Top 5 Favorite Visual Novels

Discuss visual novels and story-based games that didn't originate on this forum.
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Asceai
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Re: Top 5 Favorite Visual Novels

#61 Post by Asceai »

Subarashiki Hibi, Cross Channel, G-Senjou no Maou, Sharin no Kuni and Saihate no IMA.
Much of this list (minus subahibi) has remained unchanged for 5+ years, but I've played all of these multiple times and they haven't lost their lustre. I do try to play everything significant that comes out, although it's very hard and sometimes takes me a few years to get to a given title.

My top 5 titles of 2013 are ChuSinGura46+1, Love Replica, Kimi to Kanojo to Kanojo no Koi, Lovesick Puppies and Izayoi no Fortuna.

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Re: Top 5 Favorite Visual Novels

#62 Post by Fenrir34 »

5-Shall we date series (I know there are a lot of games here but I can't choose.)
4-Yo Jin Bo
3-Loren the Amazon Princess (Know it's also a dating sim, but I like the guys in the game. :D )
2-Frozen Essence
1-Lucky Rabbit Reflex (I really think this is almost a perfect otome game. I mean it's really fun and the characters are great :mrgreen: )

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Re: Top 5 Favorite Visual Novels

#63 Post by Yosh' »

1. Shikkoku no Sharnoth ~What a beautiful tomorrow~
This game was frustrating beyond everything. The gameplay irked me, the repetition of dialogue irked me.
I loved it all the same though and it's my favorite VN that I've played.

2. Remember11
A lot of people loved Ever17, which is part of the series R11 is in. I loved R11 though. The story is more mind-screwy than E17 (to me) and a lot is left unexplained unless you head for bad endings. Then more things are put together, even if not completely. I really like the mystery behind it.

3. Narcissu (both the first and second)
I don't think I need to explain this one. If you play it, you'll probably enjoy it. Assuming you like sad stuff like I do.

4. Yume Miru Kusuri: A Drug That Makes You Dream
I love this one. I don't really care for 18+ scenes but this one is really worth playing. The endings are great. The characters are nice. The art is unique and pretty. I really enjoyed Aika's route. I actually got goosebumps when playing it for the first time.

5. Saya's Song or Togainu no Chi
Again with the "I'm not a fan for 18+ scenes," but I'm a Gen Urobuchi fan before anything else. And a huge nitro+/Nitro+CHiRAL fan. I'm actually not sure if I'd go with Saya's Song or Togainu no Chi for my fifth favorite. They're both dark titles and the most twisted thing about TnC is probably some of the bad endings. I really enjoyed them both.
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Re: Top 5 Favorite Visual Novels

#64 Post by Albedo »

Mine are:

1- Muv Luv Alternative
2- Steins;Gate
3- Ever 17
4- YU-NO
5- Symphonic Rain

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Re: Top 5 Favorite Visual Novels

#65 Post by lycanbryan »

In no particular order

Clannad / Tomoyo After - http://vndb.org/v4 / http://vndb.org/v12
Kamidori - http://vndb.org/v5652
Kira☆Kira / Deardrops - http://vndb.org/v414 / http://vndb.org/v2368
Snow Sakura - http://vndb.org/v71
Grisaia Trilogy - http://vndb.org/v5154 / http://vndb.org/v7723 / http://vndb.org/v7724

So thats Key, Eushully, Overdrive and FrontWing...

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Re: Top 5 Favorite Visual Novels

#66 Post by SinSisters »

I haven't played too many VNs, and I prefer Western and white VNs right now (because that's what I've been accustomed to all my life tuh) but... here we go
1. My Candy Love
Awww, my first VN (technically... I'm sure that some people wouldn't consider it a VN.) So many feels. Excellent artwork and very humourous. I'm attached to the characters :3 (Castiel is maybe my favourite ((urg, Tsunderes/bad boys and their infernal appeal)), then Kentin, who's so sweet and cute)
2. Katawa Shoujo
My first REAL VN. I absolutely detested Shizune's character and path, disliked many many parts of Hanako's path, but absolutely loved Emi's path. Even if the game was just Emi, it would totally be worth it in my opinion (worth playing it, that is, yay for free stuff)
3. Halloween Otome
Ahhh I love Mr. Bandages' path!!! Again, I really like the humour and the characters... a dose of strong feels in each path... :)
4. (P)lanets
Wasn't too fond of Lucan, Ryuu's was sweet, BUT I DIED WHILE pLAYING KAIUS' PATH OHLKSJLKJFLKSDJFLSDKJD DSKJFLKSDJF DKSDJLFKSJD art work was okay but again, love the humour in the game
5. RE: Alistair ++
Aww, this game was super short but super cute :3 I liked (wait, can you guess? Starts with "Tsundere") Travis the best and the artwork was quite good!

