Managed to replace one fourth of the list again, which surprised me as i thought i would take at least two years for that. I will probably take 3 to 5 years to replace another fourth, as i read tons of top tiers in the last 14 months. 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 (again, will update it along with the list in case one fourth is replaced)
New entries are underlined.
VNs i consider “borderline great”:
100) Kizuato (fun characters, great introductory route, great set of joke endings)
99) Hello, world (overall fun story, great set of normal endings)
98) Psychedelica of the Ashen Hawk (great world building and plot twists, good characters)
97) Gekkou no Carnevale (good atmosphere, fun characters and story)
96) Flowers: Volume sur Printemps (great art, charming characters, good use of mystery-solving)
95) Flowers: Volume sur Automne (great art, charming characters, amazing slice-of-life)
94) Dies Irae: Interview with Kaziklu Bey (great art and fight scenes)
93) Baldr Force (good world-building and story)
92) Ayakashi Gohan (favorite prologue in the genre, fun common route)
91) Air (good story and characters, good soundtrack)
90) The Letter (favorite branch system for a linear story)
89) Symphonic Rain (charming art and soundtrack, great at subverting expectations)
88) SeaBed (amazing atmosphere, interesting story)
87) Raging Loop (great ending system and atmosphere, entertaining characters)
86) We Without Wings (fun character interactions, good atmosphere)
85) Narcissu (good story and ending buildup)
84) Monster Girl Quest Paradox RPG (great rpg gameplay and world-building)
83) Machi (amazing production values, fun story and characters)
82) Iwaihime (good atmosphere and production values)
81) Dengeki Stryker (entertaining story, great middle route)
80) Collar x Malice (entertaining story, good set of villains)
79) Chrono Belt (good atmosphere, story and fight scenes)
78) Chaos;Head Noah (entertaining characters and choice-making, great main plot twist, good world building)
77) Caucasus (great atmosphere and ending system)
76) Rui wa Tomo o Yobu (entertaining characters, fun atmosphere)
75) Remember11 (good characters, great ending system, interesting ending)
74) Ourai no Gahkthun (good atmosphere and characters)
73) Nijuuei (fun story, good atmosphere)
72) Monster Girl Quest Trilogy (amazing gameplay, good story and characters)
71) Kusarihime (amazing atmosphere and background usage, good characters and endings)
70) Kurai Nichiyoubi (amazing ending system and atmosphere)
69) Kajiri Kamui Kagura (interesting characters and story, fun fight scenes)
68) Jingai Makyou (amazing ending system, fun story)
67) Battle Goddess Verita (good story, great RPG gameplay)
66) The House in Fata Morgana: A Requiem for Innocence (good story and characters, amazing art)
65) Eiyuu*Senki (great gameplay, fun characters)
VNs i consider “near-classics”:
64) Ayakashibito (good world building, entertaining fight scenes and characters)
63) Ayakashi (amazing production values, fun story)
62) Angel Beats 1st Beat [2/4 routes done] (amazing choice-making, fun characters)
61) Akaya Akashiya Ayakashino (great atmosphere and endings, entertaining characters)
60) Akai Ito (entertaining protagonist, good atmosphere, favorite OP song)
59) 3days (great choice-making, good multiple route mystery)
58) 11eyes (good characters and fight scenes, great atmosphere)
57) Tsujidou-san no Jun’ai Road (entertaining characters, good choice-making)
56) Senshinkan Gakuen Hachimyoujin (fun characters, fight scenes and story)
55) Sekien no Inganock (great art, great atmosphere, good characters)
54) Sakura no Uta [1/5 routes done] (great atmosphere, interesting characters)
53) Saihate no Ima (amazing atmosphere, interesting story)
52) Root Double (amazing choice-making system, good true ending)
51) Planetarian (good pairing, great dialogue)
50) Virtue’s Last Reward (great ending system, good multiple route mystery)
49) 9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors (entertaining characters, good true ending)
48) Kira Kira [2/4 routes done] (good characters, fun common route)
47) ef a fairy tale of the two (great story in the second half, good characters)
46) Chaos;Child (good choice-making system, good characters, good story)
45) Bullet Butlers (amazing world-building, fun characters)
44) 428: Shibuya Scramble (fun characters and story, amazing choice-making, greatest production values in the genre)
