Visual Novels - What should we play?

[Jolly]

I think if you like Danganronpa or Zero Escape there's a good chance you'll enjoy it, but it is a lot gentler. Less KERBLAMMO! and more *kerpuft*. 

[Arn X Treme]

I've started playing "Full Metal Daemon Muramasa" after reading that they had banned it from Steam.

 

I'm not very far into it, but it seems very tame to me, I won't say boring just yet as it may pick up.

 

Shame cause giant Samurai Mecha seems right up my street!

 

[strawdonkey]

 

 

Coming to Switch. [edit] already out!

 

 

[Alan Stock]

Alright folks, we got a gud 'un!  (you can tell its good because it has a made-up name AND a colon in it:)

 

Paranormasight: The Seven Mysteries Of Honjo

 

 

 

 

Discovered this thanks to Rock Paper Shotgun and positive reviews around the block. I think advice that I've seen for this is sound - its probably best to go in fairly blind. I'll give a brief overview here without spoiling anything and my general impressions (I finished it last night on Switch).

 

So this is a beautifully presented visual novel with murder/mystery/Japanese supernatural elements. Set in 80's Tokyo and with this amazing art style. What's even better about the graphics are how dynamic they are compared to most visual novels. There's loads of camera work during the dialogue, character's lips move, their expressions and postures change, its like watching a TV show and a joy to behold. Good sound ambience as well.

 

In terms of interactivity, there is a little bit of puzzle solving and choices to be made, but its fairly minor. There are a few neat ideas sprinkled throughout. Without spoiling anything, the story is essentially a mystery. I personally thought the prologue was the strongest part that really gets its hooks in you, but the game still has a quite compelling story throughout, with multiple threads, albeit at a slower pace than the start. 

 

I'd recommend this to people who like the games we have talked about in this thread. I think I'd give it an 8/10, and its definitely the best visual novel I've played in a while. Maybe not quite up there with the very best but its certainly not far off. Its also cheap and on Steam, Switch, Android and IoS, and it's perfect for handheld.

 

If this sounds like your bag, I wouldn't look up much else about it for fear of spoilers as its that sort of game. Interested to hear people's thoughts once folk have tried it and we can talk spoilers!

[LaveDisco]

I've been playing Paranormasight as well. (On deck but I wish I had bought it on Switch, for the OLED) and it's tremendous.

 

It really feels like a DS narrative title, and I mean that with the most possible praise. I'm not one for visual novels really, but the opening is kinetic, pacy and intense, the concept fascinating, and totally hooks you.  Great characters, great writing, interesting choices, doesn't waste your time. 

 

I'm 3 or 4 hours in and I'm loving it.

[Wiper]

Yep, I just finished Paranormasight last night (also on Deck — which I'm glad of, as no way would my hands have put up with holding the Switch for as long), and it was absolutely fantastic. Gripping and pacey, with a few neat puzzles thrown in for good measure. Took just under seven hours and never felt like it was wasting my time, I'd recommend it to anyone.

[Dig Dug]

It’s technically a dungeon crawler but I think it also fits on here.

Started Kowloon High School Chronicle yesterday and so far my experience has been positive though it really is stretching out how long I have to play VN sections for before I can do actual dungeon crawling.

 

I also like that it has an entire 3 hour long PC-98 style dungeon crawler game-within-a-game that you get massive stat bonuses for finishing.

 

Will be playing more tonight definitely. Also, I can’t be the only one who thinks the design of the Chinese immigrant school therapist is a bit racist?

 

[LaveDisco]

1 hour ago, Wiper said:

Yep, I just finished Paranormasight last night (also on Deck — which I'm glad of, as no way would my hands have put up with holding the Switch for as long), and it was absolutely fantastic. Gripping and pacey, with a few neat puzzles thrown in for good measure. Took just under seven hours and never felt like it was wasting my time, I'd recommend it to anyone.

 

That's a fair point, it's a hell of a lot more comfortable the Deck. There's also a phone version of the game, which I wish I had every commute home.

[Wiper]

On the other hand, I've just read the Eurogamer interview with the director/writer of Paranormasight, and now I feel ancient and I hate it.

 

Quote

It's also why the team chose to set the game in the 1980s. "I feel like it's an era and setting that sits somewhere between modern life and fantasy, which makes it feel more real"

 

I knew the game was set in the 80s, but I'd just internalised that as "cool, a game set in near-current times, that's rare". Hadn't quite registered that the 80s is now comfortably a historic period

 

So, actually, it's the worst game and nobody should play it.

[gossi the dog]

1 hour ago, Dig Dug said:

It’s technically a dungeon crawler but I think it also fits on here.

Started Kowloon High School Chronicle yesterday and so far my experience has been positive though it really is stretching out how long I have to play VN sections for before I can do actual dungeon crawling.

 

I also like that it has an entire 3 hour long PC-98 style dungeon crawler game-within-a-game that you get massive stat bonuses for finishing.

 

Will be playing more tonight definitely. Also, I can’t be the only one who thinks the design of the Chinese immigrant school therapist is a bit racist?

 

 

Is that an opium pipe?

[Dig Dug]

1 hour ago, gossi the dog said:

 

Is that an opium pipe?

