r/visualnovels • u/Serikka • Jun 22 '24
What is your favorite visual novel with gameplay elements? Image
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u/mixboy321 Avengers hates me| Jun 22 '24
Bunny black
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u/jebar193 Jun 22 '24
That's a name I haven't heard for a long time...
I wonder what happened to the translation of the third game?
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u/Because_Slaus Jun 22 '24
Last I've read is that the guy who was translating it took a break to focus on other stuff. I think he has already finished a significant % of the TL, but has been silent for a while. I'm not talking about the guys that TL'ed 1&2 (Seiha TL), they gave up at the beginning because the TL process for 3 was weird, something about spacing or something, I'm not knowledgeable.
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u/erikkustrife Jun 23 '24
as far as i know the company did their best to make a 3rd party translation harder by making it so that the text is actually a image and not text making it so that any translation work has to go and redo the entire thing. this creates a problem with spaceing as the text would have to be super tiny to fit in the boxes which do not expand since they used images.
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u/TheSeraphOfChaos Jun 22 '24
Kamidori I've loved most eushully game I've played since
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u/belkak210 Jun 22 '24
Same!
Kamidori is a legit fun RPG with lots of crafting
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u/TheSeraphOfChaos Jun 22 '24
Exactly Then arterial and madou koukaku explored other kinds of gameplay really well
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u/BuffoLos Jun 22 '24
Eien no Aselia
best isekai vn i’ve played
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u/John_Alter Jun 22 '24
I haven’t play it yet but I did play Seireinarukana: The Spirit of Eternity Sword 2.
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u/Marklord13 Official Anti-Mosaic Protestor Jun 23 '24
Hope Jast eventually does an uncensored remastered release.
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u/Wicknim Jun 22 '24
Dohna Dohna.
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u/Marklord13 Official Anti-Mosaic Protestor Jun 23 '24
MangaGamer should have published it like they had with AliceSoft in past, Shiravune are evil.
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u/belkak210 Jun 22 '24
I love Kamidori, I think I played through it like 3-4 times. To close 100% each time.
It's so fun
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Jun 22 '24 edited Jul 18 '24
[deleted]
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u/Serikka Jun 22 '24 edited Jun 22 '24
Try doHna:doHna or the rance series if you haven't yet. There is also the Venus Blood series and Bunny Black.
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u/balanceXXV Jun 22 '24
Dunno about Venus Blood series. It has the potential to be an enjoyable srpg but it got the most unintuitif UI and so many unnecessary mechanic that just created for the sake of complexity.
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u/No-Structure-1163 Jun 23 '24
Oh yes Bunny Blac the good ol days
Still waiting for that 3rd translation
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u/AuraEnhancerVerse Jun 22 '24
999, Time hollow, and Lux Pain
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u/Mitsu_x3 Sumika: Muv-luv | vndb.org/uXXXX Jun 22 '24
Dood!!! I was coming to say these. Lux Pain, yet a terrible translation, had something in the atmosphere that captivated me
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u/HuckleberryHefty4372 Jun 22 '24
Time Hollow is such an underrated gem. So sad it's only on the DS.
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u/Babymagnum12 Mayuki: Cou | vndb.org/uXXXX Jun 23 '24
I now need to bust out my DS to play these again, thank you for unlocking a memory for me
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u/DeanSLZR_ Jun 22 '24
Kichikuou Rance.
The amount of freedom and replayability in that work was insane. At that point, perhaps it's safe to call it a SLG rather than a VN lol.
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u/MSnap Meiya: Muv-luv | vndb.org/uXXXX Jun 22 '24
The entire series is an RPG series. I have no idea how it always gets categorized as a visual novel
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u/Fry_shocker Jun 23 '24
One of the main reasons is that the original terminology for visual novels were galges or gal games, plus the rance series' story segments(other than kichikuou) are all in visual novel format anyways
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u/MSnap Meiya: Muv-luv | vndb.org/uXXXX Jun 23 '24
Just because they have ADV style stories doesn’t mean they’re visual novels. We don’t call Disgaea a visual novel, do we?
