10 VN You Need To Play Before You Die

[Nao_KASUKABE]

Hello all ((´^ω^))

Please tell me if this topic is not suitable here.

 

I found translated article of this today...((´^ω^))

”10 Anime Series You Need To Watch Before You Die”

http://www.buzzfeed.com/jeanlucbouchard/anime-be-you-should-check-these-out#.no8M1rOmD

 

Thsi was very interesting article I thought several anime they have chosen was "moe" anime such as ”Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha."

(I am sorry if you guys dose not categorize "Nanoha" to "moe" anime...)

 

At the same time, I have been curious how you guys tell me if this question would be about VN...((´^ω^))

 

So, tell me your choice if you would tell me "10 VN You Need To Play Before You Die."  ((´^ω^))

 

I am just interested what type of VN you come up...is there any significant difference between your choice and that of Japanese Otaku?

 

I do not mean that I offend anything...((´^ω^))

 

Thank you for your cooperation...((´^ω^))

[Yuuko]

I can't really tell 10 VNs for this but I think everyone should play Irotoridori no Sekai and Irotoridori no Hikari

 

Also my list would probably be full of moe since I mostly play those. I really love moe.

[havoc]

Well i guess i will have a go, altough i will only be listing vn's that are currently fully translated an that i have personally read.

So this means the list may be a bit shorter than 10. (just between you and me, there a a couple more vn's i think you should read but i have not gotten around to yet.)

Also for my preferences, anything with a good solid story and characters will do, altough i also really like good world building.

As for H scenes, i generally don't really care altough in some cases i have tough the sotry would be better without them in some routes.

For example grisia, there were two routes i tough they were appropiate (Amane and Yumiko's) the other routes felt like they were tacked on and i honestly found that the story would have been better without them. (especially makina's)

 

1. fate/stay night

2. tsukihime

3/4. muv luv alternative and muv luv (muv luv is only there because you need to read it in order to fully understand alternative, if you did not i would probably have dropped it half way)

5. fate/hollow atraxia

6. planetarian

7. Cou

8. Grisia

9. G-senjou

10. Katawa shoujo (because it was probably the most succesfull OELVN made to this date)

[WinterfuryZX]

Chaos;Head

Muv-Luv (extra+unlmited+alternative)

Umineko no Naku Koro ni (+Chiru)

G-senjou no Maou

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (+ kai)

Kono Yo no Hate de Koi wo Utau Shoujo YU-NO

Zero Escape (999 + VLR)

Remember11 -The Age of Infinity-

Saya no Uta

Steins;Gate

 

There's 1 extra... I can't really decide the one to remove from the list.

 

... decided... sharin no kuni had to be sacrificed.

[Kaguya]

Haha. I have a very popular list (over 220,000 views- not quite sure how it got there, to be honest) with a very similar name- save it's 50 instead of 10, and it's just translated. It should be in my signature and it is constantly updated, so do check it out. 

 

For VNs in general, I'd go for

1-Dies Irae - The characters are just all so damn amazing.

2-Hello, Lady - I'm in love with akatsuki works and I plan on diving into the rest of their games once I'm out of my VN hiatus. 

3-I/O - The best sci-fi one I've read so far. 

4-Soukoku no Arterial - admittedly, there's probably something better from Eushully to pick. I went with Arterial because Mirai <3

5-Symphonic Rain - Not here for it's quality, though it's certainly good. I think it's a great "transition" VN for people who only like romance.

6-Astral Air  - About as close to my cup of tea as Favorite will ever get

7-Kara no Shoujo -the only good mystery VN I've seen so far- Cartagra being ok too.

8- Grisaia (Kajitsu, Meikyuu, Rakuen)- The ultimate wish fulfillment series, I'd say.

9- Inganock (picked as a token for Liar-soft's Steampunk series)- It's such an unique and pleasant experience. It's beautifully written.

10- Evolimit- I wanted to not throw a bunch of chuuni here, but if I'm including Hello, Lady and Dies Irae I can't not mention it. 

