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Visual Novels Community Thread | A Little Something for Everyone

Thanks for explanations. I guess I start with the two main routes in Extra and then decide, if I want to play more.

Unlimited has only one route or are they just really similar?

They're very similar. There's almost nothing that is not in the common route. The final scene is just with different people IIRC, and I don't remember anything else that changes (there IS some other stuff that change though).

By the way, all three games feature pornographic content. Extra and Alternative's are mandatory (Alternative's scenes come with a (very minor spoilers)
hilariously bad and shoehorned plot twist late into the VN
) while Unlimited only has a single scene which is only in a single route.
 

Yuuichi

Member
Muv Luv Extra is the worst VN I have read by a big margin.

Unlimited is pretty great all the way through; especially compared to Extra.

I thought Alternative was decent (my general vote being a 6.5-7 overall) and it was definitely far from being "10/10 BEST VN EVER" for me, but I belong to a minority.

Do play the prequels though, if you want to read Alternative.

I wouldn't recommend the series though. Not worth the 100+ hours you'll be spending.

Yo you got a VNDB? Because if you do I wanna see it.
 

jzbluz

Member
Thanks! Any specific titles you can recall that didn't work? I'm mostly interested in the more pure novel games, like Fate Stay Night and Steins;Gate.

Just some Japanese otome games. There's supposed to be a workaround but it hasn't worked for me, although I still haven't tried pairing the tablet with mouse to see it that works.
 

Yuuichi

Member

Based off of that and your impression of ML, assuming that that's everything you've played I think your taste and appretiation of titles will change as you get more and more under your belt. You've played a respectable subset of titles, but you've barely scratched the surface of what the meduim has to offer. I kind of expect some of those scores to change over time.

That said, MLE is a parody, and your lack of experience with what it parodies might have been one of the reasons you didn't like it.
 
That said, MLE is a parody, and your lack of experience with what it parodies might have been one of the reasons you didn't like it.

As someone whose list is even shorter, are there any particular VNs you'd recommend before playing the ML series? It's petty high on my list due to how well rated MLA is, but maybe I should move it further down if I'm going to miss a lot of the jokes.
 
Based off of that and your impression of ML, assuming that that's everything you've played I think your taste and appretiation of titles will change as you get more and more under your belt. You've played a respectable subset of titles, but you've barely scratched the surface of what the meduim has to offer. I kind of expect some of those scores to change over time.

That said, MLE is a parody, and your lack of experience with what it parodies might have been one of the reasons you didn't like it.

May I ask what it parodies, exactly? Thank you for the feedback!
 

Yuuichi

Member
May I ask what it parodies, exactly? Thank you for the feedback!

It's hard to pin one thing to what it parodies, as it's a sort of genre-wide parody in terms of "school life" style games. I haven't actually played all of it (I've only really gone through around two and a half routes and that was some time ago) but there were nods and inside jokes all over the place, and it turns up the insanity to 11 because it knows it can. You also need to keep in mind when it was originally made, and remember that as the context to understanting the game. That said, as I understand it also serves as an important introduction to the world, characters, and what's to come, with various things like (very light spoilers)
the lacrosse game serving as mechanism for the introduction of the teamwork that comes in the later combat
. I wish I could give more input on it but I need to play more of it myself, which will happen one day.

As someone whose list is even shorter, are there any particular VNs you'd recommend before playing the ML series? It's petty high on my list due to how well rated MLA is, but maybe I should move it further down if I'm going to miss a lot of the jokes.

Honestly, it's really hard to say. You won't miss the jokes per-say, but there are lots of nods to various titles and trends at the time, so more knowledge is always a good thing. I know a lot of people went in at the begging and loved it, so it's really up to you. If you want some actual recommendations, post your VNDB so I can work with that and come up with some suggestions.
 

gokieks

Member
MLE is indeed (intentionally) bland, but it also does have a lot of bits that relate to MLU and (especially) MLA in ways you don't appreciate until you've also played through them and then go back through MLE again.

And yes, the whole ML series is definitely worth playing in the intended order.
 

Taruranto

Member
Personally, MUV-LUV is not really worth. Both all 3 novels are deeply flawed for different reasons and overall you can use your time reading better stuff.
 
Honestly, it's really hard to say. You won't miss the jokes per-say, but there are lots of nods to various titles and trends at the time, so more knowledge is always a good thing. I know a lot of people went in at the begging and loved it, so it's really up to you. If you want some actual recommendations, post your VNDB so I can work with that and come up with some suggestions.

