Visual Novel Recommendations?

[shinobiknight0]

It's been at least two years since I've posted because of pharmacy school, but I remembered that I extremely enjoyed visual novels, especially sad ones.

I'm not sure where else I can go to ask since this is the only anime-related forum I remember, but do you guys have any recommendations for visual novels?

I don't really have specific tastes, but I do enjoy horror, mystery, and fantasy visual novels. I'm also a super softie for tearjerking stories. I have a small list of visual novels I enjoyed.

I've currently read so far

Narcissu (I cried after I finished)
Crescendo (One of my favorites, and some of the different paths were really great to read)
Fate Stay Night
Tsukihime
Yume Miru Kusuri (Aeka's storyline made me sob forever)

I'm currently running through these couple of series over my winter break

Kara No Shoujo (I'm in my second playthrough, but I really love the mystery element)
Saya No Uta (Not started)
Divi Dead (Not started)
Ever17 (Not started, but I heard great things)

Thanks for taking time to look at my post, I'm open to any suggestions. I'm not much of an active poster, but I'll try to keep active on forums since anime was my favorite hobby a couple of years ago.

[Malintex_Terek]

I cannot extol enough praise for the Muv-Luv series, if you have the time commitment, I'd go there. Alternative requires you to to play the original Muv-Luv Extra/Unlimited first, the the end result is ridiculously rewarding. It's been nearly a year since I played and I'm still hung over.

I'd avoid any of the 5pb. games, they tend to focus on pop psychology/science-fiction and are rather stupid/derivative. By contrast, I think the Akabeisoft2 games (G-Senjou, Sharin no Kuni) are pretty solid, although G-Senjou is more of an action movie while Sharin a stirring character play.

[Cosmic Eagle]

I suppose you can understand Japanese....

Baldr Sky

Dies Irae Acta est Fabula (This and KKK should fit your fantasy/horror tastes)

Kajiri Kamui Kagura

Ef

Gekkou no Carnavale

Soukou Akki Muramasa

Demonbane

[Nihokon]

Fate/Hollow Ataraxia, if you've played Fate/Stay Night.

Originally Posted by Cosmic Eagle

I cannot extol enough praise for the Muv-Luv series, if you have the time commitment, I'd go there. Alternative requires you to to play the original Muv-Luv Extra/Unlimited first, the the end result is ridiculously rewarding. It's been nearly a year since I played and I'm still hung over.

Seconded.

[Cosmic Eagle]

Nitpick but...you quoted the wrong guy....

Personally I'm not that moved by Muv-Luv as other stuff but it's definitely a good story worth checking out....

[Honoakari]

I don't really have specific tastes, but I do enjoy horror, mystery, and fantasy visual novels.

You might want to try Umineko no Naku Koro ni. The art is not that great, but you'll definitely find all the bolded parts in there.

The translation patch for the final episode was released just a few weeks ago.

[shinobiknight0]

Unfortunately I don't speak a lick of Japanese so I'm limited to translations and English releases.

Originally Posted by Malintex_Terek

I cannot extol enough praise for the Muv-Luv series, if you have the time commitment, I'd go there. Alternative requires you to to play the original Muv-Luv Extra/Unlimited first, the the end result is ridiculously rewarding. It's been nearly a year since I played and I'm still hung over.

I'd avoid any of the 5pb. games, they tend to focus on pop psychology/science-fiction and are rather stupid/derivative. By contrast, I think the Akabeisoft2 games (G-Senjou, Sharin no Kuni) are pretty solid, although G-Senjou is more of an action movie while Sharin a stirring character play.

Great, I looked at Muv Luv and was a bit confused on where to start. It sounds pretty time consuming so I'll probably save that for last.

I've heard of G Shenjou no Maou and couldn't find much reviews or discussion about it, but if it's pretty solid I'll give it a try.

Sharin no Kuni's art style put me off at first, but if the characters get really developed I'll give it a try.

Originally Posted by Narukahana

Fate/Hollow Ataraxia, if you've played Fate/Stay Night.


Seconded.

I heard there's a partial translation patch out now, so I'll give it a shot too since I really enjoyed Fate Stay Night.

Originally Posted by O.D.

You might want to try Umineko no Naku Koro ni. The art is not that great, but you'll definitely find all the bolded parts in there.

The translation patch for the final episode was released just a few weeks ago.

Yes, I've definitely heard a lot of great things about it besides the art. It really makes me disinterested but if the story is great I can get over it.

Thank you all for the suggestions so far.