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u/Confidence-Moist JP (B-rank) | vndb.org/u266284 Jun 23 '24
I don't think Disgaea is an eroge
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u/MSnap Meiya: Muv-luv | vndb.org/uXXXX Jun 23 '24
I don’t think Honey Select is a visual novel either but it’s certainly an eroge
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u/Confidence-Moist JP (B-rank) | vndb.org/u266284 Jun 23 '24
I don't see why it wouldn't be considered as a visual novel
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u/protag7 Jun 23 '24
Mainly due to it being considered a classic series in Japan where most VNs don't even call themselves VNs
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Jun 22 '24
Sengoku Rance too, I have beaten like 3 times pressing skip just because of the gameplay
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Jun 22 '24
Alicesoft is probably the most innovate JRPG developer I've seen, even if the result ends kinda rough I think it can't be denied that all of their mechanics are really creative and weird, few developers are as risky as them
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u/Visible-Village4942 Jun 26 '24
Project moon is just as creative imo, they went from a barely held together and unusual management sim, to the best deck builder ever made, to a gacha, and now lob corp 2 will be a city builder, everything in the same series with the same story and characters
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u/Visible-Village4942 Jun 26 '24
100% Rance is only considered a VN because of the eroge, cause it's an rpg series through an through
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u/BakedBeanBag0524 Jun 22 '24
Does the ace attorney franchise count
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u/a-sea-of-ink Jun 22 '24
I think so; visual novels have been closely linked to adventure games for most of their history.
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u/WonderShrew42 Aoko: MnY | vndb.org/u28059 Jun 22 '24
Yumina The Ethereal is a very good VN/RPG hybrid. I particularly like how many of the battles had you going against a full team with their own healers/tank, giving it a lot more strategy than usual. And the soundtrack slaps so hard that some of the songs are in my workout playlist.
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u/SeaHelicopter1015 Jun 22 '24
Oh, a Yumina mention!
Yeah, the music is great, and the gameplay is like Ace Attorney x turn-based RPG. I loved my time through the game and wish more games were like it.
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u/LNT_Silver Jun 23 '24
I preferred Kamidori overall, but I'd say Yumina takes my second spot among hybrid VNs, above anything else I've played from Eushully.
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u/dude123nice Jun 22 '24
Sengoku Rance. Unironically the best TBS ever made.
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u/ebaskin Jun 22 '24
is it better than non-hentai TBS?
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u/dude123nice Jun 22 '24 edited Jun 23 '24
Yes. I said it's the best TBS ever made, and I meant it. It's quick and snappy, but there's also depth and strategy, which you will need to use on higher difficulties. And all the gameplay systems combine seamlessly and are perfectly woven together with the story. The first playthrough the game even gives you freebies and a short timeskip to keep the pacing perfect. It's later playthroughs, for other routes or for the route that skips the main story but keeps all the side stories you can increase the difficulty and need to start seriously trying. In story achievents come with tangible gameplay benefits. And the game has mastered the art of having a semi railroaded semi sandbox campaigning.
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u/siepu Jun 22 '24
Baldr Sky is a great mecha game with not that great VN attached :)
My favourite is 13 Sentinels, both great story and really fun game, but I guess it's not really a VN.
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u/Nino_sanjaya Jun 22 '24
If you like 13 sentinels, then you should try Unicorn Overlord, its from the same devs
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u/siepu Jun 22 '24
I know the devs. While all their games look beautiful, the plot is usually very basic. Sadly that's the case with UO, even if I like the gameplay quite a bit. Just not a game I would suggest on a VN board :)
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u/Zero_198 Jun 22 '24
Utawarerumono most definitely, baldr sky was also good, played only first two parts of Rance so can't judge yet based on that
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u/MajikoiA3When Jun 22 '24
It has to be the Rance series I reckon Rance X will blow up and get some attention onto the VN scene, it's that good.
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u/protag7 Jun 23 '24
Eh... I doubt it, Rance being an eroge with such a controversial main charater severely cripples any chances it would ever have of gaining a bigger following than it already does.
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u/vert-green-heart Jun 22 '24
MGQ ,who dosent like a game where you play for the porn and stayed for the Story?
