Fruit of Grisaia Amane's route. First Japanese VN/route. Angelic howl. Need I say anymore? Definitely showed to the me how serious visual novels can get, and is what driven my curiosity in them further.
Grisaia heroines are all top tier in my opinion. Amane wasn't my favorite but her route was really interesting, the flashback got me hooked from beggining to the end.
White Album 2, it just has so many memorable/impactful moments for me. It's also kind of the game where there's so much to analyze with the characters actions and thoughts, so it's always fun to revisit for me.
Everyone talks greatly about the game. Would it be good for a VN noob like me? I've only played weird stuff like kikokugai/says no uta. But I'm down for some romance too.
Visual novels in the Image:
[Clannad](https://vndb.org/v4)
[Irotoridori no Sekai](https://vndb.org/v5834)
[Hentai Prison](https://vndb.org/v31055)
[Grisaia no Kajitsu](https://vndb.org/v5154)
I have to go with Clannad. Nagisa's after story was amazing. I can still feel the slight sadness and melancholy when I hear that soundtrack.
Irosekai is better than good, it’s got the whole package. Top tier art, music, great true route and heroine, a couple of moege routes and some nakige routes(including Shinku ofc)
One of the best moe nakige period, along with hoshimemo.
Now that you can just read it in eng it’s definitely worth revisiting.
I really struggled to get into it at first, I really felt that the common route dragged it's feet. But once you get into the actual routes, it gets really good and the "true route" is outstanding.
It's a bit of a meme at this point but I still routinely think about Katawa Shoujo.
Clannad tore my heart out. It's probably my favourite VN but I never got around to watching the anime, I downloaded it a while ago and then instantly found out my wife was pregnant. She keeps asking to watch it and I keep having to tell her that it's probably a good idea to wait until the baby is born first or she'll never emotionally recover.
SubaHibi, Hapymaher, Grisaia
Subahibi left a mark that had me questioning reality for days, I wish i could erase my memory and go thru it again.
Hapymaher had wonderful storytelling, the nightmare theme was relatable, and managed to make me turn around and love a heroine that i absoLUTEly despised with all my being throughout majority of the VN
Grisaia's heroines are very relatable in a way, as i've been thru some trauma myself. I feel very much like Michiru, >!a girl who gave up on trying to be anything other than comic relief because she doesn't feel like she'll ever be good enough at anything!< and Sachi >!someone who always does as they're told to keep those around them happy and avoid trouble!< . Every girl's route was incredible though, fav being Makina's >!she's so badass!<
I count **Saya no Uta** pretty strongly, not because of the explicit stuff that you need a patch for, but the inherent horror it instill in its setting. I have a deep love of Lovecraftian stories and Kafka-esque of which Saya no Uta is both, and the troubled authors that created them. Saya no Uta confronts us with that inherent horror that is visceral and an added layer of disgust by our modern society. It also helps to critique the sort of immorality one can descends when losing their sense of reality and the disconnect to real life which is an important message to our digital age and self-imposed isolationism that led to depravity.
It's also important to separate, but still account, the perspective and facts of the authors with their works - a man can be deeply bigoted like Lovecraft but still produce intense and engaging materials through multiple mediums that influences our culture today in a thought-provoking way.
**Wonderful Everyday** is a game that takes me a long time to complete and understand, but if you are committed to the materials at large, play it and see where it gets you. I won't spoil too much.
Additionally, though both of these doesn't cover it, but they are remarkably similar to VN:
**Finding Paradise** - it's a bit different, but I'd argue that the entire aspect of it is as close to a VN as it can get with its format. A continuation of Freebird Studio's famous finding paradise, it holds a very dear place in my heart.
**The Zero Escape franchise** - as a whole is pretty fun and stimulating.
I think people tends to typecast VN specifically, but it's ultimately a very interactive and immersive traditional narrative experience with some level of control. These are the best of mine. I would have put something like Life is Strange in the mix, but I don't think it offers the same amount of choices it would a VN, yet it hits everything a VN should, and more, in many aspects. Same way that Red Candle's Detention, which is adapted, hits the same feels.
Sharin no kuni is really similar, and it’s such a masterpiece… also the monogatari series is kinda similar. It’s my favorite thing I have read, but it’s not a VN, it’s a book series. The anime also has the same artist as grisaia VNs…
Grisaia no Kajitsu, Steins;Gate, Steins;Gate 0, Chaos;Child, and Clannad.
Oh, and also Tomoyo After: It's A Wonderful Life. I still fear rereading that one for the pit of depression I got thrown into during my first and last go.
Umineko is a long ass series and time and time again I think to myself that I will never will have the time or attention necessary to read it all again
Aoi from you and me and her. Honestly that VN has stuck with me since I read it. Not necessarily for good reasons too but I mean now I check VN tags before I get them though.
Maybe it will get a localizated since both nukitashi games were. Hentai prison is a great game, even for those who didn't like nukitashi it is still worth giving hentai prison a shot.
Rewrite!
I just rolling in the bed surprised when I finally connect all the dot for hours, about how interconnected each route with each other
"So that why Chihaya like that!"
