Visual Novel reviews from Reddit
Summary
We analyzed 327 Reddit reviews across 27 subreddits and 50 posts to rank the best Visual Novel brands recommended by redditors, including communities like r/visualnovels, r/NintendoSwitch, r/GirlGamers, r/vns, r/gaming. Top-rated brands include Steins;Gate (4.9/5), Ace Attorney (4.8/5), The House in Fata Morgana (4.8/5).
Stats
Reviews327
Subreddits27
Posts50
Brands99
Products3
327 reviews from
and
By Brand
/By Product
#1
Steins;Gate
4.9
(14)
"Time travel, alternate realities, and the consequences/burdens involved in traversing them. Has a lot of otaku self-indulgence, but truly standout nonetheless."
"Steins: Gate is a classic if you like sci-if!"
"Steins;gate all the way."
"Stein;Gate"
"Steins;Gate is a classic and fits your criteria."
"The best visual novel ever made? *‘Steins;Gate’*—because who wouldn’t want to dive into a world where you can mess with time and space."
"A pretty good place to start are the popular ones like steins;gate."
"Steins Gate. Life is Strange true colors."
"Everyone has also mentioned Steins;Gate."
"[Steins;Gate] for sure, one of the best out there!"
#2
Ace Attorney
4.8
(14)
"Any Ace Attorney game, Famicom Detective Club games, and a cool new indie visual novel I'm playing is Urban Myth Dissolution Centre"
"If your gf is a crime junkie. Play Ace Attorney with her."
"The Ace Attorney games are mostly a lot of dialogue and great if you like that humor."
"Ace Attorney is a must. All of the games are great."
"Ace attorney series. Reccomend "the great ace attorney chronicles"."
"Ace Attorney is great, 13 Sentinels is also amazing."
"Oooh definitely play ace attorney."
"As a huge visual novel lover, personaly my favorites are (Without Order): Ace attorney 1-3 collection."
"Ace Attorney games are excellent."
"60+ hours sounds about right if you take your time."
#3
The House in Fata Morgana
4.8
(13)
"+1 to The House in Fata Morgana, it's another long but extremely touching game."
"The house in Fata Morgana. You go through many doors in the haunted house to visit the past of many families."
"Fata Morgana used to be my top fav, but after I read umineko, fata now sits on the second spot."
"Fata Morgana and Higurashi are some of my favs, they’re both kind of suspense/horror titles and kinda long so strap in if you’re gonna read those for the first time."
"The House in Fata Morgana"
"The House in Fata Morgana."
"I also recommend The House in Fata Morgana, which is on the darker and longer side."
"House in Fata Morgana is a masterpiece in story telling."
"The House in Fata Morgana is a stellar vn."
"House of Fata Morgana, definitely."
#4
Danganronpa
4.4
(12)
"Danganronpa."
"Danganronpa."
"* Danganronpa."
"Danganronpa excellent series"
"My top three on Switch:
Danganronpa series
Spirit Hunter series (Death Mark & NG)
Raging Loop"
"I love Ace Attorney and played the recommended Danganronpa as well. Very different vibe, but entertaining nonetheless"
"It's a great game series."
"Danganronpa."
"Danganronpa is great."
"Danganronpa and Zero Escape series, 428: Shibuya Scramble, Steins;Gate."
#5
Umineko
4.8
(11)
"Umineko drops the horror elements after the first."
"Umineko, though I can't too much into detail without spoiling the early game surprises."
"Umineko is my all time favorite."
"I also just started re-reading umineko again."
"Umineko for me House in Fata Morgana is a close second."
"My favorites are Higurashi and Umineko."
"Umineko, no contest. It's just so profound."
"Umineko will make you question a few things really hard. And is the only novel about which I'd say that it was a life-changing experience for me."
"Umineko, subahibi, totono, muramasa!"
"Umineko sounds the most fitting, looking at the relationship dynamics in the examples you've provided."
#6
AI: The Somnium Files
4.5
(11)
"I'm also gonna nominate AI: The Somnium Files. One of my favorite Uchikoshi works."
"Is the spiritual successor to the Zero Escape franchise, also written and created by Uchikoshi"
"I cannot recommend the AI: The Somnium Files games enough. They are absolutely fantastic."
