Decline Visual Novel Recomendation Thread

[WhiskeyWolf]

This one is pretty fun, the Metal Wolf Chaos of visual novel genre

Looks bat-shit insane. Have to try it out.

 

[felipepepe]

VN has to be the shittiest genre ever. It's all melodramatic or moe shit.

Gotta say, I got a bit dissapointed with it... Kara no Shoujo had nice art, characters and story, but the gameplay felt EXTREMELY limited, just like guessing around... I can't really praise it, knowing that extremely superior games like Last Express or Byzantine: The Betrayal exists.

I'll try one more game, like KiraKira or Y-U-NO, but I'm not impressed so far.

 

[Sul]

VN has to be the shittiest genre ever. It's all melodramatic or moe shit.

 

[WhiskeyWolf]

VN has to be the shittiest genre ever. It's all melodramatic or moe shit.

SR is not a VN.

 

[Gerrard]

I would recommend "ef", however with the warning that it is a drama and romance story through and through. The only reason I got interested in it in the first place was that the music is done by Tenmon*, whose alias (which translates to Heaven's Gate) could not be any more accurate, and who does magical things with music, and the "opening"/trailer movie which blew me away with one scene and its overall quality. The story didn't really grab me until around 2/3rds in (as in, after "the first tale"), when it gets to the "main" characters in more detail.

It should also be noted that this title is very much a visual novel in the literal meaning, there are very few choices (none in the final parts), and I'm pretty sure there is only one "correct" every time. They also tried to do away with the typical "cut-out character images on a background" as much as possible, and instead most scenes are fully drawn. The artwork in general is also quite great.

*and later another guy too who I don't really care for much

 

[Cool name]

@ Felipepepe: If I may offer a suggestion do not think of Visual Novels as games but as interactive stories not that different from Choose Your Own Adventure or movies that stop every now and then to offer you a choice, though the proper description would be "Interactive Light Novels" in reference to the style they are based around. While a few could be considered games if you are feeling generous with the label as they include some gameplay elements like variable stats, combat systems, or even city building the emphasis is put on reading the story and influencing the way it does progress. Among those in Visual Novel circles you aren't "playing" a Visual Novel but "Reading" through it, as in "I am currently reading through Hakuoki" for example.

As an aside, I seem to have forgotten how to tag an user when posting his or her username. Could someone please instruct me in doing so?

 

[SCO]

@ Felipepepe: If I may offer a suggestion do not think of Visual Novels as games but as interactive stories not that different from Choose Your Own Adventure

Complete and utter bullshit, CYOA is miles and miles ahead of any VN just because don't do romance stories. Fuck, just compare the 'state of the art' of both genres.

Lone Wolf or Fabled lands adaptation (and you gotta play them) vs any visual novel 'personal' melodrama and sex scenes.

As always, graphics whores ruin everything

Western civilization cultural supremacy established once again.

 

[Helly]

I guess it's where I should post that:
http://fuwanovel.org/novels

 

[Cool name]

Are you able to fluently read Japanese, SCO? I would like to know this before entering any discussion or debate on the "current state of the art of both genres."

 

[Crooked Bee]

As an aside, I seem to have forgotten how to tag an user when posting his or her username. Could someone please instruct me in doing so?

Just remove the space between the @ and the username. For example, @ Agassi is wrong, but if you just remove that space you get Agassi, which is the right way to do it.

 

[Haba]

VN has to be the shittiest genre ever. It's all melodramatic or moe shit.

Gotta say, I got a bit dissapointed with it... Kara no Shoujo had nice art, characters and story, but the gameplay felt EXTREMELY limited, just like guessing around... I can't really praise it, knowing that extremely superior games like Last Express or Byzantine: The Betrayal exists.

You can't really play anything (RPG, SLG excluded) expecting real gameplay anymore. VNs are novels, most often novels designed to be read with one hand (for various reasons). The Japanese adventure game genre avoided complete extinction by sacrificing almost all of the gameplay features from the early 90s. That's just how it is. Buying the few good games that at least try (Kara no Shoujo) helps, because many of the developers would like to make "real" games.

Lone Wolf or Fabled lands adaptation (and you gotta play them) vs any visual novel 'personal' melodrama and sex scenes.

That is pretty much trying to convince a soccer fan of the supremacy of horse polo.

Even after years of reading, Majority of Asian prose still feels "alien" to me. It just doesn't connect in the same way as western writers do. You have to approach it in a different way.

 

[Cool name]

Let us try.

Thank you for your help, Crooked Bee .

 

[Helly]

Oh, a quick info from the studio behind Kara no shoujo (Innocent Grey):
Their next game, Uro no shoujo, is planned for a release on 2013/02/08
Here are some screenshots:

 

[damicore]

@ Felipepepe: If I may offer a suggestion do not think of Visual Novels as games but as interactive stories not that different from Choose Your Own Adventure

Complete and utter bullshit, CYOA is miles and miles ahead of any VN just because don't do romance stories. Fuck, just compare the 'state of the art' of both genres.

Lone Wolf or Fabled lands adaptation (and you gotta play them) vs any visual novel 'personal' melodrama and sex scenes.

As always, graphics whores ruin everything

Western civilization cultural supremacy established once again.

Haven't "played" Lone Wolf, but it looks like LOTR bullshit. I'm sick as fuck of fantasy.
If I want to read a CYOA or something along the lines of it I'd rather put up with some of the infuriating tropes found in VNs (lolis, moe, retarded harems and "jokes") in order to read an at least pretentious story.

