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(original: https://forums.fuwanovel.net/blogs/entry/2488-random-top-100/) I played so many VNs over the past year that i've managed to replace over a fourth of the list, so it felt adequate to post a updated version. Like before, "not a be-all-end-all list by any means and i care about choice-making gameplay a lot more than other VN fans do, so if some of my placements look ridiculous, that's why." youtube playlist version: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYFP5FO6EHdqvR4S0KWZDMllPXy3hZjaY (will be updated if i make yet another version of the list) New entries are underlined. VNs i consider “close to great”: 100) Lamento Beyond the Void (great atmosphere and art) 99) EoSD for Busy Person + Extra (entertaining characters and endings) 98) Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (great characters, good mystery-solving and story) 97) Comyu (good story, entertaining fight scenes) 96) Fashioning Little Miss Lonesome (entertaining story and endings, amazing common route) 95) Ar Tonelico II (good characters, great story and soundtrack) 94) Vampirdzhija Vjedogonia (entertaining story and fight scenes) 93) Danganronpa 2 (entertaining characters, good mystery-solving, good finale) 92) Danganronpa V3 (entertaining characters, great mystery-solving, good finale) 91) MajiKoi A1&A2 (entertaining characters and story) Vns i consider “borderline great”: 90) Fatal Twelve (entertaining story and characters, fun choice-making) 89) Evenicle (fun characters and gameplay) 88) Eve: Burst Error (entertaining story, great female protagonist) 87) Dangan Ronpa (entertaining characters, great story, great finale) 86) ChuSinGura 46+1 (entertaining characters, great fight scenes) 85) Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth (good story and characters, great finale) 84) Kikokugai The Cyber Slayer (great atmosphere, good fight scenes) 83) Higanbana no Saku Yoru ni + 2nd night (good characters, entertaining story) 82) Hapymaher (interesting story, good atmosphere) 81) Flowers: Volume sur Été (great art, charming characters) 80) Eden* (good story and art) 79) Utawarerumono (entertaining characters, good story) 78) Shikkoku no Sharnoth (good protagonist, great atmosphere, great finale) 77) Rance VI (entertaining characters, good story) 76) Paradise Lost (interesting story, entertaining fight scenes) 75) Kizuato (fun characters, great introductory route, great set of joke endings) 74) Hello, world (overall fun story, great set of normal endings) 73) Psychedelica of the Ashen Hawk (great world building and plot twists, good characters) 72) Flowers: Volume sur Printemps (great art, charming characters, good use of mystery-solving) 71) Dies Irae: Interview with Kaziklu Bey (great art and fight scenes) 70) Ayakashi Gohan (amazing protagonist customization, fun common route) 69) Air (good story and characters, good soundtrack) 68) The Letter (favorite branch system for a linear story) 67) Symphonic Rain [1/5 routes done] (charming art and soundtrack, great at subverting expectations) 66) SeaBed (amazing atmosphere, interesting story) 65) Narcissu (good story and ending buildup) 64) Dengeki Stryker (entertaining story, great middle route) 63) Collar x Malice (entertaining story, good set of villains) 62) Chaos;Head (entertaining characters and choice-making, great plot twist, good world building) 61) Remember11 (good characters, great ending system, interesting ending) 60) Ourai no Gahkthun (good atmosphere and characters) 59) Nijuuei (fun story, good atmosphere) 58) Monster Girl Quest Trilogy (amazing gameplay, good story and characters) 57) Kusarihime (amazing atmosphere and background usage, good characters and endings) 56) Battle Goddess Verita (good story, great RPG gameplay) VNs i consider “near-classics”: 55) The House in Fata Morgana: A Requiem for Innocence (good story and characters, amazing art) 54) Eiyuu*Senki (great gameplay, fun characters) 53) Ayakashibito (good world building, entertaining fight scenes and characters) 52) Akaya Akashiya Ayakashino (great atmosphere and endings, entertaining characters) 51) Akai Ito (entertaining protagonist, good atmosphere, favorite OP song) 50) 11eyes (good characters and fight scenes, great atmosphere) 49) Tsujidou-san no Jun’ai Road (entertaining characters, good choice-making) 48) Sekien no Inganock (great art, great atmosphere, good characters) 47) Planetarian (good pairing, great dialogue) 46) 9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors (entertaining characters, good true ending) 45) Kira