The best visual novels on PC

Visual novels, like anime, originated in Japan. The Japanese genre cannot be confused with any direction, so if you don’t like such characters, you should just pass by, as there will be mods with expressive eyes and bright hair in the selection. The selection presents visual novels that deserve your attention.

Policenauts

First performance: 1994;
Creator: Konami
System criteria: any hardware can be used;
Platforms: cross-platform.

Best Visual Novels On Pc At a time when little was known about Hideo Kojima and the world didn’t consider him a cybergenius, the advanced game designer was already taking his first steps into the visual novel sci-fi style. A prominent representative is Policenauts – although not the first, but the most popular brainchild of Hideo.

The main action takes place in the near future (from the release date of the game) – in 2013. At that time, the future was seen very differently and more fantastically. The orbit of the Earth became the starting point of the novel. So, on Orbit, people created a special colony Beyond Coast, guarded by a detachment of police astronauts (policyauts). One of the members of this Squad is John Ingram, who is also the main character in the game. The beginning of the novel – an accident occurred at the station and the main character was thrown into outer space. Since Joan’s equipment is very good, he is immersed in hibernation and “preserved” for many years. John Ingram will return to life in a completely New World.

The creator of Policenauts managed to mix different styles in one game: he decorated the visual novel with point-and-click quest elements and details inherent in mini-games. Naturally, today the realistic short story is outdated, but it is still popular. We recommend paying attention to those gamers who want to try their hand at the science fiction genre. In particular, the game is worth paying attention to fans of Hideo Kojima, who know that every game of the creator is a cool story. Visual novel Policenauts is the absence of modern graphics and the presence of an original and simply exciting story. But this is very important in the game.

Saya no Uta

First performance: 2003;
Creator: Nitroplus;
System criteria: any hardware can be used;
Platforms: PC.

Best Visual Novels On Pc A medical student, he is the main character, he is Sakisaka Fuminori, gets into a car accident. The catastrophe leads to the fact that none of the relatives remain alive, and he himself ends up in a hospital bed. Thanks to the professionalism of the doctors, Sakisaku’s life was saved, but the brain suffered significantly – the hero begins to see the environment in a distorted light (all people become terrible monsters – bloody flesh, twisted insides, wounds). Since the main character is already almost a doctor, he has learned to cope with his features and pretend that he is psychologically normal. Time passes and Sakisaka gets acquainted with the young beauty Sayu, who does not seem to him a living werewolf.

There are a lot of bloody scenes in Saya no Uta. But that’s not important. The game is recognized as one of the best thanks to an interesting plot that can surprise even a professional gamer. Naturally, it would be stupid to spoil the game, but we can safely recommend it to people with strong nerves and resistance to creepy visuals. A significant addition to the novel is a strong voice acting, unusual for this genre.

Katawa Shoujo

First performance: 2012;
Creator: Four Leaf Studios;
System criteria: any hardware can be used;
Platforms: cross-platform.

Best Visual Novels On Pc Many Russian-speaking gamers know this novel as Disabled Girls. The main character is a student named Hisao Nakai. Start of the game: A boy with a heart attack ends up in the hospital, where doctors diagnose a heart attack. Naturally, the boy can no longer study in a classical school and he is forced to be transferred to a special institution in Yamaka, created specifically for disabled teenagers.

Many gamers consider Katawa Shoujo to be the most iconic eroge that exists in the cyber world. One hero of the stronger sex, several beauties around allow you to build different love lines, determine different ENDINGS, which will depend solely on the main character. And a lot of erotic scenes that can be turned off in the course of action and at the same time not lose the main story tactics. But why remove it, because then the whole point of playing in eroge is lost.

Tsukihime

First performance: 2001;
Creator: Type-Moon
System criteria: any hardware can be used;
Platforms: PC.

Best Visual Novels On Pc If the previous story about Japanese teenagers didn’t grab you, it’s worth trying another story about another boy from Japan. With the main character Shiki Tohno, misfortune happens, and he is left alone. The magician Aoko offers his help to the schoolboy, opening the world of the “Other Side” to Shiki, in which there are vampires and wizards.

Tsukihime is a prime example of a Night’s Watch-style visual novel. Even professional gamers do not give a clear definition of the game story, because it is intertwined with elements of horror, dark fantasy, thriller, drama and romance. Some players, having discovered this unpredictable plot for themselves, stick in it for a long time, others leave forever.

The developer himself, without expecting it, created a unique product – the game quickly took off to the top of the championship in Japan. It was even made into a film adaptation of the anime. However, we do not recommend watching the series or reading the manga before you finish playing, because after watching some scenes will simply lose all meaning.

Fate/Stay Night

First performance: 2004;
Creator: Type-Moon
System criteria: any hardware can be used;
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 2, PS Vita.

Best Visual Novels On Pc After the Tsukihime game was a fabulous success, the developers began to create new proposals. Despite the fact that the previous novel was completed, its plot allowed for the easy introduction of many new characters. In addition, some of the characters in the Fate story were already ready to “become alive”. It was thanks to this that the world saw Fate/Stay Night, Fate/Extra. However, only Fate/Stay Night belongs to the visual novel genre. In addition, it became the latest brainchild, because after it the company’s genre changed to RPG.

So, Fate/Stay Night is a combination of mysticism and reality. In the game universe there is a parallel world with mystical characters. This is what happens in the city of Fuki – the Holy Grail War helps determine the strongest of the mage. Naturally, ordinary residents are not aware of the magic competition, which cannot be said about the main character, an ordinary schoolboy in Japan named Emiya Shiro.

