Most Underrated VN List

[applegirl]

I've been reading a lot of VN lately that haven't really made the front pages and I started to wonder, why is that? So I thought it would be interesting to start a list of VNs that you feel are underrated. It doesn't matter if it is free or commercial, just list a VN that you feel has been mainly ignored despite actually having something worthwhile in it. The only rule is you cannot list your own VN. It also help to write why you think the VN is underrated (and what is good about it). That way, interested readers can pick up a hidden diamond.

For me? The listing order has no effect on preference, but is rather just when I thought of these VNs:

My underrated VN list:

1. Bionic Heart by Winter Wolves
Great story and seriously surprising endings. I feel like this was a classic VN that seriously sidestepped the cliches that fill many VNs. I didn't care for certain character designs/clothing, but I finished the game feeling like I seriously got my money's worth. Very original and very enjoyable. No regrets whatsoever in buying/playing this game.

Possible reason it's underrated: The beginning didn't really pull me in and some characters annoyed me to death with certain whining. Thankfully, the main girl made me care a lot about what happened next and the storyline was so original that I couldn't put the VN down. I'm glad I didn't.

2.Fading Hearts by Sakura River Interactive
When reading this VN, I was surprised by the sheer amount of story that was hidden in a seemingly simple/generic storyline. It is a VN where you can control your destiny and I was very impressed by the endings of certain stories that stuck with me even after playing it so long ago. I had low expectations but found them very much exceeded after multiple games.

Possible reason it's underrated:It was a bit hard to get into and you have to be willing to test out every action to get a hopefully good response.

3. Vera Blanc by Winter Wolves
Great storyline but still underappreciated by the masses.

Possible reason it's underrated: I can only think the art style turned people off.

4. Other Age Second Encounters by Zeiva Inc.
3 years of making a sequel to the smash hit OA, this strangely was not popular. It had amazing art (as always), incredible amounts of gameplay/variety, and a charming humor seen in many Zeiva Inc. games. This is a game that can be played for hours on end and is well worth the price. I highly recommend playing the demo (which features the path of 1 girl) and if you like it, then get it!

Possible reason it's underrated:I'm not quite sure the reason. Its game play was very similar to OA (which was very beloved). I was a bit frustrated with some difficulty of games, but Zeiva Inc has very helpful walkthroughs online and she updated with patches that help the clumsy gameplayer (like me, haha). My guess is people expected a huge dating sim rather than realizing the game had a lot more depth in humor/everyday situations.

5. Thousand Dollar Soul
Time traveler offers me the chance to change my life? Sure, why not? A seemingly generic idea that became very interested and deep, I found myself replaying the game over and over again. The real story shocked me and I was surprised by the bittersweet tinge that remained afterwards. Very much comic book art but it is seriously a deep story.

Possible reason it's underrated: The beginning was a very poor way to pull readers in (choosing between popping a zit? seriously?) but if you can get past it, you'll find a treat.

6.Gakuen Redux by ATP Projects
Yes, the art is super old. It reads more like a very, very long KN. But man, I felt like I had seriously relived my school years through this MC (Not my own personal experiences, but it was well done in a very, very long story). Did I wish I had more choices? Good lord, yes. I definitely wanted the freedom, but I respect the work and direction of this VN. It was very interesting and even though the ending/girl disappointed me...I remember it as a very interesting read.

Possible reason it's underrated: Art is a bit lacking and there were basically no choices. I can understand that in a few VN, but in this one where I'm supposed to change my life for the way I want to? It didn't make sense to me then and it doesn't make sense to me now.

7. Toketsu
There are no choices. The art is basically pictures. But the storyline and writing? Amazing. I read and read until it was over. Then I felt sad because it was touching and awed because it was brilliant. Sad, touching, and realistic. I wish there were more VN like this.

Possible reason it's underrated: Lack of drawn art/sprites hurt a VN popularity. It wasn't just one story, but multiple ones which aren't as popular.

