Topic: Visual Novels

Yeah, I get that. It's a tough hobby to get into, because as I've said to Ralizah, you really need to get into the right mood for these things, just having ample amount of time and attention to sit back and appreciate the story.

I think the Zero Escape games are kinda a good introduction to VNs, but they do contain enough gameplay that you might get bored dealing with common VNs that don't have such. There are many kinds of VNs though, and the way the story routes are designed can feel different and unique for certain titles too, so it's not the same as just reading a book from page 1 till the end. I think a number of developers have played around with the branching story structure of VNs; some incorporate that into the story by saying other routes are alternate universes, while most of them don't acknowledge it in such a self-referential way. Some routes that you unlock will add new context you've never noticed before, while other routes are vastly different from one another, literally being an entirely different story. So there's a lot of different styles of storytelling to explore in VNs that I think it's hard to say whether you will like VNs as a whole because of how certain VN titles you have liked might be. It's a tool, really, visual novels.

I think it's a good way to get people interested in VNs. The Japanese have actually released very popular VNs like Fate/Stay Night on the Android and Apple store too, but I doubt you could find one translated in English, unfortunately. There are ways to apply a translation patch for those mobile versions, probably, but I don't really know how. lol

I think it's a good way though for you to read on the go while on the train or something. Personally, I find that I need to devote my attention to a visual novel, but others might find enjoyment reading outside.

I finally got tired of being cheated out of the "full" experience of eroge on the Switch so I bought a laptop in June along with a bunch of eroge from Jastusa and Denpasoft.

Aokana: Four Rhythms Across the Blue
Aokana: Extra 1
The Eden of Grisaia
The Fruit of Grisaia
Fureraba: Friend to Lover
Kinkoi: Golden Loveriche
Kinkoi: Golden Time
The Labyrinth of Grisaia
Making Lovers
Nekomiko
Nekopara: Volume 1
Nekopara: Volume 2
Nekopara: Volume 3
Nekopara: Volume 4
NinNinDays
Onigokko!
Sankaku Renai: Love Triangle Trouble
Sugar Style

My all-time favorite VN and game in general though is Island which I have on my Switch. It's from Frontwing who did the Grisaia series. Island changed my life.

lol So it's true that the Switch did have censorship problems in the past, I'm assuming from what your post is implying. But I heard from other users in this forum that such problems aren't as prevalent anymore, so maybe you'll still get the "full" experience in future eroge titles on the Switch too.

I was actually interested in Island because I liked the Grisaia series (mostly the first one anyway), so I'm glad to know it's good. It's currently on my wishlist.

Think I made a mistake by watching the ISLAND anime first... nice and plot twisty but probably ruined the surprises for the VN run.

Currently have Aokana hogging my cart slot and i've been pleasantly surprised from the beginning. Went into it thinking it would be low budget fluff after picking it up cheap (alongside the excellent Raging Loop) but have really enjoyed just about everything thus far. Have just about finished the Asuka route and the CG's, upbeat music, character interactions and tournament drama will likely get me through the Misaki route also. Im rather glad they removed the eroge and opened it up to a wider audience on switch. Its very competent with or without it.

Anyone have any other recommendation amongst the cheaper Switch physical releases? I had my eye on Root letter, Our world is ended (£20ish) and Root Double (£26) but undecided : /

Actually what I meant by full experience is actual nudity and hentai scenes, lol. You'll never get that on the Switch, lol. Though I still do have a decent amount of visual novels on Switch.

13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim
AI: The Somnium Files
Christmas Tina
Corpse Factory
Doki Doki Literature Club Plus!
Food Girls
The Fox Awaits Me
The House in Fata Morgana: Dreams of the Revenants Edition
If My Heart Had Wings
Island
Little Busters! Converted Edition
Loopers
Love Esquire
Marco and the Galaxy Dragon
Miracle Snack Shop
Planetarian: Reverie of a Little Planet
Root Letter: Last Answer
Sakura Swim Club
Sea Bed
Steins;Gate: My Darling's Embrace
Tokyo School Life
Virtual Maid Streamer Ramie
World End Syndrome

Asuke was my favorite route along with Mashiro. I had it on Switch but now have the 18+ version on my laptop and plan playing through it in the near future. Our World is Ended is on my wishlist but you seriously need to play though Island. Just make sure to use a route guide for it. The ending in the anime is unique to the anime. The "true" ending for the VN is completely different.