Game never says whether it is but that was my first thought also.

[LaveDisco]

2 hours ago, Wiper said:

On the other hand, I've just read the Eurogamer interview with the director/writer of Paranormasight, and now I feel ancient and I hate it.

 

 

I knew the game was set in the 80s, but I'd just internalised that as "cool, a game set in near-current times, that's rare". Hadn't quite registered that the 80s is now comfortably a historic period

 

So, actually, it's the worst game and nobody should play it.

 

Aye, I realised that as well. I think the 80s will survive as a specific period in dramas for a long time, as it's the most modern, pre-computer time you can set something. I get what he means by the last time 'fantasy' could exist, because it the last moment when a weird event could happen without being livestreamed and the world made aware. There's a slocky horror book called The Wolfen, which written in 1978 almost predicts this. It's about how this 'hidden beside us all along' group of monsters is losing places to hide with the modern world.

 

Buy yeah, devestating for one's wellbeing.

[Fierce Poodle]

On 23/03/2022 at 11:53, Bacon Horsemeat said:

Finished Eliza a few days ago. Touches upon many issues concerning tech, mental health and society. Most of the gameplay revolves around playing as a counsellor, but aided by AI. Definitely recommended!

 

https://store.steampowered.com/app/716500

I don’t play many visual novels (although I really enjoyed Coffee Talk recently) but this was excellent. Only a few hours long but the writing was very good and I got quite attached to some of the “clients”. Having a few issues with my own mental health recently and this was a nice, thought-provoking experience.

[Jolly]

Just finished Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney on the 3DS trilogy collection. I played it before but it's well over 15 years ago so I'd largely forgotten everything.

 

It's good, but is (perhaps unsurprisingly) starting to show its age a little I think. One of the more jarring differences to modern visual novels is there's no option to re-read. So if you're enthusiastic with hammering the button it's quite easy to miss text. It can feel a little trial (ho ho) and error if you're stuck, with the 'life' system seeming largely pointless and only providing frustration rather than drama. 

 

Music is completely banging mind and the dramatic sweeps from left-to-right in the courtroom are easily the best bits. I remember being less keen on the investigations before and that's still the case now.

 

I also think the fifth case is one of the weakest in the game so it ends on a bit of a downer. It may just be that I'm simply not bright enough but some of the leaps of logic it asks you to make were completely beyond me and I had to look stuff up. Didn't really have that with the previous four cases.

 

This all reads far more negative than it should. It's a great game - a classic - and a must for anyone that enjoys having their reading interrupted by having to press a button every few seconds. One of the more positive aspects of its age is that it seems a little under-written; getting to the point quickly rather than spending reams of text getting anywhere.

 

Going to take a bit of a break with PARANORMASIGHT then onto Justice For All - I've not played that one before so looking forward to it feeling brand new!

[strawdonkey]

An artist I've been following for a few years has taken a break from work and developed their first game during that time. It released today! Haven't been able to play it yet but am expecting good things:

 

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2262610/Endless_Monday_Dreams_and_Deadlines/

[gossi the dog]

I've been ploughing through the huge amount of visual novels of varying quality ported to consoles by Ratalaika. Anyhow Cross the Moon is great. It's a visual novel about vampires, in France set to a disco/synth soundtrack. Entirely kinetic, I was enrapt from start to finish. It's £4 to £5 new and is often on sale for a fraction of that price. A bargain at the £0.79 I paid.

[Yobo Ahoy]

@Jolly I thought Rise From The Ashes was a great case. Undoubtedly too long but a satisfying overall story with lots of memorable characters considering it was a standalone case. Unfortunately Justice For All doesn't compare very favourably to the first game but Trials and Tribulations is a real return to form. 

[Vorgot]

I've just started Spirit of Justice and have the Ace Attorney Chronicles to go at too. Looking forward to Spirit as the final one, seems like there are some returning characters which is great

[MW_Jimmy]

On 23/03/2018 at 22:05, MW_Jimmy said:

Very glad it's finally coming out in the West.

 

I take so long these days to getting around to playing the games I've bought - in January decided to finally put time aside to play Shibuya Scramble - finished the main plot over the weekend, and now tied up all loose ends.

 

It was an amazing experience. The story had a great TV episodic nature to it and the criss-cross narrative never felt too clever or too confusing - rather it reminded me a lot of Yakuza 5 plot (with everything coming together at the end) and also Odd Taxi - and at its best, it has that same feeling of satisfaction as working back to align the sides of a Rubik's cube.

 

The localisation work is incredible and I'm so thankful the script was given the care and attention that it deserves.

 

And it's weird to talk about the acting as being memorable but the game was effectively a movie production and scenes were shot and directed on location. The script relies a lot on well-worn tropes but I think there is a real warmth to the characters that really comes through.

 

And...

 

Spoiler section 

Spoiler

Well, the pandemic storyline definitely hits different to when it was first released! In fact, that whole central storyline with Osawa was really well written and gave the game a completely different tone.

 

Speaking of which, I also greatly appreciated the Canaan and Susune episodes for also being such great tonal shifts too and offering something extra to what was already a very complete package.

 

10/10.