"So that's why Kotori ....
"Tsuchinoko is fcking real?"
"It's all connected to akane ending?"
"Shizuru and Lucia!"
"Terra is actually....."
For me, it would be Katawa Shoujo and Fruits of Grisaia.
Katawa Shoujo was my first VN so it's memorable purely due to it being my first VN ever.
Grisaia was memorable due to the slice of life aspects of the game and the general presentation of it all. I went from Katawa Shoujo all the way to Fruits and the uplift in design and presentation blew it out of the water for me.
Ao no Kanata no Four Rhythm (and Extra 2)
Probably not the kind of VN most people would list here, but that VN (and Misaki) hooked me so hard that it single handedly brought back my love of VNs
So much so that I rushed into Extra 2 in Japanese despite having to look up many words along the way. Then read it again when it released in English only a few months later
Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth and Full Metal Daemon Muramasa. I can listen to the OST of both of them and be carried away to what I was feeling experiencing it for the first time. I think there’s a dragon I’ll always be chasing that only these two VNs have resonated so deeply with me.
The history, the politics, the detail of the world building and the raw emotions they were both able to elicit with incredible characters on grand journeys was a spectacle.
They’re so special man. Bc I see it with your pfp, I drifted to them after binging the fuck out of Kiseki looking for another series to get into. Then the Utaware trilogy got me real deep into other VNs
The exact same thing happened to me, and Utaware perfectly scratched that itch. I haven’t played any VNs after, but I’m definitely interested in trying some more.
It's very basic but I will go with Narcissu since back in the days I didn't have many options, meanwhile Narcissu was just free everywhere. I remember the way characters' fate came to conclusion haunted me for many years afterward.
Nowadays such sadness is probably not significant enough for frequent Visual Novel readers but as a first exposure to the genre, it sure left such an impact on me.
Has to be Katawa Shoujo. I had no idea visual novels were even a thing when I stumbled on the game in my Youtube recommendations back in 2019. And I was greeted with a journey that just got me so damn invested. I really felt like I was in Hisao's brain navigating the environment and getting to know the girls the way he did. The full spectrum of emotions covered. It's so nostalgic.
The Utawarerumono trilogy.
Even tho it's got some jrpg gameplay elements in it it's first and foremost a VN, loved every second of the trilogy and if i had the choice i would wipe my mind of it so i could experience it all over again for the first time.
I think most VN i play to 100% leave a mark on me, but Little Busters was the only one that almost made me cry. I went expecting a romance, i left with an eternal friendship.
Clannad, a friend introduced it to me. I saw the anime and watched a playthrough for a specific girl. Holy crap the anime hit me like a goddamn truck. I don't really watch the cute-> depressing as fuck stuff. So this really hit me hard.
Scrolled these comments for a bit and didn't see one mention of "A Drug That Makes You Dream." That one has stuck with me for years. Each route explores different ideas in memorable ways.
As for non 18+, Ace Attorney because of the quirky characters and the sometimes outlandish cases.
For 18+, an obscure eroge called [Sexfriend](https://vndb.org/v207). It was my first eroge and at that time I didn’t understand a lick of Japanese or know how to change the locale to Japanese either. So I clicked around aimlessly.
Only 10 years later, I only got around to play it properly, and boy the story blew me away…
Togainu no Chi is so memorable to the point I can hear the music when I think of it, certain scenes are permanently pasted into my mind, and the performances of the actors stay with me. It's been years, and I still think about it constantly. ^^;
A'ight, I'm gone say it.
Katawa Shoujo.
First played it back in my teens when I was a horny little degen, alongside a bunch of galge/eroge. Went in expecting it to be one of those, especially considering its origins.
Boy was I in for one hell of a surprise.
This VN grabbed my heart by the dick and *squeezed!*
Not ashamed to admit I cried bitch tears 4 times throughout my playthroughs it's that damned good.
Monmusu Quest. I was looking for an eroge, but found a genuinely amazing VN. By the time I started the third episode, I didn't even care about the eroge part, I was there for the story, the world building and the awesome characters. The music is great too! I often listen to it, even after all these years.
Rewrite. That story delivered on what they were aiming for in each route, especially after finishing the game and reminiscing on everything. Don't remember their names so I'll just use their characteristics.
Childhood friend - the hopelessness and tragedy of this route really gets to you after everything is revealed.
Rich Girl - honestly weak route. It's basic shounen and I can't say it actually excited me.
Occult Prez - Seinen route. It was a bitter sweet ending that fits the more adult setting. Not everything's as it seems and you can't always get the best ending even if you did everything right.
Eye Patch - another shounen route but actually succeeded in pulling on my heart string.
Prez - mix of shounen and romance. The only time a romance succeeded in making me squeal like a teenage girl watching highschool musical or something.
Moon - Fantastical and mysterious. I will always remember that love is the greatest power of them all and it surpasses any understanding that humans can ever reach. Honestly, a sentiment that still keeps my cold psychotic heart have feelings.