I limited my list to English novels and those that I felt weren't particularly recognized/played. I'm sure I missed a few, so please let me know what your list looks like

EDIT: I adjusted the list order because I missed 2 fantastic VNs that were sorely underappreciated. My bad

[jack_norton]

Speaking of my game Bionic Heart, it's actually one of my most known games outside the VN niche - it got some bad reviews because the actual dialog writing wasn't great (I originally wrote it in italian, then had it translated, then proofread, then... a mess as you can imagine!). But is the game I get more request to make a sequel ever, alongside Planet Stronghold.
Commercially it wasn't very successful for a simple reason, females plays VNs much more than males And also maybe males expected it to be an hentai game (I admit that some images and the general theme could be misleading )

[Mirage]

Oh, c'mon, the most underrated is obviously Vera Blanc. lmao.

[applegirl]

Haha, I guess I was trying to go by sales/quality then. It is a pity Bionic Heart wasn't a smashing success because it really did have a great storyline/endings.

Thanks for mentioning Vera Blanc Mirage! That reminds me of two more VN to add to my list.

6. Vera Blanc by Winter Wolves
Great storyline but still underappreciated by the masses.

Possible reason it's underrated: I can only think the art style turned people off.

7. Other Age Second Encounters by Zeiva Inc.
3 years of making a sequel to the smash hit OA, this strangely was not popular. It had amazing art (as always), incredible amounts of gameplay/variety, and a charming humor seen in many Zeiva Inc. games. This is a game that can be played for hours on end and is well worth the price. I highly recommend playing the demo (which features the path of 1 girl) and if you like it, then get it!

Possible reason it's underrated:I'm not quite sure the reason. Its game play was very similar to OA (which was very beloved). I was a bit frustrated with some difficulty of games, but Zeiva Inc has very helpful walkthroughs online and she updated with patches that help the clumsy gameplayer (like me, haha). My guess is people expected a huge dating sim rather than realizing the game had a lot more depth in humor/everyday situations.

Again: the order of this list doesn't mean anything other than they were the order of VNs that I've thought of as underrated. I wasn't planning on adding to the list, but both Vera Blanc and Other Age Second Encounters are sorely underrated. I highly recommend checking both out as they truly are standouts in the OELVN.

EDIT: I'll just add this to my top post so these won't seem any less in my list. They really are fantastic VNs and it'd be a shame to overlook them.

[HigurashiKira]

I guess I can make a short list:

1) Every Single OELVN Ever Made

Possible reason they are underrated: For those that have actually played Japanese commercial NVL's they look like cheap imitations. And even then, considering how 80% of OELVN's are Otome (GxB) games, it's not helping their reputation. On the plus side, at least there's a fairly large demographic that enjoys them.

2)Utatemeguri
A story about a boy, his inhuman classmates, and their constant battling for control.

Why it's underrated: It has some simmilarities to fortissimo, which is much prettier than Utatemeguri; however, it [Utatemeguri] has a better storyline and awesome battles. Though it is a bit short....

3)3days ~Michiteyuku Toki no Kanata de~
Awesome plot, horrifying death-scenes

Why it's underrated: 11eyes. As soon as it was created, all of Lass' other games were forgotten.

[Riviera]

I guess I can make a short list:

1) Every Single OELVN Ever Made

Possible reason they are underrated: For those that have actually played Japanese commercial NVL's they look like cheap imitations. And even then, considering how 80% of OELVN's are Otome (GxB) games, it's not helping their reputation. On the plus side, at least there's a fairly large demographic that enjoys them.

Why's the fact that there are a lot of otomes a bad thing? There are some otome games with quite good stories, or at least good gameplay and entertainment value.

Other than that, I agree. OELVN's in general are underrated. I'm guessing because there are some Japanese commercial VNs with amazing stories and art.

There are also some OELVNs with amazing story and art as well, though.

People have mentioned Zeiva's games as an example, and while I enjoy Zeiva's work, I think part of what hurts his/her (I don't know Zeiva's gender, I'm sorry >_<) work is that some of it requires you to have played certain other games to really be able to proceed.