The family of a Japanese schoolboy died in a fire, the guy was adopted by the magician Kiritsugu. As often happens, it is impossible to hide anything from curious children, and soon the boy learned about the amazing magical world. Emiya studies the canons of magic in every possible way, dreaming of becoming a Defender of Justice.

The storyline of the game is full of intrigues, epic battles of mystical monsters. Echoes of the legend of King Arthur are clearly visible in it. Immersing yourself in the plot is not easy, because the magical universe obeys extravagant, non-trivial rules. The plot has a lot of bright events and interesting characters. Fate/Stay Night can be recommended to connoisseurs of dark fantasy with magical elements.

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni series

First performance: from 2002 to 2006;
Creator: 07th Expansion;
System criteria: any hardware can be used;
Platforms: cross-platform.

Best Visual Novels On Pc Thinking about whether it is possible to include this game in our selection, we decided to take a chance anyway. “When Cicadas Cry” is both a cult work and a game that is completely devoid of interactivity. Unlike other Japanese games in Higurashi no Naku Koro ni, you do not have to make decisions for the main character, but only be a contemplative of the plot from the outside. However, we could not leave this game unattended, because it is recognized as an excellent visual novel in the history of their existence.

So, in 1983, Keiichi Maebara visits the village. Like any Japanese teenager, he is fond of local beauties and gets to know all his peers. Very soon, the village will host the Watanagashi festival, about which the boy has heard a lot. But there is only one “But” – for 4 years in a row, celebrations have been complemented by murders and disappearances of holiday guests.

It is important to note that Higurashi no Naku Koro ni is an amateur brainchild, not a game of professional developers. The novella, famous today, was created by simple like-minded people. A well-known screenwriter today under the nickname Ryukishi07 wrote his work after being impressed by the previously mentioned Tsukihime. Perhaps you want to repeat his path?

SciADV Series

First performance: from 2008 to 2011;
Creator: 5pb./MAGES.;
System criteria: any hardware can be used;
Platforms: cross-platform.

Best Visual Novels On Pc The SciADV or “Black Mirror” series consists of separate series linked together by fantastic technologies. They are united by a magical world, outwardly similar to ours. The series consists of numerous projects such as Chaos;Child, Robotics;Notes DaSH, Steins;Gate. A distinctive feature is the presence of a separating sign in the name – a semicolon.

If you dream of enjoying a sci-fi setting and do not know which series to start with, then we recommend choosing any one, because the whole picture of the fantasy world emerges only after watching all the series without exception.

Doki Doki Literature Club!

First performance: 2017;
Creator: Team Salvato;
System criteria: any hardware can be used;
Platforms: PC, Mac.

Best Visual Novels On Pc Finally, an American proposal appeared in the list of popular visual novels. However, it is made in combination with the anime style. Naturally, the main character is an ordinary schoolboy who, carried away by reading, becomes a member of a literary circle, where there are a lot of other participants – young girls. And of course, in this regard, one cannot do without romantic lines.

Many gamers will say: yes, how much can you spoil a good story with “slobbering” scenes. But do not rush to conclusions too much, you should try to enjoy the plot. Doki Doki Literature Club! Able to blow the mind, turning inside out all the knowledge about the genre. We will not talk about how this will happen. And we advise you to avoid other people’s opinions, recommendations and comments in every possible way. Perhaps this game will become your favorite and rise to the first positions in our top. Worth a try…

Endless summer

First performance: 2013;
Creator: Erogame Project, Soviet Games, Moonworks;
System criteria: any hardware can be used;
Platforms: cross-platform.

Best Visual Novels On Pc We will continue the debriefing with a domestic proposal – “Endless Summer” is widely known among our gamers. The main character is freelancer Semyon, who is deeply immersed in the Internet. Once the main character could not resist the offer of classmates to come to the reunion of graduates. He gets on the bus ;410 and falls into a deep sleep. Having come to his senses, the character realizes that he is a seventeen-year-old boy who is in the Owlet camp.

The creators managed to combine eroge, a mystical thriller with imageboard memes in one game. In truth, they are currently known only to forty-year-old admins. However, to enjoy the plot, it is not necessary to delve into Easter eggs and references. And you should just enjoy the domestic forms that appeared in the offer. We declare: in order to enjoy the ending, you will have to repeatedly go all the way from the beginning.

Love, money, rock and roll

First impression: not yet released;
Creator: Soviet Games;
System requirements: Windows 7+, 1.5 GHz CPU, 1 Gb RAM, DirectX 11;
Platforms: cross-platform.

Best Visual Novels On Pc Perhaps this visual novel will be the last in our review. To tell the truth, the computer creation at the moment exists only in the format of a demo version – the developers of Soviet Games plan to launch the project in the same year. Today it is known that the 80s are in the yard, and the main character is an ordinary Japanese boy Nikolai. You should not be surprised by the name, because he is the son of immigrants, and the action takes place in Japan – the birthplace of visual novels. It seems to us that the developers are aiming at an international audience with this turn. It is worth wishing prosperity to this masterpiece, but we can only wait for its appearance in order to either enjoy it or be disappointed.

The Ren’Py engine – a brief overview

Becoming a visual novel creator is not hard at all these days. One has only to create a team of two people – an artist and a screenwriter. And then everything is just the talents of both project participants, the open Ren’Py engine – and voila, the proposal is ready. It is important to note that many interesting projects were created using a simple and accessible engine, but a lot of non-game trash was also released with its help. Editing, you will not learn about them from us, because we are talking only about noteworthy games.