My List

Told you it was short. The ratings don't mean a ton, but I have truly enjoyed everything I finished. I just have a hard time comparing things like FSN and Tsukihime that I played over half a decade ago with stuff like Danganronpa 2 that I played a handful of months ago. Also, Kagetsu Tohya and Clannad were not stalled due to lack of enjoyment; I liked what I played of both.

Steins;Gate I am absolutely loving. If My Heart Had Wings I'm finding to be a touching and enjoyable story when the translation isn't an unholy mess of incomprehensible nonsense.
 

Yuuichi

Member
My List

Told you it was short. The ratings don't mean a ton, but I have truly enjoyed everything I finished. I just have a hard time comparing things like FSN and Tsukihime that I played over half a decade ago with stuff like Danganronpa 2 that I played a handful of months ago. Also, Kagetsu Tohya and Clannad were not stalled due to lack of enjoyment; I liked what I played of both.

Steins;Gate I am absolutely loving. If My Heart Had Wings I'm finding to be a touching and enjoyable story when the translation isn't an unholy mess of incomprehensible nonsense.

I'm not sure what I was expecting ww. That said, aside from KonoSora (the English version of which I like to pretend doesn't exist) you've been pretty much in the hands of a few companies and similar teams, so it's time to branch out a little.

Little Busters!, Kira☆Kira, G-Senjou no Maou, or maybe even OsaDai could be up your alley and are some of the better known "mainstream" titles.

The fact that you've really liked everything you've played makes it kind of hard to really recommend anything other than pointing and saying "go play that because it's different", but it's an admirable quality nonetheless.

I wish I was less cynical and my eyes were less critical.
 

Marche90

Member
Oh wow so soon, better save so I can get it day one. Do they accept paypal?!

They don't. Because the kind of software they sell, PayPal considers them an 18+ website, and thus they aren't allowed to use it.

Really wish there was a loophole to use it, though!

In other news, I saw that Eden* was released already, and Steam lists the sale price for less than $8 bucks here were I live. I'm hoping I can pull the trigger buying it before the sale runs out, but I'm still unsure, since I want the Plus Mosaic version, but it costs more than double the Steam price due to a small devaluation that the Peso suffered at the start of the year. What to do? *sigh*
 
I'm not sure what I was expecting ww. That said, aside from KonoSora (the English version of which I like to pretend doesn't exist) you've been pretty much in the hands of a few companies and similar teams, so it's time to branch out a little.

Little Busters!, Kira☆Kira, G-Senjou no Maou, or maybe even OsaDai could be up your alley and are some of the better known "mainstream" titles.

The fact that you've really liked everything you've played makes it kind of hard to really recommend anything other than pointing and saying "go play that because it's different", but it's an admirable quality nonetheless.

I wish I was less cynical and my eyes were less critical.

Yeah, if I could read Japanese, I'd drop KonoSora English in a second, but the parts that are readable are enjoyable enough that I'm continuing. It probably helps that I've always been fascinated with flight and planes. I'd rate the story it seems to be trying to tell pretty well, but I'd give the English translation a nice big 1 that looks like a middle finger.

OsaDai I'm actually playing, forgot that on my list. Once I finish it, I doubt I'll rate it higher than a 6 or 7. It's funny, but not nearly on the caliber of the other games.

Of the other three, G-Senjoy no Maou sounds the most interesting, though all three sound good, I'll probably make that my next one once I manage to finish either KonoSora or Steins;Gate (KonoSora more likely, I'm no more than a couple hours into SG).

I am definitely not picky in the genre of my media. Depending on my mood, I have no issue sitting down and watching nearly anything from Game of Thrones to K-On!.

Anyway, thank you for the recommendations. Now all I need is to get myself a Windows tablet so I can actually play without being bound to my computer, which is the biggest reason I haven't played anything near the length of FSN or Tsukihime since graduating college.
 

Darth_Caedus

No longer canonical
Yeah, if I could read Japanese, I'd drop KonoSora English in a second, but the parts that are readable are enjoyable enough that I'm continuing. It probably helps that I've always been fascinated with flight and planes. I'd rate the story it seems to be trying to tell pretty well, but I'd give the English translation a nice big 1 that looks like a middle finger.

OsaDai I'm actually playing, forgot that on my list. Once I finish it, I doubt I'll rate it higher than a 6 or 7. It's funny, but not nearly on the caliber of the other games.

Of the other three, G-Senjoy no Maou sounds the most interesting, though all three sound good, I'll probably make that my next one once I manage to finish either KonoSora or Steins;Gate (KonoSora more likely, I'm no more than a couple hours into SG).