"AI: The Somnium Files (and its sequel, Nirvana Initiative)."
"It's really good, voice acted and an interesting story and characters."
"Includes a little bit of fan service sometimes but definitely wouldn't call it 18+."
"Ai the somnium files are fun games."
"I’d throw out a recommendation for AI: The Somnium Files too, if you enjoy murder mysteries."
"AI: The Somnium Files is pretty good."
"AI: The Somnium Files is good."
#7
Raging Loop
4.2
(11)
"[Raging Loop] is very good."
"It's a great game, characters are great and setting is really atmospheric."
"Raging loop/rei-jin-g-lu-p is great too, might get a bit stale by the end and has a bit of a reliance on kanji knowledge for some foreshadowing"
"Raging Loop gets a lot of recs."
"Raging loop definitely got me thinking about life and existence AND it has a ton of content."
"Phenomeno is good short one, also Raging loop."
"Raging Loop and Danganronpa Decadence are good options after Phoenix Wright."
"Raging loop."
"Raging Loop is an easy recommendation."
"Mixed feeling, but probably worth your time"
#8
VA-11 Hall-A
4.9
(8)
"For a short comforting vn I absolutely adored and easily recommend VA-11 Hall-A is a cozy yet engaging cyberpunk dystopia."
"VA-11 Hall-A is pretty fun and takes 18 hours or less."
"A great little bartend"
"I like Va-11 Hall-a, it’s a cyber punk bartending game with a lot of great characters."
"VA-11 Hall A is the best and it's not even close."
"VA-11 HALL-A and Coffee Talk were both nice and chill."
"I personally love VA-11 HALL-A."
"VA-11 HALL-A is nice, but it is set in a dystopian cyberpunk future."
#9
Fate/stay night
4.6
(8)
"Fate/stay night and Witch on the Holy Night are both on sale, both are peak!"
"Fate/Stay Night"
"Fate/Stay Night was long but great."
"Coming later this year, Fate Stay Night."
"Fate/stay night is getting a Switch remaster this year!"
"Other things like Fatal Morgana or Fate are great too."
"Fate/Stay Night and really anything by Type Moon."
"My more recent fav but not as much is Fate Stay Night."
#10
Ren'Py
5.0
(7)
"Yes Renpy is the best by far"
"For 2D though Ren'Py is better"
"As far as visual novels go , Renpy is king."
"I have spent hours comparing different novel tools and ultimately stuck with Renpy."
"If you know how to program with python, go for Renpy. You can do pretty much anything with it."
"Renpy or twine"
"Use RenPy. It'll be a good start for if (when) you want to add something more complex."
#11
Witch on the Holy Night
5.0
(6)
"Witch on the Holy Night’s an exceptionally pretty visual novel and is pretty much entirely linear so no stressing about choices."
"Witch on the Holy night for sure."
"Witch on the Holy Night"
"Available now, Witch on the Holy Night."
"Witch on the Holy Night is the best 20 hours you'll ever spend on a VN."
"Is a must play and only on Switch."
#12
Clannad
5.0
(6)
"The VN is really good, I watched the anime first then played the VN after and it’s definitely still worth it."
"Clannad one of the best of all time"
"CLANNAD - Released back in 2004, it is set at a Japanese high school, considered one of the greatest VNs"
"Clannad or Little busters."
"Clannad one of the best, really really emotional. i cried a lot."
"The Clannad VN famously is one of the goats."
#13
Saya no Uta
4.2
(6)
"My personal route through VNs was something Saya no Uta as a first visual novel."
"Saya no uta (my favorites)"
"Saya no uta is a good horror eroge but if you buy it on steam, you'll have to patch it."
"Saya no Uta (has more gore but less fanservice than Corpse Party)."
"Messed up in lots of ways."
"Saya no uta."
#14
Zero Escape
5.0
(5)
"The nonary games series. Thrilling story, nice gameplay elements as you have to solve several puzzles and switch between times and characters."
"* Zero Escape."
"Zero Escape, AI The Somnium Files and it's sequel, etc."
"I'd recommend Zero Escape, Phoenix Wright, danganronpa, little Busters, cross ✝️ channel, white Album, yuno, Kara No Shoujo, Fata morgana, ore-tachi, daemon muramasa."