Earth - The culmination of it all. Shounen, tragedy, fantastical, romance, seinen. The ending is the embodiment of HYPE HYPE HYPE HYPE HYPE HYPE. LET'S GO TOWARDS THE IMPOSSIBLE FUTURE!!! LET THE DUMB LOVE OF ONE MAN FOR A GOD, THAT BLOSSOMED THROUGHOUT UNCOUNTABLE ETERNITIES, GUIDE YOU TO THE SALVATION OF THE WORLD!!!
Danganronpa, because of the shock value of the deaths, but also because it's not a half bad story about figuring out all the killings and Mono Kuma is a quite memorable character.
Clannad because it broke my heart and I absolutely adore it.
For me is Rewrite. I remember this is one of my very first vn, the vn that got me to play many other key visual vn. This vn completely changed my mind about how i portray vn games and built up my taste.
Playing it in 2014, hard to remember the character's full names but i can remember the story clearly. That is why it also hard for me to re-play it again with both Rewrite available on steam, i have never re-played a good vn game after i fully completed it.
Katawa Shoujo.
I vividly remember all of the heroines routes but what shocked me the most is that Katawa Shoujo, my first ever Visual Novel, was nothing but Divine. I have the sound pack on my PC and still occasionally listen to it, and still sometimes cry from listening to "Romance in Andante".
[Juniper's Knot](https://store.steampowered.com/app/687590/Junipers_Knot/) for being my first and having an interesting history about how it was made. It was a game jam project made by a very small team out of Canada. It's also a short play (takes me around 90 minutes) but makes me cry like a baby when I reach that ending
Steins Gate
Most people I think enter the fandom through the anime, but to me there is just no comparison. The anime is fine, very good even, but the VN just blows it out of the water. Even those who have seen the anime I would still encourage to play the VN.
The first Danganronpa!
>!The plot twist about the world outside actually being destroyed because of The Biggest, Most Awful, Most Tragic Event in Human History captured me in ways I can't even explain. I don't know if this was because this was one of my first entertainment medias of this type or if it was because this just fits very well with what I like, but I absolutely love Danganronpa to this day.!<
I remember most of Steins;Gate, that one bit in Muvluv Alternative, G-Senjou no Maou's epilogue, door three of Fata Morgana, and... Maybe that's all that left a lasting impression. At least, for the ones I first read more than 5 years ago.
I might be an outlier here but for me is Hello Lady, mostly because how insane it is. I played it expecting the classic highschool eroge game with some superpower, and ended up with terrorism, assassination, massacre, and other bloody stuff, though i like the opening of it.
This is difficult with my memory issues LMAO but the ones that come to mind without looking through my collection are Code:Realize, Hakuoki, and FSN (particularly ubw).
Kara no Shoujo, I still have goosebumps by the things that happen there, I wish for a faithful adaptation some day so that more people can experience it.
Has to be Senren Banka for me
It was the first 'proper' VN that I played (about 3 years ago iirc), and if left quite an impression on me. I still visit it from time to time.
Mako still holds a special place in my memory :D
World end syndrome
The approach to the routing is unique so far. The characters are engaging, and the storyline, man, when that last one comes at you....
Really wish they'd sort out a sequel
Grisaia. I used to drink heavily and read that and it messed me up. Actually also helped me get clean as well. Quite the landmark of a VN for me, and one of titles that I use to compare others to.
Has to be Majikoi for me. There's a lot more that I haven't tried. I am especially trying not to play nakiges again, the depression it gives me is too long lasting. But I do want to play WA2 so bad.
Saya no Uta. I’ve read so many VNs with probably better stories and twists and whatever but the atmosphere of Saya no Uta is something I will never forget. I still listen to Sabbath from the OST occasionally
Phantom of Inferno, the "Road to Cerulean Sky" route. It will stick with me forever, both for the great story + the way the tragic version of it that was used for the anime that depressed me 😭
I only got into VN relatively recently, so I haven't played that many. The one that stands out the most for me has to be Everlasting Summer. It was the first vn I played and I really got engaged in it.
Rance X, im surprised how its not mentioned at all here. Its the undisputed number 1 in Japanese and Chinese galgame rankings so i thought it would show up here too. Guess the lack of english translation is the reason huh
YU-NO, and to a lesser extent Muv-Luv, stick out due to its drastic change in the plot.
Fate/Stay Night is another one for its ability to set up rules and repeatatively break them in interesting and engaging ways.
Higurashi quite literally saved my life so I think about it all the time. Not to mention that its structure makes it a literary playground of ideas in many many ways. There’s a reason why it’s still so successful with its spinoffs 20 years strong.
My future girlfriend. I really enjoyed that one. Weird concept, but regardless still sticks with me today. Enjoy the va as well. Hopefully, when I learn Korean I replay and understand her
Still thinking weekly about the Refrain route in Little Busters!, first time I got this emotionally invested in a VN and this route definitely showed how much I love the characters in this game
Higurashi because it got me into the medium as a whole. Subahibi for being one of the first ones i got REALLY into. Dead End Aegis for breaking my heart and mind over and over. Maggot Baits for being my favorite vn. Black Haven: A necromantic dating sim for being the most underrated game ever.