[Mr Poltroon]

Well, here goes nothing:

• Fate/Stay Night
• Grisaia no Kajitsu
• Maji de Watashi ni Koishinasai
• Little Busters!
• Ever17 - The Out of Infinity - and the rest of the Infinity Series, too.
• Umineko and Higurashi series of games.
• Muv Luv and Muv Luv Alternative
• Steins;Gate
• I've run out of entries that aren't from the same developer. I'll add CLANNAD
• And Rewrite

 

I've played a lot of English stuff... but what I like always ends up being similar. Romance or Sci-fi, usually. It doesn't make for a very diverse list of stuff to read before you die.

[sarkasmus]

I don't think that I can come up with 10 VNs, since I only started reading VNs about a year ago and only have limited access to VNs here and I still can't read japanese.

But the ones which I would mention here are:

 

1.) Steins Gate (even though that pseudo-scientific stuff later is almost physically painful for me)

2.) Muv Luv Alternative and Muv Luv + unlimited (I enjoyed both very much, Alternative is much better but I don't understand why everyone seems to hates Muv Luv)

3.) Ayakashibito

4.) Katawa Shoujo (brought me into VNs)

5.) Hoshizora no Memoria

6.) Grisaia

7.) G-Senjou

8.) Ever 17

9.) Zero Escape VLR

10.) Majikoi

[GetterEmperor]

In no particular order.

1.Sengoku Rance

2. Fate/Stay Night

3.Muv Luv

4.YU-NO

5.Rewrite

6.Steins;Gate

7.Policenauts

8.Rewrite

9.Utawarerumono

10.Sharin No Kuni

[Kenshin_sama]

1. Mankai Chirarism Dai 1 Wa - There are only 9 VNs I would recommend playing before you die, so I'm just gonna throw this one out as a joke to fill the extra slot. You can finish this one in about 5 minutes, and it's a pretty 'unique' game.

2. Rewrite - The true route is largely hit or miss for most readers, but I do think it's worth playing for Lucia's route.

3. Hoshizora no Memoria - I feel bad recommending stuff with polarity, but I really haven't read a lot of VNs. The true route is something very close to my heart.

4. Ever17 - I thought it was kinda boring for the most part, though Coco's route was awfully interesting.

5. Saya no Uta - It's short and has a lot of juicy psychological bits.

6. Fate/Stay Night - I could practically die from how hyped the story gets!

7. Maji de Watashi ni Koishinasai! - It's the only VN I've ever considered fun from start to finish. I enjoyed every heroine route and even the prologue was good. A few of the side routes were kinda boring to me, though.

8. G-senjou no Maou - I love Haru, I love stories with intrigue, and having a smart and capable protagonist is a plus for me as well. The plot twists and character development scenes were wonderful!

9. Muv-Luv Alternative - Whether you like Extra or not, it's worth pushing yourself through that to get to this. MLA excels at plot and character development, and I even learned a few things about quantum physics from it.

10. Little Busters - It's the 1st VN I've ever read, and I still regard it as my personal favorite. To me, it has great emotional value, and I absolutely love the characters. It's the only VN I've considered a masterpiece.

 

I have this ordered with least favorite being #1 and favorite being #10.

If you're interested in my ratings for individual routes, I actually do keep a list of them.