"I will always recommend the Zero Escape games."
#15
Katawa Shoujo
4.8
(5)
"I have a deep and abiding love for Katawa Shoujo. Het school romance about disability with cute writing."
"Katawa Shoujo"
"Katawa Shoujo (this is what got me into the whole genre)"
"Rough around the edges, but still full of touching stories that approach disability with affection."
#16
Slay the Princess
4.6
(5)
"Slay The Princess(Fucking rad all around)"
"Slay the Princess is one of the only Visual Novels I’ve played but I really liked it, 9/10."
"It's a horror visual with a lot of branching paths and twists, depending on what conversation choices you make."
"Slay the princess is great, renpy though so it takes a while to boot up lol."
"I’ve heard a lot of good things about slay the princess."
#17
Fata Morgana
4.4
(5)
"Fata Morgana, it’s got a real nice version on the switch with bonus content."
"My favorite was Fata Morgana."
"Fata morgana is pretty good but it's slightly on the longer side."
"Fata morgana."
"Fata Morgana."
#18
Kara no Shoujo
4.2
(5)
"I really adore the Kara no Shoujo games. They have compelling mysteries, likable characters, strong atmosphere and a constantly creepy tone."
"Kara No Shojo"
"The first 2 kara no shojou ones are supposed to be good."
"Kara no Shoujo."
"I'd recommend Kara no Shoujo."
#19
The Letter
4.0
(5)
"Mixed feeling, but probably worth your time"
"Ooo have you checked out 'The Letter' or 'Paranormasight'? Two of my faves!"
"There’s also The letter which is actual horror and I like it quite a bit."
"The Letter."
"The Letter."
#20
Full Metal Daemon Muramasa
5.0
(4)
"Full Metal Daemon Muramasa and Hanachirasu: I friggin loved everything about these two."
"Muramasa has a really cool mechanical twist too that is best unspoiled."
"Full Metal Daemon Muramasa. It has an amazing storyline, is philosophical, and a lot of characters with unique personalities."
"If you liked steins gate, clannad and grisaia you will definitely love muramasa."
#21
Higurashi
4.8
(4)
"Higurashi and Umineko can be read independently of each other. Both are mysteries and start off as psychological horror / thriller."
"Higurashi will always be peak"
"My favorites are Higurashi and Umineko."
"A pretty good place to start are the popular ones like higurashi."
#22
Paranormasight
4.8
(4)
"Gonna throw out Paranormasight to go with all your other recs you got here."
"I'd go with Paranormasight, as it's been the best VN I've played all year."
"I can't recommend Paranormasight enough. Perfect VN for the upcoming spooky season."
"Paranormasight is great!"
#23
Ace Attorney Trilogy
4.8
(4)
"Ace Attorney Trilogy is long indeed but you have to consider they're 3 games in 1."
"Ace attorney trilogy is great and I am obligated to recommend the great ace attorney chronicles too."
"Ace Attorney Trilogy - It’s not a pure visual novel... but goddamn is it a treat."
"Ace attorney trilogy!"
#24
Wonderful Everyday
4.5
(4)
"Wonderful Everyday is an amazing story that unravels the mind the deeper you go."
"Wonderful Everyday is the best Visual Novel and it's not close."
"I think Wonderful Everyday is an incredible work."
"I recommend Wonderful Everday because it has some few familiar trope and story structure to Higurashi."
#25
Gore Screaming Show
4.3
(4)
"Gore screaming show, sadistic blood, saya no uta, (my favorites)"
"Gore Screaming Show"
"Gore screaming show"
"Gore screaming show"
#26
YuzuSoft
4.0
(4)
"Pretty much any moege, so like yuzusoft games, amakano series, nekopara if you like them are pretty easy."
"Anything by Yuzusoft is a high-production romance game"
"Any Yuzusoft VNs (Sanoba Witch, Senren Banka, Riddle Joker, Cafe Stella, etc.) would do."
"I'd recommend any YuzuSoft titles."
#27
Doki Doki Literature Club
3.8
(4)
"Doki Doki Literature Club is a MUST PLAY"
"Got a fantastic re-release for Switch in 2021, it adds a bunch of bonus content and is really fun to 100%"
"Doki Doki Literature club. A bit boring at first but things definitely pick up after Act 1!"
