Clephas

90% of the patches (from 2005-2018) were done entirely through manual translation with mtl only being used for individual words. This was because it was only recently that some MTL apps/sites/etc could actually translate a complete sentence from Japanese to English coherently. Even now, they can't handle proverbs, colloquialisms, and slang/local dialects, so they are only used for 'rough' first-day patches, mostly on indie VNs. Edit: The reason I feel a need to mention this is because these people put a ton of work into something that didn't get them anything but prestige and has mostly been forgotten in the years since. This is literally hundreds or even thousands of hours of work in some cases, done in people's free time. While some of these fan patches were later purchased by localization companies and retooled for localization, there are still a number of games where my statement still applies.

I've been devouring web novels for some time now, so I have a pretty wide experience (within my preferred genres). My preferences probably won't match many of yours, but I figured I would make some recommendations like I used to with visual novels. Isekai'd+Overpowered/cheat protagonist Death March Kara Hajimaru Isekai Kyousoukoku (https://ncode.syosetu.com/n9902bn/)- Despite the anime being a flop, this is easily one of the best fantasy web novel series of the type. In addition, the LN version differs so greatly from the web novel that you can actually enjoy them completely separately from one another, which makes them double the fun. Arifureta Shokugyou de Sekai Saikyou (https://ncode.syosetu.com/n8611bv/)- Yes, the anime was mostly crap (except for Yue being a vampire goddess), but the web novel is awesome. It was also something of a trendsetter, setting the gold standard for the 'betrayed protagonist rises to be the strongest' trope. The web novel has a huge advantage over the light novel series in that the after-story (which is now longer than the original story) is godly and immensely fun to read. My Classmates were Summoned to Another World but I was Reincarnated (https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16816452221074480581)- Basically, the protagonist dies during the summoning and gets reincarnated as a true vampire by the ditzy goddess of the world her classmates were summoned to and goes on a self-indulgent journey/adventure/rampage across the surface of the other world. The protagonist is definitely chaotic neutral in personality, though her actions often split off into chaotic good and chaotic evil depending on who she is dealing with. For people who want to laugh at a protagonist's absolutely insane antics, this is a good choice. Isekai ni Houchi-ge Riron o Mochikondara Isekai Saikyou ni Nareru Isetsu (https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16817330652291194063)- Basically a gamer gets reborn into a rather harsh and massive fantasy isekai, where he uses sorcery to create autonomous spells that go around killing monsters so he can level up faster. He is a leveling addict and this story, like most of this author's stories, is full of insane characters (including the protagonist and heroine). This is one of the few male protagonist WN series I've met that doesn't include a harem. Toriaezu Shinu Wa (https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16816700427424058338)- Made by the same author as Houchi-ge, it was his pilot work. It is complete (this author follows through and consistently posts his works, so you don't need to worry about fade-outs), so you can just dive in and read from the beginning to the end. In this one, the protagonist and his class get summoned to another world, and when he finds out some of his nastier classmates intend to assassinate him, he uses the plot to get out of town (faking his death) and gain his freedom. This one is pretty dark, the protagonist actively committing genocide and purges against religion (though the religion deserves it), and his girlfriend is a psychotic yandere who is incapable of empathy for anyone but him. However, the character personalities in this one are really well presented, which matches this author's style. Paradigm Parasite (https://kakuyomu.jp/works/1177354054891938248)- Protagonist is reborn as a parasite that possesses the corpse of a young noble and proceeds to rampage across the psychotic isekai he ended up in. He is utterly cold-blooded, pragmatic, and predatory by nature. This is a pure chaotic evil protagonist acting on his worst instincts throughout much of the story. Isekai'd+Adventurer/Not overpowered Jiriki de Isekai he! (https://kakuyomu.jp/works/1177354054941828435)- By coincidence, the protagonist manages to create a magic circle that transports him to another world... by killing him. The god who greets him informs him that his actions count as suicide, thus he won't be granted any special rewards. He is reborn as an orphan and regains his memories by accident, his skill (not a cheat skill) activating for the first time as a result of a near-death experience. He sets out to become an adventurer, living his isekai life as best he can. This series is complete, so you can just dive in and read it from beginning to end. Karyoku no Nai Kaze Mahoutsukai wa, Isekai nite Ken de Mau (https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16817330652107435856)- An excellent story for those who want a reincarnated protagonist who isn't overpowered and lives his life as an adventurer. The protagonist is half-halfling, half-giant in a world that is a half-step away from the age of mythology. Annainin wa Isekai no Jukai o Samayou (https://kakuyomu.jp/works/1177354054918935123)- Protagonist falls through a gate to another world and is forced to become an adventurer in order to survive. Eventually, he is able to return to Earth and becomes a 'guide', teaching people how to survive on the other world. Modern Fantasy/dungeons (sometimes with an isekai'd then returned protagonist) Isekai Kara Kikan Shitara Chikyuu ga Fantasy Deshita. Ato, Make Heroine domo, Kocchi Minna (https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16817330650225915619)- This one focuses on a protagonist who succeeds in killing the evil god in another world and returns to earth, only to once again face his childhood friend presenting his newest lover to him with a victorious expression. However, he doesn't care at all, as he is finally free of the hell of the other world! (He really, really hates the isekai). This series is mostly humorous as Nacchan's manic personality and immense power meets Earth's fantasy beings in clashes that are usually disastrous for the fantasy beings. Shachiku Kensei, Haishinsha ni Naru (https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16817330657186803576)- Mix of dark humor and overpowered action as a guy in a business suit explores the depths of dungeons. It is updated irregularly but even just what is there so far is worth reading. Seikatsu Mahoutsukai no Gekokujou (https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16816452218254294002)- Oppressed protagonist with a gift for the weakest school of magic discovers the sage system for his school of magic and develops it for combat, eventually becoming a famous dungeon crawler and magic developer. Series is complete and the battles are pretty cool. While technically the protagonist is overpowered, that is because he works hard at it and discovers ways to deal with the situations he encounters. Maou o Taoshite Gendai ni Kaetekitara Parallel World Deshita! (https://kakuyomu.jp/works/1177354054888599901)- An overpowered isekai protagonist returns to earth with his divine fox lover, only to find that he returned to a parallel world where dungeons emerged during WWII. The story is mostly ecchi+action+people being people. The series is complete. Onmyouji/Youkai/Modern Fantasy Gendai Onmyouji wa Tensei Lead de Musou Suru (https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16816927863187332284)- The protagonist is reborn into a version of Japan where youkai and onmyouji are still at war with one another and uses his self-awareness to prepare for his future by building up his power young. Pretty fun to read, still ongoing if slowly so. Inousha ga Futsuu ni Iru Sekai he Tensei Shitara (https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16816452218603293395)- Protagonist is reborn into what he thinks is a game world in the body of a villain who does pretty horrible things to most of the heroines. This series is pretty dark, and it becomes evident (through other perspectives) that this isn't actually a game world early on. The protagonist is technically overpowered, but so are a lot of the enemies and one of the main heroines. It shows the dark and hard sides of harems and political marriages as well, so for people who want a 'happy harem' story, this isn't a good choice. Demon Ruler (https://kakuyomu.jp/works/1177354054882154317)- Salaryman protagonist gains access to pocket dimensions where he can take out his daily stress on real monsters and gain money and power. Quite naturally, he enthusiastically dives into his new hobby. Fun to read, gets more apocalyptic after a while. Anata no Tenshoku wa 'Daiyoukai' Desu (https://ncode.syosetu.com/n2559fp/)- One of my all-time favorites. The protagonist lives in a future where humanity's population once fell to critical levels and only recovered through the use of the 'oracle' system, which tells people their ideal occupations. When he uses it, it tells him his ideal occupation is being 'a great youkai', and he is introduced to the real reason why the system exists... to balance the supernatural with the natural. The protagonist is more than a little crazy, his adopted mother is Tamamo no Mae, his adopted father is Shuten-doji, and his adopted grandfather is Sojou-bou (he is actually descended from all three). This series has a lot of dark laughter, interesting action, and a few moments that will have you weeping until snot flows out of your nose. Too bad this author's other works are sub-par at best, lol. Fantasy, not from Earth Kami-sama ni Muriyari Ikikaesareta (https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16816452220822010394)- This begins as the sad tale of a young orphan boy (recently deceased saving a little girl from a wolf) faces the goddess who broke her promise and failed to protect his mother and himself. As a result, she tries to revive him, but he demands that he be allowed to die, drawing the attention of higher beings, starting a series of events that eventually results in him being granted access to all class skills and resurrected with two divine guardians. This is not a tale of a guy doing whatever the hell he wants and making a mess of the world. Rather, it is the tale of a boy who has suffered so much he no longer reacts to the little pains and reacts to others with cold rationality, ignoring most of the social rules in the process. The protagonist is rather wordy when he thinks someone is doing something wrong, and he has no hesitation about confronting people with it. Kurotobi no Seija (https://ncode.syosetu.com/n9105fz/)- Cleric makes a deal with a dark god for power to get back at those who exiled him. Decent read for those who don't want an Earthling protagonist.

