I'll just drop my opinion here. Uproar I'm sure will ensue, apologies in advance.
I had an interesting chat in IRC earlier this morning with RaptorFB. Essentially, he pointed out that this torrent was already created, and was appalled at how quickly the game was cracked and released as a free torrent. That part is nothing new - Day0 and Day1 releases are incredibly common with nearly everything nowadays. However, many of those fandoms have such large fanbases that people who want shiny extras will buy the game anyway. Hell, most people just buy the game regardless of the extras because "Hey I (or my kid, depending on the circumstances) wants Call of Duty and Halo and {insert random other shooter that I don't play because they give me a headache}, and so I'ma just go buy it for him." Visual Novels don't have sort of widespread influence on the market.
Companies like Mangagamer, etc., spend sizable amounts of money in order to obtain licenses, perform translations, do editing, and making sure that the game is presentable to an English market. They then sell these games, which in turn provide the funding for more titles. What they release is based on how much their previous games made. If you see a string of nukige, it's because sales haven't been so fantastic. When you see major titles like Cartagra or Dengeki Stryker or Shuffle! come out, it means that sales were decent, so they could bring a more popular title over.
Fuwanovel's goal has, as far as I'm aware, has always been "Making Visual Novels Popular in the West." Previously, in order to do that, we had to hype and pirate everything in order to create a large enough group of people that could actually be marketed to. Companies picked up on that marketability, took a shot, and now we have a few companies that are making it out there with the help of people who actually want to support the company and not just get their rocks off and move on. If they want to just get their rocks off, well, there's plenty of nukige they can pick from thanks to the massive amounts of pirating that has occurred.
But Ryechu, I don't have money blah blah blah... That sounds like a personal problem, and has zero effect on the fact that you should support the companies that are trying to make your favorite medium popular.
The motto should remain, but our approach should be different. Fan-translated works and the like should still be hosted, because that's the only way we're going to see many, if not all of those. If the Japanese parent company has an issue with it, they put out a C&D, and move on. However, any mention of illegally obtaining licensed products should be immediately destroyed. Requests for licensed titles, similarly, should be posted on and locked.
If they're that desperate, there's this cool thing called Google. I don't advocate its use for that purpose, but I can't force my hands through your monitors to stop you from doing it either, as much as I would like to.
TL;DR: Support licensed titles by actually buying them, and destroy anything requesting free versions of these licensed titles on Fuwa. We want to make Visual Novels popular in the West, and the only way to do that is to support the companies attempting to do that.
Edit: Oh I would sooooo sign up to mod requests forum just so I could nom on delicious "gimmegimme" souls.
What is an OELVN?
OELVN is an acronym that stands for Original English Language Visual Novel. If you're on Fuwanovel, you know what a visual novel is already. An OELVN is just that, but it's native language is English. An OELVN can be a commercial product, but a lot of them are actually free-to-play. Why are you making this list?
Recently, I had to read an OELVN for the Fuwanovel review team. As someone with very little experience with that area of visual novels, I took to looking around the forums to get inspiration on what to read. Not surprisingly, there wasn't a real resource to be found on Fuwanovel that provided an excellent jumping point into that area of the medium. This was later brought up during brainstorming with the visual novels discussion moderating team and that provided me the impetus I needed to start this list. What is this List?
As the title implies, this list aims to provide information on OELVNs that might be worth reading to you as a fan of the medium at large. I hope it'll be a good jumping point for those in the Fuwanovel community who want to read OELVNs, but don't know where to begin. As well, I hope it might also spark some curiosity for those who might have little-to-no interest in OELVNs. This will be by no means a comprehensive list. It is one put together through the generous input of a handful of Fuwanovelers and through other resources and reviews that I could find on the internet. What do you mean by 'notable'?
This is not an exact qualification. I'm taking titles that have interesting sounding narratives, favorable critical reception, or professional quality production value and putting them together in a list that will hopefully be of interest to those interested in starting to read OELVNs. Some titles on this list will be commercial works, others will be free. Why are you writing this list?
