Leaderboard

Only read a bit to check the quality of the translation (already finished the game long ago) and yeah, I agree that the translation is fine, but way too direct so lots of them just sounded either awkward or textbook-ish. Definitely requires some serious editing. Just a bit of advice from me, but rather than keeping the translation at point-blank range from the original, try to think about how you would say a sentence like that irl instead. Worked quite well for me before.

Back in the day, we had a list of English-language-first visual novels. Unfortunately its OP, nohman, has left us. Fortunately, a lot of good EVNs have been released since then! As Fuwanovel's resident Japanese-knowing, JVN-enjoying EVN reader, I figure I'm in a unique position to moderate this thread. The previous list focused on "notable" EVNs, but to be honest, these days there are arguably so many notable EVNs that the list would get unwieldy. Besides, the reason to read anything is if it's good — or at least interesting — right? I want to see what you like. Anyone can contribute with suggestions. If you think it's good or interesting, tell me why, link the game, and I'll add it to the list. To get us started, I'll seed the list with some of my own favorites . Don't be discouraged if what you like is nothing like what I do, though — that's a sign that we need your help! The Fuwanovel List of Cool EVNs _______________________________________________________________________________ Actual Sunlight by Will o'Neill Notable tags: Depression, Utsuge, Suicide Zakamutt: This is a dark VN, and it came to me at a dark time in my life. It's one of the most uncompromising depictions of depression I have seen, and the writing is as funny as it is cutting. Not for everyone, but for me: one of my two 10/10 VNs. Where to get: Steam, Itch.io _______________________________________________________________________________ An Octave Higher by Kidalang Notable tags: Fantasy, Magic/ESP Combat, Fictional World Zakamutt: This is an honest-to-god fantasy VN made by the Indonesian studio Kidalang. It reminds me a lot of Terry Pratchett: you have a big medieval-ish city, magic and technology combined, and some interesting social commentary. The creators' Indonesian roots show through here, as Indonesia lived through an attempted communist coup, then an anti-communist purge, in 1965 — the story centers around people of different classes dealing with the rise of industry and capitalism, with such fun things as magic used in factory production, and even factory-provided mana potions... This is not an uncritical communist paean by any means — read it and you'll see. Where to get: Steam _______________________________________________________________________________ Blankspace by NoBreadStudio Notable tags: Escape Game, Mystery, Romance Zakamutt: Where 999 flavors its mystery with science-fiction technobabble, Blankspace flavors it with messy human drama. You wake up tied to a pipe, and the only one that can help you is Beryl, a teal-haired beauty who was trapped along with you. As you unravel the mystery to escape, you can also pick how you interact with her, perhaps even fall in love — there's a text-only (no CGs) sex scene patch, and I highly advise you get it, as it's written more like erotica than a normal VN h-scene. Quite interesting. The character writing is some of the best I've seen in a VN, with interactions being both natural and entertaining, but also moving the plot forward. The point-and-click elements aren't bad either, and serve the plot as much as less interactive segments. Where to get: Steam, Itch.io _______________________________________________________________________________ Cinders by MoaCube Notable tags: Lots of Choices, Proactive Protagonist, Fairy Tale Templarseeker: It is a reimagining of Cinderella with unique art style. Bonus: Fuwanovel review. Where to get: Steam, Itch.io _______________________________________________________________________________ Corpse Factory by RIVER CROW STUDIO Notable tags: Thriller, Horror, Modern Day Tokyo Templarseeker: By the title alone you might think its a rip off of Corpse Party, nevertheless give the VN/Game a try and you'll witness a interesting, gloomy, dark, and semi realistic depiction of modern society. A psychological horror VN at its very core. In addition this VN/Game has decent English voice acting in it on some of the important dialogues! Where to get: Steam, GOG _______________________________________________________________________________ Digital: A Love Story by Christine Love Notable tags: Operating System Simulation, Interactive Adventure Game Zalor: "It's not what you say, it's how you say it that matters", is the first thing that comes to mind with this VN. The story itself is quite simple, but the presentation is so excellent that it makes up for where the story might slack. Especially as somebody who is quite fascinated with old computers, I loved how the whole story is told through BBS messages. BBS standing for Bulletin Board System, and was essentially the internet before the internet. Its presentation mimics said environment very convincingly as well. Where to get: Creator's Website (FREE!) _______________________________________________________________________________ Digital Seclusion by Zalor Notable tags: Otaku Protagonist Zakamutt: Digital Seclusion is a story of a person who might be a bit like you — though I hope none of you are as extreme. He's a shut-in collector of old Japanese visual novels, which he posts about on his blog. It's also an (opinionated) history of the medium, introducing many old, and for some, nostalgic, visual novels. One day, a girl that looks just like a heroine from one of his games steps out of the screen. But is she real, and if so, should he trust her — or is she nothing but bad news? Digital Seclusion was written by one of our forum members, Zalor, and we also have a Fuwanovel review of this VN if you're interested. Where to get: Itch.io (FREE!) _______________________________________________________________________________ Doki Doki Literature Club! by Dan Salvato Notable tags: Poetry, Student Club Alpacaman: I know this one is kind of controversial in the community. It's still one of the titles that introduced many people in the west to visual novels. Yes, it's gimmicky, but what it sets out to do it does very well and doesn't overstay its welcome. Many people in the community saw the game as an attack on VNs as a whole, but I think it's more about player agency and the relationship between games and the ones playing them. Where to get: Steam, Itch.io (FREE!) _______________________________________________________________________________ Heart of the Woods by Studio Élan Notable tags: Fictional Modern Day European Town, Girl x Girl Romance Only, Contemporary Fantasy Silvz: Heart of the Woods is amazing! I loved the characters, the art style and the story in general. Iirc there was a voice patch released after I read it, so it may be even better now. It's also good to have some LGBTQIA+ representation in the list! (Also recommended by: Templarseeker, Plk_Lesiak) Where to get: Steam, Itch.io _______________________________________________________________________________ Juniper's Knot by Dischan Notable tags: Multiple Protagonists Zalor: A short, well written story that nearly a decade later still leaves quite a good impression. Focused on the interactions between a lost boy and a demon confined within a magic circle, it has some folklore-ish vibes to it. However, the bouncing between the two perspectives of the boy and the demon girl adds a modern flair to a story that otherwise does feel like it could be within a Grimm Fairy Tales book. This is all not to mention the beautiful art. For more info here's a review. Where to get: Steam, Dischan (FREE!) _______________________________________________________________________________ Katawa Shoujo by Four Leaf Studios Notable tags: Nakige, Romance, Disabled Heroine Zakamutt: Back in the day, there'd be no point in putting this on the list. Literally everyone knew about it, and it was many people's first VN. Today, I think this story is worth recommending anew. The central conceit is the protagonist, Hisao, transferring to an academy for the disabled after suffering a heart attack. But the depth in this VN lies in not the disabled girls he meets there, but in what lies beneath. Pretty much every character has hidden depths to them, and the story arc usually ends up much like a Key tearjerker (without the supernatural hijinx). It's not just nostalgia, mom, I swear. Katawa Shoujo is genuinely a good VN. Where to get: OG, Moddable Fan HD rerelease with accessibility options (both FREE!) _______________________________________________________________________________ Lessons in Love by Selebus Notable tags: Dating Simulation, Student-Teacher Romance, Lots of Choices Alpacaman: A work in progress that at this point is even longer than Umineko and according to its creator is the longest VN in existence, period (each update is about 30-60k words long and there's been about 50). Which shouldn't keep you from reading it. At least to me this one is more about vibes than plot and works very well despite its length. Where to get: Subscribestar, Itch.io (FREE but one of those things where the patreon is further ahead) _______________________________________________________________________________ Lynne by ebi-hime Notable tags: Modern Day British Isles, Utsuge, Psychological Horror Zakamutt: Ebi-hime is a well-regarded VN writer among those in the know, and for a reason: she consistently delivers well-written interesting stories. Lynne is one of her free offerings, and takes place in a lower-class British milieu, with all the stress and envy that often implies. Both the soundtrack and graphics match the griminess of the setting, with ebi-hime opting to work with the electronic music producer sleepy agents for the sound. Lynn, the protagonist, is haunted by nightmares as the national exams she simply cannot afford to fuck up approach. Almost everything around her seems practically designed to stress her out more. In school there is a girl that she feels has everything that she does not, Lynne. Will Lynn pass her exams, or will she break from the stress she is under? And what will happen to Lynne? Find out in this VN. Where to get: Steam, Itch.io (both FREE!) _______________________________________________________________________________ Meeting in the Flesh by inkEthic Notable tags: Monster Hero, Body Horror Alpacaman: An inversion of Saya no Uta's themes, showing you can find beauty anywhere. Where to get: Itch.io (FREE!) _______________________________________________________________________________ Pale Cachexia by Argent Games Notable tags: Dark Fantasy, (Gothic) Horror, Illness Zakamutt: Our protagonist, Esther, is afflicted with the Pale, a disease that causes its victims to waste away at terrifying speed if they do not take medicine every day. Even with the medicine, sufferers are often doomed to a life of slow degeneration and disability, with everything from their mood to too much exercise affecting the condition. Esther has made a desperate bid for a cure, the last step of a journey in search of a cure the cottage of a dead scholar of the Pale in the forest — and the young girl who lives there. They build up a fragile relationship as Esther researches his notes, trying to find something — anything — to help her condition. But those same notes might hold horrors she never knew... I liked this one so much it made me write like a pretentious twat on vndb. So I'm just going to reproduce that here. I'm not sorry. A languid walk, rarely a run, into the terror and beauty of the darkness. The will to be independent yet the need to depend. The intense portrayal of guilt and avoidance in this is sublime — or maybe just too deeply #relatable for me to give it, with its beautiful immersive atmosphere and, for once, solid writing anything else but an "excellent" rating. Where to