[Tong]

G-Senjou no Maou is perfect if you like mystery, sort of like Death Note, some action and abit of Eroge too.
It's seriously underrated.

[hyl]

There was an english patch released for Little Busters. While i didn't like it as much as some of other work of Key, it's still a nice read.

And i also second G-Senjou no Maou

[Skyfall]

Chiming in to put another voice behind Sharin no Kuni, Himawari no Shoujo - it was a quite excellent (and emotional) experience. If character development is what worries you, then you are all set - character exposition and exploration is the cornerstone of the story, and the whole ordeal is fairly plot driven. Despite it looking typical at a first glance (Female cast in school uniforms? Where have I seen that before ...), the setting is anything but usual and the story won't take long to set all those expectations straight.

While it doesn't offer mystery in a straight-up sense like G-Senjou no Maou does (Another title from the same company I would also recommend, though I believe Sharin to be the better of the two), the main character is forced to do a good deal of detective work regardless, in order to get to the bottom of the issues surrounding his charges. It certainly doesn't lack tension (and gloomy atmosphere), especially as the story builds on.

The OP captures the weighty mood of the story pretty well I would say.

Spoiler for OP:

I suppose it also bears noting that the story is structured a bit differently compared to most VNs - instead of having a "common route" which then branches off in to separate heroine routes depending on your choices, the progression of Sharin is rather linear. You proceed through the story chapters, each focusing on a different heroine and her issues, in a preset order that you can't affect. You do have choices to make along the way (which would determine the final love interest ... though the story certainly has a specific "true end" in mind, with every other option along the way feeling tacked on after the story was already finished, in order to meet the industry standard of "gettable" heroines I guess ... which would be the one negative of the title ), and a few dead ends to stumble into via bad choices, but overall how the story unfolds is very much set in stone.


Ever17 is also something I would wholeheartedly recommend, and is probably among my all-time favorites. It can be a bit slow-moving at times and you have to play through the 4 available routes to unlock Coco's route and the True End along with it, but damn, that finale is nothing short of an epic treat that ties everything together perfectly.

It's also unique in the sense of being pretty much the only story ever to leave me with my jaw hanging (literally ) for a few moments, the sheer impact of the revelations coming about during the final route was simply that amazing. I wish I could forget everything I knew about the title just so I could experience that feeling once again ... it took a while getting there, but a finale and all the buildup had never felt as amazingly rewarding as it did here. I wouldn't use the word "masterpiece" lightly, but it should certainly serve as the perfect example of how to build up the climax of a story.


If you are in the mood for some romance/drama without the mystery and detective elements, the aforementioned ef (I guarantee that's the most visually stunning OP you will ever see ) is a pretty solid choice, and the overall character interactions are a bit more mature than the norm, to good effect.


If you simply want something short and heartfelt however, Planetarian ~The Reverie of a little planet~, and older title by Key, is a fine choice. Beautifully atmospheric and nostalgic, it's a quite touching story that won't take you more than a handful of hours to complete.

All the above have English translations available.

[Aaerul]

You have to play Little Busters, the common route is so hilarious, my highest recommendation.

and then Da Capo II which no one has mentioned. It's pretty much staple in a genre that is largely based around dating girls. games like ever17 or saya no uta are the anomaly

[Aaerul]

You have to play Little Busters, the common route is so hilarious, my highest recommendation.

and then Da Capo II which no one has mentioned. It's pretty much staple in a genre that is largely based around dating girls. games like ever17 or saya no uta are the anomaly

[Hooves]

Originally Posted by shinobiknight0

I don't really have specific tastes, but I do enjoy horror, mystery, and fantasy visual novels. I'm also a super softie for tearjerking stories. I have a small list of visual novels I enjoyed.

Horror/Mystery:
Chaos;Head - If you enjoy Saya no Uta (which I assure you it will leave an impact on you). You might want to try another 5pb visual novel that is well known. Chaos;Head may give you a little bit of trouble during installation (the english patch that is..) but will award you with a horror/mystery ride. You take the role as an otaku protagonist that gets caught in a series of murders that arise throughout the city where corpses are found blooded. You must find out what exactly is going on before you end up like them (poor explanation I know )

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni - An episodic thriller where if you watched the anime for this. You'll have a good idea on what's going to happen, but if you leave out the character designs. You'll be awarded with a good horror/mystery ride

Umineko no Naku Koro ni - A somewhat expansion to the thriller you experienced when you were playing/watching Higurashi. Umineko doesn't bother with character designs, but instead, focuses on BGM that will either be pleasing to your ears. Or leave your spine tingling, the story presented on VNDB is the very definition of a Horror/Mystery ride where you will have to find out what/who's causing these mysterious deaths.