I remember playing a few of the OA games and getting very frustrated because I kept getting asked questions that I would have no way of knowing just from playing that particular game.

I also got stuck on one of his/her games and the only walkthrough/hints available were in book format and costed about $15-20. That put me off a bit as well.

[Mirage]

lol, in case of OASE, I can give a long list of why it wasn't as popular as OA.

1) As you mentioned, difficulty is one of them. Many people are turned off by the sheer difficulty of the game, and I gotta admit it's the hardest game I have ever made. I thought people like challenge, but I supposed most VN/casual gamer aren't hardcore gamer for a reason. And oh, VN lovers hate mini-games, especially those that's ridiculously hard... I learned something new from Lemmasoft. lol!

2) BxG. Sad to say, this is probably the single biggest reason of why it fails. Whether I like it or not, my watchers in DA are predominantly female. OASE just doesn't appeal to girls, and yet at the same time won't appeal to guys because of the lack of fan service or real romance.

3) It's a parody - meaning it's limiting itself to people who share my humor lmao...

4) Sequel of my older games - meaning it's not friendly for people who are new to my games. This is also tied to point 3 - there are way too many insider jokes. You need knowledge of my previous games in order to understand the jokes.

5) Last but not least - the demo itself... It lacks cliffhanger. I remember a reviewer who mentioned how generous I was with the demo by giving away the entire game for 1 girl.

What do I learn from this? Well, that's X-note for you, of which I averted 90% of the problems. The result? 4 times more sale. lol...

@Riviera
Zeiva is a team of 2 females, and one of them is me. lol! As for OA and the guide business, I learned my lesson. People don't like free game and get charged for guide. So I do it differently now by charging money for games and give away free guides. Less problems and easier than spending 3 months making pretty guidebook. Not to mention the guide itself only earned me 4 usd a copy, while Lulu (the publisher get 18 bucks per book) I remember someone in Lemma (Jake I think) complained about the price, of which I can't do a darn thing. I got misunderstood like hell, got a dozen of people swearing at me, despite the game (OA) essentially is free, so is 7 of other games in my site. But yes, of course, I don't get thank you, instead I got people who want me dead. lmao. Well, lesson learned, I guess.

[HigurashiKira]

I guess I can make a short list:

1) Every Single OELVN Ever Made

Possible reason they are underrated: For those that have actually played Japanese commercial NVL's they look like cheap imitations. And even then, considering how 80% of OELVN's are Otome (GxB) games, it's not helping their reputation. On the plus side, at least there's a fairly large demographic that enjoys them.

Why's the fact that there are a lot of otomes a bad thing? There are some otome games with quite good stories, or at least good gameplay and entertainment value.

The problem lies in the fact that most otome games aren't really that entertaining for the mainstream VN readers. They're too romance-heavy and not quite heavy with the plot (Basicly, they follow the same formula as H-Games, except you replace the hentai with the one-sided romance)

Please don't tell me I'm being biased. I am looking at this from a neutral perspective.

[Aleema]

1) Every Single OELVN Ever Made

Possible reason they are underrated: For those that have actually played Japanese commercial NVL's they look like cheap imitations. And even then, considering how 80% of OELVN's are Otome (GxB) games, it's not helping their reputation.

-1 this sentiment. Otome games have increased the favor and popularity of OELVNs. Saying otherwise is bias speaking.

[HigurashiKira]

1) Every Single OELVN Ever Made

Possible reason they are underrated: For those that have actually played Japanese commercial NVL's they look like cheap imitations. And even then, considering how 80% of OELVN's are Otome (GxB) games, it's not helping their reputation.

-1 this sentiment. Otome games have increased the favor and popularity of OELVNs. Saying otherwise is bias speaking.

Then there was the following sentence:

On the plus side, at least there's a fairly large demographic that enjoys them.

I know of the people who like them. They are also the ones who are the most vocal. But to say that they are getting popular just because one group is very open and lively about it dosen't mean that it is.

