onorub

“War was always here. Before man was, war waited for him. The ultimate trade awaiting its ultimate practitioner.”
~Judge Holden (Blood Meridian)
“My love is destruction. Its flames ache to devour all that exist: Heaven and Hell, God and Satan; all things in Creation, from the first universe that was, to the last that will ever be.”
~Reinhard Heydrich (Dies Irae)
 
The archetype of a sentient embodiment of war continues to persist, and has morphed considerably from its mythological origins. Having finished Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian, considered by some literary critics to be the great American novel. I am left transfixed by a particular figure, a haunting presence that defies death: the Judge, Judge Holden. The Judge is a complex figure, and there are many interpretations as to who he really is. One common interpretation is that he is the embodiment of war itself. This, along with his function in the novel, reminded me quite of bit of Reinhard Heydrich from Dies Irae.
Reinhard proudly claims to be war itself, and so in this respect he is not subtle. What makes Reinhard standout as a villain, is how evil yet seductively charming he is. He wants destruction for its own sake, or really; for his amusement. To him war is fun, and an eternity spent warring couldn't be a more ideal form of the afterlife in his conception. He would be in complete agreement with the judge on this point:
“Men are born for games. Nothing else. Every child knows that play is nobler than work. He knows too that the worth or merit of a game is not inherent in the game itself but rather in the value of that which is put at hazard. Games of chance require a wager to have meaning at all. Games of sport involve the skill and strength of the opponents and the humiliation of defeat and the pride of victory are in themselves sufficient stake because they inhere the worth of the principals and define them. But trial of chance or trial of worth all games aspire to the condition of war for here which is wagered swallows up game, player, all.”
Easily some of the best parts of both Blood Meridian and Dies Irae are the speeches and dialogues given by Judge Holden and Reinhard respectively. At some point Reinhard in the midst of battle famously states, “I love everything, therefore I will destroy everything”. The judge says something essentially to that effect as well. Possessing a near expert level of knowledge on nearly every subject (something true of Reinhard as well), he is once asked by a fellow crew member why he always meticulously jots notes of artifacts they pass by. The Judge responds, “to expunge them from the memory of man”. What he's saying there is that he wants to record everything so that he can keep track of what he destroys, with his ultimate goal of destroying everything from the “memory of man”. This ties into another famous quote of his, “Whatever in creation exists without my knowledge exists without my consent.” In order to have dominion over everything (to become a “suzerain” in his own words), you must first know everything. For you cannot conquer what you don't know.
There is however a key point of contrast between these two characters who share this same archetype. Judge Holden is visibly terrifying, with the image I included in this post being my favorite depiction of him. Reinhard on the other hand, is gorgeous. Compared to the Judge's bald head and completely hairless body, Reinhard is characterized with a mane of flowing blonde hair. The importance of this contrast in outward appearances is that the two characters signify different aspects of war.
Reinhard best represents the seduction of war, and the glory as well as rewards it promises. In the prologue alone, he convinces countless Nazi soldiers faced with imminent defeat and slaughter against the Russian troops storming Berlin, to instead give up their own lives and souls to him. Encouraging them to participate in a group suicide that would put the largest of death-cults to shame. They went along with his command, because he promised the glory that Hitler failed to deliver on. It is also noted when that happened, “This could not have been the first time.”
If Reinhard is the seducer of war, then the judge is its rapist. Indeed, there are several instances in the novel where it is heavily suggested that the judge was responsible for a brutal rape, but it is never concretely confirmed. But his fetish for violence is no secret. While the judge is capable of persuasive charm, his preference for violence is clear. Even when he does display his persuasive abilities, the threat of violence that his domineering stature imposes must surely add a feeling of extortion to any request he makes. To list the unfathomably gruesome cruelty of the judge would still not accurately communicate how truly horrifying he is. I think the best example is when he was left in charge of the gang and a group of hostages when the gang leader, Glanton, had to leave for other business. When Glanton finally returns, one of the hostages comes desperately running to him only able to say, “That man, that man.” What Judge Holden personifies, is the horror of war itself.
I suppose the last point of comparison I would like to touch on, is how both Reinhard and judge Holden are based on real people. Reinhard Heydrich was a high ranking Nazi official. They tie this in an interesting way in Dies Irae, but obviously the overall depiction of Reinhard in Dies Irae is mostly fictional. Judge Holden on the other hand is much more mysterious.
Both the real and fictional Judge Holden was the second in command of the Glanton Gang; mercenaries who in 1849 temporarily worked for the Mexican government to genocide Apache Indians. However, the Glanton gang (lead by John Glanton) also slaughtered peaceful tribes in order to collect more Indian scalps which they could exchange for a higher bounty. At the end of 1849 the state of Chihuahua outlawed the gang, and put bounties on their heads. Samuel Chamberlain, who at one time worked for the Glanton gang wrote about his experiences with them in his memoir: My Confession: The Recollections of a Rogue. Mentioned several times in the memoir, it's the only document that attests to the existence of Judge Holden. In it he is described as, “a man of gigantic size called "Judge" Holden of Texas. Who or what he was no one knew but a cooler blooded villain never went unhung; he stood six feet six in his moccasins, had a large fleshy frame, a dull tallow colored face destitute of hair and all expression. His desires was blood and women.” In the memoir he also notes, “Holden was by far the best educated man in northern Mexico; he conversed with all in their own language, spoke in several Indian lingos, at a fandango would take the Harp or Guitar from the hands of the musicians and charm all with his wonderful performance.”
It is the fact that the only testimony of the Judge's existence is in several pages of an obscure, forgotten memoir that makes him more terrifying for me. Given how similar the description of the real Judge Holden, and the fictional one is, it makes it that much more difficult to draw the line between fiction and reality.
What can be said though is that “war endures”. As long as there are masses of people desperate for glory, then Reinhard will be there to seduce them. And as long as there are blood soaked battlefields, the towing silhouette of the judge will be there to lead men to their doom.