I played The Second Reproduction, but the only path I enjoyed was Gardis'... plus the way the portray Chris and her body + sex turned me off. Autumn's Journey was good! Really short but cute, *no kissing CG bleh* but you can guess who's path was my fav (tuh, Kerr). I started Sharin no Kuni, and I found the main character super interesting and the humour is decent but... well, I started it months ago and I haven't really felt incline to finish it (I will, though... eventually). And I'm playing Girlish Love Revolution (body shaming) but aside from the obvious body shaming and the fact that I can't get down a path without a walkthrough, I like it :)

-Nat

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Re: Top 5 Favorite Visual Novels

#67 Post by Shinoki »

(There's no particular order, and you might find some weird jargon in here. Edit: No, I don't think a normal human can understand what I'm trying to say right now. *When I start ranting*)

Narcissu
This was so beautiful. It was one of the first legit vn I played, though it was more kinetic. Though I feel like they didn't use many sprites or pictures of the characters, I mostly remember seeing black, white, and backgrounds, it was still beautiful. And touching. I was going to cry mentally when I first played it. Weirdly enough, I played the prequel first, so I had this moment at the ending of the first game... if you were thinking what I was thinking.

Shikkoku no Sharnoth
The art was so pretty. Though I don't exactly love it to bits, but it was pretty~ The mini-game was too hard for me, but the story was awesome. Given that there seems to be a thing with repeating a lot in the What a Beautiful... series, I almost got bored, but when I finally got to a good point, wowe. So awesome.
Angie is the best girl, even though she's more of a minor character.

Amaranto
The art isn't all perfect like SnS and, like most other games, it doesn't have that cool bg thing like SnS, but I literally binge-read this game. I usually go chasing after English patches, but...I somehow overcame my inability to read kanji and katakana clearly to read +Fine+
The antagonist is pretty predictable, and people die. The CG is nice, and the ending songs~ especially +Fine+'s were enjoyable. The game's all voiced too.

Hoshizora no Memoria
This is like very much galge. Despite being a girl, I love these things. Really, shinigami are cute. I was disappointed in the true route. And I was even more disappointed in the shinigami-Mare route because Koga-You you are going to pedojail.
Well, HoshiMemo was a jillion-times better than ShiniKiss, another game with Shinigami and lolis and imouto characters. The main chara in HoshiMemo was a bit normal, that plain guy that has a few sarcastic replies and all. Most of the heroines were really great. Most of the routes were paired together, one unlocking another.
The graphics were pretty, and there was also a zoom function due to this software that they used. Honestly, please, don't feed my perverted mind anymore though.

SonoHana
Basically, I think...Nukige? My favorite will always be the first couple! This is the 'pure' love story of cute girls in St Michael's. Even though there's lots of sex, it's still sweet and romantic, and well, no futa or toys.

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Re: Top 5 Favorite Visual Novels

#68 Post by gas »

Steins;Gate -> It's TOO good to be true. Too good to be a game. It's an experience.
Swan Song - > Underrated masterpiece. A catchy narration from start to finish in a disaster setting. VM18
Saya no Uta - > Not for the faint-hearted, but the "good ending" is the most "good ending" I ever meet. VM18.
Fate Stay/Night - > Start slow, become great the most you play. I was cheated XD.
Dengeki Stryker - > It's fun, that's all XD.
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Re: Top 5 Favorite Visual Novels

#69 Post by piichimi »

Dunno if Dangan Ronpa counts buuuut.
1. Dangan Ronpa
2. G Senjou no Maou
3. School Days
4. Rewrite
5. My Girlfriend is the president

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Re: Top 5 Favorite Visual Novels

#70 Post by MrDent »

Ack, it's not like mine haven't already been said, but here:

5. 9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors
This was one of my first Visual Novels, though, at the time, I didn't really consider it a Visual Novel. It's just such a perfectly atmospheric game, it's breathtaking. I can still hear the music, the creaking of the ship, and remember the absolute chills I had when I got my first ending- The knife ending, naturally. I really ended up loving the characters, sans a certain bara jerkwipe, and the ending never fails to produce tears.

4. Steins;Gate
What can I possibly say about Steins;Gate that hasn't already been said? Well, for one thing, I sure wish I had waited to watch the anime until after reading this- The beginning was a chug to get through after seeing the anime adaption, which is a shame, since that's where all the fun light-hearted parts were, and I kind of skipped ahead to the suspense and tragedy... Eeee, forgive me, 5pb.