43) Summer Pockets (fun common route, entertaining characters and story, great choice-making)
42) Sharin no Kuni (favorite single villain, great story, great plot twist)
41) Kara no Shoujo (great atmosphere, good mystery-solving)
40) Aselia The Eternal (great world-building and New Game+ content)
39) Cartagra (great art, entertaining characters, great endings)
38) Aoishiro (great choice-making, entertaining bad ending branches on some routes)
37) White Album 2: Introductory and Closing Chapters (fascinating characters, fun story and atmosphere)
36) The Fruit of Grisaia (entertaining characters, good endings)
35) Code: Realize (amazing common route, entertaining story and characters)
34) Chou no Doku Hana no Kusari [3/5 routes done] (great atmosphere and protagonist, favorite set of bad endings, greatest use of soap opera elements)
VNs i consider “classics”:
33) Taishou Mebiusline (great route variety, good ending system, favorite song in the genre)
32) Rose Guns Days (great story and characters, charming art)
31) Mahoutsukai no Yoru (amazing production values, good story)
30) Kamidori Alchemy Meister (great RPG gameplay, amazing New Game+ content)
29) Battle Goddess Zero (favorite story in a VN-RPG hybrid)
28) Cross Channel (fun characters, great choice-making and ending)
27) Baldr Sky Dive1&2 (fun gameplay, story and world-building)
26) Swan Song (amazing atmosphere, good story and characters)
25) Steins;Gate 0 (good story and characters, great use of true ending)
24) Sengoku Rance (entertaining characters, most replayable work in the genre due to amazing gameplay)
23) Rewrite (entertaining characters, good story)
22) Phantom of Inferno (entertaining story and characters, great atmosphere, great action scenes)
21) Yumina The Ethereal (entertaining story, amazing use of multiple routes for a VN-RPG hybrid, great true ending)
20) Kichikuou Rance (amazing gameplay and world-building)
19) Kara no Shoujo 2 (great mystery, entertaining characters, great true ending, favorite ED song)
18) G-Senjou no Maou (great true route, great soundtrack, favorite set of villains)
17) Song of Saya (favorite atmosphere, amazing use of endings, fascinating characters)
16) Muv Luv Alternative (great action scenes, great sci-fi atmosphere)
15) YU-NO (amazing route system, good story and characters)
14) Higurashi When They Cry + Kai (amazing story, great characters and soundtrack)
13) Dies Irae (favorite fight scenes, entertaining characters and story)
VNs i consider “classics among classics”:
12) Umineko When They Cry + Chiru (favorite story, favorite soundtrack, great characters)
11) Wonderful Everyday (great story, good mystery, good characters, great alternate endings)
10) FullMetal Daemon Muramasa (great fight scenes, amazing protagonist, favorite antagonist buildup)
9) The House in Fata Morgana (amazing story, favorite CG and character art, good choice-making, great soundtrack)
8. Tsukihime (amazing choice-making, amazing atmosphere, great characters)
7) MajiKoi (favorite overall character cast, most consistently entertaining work in the genre)
6) Little Busters (favorite common route, great true route, favorite post-true end content)
5) Hashihime of the Old Book Town [1/5 routes done] (amazing visual/sound directing and atmosphere, favorite protagonist, dialogues, monologues and written route)
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 pairing, favorite ending)
2) Fate/Stay Night (great story, favorite ending system, favorite overall 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 vnstat recommends:
1) Aiyoku no Eustia
2) Rance Quest through 10
3) Baldr Heart
4) Hanachirasu
5) Kishin Hishou Demonbane
6) Irotoridori no Sekai&Hikari
7) Steins;Gate Phenogram&Darling
8. Sumaga
9) Outlaw Django
Closing thoughts: After i finished Muramasa at the beginning of 2020, i seriously thought i could quit reading VNs without a shred of guilt because nothing would even sniff my top 5 again. Then Hashihime blew my mind and made me fall in love with the genre all over again. The fact that a doujin BL that a few hundred people would know about had it never gotten translated managed to get such a reaction out of me made it clear that a masterpiece can come from absolutely anywhere and now i'm on that rabbit hole more than ever in a way that it might take a ton of disappointments for me to get burned out ever again, specially now that i'm reading tons of untranslated stuff.
(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.
