gingermilk yeah thats fair, I mostly related to his character growth over the whole VN/Series. Although its a feeling more than reality I think... or hope...

Lain As for my favourite characters, it would be in character for me to pick Sanae, and she is great I do love her, but Kyou is definitely up there, Ryou is also adorable, I have a figure of her

      2 months later

      I've been reading Majikoi recently. I'm about half-ish way through the main routes and its been fine so far, I'm not particularly invested yet but that's probably because I decided to save the routes I was most interested in for the end. I do like the way that each route is self contained so you don't wind up having to go back over the same story beats every time.

      I'm think I might play Muv-Luv next, or maybe Clannad. Depends on what I'm in the mood for I guess.

        Mowzer
        I still need to read Majikoi, I remember enjoying the anime however long ago that came out.
        I can heartily recommend Clannad! (as im sure you can guess lol)

          5 months later
          3 months later

          I finally read (most of) Higurashi over the summer. There's still a bit left of chapter 8, but I can at least see the finish line. As for how I feel about it, well, what can one say but "nipaah~"? It was definitely not what I was expecting. I thought it was going to be brain-dead, edgy gore shlock based on what little I'd seen on the internet but the visual novel was very restrained in depicting anything graphic and the story had very pure sensibilities. Supposedly some of the adaptations and later installments go more in that direction, but I haven't read them yet and don't know if I want to. I just picked the most seeded torrent on nyaa and ran with it, which was the 07th mod and I believe this one uses the art from the console port. Maybe I should have read the original for the true doujin experience, but I quite liked the console art, which has a nice versatility to it in terms of being able to transition well from moe to gore/horror. The pleasing background art was a bonus, too, especially for such a long visual novel.

          At the moment I'm reading an old Minori eroge with the somewhat unwieldy name "Wind: A Breath of Heart". I love these old, high-budget '00s eroge regardless of how good they actually are. I didn't know this before I picked it up, but apparently Makoto Shinkai directed the opening for this and some other Minori games, which was quite a surprise.

          I can't say I have much faith in the translation after reading statements like this on the translation blog, but it's not like there's another option translation-wise.

          The only VNs I've actually finished are Crimson Gray 1 and 2, which are essentially summed up with: "John is a highschooler with severe clinical depression. When he tries to jump off the highschool rooftop he learns he has a yandere stalker named Lizzie. And they lived happily ever after (in the good timeline)."

          tl;dr here: it's an 8/10. Both VNs are pretty short but I enjoyed them for what they were as short little romance stories that offered some light commentary on mental health treatment.

          The writing is... charming? I'm not very good at reviewing stuff like this because it's all so subjective, and the subjects tackled by Crimson Gray are pretty touchy at the best of times. I liked it. As someone whose family has a history of clinical depression, I resonated quite a bit with how the condition is depicted through John and I think Lizzie's depiction is even-handed enough. Depictions are not really clinically realistic (particularly with Lizzie, whose ailment is explicitly fictional) but what I would call them 'respectfully stylized' for the format. For example, you can't get the true ending in the first game unless you convince Lizzie to seek pharmaceutical treatment. She won't stay on the treatment no matter what you do, but it gives her a proper frame of reference for when she's dealing with stuff like intrusive thoughts, violent urges, etc. John himself struggles with his issues through the whole game and needs constant support, but is ultimately able to lead a normal, content life in the right circumstances.


          Lizzie herself is a very traditional stalker, jealous, ax-murderer style yandere. She's fun, she's cute, she has super human strength and the crazy eyes (I may have a type). Though I will say that easily the weakest part of the first game's writing is how it tries to justify her condition and the resulting knock-on effects it has on the story. Lizzie is the way she is because of the particular, experimental treatment her mother was taking while pregnant with Lizzie. Lizzie being exposed to this treatment while in vitro are what's caused her hyper aggressiveness and her superhuman strength. They also didnt actually help her mother, who was abusive to Lizzie up until Lizzie manipilated her into ODing, and Lizzie harbors a lot of suspicions about the local pharma megacorp over it. This is also part of why she won't stay on treatment.
          On its own this is fine. It's a bit handwavy but this is a yandere romance VN. It's not that serious. The trick is that, in the first game's true ending, this plot thread ultimately resolves in John getting blackbagged by corporate spec ops and Lizzie murder blendering her way through the compound to rescue him which is so anime in an otherwise pretty restrained plot. It also comes in the last 10 or 15min of the VN, getting obliquely telegraphed maybe once. It feels really out of nowhere and could have easily used an extra chapter of development. It doesn't tank the rest of the game but it's a sequence that feels jarring and out of place as implemented.