"Do NOT play Doki Doki Literature Club unless you want to be super depressed."
#28
Stray Gods
5.0
(3)
"I really enjoyed playing Stray Gods. You can romance the goddess Persephone or your human friend Freddie. It’s fully voiced and a musical!"
"A Greek gods retelling in modern times and a musical! Super fun 10/10."
"I've heard fantastic things about Stray Gods, it's a musical vn game made by David Gaider who was lead writer for Dragon Age"
#29
Heart of the Woods
5.0
(3)
"Heart of the Woods is a magical, sweet, and spooky voice-acted VN with two WLW relationships and it made me cry multiple times."
"I've enjoyed Heart of the Woods, Everlasting Summer, Doki Doki Literature Club Plus, and Senren * Banka."
"Heart of the Woods is my Favorite"
#30
Planetarian
5.0
(3)
"Planetarian."
"Planetarian is a great story and emotional gut punch."
"Planetarian"
#31
Utawarerumono
4.7
(3)
"Utawarerumono series is a great read."
"Utawarerumono : One of the best fantasy/sc-fi story i ever read."
"Utawarurmono duology but it does have some srpg gameplay."
#32
Little Busters!
4.7
(3)
"I heavily suggest Little Busters."
"Little Busters is from the same company Key."
"Two great and tragic stories with all kinds of twists."
#33
Chaos;Child
4.7
(3)
"I second Chaos;Child, it almost rivals Steins;Gate, for me."
"I would recommend Chaos;Child and Sakura no Mori Dreamers."
"Chaos;Child !!!"
#34
World End Syndrome
4.3
(3)
"World End Syndrome and Raging Loop are my go to recommendations on the Switch."
"I like little filler or shorter visual novels, so World End Syndrome, Return to Shiranagasu Island (Dark! Be warned)"
"I'm really enjoying World End Syndrome."
#35
Before Your Eyes
4.3
(3)
"Before Your Eyes is pretty good."
"Before Your Eyes."
#36
Aokana
4.3
(3)
"Aokana: Four Rythmns of The Blue. Literally changed my life."
"Aokana is a solid"
"A few to try depending on your tastes would be Aokana, If My Heart Had Wings, Little Busters, Clannad or Senren *Banka."
#37
Nanairo Reincarnation
4.3
(3)
"Amazing plot and horny."
"Most recently, I've enjoyed Nukitashi, Nanairo Reincarnation, and Koikari - Love for Hire."
"Nanairo Reincarnation (a couple of the routes were great)"
#38
Otome Domain
4.0
(3)
"Otome Domain is less than 15 hours but one of my favorite moeges."
"Otome Domain and Daitoshokan were there when I was depressed."
"Probably the easiest one that I played."
#39
Nekopara
4.0
(3)
"Not a traditional VN, it's a Kinetic Novel (one route, no choices)"
"Nekopara for the pure wholesome sweetness."
"I also recommend the Nekopara series."
#40
Clockwork Ley-Line
4.0
(3)
"Clockwork Ley-line series"
"Clockwork Ley-line series is definitely underrated."
"A Clockwork Ley-Line: trilogy about some tricky magical school that I quite liked."
#41
Corpse Factory
4.0
(3)
"Corpse factory not really romance but the main 2 girls r really attractive and its a really interesting story for the most part (obv horror)."
"Corpse factory was really good. Lot's of people had mixed feelings on it."
"CORPSE FACTORY."
#42
Majikoi
4.0
(3)
"Majikoi for basically being able to mix moege with the feel of a martial arts anime."
"Majikoi."
"Personally I would recommend you majikoi for romcom."
#43
Key
5.0
(2)
"It's honestly my go to recommendation for any new comers to VNs."
"It is THE best robot girl vn by key(imo)"
#44
Muv-Luv Alternative
5.0
(2)
"Muv-luv Alternative: I love mecha!"
"Muv Luv series Alternative alone makes it worth reading the Muv Luv Extra and Unlimited double pack."
#45
Sound of Drop
5.0
(2)
"I loved Sound of Drop! The music is top tier and the game is such creepy fun!"
"Sound of Drop: horror set in an aquarium."
#46
Our Life: Beginning and Always
5.0
(2)
"If you want a dating sim, I will sing the praises of Our Life: Beginning and Always eternally."