I am definitely not picky in the genre of my media. Depending on my mood, I have no issue sitting down and watching nearly anything from Game of Thrones to K-On!.

Anyway, thank you for the recommendations. Now all I need is to get myself a Windows tablet so I can actually play without being bound to my computer, which is the biggest reason I haven't played anything near the length of FSN or Tsukihime since graduating college.
Have you seen Chaos;Head? I recommend that and Grisaia no Kajitsu.
 
I'm currently playing Ever17 and finished my first route. And will be starting Umineko alongside it in a few days.

Oh and since this is my first time posting in this thread here is my vndb list: https://vndb.org/u88483/list

I would advise against starting Umineko. Ever17 is not very long compared to other VN's (20-30 for all routes IIRC), but Umineko is gigantic. I'm pretty sure (with Chiru) it is the longest translated VN, possibly the longest VN ever made worldwide.

If you intend to read Umineko, it's best to give it your full attention.
 
Have you seen Chaos;Head? I recommend that and Grisaia no Kajitsu.

I have not, though since it's part of the same series as Steins;Gate, I'll wait until I finish SG before looking into it.

Grisaia I backed the kickstarter since it sounds good. I'll play it once I get my hands on the official release, though I know it'll be a while. (Same thing is true of Clannad).
 

kunonabi

Member
Anybody play though Dunamis 15 and Disorder 6? They kind of caught my eye and I was thinking of picking them up.
 
Sölf;149948891 said:
Huh, Higurashi has more text than Umineko? Not that it matters, BECAUSE STEAM DOESN'T RELEASE IT! D:

Everything will happen in time

If it hasn't happenned , yet , it's because it wasn't the right time.
 

max_505

Member
Are there any VNs that are similar to Ever17, Remember11, 999, VLR, etc? Could anyone recommend me some? I'm craving for that mystery type of story with twists.

This is a list of the VNs I've played (some finished, some stalled), just in case someone's gonna give some recommendations...

https://vndb.org/u45462/list
 

Curler

Unconfirmed Member
Are there any VNs that are similar to Ever17, Remember11, 999, VLR, etc? Could anyone recommend me some? I'm craving for that mystery type of story with twists.

This is a list of the VNs I've played (some finished, some stalled), just in case someone's gonna give some recommendations...

https://vndb.org/u45462/list

Get a PS TV/Vita and get Danganronpa 1 and 2. Especially for that type of game.
 

Sölf

Member
Are there any VNs that are similar to Ever17, Remember11, 999, VLR, etc? Could anyone recommend me some? I'm craving for that mystery type of story with twists.

This is a list of the VNs I've played (some finished, some stalled), just in case someone's gonna give some recommendations...

https://vndb.org/u45462/list

Maybe not exactly what you want, but maybe the Ace Attorney series? While it definitly is not as serious as 999/VLR, most of the AA cases are written extremely well and even the bad ones are mediocre at least.
 

max_505

Member
Get a PS TV/Vita and get Danganronpa 1 and 2. Especially for that type of game.

Ack, I knew I must've missed something. Sorry, I'm gonna update the list. Finished Danganronpa 1 already and it was awesome, but yeah I've got to buy Dangaronpa 2. Any other VNs aside from that?

Sölf;149973608 said:
Maybe not exactly what you want, but maybe the Ace Attorney series? While it definitly is not as serious as 999/VLR, most of the AA cases are written extremely well and even the bad ones are mediocre at least.

Played the AA series already. Yep, the cases are good, especially the last one in Trials & Tribulations.
 

Curler

Unconfirmed Member
Ack, I knew I must've missed something. Sorry, I'm gonna update the list. Finished Danganronpa 1 already and it was awesome, but yeah I've got to buy Dangaronpa 2. Any other VNs aside from that?

I'd recommend picking up 2 first^^ Differs from person to person, but I preferred it to the first one. Depends how much you enjoyed the first game though.
 

Yuuichi

Member
Ack, I knew I must've missed something. Sorry, I'm gonna update the list. Finished Danganronpa 1 already and it was awesome, but yeah I've got to buy Dangaronpa 2. Any other VNs aside from that?

Yea, mystery heavy games aren't totally my cup of tea, maybe look at Rewrite (explaining why this works is spoilers) or Umineko/Higurashi.


So as for the game "length" none of those indicators are very good for anything but getting a general idea because those are the length of script files, which include notations for every part of the game from music to characters. Line length is a slightly better metric, but you need to keep in mind that line length varies from game to game as well as writer to writer.

