Chaos;Head Noah / Chaos;Child Double Pack (Switch)
Chaos;Head Noah is a great point for players to jump in if they’re new to the genre, and its direct sequel — Chaos;Child — is a step up from its predecessor and has every right to stake a claim at being the best game in the Science Adventure series. Visual novel veterans will find plenty to enjoy in both games, with a story that goes to some dark and unsettling places and a huge amount of content, particularly in the latter game. With solid characters and some genuinely surprising twists, fans of visual novels will want to get their hands on at least one of these games, if not both.
OPUS: Echo of Starsong - Full Bloom Edition (Switch eShop)
OPUS: Echo of Starsong is a lovely game and an emotional adventure that represents the apex of the series to date. It's easily one of the best story-driven games on Switch, and it's also excellent value for money, offering around ten hours of gameplay for its low price — or more if you really take your time and soak the whole thing up the way you really should do. Even with simple, familiar character designs, the characters themselves are complex, interesting, and likeable, and the story told with them is a complete, satisfying tale. Oh, and when the opening suggests playing with headphones? That's a hard agree from us, both to help with the music-based puzzles and simply to enjoy the excellent score.
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Digimon Survive (Switch)
Digimon Survive was one of the best visual novels to come out in 2022, with plenty of heart and tension to carry you through to the final act. Fans looking for an engaging story with well-written and presented characters that deal with life-and-death situations will enjoy the ride, while players focused on the combat will probably find that the game comes up short. Despite its sluggish, padded start, Digimon Survive was well worth the long wait.
PARANORMASIGHT: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo (Switch eShop)
Paranormasight: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo is one of the most surprising games we've experienced in a good while. Its overarching narrative, while initially quite heavy on exposition, is wonderfully told, interweaving the lives of multiple protagonists and tasking the player with progressing their stories in meaningful ways. The puzzles are fantastic, the characters well realised, and the visuals top-notch, making those brief moments of horror and terror exceedingly effective. It's an experience we fully recommend going into with as little information as possible, as this will prove to be an incredibly memorable experience; one that can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Switch's best visual novels.
TRON: Identity (Switch eShop)
TRON: Identity won’t wow anyone with its puzzles, but it does a great job of telling a tight story that changes with each playthrough. The short playtime encourages you to explore the world a bit more and uncover new truths that you missed because of your previous actions. If this is the start of a series of Tron visual novels, which the plot certainly feels like, then we’re hopeful we get to continue our journey with Query very soon.
ANONYMOUS;CODE (Switch)
Just as the Science Adventure games posit that human perception affects reality, not every player will experience ANONYMOUS;CODE the same way. For those new to the franchise, this latest entry is an imaginative if conceptually dense sci-fi romp. For those who have played the other entries, it’s something more — a gratifying culmination of thematic and narrative strands roughly 15 years in the making. Either way, ANONYMOUS;CODE has something special to say about the universe, the soul, and video games as a medium.
Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy (Switch)
We genuinely can't believe how lucky we are that the Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy games exist, let alone that they've been lovingly polished up for the Switch. Here is some of the best writing you'll find on the console, and it's a steal for all three games plus extras. A couple of bumps here and there are to be expected with such a wealth of content (three games, DLC, and extras), but they barely leave a dent on the brilliance of this well-written and beautifully illustrated trilogy.
Bahnsen Knights (Switch eShop)
If you’re intrigued by visual novels and their potential to delight, then the Pixel Pulps series is arguably the best possible place to start. Bahnsen Knights is the third entry and it’s pretty damn wonderful. With its tighter emphasis on gameplay, it's arguably the best of the three, though that would be like choosing your favourite child, and it’s okay to love them all. Bahnsen Knights is an easy recommendation and one which becomes even stronger if you’re interested in horror and weird tales.
Those are our picks for the best visual novels on Nintendo Switch, but there are tons on the system. We've got a whole host of honourable mentions if you're jonesing for more after checking out the cream of the crop:
Think there's something missing from our list? We'll be expanding this selection with more worthy entries in the future, but let us know if we've missed something and we may add that, too.
Comments 198
Where is the new Ace Attorney game? I thought it was announced way back?
Edit. I took this ''rumour'' in 2017 as a fact since then.
https://twitter.com/laurakbuzz/status/930077560045793280
What a bummer that it is not (yet) officially announced.
I’m not really into visual novels, but the original Steins;Gates’ anime adaptation is possibly my all time favourite, so if the VN is anything like it, I highly recommend.
@ZeldaNX I WISH! Waiting for ace attorney 7 to be announced and the Danganronpa trilogy to come to switch. I swear it’s like torture for me! 😵
AI Sominum is veryyyyyy good. The sections where you walk around are a much needed break from all the fixed scene stuff. Never finished the 1st Ace game...some court stuff/evidence/objection options are so weird to me, like it doesn't list the observations I've made personally that contradicts the statements being made. I get confused lol and it's embarrassing.
