Visual Novel Recommendations

There's a very, very slight hint of romance between our protagonists, but for the most part it focuses more on nakama-type stuff. You should play through blind if you can because those endings are much better if you get hit with them out of nowhere, and some of the Bad Ends are very crucial for understanding the bigger picture. It's more of an atmospheric/thriller scary for the most part.

Sorry? Generally saying a game has happy ending/sad endings and tsundere characters is considerd a spoiler? I mean, it's hard to recommend something without saying anything about it, and I doubt it will hurt the experience of the game to know those tidbits. It's such a complex story, I couldn't spoil all of it if I tried. These are very vague descriptions, and having some expectations actually add to the experiences, in my opinion. Plot twists are not surprising if you're ready for anything (is it a spoiler to say there's plot twists?)

I do think that speaking about the general tone of the ending is a spoiler, yes. I didn't say anything about tsundereism being one, though.

I mean, I like the thrill of not knowing if a certain story will end up with a heart shattering tone or a happy one. Knowing beforehand if things will go well or not takes away that feeling, at least for me.

I see. I'm always very picky about what I consume for my entertainment (damn word, that second 'n' is there just to spite me), so I always dig up as many details as possible without completely spoiling myself, especially because I enjoy having my exceptions shattered (it happens). Plus I might not want to play something that only has sad ends (I would have been very happy if someone had told me to not bother with certain games, for example, that made me devour large amount of chocolate in an attempt to make the whole 'life is meaningless' feeling go away).

I don't know what the consensus in the thread here is, though, and I wouldn't want to be any more obnoxious than my usual self. If our lovely OP would like me to go back and spoiler tag things, or if anyone else feels the same, let me know and I shall rectify my grave errors. Otherwise I'm too lazy to do it, editing always take forever to load up for me~

Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward was a pretty nice follow up to 999, but it's quite clearly intended as the setup to a third installment. The ending will leave a lot of people disappointed. I know one person who thought that it was the dumbest ending ever, but it's a good story overall with some interesting ideas about branching pathways.

Overall the game was a great experience, even if there are quite a few logical leaps and some weak characterization.

I personally don't think the tone of the ending counts as a spoiler, but if other people think it does, it's generally safer to use spoiler tags.

Let us say Sakura Taisen is a hybrid of visual novel and tactical mecha combat. I myself am a fan of the visual novel componets not the strategy RPG components. However I nontheless would recomend Sakura Taisen or at least I would if it was in English instead of Japanese. Well at least the anime and manga are in English. According to Amazon search Sakura Taisen 1&2 [Japanese Import] for the Sony PSP is for $25.62 whereas Sakura Taisen 3 [Japanese Import] for Sega Dreamcast costs $52.40. I like the original Sakura Taisen game in theory but I have never played it personally. I cannot haxor game systems to play Japanese games so I am left to use imagination. The only game I will be able to play in theory is the Dramatic Dungeon Sakura Taisen for the Nintendo DS (currently $34.50 on Amazon) which will not need a different DS. What other games of this series exist? Well there is Sakura Taisen Columns [Japan Import] on Sega Saturn which Amazon claims for $52.00. Is there anything else though? In total there's like twenty games but I found one more on Amazon. Sakura Taisen Monogatari [Japan Import] is on Amazon for $18.72 thus there is that at least. Plus if I want to be through rambling about the series I would mention Sakura Taisen V: Episode 0 [Japan Import] for the Playstation 2 now $44.30 on Amazon. There is as most know Sakura Wars: So Long My Love for the Playstation 2 which is in English. It costs $28.50 according to Amazon. Some of the games are for the PC but I am not good enough at google fu to know if this is true. Indulge me for more sentences. Thank you for being patient enough to read all this. I do not know where the games can be downloaded. I do not know about emulators or whatnots. But here I am giving the information that I am able to. All this comes down to fact I recomend Sakura Wars.
A few of the Sakura Wars ladies:
Iris Chateaubriand
Ri Kohran
Sakura Shinguji
Maria Tachibana

Nakama-type stuff is awesome. Okay, it seems like a game I can play at night... and hopefully without needing a walkthrough to stumble upon the true end, if there is a specific one. I always go for the bad ends after or before (depending on the nature of those bad ends, and number) completing the main story, so it's fine I think.

