Clephas

They tried too hard to channel 'the Earth is Angry' fantasy sub-genre that was popular back in the nineties. I felt like I was looking at a weakened half-assed comedy version of X sometimes.

People who think Rewrite is crap rarely talk about Rewrite, whereas the ignora- *coughs* Ahem, fanboys who think anything Key is automatically gold praise it up one side and down the other. I didn't hate Rewrite... but as someone who plays most of the games from the same genre, I can tell you it is on the lower end in terms of overall quality, with the last routes being the exception. Within the same genre, Tokyo Babel and Dies Irae are much higher quality (incomparably higher quality).

Tokyo Babel Tokyo Necro Bradyon Veda Komorebi no Nostalgica (It is after a massive world war between sentient humanoid AIs and humanity that concluded with humanity's defeat and a peace agreement. Things have settled in the wake and society has been rebuilt, but problems remain. It is primarily a nakige.) Edit: To clarify, this is not a 'wasteland' style post-apocalypse. Rather, what was lost was history and culture, as a major hack destroyed the internet archives which had become responsible for retaining most of human culture and history from the late nineteenth through the twenty-first century. Sousei Kitan Aerial (Muv-luv alternative type situation) Hotel Venus Blood Hypno/Hollow Shuumatsu Shoujo Gensou Alicematic Any and all of the Soleil games by Skyfish Baldr Sky Fake Azure Arcology and Re:Birth Colony (games based long after a massive apocalypse, both based in arcologies) Owaru Sekai to Birthday Reminiscence (centuries post-apocalypse, underground arcology) Sorceress Alive Strawberry Feels Harumade, Kururu Natsukumo Yururu

Princess x Princess is actually better than shuffle 2, its original game. I really, really wish they would release Tsukihime remake for pc. I hate using consoles for vns.

Akatsuki no Goei, though it is mostly humorous and/or fails.

Madoi Shiroki no Kamikakushi is actually a game that could be considered this year's VN of the Year in quality. It is one of LoS's greatest games, along with the original Tayutama , Itsuka, and Sekai to Sekai no Mannaka de. I won't go so far as to say it is a kamige, but it is definitely in the upper tiers of VNs I've played over the years.

Wagahime is a great game, though the side-heroine endings suck (basically H then its over without conflict). I really recommend this to fans of Minato Soft, as it draws on the company's best habits.

Despite it being a confusing mess, Air had incredible production values and really powerful tear-jerking scenes. The problem with it was that, like many anime based off of VNs early on, it mashed all the routes together into an amalgamation. As such, it felt like the heroine routes' high points were strung together in a row. Honestly, the anime that came from a VN I thought was the most enjoyable was Shuffle. Shuffle's anime, similar to Air's, also mashes the heroine routes together, but it handles it slightly better. It also massively enhances Kaede's yandere side.

Thankfully, this bad habit mostly died down over the years, though a few companies - like Minato/Candy Soft, Hook Soft, and Navel - still indulge at times. That said, the reverse phenomena, of choices that have profound meaning and effect everything, is also incredibly rare these days.

Meaningless choices are an annoyance and interrupt the experience because they require you to consider something completely irrelevant.

Crystalia's science fantasy series that began with this one involves training for intense sword combat competitions: https://vndb.org/v21465 There is some pretty brutal combat training in Tokyo Babel, depending on the path... Hatsuru Koto naki Mirai yori's protagonist brutally trains the dragons under his command how to fly better. Hime, the protagonist of the Tiny Dungeon series, practically spends half his life training.

Tokyo Babel. Basically, a bunch of angels and demons are guiding humans through Purgatory in an attempt to gain mercy from God before it squishes all the parallel universes like empty soda cans. No ero content. Available on Steam. Ayakashibito- Same writer as Tokyo Babel, less action focused. A version of Japan where people begin displaying habits and powers of youkai and are persecuted for it. A solid mix of SOL, action, and plot. Has ero content, but it isn't a major focus. Dies Irae- Over the top fantasy action with crazy antagonists and a brooding protagonist. Makes Fate look tame. Basic version has no ero. Available on Steam.

Akatsuki Yureru Koi Akari is a prequel to Kizuna Kirameku Koi Iroha. The main heroine is Tsubaki's elder sister and Tsubaki's child version makes an appearance during the story (ridiculously cute). I will say that this protagonist is much, much more badass than the original's protagonist. However, just like in that one, he is more of a support role than anything else.