 

[Mrowak]

Oh, a quick info from the studio behind Kara no shoujo (Innocent Grey):
Their next game, Uro no shoujo, is planned for a release on 2013/02/08
Here are some screenshots:

That's reassuring. I love the creepiness inherent in Kara no Shoujo and it seems the successor sticks close to its roots, though those guys on the first screen have that "I am muhahaha evil" vibe I really would not like to see.

Of all the recommendations I haven't touched yet, I think that over the weekend I'll check out Shikkoku no Sharnoth (I am a sucker for alternate history and magical realism) and Eve: Burst Error (detective stuffies, FTW!). These have the highest chance they won't end on a preposterous note, methinks.

 

[felipepepe]

@felipepepe: If I may offer a suggestion do not think of Visual Novels as games but as interactive stories not that different from Choose Your Own Adventure or movies that stop every now and then to offer you a choice, though the proper description would be "Interactive Light Novels" in reference to the style they are based around. While a few could be considered games if you are feeling generous with the label as they include some gameplay elements like variable stats, combat systems, or even city building the emphasis is put on reading the story and influencing the way it does progress. Among those in Visual Novel circles you aren't "playing" a Visual Novel but "Reading" through it, as in "I am currently reading through Hakuoki" for example.

Yeah, I gotta say that after thinking for a while, even though it was dissaponting as a "game", it was a fun read, as a mystery book, especially figuring out the killer and all that. As you said, the problem is probably more on what I was expecting from it, but overall it was a good experience.

And as Helly posted the Uro no Shoujo, I got interested in playing it, so I guess I'm sold on the genre after all.

Complete and utter bullshit, CYOA is miles and miles ahead of any VN just because don't do romance stories. Fuck, just compare the 'state of the art' of both genres.

While I agree that the romance & sex scenes feel like pure shoehorned fan-service, I'm with damicore on the fact that I'm fucking sick of european fantasy... to hell with the ancient world of XXX, tormented by the evil YYY; at least Japan dares to offer me new settings, from retarded "my girlfriend is the president" to post-war murders or modern-day paranormal stuff, it's a much welcome breath of fresh air that I sometimes need.

 

[Cool name]

@ Mrowak: If I may offer a suggestion I would tell you to check on Innocent Grey's first game, Cartagra, if you ever get the chance. I have not played it myself beyond the first few screens so I am unable to say whether it is as good as Kara no Shoujo or not, but as you seem to have enjoyed that one I decided to just leave the name floating around in case you ever feel like giving it a try. It is currently only available in Japanese, and the english translation patch that was being made I believe did receive a C&D letter. This may or may not be because they are thinking on officially releasing more of their games in the west after their experience with Kara no Shoujo.

@ felipepepe : I am glad you did enjoy it. It is certainly unique among those translated to english.

 

[Sul]

VN has to be the shittiest genre ever. It's all melodramatic or moe shit.

SR is not a VN.

Yes, it isn't a pure-breed VN. Just a sRPG with VN elements.

I guess it's where I should post that:
http://fuwanovel.org/novels

Thanks! I would brofist if I could.

 

[GreyViper]

Eve: Burst Error (+Adam: Double Factor)
English release was stripped of the sexytimes, which frankly makes no sense. But the game is very good. Detective stuffies with a sprinkle of sci-fi. Sequel translation retains the sexytime. Final game(s) never got translated, so it ends with a cliffhanger.

Divi-dead
Like the name implies, it is happy love-comedy that is especially good for depressed people.

Eve series was nice detective story, not quite noir it wanted to be. I think the same guys made Desire that plot vise was better then some same genre games at that time.

. Desire takes place in the research institute of the same name, located on a remote island. Aparently the researchs being conducted have some sort of unnoficial link with the military and so journalist Albert Macdgul is sent to investigate and see what he can find. At the same time Tina, a young girl, is washed ashore in the island with no recolection of what has happened to her or who she is, and meanwhile the technical manager at Desire Makoto Izumi seems to think something weird is going on with the researchs being conducted. You'll play through 4 chapters which make up the same storyline, but viewed by different characters. In each chapter you'll see the events and situations from different angles and uncover layers and layers of the main plotline which twists and bends in standard C's Ware fashion

Another to add in is .
Critical Point

Similar to Bionic Heart with lots of C&C and plays more like a murder mystery.

 

[Haba]

Oh shit. I actually meant Desire and not Gloria. LOLZ!

 

[WhiskeyWolf]

VN has to be the shittiest genre ever. It's all melodramatic or moe shit.

SR is not a VN.

Yes, it isn't a pure-breed VN. Just a sRPG with VN elements.

 

[Mrowak]

VN has to be the shittiest genre ever. It's all melodramatic or moe shit.

SR is not a VN.

Yes, it isn't a pure-breed VN. Just a sRPG with VN elements.

I would dare say it's one of the best storyfaggy sRPG on the market, as a result. It's obviously inspired by Nobunaga's Ambition which is another great series to play. Mind you, the plot in SR itself is dumb nonsense but it's well-executed dumb nonsense with the integration of all facets of gameplay in the ways western developers keep promising but fail to deliver. SR exactly knows the medium it's trying to represent and makes sure even cutscenes are important for gameplay. I would love to see similar, more serious effort, without redundant H content made on the west.

It may be inspired by VN, but I dare say that it only benefits from it.

 

[WhiskeyWolf]

It will be a cold day in hell before that happens.

 

[Mrowak]

It will be a cold day in hell before that happens.

Unfortunately, unless we get our act together, you are probably right.

 

[RK47]

Rance should tackle American Civil War next.