[Little Busters] Refrain - 10

[G-senjou no Maou] Haru - 9.5

[Muv-Luv Alternative] - 9.5

[Fate/stay night] Heaven's Feel - 9

[Maji de Watashi ni Koishinasai] Agave - 8.5

[Hoshizora no Memoria] Mysterious Girl - 8.5

[Fate/stay night] Unlimited Blade Works - 8

[Rewrite] Lucia - 8

[Maji de Watashi ni Koishinasai] Wanko - 8

[Ever17] Coco - 8

[saya no Uta] True End - 8

[Maji de Watashi ni Koishinasai] Momoyo - 7.5

[Maji de Watashi ni Koishinasai] Chris - 7.5

[G-senjou no Maou] Kanon - 7

[Maji de Watashi ni Koishinasai] Miyako - 7

[Rewrite] Shizuru - 6.5

[G-senjou no Maou] Tsubaki - 6.5

[Ever17] Sara - 6.5

[G-senjou no Maou] Mizuha - 6.5

[Rewrite] Kotori - 6.5

[Hoshizora no Memoria] Chinami - 6.5

[Maji de Watashi ni Koishinasai] Mayuzumi - 6.5

[saya no Uta] Regular End - 6

[Muv-Luv] Unlimited - 6

[Ever17] Tsugumi - 6

[Rewrite] Moon - 5.5

[Muv-Luv] Chizuru - 5.5

[Ever17] Sora - 5.5

[Ever17] You - 5.5

[Rewrite] Oppai Ending - 5

[saya no Uta] Bad End - 5

[Muv-Luv] Tamase - 5

[Muv-Luv] Sumika - 5

[Muv-Luv] Meiya - 5

[Hoshizora no Memoria] Kosame - 5

[Muv-Luv] Ayamine - 5

[Hoshizora no Memoria] Komomo - 4

[Fate/stay night] Fate - 4

[Tears 9, 10] - 3.5

[Rewrite] Terra - 3.5

[Rewrite] Akane - 3.5

[Hoshizora no Memoria] Mare - 3.5

[Hoshizora no Memoria] Isuzu - 3

[Kamidori Alchemy Meister] Yuela - 3

[Katawa Shoujo] Hanako - 3

[Hoshizora no Memoria] Asuho - 2.5

[Rewrite] Chihaya - 2.5

[Kamidori Alchemy Meister] Servalwi - 2.5

[Mankai Chirarism Dai 1 Wa] - 2

[Kamidori Alchemy Meister] Emilita - 2

[Segai]

• G-Senjou no Maou, it's a god damn masterpiece and I love it. Also best bad endings, this is how it should be.
• Katawa Shoujo, H-scenes as they should be done and a very good story.
• Ever 17, even though it was insanely long, it kept being interesting and was rather satisfying.
• Steins;Gate, it's choice system is a bit quirky but this is still one of the best stories of all time.
• Grisaia no Kajitsu, MP is a badass and the character stories were good. Amane's kept dragging on though..
• Coµ, interesting plot and the ending was just brilliant. Also Gasai Itsuki best guy forever.
• Maji de Watashi ni Koishinasai!, not all routes are equally good but still a very fun VN to read.
• Hoshizora no Memoria, except for Chinami who is god damn annoying, all characters had an interesting story. Also stargazing!
• Kono Oozora ni, Tsubasa wo Hirogete, yes the TL was terrible but it was still a good story and I like wind turbines okay, anything with wind turbines and gliders is great.
• Little Busters!, very long and the art is mediocre but the plot is still good.

 

List in no particular order. G-Senjou no Maou best VN ever.

[Funyarinpa]

10) Steins; Gate- Pretty great sci-fi story all around. Edged out Muv Luv Alternative because 1) better pacing and 2) you don't need to play a 20-hour shite first to understand it fully.

9) YU-NO, the game's great in the first 2/3 but by the last third it becomes a masterpiece.

8 ) Umineko No Naku Koro Ni (+ Chiru)- Objectively, this is likely the best VN I have played. It's gigantic (140+ hours!) and insane in the most beautiful ways. Included Chiru because they are literally inseperable.

7) Ever17- I'm not even recommending this for the Coco route which is why the VN is revered by most, but because of the Sora route. The subplot was amazing and executed better than the main game's premise. Sora's route is my favorite romance story in anything, and you really should give it a go.

6) Remember11- Wonderfully paced and atmospheric story, despite the lacking conclusion it's one of my favorite VNs.

5) Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair- Gotta be played after DR1, so below it. It's actually better where shit gets EVEN CRAZIER and the trials are more fun.

4) Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc- Insanely fun gameplay, crazy story, I love it all around.

3) Zero Escape 3- Yes this isn't out, but I won't die peacefully unless I know how this series ends (which consists of 999, Virtue's Last Reward and ZE3).

2) Virtue's Last Reward- My favorite VN, with utterly mind-annihilating twists and my favorite plot in anything I've ever seen. #2 because it doesn't have its full impact without 999.

1) 9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors- The prequel to my favorite VN, and stellar in its own right. Changed my life by hooking me on VNs. Amazing sci-fi/thriller story. I LOVE IT

 

edit: 10 to 1 from least great to best

[Zodai]

At a first glance, a 'VNs you need to play before you die' list at face value would take both quality and variety into account, trying to give a wide enough range of experiences to give a fair judge of the quality as a whole, rather than simply a list of ones' personal favorites (though they certainly are a factor).  Emotional variety, setting and tone are things to keep in note, as is whether or not gameplay elements were introduced.

 

I would perhaps go with...