          Overall I think Lizzie written well enough for the love interest of a short VN. Her biggest saving grace is that the story makes no bones about her behavior being destructive to herself and others; even when the plot is justifying certain aspects of her character it's not really excusing them, and the story is ultimately about her and John trying to build each other up where external systems have failed them.

          The sequel handles Lizzie better than the first game, I think because there are sections where you actually get to view things from her perspective in the story and because it mostly drops the corporate espionage angle. It's John and Lizzie at college, still together, and moving on with their lives after the true ending of the first game. I only played through the 'true' route which is very rosy, and ends in Lizzie and John having a storybook wedding and living happily ever after. The 'true' route revolves mostly around John and Lizzie learning how to support each other longterm and dodging the worst pitfalls of their respective ailments. The sections in Lizzie's point of view are particularly neat since they give the reader a peek at how Lizzie filters input; how she interprets other people's behavior, how she sees her surroundings, stuff like that. Sometimes when offered choices as Lizzie, the VN will attempt to force the violent option, and it's up to the player to either let it happen or figure out how to dodge/defer it. It's a nice touch that I think helps contexualize Lizzie's issues.

          I dunno. I'm sure it's entry-level tier as far as VNs go but I liked it.

          The other two VNs I've played are VA-11 HALL-A and Katawa Shoujo. KS is on eternal backlog because I fell off it while playing years ago and its just got stuck to the back burner. I liked what I played, I've just never got around to finishing it. I like the style of VA-11 but I'm kind of a puritan and generally had issues connecting with most of the characters. I think the only one I had enjoyed seeing after the first few nights was Donovan and then just didn't click with anyone else (although I did feel bad for that guy that lost his daughter and started hiring Dorothy for mock birthday parties to fill the void). Music's great, art's great, the premise is interesting, but it wasn't for me.

          Right now I'm reading Ever17 and it's quite good. I love how (at least for me) the entire game just oozes unease, even at light-hearted points. It does a great job of giving the sense that something is wrong and the way the mystery is slowly revealed is great. The setting of an underwater theme park is also really creative. I like it a lot, and I'll probably play Remember11 after I finish this one. Also, tuna will forever be associated with this game for me now.

          As far as other VNs go, I've only read a couple others. Steins;Gate and Higurashi, both of which are amazing. Higurashi was probably the most engrossing thing I've ever read, at least the question arcs. Chapter 1 and 3 are the best.

          Not a VN liker. Though I did play some VNs in my life. So ill list the VNs I played on steam and my thoughts on them.

          Everlasting summer-My personal fav VN ever played. Love the setting, soundtrack, story and game art. Its also my first VN ever and its free.
          VA11HALLA-Objectivelly the best VN ive played and 2nd place for me. Love the setting, soundtrack, story, game art and the fact that it has unique gameplay loop.
          VNs bellow are in no particular order.
          Amnesia memories-Got it when I bought Neptunia bundle. The art and setting are good. Though did not like it. Hell I do regret playing it.
          DELUGE VNs-Found them advertised on /v/ and decided to give em a chance. Pretty good. Do not regret playing them.
          The Herbalist-Hard to call it a VN since its mostly point and click puzzle game but its made in renpy and also made by few devs of everlasting summer fame. While its story and setting are nothing to write about, the game looks good and has an amazing soundtrack. Definetly a recommend.
          Milk inside a bag of Milk-It is certainly an experience. Absolute recommend.
          Project cappucino-Came for art and porn stayed for art and story.
          Wet steps-Got it because of the herbalist bundle. Very short but dont regret playing it.

