MercyZombie

I'm assuming you want something translated, apologies otherwise. Seinarukana would probably count but it isn't out yet. By extension Aselia the Eternal would too. In the untranslated version of Aselia there is some rape (in fact there is a whole route dedicated about it) but that is all cut out for the censored translated version, which does not have any sex in it at all. Yumina the Ethereal might also be what you're looking for. The main character can have sex with other girls but it's all optional. And I do mean in the sense that you get a binary choice between if you want it or not. Not in the "well you don't have to do all the sidequests". That's about all I can recommend with my limited knowledge. Hope it was to some use.

Couldn't agree more. Why give so much focus to this cute and funny girl with her obvious crush if you're not gonna let me have the protagonist reciprocate. That's just cruel to the both of us. She has a route in the fandisc though. But I assume it's not very long since VNDB says " ...and 5 short stories for the sub-heroines". But at least it's something. Now if I'm gonna add something myself I should mention Riki's male friends in Little Busters Little Busters could just had been about the titular busters themselves (Rin included) and I still probably would had been satisfied.

And here's my list Hikari no Valusia ~What a Beautiful Hopes~ Aiyoku no Eustia '&' - Sora no Mukou de Sakimasu you ni - I can dream, can't I? It could happen. At least Hikari no Valusia could. Right? Maybe? Don't pity me.

Well I'm going to add absolutely nothing to this discussion. While there are exceptions (and Grisaia is definitely not one of them) most VNs only really get to the "meat" of the story in the actual routes. In many VNs the common route is just there to introduce the characters, explain the setting and add some comedy, before getting to the actual plot in the individual routes. Individual routes that has to be different enough from each other so you want to read them, meaning the common route has to be set up so it can easily lead to any of them without feeling like it's dropping unfulfilled plot points left and right. That means it's really hard to make a long common route without filling it with filler. Now personally I prefer it when they get straight to the point but most Visual Novels are Slice of Life Charage. Faffing about is half the point. But even seemingly pointless scenes can have their purpose, either to gain new insight in another character or to play as a contrast when the VN turns on serious mode later on. Now when it feels like you could have cut out half the common route without it affecting anything in the rest of the novel, you have a bit of a problem (looking at you Grisaia, you have some really good stuff but man do you drag on). Of course this is all opinion based from someone with a very low attention span so take that as you may.

A lot of love for KiraKira in this thread. Well another one for best girl She pulled at my heartstrings too many times for me not to mention her. Just for you.

Oh lord, the memories . I remember giving up on that one. It's probably to no ones surprise that Edelweiss 1.0 was translated in-house. That's never a good sign

Yeah the localization is... not the best.

Right now I'm reading Koichoco (without looking in at any of the threads because I don't want to spoil myself) and after having finished two routes all I can say is: What the fuck kind of school is this? It's like someone mashed together a highschool romance with a political conspiracy thriller. It sounds fun but it's kind of hard to take seriously.

I think the fire happens almost immediately after they have their talk in the normal route. Not that it really matters since the end result is still the same. God damn hospital scene broke me. In the true route the fire does not happen because they drag on the time she has until she starts with a few day, claiming she is on her period (I assume she is just lying to them about her having her period, but I could just be overthinking it). Her father still eventually has his breakdown but he seems to have it a bit later instead because of it. Personally I think the normal ending is good but I feel like I'm one of the weird people that prefers the true ending. But I'm also a bit of a softy that likes happy endings. As long as they don't feel too forced at least. Also while we are on the subject of Chies's route being a bit weak. I liked the route because of Chie herself being a pretty likeable and relatable character and her being voiced by one of my favorite voice actors certainly does her no disfavors. But the route itself did feel a bit aimless after they returned home, compared to the other two routes. Felt a bit surprised when it suddenly ended. I was not aware that I was reading the ending until the credits suddenly rolled.

Short messy hair, like something you can't resist to ruffle. Being a bit socially awkward also manages to up the cute factor a lot. Being voiced by Kawashima Rino is also a big plus. But I guess that is kind of cheating.

Oh all-knowing Onii-chan! When will Jast finally release Seinarukana? Also jam or butter?

Their front page also still says G-senjou no Maou is "coming soon" despite it having been out for twenty-three days now. You think a company which makes all of its sales online would work a bit more on their presentation. And that is not mentioning Denpasoft which is just lazily presented all around in a "we really don't want to do this but we have to" kind of way. Derailing aside I'm really enjoying Clannad so far. The art is a bit off but that is nothing new. I am oddly annoyed that I can find no option to make the dialogue stop cutting itself off when you skip ahead (because I read faster than they can say their lines) but I doubt the demand for such a option is that huge despite it being very common today.

