What kind of visual novels most interest you?

Off-Topic
#1

Do you like interactive visual novels, dating sims, ect? Or do you prefer kinetic novels? What is your favorite genre?

I have only ever read one visual novel ((well, er, I’m still reading it)) and it’s the only visual novel I’ve ever been interested in. So I’d have to say I prefer kinetic visual novels, because I really like the length and story of the only one I have experience with. ((Probably a silly way to choose, but.)) I’ve never had experience with any other kind of visual novel, and I honestly don’t care to. Before Umineko, I was never really interested in mystery-type stuff either. I guess Umineko is a lot of firsts for me.

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Introduce Yourself!
#2

I like all kinds at different styles. I like making choices a lot and seeing how it shapes the story. And really, I love simulations and stats and stuff so that is my favorite kind, but as long as the mechanics match the story I am happy.

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#3

I’m not into visual novels really thus I don’t have much experience with them either, except for reading a bit of the Umineko VNs. But I think the so-called kinetic format of Umineko should be to my liking, I like making choices and interacting with the story and also the storytelling going at a slow but detailed pace is a very good aspect of Umineko, since it takes its time with every detail and makes you think more about it as you’re reading it.

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#4

A little bit of everything. My overall favorite genre would have to be the classic romance galge, which besides 07th Expansion novels makes up the vast majority of my favorites list. I like having visual novels actually make use of the fact that you can explore alternate realities with them, and having that in a character-focused plot makes for a very simple formula that just works every time.

That being said, romance galge is not my go-to genre for finding the next big thing, they’re more of a safe “I definitely will not regret spending my time on this” thing. When it comes to finding a potential new favorite, genre doesn’t matter. For that, the only thing that matters is the thoughts of other people. Any game that can make someone say it was the best thing they ever read is worth a read in my mind. Especially if the person in question happens to be someone whose tastes are similar to mine.

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#5

It honestly doesn’t matter, as long as it successfully entertains me.

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If I had to choose, though, I would prefer something akin to Sakura Wars (i.e. timed choices, occasional free time to chat with girls and the occasional minigame to spruce things up a bit). Wouldn’t hurt if there was some SPRG elements thrown into the mix as well. :smile:

Obviously romance, usually of the harem variety. Citing games like Little Busters, CLANNAD and (again) Sakura Wars, I find a lot of enjoyment in watching characters develop as I go through their respective routes. Having multiple writers on board also gives the reader a look into the different writing styles that go into each route. It’s very fun to observe sometimes.

With kinetic novels like Umineko, Higurashi and planetarian, I enjoy them for the specialized types of story they try to convey, with murder mystery and hard science fiction matching the aforementioned examples. Not only that, because of their linear nature, the people who write the commercial kinetic novels tend to be talented novelists already, so they are most certainly more akin to reading books than your typical love adventure would be. (Umineko’s really great so far, so I don’t really mind the lack of choices or lower emphasis on romance. :stuck_out_tongue: )

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#6

I really just like good stories and mysteries.

Umineko was my first visual novel, and I loved it. Logic, locked rooms, murder, mysticism, and mystery—it was glorious.

But I also loved Grisaia when I first played it, and all the Key VNs I’ve read so far. Few stories can move me as powerfully as a well-done romance, when the whole VN is centered around it; but multiple routes and heroines can be great, as well.

Right now, I’m probably on a romance streak, since I’m just wrapping up a really good one. I’ll have to go scouring the databases for more…and continue learning Japanese, so I can actually access the majority of the database, haha.

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#7

Like you I’m sort of new to visual novels, I’ve only read the first route of Fate Stay Night (my first visual novel), Narcissu, Chapter one of Higurashi (I’ve begun Watangashi), I read all the question arcs for Umineko, and I just recently started reading Lucid9 which I really like the deductions and riddle solving you have to do. If you want to count HuniePop as a dating sim over a puzzle game, than I guess it counts.

As of now I’d say I prefer a solid kinetic novel and interactive visual novels that involve deduction (Lucid9).

Out of the few visual novels I’ve read I have to say I prefer mystery ones, but I enjoy others such as Fate stay night (besides the many slow meal scenes.)

I do have an interest in trying more varieties of visual novels, most notably ones by KEY.