It's true that I myself have very limited experience with OELVNs, and I'm not the most comfortable putting together a list like this that doesn't rely heavily on personal recommendations, but it's a good chance for me to maybe discover new things to read as well as share what I find with the community.
Now, without further ado...
The Fuwanovel List of Notable OELVNS
Air Pressure by Bento Smile
Notable Tags: Only a Single Heroine, Multiple Endings, Lots of Choices
This one is really short, but it has impact. Saying anything more might ruin the experience for you, it might be better to make the connections yourself.
Where to play: Kongregate (online), Official Site (download)
Analogue: A Hate Story by Christine Love
Notable Tags: Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction
If you keep up with visual novels, you're likely at least marginally aware of Christine Love and her works. Analogue: A Hate Story is an interesting work, putting you (the player) in the seat as a character in the novel, unraveling the grim details of what befell the crew of the Mugunghwa. If you are finding yourself put off by the art, you shouldn't let that stop you. It is an excellent story, with an interesting narrative device, that will likely leave some lingering feelings after all is said and done. You can find a demo here. The game has a direct sequel, Hate Plus: ~Mute's Golden Days~.
Where to buy: Steam, Desura
Autumn's Journey by Apple Cider Notable Tags: Otome Game, Fantasy
This is a short one, clocking in at around an hour. The story and setting isn't my cup of tea, but it does have excellent production values. The art has a very professional luster and the music is excellent. There's really no downside to trying it out, it's free and the time commitment is minimal. Where to download: Official Site
Bacchikoi! by BlackMonkey Pro
Notable Tags: Shounen AI, Yaoi, Baseball Club, Lots of Event CGs
For those of you that enjoy boy love. This looks to have a really clean presentation. A bit pricey, particularly the uncensored version.
Where to buy: Official Site
Bermuda by InvertMouse Notable Tags: Linear Plot, Protagonist with Voice Acting
This is a visual novel crafted by our very own InvertMouse. It's fully voice acted, looks good, and has some pretty cool design choices for a visual novel. A demo can be found on his official site below. Where to buy: Official Site
Cave! Cave! Deus Videt by We Are Muesli
Notable Tags: Lots of Choices, Minimalist Sprites
This looks pretty esoteric and weird, inspired by the works of Jheronimus Bosch. Might be worth a read if you're into that sort of thing.
Where to download: Official Site
Cinders by MoaCube & sakevisual Notable Tags: Female Protagonist, Fairy Tale, Multiple Endings
Cinders is a retelling of the story of Cinderella, one that places an emphasis on the choice of the reader. The art assets look very nice and have a storybook charm, but there's some mixed reception. From what I can tell, it's on the short side. You can try a demo here. Where to buy: Steam, Official Site
Clannad -The Past Path- by Scope Games Notable Tags: Fan Fiction, 80's, Early Branching Plot, High Amount of Bad Endings
I haven't played this one, but I thought it would be worthwhile to mention it. It's an unofficial prequel to Clannad made in the Ren'py engine. It's free and the developer's site says it takes between 5-10 hours to 100%. Be warned, it does contain spoilers for Clannad. Where to download: Ren'Ai Archive
Death Rule: lost code by MESI Games
Notable Tags: Multiple Stories, Battle Royale, Third Person Narrative
Haven't played this one, but it's a death game story. The premise will probably either remain interesting or be very tiring for you by now. Might be worth checking out, it's free.
Where to download: Official Site
Digital: A Love Story by Christine Love
Notable Tags: Linear Plot, 80's, Internet
This is the spiritual predecessor to Analogue: A Hate Story, made for the NaNoRenO. It employs a similarly unconventional storytelling approach as Analogue: A Hate Story, with the narrative entirely unfolding through BBS conversations in the late 80's. It's a cool concept, the story is engaging, and it's free. If you plan on reading A Hate Story, consider reading this one first as some aspects of Hate Story will spoil the ending to Love Story. Where to download: Official Site
Doki Doki no Obama by Chris Sommer
Notable Tags: Parody, Politics
This might seem like a joke suggestion, but I promise this game is actually fairly amusing. It's obviously not the most high-brow political satire, but it has more to it than you might actually expect. Try it out, it's free and pretty funny.
