
Many people fear and hate jinyou, and the government keeps those considered the most dangerous isolated in a facility on an island off the coast of Japan. Takebe Ryouichi is one of them, and after being kept there since the young age of five, he and a friend of his have just escaped the island on a boat. What will become of these two?

Sex Scenes: 2 or 3 "proper" sex scenes per route, but there's some short ones peppered throughout the story that really didn't need to be put in. There's one of them near the very start, though it's not as much a sex scene as it is a helping-pee scene. Thankfully that sort of scene doesn't happen again, so don't be too put off. Really those little ones are best skipped through, the only thing you need to take away is the basics of what's going on in order to get what they're trying to establish. For example, the closeness between two characters for the pee scene. Otherwise the sex is pretty standard.

Recommended Route Order: Touko's Bad End (Engrave Touko-san's face->Cut Hounan)->Touko End 1 (Outside->Remember all->Accept Hounan)->Touko End 2 (Inside->Engrave Touko-san's face->Accept Hounan)->Tonya's End->Kaoru's End->Suzu's End 1 (Don’t use)->Suzu End 2(Use->No)->Suzu End 3(Use->Yes)

Quotes:
"...I understand. I'll... give you time to decide whether to go out with me or to slap me in the face and spit out 'You just want my money right? You bitch.' So please take your time and decide."

"Listen carefully, this is from an anime that's extremely popular right now. These sextuplets all love the same guy, and the show develops into a genuine erotic-juicy-guro-breast-sucking family quarrel--"

"Your hands must be clean, your heart must be fiery, and your mind must be serene."

Tagged: Youkai, Martial Arts

Spoiler for Yumina the Ethereal:

AKA: Not even Umineko debates are this hardcore

Subtype: Turn-based SRPG/Visual Novel

Genre: Action

Midorishita Yumina is a girl with terrible grades. So terrible, in fact, that after having failed yet another class due to missing it after accidentally pushing her classmate, Akashima Ayumu out of the window in an argument, she's forced to take the year over again. She's at a loss for what to do, but an upperclassman named Kurokawa Kirara tells her that if she becomes student council president, she'll be able to change a single class rule. Naturally, she jumps into the Student Council War, dragging Ayumu in with her.
Yumina's debate battle system is rather unique, though there is another game in the list with a simpler version of it. Basically, you use various moves not only to damage the enemy, but also to garner audience support. There's also various colors, and various attacks need a certain amount of one color to use, after which that amount is divided into the other colors, and there are various skills that interrupt enemy attacks, as well as skills that interrupt those interruptions. It's rather difficult to explain, but it's fun, and you get the hang of it after a few battles.
One of Yumina's strength is its characters, as they're well fleshed out and even the protagonist has a personality, backstory, and a voice of his own. Even the bosses of the various chapters have their own events throughout the chapter that fleshes them out, and , if you finish them all, gives a special skill that is highly effective in the fights against them.
Even the grinding in this game isn't as bad in other games, because it takes place in one big sidequest with random conversations between characters between battles. The fact that you can skip battle animations with the control key helps too.

Sex Scenes: There's one optional one after each boss battle, and 2 per route, and the sheer length of the game makes them feel even rarer.

RRO: Kirara's Route->Ai's Route->Yumina's Route-(Remember to raise your difficulty each playthrough)> True Ending

Quotes:
"Wait, why? Don’t tell me...... You enjoy making snappy remarks at the Library Committee? Is S not just your size, but your personality as well?"

"You shouldn't worry about it. It's just that Yumina has slightly different tastes than most people. We call it 'abnormal'."

"For some reason my tears just won't stop... I don't even know if I'm happy or sad..."
"...? Ayumu, did you eat an onion or something?
Where's the onion? I want my share."

Tagged: Great Battle System, Ridiculously Long, Might Want a Walkthrough, Too Bad the True Route is the Worst

well i played it and i do agree that it was underwhelming. i really liked the main part of the story until the girls route so playing it was not a complete waste. the girls route were all quite boring tho .


but now we are only 12 days away from DC3; i can't wait to play it

[erneiz_hyde]

Guys, sorry if I intrude, but I think we're already a bit more than just recommending here, so maybe it's better to liven up the other vintage VN thread instead? Could use a bit of a life there as well.