What are the must-play VNs?

[Sumoslap]

Hey gang--so I have some time in January not only to plug away on my own project, but to play some games (woot!). In fact, one of my biggest goals for January is to play some of the best VNs out there so as to inform my own game creation. I need to give myself a thorough VN education, and I would like to start ... right ... about ... now!

I am not particular to genre; I am looking mostly for compelling stories/gameplay. Also, I do not mind buying VNs; in fact, I want to support the quality VN makers out there and am in a position to do so, so don't shy away from recommending something because it costs a few bucks!

So what should I play? Thanks in advance!

[IceD]

It depends on what would you like to read, but if you are generally looking for the most interesting and highly regarded visual novels, I reccomend looking at the VNDB (Visual Novel Data Base), and take good use of the list along with filtering engine - it's easy to use and will surely help you finding the ones of your choice.

As for my personal list of reccomendations - you can start with the pinnacle classics such as Key's Kanon, Clannad and Planetarian... There are a lot of titles worth playing most of them are commercial works that earned english fan translations, whole some of them have official translations, such as Yume Miru Kisuri or Hinatabokko. There are also many great dojin visual novels who were also translated into english, such as Narcissu, True Remembrance, A Midsummer Day's Resonance...

For the rest, check out my list on VNDB: http://vndb.org/u685/list - it's not complete, but you will have at least a glimpse of the most interesting titles available

[Hollow Gourd]

Personally, I highly recommend Ever17 and Remember11, two mystery visual novels by KID that are set in the same world (but tell completely different stories/have completely different casts of characters). Ever17 has an official English translation, and Remember11 has a fan translation.

The story of Ever17 involves a group of people getting trapped in an underwater amusement. It is soon revealed that,

due to a drop in pressure, the building in which the amusement park is housed will be crushed by the outside water pressure in five days. And, for some reason, their computer terminal is unable to establish any sort of communication with the outside world!

In Remember11, a plane crash traps the four survivors on top of a snowy mountain during what appears to be a never ending blizzard. As if dealing with the limited supplies available to them in the thankfully nearby shelter cabin wasn't enough, for reasons unknown,

the main character begins experiencing some sort of 'personality exchange' the moment she wakes up from the crash. And, all the while, those around her keep insisting that she has DID!

If you'd be interested in something a little less 'traditional', might I also suggest the Ace Attorney series (particularly, those in which the titular character is Phoenix Wright)? In those, you play as a defense attorney whose only recently gotten his badge. You are able to search for clues, question witnesses, and preform cross-examinations in court, using your gathered evidence to reveal the truth and prove your clients' innocence. In my opinion, the best things about this series are the wacky cast of characters and the entertaining reactions of the guilty parties when you reveal that they're lying. Every game in the series has an official English translation!

[Riviera]

Remember 11 has a fan translation? AWESOME!

I also recommend Ever 17. It is, bar none, the best story-based VN I've ever read. I love it. I can't praise it highly enough. The music is also really good.. I grabbed the soundtrack and it's got a spot in my iPod for sure.

If you don't mind some ero content, Yume Miru Kusuri: A Drug That Makes You Dream has a fairly compelling story to it. All three of the characters have complex issues. My only gripe is that I feel the protagonist has a very weak personality. Not weak in the way it is defined, I mean weak in the way that he will angst but not lift a finger to help fix a situation.

[gekiganwing]

(For Riviera: the Remember11 fan translation was quietly released in October 2010. TLWiki is not available right now, so here's the relevant VNDB link: http://vndb.org/r2471 )

If this forum was 4chan -- which it isn't -- the responses would include Kannagi no Tori. (*Do not* search for that title, especially without safe search on! Likewise, *do not* search for 4chan's favorite anime, Boku no Pico. )

But seriously, Sumoslap asked about compelling stories and gameplay. So here's a few personal recommendations...

* Kana Little Sister. It's been about eight years since I purchased this VN. This was the title that convinced me that VNs could be something more than pornography. There's some adult content, and the graphics and sound seem kinds old now. But this is an excellent example of what fans call a "crying game" -- it's very earnest, and often poignant. And it's still on sale (J-List has the CD-ROM and paid download editions priced at $25 US). I really should read it again soon...

* A Midsummer Day's Resonance. This all-ages freeware kinetic novel (in other words, no branching paths or gameplay) was translated during Insani.org's Altogether 2005 event. I was worried at the time that there would be very few VNs in English, let alone ones that I could honestly recommend. It takes about an hour to read this story. But near the end of that hour, I was close to tears.