@Blooper987 How does Danganronpa compare to AI Sominum, loooooooved that game.
A genre so popular in the east that by the end of the Switch's lifecycle there'll be hundreds of vns to play.
On the topic of visual novels, I'm really hoping the danganronpa games or the 999 games come to switch. 999 especially, incredibly underrated series
@Dang69 I know nothing about AI Sominum, but I’ll certainly look into it! I really only started getting into this visual novel genre last year. Started with Ace Attorney and then I got sucked into the Danganronpa fandom and I can’t escape. Not only is the story good, but the characters are some of the best in any game I’ve ever played.
I got a physical version of worldend syndrome because, I wanted to try playing a visual novel it had good reviews and I got it rather cheap and I have yet to play it. I had no idea it was saucy, that will be a great motivation to play it!
Also I had no idea phoenix wright fell under the visual novel genre. I guess I've known this genre since the DS
There's heaps of good ones but a good chunk of them don't get reviewed here.
Clannad and Little Busters! are the best not on this list for me. I'd have them right up there with Ace Attorney Trilogy, the Steins;Gate games and AI: The Somnium Files as the clear best of the lot.
To name a few others off the top of my head, I'd have the Grisaia Trilogy, Planetarian, Aokana and the Nekopara games ahead of the rest on this list (except maybe VA-11 HALL-A.
Quite a few other really good ones too (If My Heart Had Wings, Tokyo School Life, Yumeutsutsu Re:Master, etc.). Just started Robotics;Notes Elite which seems really interesting so far.
Also, does anyone know if there’s a reason Doki Doki isn’t on the Switch? It feels like another pretty good fit, but there may be some weird things in it that makes it impossible to play on consoles.
@ZeldaNX A new Ace Attorney game hasn’t been announced since Dai Gyakuten Saiban 2. I really hope there will be a new installment in the future. Ace Attorney is one of my favorite game series, all of the games are excellent.
steins gate elite is the n.1. our world is ended is funny too. and death mark? i liked it.
I’ll have to check these out. One Night Stand has my interest here.
No Clannad 0/10 list.
Yeah Death Mark and NG are solid choices! Also now that i see Sea Bed, it makes me want to go and buy the physical copy from Play Asia. 2046: Read Only Memories is also an excellent cyberpunk visual novel.
Where is clannad?its a classic.realy good mix of comedy and drama.im not realy into visual novels but i think steins gate zero,vallhalla and world end syndrome are great games.
Played Stein's Gate 0, AI Sominoum Files, Ace Attorney Trilogy (3DS, Wii & Switch!), Gnosia, Florence & Neo Cab. All great and satisfying gaming.
Like others have mentioned, I am sure there may be more that could be added to the list? For example Subsurface Circular is a text based adventure game but also very much like a visual novel for many. A few reviewers have described it as a visual novel. Great game too, btw (Quarantine Circular is on my backlog).
I didn't even realise Clannad was on the Switch. Death Mark is on my wishlist.
My daughter and I loved the Danganronpa games on the PS4, would be ideal for the Switch. Make it so somebody!
Interesting article and comments section.
The Ace Attorney Trilogy is phenomenal. I also really liked the AI: Somnium Files demo and plan on picking that up.
A Normal Lost Phone had an intriguing take on the visual novel/puzzle genre (surprising considering the "woke" message it tries to push).
Its a really short game (I finished it in a night) with little replay value but its often on sale and is definitely worth experiencing.
I keep meaning to pick the sequel up but haven't got around to it yet.
Anyone here played Time Hollow on the DS?
If not, check it out; it's one of the best visual novel type games on a Nintendo system.
@yuwarite I actually never got round to purchasing or playing that game unfortunately. I think it reviewed at around 7/10 on average which was decent. Also having played "999" and "Zero Escape" games, I had a taste for that kind of game for a wee while. Incidently, those two would be great for a Switch release and perhaps Time Hollow too?
I'm actually pretty cool with this list. I think they could easily add more to this list though.
How about Raging Loop?
Nice subject
I discovered VNs this year after trying AI The Somnium Files and I’ve played about half a dozen, a lot still need to jump to Switch like Danganronpa and Zero Escape though.
I’m loving the Sci;Adv series and I’m currently playing Chaos;Child and watched the Steins;Gate anime over the last few weeks after playing the game in the spring.
Robotic;Notes it’s a shame wasn’t reviewed here, I’ve bought myself for Christmas alongside Steins;Gate Elite.
Murder By Numbers got some love here and could be added to the list perhaps.
@Doofenshmirtz I’d dearly love to play Virtue’s Last Reward on Switch, it’s a great game. I was so taken with it at launch, I bought it on both 3DS and Vita. Unfortunately, I never got round to Zero Time Dilemma though.
Ace Attorney has been one of my favorite series since the DS. I really hope more games (new and old) are coming to Switch. The original trilogy is the best, but man, I love them all.