Previous: https://forums.fuwanovel.net/blogs/entry/2871-random-top-100-one-year-later/
 
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.

Foreword: I never expected a 80 hour long race out of this "episodic" story. How much time should pass till opening? What about length of the epilogue? Should there be some lines after the final credits? Believe me, Steel will surprise you with each answer. I knew that scenario from Kadokura Keisuke would be enjoyable. But it took me a full week to be able to digest it.
VNDB: https://vndb.org/v6416
Youtube:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5Nc368AlSs&list=PLs4Gp5VU4Fv9jHMWwIIkzFPiTpLJ-eMP7

Synopsis: The protagonist, Tomoya, was abandoned by his mother at a tender age. He was taken in by Honjou Arisa after a chance meeting. Four girl adoptees who had joined the Honjou family home for similar reasons also lived there.
Though they were not related by blood, Tomoya treated the girls as if they were his siblings. They lived peaceful lives at the Honjou residence... but one day, he encountered a strange woman in town. She was wreathed in something that looked like iron – and upon seeing her figure, he remembered that he, too, had once harbored such a metallic augment.
"Is that... your Anima?"
A right arm turned to metal... A peculiar corpse discovered at school... A transfer student exuding dark mist... And a foreign warrior wreathed in thick steel armor... Tomoya's peaceful life would soon begin to crumble as disaster came to visit him and his sisters. To protect them, he shall have to once again wreathe his right arm in Anima.
Game type: Supernatural abilities chuuni story
Character Design rating: 8/10
Protagonist rating: 7/10
Story rating: 9/10
Game quality: 4/10
Overall rating: 7/10

Basics first. This is a story of a big and powerful Honjo clan. Main character Tomoya is an adopted child who lives in the family for the last five years. Only few families possess the anima ability to turn their body into weapons. They have rivals, but don't show their powers to the outsiders. Tomoya only starts to master his anima. That brings us to structure.
There are four chapters. Three first chapters have similar shape. Each of them is devoted to Honjo sisters and their anima - first Misaki, then Ayano, finally Iori. These three chapters have two endings each - initially the true one when the heroine comes off the stage in some way and then the side happy ending with each heroine. After each of four chapters there's a short explanatory chapter which is devoted mostly to past events and Honjo Alice heroine. The fourth chapter has only one ending and is devoted to the most mysterious heroine Nishinomiya Akizuki. It also covers most of the loose ends of the game. Epilogue chapter (with a small Final chapter which finalizes Explanatory Chapters) is very different from the other chapters and presents after-story for the different characters that remain on the stage up to the point. 