@Andyv01 I can't say much about Root letter and Our world is ended (though I heard that Root letter has an unsatisfying ending), but £26 is a lot for Root Double, which I did play through but dropped after finishing one route. It's not a bad story if you love mysteries, but the characters feel flat and uninspired, lacking interesting traits that make them stand out from other VN characters. They also have some plot-conveniences, which does happen when you incorporate real science into the story, your plot-logic crumbling when the science doesn't fit. Unless you're referring to the XTend edition (which only adds a bit of extra content anyway), £26 is a high asking price IMO. And this is coming from someone who usually thinks VNs deserve their high price tag too.

I think you're better off choosing one of the other two, but that's just my take on it.

I don't think I've posted about it in this thread, but Gnosia comes heavily recommended for anyone who enjoys science-fiction and high-concept VNs. Its gameplay loop and progression structure are utterly unique (to the point where it essentially invents its own genre, which mixes the presentation of a visual novel with gameplay elements drawn from RPGs and social deduction games), and the emergent story is actually super interesting, like something out of an Uchikoshi game.

Ooh, that's high praise.

I checked out the game on Steam, and it looks interesting as heck. I'm always up for a high concept VN. Wishlisted. Thanks for letting us know.

@Ralizah Have you played through Island yet? Speaking of high concept. I mean the concepts behind it make Steins;Gate look like an elementary school project.

@JustMonika lol Wow, another high praise. Steins;Gate's not something easy to top in terms of concept. Definitely looking forward to checking out Island someday.

@JustMonika Not yet, but it's definitely on my list. I dig sci-fi stuff. I assume I should make it more of a priority?

I noticed you've played Corpse Factory, btw. How did that turn out?

@Maxenmus Oh, I wasn't aware it was out on Steam. At the time I played it, they'd only localized the Switch version.

It didn't get a lot of fanfare, for some reason, and the developer isn't terribly experienced, so I was shocked by how well the game turned out.

The art is simply gorgeous. I'm tempted to re-run it on my SWOLED. I remember how good series like Spirit Hunter and Danganronpa looked on my Vita, and I bet the same would be true here.

@Ralizah Hands down, Corpse Factory is my favorite game of the year. Erika Harlacher does the lead voice and she also did Anne's voice in P5. Then you have Faye Mata that does Tomoe's voice. It's funny because she does Aqua in Konosuba but in this she sounds like a tough New Yorker girl, lol. Complete opposite.

Island is beyond a masterpiece. Like I told the other guy, please use a route guide for it! I lost count of how many twists were in it. It even tops the Grisaia series. I turn 40 in 2 weeks and I've never experienced anything like Island. I own a physical copy I got from PlayAsia which is cheaper than the eShop version. I think Soma, The Last of Us, BioShock Infinite and The Fruit of Grisaia are the only games that even come close to Island.

@Maxenmus I'd take a week off from work and do it immediately, lol

@JustMonika Island isn't the sort of game you can just play naturally and eventually experience the entire thing through exploring divergent dialogue options? I've used guides occasionally for old games that are miserable without them, but it's always a last resort for me.

Not gonna lie, I love visual novels with complicate route structures like this because it makes my choices feel more meaningful, and I'm not just picking the route belonging to the character I like the most. It feels more immersive and realistic that way, that my choices could lead to myriad amount of possibilities.

The more I hear about Island, the more eager I am to playing it now.

@Ralizah It's just a route guide because there's 3 routes and the true route

@Maxenmus Well that's good to hear because it's a journey that covers millions of years in an endlessly repeating cycle for a single goal.

Only three? lol Well, that was kinda a letdown after all the hype. I guess three isn't too bad, but from what you said, I was expecting like five or six routes or something, full of twisty turns and stuff. I hope that each route is lengthy at least.

@JustMonika Not criticizing, just curious: what's the point of a guide for a game with four routes?