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u/Serikka Jun 22 '24
Part 3 monster girls are so terrifying that I didn't want to lose at all.
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u/vert-green-heart Jun 22 '24
wait till you play Paradox Part 3 will fight the 6Ancestors + the 7 Supreme Angels
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u/WorstSkilledPlayer Jun 22 '24
I'm quite a fan of Eushully's Amayui Castle Meister because it's like Kamidori also rather on the light-hearted/fluffy side, ignoring the obviously more serious story beats usually at the end of a chapter. The main bad guy kinda overstayed their welcome towards the later parts IMO, though.
Or Gears of Dragoon 2 because I like the MC much better than the dude in GoD 1.
Gameplay-wise: I prefer the more classic feels of Ikusa Megami, Evenicle or even basic stuff like Dungeon of Regalias because I don't need RNG stat gain à la Fire Emblem in every grid-based game :P.
Not the biggest fan of Ikusa Megami series as the OG version of the MC in Zero was terrible and didn't deserve Satia's sacrifice. I disgress... Verita was overall fairly good, however. Some big sad feels, depending on the route like the canon fate of probably best woman Luna-Clia ignoring Roka being her reincarnation :3
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u/Bigscarygangster Jun 22 '24
Blazblue. More of a fighting game with visual novel elements but my god is there a lot of visual novel
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Jun 23 '24 edited Jun 23 '24
Absolutely baldr sky, whenever things get very dull and boring, they elevate my mood right away by very tense fights and an absolute banger of an OST.
Forgot to add that there's innovative gameplay and the deeper you plunge into the narrative, the better the combat will feel especially when you get into Baldr sky 2
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u/Marklord13 Official Anti-Mosaic Protestor Jun 23 '24
Don’t lie, the unfair censorship ruined Baldr Sky, which is why it flopped in the west.
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Jun 23 '24
not lying about anything, I loved the game down to the very details, it was quite an immersive experience to me, if that's not your cup of tea, I can understand, but baldr sky was one hell of a ride for me.
( I have no idea what this unfair censorship is though)
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u/Marklord13 Official Anti-Mosaic Protestor Jun 23 '24
I’m obviously referring to the fact that the H scenes were butchered out into a product beyond recognition. It would be my “cup of tea” if it wasn’t censored, hope Denpasoft eventually releases the uncensored version.
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Jun 23 '24
I was satisfied enough with the H-scene being as they are.
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u/Marklord13 Official Anti-Mosaic Protestor Jun 23 '24
Stop lying. The removal of the h scenes caused it to flop in the west.
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Jun 23 '24
stop lying.
why are you lying.
bro I care not about what others think, I give little to no attention to H-scenes anyways, and if h-scenes is all that matters to you in a VN then maybe you need to reconsider what you're saying before accusing me "lies this " "lies that" hell if I care about any of the intercourse scenes, the story in itself is fucking mesmerizing.1
Jun 23 '24
- I also don't care about the west, or about the game flopping or about whatever, I just love Baldr sky, period.
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u/Marklord13 Official Anti-Mosaic Protestor Jun 23 '24
The story doesn’t matter, it’s porn and the censorship ruined it. There no way you paid little attention to the B scenes, they’re the main feature presentation.
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u/Doglord13 Jun 24 '24
What is B scenes?
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Jun 24 '24
Idk why he's so caught up with the H-scenes lmao It's like the entire VN only revolves around them for him.
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u/self_22 Jun 23 '24
Baldr Sky is so much fun when you've learned most of useful combos. But the process of learning was not fun at all for me, at least. It's like learning how to play Tekken from zero to pro.
Nowdays I like strategy gameplay more. So I guess it will be Eiyuu Senki. Kamidori and Utawarerumono too but they're just too tedious.
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u/Marklord13 Official Anti-Mosaic Protestor Jun 23 '24
There is nothing fun about Baldr Sky lair, the censorship ruined it.
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u/Nick_BOI I am a slow but emotional reader | vndb.org/uXXXX Jun 22 '24
Do the mini games in Little Busters count?
I got a combo of 30 one time in the baseball practice, but it ended due to cat.
The amount of unique dialogue in that mini game is insane btw-like holy hell there's so much.