Phew, with that covered - almost - without spoilers it's possible to go on. Story is thrilling, and text is really rich. Characters are quite developed despite having no voicing thanks to whole 15-hour long chapter devoted to each of them. What I liked the most is that there are very few SOL scenes. Protagonist Tomoya starts off pretty well with all his powers awakening gradually and evolving with more emotional experiences. But game really lacks a good conflict. There are some goons (including elite ones) from the rival family, but that's it. So in result Tomoya just does not have opportunity to actually fight since we constantly need to show battle prowess of our chapter heroines. Thus he gets from cool to passive losing charm. Due to the lack of conflict some fights happen even between heroines out of trifles. But on the other hand, some antagonists jump to the stage out of the blue. Momentum never gets lost.

Time to get back to story since it's the main flavor of the game. Each chapter is actually very different, so we can't stop being surprised. Misaki chapter is our straightforward nakige with personal drama and focus on the heroine alone. Ayano chapter suddenly changes focus from heroine to her anima. Iori chapter is totally different again since Iori actually can't fight. Maid Noriko has to fulfill that function, so Noriko actually gets her own ending as well. Third chapter also marks the main conflict of the game and uncovers Honjo clan secrets. Fourth chapter has the most straightforward conflict between main heroines Alice and Akizuki against their own antagonists. As for epilogue, it gives off too much of Clannad scent which is a great minus for such Clannad hater as me. Each chapter is named after anima name and explanatory chapters are called Shizoid because of the very different perspective presented.

The saddest part is graphical presentation and absence of voicing. That gives a huge penalty to the quality evaluation. I can't really imagine many persons to be able to read such a huge story with such poor presentation. But - on the other hand - how many real modern masterpieces are there without voicing? Can't really remember even one out of the blue. That's an enormous feat by itself.

Foreword: This is a formal shameless review just to present a video and give score / personal impression. There is an abundance of reviews of this game in untranslated review sources (1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8), and I did not even include reviews in the translated review sources. 
VNDB: https://vndb.org/v646
Youtube:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkfbKBF3PZE&list=PLs4Gp5VU4Fv8HOd7D19oHjX9NAj_dJRkF

Synopsis: In face of human technological advancement during the Meiji Restoration, the youkai of Japan were forced to make a hard decision:
1) To remain as youkai and watch over the land
2) To return to the netherworld
3) To give up their power and status as youkai and live amongst humans.
While there were some that chose otherwise, the majority of the youkai decided it was best to become human. It was tough, but as time passed these youkai were able to blend in with the human world and live peacefully amongst them.
However, blood is thicker than water. The offspring of these youkai displayed the powerful abilities of their ancestors in times of great anxiety, often manifesting in horrible and dangerous ways, and were labeled by society as monsters.
Officially their condition was named "Acquired Systemic Special Heredity variety Syndrome", or "ASSHS" for short and treated as a non-contagious illness, but the common people began to refer to them as Jinyous (half-youkai) nevertheless.
Of these Jinyous, most were sent to Kamizawa City: an isolated urban area walled off from the rest of Japan to keep all the Jinyous together and away from the human population. However, the ones that were deemed especially dangerous were sent to a medical facility on an uncharted island near the shores of Japan where they would be under constant surveillance.
Takabe Ryouichi was one of those who were sent to said island at the age of five. This is a story about him along with the girl called Suzu, his only friend on the island, escaping to Kamizawa city to live a normal life. What they didn’t expect was that Suzu carried a secret that attracted much unwanted attention…

Game type: Action chunige with fantasy elements
Character Design rating: 9/10
Protagonist rating: 8/10
Story rating: 6/10
Game quality: 10/10
Overall rating: 8/10
I won't be original here. Game is a firm masterpiece with great action, funny SOL scenes and just perfect quality overall. But different people find different parts faulty. Some people blame protagonist Soushichi, but I actually like him a lot. He is really funny and human-like in conversations. Heroines are the main flavor of the game. They all are really well developed, and pretty much every one of them has fighting capabilities. Each route has a distinctive individuality.