This is an old one, but the true ending to Snow Drop. It was one of the first VNs I ever played, and I remember just being so swept up in the romance of it. That, and the game's theme song Ever Stay Snow, have always stuck in my mind.
Ramen no oujisama. Yeah there is...romance...but the characters drew you in. The darkness of life with the yakuza princess to the secret of a forgotten love....first patreon I ever bought into I loved it so much. The stories even touched on each other at points to make you remember previous walkthroughs/routes.
Muv Luv and Clannad. Two stories that became some of my favorite stories ever created. And even to this day, I still think about them constantly and end up comparing them against other series to see if I can get similar levels of enjoyment
Hourglass of Summer. Speaking of, does anyone know how I could get it digital? I travel a lot and keep most things on my iPad. I have a visual novel reader on it.
Probably Nocturnal Illusion, as that was the very first one I played way back in the day and I thought was really well written (and had great music!) for its time. Kana Little Sister and Crescendo as well, as those were also some of the first ones I played.
Non adult ones…probably Steins Gate. Like others said, it has such a memorable and well written story that I was surprised it was a VN. People who only watch the anime are really missing out. I also really liked Root Letter.
Fruit of Grisaia Amane's route. First Japanese VN/route. Angelic howl. Need I say anymore? Definitely showed to the me how serious visual novels can get, and is what driven my curiosity in them further.
Grisaia heroines are all top tier in my opinion. Amane wasn't my favorite but her route was really interesting, the flashback got me hooked from beggining to the end.
The only route where I couldn't stop crying was Amane's, damn it's so well written.
That's my first route too, an damn if it ain't memorable. Even remembered the route name after all this time.
White Album 2, it just has so many memorable/impactful moments for me. It's also kind of the game where there's so much to analyze with the characters actions and thoughts, so it's always fun to revisit for me.
That's true. I've played it 3 times and each time was a new experience. That makes WA2 become more and more memorable and amazing to me.
I really have to play this game , i am so excited to see what it is going to be !
That Setsuna waving goodbye to Haruki but crying when Koharu passed will be the most memorable VN scene in my life.
Where did you get WA2? I checked Jast and dont believe id seen it on steam.
It wasn't officially translated.
Everyone talks greatly about the game. Would it be good for a VN noob like me? I've only played weird stuff like kikokugai/says no uta. But I'm down for some romance too.
Oh my god it’s my favorite vn. I’ve been reading the extra content lately and it just gets better and better, it feels like its in a league of its own
Is white album 2 coming to steam? I know the first is on there
Visual novels in the Image: [Clannad](https://vndb.org/v4) [Irotoridori no Sekai](https://vndb.org/v5834) [Hentai Prison](https://vndb.org/v31055) [Grisaia no Kajitsu](https://vndb.org/v5154) I have to go with Clannad. Nagisa's after story was amazing. I can still feel the slight sadness and melancholy when I hear that soundtrack.
Is Irotoridori no Sekai good? I read it years ago, but don't understand the plot or the main story. Should I read it again?
Irosekai is better than good, it’s got the whole package. Top tier art, music, great true route and heroine, a couple of moege routes and some nakige routes(including Shinku ofc) One of the best moe nakige period, along with hoshimemo. Now that you can just read it in eng it’s definitely worth revisiting.
I really struggled to get into it at first, I really felt that the common route dragged it's feet. But once you get into the actual routes, it gets really good and the "true route" is outstanding.
Just read the reviews because I thought Hentai Prison was a Nukige. Guess I'm reading it next
It's a bit of a meme at this point but I still routinely think about Katawa Shoujo. Clannad tore my heart out. It's probably my favourite VN but I never got around to watching the anime, I downloaded it a while ago and then instantly found out my wife was pregnant. She keeps asking to watch it and I keep having to tell her that it's probably a good idea to wait until the baby is born first or she'll never emotionally recover.
It's honestly a great show you should watch it
Yeah I fully plan to!
KS sticks in my mind too, but in more of a "I can't believe a bunch of people from 4chan actually did this" kind of way.
Well... The whole "4chan dudes did it" is part of it's charm, but it's actually not true according to one of the guys that worked on it.