Sorry, but playing non-localized JVNs, especially old ones, pretty much requires the locale change. I'm surprised it even starts on a Mac, given the lack of emphasis on compatibility towards Mac computers in the JVN industry. My suggestion is to use a sandbox app and put Japanese Windows or English Windows on it, then install the game there. Sorry to say that that is the only workaround I can think of at the moment.

A few questions: Is it the PC version? If so, did you set you system locale and region format to Japan and Japanese format? (This is required for a lot of JVNs, and it can be done by using the search bar to look for the control panel and clicking on 'region') If it is the console version, I can't help.

Tokyo Babel- Action/fantasy game with a great set of heroines and protagonist. No sexual content. Dies Irae- Similar to above, choice of sexual content or not depending on the version (both versions available in English). Both of the ones above are somewhat dark, but since you don't mind the Nitroplus games, I figured you wouldn't mind. Edit: Nanairo Reincarnation is a horror nakige focusing on a protagonist who inherits his grandfather's talent for seeing ghosts and bonding with oni. There is some guro, but it isn't eroguro, just normal guro. There are no underaged heroines (one ancient being, one college student, one policewoman, and one other I'm not going to spoil).

My personal belief is that MTL should only be used like one would use an electric dictionary, looking up single words or phrases rather than just dumping a huge amount of text into it. For some reason, even today's MTL engines seem to have trouble with common colloquialisms and turns of phrase. Considering how often they are used, it is inevitable that careless usage of MTL will only produce poor results. In addition, when I occasionally test the freely-available ones on common narrative text, the results tend to get jumbled, which is probably because most of the data they put in is based on conversational Japanese, as opposed to the language more commonly used in literature. The results are better on dialogue but still several steps short of what can be done by a skilled translator, unfortunately.

Semiramis no Tenbin- Kamio Ami is the perfect example of the character you are looking for, a borderline sociopath who manipulates people as easily as breathing. Devils Devel Concept- While all the heroines in this game have a strong dark side, Amatsu Kanata fits your first profile perfectly. She is both passionate and cold-blooded, merciless and manipulative, a student forced to learn lessons in the nature of power at an age where most would have been learning the alphabet. Silverio Vendetta- Chitose Oboro Amatsu is a woman of contrasts. She is the cold-blooded leader of what amounts to be a secret police that specialize in purging internal threats as much as external ones, dealing with both spies and rebels with equal ruthlessness. At the same time, she is a passionate woman who holds to her single love with the particular yandere-ish desire that is typical of her family. Tokyo Babel- Lilith is the first temptress, Adam's first wife, and the mother of monsters. However, in the context of this game she is the penultimate manipulator, a demon in the truest sense. Ojousama no Hanbun wa Ren'ai de Dekiteimasu- Himehoshi Arika is an extremely manipulative young woman whose early childhood formed her into the sly paranoiac she is during the story. The plays with others like toys, whether they are adults or those of her own age, and she doesn't hesitate to break them. She rarely shows this side to the protagonist, Hajime, but it is apparent behind the scenes of the major events of the story. Fuukan no Grasesta- No one better fits the description of 'honey trap' than Ekthel Ciol, the elven beauty who entraps the men at the lowest levels of Grasesta with her beauty and seeming willingness.

The important routes are translated in the former case. The two untranslated routes were left that way because they aren't worth reading.