[applegirl]

@Mirage
I have to admit that I was initially turned off by the difficulty of the mini-games, but I do appreciate the humor/style of OASE. The reference to Phoenix Wright made me laugh and I think OASE is a VN that rewarded players who wanted an original kind of VN. For whatever reasons, it is sorely underrated and I hope more people pick up the VN.

Btw: I do agree OELVN are sorely underrated. But we have to admit that some are more underrated than others. For example: I loved Re:Alistar and wish more people played it. But it is very popular in the OELVN community (for just reason, it is a fantastic VN!) If you've played an OELVN, you've probably played Re:Alistar. So I was just hoping to shed more light on the ones that are more the diamond in the rough, you know?

EDIT: Good point in the otome discussion. Honestly, I can't remember the last BxG VN that was popular (that didn't have a huge girl playing role option). Why is that?

[Aleema]

I know of the people who like them. They are also the ones who are the most vocal. But to say that they are getting popular just because one group is very open and lively about it dosen't mean that it is.

I don't even understand how you would rate popularity by your logic. The demographic you identify/agree with is not the only demographic that can apply worth to things. It seems to me by your gross generalization of otome games that they are what's truly underrated - which is not news. They have been since the creation of the medium, and could stand without people constantly equating them to a disease.

EDIT: Good point in the otome discussion. Honestly, I can't remember the last BxG VN that was popular (that didn't have a huge girl playing role option). Why is that?

Because games are recognizing they have a female player base? Fable 1, you could only play as a boy. Fable 2, you could play as both, but the girl was badly tested. Now Fable 3, both genders are more equal. It's the same game, but more inclusive. You can't disregard games that also allow you to play as a woman. That's not entirely fair.

Also, people have the tendency to not recognize BxG when they see it. It's so "default" now that having a male protag fall in love with a girl side character is just "natural" - so the deviants stick out more.

[HigurashiKira]

I know of the people who like them. They are also the ones who are the most vocal. But to say that they are getting popular just because one group is very open and lively about it dosen't mean that it is.

I don't even understand how you would rate popularity by your logic. The demographic you identify/agree with is not the only demographic that can apply worth to things. It seems to me by your gross generalization of otome games that they are what's truly underrated - which is not news. They have been since the creation of the medium, and could stand without people constantly equating them to a disease.

What I mean by something that is popular is that a general audience (not 1 group or the other) enjoys the works. And, as I said before, generalization occours when there's a clear majority, and otome games aren't as underated as either you or I have put them out to be (Well, mostly me). A lot of people get into the OELVN scene because of them, hell, people join this very site just to talk about them if nothig else. What I've been trying to say is that among a general audience, OELVN's of all kinds are sorely underrated. Currently, they are best compared to cult films; not everyone likes them but there are a large number that do.

[jack_norton]

Summer Session was BxG and was very popular when came out. Reviewed on many websites, gamasutra, etc. The writing was done by Hanako, and the plot while being quite funny, wasn't "particularly original".
While I like original stories too, an original plot doesn't guarantee more popularity/sales/success/virality/whatever!

What I've been trying to say is that among a general audience, OELVN's of all kinds are sorely underrated. Currently, they are best compared to cult films; not everyone likes them but there are a large number that do.

That's because as I said females like to read more than males (that's a fact, not my opinion). As I bet there are more FPS male players than females. RPGs appeals to both, unless you fill them only with sexy girls and ugly men or vice-versa

[Omnificent]

5. Thousand Dollar Soul
Time traveler offers me the chance to change my life? Sure, why not? A seemingly generic idea that became very interested and deep, I found myself replaying the game over and over again. The real story shocked me and I was surprised by the bittersweet tinge that remained afterwards. Very much comic book art but it is seriously a deep story.

Possible reason it's underrated: The beginning was a very poor way to pull readers in (choosing between popping a zit? seriously?) but if you can get past it, you'll find a treat.

A million times yes. This is criminally underrated.