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#8

I implore you to correct this error at once

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#9

I’m really hyped to read Heaven’s Feel but I need to plow through UBW (saw the anime for) which I was planning on but I wanted to finish Umineko first and now I’ve also started Lucid9 and the second chapter of Higurashi. I’ll get on it soon, I promise.

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#10

I love almost every visual novel… they all have their story to tell, some are good, some are fantastic, and even those that aren’t so good… I love them all. I’ve read many translated visual novels, and hope to read non-TL’d ones once I finish learning Japanese.
I like almost any genre… although I prefer slice of life, I quite enjoy it. I like visual novels with choice, but I dislike it when there’s a very large amount of choice, as it makes it hard to get through everything to see every possibility… but I’ll still do it anyway :stuck_out_tongue:
But in the end, I love visual novels for the experiences they offer, some of them have truly influenced the way I think… so I’ll certainly never forget them.

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#11

I have a mixed bag of preferences for VNs. I play a lot of free to play otome dating sims, I have Steins;Gate, I have Hatoful (both versions), I’be played Saya no Uta, and I’ve read Umineko and Higurashi. I’m honestly in it for the good stories, but I love fantasy and stuff like Steins;Gate where you get to know the characters well in a way that isn’t dragging on.

I’d love to get my hands on an official translation of one of the Fate games and especially an official translation of the games for Heart no Kuni no Alice. My friend (who is far more of a VN expert than myself) and I opened a VN (and Touhou) video editing studio that hasn’t quite kicked off yet, but I hope like the VN industry now, it gets into a swing!

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#12

The setting or presentation is what gets people interested in a story most of the time, but what really makes or breaks it is the complexity and/or believability of the characters, the way the story is constructed and paced, and, for me at least, the quality and appropriate use of the soundtrack.
Innovation is also important, and not the ‘we have a gimmick that’s never been done before, so that’ll make people forget that the story we’re telling is the same old thing’ illusion of innovation, but differences that lie at the heart of the story that’s being told - like portraying relationships in a very different way from what you usually see in the medium, or playing with the reliability of the narrator in a way that hasn’t been done before in a way that makes the experience of reading the story radically different from other fiction, like Ryukishi manages to do.
The shortstory collection format he had going with Higanbana was also a nice change of pace from the usual “40+ hours of text that form one huge. bloated story”- format, and I wish there were more similar works out there.

#13

Visual novels like Umineko naku no koro ni , ZTD (zero time dilemma) , VLR (Virtual Last Reward) and monokuma ~kun (basically stuff with mystery) I dont mind a bit of puzzle too if u count Phoenix wright as a Visual Novel than yeah i like that too :slight_smile:

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#14

A few years earlier I would’ve said that my taste in visual novels is all over the place, but by now I can tell that there is little in the medium aside 07th Expansion and the Steampunk series from Liar-Soft that I really care for.

I once cared for Type-Moon, but have literally no interest in reading any more of it.
I once cared for Ever17, but cannot bring myself to read other games of that series.
I liked Little Busters but have no desire to read anything else from KEY. I have seen enough of their anime adaptations to get the idea, and at some point the drama sadly falls flat on its face for me.
STEINS:GATE seems like something I’d enjoy, but I haven’t read it after years of considering it.

In fact, my last (and best) attempt at learning Japanese failed due to reading a VN merely because it supposedly had an easy language, as a way to build up vocab. It was a pretty standard romance, with some light mystery (that I never got to). I couldn’t give a damn about anything in the story - and that was it with learning Japanese too. So even for that purpose my taste is limited.

So, is it mystery that I desire? Not really, otherwise the other games related to Ever17 or STEINS:GATE would be right up my alley.
Action doesn’t seem to be it. Endless food discussions don’t brighten my day as well.
Is it roman- no.

I think I just got jaded - I don’t want to waste my time. Therefore, instead of going for genres, I only go for writers that I trust. Therefore, overall I seem to like Ryukishi’s work, despite some misgivings about his writing style. As opposed to him, I like Sakurai Hikaru’s work primarily because of her poem-like style. I suppose that is my answer, I am interested in the work of certain writers, not genres by themselves.

And yes, by approaching my reading like this I limit myself, because I won’t find another writer I trust. That’s life I guess.