Somebody from Nintendo Life should just play Florence, by the way. It takes like 45 minutes. Absolutely belongs on this list.
I thought this was the elusive Ace Attorney 7, sadly it was not.
'To the moon' doesn't count as a visual novel? That's one amazing narrative game, in any case.
@Blooper987 doki doki switch would be a problem mostly for the going into the files of the game to actually beat the game thing, would be cool though
It's not my sorta thing, but Clannad is a classic and should probably be on this list.
I still need to play NG. Death Mark was decent fun, after all.
Raging loop is amazing. Not sure why they missed it. If you love 999 you will like raging loop.
You should really review Florence, it’s absolutely beautiful. I agree about Clannad not being here, personally I think it’s a bit rubbish but it’s a classic of the genre and should really be included. The first Steins;Gate is just plain better than 0 imo as well. I’m really looking forward to N1RV Ann-A as I loved the first game on Vita so more people should check it out on Switch. Honestly, Ace Attorney shares just as much DNA with visual novels as point and click adventure games so I’m not sure where the line is drawn here. I’d love to see more point and click games like Snatcher come to Switch in the future.
The only visual novels apps that I really like are all on Android with Choices as absolute favorite and (discontinued ) Storyscapes, Lifeline Universe, on switch Bury me, Coffee Talk and NeoCab are OK.
Arcade Spirits radiates chaotic bisexual energy so and a chaotic bisexual I feel drawn to it
The red string club is good.
Aww, you guys didn't include "If My Heart Had Wings!" That's a great visual novel! One of my favorites! Of course, I don't have it on the Switch, but I do have it on iOS and Steam. I may get it on the Switch in the future, though.
But the best way to really play it is on PC with the Restoration Patch, which puts all of the erotic content that MoeNovel (the company that licensed the game here for the West) removed back into the game.
Now if only someone can get "Katawa Shoujo," another great visual novel, onto the Switch, I would be a very happy person.
Man I wish they would release the Switch version of Higurashi in the West. It's got voice acting, animated sprites, CG scenes... all we got is the barebones steam version.
To the Moon should be on this list.
I also like YU-NO but there's a lot of sexualization to stomach. That aside tho, the story is superb. Reminds me of Steins:Gate the way it handles multiple routes and endings.
Starting the list with Dream Daddy and not including The Grisaia Trilogy or anything from Key (among other excellent VNs) should be a crime, I think.
I'm still waiting on a Muv-Luv port, but that probably wouldn't happen until at least the mobile port.
What about root letter, clannad, and little busters?
AI The Somniun Files is really good, it certainly took me by surprise and now is one of my favorite games.
I don't know the best VN for the Switch, but Steins;Gate 0 is said to be one of the best visual novels of all time. The fact that you didn't put Clannad on this list, and yet you put some dating simulator called Dream Daddy on it, isn't entirely convincing. Your description of the game sounds highly questionable too. It must be one heck of a good dating sim. Whatever the case, Clannads absence on this list proves how slipshod it is. I feel bad for whoever has to write all these articles and upload them under the pretense of news.
Does Ace Attorney really fall under that category? As someone who has been slightly interested in trying an Ace Attorney game for some time, describing it as a "visual novel" doesn't sound very appealing to me at all...
Am I the only one that came here looking for the Nonary Games being mentioned only to realize they were never released for the Switch?
Had to cry in silence...
@Dang69 Its very different when it comes to tone. AI Somnium Files is much more serious. And you don't exactly have open world here (in Dangnronpa you could go anywhere you unlocked). That being said I do love both games and both are great in their own way
Other than the games listed I also enjoyed Aokana recently. Quite lighthearted, but it's partly about sport (fictional sport - FC, mind you), and those sports match scenes are executed really well, even though by VN nature they are quite static they did feel dynamic to me and always had me in suspension on what would happen next
Feels like a weird list that missed a lot of the high quality ones, for example:
@HeroponRiki THIS along with any work from ryukishi07 would be amazing
I have Seabed and If my Heart had Wings CE on their way (eventually) from Playasia. I own A.I Somnium and Aokana with Coffee Talk LE coming from Strictly Limited (one day). I’ve enjoyed the ones I do currently own.
Happy to see two of my preorders on here, regardless of IMHHW not being on here, I’ve heard good things.
When you put Worldend Syndrome in the feature image, but don't mention it in the article? Also, Worldend Syndrome is a top tier Switch VN.
YES. I loved Murder by Numbers. Also kinda wild to know that the Zero Escape series hasn't yet been ported to the switch.
This list is.... pretty bad. I mean... One Night Stand? Neo Cab? Where's Raging Loop, Yu-no, Grisaia, Aokana...? Seems like a list a newcomer to the genre would make.
You guys have been sleeping on last month’s The House in Fata Morgana, which is a 10/10.
Worked on a couple of these ports - glad to see them in here.
@Jumping_Dead Yeah, I don't think any of the staff here play enough VNs to make a reasonable list but gotta get those clicks I guess.
