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Visual Novels - What should we play?

Flub

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Wiper

Wiper

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That's a shame to hear. I've not yet played it, but the game is on my wishlist — your write-up has convinced me that, while I'd still like to try it at some point, I'll wait until I'm no longer similarly stressed to do so. Given I tried to play Life is Strange 2 recently and the opening of that was too much for me to cope with in my overstretched state, I don't imagine I'd do well here!

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Alan Stock

Alan Stock

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maxresdefault.jpg

 

Your Turn to Die

 

So I've been meaning to write this up for ages, a recommendation. Your Turn to Die is made by one Japanese guy and is inspired by stuff like Zero Escape and Danganronpa. It's gathered a big fan base thanks to its similarities to those titles. Your Turn to Die is episodic and there are currently 3 chapters to play, totalling maybe 10-15 hours or so gameplay. It's also free! 

 

Being a one man show and translated by fans, the writing is a bit iffy in places, but it gets better as it goes on. It has a distinct lo-fi art style. What shines here is the complexity of the story. It's not going to win awards for originality - as you can imagine, its a death game with a bunch of characters stuck in it, and traps, puzzles and end of level trials where they do Danganronpa/Phoenix Wright style discussions to figure out who to vote off the game. But as the game goes on, the scenarios get more and more complex with some cool twists along the way. Because it's episodic, the level of quality rises in each episode as the developer gets more confident with the story and tools, and the soundtrack evolves into a memorable affair to punctuate the tension and action.

 

The characters and writing aren't really going to blow you away (except for a few great scenes), but there are enough mysteries to keep you hooked, and its really unpredictable in what it will throw at you next. There's also some degree of player choice where your actions actually affect the story or character's fates, so be sure to keep some backup saves in case you want to go back. My favourite part is the death game's rules and how they add to the to drama, with a Mafia style element that always keeps you guessing. 

 

There are some issues aside from what I've listed. The pacing can be off at times, and there are little mini games that get in the way of the story, and it can be pretty cheesy. But overall I thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend it to forumites who fancy a popcorn 'page turner' of a death game story. Some of the later scenarios are on par with some of the best that its' inspirations offer in terms of plot, with some really tense scenes and memorable trials.

 

Stick with the first episode, it starts off pretty slow, but things pick up towards the end and it really gets going once into the first trial. And don't be put off by the art style or the cheesy creepypasta trappings early on, it is worth seeing it through.

 

You can download the English version of the game here (it's perfectly safe) - use the 'download Your Turn to Die' link, grab the zip file and extract it to where-ever on your computer. It can also be played online but due to its length and the risk of losing progression I wouldn't necessarily recommend that. And remember to save regularly, there's no auto save!

https://vgperson.com/games/yourturntodie.htm

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Thwomp

Thwomp

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I know I made the last post in this thread, but I'm really blown away by AI: The Somnium Files. I've got quite a few of the endings now, and the game just keeps pushing the boundaries. Sometimes I hear a joke and I think "shit, did they really say that?!", and then other times I'll be shocked by how graphic and macabre it is. It's amazing how smoothly it switches between comedy and tragedy.

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Thwomp

Thwomp

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I started playing Gnosia yesterday, it's so creepy :unsure: It reminds me of a Red Dwarf episode, either Psirens or Polymorph, I can't remember which is the one where they need to identify the imposter.

 

I'm not very good at the game so far though. When someone is nice to me I always defend them, and as a result I've failed to identify the Gnosia five out of six tries :lol:

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Vorgot

Vorgot

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On 22/03/2022 at 20:13, Thwomp said:

I started playing Gnosia yesterday, it's so creepy :unsure: It reminds me of a Red Dwarf episode, either Psirens or Polymorph, I can't remember which is the one where they need to identify the imposter.

 

I'm not very good at the game so far though. When someone is nice to me I always defend them, and as a result I've failed to identify the Gnosia five out of six tries :lol:

 

I wouldn't worry about it, its more about uncovering the story as you go along. I got distracted away from this, need to go back to it

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Wiper

Wiper

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Not a personal recommendation (I've not yet played it, and while it's widely beloved it does have a mixed reputation within this very thread), but I thought I'd flag up that The House in Fata Morgana is down to a princely £9.49 on Steam right now, which is as low as I've seen it, and more than enough for me to take a punt on it.

 

(also, though it's not generally classed as a visual novel, but honestly, as classic, Western adventure games go it's about as close as they come — the utterly brilliant The Last Express is £1.24 right now. It's a bit of an awkward rerelease to be honest, but even with that caveat, if you've never played it before you're in for a treat. Yours for less than the price of a filter coffee)

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Alan Stock

Alan Stock

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Ooh thanks for the The Last Express heads up, its been on my radar for a while. I did my thoughts on House of Fata Morgana earlier in the thread, but for that price I think its worth a stab for anyone interested.

 

I have a question for yas all. Has anyone played the massive visual novel series Umineko (When they cry)? I know its very popular in some circles but I couldn't find many reviews of it. Its some sort of murder mystery/drama type affair in a mansion - or something, and is one of those games that people might recommend when you ask for games like Zero Escape/Danganronpa.