Horror/Mystery/Fantasy:
Shikkoku no Sharnoth - Recently got translated this year that makes an excellent turn. The linear plot may be on the downside based around playability. While the gameplay element may seem like a waste of time if you played Catherine. But the plot on the other hand is great, the OST is pretty decent with some interesting characters to take place.

Mystery:
G-Senjou no Maou - This is one of my all-time favorites that seems to be underrated for some suspicious reason. But it strictly involves detective work while a man that goes by the name Maou slowly works towards something in the city in which our protagonist resides in. It plays sorta like a cat and mouse game between Maou and a mysterious long-haired girl that you will meet through coincidence. The OST is beautiful in this while the story progresses nicely and leads you into different routes all-together depending on which girl you pick.

Sharin no Kuni - Another of my classics (made by the same author of G-Senjou no Maou) that is severely underrated. The character development of each girl/protagonist progresses the longer you delve into the story. While at the same time, taking a unique approach from your typical visual novels/animes. The OST is a little under G-Senjou no Maou depending on their release dates? But it still has perfect timing when it plays during the best moments of the visual novel. The plot on the other hand is pretty linear, not diverse like G-Senjou no Maou but there are still multiple endings near climax depending on the choices you made earlier.

Fantasy/Tearjerking:
Little Busters! - Ah yes, Little Busters. The well-loved visual novel by Key that can really jerk tears straight out of your eyes when you get more in-depth with each individual girl. If you played Clannad or watched it, you know exactly how well Key can bring up a story. This is simply a must depending on your tastes

Tearjerking:
Swan Song - A story that takes place during a recent apocalypse that occurs in a town where they were just about to celebrate Christmas Eve. If this doesn't seem "Tearjerky" enough based on that alone and what will go around the other character's minds while this is happening. The artwork takes a separate turn from what you occasionally see from visual novels (a more realistic look). While the OST has this depressive/sad/etc feel to it when you're listening to it. These alone along with how the story progresses will bring a tear to your eye.

Kana ~Imouto~ - Once you read the plot in the link, you'll instantly know that this is a depressing visual novel that will bring tears to your eyes. It's a classic for those that wish to delve themselves into a tearjerking story.

Ef - A fairy tale of the two - A visual novel that takes the perspective of multiple protagonists that try to solve the various problems that arise through the girls they are after. This is another classic tearjerking visual novel that is a must to be explored. I don't have many things to say about this since you'll just have to see for yourself

[Izayoi]

Originally Posted by Aaerul

You have to play Little Busters, the common route is so hilarious, my highest recommendation.

and then Da Capo II which no one has mentioned. It's pretty much staple in a genre that is largely based around dating girls. games like ever17 or saya no uta are the anomaly

You have a Katahane avatar and yet you did not recommend it...

There really isn't much VN translated, so a quick search on VNDB will probably give you a list to pick from. Reading the synopsis for them wouldn't take more than couple minute, so eye dee kay so many VN suggestion threads. Other than the ones recommended, I like True Remembrance. TR always has a special place in my heart <3. It is hard to describe TR. It is not a tragedy as most "romance" VNs are but... If you like a certain VN, then you best bet is to try other VN from that same company. Nitro+, key, Typemoon etc.

[larethian]

Most of what I've played are not translated, but I like most of the recommendations above. And just to chirp in my own comment, I find G-Sen to be more interesting than Sharin. For Sharin, my favorite route is the red hair girl's route (jeez, can't remember her name) which is quite the tearjerker. Sharin's routes overlap too much, so after the final chapter's surprise, the suspense element disappears when you play the other routes. But still, it is a must play XD, the twist is quite artfully done. As for G-sen, its main route is very exciting and has some nice tearjerkers at the end, it's surprise puller is a bit weaker than Sharin, but still nice, but the tension is high throughout the finale, and the fact that routes don't overlap removes the repetitiveness in Sharin. But the side routes are bland compared to the main route, though not really that bad if you don't make the comparison (so you might want to play the heroines in order, you'll know intuitively what is the order from the way the chapters are organized). If you like Type Moon, you should play all of them. Kana Imouto is a bit old skool VN but I love it. Ef too. And Clannad. All the last few are nakige (for crying) T_T

There are also some I don't like but I won't comment on them.