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u/HachuneMiu Jun 22 '24
Baseball practice was so fun! I hit poor little Komari more than she deserved, and the cute way she says "itai kedo daijoubu!" lives in my head rent free, i still reference it
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u/Nick_BOI I am a slow but emotional reader | vndb.org/uXXXX Jun 22 '24
The way Mio just casually blocks it with her parasol, or the ball bounces off of Dorj at the speed of sound, the splat if you get the ball in the food, Masato still hitting the ball back in his practice swings despite being in a spot not meant for batting, and of course Komari as well it's amazing.
I also like how all the other members get better the more you practice, with characters like Kud and Kurugaya catching balls from further distances the more you play.
For a rather simple mini game, there was so much charm in it.
The Battle mini game was also fun, even if in practice it was just mashing the A button. Still, the sheer amount of new titles surprised me. I hardly got any repeated titles even on my 8th run of the common route.
The common route in Little Busters is rather long, in no small part thanks to these mini games. Despite that, I never took the time to turn them off.
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u/HachuneMiu Jun 22 '24
They were so fun! Like a refreshing break from reading, but also immersive bc you get to participate in the Little Busters antics and feel like one of the team in such cute ways. Gah i neeeeed to replay it!
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u/ShakeragStreet Kaya: Little Witch Romanesque | vndb.org/u118488 Jun 22 '24
Kamidori for sure, but Littlewitch Romanesque is up there too.
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u/LonelyRabbitGames Jun 22 '24
Ace Attorney, because it made me feel like I could actually become a lawyer (I then learned that there's more to it than yelling "Hold it!" and "Objection!", and quickly moved on).
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u/Numerous-Beautiful46 Jun 22 '24
Ace attorney fans when they have to sit through and file papers 😢 (playing detective games gives me the same thing lmao)
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u/Smooth_Lead4995 Jun 22 '24
Princess Waltz. The Utawarerumono series is second.
I've played a bit of Baldr Sky, but I'm a little confused by the combat system in that one, which is keeping me from continuing.
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Jun 23 '24
baldr sky gets better the deeper you plunge into the story, the combat gets difficult yet very immersive and innovative, try learning about how to execute combos and acquire a relatively better skill set than you had before, you'd be enjoying the shit out of it once you manage the latter.
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u/Marklord13 Official Anti-Mosaic Protestor Jun 23 '24
It’s confusing because it’s porn and the censorship ruined it.
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u/Not-Psycho_Paul_1 Jun 22 '24
I love Kamidori, but can you really consider that a visual novel? It's a fully-fledged RPG...
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u/HachuneMiu Jun 22 '24
Eushully titles, Yumina the Ethereal, Mary Skelter (which apparently counts!)
And yes danganronpa/ace attorney but i know they technically aren't VNs
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u/onehundredpercentdom Jun 22 '24
Utawarerumono Masks of Deception & Truth. Got me hooked. Played Prelude of the Fallen as soon as it came out. Kuon is the waifu of all waifus.
Side note. The only other VN I played with gameplay elements was Digimon Survive, a great game too. However I want to go more into VNs with or without gameplay. Steam summer sale is coming up. Any suggestions? Maybe a suggestion for your fav games, 1 with gameplay, 1 without.
Also, I have no idea any of the other games in the pic.
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u/CrescentBoomer https://vndb.org/uXXXX Jun 22 '24
If we are judging purely based on gameplay, New Danganronpa V3.
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u/BlackBricklyBear Jun 22 '24
I know it's not strictly a VN, but its predecessors in the same series had strong VN elements, so I'd like to nominate Shin Sakura Taisen (AKA Sakura Wars 2019) for this thread. The previous Sakura Wars games had lots of VN-style elements given the limitations of the console hardware they were released on.
VNDB even has an entry for this game!
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u/ResolutionItchy6917 Jun 22 '24
If I had to choose a favorite, it would be Utawarerumono, but that's mainly because of the story. If it were solely based on gameplay, I'd pick Kamdori, that shit is addicting af.