get: Steam, Itch.io _______________________________________________________________________________ Sensei Overnight by Pers0nas Notable tags: All-girls School, Teacher Protagonist, Memory Alteration Danmaku: it is a "psychological horror mystery grooming dating sim" obviously inspired by Lessons in Love but focuses more on its underlying mysteries and how all of its characters relate to it and without as much of the grind and wiki-searching. Like its contemporary, it has a strong visual flair and strong comedic and story/character writing with a heavy focus on psychoanalysing its characters. It has rather low sexual content, when it does have h-scenes, it will be rather weird and/or focuses on realism. It really creates its own highly unique identity later on, the earlier parts can be a slow burn. Very importantly, the choices you make will matter. Where to get: Itch.io (FREE... but you can subscribe on patreon/subscribestar for early access updates) _______________________________________________________________________________ SHINRAI - Broken Beyond Despair by Gosatsu Visual Novels Notable tags: Detective Work, Murder Mystery, Interactive Adventure Game Danmaku: a murder mystery visual novel with refreshing story pacing due to its straightforward honkaku structure. The character writing is amazing and the tricks used in the murder(s) are unique enough to give it its own identity. Where to get: Steam, Itch.io _______________________________________________________________________________ Solstice by MoaCube Notable tags: Multiple Protagonists, Mystery, Lots of Choices Templarseeker: Post-Apocalyptic Sci-Fi thriller of a VN Where to get: Steam, GOG _______________________________________________________________________________ Soundless by milk+ visual Notable tags: Bullying, Denpa, Cult, Mystery Zakamutt: Mercy sees things. It’s too bad that what she sees are warped distortions, filthy beetles, tentacles, horrifying flesh-beasts and all that, but at least it isn’t permanently on so she’s not quite Fuminori yet. Too bad it’s getting worse, though. Mercy lives in a small, secluded village; the village is strongly religious, ruled by the local church, and all the kids around see her as a convenient punching bag. But hey, it’s probably her fault anyway, she was cursed by sinning at the tender age of ten. She was seeing nice things before that. Mercy is the protagonist of Soundless, a game taking inspiration from the classic in the "denpa" subgenre of visual novels, which tends to concern itself with madness, unreliable narrators, and horror. Every person I've gotten to play Soundless has liked it, without exception. Any denpa fan that hasn't tried it is making a mistake. And I played it back when the well-received rerelease with an extra chapter wasn't even out yet. If you try nothing else, try this one: it's free! Where to get: Itch.io (FREE!) _______________________________________________________________________________ Sweetest Monster by ebi-hime Notable tags: Relationship Problems, Modern Day British Isles, Dark Fantasy Silvz: a very short VN with great art and a plot twist that rivals the best mystery novels out there, at least in my humble opinion :3 Where to get: Steam, Itch.io _______________________________________________________________________________ The Dandelion Girl by /jp/ project / Outis Media Notable tags: Literary Adaptation, Time Travel, Romance Zalor: Another entry in that short and sweet department. Although often overshadowed by it's more successful sibling (the other 4chan visual novel, Katawa Shoujo), I think its charm shines through. And that's really the appeal I find with this VN. It's nothing amazing, but has a soulful charm to it. Where to get: Steam, Itch.io (FREE! — this is a remake by one of the original's creators. Links to the OG are dead.) _______________________________________________________________________________ The Language Of Love by ebi-hime Notable tags: Heroine with Children, Adult Heroine, Only a Single Heroine adamstan: I think The Language of Love by ebi-hime should be added to the list. Short, but very heartwarming and wholesome love story - I loved it. It's also one of the few EVNs that manage to pull off the japanese setting without being all cringey Bonus: Fuwanovel Review Where to get: Steam, Itch.io, Denpa, MangaGamer _______________________________________________________________________________ The Sekimeiya: Spun Glass by Trinitite Team Notable tags: Confinement, Mystery, Hard Science Fiction Danmaku: a highly elaborate ontological mystery visual novel. The music can be jarring and ear-grating at times and the characters can be pretty bland. One thing I can highly compliment this visual novel is the underlying mystery itself. It is highly engaging and may seem perplexing and complicated but the puzzle pieces connect together pretty nicely. You will answer about 50 questions at the end to solve it, you will be ranked with other players to see how you did. The individual mysteries are segmented enough that if you didn't get some of it you still will be able to solve the rest. Where to get: Steam, Itch.io _______________________________________________________________________________ VA11 Hall-A by Sukeban Games Notable tags: Bartender Protagonist, Cyberpunk, Dialogue Based Alpacaman: It's cyberpunk bartender action, what more could you possibly want? It nails the aesthetic with great visuals and BGM, has great characters, some actual depth to its themes without ever getting anywhere close to being pretentious. Also it has some of the best comedy in any VN I've read so far. Where to get: Steam, Itch.io _______________________________________________________________________________ YOU LEFT ME by Angela He Notable tags: Interactive Adventure Game, Surreal, Depression Kawasumi: just because of how absolutely stunning visually it is. Zakamutt: I would definitely recommend trying other Angela He VNs like Missed Messages out as well. She has a pretty unique style. Where to get: Itch.io (FREE!)