What about Last Window...? Oh, the Switch doesn't have Last Window! snickers
...cries in paperclips
@ZeldaNX @Handy_Man
Just in case you two missed the news:
https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2021/04/the_great_ace_attorney_chronicles_brings_long-awaited_games_to_switch_this_july
@Meei Totally agree, specially Raging Loop.
@Munchlax steins gate VN is 100 better then anime
There are a lot of beautiful VN... But why steins gate zero is on the list and not steins gate elite? It's the best
@Zimon I'm playing Yu-No right now and I'm at the end. I really liked the entire story but the last linear fantasy part...well, not a lot
I actually have Cofee Talk in my Steam Library due to some humble bundle. Guess I should give that a go some time.
Also surprised Aviary Attorney didn't make the list, though I only know it makes fun of Phoenix Wright and it got good reviews on NL.
I still need to dive in and play Ace Attorney Trilogy. I also have my eyes on Gnosia (Waiting for a slight discount), and the Steins;Gate games as well. I haven't played many visual novels, but it's a genre I definitely like!
Raging Loop should be on this list.
Maybe Yu-No: A Girl Who Chants Love...
@Not_Soos Phoenix Wright games are like visual novel mixed with old school point and click adventure games. They’re very very good, if that sounds like something you’d be into.
@Torn Steins;Gate is one of the best VN of all time. Not Steins;Gate 0.
Steins;Gate 0 is fun, but it’s kinda weird. It’s a sequel to one of the bad endings in regular S;G, so I never really felt like the plot mattered. And it didn’t hit the same emotional beats for me that the original does so well.
But man, I love the original Steins;Gate. The game and anime are both exceptional.
Steins;Gate 0 is on the list, but not the original? Congratulations Nintendo Life, you have now committed a war crime.
Hope NL staff will review The House in Fata Morgana: Dreams of the Revenants Edition soon.. incredible story and truly a masterpiece imo. Surprised not to see it on the list.
AI: The Somnium Files isn't available on the Europe Switch store for some reason.
It's ok because I played it on PC, but it's still a strange omission.
Dream dad and Arcade Spirits have such terrible art styles.
Mostly Arcade Spritis. I would rank Phoenix Wright a lot higher since it is one of the most fun and accesible visual novels even for people like me, who are not into visual novels.
When I was in Japan at the end on 2019, I saw there was a Jake Hunter game, Prism of Eyes on Switch. I'm starting to lose hope at this point, but I was hoping they'd localize it for the west.
Gnosia, Raging Loop, and The House in Fata Morgana deserve to be here
While the Switch ports are nowhere as dirty as the PC editions I'd highly recommend the Nekopara series.
Hard to take this list seriously without House in Fata Morgana on it.
Raging loop is better than ai the somnium files. The fact it's not on this list is depressing.
This list feels incomplete. How could it not include The House in Fata Morgana; a game that, as of typing this, is the ONLY game one 100 score more away from toppling Ocarina of Time as the highest scoring game on Metacritic? Technically, being 6 for 6, one could argue it laready has.
It's Japan-only for now at least, but I really enjoyed Buddy Mission BOND which came out for Switch earlier this year. The characters were great, and I really liked the story. A lot of the gameplay elements were pretty fun, too. Hoping they localize it someday and make a sequel.
This list is missing Our world is ended. Really funny game.
@Munchlax steins gate anime is a 1/10 of the VN. i'm so happy that i've seen the anime after the VN
@nintendolife
Will you add The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles to this list too?
I'm seeing people missing House in Fata Morgana, and I wonder... Isn't that pretty much a book, rather than a game? I haven't played most of the games listed here, but I think comparing HIFM with Ace Attorney, in which you have to take action on pretty much everything that happens, would be a bit unfair.
As I said, I don't know much about visual novels, but I guess, seeing that Ace Attorney is here, that that's the way the graphic adventure games (such as Monkey Island, Hotel Dusk or Heavy Rain) are called now.
I would add also these
Collar X Malice
Regular Ace Attorney games
The Grisaia Trilogy
Grisaia Phantom Trigger (fyi not the same as above)
Clannad
Clannad After Stories
Little Busters
Tomoyo After: It's a Wonderful Life
Milestone Fault 1 and 2
Yumeutsutsu Re: Master
Yuneutsutsu Re: After
Robotics Note Elite
Aokana
And as a bonus, Fatal Twelve and Danganronpa Trilogy are coming to the Switch too.
Dream Daddy being on the same list as Famicom Detective Club bothers me in the worst way possible.
Ah weird, the Switch is missing the best one: Hotel Dusk.
@the_beaver
It's called "best visual novels" though. A visual novel just requires images and text to be considered a visual novel.
Also House in Fata Morgana has choices and multiple endings, so it's not much different from some other games on this list. (such as Arcade Spirits)
It seems kinda weird they would miss House in Fata Morgana considering they're literally doing (or they were doing) an article series on their playthrough of it.