Other people did not like story resolution, but - again - everything felt natural, don't see much of a problem here. My complaint is much more profound. I do not see an interesting story here at all. On a grand scale absolutely nothing happens. There is no intrigue. Basically we get to know from synopsis that Takabe Ryouichi escapes from a clinic for youkai and is searched by the organization controlling this clinic. So what happens during the course of the game? Organization goons finally find Takabe after a few years which is followed by confrontation. That's it. Where the hell is multiple route mystery featured among vndb tags? There is absolutely no need to play different routes to get the whole mystery picture, because there is no mystery. Yes, we have different girls as allies in different routes, and different sources of power are discovered to fight back. But that's not a mystery. There are even no big twists.

Ayakashibito is a great game, but its strength is not in depth and mystery. It's in width and details. The story is developed by constantly adding new characters and presenting their backgrounds and sometimes even small stories in great detail. I absolutely like writing, pacing and all. It's an enjoyable reading, but whenever I try to rationalize - why I keep reading - I can't find the answer, and overall evaluation degrades because of that. Ayakashibito remains a game about girls and their magnificent routes. Personally, I hoped for more mystery and twists.

(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.
 
 

Sekai Project
VN
Start of Kickstarter
Estimated delivery
Actual delivery
World End Economica
June 2014
May 2015
Not yet delivered
Clannad
November 11th 2014
October 2015
March 2016
Grisaia Trilogy
December 2014
October 2015
April 2018
Memory’s Dogma
June 2015
December 2016
Part 1 of 3 delivered August 2020
The Human Reignition Project
June 2015
December 2016
Not yet delivered
Narcissu 10th Anniversary Anthology Project
October 2015
April 2016
Not yet delivered
Root Double
January 2016
March 2016
November 2016
Chrono Clock
August 2016
April 2017
Not yet delivered
A Clockwork Ley-Line
Febuary 2017
January 2018
Not yet delivered
Fatal Twelve
March 2017
January 2018
November 2018
Hoshizora No Memoria
May 2017
September 2018
Not yet delivered
Shining Song Starnova
August 2017
August 2018
June 2019
A light in the Dark
February 2018
June 2018
July 2019
Tokyo Chronos
July 2018
April 2019
October 2020
 
Frontwing
VN
Start of Kickstarter
Estimated delivery
Actual delivery
Corona Blossom vol 1
June 2016
October 2016
July 2019
Corona Blossom vol 2
September 2016
December 2016
July 2019
Sharin no Kuni
November 2016
October 2017
Not yet delivered
Corona Blossom vol 3
December 2016
March 2017
July 2019
Grisaia Phantom Trigger Volume 1 and 2
March 2017
June 2017
March 2019
Grisaia Complete box
March 2017
Q4 2017
Febuary 2019
Grisaia Phantom Trigger Volume 3
June 2017
September 2017
Not yet delivered
Wonderful Everyday
August 2017
January 2018
Not yet delivered
Grisaia Phantom Trigger Volume 4
November 2017
April 2018
Not yet delivered
Momoiro Closet
Febuary 2018
July 2018
Not yet delivered
Grisaia Phantom Trigger Volume 5
June 2018
October 2018
Not yet delivered
Island
August 2018
December 2018
Not yet delivered
 
 
Sol Press
VN
Start of Kickstarter
Estimated delivery
Actual delivery
Sakura Sakura
August 2017
December 2017
Not yet delivered
Newton and the Apple Tree
December 2017
May 2018
Not yet delivered
Irotoridori no Sekai
Febuary 2019
December 2021
Not yet delivered
 
Others
VN
Start of Kickstarter
Estimated delivery
Actual delivery
Muv-Luv
September 2015
September 2016
July 2018
Libra of the Vampire Princess
December 2015
November 2016
May 2017
Dies Irae
December 2016
May 2017
April 2018
Koropokkur
March 2018
September 2018
October 2018
Venusblood Frontier
September 2018
December 2019
December 2019
Seven Days
September 2018
January 2019
Desember 2019
Aokana
June 2019
December 2019
September 2020

(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

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