 

-Umineko No Naku Koro Ni

-Fate/Stay Night

-Clannad/Little Busters! (Clannad if you're reading the original Japanese or if a stronger translation comes along from Sekai, Little Busters! if otherwise.)

-Sekien No Inganock

-Majikoi

-G-Senjou

-Daibanchou/Sengoku Rance (Interchangeable as a slot for Alicesoft's rather unique take on things, though I prefer the former for its stronger emotional grounding)

-Subarashiki Hibi

-Dies Irae

-Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors

 

Some of these I haven't read yet, and the untranslated entries are assuming you know Japanese itself.  Special mention goes to Forest for being so adamantly out there that it works as an 11th pick for those looking for even further variety, and Katawa Shoujo for being a take on the English VN landscape's earliest success within their section of the industry.

 

If you're looking for further details, the emotional impact of the work is by far the most valuable piece of a work, but how you go about doing that varies from work to work.  The ways you can hit someone like a truck are many, but some are usable in only very few circumstances depending on the tone and context of the work.  Rosa's 'big moment' regarding Sakutarou (YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN) in episode 4 was incredibly powerful, but throw it into something like Majikoi and it wouldn't work as well because the tone and core emotions of the story are so very different.  It also depends on the length of the story itself and the resources you have available.

 

Oftentimes something that can make a VN strong is knowing what to pull from other works and how it meshes with the pre-existing tools inside the story as a whole.

 

Aside from that, the English Visual Novel scene is still growing in terms of development, and while we have a strong fanbase most of the high-quality VNs still come out of Japan.  Outside of Katawa Shoujo which was developed over here, and something like Cross Channel which suffered from a subpar fan-translation, I wouldn't be surprised if the differences between the two regions were very minimal.

[hussien-11]

Umineko ( very subtle writing, great characters and story, the most intelligent vn I've read) .

Comyu ( great dark atmosphere and fantastic translation ).

G-Senjou no Maou ( the closest to my heart, emotional story with a grand final chapter ).

Sharin no Kuni ( poorly paced, but you won't forget those characters ).

Rewrite ( fantastic and imaginative story from Romeo Tanaka, with a great route for Lucia from R07 ).

Grisaea ( didn't finish it yet, but it has the best comedy, and all characters are likeable ).

Muv Luv Alternative ( the most epic vn even if its poorly paced, with some characters you won't soon forget ).

Virtue's Last Reward ( one of the best stories I've ever read, I challenge you to guess its secrets! ).

Ever 17 ( best sci-fi vn I've ever read. all routes are different and varied, with a memorable and very surprising final route ).

Eden ( if you like an excellent romance story with a great setting ).

[Deep Blue]

probably the top 10 in vndb xD

muv luv

sharin no kuni

katawa shoujo

narcissu

steins;gate

swan song

saya no uta

baldr (recordare and lost memory)

dies irae

clannad

[babiker]

1. Rewrite
2. Rewrite
3. Rewrite
4. Rewrite
5. Rewrite
6. Rewrite
7. Rewrite
8. Rewrite
9. Rewrite
10. Rewrite

But really, it's a great VN. And that pun was great. For others:-

2-G-Senjou no Mou

3, 4-Fate/Hollow Ataraxia and F/Stay Night

5-Little Busters!

And a bit more obscure ones with no real order:

Nanolife

Autumn

Starcraft 2 The VN

 

 

[XReaper]

visual novels i´ve enjoyed the most emotion-wise, though some of them might have been rated lower by me than others i read - trying to rate them as unbiased as possible, only focusing on their technical and narrative aspects:

• Sekai de Ichiban Dame na Koi (Hermit) - absolutely gorgeous lovestory about two people
  and their struggles (mitoko + mc) brought together through fate, felt happiness and guilt
  whilst reading at the same time
• Haruka ni Aogi, Uruwashi no (Pulltop) - also an ultra heartwarming tale you wont forget
  about soon, rolemodel of how a romance has to be told
• Evolimit (Propeller) - my most favourite chuuni & action novel, constisting of an epic
  ending, that felt both conclusive and complete to me (buy enough clenex)
• Kusarihime ~Euthanasia~ (Liar Soft) - made me appreciate a loving/caring family, its unique
  art fits its overall atmosphere of despair and angst pretty well
• Kagerou Touryuuki (Rail Soft) - simply unhateable & loved especially the beautedness of
   its prose + NVL
• Albatross Koukairoku  (Rail Soft) -  captivating plot and awesome characters ergo a must
   read for those in search of something that sets itself apart from the masses

• Kawarazaki-ke no Ichizoku 2 (Elf) - no comento, just read it!