'Subsurface Circular' and 'Bury Me, My Love' deserve to be mentioned on this list.
I'm here to study the box art, because I really don't like visual novels and don't want to buy one by accident... I should really learn to read better.
@SlowPokemon Yeah, I absolutely don't know how this isn't a major piece of this article. It's a complete joke without it.
@the_beaver It's actually the very definition of a visual novel. If anything you could argue Ace Attorney is not quiet in that genre comparatively.
@tseliot Ok, that makes more sense then haha, probably is just that I don't see Ace Attorney like a visual novel as such...
2064: Read Only Memories should be on this list too. The story is good, the setting is interesting, and a few of the characters can be found as Easter eggs in VA-11 HALL-A.
@Jasonmd Agreed. Raging Loop is great even though it doesn't quite stick the landing.
Nintendo Life and visual novel fans, please check out "Cross the Moon".
Others have mentioned it's exclusion, but where the heck is The House in Fata Morgana? The game is amazing and is ranked #1 Switch game on Metacritic, even ahead of BOTW. Why hasn't Nintendo Life reviewed it???
Over the Alps is a great one, too!
@nintendolife Danganronpa to this list too?
Tokyo school life and Our world is ended deserves to be on the list, both are fantastic games
Recently got the physical edition of DDLC+ with all the little fun physical bonuses. Its super cute and I feel like the unlockable side stories and pictures, poems etc really make it worthwhile. Having played it on PC first, I actually think the way they handled the "operating system / file structure" stuff was really good for Switch.
It says something about the quality of the storywriting that I still feel guilty when trying to decide which of the 4 main characters I like most. My heart says Sayori - we were childhood friends after all. But I don't want the others to feel left out. They feel real darnit! The 6/12 new side stories flesh them out further and give some closure.
@samuelvictor Sayori you say? Sure about that? 😁
@Tobiaku Hell yes.. I loved Tokyo School Life and Our World is Ended is on my wanted list. Just got in Island and My Girlfriend is a Mermaid?! from PlayAsia 😁
the house in Fata Morgana.... duh
@Rayquaza2510 Aokana, Clannad, If My Heart Had Wings, DDLC Plus and The Grisaia Trilogy should all be at the top 😁
I will play Doki Doki literature club next
No love for nekopara?
@JustMonika Ooops sorry Monika... I know we were meant to be together. And I loved the song you wrote for me! <3
I'll echo everyone else who is wondering why Clannad is not on the list.
World end syndrome is a great one that is overlooked imo
Yes it’s on the list but I wish others would play it.
Shouldn’t the house in fata morgana be on this list? 🙂
Fata Morgana not here? I get nobody has played it, but it's one of the best visual novels around. If anyone has a choice between great ace attorney and fata Morgana, well, it depends on if you want casual racism and zany characters or a incredibly complex but very dark story. I'm just saying, fata Morgana is definitely on the top of my favorite visual novels. It does go to places probably not great for all audiences though
@Boopero honestly, it's probably because it's a cult classic. Everyone that plays it digs it because it's just so well written, but basically the only way you'll ever hear about it is word of mouth. Nobody has played the thing. Also, I dunno, some of it's subject themes might be why NL has dodged it. May not have much of an overlapping audience. thats literally my only guess. I'm just saying I wouldn't call fata Morgana light reading. It's not ace attorney to be sure.
In relation to Fata Morgana, I think that @KateGray has a review coming, so maybe the NL gang are waiting for that first, before adding it to this list?
@Ooyah it's coming!! I promise!! It took a very long time to finish!
you guys should check The Silver Case 2425, one of the best 2-in-1 novels on switch
I hope Chaos; Head Noah gets localized
I could easily leave the rest. But these 4 are solid gold.
@UltimateOtaku91 Hell yes! I got them all on Switch. None of the dirty like the 18+ PC version but still a decent mixture of both edgy and cute at the same time.
@Aurumonado I got the Collector's Edition for Switch. Damn thing cost me $250 but comes with an art book and soundtrack. For such an iconic VN and anime series, I think it's worth it.
@Themagusx1 I got the Limited Edition of World End Syndrome and plan on going through it after Maitetsu and Island.
@Xansies Fata Morgana is on my wanted list 😁
@Linux7055 My thoughts exactly! It could take a year though from what I've heard. Especially since Noah never got a localization to begin with.
I've started the Steins Gate anime. I didn't't know that there was a visual novel adaptation. Also I would recommend the Ace Attorney Trilogy to anyone.
@JustMonika Yes the Clannad CE is totally worth it.
@Aurumonado I'm working on Maitetsu and yesterday I got Island and My Girlfriend is a Mermaid?! through PlayAsia. Next I'll be getting Little Busters! Converted Edition.
@moodycat They are missing a lot of good stuff, not just otome
@JustMonika beware that the translators of House in fata morgana has atleast done one weird "translation" choice where they translated tsundere as 'fragile male ego'.