Where to download: 2014 Indie Game Maker Contest
don't take it personally, babe, it just ain't your story by Christina Love
Notable Tags: LGBTQ, Teacher Protagonist, Adolescent Romance
don't take it personally, babe, it just ain't your story is the spiritual sequel of sorts to Digital: A Love Story. One isn't necessary to understand the other however, so you can think of it as a stand alone work.
Where to download: Official Site
Dysfunctional Systems: Learning to Manage Chaos by Dischan Media Notable Tags: Science Fiction, Female Protagonist
This is the first episode of the Dysfunctional Systems story, with the second one slated for some time this year. I adore the art style of this game and you can't really go wrong with the price point of $4.99. Where to buy: Steam, Official Site
Jisei, Kansei, Yousei by sakevisual Notable Tags: Murder Mystery, Superpowers
This is a trilogy about a teenager with the power to relive the final, dying moments of corpses. The games look nice enough, has a pretty decent premise, and from what I can tell, get progressively better as the series progresses. You can find a demo on the official site below. Also available for iOS.
Where to buy: Official Site
Juniper's Knot by Dischan Media Notable Tags: Kinetic Novel, Multiple Protagonists, Demon Protagonist, Shota Protagonist
Another NaNoRenO game, this one is a story told from two different perspectives. The art is very slick and you can't go wrong with the price tag of free. Where to download: Official Site
Katawa Shoujo by Four Leaf Studios Notable Tags: Slice of Life, High School, Disabled Heroine
This one doesn't need any introduction. It's probably the most high-profile OELVN. Chances are you've already played this one, and if you haven't, you probably need to look no further on this list to find what to read.
Where to download: Official Site
Leviathan: The Last Day of the Decade by Marcel Weyers & Lostwood LLC
Notable Tags: Episodic Story, Cyberpunk, Dark Fantasy, Dystopia, Bloody Scenes
An interesting premise and setting. It's an episodic game, with the 1st episode being free. They seem to be currently trying to fund the final episode.
Where to download/buy: Official Site
Long Live the Queen by Hanako Games Notable Tags: Raising Simulation, Medieval Fantasy, Female Protagonist
It's hard to put into words just exactly why I enjoyed this game as much as I did. The art quality varies, topping out at alright and the music is pretty generic and forgettable. The "gamey" aspects of it lose value after a single play through. Reading it was fun though. Collecting all the ways the princess can die in an achievement collecting like fashion has a certain morbid charm to it and the setting is surprisingly grim. You can find a trial version on the official site below.
Where to buy: Steam, Official Site
Loren the Amazon Princes by Winter Wolves Notable Tags: Medieval Fantasy, Fantasy,RPG
This is something of a visual novel/RPG hybrid, though. The RPG elements are a bit bland and the combat interface leaves a lot to the imagination, but it looks good, has an alright story, and it does have elements of character creation if you're into that sort of thing. The big downside is that the bundle that includes the dlc is a bit on the pricey side.
Where to buy: Steam, Official Website
Nicole by Winter Wolves Notable Tags: Otome Game, Mystery, Raising Simulation, Dating Simulation
This one isn't really my kind of game, but it's worth mentioning. It looks kind of like your standard otome dating sim, but with the plus of having some great looking art assets. I've read that the writing is kind of cheesy, which could be a plus or negative depending on your tastes. On top of it all, there's supposed to be a yuri version of the game released at some point. You can find a demo on the official site below.