"Our Life Beginnings and Always(Cove is babygirl)"
#47
Atri: My Dear Moments
5.0
(2)
"Atri: My Dear Moments - Bittersweet robot story."
"Solid reads imo!"
#48
Love Esquire
5.0
(2)
"If you need something to make you laugh out loud, Love Esquire is the way to go."
"Top tier voice acting, 5 different story routes with 15 endings."
#49
The Last Secret
5.0
(2)
"TLS and S2 are scifi adventures with romance, TLS more adventure and S2 more romcom."
"You might also have a look at my VNs, [The Last Secret and Sweet Science]."
#50
13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim
5.0
(2)
"Gonna also go to bat for 13 Sentinels."
"If you haven't played it already."
#51
Dream Daddy
5.0
(2)
"Dream Daddy and Freezer Pops come to mind for dating VNs."
"Dream Daddy for sure."
#52
5bp
5.0
(2)
"Steins Gate is considered the cream of the crop for visual novels."
"Steins;Gate is my favorite VN of all time."
#53
Hatoful Boyfriend
4.5
(2)
"I have to recommend my favourite visual novel just because: hatoful boyfriend."
"I played hatofull Boyfriend and it was glorious!!"
#54
Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective
4.5
(2)
"Phantom Detective: Ghost Trick is an amazing VN with puzzle elements."
#55
Funbag Fantasy
4.5
(2)
"Best translated nukige storyline is Funbag fantasy (lute hende's saga)"
#56
Boyfriend Dungeon
4.5
(2)
"If she ever decides she wants to have a little bit more gameplay, Boyfriend Dungeon is a super fun one I love."
"Boyfriend Dungeon is a pretty solid choice which is a mix of visual novel/dating sim and a dungeon crawler."
#57
Cupid Parasite
4.5
(2)
"Cupid Parasite is a colorful and hilarious otome game that’s super engaging and has amazing music."
"A few of those on switch you could look into: -cupid parasite (although this one is a bit more fantasy with over the top situations so it might not be grounded in reality enough)..."
#58
Chaos;Head
4.5
(2)
"It’s the only horror VN that’s actually had me scared."
"Warning about the chaos;child suggestion. Its highly recommended that you read chaos;head first."
#59
Little Busters
4.5
(2)
"Especially Little Busters, It's simply a masterpiece."
"Little Busters."
#60
Tsukihime
4.5
(2)
"Tsukihime."
"Tsukihime, and maybe Higanbana no Saku Yoru ni."
#61
SeaBed
4.5
(2)
"SeaBed"
"I really liked SeaBed."
#62
Cartagra
4.5
(2)
"If youre interested in good plot + horror murder mystery with some random ero scenes go for Cartagra/Kara No Shoujo series! theyre my favorite"
"I loved the first two though, and liked Cartagra."
#63
Fruit of Grisaia
4.0
(2)
"Fruit of Grisaia and the rest of the trilogy if it works for you."
"Fruit of Grisaia is another great one."
#64
Beacon Pines
4.0
(2)
"I was gonna suggest Beacon pines because it’s super cute but it’s not really a visual novel in the normal sense and it does get spooky early on but still retains the cuteness."
"Beacon Pines!"
#65
Coffee Talk
4.0
(2)
"Coffee Talk, and its sequel Hibiscus and Butterfly."
"Coffee talk"
#66
Life is Strange
4.0
(2)
"Life is Strange"
"The Life is Strange series is like a visual novel with gaming elements."
#67
Cross Channel
4.0
(2)
"Cross channel and it’s not close. One of the best endings of any VN."
"Another series you’ll love is Cross Channel."
#68
Arcade Spirits
4.0
(2)
"Arcade Spirits 1 and 2. It's set in an arcade and focuses on a group of diverse gamers who all find community in that place."
"Arcade Spirits! Naomi is cute!"
#69
RPG Maker
4.0
(2)
"RPG Maker. Base engine is enough to create visual novel experience but if you want to go fancy with clickable pictures and stuff then you might need to find a plugin."
"Literally any of them, but with no previous experience you would probably want to use something like RPG Maker."
#70
Muv-Luv
4.0
(2)
"It is well worth it if you stick with it, it turns into something truly amazing."