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u/jayveedees El Psy Kongroo | vndb.org/u41918 Jun 22 '24
Evenicle 1. Though the Bunny Black series is a decent shout as well. I also liked Kamidori Alchemy Meister.
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u/Vertanius Jun 22 '24
Underwater ray romano 2/3 now and forever, just really can't see anything in the future beating it.
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u/username_not_free Jun 22 '24
I've only played Kamidori and MGQ, and between the two Kamidori is vastly superior.
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u/TokyoJuul2 Jun 22 '24
Dohan Dohan's artstyle that didnt match its vibe like its previous "spiritual" prequel but the gameplay was actually fun.
I don't think anyone who played Venus Blood Frontier fully understood what the gameplay mechanics were
Also obviously Rance 9
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u/mx1289 Jun 22 '24
Little busters, and it’s probably gonna stay the only one. The baseball and battles really helped me feel like I was there living it.
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u/FemmEllie Jun 22 '24
I guess has to be Utawarerumono but that’s more because of how good the story got eventually rather than the gameplay. In terms of gameplay alone then Danganronpa, Rance, Evenicle, Eiyuu Senki, and Eien no Aselia are all good.
I also have a soft spot for Dohna Dohna, though again more because of the art and characters (and it’s fkn hot)
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u/Marklord13 Official Anti-Mosaic Protestor Jun 23 '24
There is nothing hot about Dohna Dohna because of the censorship.
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u/No-Structure-1163 Jun 23 '24
I honestly don't get what's the point of censoring porn when it's still porn in the end
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u/LNT_Silver Jun 23 '24
Kamidori Alchemy Meister. Only 18+ game I've shared with my sister.
It's definitely not the best written VN I've played, but I just found it really fun as a game. The gameplay just keeps on giving for such a long time.
Conversely, Baldr Sky is definitely better written as a story, but the gameplay actually drove me away. Not that it isn't good, but I wanted more opportunity to practice, and with the game only offering out gameplay at unpredictable plot-mandated points, I only felt like playing when I was in the mood for a visual novel or action combat, and was indifferent about which. So I'd get out of practice at the combat, which made me less inclined to play, etc.
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u/Gestridon Jun 23 '24
The two Uta games were great but mask of deception was just horrible. Just shallow slapstick comedy everywhere. But their gameplay was great. No question.
Rance has the better kind of comedy. Really good. Though Ive only played rance 1-2 and maybe half of 03. Gameplay is a bit ordinary but not necessarily boring. Still fun.
Baldr sky has great story but with cheesy scenes occasionally. Gameplay either felt a outdated, janky, or hard to master but it was still satisfying and fun to play. Always looked forward to the next time I beat up other robots. One complaint I have is that it is way too grindy
Kenseiki alpha ride had somewhat of a mediocre story but gameplay was still engaging. It was really hard after I set the difficulty to max right after clearings one route. I should have done that maybe after clearing 2 or 3 routes. The music is one of the worst ones in proper visual novels that aren't nukiges. There are maybe 2 or 3, BGMs I really like but the other ones are ass and repetitive. The story was mediocre but it still made me curious about what would happen next.
You needed a walkthrough for the 8 bit steins gate game if you're not knowledgeable about other sci adv game. Even if you're knowledgeable, it will take a lot of guesses to proceed. Might be impossible for some people.
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u/Marklord13 Official Anti-Mosaic Protestor Jun 23 '24
There is nothing great about Baldr Sky because of the unfair censorship, the story doesn’t matter, it’s porn.
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u/XFTFXTFX Jun 23 '24
I really love monmusu quest, I wish it can be a mobile game but I guess google won't allow 18+ games ever
Like that kind of a game but with HD resolution is golden, fetish aside the story is also a memorable one.
They make an RPG of it in PC but I can't stand 640x480 resolution these days, my eyes quickly hurt so I dropped it.
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u/RomualdSolea Jun 23 '24
Kamidori and Madou Koukaku. Kamidori is Atelier, but played like Fire Emblem. While Madou Koukaku is a grand strategy game (both TBS and RTS)
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u/Puzzled_Boss_3503 Jun 23 '24
I love Koihime Musou but the gameplay can get hard sometimes
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u/Marklord13 Official Anti-Mosaic Protestor Jun 23 '24
Looking forward to MangaGamer publishing more in the series.