Ironically, your best choice is probably the Venus Blood series... to be more specific, Empire, Frontier, and Hypno. The main characters aren't virtuous (considering the series' theme it is inevitable that they won't be), but if you pick the Chaos paths, they are about as corrupted as you could want. Madou Koukaku- In this game, how you play the effort to conquer the region the game takes place in determines whether the protagonist is a virtuous ruler or a corrupt monster or something in between. Draculius- This isn't precisely a 'corruption arc', but the true path of Draculius has the protagonist's values change dramatically during the route from a relatively normal young man to a vampire capable of being ruthless to protect his family. Phantom of Inferno- The protagonist starts out as a normal guy but gets retrained into an assassin after being memory-wiped. Ryakudatsusha no In'en- I'm going to be blunt... this game is probably the most guro-rapey on my list of recs, and I only really recommend it because the protagonist redeems himself in its sequel, Ryuukishi Bloody Saga. This game is full of the worst kind of depravity and atrocities you can think of, so I honestly recommend that most people avoid it, despite the high quality of the storytelling. Suisei Ginka- one of the bad ending has the protagonist fall into corruption. Yurikago yori Tenshi Made- Ayakashibito- Touko path, however redemption follows, so it might not be what you want. Semiramis no Tenbin- Mild corruption from the beginning, mostly a shifting of moral values regarding sex (he doesn't become a rapist though) and manipulating people. Abyss Homicide Club- Degree of corruption/madness depends on the path. Blade x Bullet- really, the protagonist is evil from the beginning, but it is a great corrupt fallen world. Akeiro Kaikitan- Might not be what you want, but in Youko's path Most of the Soleil games by Skyfish have at least one corruption arc/bad ending. Psychologic Love Comedy- Corruption and madness in the little sister's path. Edit: Muramasa

Tokyo Babel Dies Irae Dies Irae Interview with Kaziklu Bey Aselia the Eternal Seinarukana Fata Morgana Untranslated The Silverio series by Light

Dra-pri is pretty hilarious.

One thing I have to say: Is there something wrong with falling into degeneracy? *looks confused* That said, Sakura no Kumo is interesting for certain values of interesting. I didn't finish it, but that was mostly because the combination of mystery and time loop was distasteful for me... at least, it was without the psychotic hilarity of the Seasons series by Smee.

It is true that common routes are often better than the heroine routes in slice-of-life/charage. It is the period when you are getting to know the characters and enjoying the group dynamics the most. Sadly, a lot of slice-of-life VNs tend to be weaker in the individual routes due to what I call the 'character balloon deflation', where all of the sudden most of the characters other than the heroine you have chosen suddenly stop having personalities that don't adjust to aid in moving the romance forward. Heck, in the case of Ensemble and Navel, it isn't uncommon for the protagonist's personality to dramatically alter or him to suddenly become stupid or incompetent to make the heroine shine.

Shuri from Kikan Bakumatsu Ibun Last Cavalier (she is definitely the dominant one in the relationship, though things twist around during H scenes) Kurone from Waga Himegimi ni Eikan o (She is extremely kind to the protagonist while dominating their relationship completely) Mana from Amatsutsumi (definitely the dominant side of their relationship, though it is perhaps not completely her way) Jinia from Ou no Mimi ni wa Todokanai (their relationship turns around about two-thirds of the way through, so she isn't dominant the entire time) Ami from Semiramis no Tenbin (though she is manipulative and black-hearted, she does care and isn't cruel to the protag)

Seishun Fragile is the weakest game Purple Soft has put out in the last decade, though it is still a cut above the average.

I enjoyed Nekotsuku, Sakura. Not the best game by LoS, but it was a good one.

Pygmalion is trash, and though it is by the same company it has a different writer and its atmosphere is diametrically opposed to the rest of Propeller's games. The latter reason is also applied to Aoishiro. Dies Irae is too serious and dark for the humorous condition, which also disqualifies the rest of the games on that account (the reason I didn't recommend it). The only game that might fit is 11eyes.

Assuming translated only: Ayakashibito- Suzu is fairly mildly tsundere to Soushichi and absolutely adores him (though this emotion is caught somewhere between sisterly love and romantic unless you are on her path). Hello Lady- Saku and Tamao are both tsundere. Primal Hearts- Haruhi Ren'ai Karichaimashita- Chinatsu

A translated list: The Nine series by Palette Tokyo Babel (though it might be too over the top, it has the same writer, humor and company as Ayakashibito) Sorcery Jokers (might be too serious for what you wanted) Fate/Stay Night (classic but kind of dated)

Tenmei is trash Shuffle 2 is at best an average charage that failed to match the legacy left behind by Agobarrier. The fandisc is actually higher quality than the main game. Secret Agent is probably the only decent Ensemble game to have come out in the last six years.