Romance VN recs

[hydro]

Yo, I'm looking for a translated romance VN not already on my list with the following things:

 

1. A competent main character, though if need be I can settle for one that's just not a pervert.

2. No tsunderes, though I can settle for a VN with one or two if they're avoidable and not in your face all the time.

3. I'm not too big on "defrosting the ice queen", though again this is just a preference. If a VN has one and I can mostly avoid it I'm fine.

4. I would prefer a normal slice of life/school setting here, but I'm open to a little sci-fi/fantasy if necessary.

 

Romance VN's are obviously extremely common, but since translated VN's not on my list narrows it down quite a bit, I've tried to allow some lee-way with the conditions. Though of course the more it can meet the better. Thanks!

[Life]

Try symphonic rain.

[Mr Poltroon]

I see Air is not on your list, and that's a Key VN, so it might be good.

Similarly old, One ~Kagayaku Kisetsu e~ isn't on your list. It's pretty much a Key game like Air, but with much more inconclusive endings, I'll be forced to admit.

Both of these have Tsunderes, but you have so much control over what you do you can even chose not to piss them off or avoid them completely most of the time.

 

A Profile is yet another old-ish game. It doesn't have a tsundere (unless I forgot, and that's not a good sign) and the protagonist is... someone I really ended up liking by the end of it. He may get on your nerves sometimes, Emiya Shirou style. Beware of incest.

 

You may try the Da Capo games. All of which romances. Tsundere sister included. She won't physically harm you as most tsunderes like to do nowadays. She's just really spiteful. Beware of incest. On the double, potentially.

 

If My Heart Had Wings is conspicuously missing from your list. Unless you're just waiting for a proper translation. Ageha's route is unreadable, the rest of them are mostly decent, though nonsensical lines and sloppy translations are all over the place.

 

That's it for Romances I can think of.

[BookwormOtaku]

Yume Miru Kusuri if you don't mind drama. The closest this VN has to a tsundere is an unwinnable heroine

[nohman]

Konosora fits your description well and it's a nice, light read. As Tiag said, there are some spotty aspects to the translation, but that didn't stopped me from liking a couple of the routes in the game.

 

Koichoco has a partial patch out that translates the main route of the game. The rest of the routes are fully translated and are in editing/QC, but it doesn't look like it'll be finished until sometime after the new year. Come to think of it, you'll probably do well to wait for a full translation patch since the route that is translated is of a childhood friend/tsundere type.

[hydro]

Thanks for the recs guys. Other than A-channel I had come across these before while browsing VNDB, but didn't start or look too deeply into them because I had other things to read. Now that I'm not drowning in a backlog I'll check a few of them out.

 

If My Heart Had Wings is conspicuously missing from your list. Unless you're just waiting for a proper translation. Ageha's route is unreadable, the rest of them are mostly decent, though nonsensical lines and sloppy translations are all over the place.

[Ezeefreak]

Another Vote for KonoSora ... I even started a second playthrough. And for me I can't understand why so many complain about the translation. Well, obviously, it isn't a masterpiece of translation but it is still readable. Sometimes I wondered a bit but I always could follow the plot. If you just read the written lines of a VN and don't care about the "words" between the lines or the atmosphere which is created with other stuff, then you should stop reading VN's and starting reading non-fiction. Because for that it is enough  

That VN creates an awesome atmosphere and so you can easily understand the whole thing. At least that counts for me... so lucky me

[Snowtsuku]

Try symphonic rain.

You beat me to it : /

[Mr Poltroon]

 

Another Vote for KonoSora ... I even started a second playthrough. And for me I can't understand why so many complain about the translation. Well, obviously, it isn't a masterpiece of translation but it is still readable. Sometimes I wondered a bit but I always could follow the plot. If you just read the written lines of a VN and don't care about the "words" between the lines or the atmosphere which is created with other stuff, then you should stop reading VN's and starting reading non-fiction. Because for that it is enough

That VN creates an awesome atmosphere and so you can easily understand the whole thing. At least that counts for me... so lucky me

 

Please play Ageha's route before talking about the translation. If you already have, I commend your abilities.

[Ezeefreak]

Please play Ageha's route before talking about the translation. If you already have, I commend your abilities.

[kratoscar2008]

Canvas 2 fits pretty well, the MC is competent but certain event made him lose motivation that he regains as the story goes.

 

No Tsunderes or Ice Queens.

 

And HS setting.

[Siegfried]

If you're willing to wait a bit, you can play Koisaku. My team is currently translating it & it basically meets your written criteria. I'm lead QC & my estimation would be around mid December or slightly later before the next partial release which contains 2 routes.

 

https://vndb.org/v10304

http://koisaku.org/

 

Other than that, well let's see, here's my recommendation if you haven't read them yet:

# ef ~A Fairy Tale of the Two~ (consist of 2 parts: the first tale & the later tale) https://vndb.org/v88

# To Heart 2 (currently partially translated but already have plenty of routes to play, only 3(?) out of 10 heroines left unedited I think. The rest is translated, edited & qc'ed) https://vndb.org/v20

# Koi to Senkyo to Chocolate (currently only have 1 out of 5 routes released. The rest is waiting editing & QC) https://vndb.org/v4028

 

I could recommend you the others, but over half of my VN collection has either heavy plot, dark setting, or lack of highschool setting. Other than that, a few of them is a bit old, released in around 2006~2008, but are still pretty good, both art & story wise. A few of them are also considered mind-screws. These are not your typical highschool romance, even if several of them have a few cast still in highschool, the plot is too dark to be considered pure romance or your happy slice of life, it's dark slice of life.

 

If you like KEY VN's they got plenty of what you're looking for. If not, well... too bad, since Maeda Jun's creation is a masterpiece imho.

[Erogamer]

I see Air is not on your list, and that's a Key VN, so it might be good.

Similarly old, One ~Kagayaku Kisetsu e~ isn't on your list. It's pretty much a Key game like Air, but with much more inconclusive endings, I'll be forced to admit.

Both of these have Tsunderes, but you have so much control over what you do you can even chose not to piss them off or avoid them completely most of the time.

 

A Profile is yet another old-ish game. It doesn't have a tsundere (unless I forgot, and that's not a good sign) and the protagonist is... someone I really ended up liking by the end of it. He may get on your nerves sometimes, Emiya Shirou style. Beware of incest.

 

You may try the Da Capo games. All of which romances. Tsundere sister included. She won't physically harm you as most tsunderes like to do nowadays. She's just really spiteful. Beware of incest. On the double, potentially.

 

If My Heart Had Wings is conspicuously missing from your list. Unless you're just waiting for a proper translation. Ageha's route is unreadable, the rest of them are mostly decent, though nonsensical lines and sloppy translations are all over the place.

 

That's it for Romances I can think of.