And in case someone really wants to see it for some reason. My VNDB is cleverly hidden in the OP. Have fun.
 

Darth_Caedus

No longer canonical
I would advise against starting Umineko. Ever17 is not very long compared to other VN's (20-30 for all routes IIRC), but Umineko is gigantic. I'm pretty sure (with Chiru) it is the longest translated VN, possibly the longest VN ever made worldwide.

If you intend to read Umineko, it's best to give it your full attention.
I'm use to balancing lots of fiction lol. I will do my best to pay full attention. I have a lot of free time on my hands ATM and I need to take full advantage of it.

Btw does anyone know what is the definitive version of Higurashi?
 

max_505

Member
@Curler: Seeing as my Vita's been gathering some dust, I may just buy Danganronpa 2 just to turn on my Vita again. Thanks for the suggestion!

@Yuuichi: Started playing Rewrite just 2 days ago, so great timing there. I just hope Key won't disappoint me, since Little Busters was kind of meh (Clannad was excellent, though).
 

Darth_Caedus

No longer canonical
@Yuuichi: Started playing Rewrite just 2 days ago, so great timing there. I just hope Key won't disappoint me, since Little Busters was kind of meh (Clannad was excellent, though).
God I did not really enjoy Little Busters much and considering the time it took I was a bit mad lol.
 

upandaway

Member
Are there any VNs that are similar to Ever17, Remember11, 999, VLR, etc? Could anyone recommend me some? I'm craving for that mystery type of story with twists.

This is a list of the VNs I've played (some finished, some stalled), just in case someone's gonna give some recommendations...

https://vndb.org/u45462/list
Higurashi for sure. Even if you don't like horror, I'll say that I don't like horror at all and I ended up loving it, so I'll recommend it to anyone who wants atmosphere and mystery.
 

max_505

Member
Higurashi for sure. Even if you don't like horror, I'll say that I don't like horror at all and I ended up loving it, so I'll recommend it to anyone who wants atmosphere and mystery.

Ooohh, looked at its description and I liked it. Will look into this after I finish Rewrite. Thanks!

@Darth_Caedus: The only thing I really enjoyed in Little Busters is the baseball mini-game and Rin's cats. It wasn't horrible, though, just not as good as the other Key VNs, IMO.
 

Sölf

Member
Ooohh, looked at its description and I liked it. Will look into this after I finish Rewrite. Thanks!

@Darth_Caedus: The only thing I really enjoyed in Little Busters is the baseball mini-game and Rin's cats. It wasn't horrible, though, just not as good as the other Key VNs, IMO.

Higurashi was also written by Ryukishi from 7th Expansion (you know, Umineko and stuff).

I still wait for the steam release do finally play it.
 
I still have my Higurashi reading halted on the halfway mark. I still have a faint hope in my heart the Vita version could somehow make it to the west ;-;
 
Any other VNs aside from that?

Well "Umineko" is the name of the game if you want mystery twisty VN (but it's murder mystery and not "why the heck are we in this screwed up situation and how and because of whom" like Zero Escape, Danganronpa or Ever17).

Steins; Gate has quite a lot of twists and intense moments but not much "mystery".

I'm currently reading I/O and that might be up your alley, it is pretty great.

Killer Queen is a small recommendation, nowhere near as good as the other VN's in this post but can be pretty thrilling at times. It's very similar to Battle Royale (and that's surprisingly a good thing) but also has some screwed up h-scenes (which can indeed be turned off).
 

Merun

Member
I've played a bit of Eden*, and this game is pretty impressive from a production standpoint. There are a ton of CGs.

I played it a long time ago. I didn't understand most of the game, but it left me with a very strong impression. There is a certain attention to detail, like the colour direction. It will shift at some point in the game and take all its meaning. CG, animations, and Tenmon's music are all in a great package.

I really need to replay it in English...
 

Burnburn

Member
Just read the description for Killer Queen I think I'm going to check that out!

Just a heads up, I found the game to be very disappointing (and I think a lot of people did). Very flat and boring characters that either have no development at all or have very stupid development. The story is very predictable with twists that you can see coming from miles away with very unsatisfying endings. The art isn't very good either. I wouldn't suggest playing it tbh.
 

Shizuka

Member
Any opinions about Tokyo Twilight Ghost Hunters ?

Is it worth buying ?

I don't think you're going to see opinions about that game here, since it's not out in the West yet and most importers here play PC games. That said, I'm expecting a mediocre visual novel going forward with that title. Japanese reception was weak, the title sold on par with XBlaze and that's about it.
 
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