          11 days later

          Today I played through Milk Inside of a Bag of Milk Inside of a Bag of Milk...
          First not Japanese VN I've played.
          Not sure how I feel about it. I appreciate how it's different and I think the art is neat. But it's like 15 minutes long and doesn't really tell a story. It's literally just about a girl with mental issues getting milk from a store. But I've also been thinking about it a lot today so I don't know.
          I'm not paying $8 or whatever for the sequel and I haven't looked into pirating it yet. Really unsure if it's worth the effort but I am curious.

            21 days later

            Fantasy It is, the second game is much longer, much more interactive and imo, much more interesting.

              Lain Nagisa has been my only waifu ever since I watched Clannad. Started the visual novel not long ago.

              On another note, do you guys have any "winter" VN recommendations? Something with a vibe similar to Kanon would be nice~~

                  Merulox
                  Not a VN guy but the only thing I could recommend it would be the everlasting summer winter DLC/mod thing.
                  Its a short and I dont think its canon but still recommend.
                  ITs called everlasting summer wintertale

                    Fantasy It seems like people who feel meh about the first game enjoy the sequel better and vice versa lol I personally love it because of the art style, meta elements, stream of consciousness narrative, and mainly its "raw" representation of a distorted worldview projected from a disturbed mind. The sequel feels much more "processed" in order for it to be more appealing to the general public. I prefer games that leave you confused and let you decide your own interpretation of the protagonist's gibberish to games that simply guide you through all the metaphors.

                      7 days later

                      Fantasy
                      I did my first playtrough of Milk 2 Its about 1 hour long(atleast I completed in this time) and I still need to unlock 7 out of 10 achievements.
                      Game is good. It is similarly obscure though more visually pleasing.
                      Id say go for it, especially when its about 50% off rn.

                      EDIT: I also tried reflexia prototype. It seems to be another of the DDLC like VNs.

                          Theres a VN that came out a few days ago. its supposedly a remake of one from 20 years ago. I hadnt heard of it so i'm looking forward to giving it a go when I get some time.
                          Honestly I was looking both to grab the Umineko 2nd part to play thru once i finish Question Arcs as well as looking for relevant affiliate programs to benefit the site and saw it had released. I'm not sure if theres been any changes/censorship with this remake. They went for a more modern look to the characters compared to the originals very 00s look, which may be good or bad depending.
                          Its on a 20% off launch sale so if you're after it nows a decent time.

                          ONE on MangaGamer Store
                          Disclaimer: This is an affiliate link to mangagamer that gives some slight kickback to the forum

                          I mostly played VNs on a laptop so I am looking to sort out mine to be a VN machine again essentially. I've missed playing a lot of PC Visual Novels.

                          1996FordMondeo Fantasy
                          I havent played either milk game or the DDLC, Im not sure if im super into a lot of the more experimental or meta games. I'll definitely have to give the two milk games a go eventually. I know the DDLC twist so idk if its worth giving a go.

                          Merulox I was looking at the VNs i'm aware of and I didnt notice how rare winter ones are, almost all are very summer centric. I got the first Da Capo and that maaay have some winter in but seems focused on spring/summer, same with the first EF

                                2 months later
                                6 months later

                                Does The Life and Suffering of Sir Brante count? I played that recently. I can't wait for the sequel honestly.

                                Well pretty much the only VN i've played is Saya No Uta. It made me feel very uncomfortable but i suppose that was the point given that it's a horror novel. I particularly liked the menu screen and the OST. I'd recommend the song Silent Sorrow. One of the main characters is actually pretty well known online, though people don't seem to care about the actual story; they are just attracted to the character. It's a shame that something meaningful which a team put a lot of time into can be distilled into something so shallow, and then for that shallow distillation to be what gets the most recognition.

                                I've played Danganronpa one and ddlc. Danganronpa was so much fun. I do love to listen to all the key sounds label songs though. 60gb playlist is fire.

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