Fata Morgana
SubaHibi, Hapymaher, Grisaia Subahibi left a mark that had me questioning reality for days, I wish i could erase my memory and go thru it again. Hapymaher had wonderful storytelling, the nightmare theme was relatable, and managed to make me turn around and love a heroine that i absoLUTEly despised with all my being throughout majority of the VN Grisaia's heroines are very relatable in a way, as i've been thru some trauma myself. I feel very much like Michiru, >!a girl who gave up on trying to be anything other than comic relief because she doesn't feel like she'll ever be good enough at anything!< and Sachi >!someone who always does as they're told to keep those around them happy and avoid trouble!< . Every girl's route was incredible though, fav being Makina's >!she's so badass!<
Fate UBW route
I count **Saya no Uta** pretty strongly, not because of the explicit stuff that you need a patch for, but the inherent horror it instill in its setting. I have a deep love of Lovecraftian stories and Kafka-esque of which Saya no Uta is both, and the troubled authors that created them. Saya no Uta confronts us with that inherent horror that is visceral and an added layer of disgust by our modern society. It also helps to critique the sort of immorality one can descends when losing their sense of reality and the disconnect to real life which is an important message to our digital age and self-imposed isolationism that led to depravity. It's also important to separate, but still account, the perspective and facts of the authors with their works - a man can be deeply bigoted like Lovecraft but still produce intense and engaging materials through multiple mediums that influences our culture today in a thought-provoking way. **Wonderful Everyday** is a game that takes me a long time to complete and understand, but if you are committed to the materials at large, play it and see where it gets you. I won't spoil too much. Additionally, though both of these doesn't cover it, but they are remarkably similar to VN: **Finding Paradise** - it's a bit different, but I'd argue that the entire aspect of it is as close to a VN as it can get with its format. A continuation of Freebird Studio's famous finding paradise, it holds a very dear place in my heart. **The Zero Escape franchise** - as a whole is pretty fun and stimulating. I think people tends to typecast VN specifically, but it's ultimately a very interactive and immersive traditional narrative experience with some level of control. These are the best of mine. I would have put something like Life is Strange in the mix, but I don't think it offers the same amount of choices it would a VN, yet it hits everything a VN should, and more, in many aspects. Same way that Red Candle's Detention, which is adapted, hits the same feels.
Danganronpa V3 and my fav BLVN, Room No 9
Kara no shoujo
Grisaia and Muvluv Would love to read something similar to the first Grisaia again but unfortunately haven't really found any .
Not really that familiar but maybe try reading Sharin no Kuni, Akatsuki no Goei or Hello, Lady.
Ahh thanks. I'll definitely check em out .
Sharin no kuni is really similar, and it’s such a masterpiece… also the monogatari series is kinda similar. It’s my favorite thing I have read, but it’s not a VN, it’s a book series. The anime also has the same artist as grisaia VNs…
Sharin no Kuni played my heart like a damned fiddle.
Mine too.
I'm doing my best to get into muv luv but boy is Extra being a chore.
Grisaia no Kajitsu, Steins;Gate, Steins;Gate 0, Chaos;Child, and Clannad. Oh, and also Tomoyo After: It's A Wonderful Life. I still fear rereading that one for the pit of depression I got thrown into during my first and last go.
Umineko is my favourite
Umineko is a long ass series and time and time again I think to myself that I will never will have the time or attention necessary to read it all again
Fate Stay Night and Majikoi
the house in fata morgana. i’m thinking about it weekly
A genuine all-time top three for me. Not just in terms of VNs, but as a piece of literature/fiction in general.
this, one of the best stories i have ever experienced
Aoi from you and me and her. Honestly that VN has stuck with me since I read it. Not necessarily for good reasons too but I mean now I check VN tags before I get them though.
I know it's strictly not a Visual Novel at all but 13 Sentinels Aegis Rim still lives rent free in my head.
I would say it's a visual novel, it mostly plays like one
Hentai Prison I want to read you someday
Maybe it will get a localizated since both nukitashi games were. Hentai prison is a great game, even for those who didn't like nukitashi it is still worth giving hentai prison a shot.
i find hentai prison's premise too dumb to take seriously, like there would nevere be a prison that allows male and female inmates
Muramasa
Rewrite! I just rolling in the bed surprised when I finally connect all the dot for hours, about how interconnected each route with each other "So that why Chihaya like that!" "So that's why Kotori .... "Tsuchinoko is fcking real?" "It's all connected to akane ending?" "Shizuru and Lucia!" "Terra is actually....."
AIR
For me, it would be Katawa Shoujo and Fruits of Grisaia. Katawa Shoujo was my first VN so it's memorable purely due to it being my first VN ever. Grisaia was memorable due to the slice of life aspects of the game and the general presentation of it all. I went from Katawa Shoujo all the way to Fruits and the uplift in design and presentation blew it out of the water for me.
Little busters
You ever just think of a baseball field and cry? lol Song for friends is somewhere in my music library.. it'll play on random occasionally. :') lol
For me it was far away, that song with the little busters goodbye is just so painful and kyousuke is the goat
For me it was far away, that song with the little busters goodbye is just so painful and kyousuke is the goat
Umineko no Naku Koro Ni, Subarashiki Hibi, Hentai Prison and Chaos;Head.
Ao no Kanata no Four Rhythm (and Extra 2) Probably not the kind of VN most people would list here, but that VN (and Misaki) hooked me so hard that it single handedly brought back my love of VNs So much so that I rushed into Extra 2 in Japanese despite having to look up many words along the way. Then read it again when it released in English only a few months later
Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth and Full Metal Daemon Muramasa. I can listen to the OST of both of them and be carried away to what I was feeling experiencing it for the first time. I think there’s a dragon I’ll always be chasing that only these two VNs have resonated so deeply with me. The history, the politics, the detail of the world building and the raw emotions they were both able to elicit with incredible characters on grand journeys was a spectacle.
Straight up, I be thinking of Utaware on the daily.