Kira [1/4 routes done] (good characters, great common route, great ending) 44) ef a fairy tale of the two (great story in the second half, good characters) 43) Chaos;Child (good choice-making system, good characters, good story) 42) 428: Shibuya Scramble (fun characters and story, amazing choice-making, greatest production values in the genre) 41) Sharin no Kuni (favorite single villain, great story, great plot twist) 40) Root Double (amazing choice-making system, good true ending) 39) Virtue’s Last Reward (great ending system, great multiple route mystery) 38) Kara no Shoujo (great atmosphere, good mystery-solving) 37) Aselia The Eternal (great world-building and New Game+ content) 36) Chou no Doku Hana no Kusari [1/5 routes done] (great atmosphere and protagonist) 35) Cartagra (great art, entertaining characters, great endings) 34) Aoishiro (great choice-making, entertaining bad ending branches on some routes) 33) White Album 2: Introductory and Closing Chapters [3/6 routes done] (fascinating characters, good story and atmosphere) 32) The Fruit of Grisaia (entertaining characters, great endings) 31) Code: Realize (amazing common route, entertaining story and characters) VNs i consider “classics”: 30) Rose Guns Days (great story and characters, charming art) 29) Mahoutsukai no Yoru (amazing production values, good story) 28) Kamidori Alchemy Meister (great RPG gameplay, amazing New Game+ content) 27) Battle Goddess Zero (favorite story in a VN-RPG hybrid) 26) Cross Channel (fun characters, great choice-making and ending) 25) Taishou Mebiusline (great route variety, good ending system, favorite vocal song) 24) Swan Song (amazing atmosphere, good story and characters) 23) Steins;Gate 0 (good story and characters, great use of true ending) 22) Sengoku Rance (entertaining characters, most replayable work in the genre due to amazing gameplay) 21) Rewrite (entertaining characters, good story) 20) Phantom of Inferno (entertaining story and characters, great atmosphere, great action scenes) 19) Yumina The Ethereal (entertaining story, amazing use of multiple routes for a VN-RPG hybrid, great true ending) 18) Kichikuou Rance (amazing gameplay and world-building) 17) Kara no Shoujo 2 (great mystery, entertaining characters, great true ending, favorite ED song) 16) G-Senjou no Maou (great true route, great soundtrack, favorite set of villains) 15) Song of Saya (favorite atmosphere, amazing use of endings, fascinating characters) 14) Muv Luv Alternative (great action scenes, great sci-fi atmosphere) 13) YU-NO (amazing route system, good story and characters) 12) Higurashi When They Cry + Kai (amazing story, great characters and soundtrack) 11) Dies Irae (favorite fight scenes, entertaining characters and story) VNs i consider “classics among classics”: 10) Umineko When They Cry + Chiru (favorite story, favorite soundtrack, great characters) 9) Wonderful Everyday (great story, good mystery, good characters, great alternate endings, favorite monologues) 8. The House in Fata Morgana (amazing story, favorite CG and character art, good choice-making, great soundtrack) 7) Tsukihime (amazing choice-making, amazing atmosphere, great characters) 6) MajiKoi (favorite overall character cast, most consistently entertaining work in the genre) 5) Little Busters (favorite common route, great true route, favorite post-true end content) 4) Ever17 (great story, favorite multiple route mystery, great true ending) VNs i consider “all-time greatests” 3) Steins;Gate (great story, entertaining characters, favorite protagonist, favorite pairing, favorite ending) 2) Fate/Stay Night (great story, favorite ending system, favorite route, favorite single choice) 1) Clannad (favorite route system, high amount of optional scenes, amazing After Story, fully explores choice-making in a school drama setting) Top VNs i didn’t read (raw VNDB ratings, 35 votes minimum): Rance 10 Flowers: Volume sur Automne & Hiver Baldr Sky Dive1&2 Soukou Akki Muramasa Ken ga Kimi Sakura no Uta Shingakkou Noli me tangere Shinigami to Shoujo Sengoku Koihime Schwarzesmarken Closing thoughts: After Aselia and Ayakashibito, i've read pretty much every translated VN i really wanted to. Also, after Hello world and Kusarihime, i feel i've read pretty much all older VNs with no chances of being translated i wanted to. Now i plan to be a little more laidback with my reading, making this kinda of the end of a chapter for me.

Isn't there a theory that all KEY games are in the same universe? It'd be great if it is a thing. I like the idea of a shared universe, as long as it is consistent.