Oh, I knew about this one, and I would play the hell outta it if it were in english. There is a LP at the SA forums, though!

As for new recommendations for me... I say go to TLWiki and look for one of their completed projects. Chances are, it's gonna be good.

Another recommendation: Loren the Amazon Princess (English, fantasy/RPG/dating, commercial), and Madar Foxfire's lovely LP. The characters are great (especially Draco) and as someone who generally dislikes turn-based combat, I think the battle system is pretty OK. It has a nice blend of RPG and visual novel/dating sim elements, which makes it a good introduction to the form for someone (like me) who hasn't played a lot of visual novels but really likes RPGs.

The battle system is pretty bland, to be honest. It's... competently designed, and I did like some of the elements it had such as factoring speed into turn order and the whole front/back row deal, but ultimately it felt like filler to the main story, which in itself is a pretty standard RPG story too.

Also the front/back row thing annoyed me because I had to waste three slots on meatshield characters when I had so many cool thieves/mages with cool skills that I wanted to use, GODDAMNIT! (I should've made my MC a warrior *sob*)

(Then again, maybe that's just me and RPGs in general. I looove the story and SL-ing and simulation elements of Persona 4, and the persona fusing process when it doesn't involve endless re-rerolling to get the relevant skills, but the basic combat itself is pretty bland (unless it's a boss fight, of course).

That is also why I've never been able to get through The Answer. It's nothing but grinding, which I absolutely loathe.)

I don't know, I just feel like since the Loren devs put so much effort into designing and writing the scenes between the characters in your party, it would enhance the game so much if the relationships somehow influenced the combat in some way, like this for example:



Oh, and by the way...

Was Draco the half-elf mage? I haven't checked up on the thread in a while, to be honest, so I've forgotten most of it. *terrible, terrible person*

We shall be best of friends, Yosuke. Best of friends. Best.

Yes.

I have the worst crush on him. It's kind of embarrassing.

Posting here to affirm my love for Sakura Taisen! The only game that got released in English is the fifth one, titled Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love. I got it in 2010 and fell in love with everyone (especially Subaru) and the "main" love interest of that game, Gemini Sunrise, is my avatar here.

eeeee Sakura Taisen eeee~

I DO NOT BLAME YOU HE'S KIND OF BEAUTIFUL AND I ONLY SAW THE PART WHERE YOU MEET HIM-- HE WAS THE ROMANCED OPTION? WHY AM I NOT BACK AT THAT THREAD YET HOLY FRICK DO WANT

He's gay =(

EDIT: =D if you play Saren, but the LP is with Elenor, so.

THIS IS A PROBLEM HOW IF HE'S AN ACTUAL OPTION?

But damn, heart is broke we can't romance him in the LP.

I actually feel bad for not romancing Draco in my Saren playthrough because he's such a sweetie but then I got distracted by the sexy blue-skinned elf.

Also, am I the only person who finds the dark elf elder incredibly hot?

Oh yeah. I can't believe no one's mentioned Umineko.

Umineko is a story about the most dysfunctional 3 generations of rich family coming together to a mansion on a private island to bicker over splitting up the family inheritance.

And then there is a typhoon, they get cut off from the outside world, and gruesome murders start happening.

Needless to say, it is a mystery. A massive closed-room mystery at that. There are 8 chapters, and most of them are focused on finding out A) who the culprit is and B) if there is any possible future where everyone gets out alive.

Did I mention half the central cast are adults in their 40s-50s? Did I mention said adults are, for once, given as much attention as the younger characters and have their own fascinating histories, backstories, and motivations?

Did I mention there are many female characters, and many of those female characters are pretty great?

