VN with gloomy/dark atmosphere

[thornu]

Hey. I’m looking for VN with rather dark atmosphere. Horror/thriller/mystery, anything goes. So far I have read Saya no Uta, Kara no Shoujo and G- senjou no Maou, all of those pretty much met my expectations. As far as anime series are concerned I have watched and thoroughly enjoyed  Shiki, Another and Higurashi. Could you recommend something similar? Thanks a lot!

[Deep Blue]

translated swan song, chaos head, cartagra, corpse party, remember 11..maybe euphoria

unstranslated sayonara wo oshiete 

[Funyarinpa]

9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors for the DS is exactly what you're looking for. Emulate it on your PC (any PC on the market should be able to handle it) if you don't have a DS or 3DS. Amazing game, WONDERFUL story. It's a story about nine people kidnapped, trapped in a sinking ship, and given only nine hours to escape by finding a door labeled with a "9".  Its 3DS/Vita sequel Virtue's Last Reward is my favorite VN ever. Has puzzles.

I second Remember11- it's a story with two protagonists whose consciousnesses switch between their bodies. One of them is stuck in a mental hospital with a killer roaming around and the second is stuck in a mountain shed awaiting rescue after a plane crash- both settings are cut off from the outside world. The game relies heavily on snow so the aesthetic itself is not gloomy or scary, but the plot itself can get quite chilling.

Chaos; Head, though I haven't played it myself, seems to be a mostly acclaimed horror VN.

Higurashi has a VN which is currently being retranslated since the previous translations were unsatisfactory, the first two chapters are out on Steam (and the first chapter can be patched with voices and/or PS3 sprites, there's a patch in the works for the second chapter). You might want to give that a go.

Kara no Shoujo has a prequel called Cartagra, and a sequel called Kara no Shoujo 2.

Umineko is an amazing mystery visual novel and can get REAL dark at times, but it isn't consistently dark.

If you have a tolerance (or preference  ) for extreme (nonconsensual, scat, etc.) sex, Euphoria and Maggot Baits seem to be two recent titles who are praised on "horror story" front. Maggot Baits isn't translated.

 

Edited December 9, 2015 by Funyarinpa

[Clephas]

Boku ga Tenshi ni Natta Wake. 

[Eclipsed]

It's pretty dated, but maybe Swan Song.

[okok]

Hanachirasu https://vndb.org/v430 short but pretty good

[Clephas]

The VN I mentioned above is slated to get a translation from Mangagamer sometime in the future.  However, if you don't mind untranslated...

Houkago no Futekikakusha is perhaps the most obvious choice.  That VN... is about as dark as they get without straying into guro.  In terms of levels of despair, it even makes Swan Song look pleasant.

Futagoza no Paradox is a bit different... it is a Cthulhu-related mystery/horror/thriller with elements of science-fantasy.

Devils Devel Concept I'd suggest for its unique 'daily life'.  Saying it is dark is correct, but the protagonist doesn't have the right set of emotions to feel 'gloomy'. 

Vermilion Bind of Blood applies, being one of the few vampire VNs that doesn't nerf vampires in any way and also isn't a nukige.

Muramasa... is probably precisely what you want. 

Jingai Makyou is a bit different, but it still fulfills your request (actually, anything by Nitroplus prior to Sumaga is worth it.

Bradyon Veda is intellectually gloomy, though it is perhaps a bit over the heads of about ninety percent of all humanity.

Tokyo Babel might apply, because it is post-apocalyptica combined with Biblical apocrypha in a fantasy setting.  It is also slated to be localized.

Baldr Sky (either the first two or the two Zero games) would apply.

I/O probably has some potential for you.

Izuna Zanshinken is bloody, violent, and all about crime and retribution (not justice).

HOTEL. is an utsuge based in a dying world.

Midori no Umi is... unique.

End Sleep is straightforward horror mystery, with echoes of Umineko but a more straightforward concept.

Owaru Sekai to Birthday... is a mindfuck plus science fantasy based in the same world as Futagoza no Paradox and by the same author.

 

[Decay]

Sekien no Inganock is a good translated VN with a gloomy setting. 

[CeruleanGamer]

Awww..... I thought you meant dark/gloomy as in very depressing bad ends, NTR, relationship breakups, and all that. Guess it also means horror/thriller/mystery.

[Kawasumi]

 

Thanks Clephas, you just killed my backlog >_>

 

Sadly most people translate moe bullshit  and im pretty sure everything thats worth playing for its gloomy setting has been mentioned.

 

oh btw the VN called Boku ga Tenshi ni Natta Wake that Clephas mentioned is being translated ATM.

[Yuuko]

 moe bullshit 

[Nebjula]

I'm sure someone out there made a boku no pico visual novel, so go figure.

But, for real. Higurashi is like the king of moodmaking. I once played it and got scared by a car honking. That's a job well done, if you ask me.

[Nashetania]

How about Umineko?

[CeruleanGamer]

 moe bullshit 

Hidden Content

Edited December 12, 2015 by CeruleanGamer

[Funyarinpa]

How about Umineko?

Gloomy ass at times, happy ass at others 

[Salurian]

Pretty much anything by Innocent Grey (you've played Kara no Shoujo, I'd take a look at the other translated games by them).

Ever 17, Remember 11, YUNO...

Tsukihime, Fate/Stay Night

 

Untranslated... well.  Again, the untranslated Innocent Grey games (though not really Flowers).

Gekkou no Carnevale

Gore Screaming Show

[Templarseeker]

Visual Novels with dark and gloomy atmosphere... Umm... Will Steins Gate do? 

[john 'mr. customer' smith]

if only madoka was a VN...sigh

[DarkZedge]

Gloomy and dark themed & atmosphere, i don't see anyone mentioning Kara no Shojo ep 2 or Cartagra Affliction of the soul, those are pretty dark and gloomy