Where to buy: Steam, Official Site
RE: Alistair by sakevisual & Mugenjohncel Notable Tags: Otome Game, Dating Simulation
Once again not exactly my kind of game, but the description makes it seem charming enough. The art looks decent enough, it's free, and its on the short side. Might be worth checking out. Where to download: Official Site
Sunrider by Love in Space Notable Tags: Science Fiction, Mecha Combat, Starship Combat, War
I'm currently playing through this one myself at the moment. The game looks nice in some select areas, but it is lacking in others and you may find certain 3D elements to be incongruent with the rest of the game. The story doesn't really seem that exceptional yet, but the game play is pretty decent and it's easily available on steam for the low time price of free. Where to buy/download: Steam
That Cheap and Sacred Thing by carosene Notable Tags: Female Protagonist, Kinetic Novel, Science Fiction
This one comes in at around an hour and I found it surprisingly touching. It has some pretty interesting (if common) themes, but they might seem a bit underdeveloped due to the length of the game. Nevertheless, it's a cool setting with a story that's worth the read. Check it out, it's free. Where to download: Lemma Soft
The Dandelion Girl by /jp/ project
Tags: Literary Adaptation, Time Travel, Kinetic Novel, Science Fiction, Adult Protagonist
This is a literary adaptation of a short story by Robert F. Young. It seems to have a decent reception. If you're into that sort of thing, check it out: it's free!
Where to download: VN-Meido
The Elevator by Cyanide Tea Notable Tags: Adult Protagonist, Detective Protagonist, Slice of Life
This is a free game that seems to be about a relatively simple, human story. I'm looking forward to setting aside the time to play it. Where to download: Official Site
The Knife of the Traitor by Clua Notable Tags: Female Protagonist, Mystery, God Hero
I included this on this list because of how interesting this title looks. The game's art and sense of style is eye-catching, the synopsis is very curious, and it's free and short. On the whole it looks like a charming title that's worth to try out. Where to download: Lemma Soft
The Royal Trap by Hanako Games Notable Tags: Proactive Protagonist, Otome Game, Intrigue
This one looks interesting. The art is decent, I actually hear the story is pretty good, and a premise of playing as a well-bred lady whose job it is to mold a prince into marriageable material is an intriguing premise. Throw in some court intrigue and I think this one is worth a look.
Where to buy: Official Site
The 39 Steps by The Story Mechanic Notable Tags: Literary Adaptation, Interactive Adventure Game, Protagonist with Voice Acting, Crime
This is a curious title that never shows any of the characters on screen, but in its stead it's fully voice acted. An interesting concept. It is based on a book, which has a number of movie adaptations. From what I've heard, it's very faithful to its source material. Where to buy/download: Amazon, Steam
Witches & Woodlands by Jan-Poo
Notable Tags: Parody, Fan Ficion, Metafiction, Kinetic Novel
I thought this might be of interest as this is a free Umineko fan parody. From what I've heard, it's actually pretty funny.
Where to download: Official Site
X-Note by Zevia Inc Notable Tags: Otome Game, Multiple Route Mystery, Murder Mystery
It's an interesting synopsis, looks pretty good, and the few reviews I've found for it seem to be in agreement that the story is at least solid, if not good. There is a demo available on the site below.
Where to buy: Official Site
Some titles you might want to keep an eye out for in the future:
Exogenesis - this one has really caught my curiosity.
Lucid9
Huniepop - I'm far more excited for this one than I probably should be.
Queen At Arms
Violet Hill
Waxwing
Notable sites, tools, and resources:
Planet EVN - a regularly updated blog about OELVNs
Lemma Soft - discussion and development boards for visuals novels, datings sims, and story based games.
Ren'Ai Archive - archive games made with the Ren'Py engine, a free software engine to build visual novels. Be weary, there's a lot of stuff in there that ranges from not-so-good to shit.