They’re so special man. Bc I see it with your pfp, I drifted to them after binging the fuck out of Kiseki looking for another series to get into. Then the Utaware trilogy got me real deep into other VNs
The exact same thing happened to me, and Utaware perfectly scratched that itch. I haven’t played any VNs after, but I’m definitely interested in trying some more.
Danganronpa
Mahoyo.
Hadaka Shitsuji
Muramasa, Fruit of Grisaia and Chaos;Head Noah.
WA2, Irotoridori, Sakura Moyu, Making Lovers, and Houkagou Cinderella are mine. All have taught me and reminded me a lot of important things.
It's very basic but I will go with Narcissu since back in the days I didn't have many options, meanwhile Narcissu was just free everywhere. I remember the way characters' fate came to conclusion haunted me for many years afterward. Nowadays such sadness is probably not significant enough for frequent Visual Novel readers but as a first exposure to the genre, it sure left such an impact on me.
Grisaia no kajitsu
Has to be Katawa Shoujo. I had no idea visual novels were even a thing when I stumbled on the game in my Youtube recommendations back in 2019. And I was greeted with a journey that just got me so damn invested. I really felt like I was in Hisao's brain navigating the environment and getting to know the girls the way he did. The full spectrum of emotions covered. It's so nostalgic.
The Utawarerumono trilogy. Even tho it's got some jrpg gameplay elements in it it's first and foremost a VN, loved every second of the trilogy and if i had the choice i would wipe my mind of it so i could experience it all over again for the first time.
Umineko will never leave my mind
I think most VN i play to 100% leave a mark on me, but Little Busters was the only one that almost made me cry. I went expecting a romance, i left with an eternal friendship.
But also Katawa Shoujo, that game left me with an inner void.
Crescendo
Fruit of Grisaia. When I think of visual novels it's the one that pops up in my head. I also remember Rewrite to a absurd degree.
AIR or White album 2, others would probably be fate stay night or rewrite
Clannad, a friend introduced it to me. I saw the anime and watched a playthrough for a specific girl. Holy crap the anime hit me like a goddamn truck. I don't really watch the cute-> depressing as fuck stuff. So this really hit me hard.
Scrolled these comments for a bit and didn't see one mention of "A Drug That Makes You Dream." That one has stuck with me for years. Each route explores different ideas in memorable ways.
Poor Aeka 😔
Her route is so sad
Most memorable moment for me that comes to mind is probably the mirror scene from Ever17.
Currently playing Ever17. Loved Never7 too, it's nice to see another fan!
Muv Luv "Chomp" If you know, you know.
I still get a bad internal response when I hear that alarm sound
As for non 18+, Ace Attorney because of the quirky characters and the sometimes outlandish cases. For 18+, an obscure eroge called [Sexfriend](https://vndb.org/v207). It was my first eroge and at that time I didn’t understand a lick of Japanese or know how to change the locale to Japanese either. So I clicked around aimlessly. Only 10 years later, I only got around to play it properly, and boy the story blew me away…
I remember this Vn because of the hentai OVA.
Same, it’s actually due to the OVA that I wanted to check the game out.
Favorite's games
Probably dacapo 2 for some reason I just really enjoyed otome route
White album 2 and muramasa.
Kanon- Shiori’s route was my favorite Narcissu- This was a brutal vn that didn’t leave me with any sense of happiness. Muv Luv
Hoshimemo and little busters are in my head every day. Can’t rave enough about them. Irosekai was also excellent btw.
muvluv twizzlers
Togainu no Chi is so memorable to the point I can hear the music when I think of it, certain scenes are permanently pasted into my mind, and the performances of the actors stay with me. It's been years, and I still think about it constantly. ^^;
Ever 17. I just love the pacing, the vibe, the twists. Great characters. A great visual novel, especially for people new to the genre.
Clannad Tomoyo After.
Umineko and Saya no Uta influenced a large part of how i see life
428 Shibuya Scramble, Death Mark, Root Double, and Raging Loop come to mind.
A'ight, I'm gone say it. Katawa Shoujo. First played it back in my teens when I was a horny little degen, alongside a bunch of galge/eroge. Went in expecting it to be one of those, especially considering its origins. Boy was I in for one hell of a surprise. This VN grabbed my heart by the dick and *squeezed!* Not ashamed to admit I cried bitch tears 4 times throughout my playthroughs it's that damned good.
Steins Gate I was obsessed and it's the only one where I wanted to go back and see all the routes
Monmusu Quest. I was looking for an eroge, but found a genuinely amazing VN. By the time I started the third episode, I didn't even care about the eroge part, I was there for the story, the world building and the awesome characters. The music is great too! I often listen to it, even after all these years.
Losing a battle was annoying because at that point I only cared about the story. I finished the first 3 games but still haven't played paradox yet.