3. Rose Guns Days
I'm a really big 07th Expansion fan, and this game, while not their most notable by a long shot, is perfect for demonstrating why. The world it takes place in, while clearly not ours, is absolutely genius, and feels so real and alive... And, really bittersweet. I guess it's kind of cheating, putting this game here, because, well... I've not actually finished it. The translation isn't finished yet, but from what I've read, it's already earned it's spot here in my list. What a fun, alive world, full of amazing characters, political intrigue, and an interesting and unique look on patriotism.

2. Planetarian - The Reverie of a Little Planet
Ah, so, well... This was my first Key game. I like to get my games legally, see, so when this came out on Steam, I made sure to snatch it up immediately, and finally see what all this fuss was about. ...and it lived up to everything I had been told about it. I freaking bawled like a baby when I finished it, practically screaming at my computer screen "That's not fair!" Definitely snagging Clannad the second it comes out.

1. Umineko - When They Cry
Well, here it is, my number one favorite Visual Novel of all time: Umineko - When They Cry, a game that, though I know a lot of people hate it, is probably one of the most important games I've ever played, and is dangerously close, once again, in my opinion, to being perfect. The pacing is brilliant, the artwork, while considered primitive by some, I found to be exotic and quite fitting, the music is godly, and the characters are so real it hurts. This is an excellent deconstruction of the mystery genre, and, while I adore the mystery behind it all, the characters and plot are what make this so incredibly enrapturing to me. Episode 7 is, in my opinion, the finest piece of writing ever featured in a Visual Novel. I am not the same person I am today as I was before I read Umineko.

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Re: Top 5 Favorite Visual Novels

#71 Post by Vokoca »

I haven't played that many visual novels yet, so the list might change quite a bit in the future - but I'm still quite confident the majority of those will be very hard to push from their spots.

5. Saya no Uta
This was the story that made me love Urobochi. What happens when you take a Lovecraft-inspired horror story and forcibly change it into the romance genre? Great things! I yet have to find a VN that would have a love story as twisted - and therefore interesting - as this one. An exploration of the subjectivity of morals and the slow erosion of common sense itself, this is definitely a must for both horror and romance fans.

4. Kimi to Kanojo to Kanojo no Koi
The story or writing style definitely isn't the reason why this VN earned the fourth spot - it is the novel ideas and ridiculous ways in which it executes them. Have you ever felt guilty about having to read all the heroine routes, because there was one that felt like she deserved it the most? If you haven't this VN will definitely make you feel that way. As a deconstruction of eroge as the medium itself, it twists and turns the conventions in its own ways, creating one of the most ridiculous and memorable experiences in the VN sphere.

3. Umineko no Naku koro ni
Much like SubaHibi, Umineko excels in writing just the things that are absolutely necessary to write. From a mere thriller that was Higurashi, Ryukishi manages to take Umineko into entirely different places, weaving a story about the meaning and importance of truth itself.

2. Soukou Akki Muramasa
Now, I haven't gone through the Light library properly yet, so I haven't yet experienced the madness that is Dies Irae, but so far Muramasa is the number one chuunige for me. The setting is amazing, the infodumps are amazing - but most of all, the main character and the focus on the ambiguity of good and evil is what makes this VN truly stand out. After reading Muramasa, your views on heroism and justice will never be the same.

1. Subarashiki Hibi
A visual novel serving as a clear proof that what if not written is as important, if not even more important, what actually is written. Writing a satisfying story while at the same time keeping enough room for the reader to think is no easy feat, and Sca-ji completely nailed it. As an exploration of existence and our perception of it itself, this piece will leave you thinking a long time after you finish reading it.

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Re: Top 5 Favorite Visual Novels

#72 Post by Doedelzak »

5/ True Remembrance
Not a masterpiece but so charming. I read it a lot and I still feel the same everytime. The title music brings those feelings back in a few seconds when you come back to this KN. It's naive, beautiful and modest in a pure way.

4/ Saya no Uta (+18)
No need to present this one. An experience that you can't forget. I just love the OST, too.

3/ Remember11
I can't understand why Remember11 isn't as classic as Ever17. It's a wonderful VN. The scenario is so fucked up, the ambiance is so unique, and the cliffhangers are lovely over the top.

2/ Higurashi & Umineko
I can't separate those two, as I read Umineko immediatly after Higurashi, and these are linked in some ways. Very, very, very long, but these are masterpieces. I didn't see the animes before reading so the experience was perfect, and I can tell that the VNs are way, way better than the animes (as it is usually the case).

1/ Swan Song (+18)
Sadly, this VN is almost unknown. It is my favorite of all times, way above the others. The writing is mature, the music is excellent, and it is very beautiful to look at. Your soul will be destroyed many times, I can garantee that. It is, by far, the rudest VN I have ever played, the darker, the most realistic and the saddest. It's for those who want to live something intense, and something they would never forget.

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