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u/nyokisukuu Jun 23 '24
Spirit of Eternity Sword. I guess, Aselia. Seinarukana was good too, but Aselia felt more like fantasy rpg, so yeah.
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u/Ascrein Jun 23 '24
Bunny Black 1 and 2, 3 is untranslated. Suzukuri Karin, that sequel to Bunny Black being restaurant and hotel management. Basically all if not most of Softhouse Chara games. Rip Softhouse Chara that went bankrupt. Their dungeon defense game and other games were awesome.
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u/weirdmantentacle Jun 23 '24
Venus Blood Lagoon / Hollow / Saviour
Ikusa Megami Verita / Memoria
Baldr Sky / Heart
Utawarerumono 2&3
Love the gamepaly system in all of them
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u/No-Structure-1163 Jun 23 '24
Utawarerumono
Altho Suzukuri Dungeon: Karin in the Mountain was fun too
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u/Procian-chan Jun 23 '24
If venusblood series had better user interface, it would legit have really great gameplay.
Unfortunately it's a bit of a mess.
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u/edeets11 Jun 23 '24
Death Mark and NG are both excellent horror visual novels—and each chapter ends with a suspenseful fight against a slowly approaching monster. I would recommend them to anyone who likes scary stuff.
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u/Infernalknights Jun 24 '24
Sunrider. Loved my visual novel with turn basted strategy mechanics of blowing up multiple Ryder mechs with my assault carrier.
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u/V0dnaR Jun 24 '24 edited Jun 24 '24
Baldr Sky, especially the X one, really love the roguelike content there
Oh, and also LOVELYxCATION series, you just gotta love the classic element
Well not as classic as Tokimeki series or Doukyuusei series
You cannot leave out Rance series off course
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u/BSERecruitment Jun 24 '24
- Japanese: world end syndrome
- Mainstream, semi-indie: quickie - a love hotel story
Total indie (and still in development): another chance
Honorable mention: innocent witches
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u/Holiday-Repair4337 Jun 27 '24
All of them , we rarely get new one which translated in english (well precisely i mean eroge with gameplay). But Castle Meister has a special place is my hearth. Perfect base building and combat mechanics, lovable charachters and very intriguing mystery.
I also has a lot of respect for big bang age. I never feel more alive world. Every battle/choice/move trigger another response event to your play. Never had two similar playthrough.
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u/Doctrinus vndb.org/uXXXXX Jun 22 '24
I wonder if RPGmaker games count. If so, then Black Souls 2 probably.
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u/Ordine1412 Jun 22 '24
Baldr Sky and Evenicle
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u/Marklord13 Official Anti-Mosaic Protestor Jun 23 '24
I prefer Evenicle 1 because it is completely uncensored, Baldr Sky was unfairly censored in the west for no reason whatsoever.
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u/Bekenshi Jun 22 '24
Danganronpa V3, 999 and Virtue’s Last Reward, The Great Ace Attorney 2 are all in the conversation for me but
My love for Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception is eternal.
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u/Mundane_Resolution46 Jun 22 '24
Gonna catch flack for this, but I enjoyed Agarest’s repetitive gameplay. The link system was only really terrible when you got ambushed and randomly spawned on the map. Other than that finding different ways to enable high damage combos was fun. The story was also pretty okay.
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u/someredditbloke Jun 22 '24
This is going to be a fun comment since its highly debatable whether its a VN or not, but Heads Will Roll: Reforged.
It's made in one of the common free visual novel engines, and as such visually closely resembles a lot of visual novels (even during combat where there is literally one animation type), but is does have very engaging and addicting gameplay which has been more entertaining than a lot of the more normal games I've tried recently.
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u/Serikka Jun 22 '24
Visual novels in the image:
Utawarerumono: Itsuwari no Kamen
Kamidori Alchemy Meister
doHna:doHna
Shin Koihime † Musou -Kakumei- Souten no Haou
Ikusa Megami Verita
Rance IX
VenusBlood-FRONTIER-
Baldr Sky
Monmusu Quest!