I just want to say that I haven't played any visual novels. But then I tried Doki Doki Literature Club and oh damn, it's freaking perfection. I love it.
@JustMonika Let us know how you get along with ISLAND.
Had my eyes on it for a while after rather enjoying the anime and wondering how the game compares.
Really enjoying this sudden boost of VN interest here. It would be nice to have a 2nd-tier toplist as the eshop is now awash with (not-quite-there-but-still-damned good) budget titles.
Can't believe Fata Morgana isn't here when Worlds End Syndrome can stay up. Better rewrite this article.
2064 is also one of the best Western VN I've ever played. Excellent storytelling and music.
Clannad should be here. I’ve watched the Dub of the anime and on of my favorite programs I’ve seen of all time
@Andyv01 Here's my current VN collection on Switch
Aokana: Four Rhythms Across the Blue (Limited Edition)
Clannad (Collector's Edition)
Doki Doki Literature Club Plus! (Physical)
Food Girls (Import - not even listed on this site)
If My Heart Had Wings (Limited Edition - Number 1113 of 2000)
Island (Import)
Maitetsu: Pure Station (Import)
My Girlfriend is a Mermaid (Import)
Nekopara: Volume 1 (eShop)
Nekopara: Volume 2 (eShop)
Nekopara: Volume 3 (eShop)
Nekopara: Volume 4 (eShop)
Planetarian: Reverie of a Little Planet (eShop)
Re:Zero - The Prophecy of the Throne (Day One Edition)
Root Film (Physical)
Root Letter: Last Answer (Physical)
Sakura Succubus (eShop)
Steins;Gate Elite (Physical)
Tokyo School Life (Physical)
World End Syndrome (Imported Limited Edition)
YU-NO: A Girl Who Chants Love at the Bound of this World (Physical)
I got into visual novels pretty big time over the Summer since Doki Doki Literature Club Plus was released on consoles and I don't have a PC. After that I was hooked. I'm even spearheading a scientific initiative called Projekt Monika. You can add me on Facebook and Twitter if you want.
@Hero-of-WiiU The best romance anime ever made. I own the Collector's Edition on Switch which cost me $250 and the anime on blu ray which cost me $80. Haven't tried the VN yet but I will get to it 😁
@Tobiaku LOL
@Meteoroid for the most part I agree with what your saying, it does initially seem quite a novice list.
Raging loop, Clannad and Yu-No are indeed essential in my eyes but I get the impression this list is more catered for first timers "im quite interested in VN's, where should I start?" and so needs to give the viewer a broader perspective of whats out there as oppose to a comprehensive bible of the cream of the crop (which in my opinion mostly consists of the JVN's).
Also, VN's take an awful lot of time to complete and writing a review without finishing the main story simply wont work. I imagine their backlog of potential reviews is something fierce and often simply have to overlook gems on some weeks (Cupid Parasite?) whilst going ahead and reviewing weaker ones on quieter weeks.
Finally, they really should put a shout out to the vndb.com for when people want to take their research of the genre that bit further.
Since Ai the somnium files is on the list, maybe Mary skelter finale could be added too. Its part dungeon crawler and part VN, they basically included the two first games as VNs plus that school spinoff VN.
@Meteoroid Is that on Switch? What's the English name for it? 😁
@Andyv01 They take longer for me than an RPG. 100 hours for Aokana and 90 hours for If My Heart Had Wings. I guess Clannad, Little Busters, YU-NO and World End Syndrome will probably take me 150 to 200 hours, lol
@Andyv01 Can't even imagine how long The Grisaia Trilogy would take me 🤣
Give me a visual novel that’s more then just a digital chose your own adventure book. Then we’ll talk😒
For those who might ask I mean things like combat segments between the conversations or what ace attorney does with its search for evidence thing.
I have
The House in Fata Morgana (just completed) best game ever
Clannad (not played)
Yu-No (not played)
Doki Doki Literature Club (not played but next on the playlist)
Death Mark (not played)
All physical
Fata Morgana is the first (and only) visual novel I played. Honestly its sublime, I dont know how any game could possibly follow in its shadow. so im choosing Literature Club as I've heard great things about that one.
I think I found my new fav genre, honestly perfect since you can pick up and put down easily. There are so so many titles I have on my list to buy, doesn't really help that they are mostly imports.
I would love if VN became more popular in the west, as they seem to be, then we can get more titles translated, and hopefully save some money ha
Is house of fata morgana really that worth playing? I played the first two stories and almost fell asleep. Then I heard the third story was also boring so I wasn't able to endure another 4-5 hours until the game become interesting.
@Meteoroid I actually own the Rumbling Hearts anime and the VN has an English release on Steam I believe.. of course I don't have a PC though, lol
@piecez You gotta buy Aokana: Four Rhythms Across the Blue and If My Heart Had Wings. 10/10 for both. I own limited editions of both.