• Maro no Kanja wa Gatenkei (Elf) - the emotional "czar" bomb of visual novels

• H2O - Footprints in the Sand (Makura) - cried like a baby, because the plot has been a
   reminder of the childhood/early youth of mine and ever since i read it in love with hayami

• Rasen Kairou 2 (Age/Ruf) - the literary hitler of vn´s, that caused me to hate and
   greatly requestion the world we´re living in (yuri-tan ...><)


 

[Suzu Fanatic]

Tough decision, but these stand out most in my mind.

 

1. Fate/Stay Night

 

2. Ayakashibito

 

3. ef - a fairy tale of the two.

 

4. Sharin no Kuni, Himawari no Shoujo

 

5. Koi to Senkyo to Chocolate

 

6. Utawarerumono

 

7. Yosuga no Sora - In Solitude, Where We are Least Alone.

 

8. Hoshizora no Memoria -Wish upon a Shooting Star-

 

9. Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (and kai)

 

10. Clannad

[Zantax]

* Muv-Luv Alternative

* Narcissu Side 2nd

Read several other REALLY good, very good and good VNs, but if we are talking about about (mostly) flawless piece of art that I think everyone interested in that kind of media should read eventually then for now I can point only those two. I hope more will join that list eventually ^^

[FrozenRaven]

Can't think of ten so i will do five instead. in no particular order

G-senjou no Maou

Grisaia 

Sharin no Kuni

Hoshizora no Memoria 

Clannad 

Could you tell us how our lists compare to Japanese otaku thanks 

[Clephas]

1.  Dies Irae

2.  Evolimit

3.  Rui wa Tomo wo Yobu

4.  Kitto Sumiwataru Asairo yori mo

5.  Haruka ni Aogi, Uruwashi no

6.  Konata yori Kanata Made

7.  Tsukihime (hopefully the remake)

8.  Hapymaher

9.  Komorebi no Nostalgica

10.  Nanairo Reincarnation

 

While my favorites are mixed into this list, these are all VNs that are also top-level in terms of quality.

[Soulless Watcher]

Here is my top 10 list, not much of an order but the ones near the top are my most favorite. Granted the number of VNs I have access to is very limited, me being a dumb monolingual American.

 

1. The MuvLuv Trillogy

2. Ayakashibito

3. Umineko

4. Katahane

5. Tsukihime

6. Steins;Gate

7. Grisaia no Kajitsu

8. Fate Stay Night

9. Kara no Shoujo

10. Higurashi

[LinovaA]

Though I know there would be things that would probably make it on to here if I had read them, I can't in good conscience recommend something I have never read.

 

Therefore, here is my top ten visual novels that you should read before your untimely demise:

1. Clannad
2. Subarashiki Hibi ~Furenzoku Sonzai~
3. Blue*
4. Konata yori Kanata made
5. Fate/Stay Night
6. Demonbane
7. Umineko no Naku Koro ni
8. Kimi to Kanojo to Kanojo no Koi
9. Fortissimo EXS//Akkord:Nachsten Phase
10. Muv Luv Alternative (Just be sure to read 'Muv Luv' first)

If I were to put things that I have never read before in the mix, then Dies, Muramasa, and Asairo would all be in there.

[Eclipsed]

• Symphonic Rain
• Yumina the Ethereal
• Neko Para vol. 1
• Corpse Party
• Eden*
• Shikkoku no Sharnoth
• Princess Evangile
• Narcissu
• Chaos;Head
• Huniepop

[Yukiru]

I haven't read enough to give a list of10 VNs that I can be proud of, so here are 5 in no particular order.

1. Fate/Stay Night
2. Tsukihime
3. Sekien no Inganock
4. Forest
5. Eden*

I'm kinda interested in hearing a list of 10 VNs one must read before dying made by a Japanese reader.

[Nao_KASUKABE]

Thank you, thank you for your response...((´^ω^))

I am kind of busy because of schoolwork, so I will check and count everyone`s responce later...((´^ω^))

 

Thank you again, and I will still wait for your best 10 List!! ((´^ω^))