Haruka ni Aogi, Uruwashi no- I recommend this one (Shino, Tonoko, Miyabi routes) because the relationships develop slowly in stages. In particular, Tonoko's route is the one I recommend for what you desire. Komorebi no Nostalgica- I recommend this one because the characters are all friends at the beginning. They've known each other and been close for years, so there is no unnaturally fast part to the relationship. I might think of more later, but games where most of the paths have a solid friendship stage and no fantasy elements are pretty rare... the writers for ones with fantasy elements are generally several levels better than the ones who just write standard romance.

Rise of the Ronin is an open-world game that covers important events from 1853-1868 from the perspective of a ronin (masterless samurai) of the fallen Kurosu-han (fictional). This period of history is often called the 'Bakumatsu' (TL: The End of the Shogunate) or the events leading up to the Meiji Restoration beginning with the opening of Japan (signing of unequal treaties) and ending with the surrender of Edo to the Satsuma-Choshu forces. Your character is one of a pair of twins (you can choose male or female) who has a chance encounter with Sakamoto Ryouma before he enters Yokohama, and much of the central story is told from your outside perspective interacting with important individuals in one of four periods of the time: The anti-foreigner movement and Ansei Purges, the rise of the Anti-Shogunate movement, the breakout of open conflict in the streets of Kyoto (the Ikeda-ya incident and the first Choshu Rebellion), and the Boshin War. What I didn't like There were two major issues I had with the game, not having to do with the gameplay but rather with the story. The first was the blatant favoritism of the scenario team toward the anti-Shogunate side of things. The second was the blatant historical inaccuracies that were just plopped in. To be blunt, from the very beginning, you are encouraged (and not subtly so) to side with the Anti-Shogunate (Tobaku in future mentions) forces. It is at its most blatant in the prologue and first chapter, where your main character's homeland is destroyed by the Shogunate (Bakufu in future references) after a failed assassination attempt on Admiral Perry. In the first chapter, you meet a lot of famous and interesting figures in the Tobaku's historical membership, Sakamoto Ryouma, the silly drunkard Katsura Kogoro, the gambler Takasugi Shinsaku, and the idealistic young hero Kusaka Genzui, and for much of the main story you are basically following the major points of Ryouma's journey, even as you go off to do side-quests and the like along the way. In addition, the main Bakufu characters are a Geisha with a creepily subtle approach to things and an old man who seems like he'd order your death without a blink if he felt like it. The problem is that this deliberate placing of extremely likeable and idealistic characters on one side and a slightly creepy group on the other makes it natural to just choose the Tobaku side from the beginning. While later chapters introduce more interesting characters on the other side, such as Katsu Kaishu, the Shogun Yoshinobu, and the Shinsengumi, you are still encouraged at key points to take the side of the Tobaku, and it isn't even subtle. The second issue, historical revisionism, is actually tied in with the issue above. Two key points that I need to stress are the enthronement of Yoshinobu and the death of Kondou Isami of the Shinsengumi. The former, the enthronement of Tokugawa Yoshinobu as Shogun, is something that - in actual history - didn't occur until August of 1866, whereas in Rise of the Ronin he is already Shogun in 1858, when Yoshida Shoin is executed. This might seem like a minor revision, but considering how it was the internal disorganization caused by his predecessor's illness and inability to rule that led to Ii Naosuke having the power to order the Ansei Purges that martyred a lot of Tobaku philosophers and activists, the only reason I can see to treat his character the way they did was to make him seem incompetent, thus leading to more favorable impressions of the Tobaku side in comparison. The latter is less of an issue, except as a convenience for those who wanted the story wrapped up neatly in the second Edo chapter. However, losing Kondou early in the sequence of events (since he was still active after the surrender of Edo), was a somewhat questionable decision. I will admit that the event itself was incredibly emotional to watch in video, and a certain mission involving the Shinsengumi survivors afterward was equally so. What I did like The gameplay is the first thing that comes to mind. There are so many different ways to fight your battles in this game, from utilization of its nine different main weapon types (including bare fists), to the varying combat styles (particularly in the katana and nodachi styles), to the use of the hang-glider and horses to get around. The mini-games are interesting without being intrusive, and they include hang-gliding courses, target-shooting with a rifle, horse-archery, and mock fights in the dojo with NPC unique characters, all of them for prizes. For side-quests, you have collection quests for each region: treasure chests, Usugumo Dayu's cats, cleansing of violent ronin, and taking pictures of scenery. I should note that the cats and dogs in this game are ridiculously cute and a constant source of easy items that can at the very least be disassembled for upgrade parts. Completing all the quests in an area of a region gives you a reward that helps you advance your character or your bonds with NPCs. Your home, a small longhouse that is on the edge of town in each region, is a good place to meet random friend NPCs and interact with them without going to them. It is also the place where you initiate pilgrim dog and cat service missions, both of which are a steady source of income without effort. You can redecorate it with your favorite weapon, a picture or scroll, and six curios that attract different personality types amongst the NPCs you've met so far. In your house, you can also put together an ensemble through the redesign feature that lets you look less like a murder hobo. Story-wise, there are a ton of extremely emotional moments. This was a period of Japanese history that was full of heroes on both sides, many of them tragic and glorious at the same time. The fact that it is possible to save three major tragic heroes from their fates (Sakamoto Ryouma, Okita Soji, and Takasugi Shinsaku) earned points with me. The battle of Toba-Fushimi is a perfect illustration of why the samurai caste was doomed, as men with swords fought against others armed with rifles, gatling guns, and cannons. Being able to fight this battle and other key scenes from both sides without replaying the game from the beginning made the story as a whole come to life. Though I was a bit annoyed that your efforts don't make any difference in the final result (I love it when historical games let you break history), but the personal story was decent enough, in the end. Conclusion Rise of the Ronin is one of the better open-world games I've played, making others like Assassins Creed seem stale and boring in comparison. This might be because I'm a weeb and tired of AC's stale plotline, though. The story is impactful and emotional in a way purely western-made games never seem to manage for some reason, and it showed off why Team Ninja is one of the better game developers out there.

Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken- One of my favorite anime, it tends to waver between iyashikei fantasy and something more action-focused depending on the episode. Regardless, the slime is overpowered. Goblin Slayer- It was really, really weird watching this at the same time as Tensei Shitara, given the massive difference between goblins in this and in Slime, lol. Anyway, a few important bits. This anime takes on the style choice of no-name characters (characters are either named for their roles or not at all), and the action in it is more D&D than modern fantasy. Casters and clerics only have a few uses of their spells, and weapons dull and get broken over time. Goblin Slayer's ruthless pursuit of greenskin genocide is both justified and gory to watch, even as his companions try to revive his humanity. Uzamaid- This is a comedy anime following a lolicon maid and the half-Russian hikkikomori loli she is taking care of. It is pretty funny, but it isn't something I'd want to watch repeatedly.

Tokyo Babel maybe? https://vndb.org/c15447 Edit: To be clear, this is literally the only VN that came to mind when I put together 'black hair, non-standard art-style, demonic heroine, and technically human protagonist'.

I hate to say it, but that doesn't really narrow it down. Demon and half-demon heroines are pretty common in visual novels. What color was her hair? Her eyes? What kind of story was it?

To my mind, space sci-fi represents the optimism for the future that has yet to be repressed by people's increasingly negative outlook on our civilization's future. They are futures full of exploration, danger, and wonder, with cultures both different and the same. While many space sci-fi are dark in atmosphere, that doesn't get around the fact that even in the darkest space science-fiction, there are wonders and horrors that stimulate the mind and the spirit. I usually don't make distinctions between types of future sci-fi (as opposed to modern day sci-fi), incidentally. Space sci-fi is relatively rare in JVNs, which are my specialty. One that comes to mind is Fake Azure Arcology, where people were forced to flee from a massive storm of asteroids that devastated Earth's surface, forming unique civilizations within the arcologies they fled to. In a mix of high technology and restrictive lifestyle, it describes the unchanging human condition, even in circumstances that are drastically different. Komorebi no Nostalgica, one of my favorite sci-fi VNs of all time, is based in a world where humans warred against their AI slaves until the slaves won freedom, at the cost of taking the bullet for humanity destroying its own history for the convenience of politicians. It is a world where, interestingly, history is mostly lost to the younger generation, with the older generation only having faded memories of what was destroyed. In this game, society has almost become a blank slate, and the game extensively explores the troubles and possibilities of human-like AI in the two different types - the ancient android Cinema, , and the victorious Metocell, whose emotional emulation evolves over time and experience. More familiar to English-speaking readers is the dystopian worldscape of the Baldr series, where people have practically fled into the virtual world to escape the limitations of the physical. While the Baldr series is a fun read, it is also the most cynical and pessimistic approach to sci-fi I've seen in VNs. It shows the nastiness of human nature, the poor decision making of those with power, and the inevitable failures of a society that lost its way long ago again and again. In the Baldr series, AI alternates between 'ghosts' of the deceased, god-like beings that are omniscient in their own way, and monstrous amalgams that blindly follow their programming with only a surface imitation of flexibility and thought. Sci-fi can be a wonder or horror, but it is always looking at the future.