Steam: Visual Novels
Visual Novel Database
Change Log:
This list will continue to be a work in progress. I'm looking to further expand on it as I discover new titles and new games are released. If you have any suggestions on something to add or would like to point out something I glaringly missed, feel free to do so. Once again, this isn't a definitive, comprehensive list. It's not a list of 10 out of 10 games. They're "notable." You might find them interesting as fans of visual novels, you might even love them, but your mileage will vary.
Credits: My thanks to Rooke, Ryechu, InvertMouse, and Down for their input in putting together this list.
Hello once again, coming with a small update for you all that are showing interest in this projects and perhaps even our group.
We are getting close to 10% translated as in total progress, we run our translation checking, editing and quality controller/checker quite close to that so you can expect that if we say we got 10% translated that means the 3 other steps are also around 10% complete.
We've had a great time so far working on this project, we do daily conversations about everything in our IRC so head on over if you feel like talking to us.
A new post will be coming shortly on our website that explains abit of the process and it will be written by our head editor EldritchCherub.
Also information regarding a partial patch that we are planning to release and what purpose it will serve.
So, thanks for the support we have gotten and have a nice day.
Greetings and salutations! I am Rose, and this time I'm bringing you guys a quiz game. I'll admit it, the rules are a bit complicated at first but I made a video explaining basically everything that I managed to, it'll be on the end of my post for those who get confused. I'll apologize right now for both my voice and pronunciation during the video. I am a bit sick and my throat hurts quite a bit so I butchered lots of words there, I hope you understand.
Before anything, I'll be asking you guys for feedback. This is still a project, as this is not the kind of game you just sign up, we play and it's done. In theory, this is a 24/7 ongoing game where not only me and my "staff" are going to be making the questions, but you guys are also responsible of doing so. I'll be frank, I don't think this game will work unless at least around 15-20 members are up for it, so it's extremely important that I get your guys thoughts. You like the idea and will be participating? Do you have anything you're not satisfied with? Please, make a reply here and elaborate about it!
As you read the rules, you'll come across a certain role on the game, which is the "Fixed Quizzer" one. These guys are responsible for keeping an eye out if people are following the rules, if there's nothing wrong with the scores and all that kind of stuff. Also, they're allowed to quiz whenever they want or are asked to do so, feel free to abuse of them in any way you can imagine. However, there's a limit to how many quizzes they can make daily. Including me, the team consists of the following members:
OriginalRen
Krill
CruelN1N1
Babiker
My wish is not only to make an activity for everyone to participate, but I hope that with this, people become interested on different novels, as well as promoting lesser known ones and OELVNs by doing event quizzes where points might be double, tripled or even more. Who knows? I might even make quiz events or events based on the scoreboard with VN copies as the prize, but this is only an idea that's extremely far from coming to light.
Now, without further ado, these are the Shin Sekai Quiz rules:
Someone just posted a better sum up of The Inhumans, so take a look if you're curious:
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comicsandcosplay/12522-Everything-You-Need-To-Know-About-Marvel-s-Inhumans
Fuwanovel sure does have a lot of lists. So I will compile all the lists into a nice list so you guys won't have to look so hard to find the list you need.
Index of VN reviews, analysis, and discussions
List of all English TL VNs
List of Notable OELVNs
VN List for Site Downtime
List of Projects Recruiting
Kaguya Proves he can type/copy and paste a list too
List of all of Ren's Giveaways, Streams, and Podcasts
The word list appears a bunch so it counts. Video Game News Thread
You cannot escape the Infinity Loop
Ultimate Recommendation List
List of Video Game/Atelier Communities
Full list of lists of lists
Learn Japanese you Pleb
Let me know if I missed any! We don't want any lists being buried!
nohman reacted to Ryechu in Introducing A Delay to Licensed VN Torrents [Completed]
nohman got a reaction from Stray Cat in Japanese Video Blog Series! Ideas
nohman got a reaction from Barralrider in Halloween!
nohman got a reaction from Keaton in Leaving fuwanovel
nohman got a reaction from solidbatman in Leaving fuwanovel