Did I mention there are badass battles that happen to be both physical and metaphorical?

Did I mention you should play Umineko?

FUUUUUUUUUUUUUU-

Umineko. Umineko. Umineko. If visual novels were people Umineko would be my waifu I love it so much AAAAAAAAAHHHHHH.

Warning: Do NOT watch the anime. The visual novel itself is a fair-play whodunit and it's entirely possible to solve all the mysteries going off just the first four episodes. The anime is an incomprehensible mess. The only redemptive value it has is its opening and ending songs.

Here's what I recommend for all you lucky people who haven't read/played this amazing piece of work yet. First of all, watch the anime opening, which is pretty much a glorified trailer for the series:



If you're intrigued, go over to the Something Awful forum to check out the Umineko Let's Play, which is currently up until when the first murders start to happen.

If that seems like something you'd be interested in reading, go to www.witch-hunt.com to download the English patch of the game. You'll need to get a Japanese version of the game first, of course, but the Witch Hunt site should have all the information you need on how to get a copy.

All I can say is that if you like Ace Attorney, you'll like this. If you're a mystery fan, this entire work can be interpreted as a love letter to the mystery genre. If you like Ever17, Umineko is like it but BETTER. I want to gush about this VN so much but everything that's awesome about it is CLASSIFIED INFORMATION so you'll have to take me at my word that this is one of the most amazing VNs in existence and you should at least give it a try.

If you can't get your hands on the VN, the manga is an okay substitute too.

All of this. ALL. OF. THIS.

WHERE IS THE LOVE BUTTON WHEN I NEED IT?!

All of the CGs are in that style, although the quality varies a bit.

I did not think about it until now. I will have to check next time I play.

Fufufu I am so getting volume 1 of the Umineko manga for Christmas and there is nothing I am looking forward to more. Well except Dramatic Dungeon Sakura Taisen.

Do try and get the VN as well! The manga is a decent adaptation, but it omits and abridges a fair amount of atmosphere and character building stuff. On the upside though, you don't need to look at Ryukishi07's sprites, which while not quite Higurashi-level horrible are still not quite... proportional, let's just call it that. Then again, they really grow on you after a while. Like fungus. Especially the troll faces. Oh Beatrice, the troll faces.

Well, it's an indie game, and the point was to make a sorta casual RPG, I think. I like it - it doesn't take careful leveling and character building, you can just go ahead and play. The game works because of the characters, the plot is nice but definitely nothing ground breaking. Still, I love it, and I speak as someone who thinks NWN2 would have been much better without no combat whatsoever.

Persona <3 I thought the combat was interesting, but there was too much of it, dungeons with 24 levels, come the fuck on! It should have been in smaller dosage more often, and then it wouldn't feel like two different games mashed together.

The relationships do affect combat, tho. Like the comic said - at level 5 he'll take a blow that would have killed the MC, at level 7 he'll join in for combo, etc'. I actually really liked it, it made me feel like there's true bonding-in-battle going on. Also the games have pretty good VAs.
I'm with you on The Answer tho, it was tiring. I just wade through it for the story, I got bored of the combat pretty soon. Turn based combat isn't my favourite (the Suikoden series gets a pass because it does some fun things with it).

Yeah, that was my point. I wanted Loren to integrate the relationships with the combat better, and held up Persona 4 as an example.

I looove turn-based strategy though. The Fire Emblem series is one of my favourite game series and it's OUTRAGEOUS that there's not a single LP of it on BF!

Also, if you want a Fire Emblem LP, you're your own best friend. That game is exhausting tho, I dunno how you could ever finish a LP of it.

UGUU AM I KAWAII

Yes, I know that's Ayu.Believe it or not, this grew on me too. But then there was a sex scene and all my respect for the writing and tolerance for the drawing was thrown out of the window.