Playing through Never7 after going through Ever17 and Remember11 made me come up with a theory that i don't even know if the author had in mind when he first wrote Never7: what if a being from either the 4th or 0th dimensions had the protagonist and his girl of choice go back in time to save them? With the interference in the two other games, if wouldn't be that surprising.
Coming up with this theory led me to even more thinking, because those interferences can lead up to a interesting timeline, like so:
Remember11 (2011 in game): Humans go up against 0th dimension being to get rid of his influence on the world.
Ever17 (2017-2034 in game): Humans cooperate with 4th dimension being to save their friends.
Never7 (2019 in game): 0/4th dimension being helps humans from afar.
That way, we have a timeline where beings beyond this dimension went from being in opposition with humans to being friends with them and helping them when needed. However, time might not flow that way for them, and if you change the timeline to the release date of the games, things get a little more somber:
Never7: 0/4th dimension being helps humans from afar.
Ever17: 4th dimension being interacts with humans for the first time, even being friends with them.
Remember11: 0th dimension being accidentally makes the lives of the humans worse, leading to backlash via infinite loop trap.
That way, we have a timeline where beings beyond this dimension went from watching humans from afar, helping them at random, to being friends with them, to becoming their enemy by accident.
Overall, it's pretty interesting how you can come up with stuff like this because of how the world works in that trilogy.
(making it a blog post because i don't think this would get any activity as a thread)
I think this time period from 2011 to 2016 might have been the "golden age" of otome games because those were the years where a lot of the most notable otomeges were released. Just looking at high-rated otomes on VNDB:
2011: Amnesia Memories, Shinigami to Shoujo, Chou no Doku Hana no Kusari, Arcana Famiglia
2012: Black Wolves Saga (both parts), Dandelion, Koezaru wa Akai Hana, Cinders
2013: Ken ga Kimi, Nameless, Norn9, Arcana Famiglia 2, Getsuei no Kusari (and fandisc)
2014: Code Realize, Ayakashi Gohan
2015: Taishou x Alice, Psychedelica of the Black Butterfly, Re Birthday Song, Yoshiwara Higanbana
2016: Collar x Malice, Mystic Messenger, Nightshade, Psychedelica of the Ashen Hawk, Code Realize Future Blessings
I can only attest to the quality of a few of these VNs but for those that are more into this genre, i would like to raise this discussion.
As a personal commemoration for reaching 200 VNDB votes, i'm posting my current top 100 for posterity's sake. 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.
100) Divi-Dead (good atmosphere, favorite single plot twist)
99) Yume Miru Kusuri (good characters and story)
98) VA-11 HALL-A (good characters and atmosphere)
97) Togainu no Chi (good atmosphere and common route)
96) Snatcher (entertaining story, good atmosphere and finale)
95) Banshee’s Last Cry (great choice-making, favorite starter in the genre)
94) Hotel Dusk: Room 215 (good art, good mystery-solving, good finale)
93) Phoenix Wright: Justice for All (good mystery-solving, great finale)
92) The Labyrinth of Grisaia (entertaining characters, great true route)
91) Gensou Suikogaiden vol.1&2 (good choice-making system)
90) Ar Tonelico (good story and characters, good finale)
89) Battle Goddess Memoria (great RPG gameplay, good villain)
88) MajiKoi S (entertaining characters)
87) Funbag Fantasy (entertaining story and characters, favorite overall art)
86) PCB for Busy Person + Extra (entertaining characters and endings)
85) Hakuouki (good atmosphere and story)
84) Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney (good story and mystery-solving, good finale)
83) Phoenix Wright: Trials and Tribulations (good characters and mystery-solving, good finale)
82) Tokyo Babel (good characters and fight scenes)
81) Never7 (good story and atmosphere)
80) Katahane [one route done] (charming characters and story)
79) Himawari The Sunflower (good overall story, great side content)
78) Ace Attorney Investigations 2 (good story, favorite mystery-solving)
77) Amagami [three routes done] (favorite dating sim gameplay, entertaining characters)
76) Zanmataisei Demonbane [one route done] (entertaining story and characters)
75) Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception (entertaining characters, good finale)
74) Lamento Beyond the Void (great atmosphere and art, great endings)
73) EoSD for Busy Person + Extra (entertaining characters and endings)
72) Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (great characters, good mystery-solving and story)
71) Comyu (good story, entertaining fight scenes)
70) Ar Tonelico II (good characters, great story and soundtrack)
69) Danganronpa 2 (entertaining characters, good mystery-solving, good finale)
68) Danganronpa V3 (entertaining characters, great mystery-solving, good finale)
67) MajiKoi A1&A2 (entertaining characters and story)
66) Eve: Burst Error (entertaining story, great female protagonist)
65) Dangan Ronpa (entertaining characters, great story, great finale)
64) ChuSinGura 46+1 (entertaining characters, great fight scenes)
63) Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth (good story and characters, amazing finale)
62) Kikokugai The Cyber Slayer (great atmosphere, good fight scenes)
61) Higanbana no Saku Yoru ni + 2nd night (great characters, entertaining story)
60) Flowers: Printemps Volume (great art, charming characters, good use of mystery-solving)
59) Eden* (good story and art)
58) Utawarerumono (entertaining characters, good story)
57) Shikkoku no Sharnoth (good protagonist, great atmosphere, great finale)
56) Rance VI (entertaining characters, good story)
55) Air (good story and characters, good soundtrack)
54) The Letter (favorite branch system for a linear story)
53) Symphonic Rain [one route done] (charming art and soundtrack, good at subverting expectations)
52) Remember11 (good characters, great ending system)
51) Narcissu (great story and ending)
50) Battle Goddess Verita [one route done] (good story, great RPG gameplay)
49) Collar x Malice (entertaining story, great set of villains)
48) Chaos;Head (entertaining characters and choice-making, great plot twist)
47) Ourai no Gahkthun (good atmosphere and characters)
46) Monster Girl Quest 1,2&3 (amazing gameplay, good story and characters)
45) Fata Morgana: A Requiem for Innocence (good story and characters, amazing art)
44) Akai Ito [three routes done] (entertaining protagonist, good atmosphere, favorite OP song)
43) 11eyes (good characters, good fight scenes, great atmosphere)
42) Sekien no Inganock (great art, great atmosphere, good characters)
41) Planetarian (good pairing, great dialogue)
40) 9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors (entertaining characters, good true ending)
39) Kizuato (good characters, favorite introductory route, great set of joke endings)
38) Kira Kira [one route done] (good characters, great common route, great ending)
37) ef a fairy tale of the two (great story in the second half, good characters)
36) Chaos;Child (good choice-making system, good characters, good story)
35) Sharin no Kuni (favorite single villain, great story, great plot twist)
34) Root Double (amazing choice-making system, good true ending)
33) Virtue’s Last Reward (great ending system, great multiple route mystery)
32) Kara no Shoujo (great atmosphere)
31) Chou no Doku Hana no Kusari [one route done] (great atmosphere, great protagonist)
30) Cartagra (great art, entertaining characters, great endings)
29) Aoishiro (great choice-making, entertaining bad ending branches on some routes)
28) The Fruit of Grisaia (entertaining characters, great endings)
27) Code: Realize (amazing common route, entertaining story and characters)
26) Rose Guns Days (great story and characters, charming art)
25) Kamidori Alchemy Meister (great RPG gameplay, great New Game+ content)
24) Battle Goddess Zero (great story and characters)
23) Swan Song (amazing atmosphere, good story and characters)
22) Steins;Gate 0 (good story and characters, great use of true ending)
21) Sengoku Rance (entertaining characters, most replayable work in the genre)
20) Rewrite (entertaining characters, good story)
19) Phantom of Inferno (entertaining story and characters, great atmosphere, great action scenes)
18) Yumina The Ethereal (entertaining story, amazing use of multiple routes, great true ending)
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)
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)
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)
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, great After Story, fully explores choice-making in a school drama setting)
Addendum: Highest rated VNs that i didn't read (non-bayesian, 20 votes minimum)
White Album 2
Baldr Sky
Great Ace Attorney 2
Taishou Mebiusline
Flowers Automne/Hiver Volumes
Soukou Akki Muramasa
Rance X
Shingakkou
Ken ga Kimi
Sakura no Uta
Sakura Wars 3
Koshotengai no Hashihime
Shinigami to Shoujo
Hana Awase
Sengoku Koihime
Schwarzesmarken
We Without Wings
Monmusu Quest Paradox
Aiyoku no Eustia
yay
