Silvz

There's also Angel Beats! and Charlotte.
As for my favorite, no doubt it's Clannad. The anime adaptation made me cry right at episode 9 and fall in love with the stories Key produces. The others were good - I didn't like Planetarian 😕 - but no other VN would make me go through the whole 50 hours again like Clannad.
That said, I also love Summer Pockets and can't wait for Reflection Blue to be released. Unfortunately the newer games are written by different authors, so although they mimic Key's old style well, it's not the same.

Just have in mind it's not a moege, it's a mystery story-driven VN. But I think the main antagonist will please you

Yeah, I loved it too despite some flaws (that map movement system...) Now, Toybox, where's the damn sequel? You think you can get away with teasing us like that?

Today I finished World End Syndrome. It was fantastic, I loved it and it got me hooked through the whole story. I just wish the routes were longer - it felt that when the routes were finally starting to get interesting, they ended.
 
Now I'm still reading Angel Beats and plan to finally restart SeaBed. This is one that I've read for some time and didn't enjoy because it was too slow-paced. But now I got it on the Switch and am actually pretty excited to try it again.

Today I finished World End Syndrome. It was fantastic, I loved it and it got me hooked through the whole story. I just wish the routes were longer - it felt that when the routes were finally starting to get interesting, they ended.
 
Now I'm still reading Angel Beats and plan to finally restart SeaBed. This is one that I've read for some time and didn't enjoy because it was too slow-paced. But now I got it on the Switch and am actually pretty excited to try it again.

Today I finished World End Syndrome. It was fantastic, I loved it and it got me hooked through the whole story. I just wish the routes were longer - it felt that when the routes were finally starting to get interesting, they ended.
 
Now I'm still reading Angel Beats and plan to finally restart SeaBed. This is one that I've read for some time and didn't enjoy because it was too slow-paced. But now I got it on the Switch and am actually pretty excited to try it again.

Hmm, so testing comes after scripting, right? And considering they did not change the game to use textboxes, I hope it will not be a problem for them if they still need to script it.

Umineko no Naku Koro ni

They put a VN full of rape and guro on Steam and act surprised that it gets banned?!? The level of naivety shown here is baffling. 

Been almost a year and no news.  Sadge.

Yes, it's only you.

That's good to know, thanks
From what I remember, there were some routes that were focused more on the mystery, and the others where focus was more on the characters. But when taking the game as a whole, I think it was more or less balanced. If memory serves, main story reveals were in Miu's route, and then in true, and I think that's why guides recommend playing Miu's route as the last one.
While I gave WES "only" 7.5, I also loved it - it lost some points mostly because of the map system and its associated woes.

You can read Angel Beats without the other games. According to various sources, the game is a complete experience, with three main routes and a ton of content. The only thing it lacks are the sequels and a conclusion, but the latter you can watch in the anime version.
I'm loving WES. Loving. The map segments are bad, but I'm following a guide so it's not really a problem. I just wish there were more common scenes - as in scenes focused in the mystery instead of the characters - along the way. But I'm still in the beginning of Saya's route, so maybe it'll get better.

the text itself was good, well written, but that was not enough. The music seemed very dated to me.
Yeah, it didn't click with me, sadly. I had high hopes for it.
I decided to play it safe and stalled Grisaia. Now I'm reading Angel Beats! and gosh, it's way better - in  my opinion, of course. I'm also reading World End Syndrome. For the first time in ages I'm trying two at the same time. Since WES seems to be short, I will probably finish it early.
 

Read it years ago and can't remember everything, though I clearly remember the common route almost making me drop it. The comedy was honestly not enough to make me forget the defaults. Can't remember them all, but a sentiment of isolation, a world of papier-maché without substance behind. Isolation if done well (especially for psycho/horror) can be very pleasant, but that was not the case in this too isolated, too long and too repetitive common route.
I clearly remember two positive aspects though : 1. you spoke about the music not being good but I really loved them. 2. I read the fan TL at that time and I remember having thought that it was exceptional.

Interesting that you'd say that. The common opinion of Grisaia back when most people played it was that it was great because of the comedy, and that the common route was chock-full of it. But like anything else, it ultimately depends on what one likes. Any individual scene from the common route continues to be a barrel of laughs to me.

Honestly, if you don't like it in the beginning, I doubt you'll like the rest of the common route. If you don't like this kind of humor, you will probably hate it. It stays more or less the same to the end. As for the heroine routes, for some reason there are some very polarizing opinions about them. I personally found Amane's route to be really good, and Makina's route to be quite decent, while the other routes were a bit lacking (though all of them had their moments).

How has that VN gone under my radar for so long lol. Appreciate the recommendation even though it wasn't directed at me 

Planetarian and Narcissu are usually the ones people recommend to beginners. Also Saya no Uta, if they're into this kind of stuff.
If they are more into the literature side of the genre, I would strongly recommend Adabana Odd Tales. And if they are into yuri, The expression Amrilato is also pretty nice.

Planetarian and Narcissu are usually the ones people recommend to beginners. Also Saya no Uta, if they're into this kind of stuff.
If they are more into the literature side of the genre, I would strongly recommend Adabana Odd Tales. And if they are into yuri, The expression Amrilato is also pretty nice.

So, the recent release of The Sekimeiya: Spun Glass went pretty unnoticed so far, but currently seems to get some attention thanks to a comment on VNDB. It actually has a rating above 8.5 with over 60 votes there, which is unusually high for an OELVN. There aren't even that many JVN's that high. It's a scifi mystery thriller that actually looks pretty professional. It uses NVL style, which I personally don't like that much, but if the story is good it might not matter that much.
So, for everyone who isn't already jumping on Muramasa and looking more for a SciFi mystery VN in the spirit of the infinity series titles like Ever 17, this might actually be worth a look.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1432500/The_Sekimeiya_Spun_Glass/?utm_source=vndb

Umineko but paying more attention to the mystery. I think I missed too much the first time I read it because I was focused on the narrative only. The same applies to the Infinity series, but those I'd just like to not remember the truth behind the mysteries so I could appreciate the story more.
Clannad for the feels. I still want to rewatch the anime but I know the impact of the drama will be weaker. Planetarian too, but for a different reason: I didn't like it :< I wanted to not have this opinion about the game so I could really enjoy it.
 

You really like to keep making this topic don't you?

I personally played the Steam version for the first Grisaia, with the exception of one route which everyone said was ruined in that version, and I never played the full 18+ version, though I skipped through some routes of the other version, and I've seen some skipped scenes. So, take everything I say with a grain of salt. That said, I personally believe that the 18+ version is superior, though not to the point that I recommend going for it if you absolutely despise h-scenes. Lots of changes are pretty minor: some jokes are missing, and some foreshadowing is skipped. The protagonist in the all-ages version appears as a lot more decent person, and it will probably make him a lot more bearable for some people, but you can also argue that it breaks his characterisation. On the other hand, there are some changes in Michiru's route that I personally find really nonsensical. The route is pretty much big mess to begin with, but I personally believe I could enjoy it if I came with a right mindset, though the changes in the Steam version certainly didn't help.
Ironically, I probably should've gone for the Steam version for the third game.

I looked into it a bit as well and it seems like there are some added scenes and CGs in this version, so that should definitely make up for any censored content, to the point where I'm deliberating rereading the VN myself. It's one of my personal favorites, but the h-scenes were awful and way too long (and this was back in the days when I used to sit through the entire scenes to make sure I didn't miss anything plot-related). We're talking a huge time investment though, so I dunno when I'd find the time, considering my current backlog and all the other stuff that's being released.