Also, the only thing I know about Umineko is a certain video in youtube. A video with a country (I think, I don't know about norteamerican music) song, that features

Fire Emblem LPs are actually pretty common all over the internet. I've seen plenty of FE7 and FE8 LPs on various websites, and Something Awful has pretty much every single Fire Emblem LP'd. That's why I'm really surprised that it's not a thing here on BF, especially since it has "dating" elements with all its support convos. FE4: Seisen no Keifu/Genealogy of the Holy War even has a generational system where you pair up all your characters in the first generation and play their children in the second generation!

Why must Youtube video makers be so obnoxious? Why?

I used to have a LP for FE4 and another for FE7, both in spanish and both in a page long gone from the internet. I may or may not try to do the same thing here although most of my spanish puns will be gone, goddamnit.

And I dunno about that Youtube video, I just... stared at it blankly and closed the tab, trying not to think much about it. Not because I found it disturbing or anything, but because if I were to see the anime/VN that scene came from, I wanted to be unspoiled.

If you do end up doing it, I vote for FE4 just because it's more unknown than FE7! Although I wouldn't mind revisiting FE7 because I looove Lyn and Sain and Matthew and Guy and Hector and Eliwood and uh basically every single person in the cast I just want to cuddle all of them and host slumber parties for them kyaa~

Good choice. Now go read the Umineko LP/get the VN!

I'd opt for FE4 too. I dunno, it holds a special place in my heart even if there isn't that much characterization.

About Umineko. Yeah, it has piqued my curiousity. I'll take a peek at the LP, and if I have one of those I HAVE TO PLAY THIS epiphanies, I'll play it myself.

Also, on topic. One guy on the last page recommended Sharin no Kuni. From the same guys that made it, there is also G-Senjou no Maou, which has an ongoing LP here and is a pretty good VN, I think. I mean, it kinda butchered some of my most favourite classical pieces, and some moments thefirsttwochapters weren't that interesting, but at some point I don't remember everything just went in a whirlwind of excitement, sadness, awesomeness, and all around emotional (and to some point intelectual, though for some people those two might be swapped) chaos. Well, that is if you were patient enough with the suspension of disbelief. I hope that made sense I'm so tired.

I think FE4 had a deeper story but less character development. That being said, FE4 is more fun because EUGENICS

Going back to VNs, I recommend Narcissu if you want something short, contemplative, and down-to-earth. It is about two dying people who go on their first and last roadtrip.

I actually kinda like FE5 better than FE4 because of the unique mechanics like unit-capturing and the fatigue system. Too bad the game balance is so badly broken though.

I really wish IntSys would make another EUGENICS game though~ That was really fun.

There's an Umineko LP that's a little further along than the SA version over here. Currently he's done the first two parts.

The old sprites are somewhat ugly, but it's a kind of ugly with a lot of charm and personality to it. The big ol' mittenhands and dorky grins worm their way right into your heart.

Not to mention the trollfaces. Nobody does Umineko trollfaces better than Ryukishi07.

True Remembrance~!
It's a kinetic novel, but still the story is quite good. I'm actually lp'ing it but still I think it's really niceIt's really long though, just to tell you.

Oooh, I liked True Remembrance.

So that's where you got your avatar from!
Haha, I was wondering why it looked familiar...

So this Dandelion game is actually pretty good.

No, he doesn't actually wear those hipster glasses (he wears another kind of hipster glasses), I just added 'em for fun.

As I also fucking love Umineko VN, I must add the visual novel has some awesome music that you completely lose if you just read the manga (the anime just uses some of them).
Also, I think that the true appeal of Umineko isn't the murder mistery. True, I firstly approached the game with the intention of trying to solve the mistery... but then I understand the true intention of the author. Umineko in the end is a huge sandbox, with a lot of "layers" and hints at the 4th wall, and it's amazing what happens, so that while reading you keep thinking "this is awesome!". Umineko taught me a lesson about love, and how to believe in magic.

Urgh my english level doesn't help me to express why I love so much Umineko, I hope what I wrote above is clear...

You cannot solve the mystery if you attempt to understand "everything".