"I recommend MuvLuv."
#71
If My Heart Had Wings
4.0
(2)
"If my heart had wings or aokana? But are not horror, have serious topics but are grounded!"
"A few to try depending on your tastes would be Aokana, If My Heart Had Wings, Little Busters, Clannad or Senren *Banka."
#72
Amatsutsumi
4.0
(2)
"Chrono Clock and Amatsutsumi"
"Some others that are easy:"
#73
Aokana: Four Rhythms Across the Blue
4.0
(2)
"Aokana: Four Rhythms Across The Blue."
"I can really recommend AoKana."
#74
Olympia Soiree
4.0
(2)
"Other people recommending Otome Games like Olympia Soiree, Bustafellows, Even if Tempest, etc. are also good shouts"
"Olympia Soirée - a deeply romantic and beautiful game based on an island with a very harsh caste system."
#75
Clockup
4.0
(2)
"Clockup has good ones (euphoria, Fraternite, Maggot Baits, Erewhon…)"
"Maggot baits & fraternite from clockup (euphoria) too!"
#76
Dead Days
4.0
(2)
"Dead Days"
"I haven't finished it yet, but Dead Days is horror eroge."
#77
Sadistic Blood
3.5
(2)
"Sadistic Blood!!!!"
"Sadistic Blood (tbh plot is kinda meh if you dont go for the true route)"
#78
You and Me and Her
3.5
(2)
"If you’re looking for a horror visual novel you could try You and Me and Her."
"You and me and her. Yandere like DDLC."
#79
When They Cry
5.0
(1)
"When they cry franchise"
#80
Stella of the End
5.0
(1)
"For the time being, it's Stella of the End. Insane masterpiece"
#81
Ever 17
5.0
(1)
"Ever 17: The Out of Infinity. I like the underwater entertainment park as a setting, the characters, You in particular."
#82
A Date With Death
5.0
(1)
"A Date With Death(Death is babygirl)"
#83
Wolfstride
5.0
(1)
"Do you like megalobox? do you like mecha? does "megalobox with mechs" sound rad as fuck? then play wolfstride."
#84
Hakuoki
5.0
(1)
"Hakuoki. It has romance, history, drama, death, existential crisis, swords, a slash of supernatural, the awfulness of war, and great art."
#85
Evenicle
4.0
(1)
"Evenicle for managing to be both a pervy vn with my style of humor as well as an RPG with both good gameplay and story."
#86
Nukitashi
4.0
(1)
"Most recently, I've enjoyed Nukitashi, Nanairo Reincarnation, and Koikari - Love for Hire."
#87
Murders on the Yangtze River
4.0
(1)
"Murders on the Yangtze River and The Hungry Lamb are good, though only one is currently discounted."
#88
The Sekimeiya
4.0
(1)
"The Sekimeiya, science-fiction mystery that tries and mostly succeeds at being solvable."
#89
Spirit Hunter
4.0
(1)
"The spirit hunter games are fabulous."
#90
Henchman Story
4.0
(1)
"Henchman Story(Really enjoyed this one)"
#91
Unity
4.0
(1)
"Unity could be a great option, especially since the Unity Asset Store has several plugins that already include RPG mechanics designed for visual novel-style interactions."
#92
Dead End Aegis
4.0
(1)
"Dead End Aegis, lil bit of bisexuality, lotta horror + ero"
#93
Shin'yaku In'youchuu
4.0
(1)
"Maybe Shin'yaku In'youchuu (I wanna play this one so bad)"
#94
Sayooshi
4.0
(1)
"Sayooshi (if youre into psychological horror)"
#95
Discipline
4.0
(1)
"Discipline or any Sei Shojo VNs really since you like Bible Black"
#96
Boyfriend to Death
4.0
(1)
"Boyfriend to Death 1 and 2, Lover's Trophy, The Price of Flesh (huge rec on this one)"
#97
Coteries of Newyork
4.0
(1)
"Coteries of Newyork + Shadows of Newyork. two vampire: the masqurade visual novels with connected plot threads."
#98
428 Shibuya Scramble
4.0
(1)
"428 Shibuya Scramble Very fun and engaging."
#99
Smee
3.0
(1)
"Anything by Smee is very much on the light-hearted comedy spectrum with no plot"
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