They are only taking in Visual Novels, that they have actually reviewed, therefore i can understand where this list is coming from. Still, i remember there being an article about The house in Fata Morgana once and of course Clannad and Yu-No belong here at the very least.
I get that people want more gameplay, but the classic Visual Novel formula is not prone to that, you are better off playing an adventure game instead.
Edit. Just wanna say that there are still quite some good games on the list, despite all the complaining : D
@Solaine Then they should seriously review If My Heart Had Wings and Aokana: Four Rhythms Across the Blue. At least they gave good scores for Doki Doki Literature Club Plus, World End Syndrome and Steins;Gate. Although it seems like they don't care too much for visual novels here. I own a physical copy of Food Girls with English subtitles and it's not even in their database, lol
@JustMonika Totally agree with you there, especially if they are making a list of best Visual Novels on the Switch
@JustMonika
How’s the visual novel? I saw that it’s just Japanese which is ok I just know I preferred the anime in the DUB.
@Hero-of-WiiU When it comes to anime I prefer English dubbed also but visual novels typically are in Japanese with English subtitles.
@JustMonika played them all (grisaia even twice) and fully agree there.
@Rayquaza2510 What did you think about Kotori's route in If My Heart Had Wings? That's the best thing I ever experienced since 2013 when I first played The Last of Us. I wish that route would get an anime adaptation. Amane's route was also really good because of what a brilliant doofus she was. Kotori's route was the most emotional though.
This article should be called "Most mainstream Visual Novels on Switch"
There are some serious omissions!
They are only accepting Visual Novels that they have evaluated, so I can see where this list is coming from. Still, I recall reading an article about The House in Fata Morgana once, and Clannad and Yu-No, at the very least, belong here.
I understand that people desire more gameplay, but the traditional Visual Novel structure is not prone to this; instead, play an adventure game.
The fact there's no mention of 13 Sentinels Aegis Rim anywhere... more people need to know about vanillaware. Yes it does have a battle system but is story-driven, story-heavy, and just too good to pass up
Can someone add me and Tell me which of those Games ist censored on Switch?
@Poskito For Sure. Although Gnosia too me felt more gamey and Simulation Like with a touche of VN. I dont know If you felt the Same way, but it really felt Like playing a Turn based RPG to me Most of the time
Chaos Head and Child seem to suffer from Bad localization is what I Heard. It wont be better on PC but there you have an easiier time applying Patches. So maybe dont Play that on Switch. Death Mark also got censored but I dont think its too drastic so still enjoyable
I definitely would've put Raging Loop on there. Got to playing it late last year (on the PS5, admittedly) and loved it.
Island at #1 for certain. Best game ever made.
Missing a lot here
And there are more, it's just that I don't play every VN on the Switch (some I prefer on my PC/Steam Deck or my PS Vita)
As soon as I saw this was updated, I knew it was because of Paranormasight's inclusion. Only finished up the first section of the game, but it's already asking for some really creative puzzle solutions that would only make sense in the context of a video game.
I got very angry when I saw that zero escape wasn't on this list... then I found out that zero escape isn't on switch and I became sad.
I’m worried that Famicom Detective Club didn’t sell well :/ Would really love getting more releases like this from Nintendo.
Lots of games here in this list. No time to try them all.
Ok, but which ones are THE VERY BEST? I mean, if we had to do a top 5, which ones would deifintely be there? Anyone?
Where are Steins gate elite and robotics note elite?
There aren't a lot of beautiful VNs here...better than those in the list
What is 'Murder by Numbers' doing on any 'best games' list?! That was one of the most painful trudges of my life.
I still think Our world is ended and Tokyo school life should be on the list.
thanks so much for this guide!!!
Hey! Where is Corpse Party, huh?!
Sucker! Sucker! Sucker for Love!
YU-NO: A Girl Who Chants Love at the Bound of this World is a very complicated and rewarding experience. Recommend.
I will forever state, The House in Fata Morgana: Dreams of the Revenants was a waste of money and doesn't deserve any praise or credit. It is objectively bad.
Gnosia is not a visual novel. Bye bye.
I've been waiting for the Famicom Detective games to be on sale but they've never been since they were released. It's high time!
@John_Deacon I agree. It's been on my wishlist ever since it was released and I've kept an eye on it ever since. Gutted we can't get the physical version here.
It's not listed in this article, and I have not played the Switch version, but "If My Heart Had Wings" is a rather pretty visual novel to play through. I do wish it would get an anime adaptation, like that of Shuffle!, To Heart, or Ace Attorney.
And it might never happen, but I would love to see another visual novel by the title of "Katawa Shoujo" get ported to the Switch. That was also a very pretty one, and is also deserving of an anime adaptation.
@Ralizah For somone who has never really played the genre apart from the Phoenix games whats your top suggestion from the UK store?
Neo Cab was a huge surprise to me. Really engaging story with cool, interesting characters. Glad to see it in this list
@Jasonmd Yeah, as a big Zero Escape fan it's really sad that those are still not on Switch... fingers crossed they'll eventually bring them on it and/or it's successor!