Did you make sure to change the installation folder to one outside of 'program files'? If you didn't, it likely isn't saving properly because the save data folder is in the same location. Try starting the game on admin, and if that doesn't work move the installation outside of either of the 'program files' folders (if that is the problem). This is a problem that pops up a lot in JVNs where the default save folder is in the installation folder.

The two girls you listed above have deliberately designed speech patterns, incidentally. That particular type of deliberately cute speech pattern in VAs went out of fashion back in 2006, so if you are looking for more distinctive stuff like 'uguu' and the like, you probably won't find it.

Anything by Key or Favorite will have similar characters. Also, I would be more careful with your choice of thread titles... it sounds like you want girls you can trick into bed instead of asking for a VN recommendation.

mmm... As a dark parody of the 'friend' trope: https://vndb.org/v18142 In that one, the protagonist is cursed to be the 'best friend/childhood friend/etc' (Sunohara role) for a bunch of eroge protagonists. He has to deal with the darkness that lies behind eroge and the fates of heroines who aren't chosen.

*Clephas nods with satisfaction as Mitchhamilton is enveloped in her new purple tentacle suit, knowing he has once again done a good deed.*

*Clephas bestows the Fragilistic Perfectio Shining Twinkling Mega-Frazzlestick upon Mitchhamilton's replace- clon*

Clephas opens his mouth and a wave of kilometer-thick tentacles emerge, enveloping Mitchhamilton, who mysteriously turns into a gigantic mahou shoujo before being dragged inside the open jaws. A moment later, Clephas spits out a small tentacle, which grows into a perfect mahou shoujo clone of Mitchhamilton, who takes over the account with a dead smile* The only opinion that matters is the gigantic tentacle monster's, lol

I put the above in spoilers because it is somewhat negative commentary from someone who only played the game halfway through, so if you want to ignore it, I have no problems with it in this case. For more positive commentary, the ero was good (better than most h-anime these days, which have become so similar to each other that you can't tell the difference between different series anymore).

Isekai Maou-... Kvan, that was another inappropriate assessment. Except in that it is an isekai anime, it has nothing to do with Konosuba, which is an anime that uses ridiculous situations and characters to lampoon isekai. Please actually watch the anime in question before you make comments like that. This is an ecchi-oriented isekai with a communication-challenged protagonist who stays in his character from the MMO he was playing when he was summoned. It has a decent story and is well-presented. The first season is actually really well-done, but the second season was a disappointment. Satsuriku no Tenshi- A pretty incomprehensible death-game style horror where most of the main characters are murderous psychopaths. Yuragi-sou no Yuuna-chan- Ecchi comedy focused around a ghost inhabiting a ryokan and a psychic protagonist. Lots of lucky-sukebe moments and slapstick humor. Hyakuren no Haou- A pretty cruddy isekai anime that starts in the middle of the story, leaving the watcher detached from what is going on. Jashin-chan- Brutal slapstick comedy in the style of the early 2000's, if a bit more extreme than anything other than Bokusatsu Tenshi. Happy Sugar Life- Psychopathic yandere yuri lolicon heroine murders people like crazy to hide her relationship with the little girl she has locked up in an apartment owned by one of the people she killed. It was like watching a train-wreck in slow motion.

My first JVN in Japanese was Jingai Makyou. I stumbled over some of the language in Dies Irae at the time, because most of my vocab was standard textbook and anime-related stuff at that point. A lot of Dies Irae's difficulty lies in Masada's wider vocabulary and his tendency to write like a regular novel-writer (not a light novel writer). As a result, whether it is his characters' dialogue or the narration, the language difficulty tends to be higher than you would see in most other VNs.