 

If anyone has played Umineko, what's your verdict?

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Flub

Flub

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1 hour ago, gossi the dog said:

Marco & The Galaxy Dragon has been released on the Switch. Played a couple of hours last night and so far it's very good. 

 

Bought. Looks right up my alley. I also picked up Waifus over Husbandos

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gossi the dog

gossi the dog

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10 hours ago, Alan Stock said:

Can you give some impressions? I wasn't aware of it but looking it up it looks very anime. What's the tone like? Has pretty good reviews though.

 

I guess I’d call it anime take on an 80’s Saturday morning cartoon especially when it comes to the bad guys (one is a cigar chomping alligator in a cowboy hat). It’s not that long and very linear, but the protagonists have heart, and it clearly had a lot of money (by visual novel standards) thrown at it which is reflected in the visuals and audio. Really good in my opinion.

 

There’s a demo available if you’re unsure.

 

 

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Jolly

Jolly

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Finished AI: The Somnium Files this afternoon and wasn't completely won over unfortunately. I found the Somnium bits to be pretty tedious trial-and-error and the story didn't quite ever take off in the same way that the Zero Escape games do. 

 

The perving was funny in places but completely overdone. It felt like it was literally every scene. If it were a bit more selective in it's use it would have got away with it, but as it is it's like reading a visual novel written by a Daily Sport journalist. 

 

A shame, but it's just about done enough to get me onside for a sequel. I think now the groundwork has been laid there's real potential for headfuckery. Really hope it takes the baton in the same way that Virtue's Last Reward did after 999.

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gossi the dog

gossi the dog

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2 hours ago, Jolly said:

Finished AI: The Somnium Files this afternoon and wasn't completely won over unfortunately. I found the Somnium bits to be pretty tedious trial-and-error and the story didn't quite ever take off in the same way that the Zero Escape games do. 

 

The perving was funny in places but completely overdone. It felt like it was literally every scene. If it were a bit more selective in it's use it would have got away with it, but as it is it's like reading a visual novel written by a Daily Sport journalist. 

 

A shame, but it's just about done enough to get me onside for a sequel. I think now the groundwork has been laid there's real potential for headfuckery. Really hope it takes the baton in the same way that Virtue's Last Reward did after 999.

 

I completed it the other day and it felt overly dragged out and by the end I hated the psync puzzles.

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Kayin Amoh

Kayin Amoh

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Haven't finished AI (played, distracted, intend to go back) but the six hours or so I played were great. However, I was also advised by a friend just to use a guide for the puzzles as they... don't play well at all. Seemed like good advice.

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Alan Stock

Alan Stock

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To call them puzzles is way too generous :lol: . The sad thing is that a lot of the wrong 'answers' in the psynch sections lead to funny interactions so even by picking the correct ones you are missing out as well, but failing because you did too many is so annoying having to do it all again. Hopefully Ukushi and co have taken the feedback to heart. The perve thing is funny at times but waaay overdone and in some places completely undermines what could have been quite tense scenes. 

 

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Jolly

Jolly

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Finished The Centennial Case: A Shijima Story earlier. Not strictly a visual novel, but this seemed the most sensible thread to post my thoughts as I reckon it could be your cup of tea. 

 

This sees you follow a mystery writer as she sticks her nose in a family's business and tries to figure out who's doing a load of nasty old murders. With a story told entirely through FMV, the interaction comes in Sherlock Holmes-style mind palace sections (where you try to piece together various clues to form hypothesis) and then more traditional choose-a-path sections where you attempt to use those hypothesis to solve the case.

Although restricted by the fact there has to be a 'right' answer (and some of the solutions require a fair old leap of logic), it ticks along at a decent pace and just about manages to be charming through some scenary-chewing performances. I particularly enjoyed letting characters hang at a pivitoal decision moment and watch them gurn repeatedly for several minutes.

A videogame that's very light on the game and very heavy on the video, but an enjoyable experience nonetheless. Got some strong 2pm on BBC1 vibes. Diagnosis Murder, Murder She Wrote; that kind of thing. 

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SMD

SMD

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Just now, Jolly said:

Finished The Centennial Case: A Shijima Story earlier. Not strictly a visual novel, but this seemed the most sensible thread to post my thoughts as I reckon it could be your cup of tea. 

 

This sees you follow a mystery writer as she sticks her nose in a family's business and tries to figure out who's doing a load of nasty old murders. With a story told entirely through FMV, the interaction comes in Sherlock Holmes-style mind palace sections (where you try to piece together various clues to form hypothesis) and then more traditional choose-a-path sections where you attempt to use those hypothesis to solve the case.

Although restricted by the fact there has to be a 'right' answer (and some of the solutions require a fair old leap of logic), it ticks along at a decent pace and just about manages to be charming through some scenary-chewing performances. I particularly enjoyed letting characters hang at a pivitoal decision moment and watch them gurn repeatedly for several minutes.

A videogame that's very light on the game and very heavy on the video, but an enjoyable experience nonetheless. Got some strong 2pm on BBC1 vibes. Diagnosis Murder, Murder She Wrote; that kind of thing. 

 

Would you recommend it? I've got it on my wishlist but that Asian physical release is so pricy...

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