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Visual Novels - I have no idea where to start


Crispy_Oglop

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Visual novels are a completely unexplored corner of gaming for me and it looks like there are quite a few games now on the EU PS Store. Does anyone have any recommendations on where I could start? If there are one or two games/VN series available on the PS4, what would your recommend? It seems like a really cool genre of gaming that I'm completely disconnected from.

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27 minutes ago, Ranari_Kai said:

A House in Fata Morgana. Sadly this is not that well known, which is a shame. It is a masterpiece of a dark, victorian horror story.

I thought it was more of a tragedy than a horror story, but maybe that's just me. I just finished it last month, but I wouldn't recommend it for someone just getting started in the genre as it has a really slow start and would probably turn off people who haven't played a handful of VNs already. It's good, though.

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1 hour ago, Wavergray said:

Good Series to start with are:

  1. Phoenix Wright (Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy)
  2. Zero Escape Series (Zero Escape: The Nonary Games and Zero Escape: Zero Time Dilemma)
  3. Danganronpa (Danganronpa 1&2 Reload and Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony)
  4. Steins Gate (Steins Gate and Steins Gate 0)

After you get through those games you will know if you like the genre or not.

Other games you could try are:
The Silver Case and The 25th Ward: The Silver Case

428: Shibuya Scramble
VA-11 Hall-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action

 

I totally agree with these recommendations , could only add Root Letter from the ones you didn't mention . 

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I agree Steins;Gate is the best one to start with (although Danganronpa was my first one, that one has more gameplay rather than a pure visual novel).  Clannad is my all time favorite too.  One thing I found was that a lot of visual novels has a slow start but persist and you will be rewarded with amazing stories.

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Unexplored? How much do you know? VNs is kind of an umbrella term popular in English. Have a sloppy but free of charge & very much tongue-in-check rundown from Fen who successfully procrastinates rather than preparing dinner.

 

You prefer your hands in busy mode? You want to read but also occasionally experience some “action”, move the stick and tap buttons other than x? “Hybrids” may very well be your first friend in this bright new VN world. VN hybrids on PS with a fairly big portion of adventure (exploration, puzzle solving) that other users suggested are:
Zero Escape series 
Danganronpa games 

 

(Also mentioning Root Letter Last Answer here because it’s is on sale in EU.)

 

Hybrid but where reading > other:

Hatoful Boyfriend  (edit: scratch that, bad example for this category but a hilarious parody) 
VA-11 Hall-A 

 

What, you’re a book nerd, you say? You want to read? Read. Read. Read for hours to no end. The x button is all you need in your life to forward text and possibly to make small alterations to (drastically) change the course of events in your game (but not always)? Traditional or “as good as pure VNs” that have been suggested above are:
428 (as a word of “warning”, this is real live action, meaning they filmed real people for this and used 97% stills)
Fatamoru/The House in Fata Morgana

 

(Steins;Gate is popular with many ‘round the globe. Extremely so.)

 

You don’t mind writing that often is clearly aimed at a younger audience and your focus is on ogling at ‘em cute gals and guys and dating them? There’s an entire vast universe out there for those whims and games suggested by others that hail from there are:
Code:Realize
Nurse Love Addiction/Syndrome

 

Edited by Fenrirfeather
φ(..;) edit
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Steins Gate is one of the best VN's on Playstation. On Ps4 there is the elite version, you might want to consider this version because it's fully animated. Nurse love series is Vita only irc but the story is interesting. Root Letter is an easy vn to start with. Easy to get al the endings without tactical savings, easy story and on sale. Not the best vn out there but worth your time. Danganronpa is mentioned a lot and is a great game but different than many other vn's. Hatoful Boyfriend is only worth your time when you played a few vn's and/or when you have knowledge of the Japanese culture , it's based on the otome sub genre but actually its satire.

Edited by Calhoun_84
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I enjoyed Dream Daddy a whole lot - great music and fun story line.

 

One Way Trip is also interesting in a very strange way, and is one of only a handful of non-romance VNs out there.

 

Punch Line is a slightly ecchi VN with some pretty funny bits.

 

One Night Stand is very short but provides a more, erm, realistic take on romance?

 

Three Fourths Home is also worth checking out. Its often on sale, is short, and also is more realistic...

 

But yeah, can't go wrong with Danganronpa, Zero Escape and Steins;Gate!

 

 

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