* The Flower Shop. My current favorite indie game. Created by people on this forum, and available for computers for only twenty dollars. There is a decent story, but the gameplay elements are emphasized. Not only is the main character managing his relationships in a rural town, but he has to arrange his schedule and take care of a garden. It's challenging, and I enjoyed the art, music, and writing. (There's a less expensive version for Apple iOS devices which turns the game into a visual novel -- no schedule management or farming simulation gameplay.)

* Tokimeki Memorial Girl's Side for DS. In 2010, English speaking fans got to experience two games from famous series for the first time -- Sakura Taisen and Tokimemo. I liked the former game, though I found it flawed and tough to recommend. But I enjoyed TMGS much more than I expected. It easily became one of my favorite games of the year. It's a stat-driven dating simulation, and thus gameplay is emphasized. I found managing the heroine's stats and directing her love life to be fascinating. But as far as I know, the now-complete English patch won't work with an actual DS cartridge... If you are willing to purchase a cart, it will cost about $60 on sites such as Play-Asia.

I'm sure other people have played/read some excellent VNs that I have missed. Be sure to state ones you recommend, and why you think they're excellent or important.

[Samu-kun]

Narcissu is a classic and considered one of the must play doujinshi visual novels.

http://narcissu.insani.org/

[Sumoslap]

I guess I should also mention that, emulators aside, I'll have to get games that are available on PC, Mac, or XBox. Thanks for all the suggestions so far, folks!

[Riviera]

Ever 17 has a few iterations but I was talking about the PC version. Yume is for PC only afaik.

[lastmousestanding]

Im just going to bump in here and say Tsukihime
Its my favourite VN (I find Fate/Stay Night completely over-rated) and definitely has a place on a must play list.

[okonomiyaki]

Animamundi.

The best story I've ever seen in a VN, hands down, no contest.

[AllegroDiRossi]

I can't believe this thread has gone on for so many posts without someone recommending "Umineko no Naku Koro ni". If it weren't for this series of games, I probably wouldn't have ever decided to make a visual novel. And the best part is that the translation project is going on with the full consent of the original author AND he's allowed foreign users to purchase and download the game!

The Witch Hunt has everything you need to get the game up and running on Windows, Mac, or Linux. I cannot recommend this series highly enough

[Chizurinomi]

Yo Jin Bo the bodyguards by Hirameki International =D

[DaR]

Yo Jin Bo the bodyguards by Hirameki International =D

Oh, yeah. I agree with Chizurinomi. I've played through every path like three times, and the art is beautiful. The dialogue is kind of weird, but it's funny and it's still quite the awesome game.
Plus, the music during the sadder scenes is so moving.

[Chizurinomi]

Yo Jin Bo the bodyguards by Hirameki International =D

Oh, yeah. I agree with Chizurinomi. I've played through every path like three times, and the art is beautiful. The dialogue is kind of weird, but it's funny and it's still quite the awesome game.
Plus, the music during the sadder scenes is so moving.

Yes, the music after the main character is taken back to her real world is sad (she forgets everything that happened before, she knows that she fell in love with someone but just cannot remember him) she was crying so much TT^TT

DaR-chan, remember the time when mom-mon said that girls say that they want a gentleman but

all they are after is ice queen (bo) and glasses wearing guy (the guy whose dad was a demon)

[DaR]

Yo Jin Bo the bodyguards by Hirameki International =D

Oh, yeah. I agree with Chizurinomi. I've played through every path like three times, and the art is beautiful. The dialogue is kind of weird, but it's funny and it's still quite the awesome game.
Plus, the music during the sadder scenes is so moving.

Yes, the music after the main character is taken back to her real world is sad (she forgets everything that happened before, she knows that she fell in love with someone but just cannot remember him) she was crying so much TT^TT

DaR-chan, remember the time when mom-mon said that girls say that they want a gentleman but

all they are after is ice queen (bo) and glasses wearing guy (the guy whose dad was a demon)

xD Of course!! But what he said was closer to,

Mon-Mon:"Oh, all girls say that they want a real gentlemen, but they choose a frouffy ice queen or a glasses-wearing sociopath" Bo and Ittosai: "Excuuuse me?"

But, to be honest...

Both of Mon-Mon's endings made me bawl. They were so sweet.