I love visual novels, I can't play because I don't know how soo I'm watching it on youtube. I actually wanted to ask what I should watch but suddenly I wonder which visual novel you guys think is the best????
STEINS;GATE and Phoenix Wright are all time classics. Arcade Spirits and Hustle Cat are pretty good too, imo! Zero Escape: The Nonary Games is also great. there are a lot of great options... can't really pick a fav in that regard
Something something on g-string is good if you somehow get the title right Utawarerumono series is also good
Depends on the type of visual novel because they can go in MANY different ways. More story based ones that don't focus on romance (If there is any at all in them, the romance is a subplot) Zero Escape (this series has like 3 games, but I only really liked the 1st one, Zero Escape 999, it is a escape room puzzle series with deal with some heavy handed plot and consequences, kind of like a death game at times) Danganronpa (never played it but many like it, it has several main games and some side ones, kind of a psychological murder mystery series) Spirit Hunter Series (Death Mark (1st game), Spirit Hunter NG (2nd game). This is a horror mystery series with ghosts and lots of death) PSYCHO-PASS: Mandatory Happiness (I would probably watch the anime first to know the world of it, IDK why it has a visual novel tbh, but it was a fun play as a fan of the series.) Romance focused (but semi-decent story and design) Amnesia: Memories (fun design, both a very crazy or chill game depending on the route lol, heroine can die so horribly sometimes in this game tho) Dandelion Wishes Brought To You (magical cat and bunny boys, super depressed heroine, a story that gets more serious as time passes) Hakuoki: Kyoto Winds, Edo Blossoms (2 different games, but they took the original Hakuoki and added it to in terms of story and romance. They added so much to the remake that they had to turn it into two games more or less, and a badass story with pretty samurai and demons? Cool). Code: Realize (it has several games in the series, most the characters are based off of old time book characters like Arsene Lupin and Frankenstein in a steam punk 1800s London) Eroge (Smut games) I haven't played any, but I know some people post playthroughs (with or without commentary) on some porn sites Dramatical Murder (or any Nitro+chiral game) counts as a BL eroge. I think there's a few playthroughs on YT where its censored, but its also probably on some porn sites lol. But Nitro+chiral has the reputation for making dark stories, where bad ends are just painful. Games that have visual novel mechanics? Any Fire Emblem game Any Persona game (but 5 is the newest) Any modern JRPG tbh Unique Mentions: Mystic Messenger (its a unique mobile one that many people love) SunRider games (clunky, but enjoyable mecha tactics games lol) Corpse Party (very messed up and famous horror series) Also, when it comes to playing visual novels, it is all about save scumming (going back on a save and reload to fix a mistake) and walkthroughs. Just play them however you want to, most people play alone, and no one is going to truly judge you for using a walkthrough if you need it.
Someone already recommended the Devil on the G-String and I second their recommendation, though I will add that you might want to try Sharin no Kuni - Himawari no shoujo by the same company. I personally prefer the Devil on the G-String but some find this one to be better. Another great visual novel that you might want to try is Utawareromono (either the old version or the remaster) and its two sequels. the original visual novel had a great story and the gameplay was fun as well. EdenPlusMosiac is a neat short story though I admit whether you like it or not will depend on your taste.
Definitely Zero Escape series, as well as AI: Somnium Files by the same director!!! It's fun to watch for sure - crazy complicated plot twists as well as humorous moments. Just be wary of the gore!
If you are after sex then any eroge will be "the best " for you. Any harem anime set in high school usually has or was based on a visual novel. True Tears comes to mind. I consider them child pornography. Depending on your location, your government authorities might agree with me. God bless and Cheers!
For me it's Clannad. No visual novel has made me feel such a wide range of emotions as that one. The characters, while fitting into common character tropes for the most part, don't feel defined by the trope like I have seen with many characters and it gives them a more unique feel. It helps that Tomoya is a fantastic protagonist built with positive and negative traits highlighted very well, and he isn't more "special" than anyone else and he has great chemistry with the entire cast. 3 of my top 10 favorite characters in any media come from the Clannad series (2 from Clannad, 1 from Tomoyo After) which also helps out quite a bit.
I'm a fan of those with gameplay, like Utawarerumono, Kamidori Alchemy Meister, or even Princess Waltz. But in terms of "best", I suppose story is king. In that case you're probably looking for something like Fate/Stay, Steins;Gate.. etc.. Y'know, just check the most highly rated/popular VNs on VNDB. I'm pretty behind on the latest VNs.. what there are, anyway. Translation in that field goes extremely slowly.
Go get Umineko, it's meant to be watched (not played, because it's a sound novel, there's nothing to play). This is not to say that you should watch the anime, because people would argue that the anime sucks ass. Or you can try Higurashi, by the same people who made Umineko. While it's not a visual novel, Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterflies is a well-written story and you can watch it in its entirety on youtube.
Not really the best, but Saya no Uta is a good one for beginner and I enjoyed it a lot. And Subahibi, my personal favourite, I strongly recommend that.
I want to play a VN with a Black Protagonist and diverse heroines including White and Japanese very badly now and am in deep stress at not being able to play it yet. Is there a chance I would be able to buy and play such a product before I one day kick the bucket and pass away ?
by chance i stumble upon a site which offer a good amount of VN games (mostly nsfw) The Headmaster Wicked Rouge Take Over
just play some western ones. There's actually a sale atm for Vampire : The Masquerade - Coteries of New York. One of the three choosable protagonists is black (although the only real choice is what skills each character lets you use), there are some unique "friends" you can make, and a diverse set of charaters. It's more of a kinetic novel imo because there's not really a lot of choices that matter : mostly just you dodging game over endings.
School days is a visual novel you could check out esp after getting tired of overused tropes in otome/reverse otome games and need some dark humour in your life (haha). Cinderella Phenomenon is pretty decent too with consistent art and plot quality and isn't really your atypical visual novel though the themes may be quite common. Kusoge and hatsukoi boyfriend are 2 otome games you can check out for the laughs or if you just want something weirdly fresh. Norn9 is pretty cool too as you can go through diff routes and the character actually has like a backstory to them and isn't some blank doll the moment you choose the playable character. Ddlc though known by many is decent but it's most likely that you know the ending of that one so ehhhh. Well just play what you want lol. Or watch playthroughs.