@John_Deacon @Aelynn Same, a sale would probably convince me to finally get the Famicom Detective Club games, but somehow they've never been discounted at all, not even a relatively modest discount!
Cool article, never heard of so many of these. Danganronpa and especially Ace Attorney are just amazing, especially the music! Also, can't wait for Ghost Trick, which I would put on this category! Played it a while back and will definitely play through when released!
This is probably the most laughable list on the entire website. So many massive omissions to include Dream Daddy and furry nonsense. Like half the list is not even Japanese, which is like 99% of all Visual Novels. I get that you want a diverse list but this is bad.
I know it’s not exactly the same genre but close enough: Return of the Obra Dinn and The Case of the Golden Idol both should be on this list! Top notch options
@cmbaum You literally just said they're not the same genre, and you were correct, and no they should not be on the list of a genre they are not a part of.
gotta get world end syndrome.
A small update, but there's another visual novel that I recently discovered while I was at Best Buy a couple months ago. It's based on the light novel/manga/anime series My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!
This game is apparently based on a fanfic of Fortune Lover, the game that the girl who reincarnated into Katarina Claes was playing before she got isekai'd by Truck-kun. It involves going onto a ship, which ends up getting attacked by pirates. I'm only a few minutes into the game myself, but it does seem interesting enough. They even managed to get the voice actors from the Japanese Dub of the anime back for the game!
If any of you liked the original light novel, manga, or anime, I suggest you check it out for yourselves!
I really want to mention Aokana - Four Rhythms Across the Blue. An absolutely fantastic visual novel.
@cmbaum No they are very different, the genre you are referring to is Adventure games, Phoenix Wright is certainly one of those, but it's interface is told like a visual Novel. Obra Dinn has a fully explorable 3D world, it is in no way a visual Novel, and from what I know of Golden Idol it is a straight up adventure game.
Death Trick: Double Blind is an upcoming detective/mystery visual novel that I would recommend checking out (especially if you like the Jake Hunter games).
There's a demo up on eShop you can download.
Shout out to Process of Elimination. The gameplay sections can be janky, especially during chapters 3 and 4 when there's an abrupt difficulty spike that then dies down again afterward, but I was super invested in the cast.
@cmbaum You're not giving me anything, you just don't know what a Visual Novel is. I just looked up some footage of Golden Idol just now, and it is an adventure game. Visual novels are story, dialogue, and minor choices, and it's almost all reading, hence visual Novel. Just admit you didn't know, and now learned, instead of pretending you get to decide what Visual Novel Means.
Long ago I also had discussions about what is "a visual novel"
At some point I discovered that everyone has a different definition of what a VN is, so I stopped caring and started giving a very simple answer when asked.
"If it's on VNDB, 99% chance it is a VN"
Simple
I’ve read a lot of VNs by now and so far Fata Morgana is my absolute favorite! Highly recommended!
@cmbaum Yes, what you are describing is called a graphic adventure game, often shortened to adventure game. There's an entire website and subreddit devoted to them if you want to learn more. They're based off of text adventure games from the late 70's and early 80's where you would input text, then they added graphics. Also you could just try playing all these games and understanding the interface differences that define genres. If you still believe you are correct, I don't know what to tell you, you aren't, and the Nintendolife Staff are pretty knowledgeable.
@Rayquaza2510 I'm open to discussion, but if you're going to criticize a NL list come with a real criticism. I blocked them anyways, they can go on believing Putt Putt Saves the Zoo is the greatest VN of all time for all I care.
I think stuff like Trauma Center is where reasonable debates are to be had. I'd call it a VN, but also I skip through the dialog and just do the surgery.
It's weird that Nintendo Life gave The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood a (deserved) 9/10 score, yet it's missing from the list even though some 8/10 games are included. What's up with that? Maybe the deckbuilding elements in TCWS made someone think it's not a visual novel, but it absolutely is. All VN and narrative game fans should definitely check it out, it was my favourite video game of 2023 alongside Baldur's Gate III.
You Nintendo Life people convinced me into playing Subsurface Circular and Quarantine Circular, then later I found out I had been tricked into playing what are basically visual novels. And they were both fantastic and should be on this list.
I was going to say Famicom Detective. Glad you placed it in the first spot. My fear is that way too little people bought it... revisiting Japanese obscurities is something Nintendo should do way more often, if you ask me. Loved them.
I feel like what constitutes a visual novel is incredibly loose and arbitrary anyway. Like I know Danganronpa's generally considered one while Rain Code isn't but really the only meaningful distinction between how they play is that Rain Code's overworld is in third person rather than first.
No otome at all at this "Best VN"? It is brutal.
Witch on the Holy Night should be on this list. Its an absolute masterpiece.
Totally agree with @Darling_Jen . Wheres the Otome? At the very least Code:Realise and Cupid Parasite.
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