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#15

Personally, I tend to read a very wide variety of visual novels, as long as it seems to have an interesting premise and it is well written, I will usually read it to completion. Hence why I have 77 visual novels or so on my vndb profile and counting.

Though if pressed, I would like to say I like things with a hint of fantasy at least and tend to be darker in nature.Though I will say a good high fantasy with monster girls will get me as well.

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#16

Usually ones that have sci-fi, horror and/or mystery. Premise and plot are the most important aspects for me in a VN (music, characters and art follow in that order).

Should be no surprise that the (first two, screw Zero Time Dilemma) Zero Escape games are my favorite VNs.

If done well (and if I feel for the hero and heroine, or if the girl is beautiful (heh)), a good and intriguing romance can really elevate a VN for me. Examples of this include The House In Fata Morgana (a serious contender for the best VN I’ve ever read), YU-NO, and Sora’s route in Ever17.

If we have to get specific, though, my absolute favorite is a “death game” scenario, or anything really in which some people are trying to escape an enclosed space. Zero Escape, Danganronpa, and Ever17 are all examples of this. (Since I want to play Root Double legitimately, I haven’t played it yet since it’s a tad too expensive for me right now :c).

edit: in retrospect, The House In Fata Morgana is simply superior

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#17

I am open to everything but at the same time I stick to devs I know better. I would have to admit key is probably number 1 instant buy/play. 07th Expansion is barely behind as #2 though. I do try to space out the games so that I am not just playing from one dev for a long period of time. Which can be tricky, cause playing a good game from them makes you hyped about their other games. It helps you notice what each vn does well when you spread out.

As for technical elements I feel like if you just through in very small things like effects and maybe a mini game really makes it way better for me. As simple as the rose guns days mini game was, I felt like it really made a large impact. There are so many fights in that game that it just adds this extra layer fun. Also complex bonus routes are fun to have added in. I feel like if you are going to have choices, you might as well have more that just have it as a routing function and have choices as extra lines or fun that doesn’t impact the rest of the story. I just feel like you should utilize the perks of being a vn as much as you can.

I haven’t even read too many vns, It feels like I am still exploring around for new types and ideas I haven’t seen. Just having something that feels new to me is a big deal. It helps me see what is out there and find new things.

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#18

Since I started reading 07thExpansion novels, I started to love all kind of vn to be honest but if I have to choose my favorite genre, I’d say romance, I fall for almost every story that has romance in it.
I love mystery too, but I haven’t read it as much as romance.

I don’t hate it, but I don’t like the visual novels with choices, I just don’t like the idea of multiple endings (to be honest is because I don’t want to waste a lot of time reading all the endings in a visual novel, and also I dislike when you have to read all the routes to unlock the route I want haha), but I’ve learned little by little how to find the good things about it. The first vn I read more than one ending is Code:Realize.

Besides 07thExpansion works, I’ve liked novels like ef (currently reading the first tale and I love it), G-senjou no Maou (I love it) and even Clannad (but I expected a little more of it). Grisaia no Kajitsu was great first, but after a while it became for me a lot of the character’s daily life, until each girl route, but I liked it.

If I didn’t read Higurashi and Umineko, I wouldn’t read nowadays, to be honest, they teached me how to have fun reading, and now I can’t live without reading!

Before Higurashi I wasn’t so interested in vns, though it wasnt’ my first but it was the first in making me fall in love with a story. Umineko goes without saying. I love all the 07thExpansion works.

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#19

I’m more of a person that likes any story that is good, no matter how it is told. I know, this is a lame answer and maybe even evading the question, but I don’t really have a preferred genre. I do however have some things that I don’t like in a story and that might turn me of beforehand if I learn that one of these applies to a story I don’t yet know. These things are:
Dark and gritty steampunk settings
Realistic medieval settings
Anything that has to do with Mechas
And yet, even though I dislike these things, they can be pulled of very well. For steampunk, I still love Final Fantasy VII, for realistic medieval settings, I am a huge fan of the Inkheart trilogy by Cornelia Funke, although I can’t really go into detail there because that would go into serious spoilers. I don’t yet have an example of a story containing Mechas I like though.

#20

Years ago I would say a little bit of everything, but nowadays I stick to the devs/authors I trust mainly.

07th Expansion, Infinity Series, and SciADV are the three main ones I go to.