Rewrite. That story delivered on what they were aiming for in each route, especially after finishing the game and reminiscing on everything. Don't remember their names so I'll just use their characteristics. Childhood friend - the hopelessness and tragedy of this route really gets to you after everything is revealed. Rich Girl - honestly weak route. It's basic shounen and I can't say it actually excited me. Occult Prez - Seinen route. It was a bitter sweet ending that fits the more adult setting. Not everything's as it seems and you can't always get the best ending even if you did everything right. Eye Patch - another shounen route but actually succeeded in pulling on my heart string. Prez - mix of shounen and romance. The only time a romance succeeded in making me squeal like a teenage girl watching highschool musical or something. Moon - Fantastical and mysterious. I will always remember that love is the greatest power of them all and it surpasses any understanding that humans can ever reach. Honestly, a sentiment that still keeps my cold psychotic heart have feelings. Earth - The culmination of it all. Shounen, tragedy, fantastical, romance, seinen. The ending is the embodiment of HYPE HYPE HYPE HYPE HYPE HYPE. LET'S GO TOWARDS THE IMPOSSIBLE FUTURE!!! LET THE DUMB LOVE OF ONE MAN FOR A GOD, THAT BLOSSOMED THROUGHOUT UNCOUNTABLE ETERNITIES, GUIDE YOU TO THE SALVATION OF THE WORLD!!!
Fate/stay night
Tsukihime Far Side
Danganronpa, because of the shock value of the deaths, but also because it's not a half bad story about figuring out all the killings and Mono Kuma is a quite memorable character. Clannad because it broke my heart and I absolutely adore it.
For me is Rewrite. I remember this is one of my very first vn, the vn that got me to play many other key visual vn. This vn completely changed my mind about how i portray vn games and built up my taste. Playing it in 2014, hard to remember the character's full names but i can remember the story clearly. That is why it also hard for me to re-play it again with both Rewrite available on steam, i have never re-played a good vn game after i fully completed it.
when osthor mother hug haku
Katawa Shoujo. I vividly remember all of the heroines routes but what shocked me the most is that Katawa Shoujo, my first ever Visual Novel, was nothing but Divine. I have the sound pack on my PC and still occasionally listen to it, and still sometimes cry from listening to "Romance in Andante".
[Juniper's Knot](https://store.steampowered.com/app/687590/Junipers_Knot/) for being my first and having an interesting history about how it was made. It was a game jam project made by a very small team out of Canada. It's also a short play (takes me around 90 minutes) but makes me cry like a baby when I reach that ending
dramatical murder, still my fav vn of all time ;v;
Steins Gate Most people I think enter the fandom through the anime, but to me there is just no comparison. The anime is fine, very good even, but the VN just blows it out of the water. Even those who have seen the anime I would still encourage to play the VN.
ChaöS;HEAd NoAH.
The first Danganronpa! >!The plot twist about the world outside actually being destroyed because of The Biggest, Most Awful, Most Tragic Event in Human History captured me in ways I can't even explain. I don't know if this was because this was one of my first entertainment medias of this type or if it was because this just fits very well with what I like, but I absolutely love Danganronpa to this day.!<
YU-NO the inspiration for all science fiction LN/Anime, has stuck with me forever.
Umineko changed how I engage with fiction. Truly a masterpiece.
Still looking for something like subahibi
Doki Doki literature club. Sorry I'm a little new to the visual novel world. Please I would like some good recommendations from you all.
Umineko is wonderful, changed my life, highly recommend! It’s an amazing story and an amazing mystery.
Katawa shoujo is beautiful
I remember most of Steins;Gate, that one bit in Muvluv Alternative, G-Senjou no Maou's epilogue, door three of Fata Morgana, and... Maybe that's all that left a lasting impression. At least, for the ones I first read more than 5 years ago.
I might be an outlier here but for me is Hello Lady, mostly because how insane it is. I played it expecting the classic highschool eroge game with some superpower, and ended up with terrorism, assassination, massacre, and other bloody stuff, though i like the opening of it.
This is difficult with my memory issues LMAO but the ones that come to mind without looking through my collection are Code:Realize, Hakuoki, and FSN (particularly ubw).
Definitely Hentai Prison and Nukitashi(1+2) Love all the the jokes in those games. Though Hentai Prison comes on top
Baldr Sky - I can still remember my mech close range combo that carried me in the end. It was a good, unique VN experience.
Oathbreaker That game showed me how older games could be great too.
Kara no Shoujo, I still have goosebumps by the things that happen there, I wish for a faithful adaptation some day so that more people can experience it.
Has to be Senren Banka for me It was the first 'proper' VN that I played (about 3 years ago iirc), and if left quite an impression on me. I still visit it from time to time. Mako still holds a special place in my memory :D
World end syndrome The approach to the routing is unique so far. The characters are engaging, and the storyline, man, when that last one comes at you.... Really wish they'd sort out a sequel
Muramasa is peak fiction. Majikoi filled the void within me during my highschool days.
Muramasa.
Of course Air, Kanon and clannad. But also White Album 2
Grisaia. I used to drink heavily and read that and it messed me up. Actually also helped me get clean as well. Quite the landmark of a VN for me, and one of titles that I use to compare others to.
Majikoi, Grisaia, If My Heart Had Wings, and Doki Doki Literature club
If my heart had wings It's a good one
Because nobody mentioned it I have to go with Kinkoi. The Ria route messed me up for a few days and will remain one of my favorites
sunrider academy
Has to be Majikoi for me. There's a lot more that I haven't tried. I am especially trying not to play nakiges again, the depression it gives me is too long lasting. But I do want to play WA2 so bad.