First I recommend Steins;Gate. It definitively got a colorful cast (the main character can fill up a whole VN himself) and as long as you're not afraid of a little techno-babble it also got a really good story. It's also endearingly proud of how nerdy it is which I like. Second I recommend Little Busters, got a good memorable cast and it's far from short. Be aware it got some heavy drama in the actual routes in contrast to the common route where it's simple feel good comedy. Some of it can feel a bit forced and out of nowhere, I personally didn't mind it but I know other people did. Since you liked Deardrops you might also want to check out KiraKira since it is set in the same universe. It's quite different though and you kind of spoiled one of the endings by reading Deardrops first but it is still definitively worth reading. Also just like Deardrops it has a main heroine that gets more focus than the rest but unlike Deardrops the other routes still feel complete and not just slapped on. If you like it you might also later read the crossover fandisc that features both the cast from Deardrops and KiraKira. Don't bother with Curtain Call though unless you're really interested in what happens with Murakami because he is sadly the only interesting part of it.

There isn't a patch for Grisaia if I understand it correctly. Something which seemed to have pissed off a lot of people that got it through kickstarter. But you can buy the uncensored version from Denpasoft now. It does not have any of the new CGs though. A small price to pay some would say but there it is.

When I first started reading Visual Novels I always used a guide because I was so afraid of hitting a bad end. Nowadays I feel like trying to find all the desired endings without help is part of the experience. Now I find that it's a lot more entertaining when you're not completely sure which choice is the right one. But I do occasionally make a exception when I feel completely stuck. (I'm looking at you Steins;Gate. How the hell did anyone ever find the true ending without help there? Many of the choices does not even make sense in retrospect)

I'm gonna throw in KiraKira. The main characters decide to make a punk band as a farewell to their disbanding school club. Hilarity ensues. No one is disabled but it does have a sickly girl if that is your thing. It has several effective emotional moments, both sad and happy and it left me feeling good. Also has an unlockable true ending which is always a plus in my book.

I found out about Visual Novels on the now nonexistent Plot with Porn page on TvTropes (yeah I know, shut up). Thought the whole idea was bit ludicrous so naturally I had to check it out. I ended up really liking it. Read Private Nurse first which didn't really leave that much of a big impact on me but I didn't dislike it. I read Yume Miru Kusuri and KiraKira afterwards which is what really got me hooked. Been reading for several years now, though a bit infrequently so my VN list is still not that big. I have to say judging by the comments above me it seems people are right and Katawa Shoujo really is the VN gateway drug.

I can't really fault you for dropping Ai-Ren. It is a bit... out there. I still can't make sense of half the plot. Kana is completely different, it has a bit of dark stuff here and there but it does not really dwell upon them. It's far from a masterpiece but I thought it was decent. Great, You won't regret reading Angel Densetsu. Unless you do and in that case I have nothing to do with this. Mysterious Girlfriend X problem is that the couple stops moving forward completely after about one fifth in. Which is a bit of a problem when that is supposed to be the focus of the manga. It's too bad because it had a lot of promise. I swear one more plotline dedicated about Tsubaki getting tempted by another girl and I would have snapped, they must have done that at least four times.

Well there is My Lovely Ghost Kana. It fits alo- "On hold". Well okay, at least you know about it. While we're still at it I could mention Ai-Ren, it's definitively a bit weir- "Dropped". God dammit! Sadly I can't think of many manga/anime that fits your criteria that I have read/watched, let alone any that are any good. This is why I prefer visual novels. Well I got to recommend something... Let's recommend Angel Densetsu since you seem not to have read it, it's probably my favorite manga. It's more of a comedy than romance but it does have a main couple. They become a couple fairly early, even if they themselves do not realize it. It's the kind of chaste couple that takes forever just to kiss though so that can be a bit annoying. Also the art is a bit bad, though it gets better. Somewhat. I'm not really selling this am I? Just look it up on MAL and see if you're interested. There is also Mysterious Girlfriend X. Actually nevermind that. I don't recommend it. 96 chapters of blue balls.

Huh... They put surprisingly a lot of thought into explaining their fanservice. I'll just imagine explaining that to someone not used to anime/visual novels

I'm going to back this project and I do really look forward to seeing it released. But I do have one question after seeing that figurine. Why do their uniforms have what I can only refer to as boob sockets? it looks really weird.

After seeing many multiplayer games die slow deaths because of a dying, crumbling player base it is interesting to see a game that have decided to quite literally kill it off. I mean do they expect people to keep buying the game over and over? Because soon there will be no one left to play against.

Little Busters doesn't have romance? Where did you hear that? It definitively does. Even if it does not really show up until you enter a route, but that is common for slice of life VNs. If you do decide to read it I have a tip for you

Edelweiss' bad ending is surprisingly sweet and upbeat. Though you have to actively work hard to get it.

I think I have a thicker skin against "forced" drama than most people. Mostly because some drama (even awkwardly inserted drama) is better than no drama. At the same time I can definitely get why you get annoyed when it is feels it is coming right out of nowhere. Foreshadowing shouldn't be that hard Kira☆Kira is a great example for this. Me from six years ago certainly didn't agree with you. I hated "that" part then. Then again I also didn't know there existed a true ending so I thought that was it.