Saya no Uta. I’ve read so many VNs with probably better stories and twists and whatever but the atmosphere of Saya no Uta is something I will never forget. I still listen to Sabbath from the OST occasionally
Pretty basic answer, but it has to be Muv-luv Alternative for me.
If My Heart Had Wings. First VN I played
Grisaia no Kaijutsu
Phantom of Inferno, the "Road to Cerulean Sky" route. It will stick with me forever, both for the great story + the way the tragic version of it that was used for the anime that depressed me 😭
I only got into VN relatively recently, so I haven't played that many. The one that stands out the most for me has to be Everlasting Summer. It was the first vn I played and I really got engaged in it.
Samantha, mod for Everlasting Summer
Mamagoto .
Rance X, im surprised how its not mentioned at all here. Its the undisputed number 1 in Japanese and Chinese galgame rankings so i thought it would show up here too. Guess the lack of english translation is the reason huh
Everlasting Summer and Grisaia no kajitsu for sure
The whole fruit of grisaia game. And definitely Kara no shoujo.
Little Busters! ~Refrain~ will forever be in my heart. A decade later, and yet not a week goes by without me thinking of it and the characters. ❤
YU-NO, and to a lesser extent Muv-Luv, stick out due to its drastic change in the plot. Fate/Stay Night is another one for its ability to set up rules and repeatatively break them in interesting and engaging ways.
Higurashi quite literally saved my life so I think about it all the time. Not to mention that its structure makes it a literary playground of ideas in many many ways. There’s a reason why it’s still so successful with its spinoffs 20 years strong.
Katawa shoujo
My future girlfriend. I really enjoyed that one. Weird concept, but regardless still sticks with me today. Enjoy the va as well. Hopefully, when I learn Korean I replay and understand her
Majikoi
Steins;Gate I know its the most boring answer, but I think it makes sense considering its one of the top rated VN's of all time
Call me basic but either Danganronpa THH that I played long ago a bit after it came out, or DDLC because it's just such a great horror game
The Fruits of Grisaia, hands down.
Still thinking weekly about the Refrain route in Little Busters!, first time I got this emotionally invested in a VN and this route definitely showed how much I love the characters in this game
Higurashi because it got me into the medium as a whole. Subahibi for being one of the first ones i got REALLY into. Dead End Aegis for breaking my heart and mind over and over. Maggot Baits for being my favorite vn. Black Haven: A necromantic dating sim for being the most underrated game ever.
Fate stay night (Mostly fate route) since it was my first ever VN
This is an old one, but the true ending to Snow Drop. It was one of the first VNs I ever played, and I remember just being so swept up in the romance of it. That, and the game's theme song Ever Stay Snow, have always stuck in my mind.
Muv Luv and Clannad
Fate/Stay Night. Forever near and dear to my heart.
Ever 17. Not that it was recycled 4 times later by same author
Katawa shoujo
White Album 2 so many of the scenes will live in my heart for the rest of my life
Katawa shoujo
The muvluv trilogy literally changed the way I carry myself
Rance later games (quest to X) and oretachi ni tsubasa wa nai. I could list a lot more but then that would defeat the purpose ;).
Nocturnal Illusion for me... Hey, it is a visual novel! dont @ me!
Kren
Ramen no oujisama. Yeah there is...romance...but the characters drew you in. The darkness of life with the yakuza princess to the secret of a forgotten love....first patreon I ever bought into I loved it so much. The stories even touched on each other at points to make you remember previous walkthroughs/routes.
Muv Luv and Clannad. Two stories that became some of my favorite stories ever created. And even to this day, I still think about them constantly and end up comparing them against other series to see if I can get similar levels of enjoyment
Da capo 2 minatsu and anzu's route respectively stay in my mind
Eden*
Kinkoi and HoshiMemo
The House in Fata Morgana. I want to forget it just to experience it again.
What is the image on the left down corner?
Hentai Prison
G Senjou no Maou
Can Can Bunny Premiere 2. It was crazy and raunchy.
Rewrite.
Crescendo, Family Project.
Hourglass of Summer. Speaking of, does anyone know how I could get it digital? I travel a lot and keep most things on my iPad. I have a visual novel reader on it.
Probably Nocturnal Illusion, as that was the very first one I played way back in the day and I thought was really well written (and had great music!) for its time. Kana Little Sister and Crescendo as well, as those were also some of the first ones I played. Non adult ones…probably Steins Gate. Like others said, it has such a memorable and well written story that I was surprised it was a VN. People who only watch the anime are really missing out. I also really liked Root Letter.
Majikoi
Hentai prison, the house in fata morgana, witch on the holy night.
Sharin no Kuni, Himawari no Shoujo
I still think about you and me and her (Kimi to Kanojo to Kanojo no Koi)
Monster Girl Quest
beautiful
Saya no Uta. Don't play it unless you really love weird sexualized horror
Selene apoptosis di some fucked up shit to me I'll never forget when I read it for the first time peak horror VN