Looking for a particular kind of romance VN

[Thyndd]

Hey guys, how is it going? Hope you're all great.

I'm looking for a very specific kind of romance VN, thus I appeal to the infinite wisdom and judicious criteria of our forums members for good recommendations 

You see, romance and drama is probably my favorite conjunction of genres, but it must satisfy certain conditions in order for me to actually like it:

-The drama must come from outside of the romance. That is, I don't like dramas based on unrequited love or love triangles or n-polygons. The sadness and the struggle should be something the couple must face together and eventually overcome, for a happy or bittersweet ending, or succumb to it, for a sad one.

-I have no problem with sad endings, but they have to convey some message, not just be depressing for the sake of it. Meaningless sad endings just feel like you waste your time. I really love it when after reading a good story I'm left with the feeling that I grew with the characters and learnt something out of it.

-This one is optional, but I'd appreciate a "unique" setting. What do I mean by that? Well, it'd be nice if the only thing going on wasn't only your typical hardships: illness, family arguments... It's totally OK if those are included, but a more extraordinary (without being too nuts) plot makes for a more interesting reading, at least for me. Otherwise it just feels like a slice of life, only that the life in question sucks.

Hopefully I'm not too demanding. 

Anyway, any help would be greatly appreciated.

EDIT: Ok, and I just realized I've posted this on the wrong subforum   If some moderator considers it appropiate to move it...  Sorry for the inconveniences.

Edited January 22, 2018 by Thyndd

[Silvz]

Kara no Shoujo is exactly what you are describing

[Nandemonai]

I'll actually recommend Steins;Gate.  Sure, the romance in it isn't super deep.  But it is there, and boy does that game ever have drama.

[Ranzo]

Ever 17 might be what you are looking for if you haven't already played it

Maybe Swan Song? There's romance of a sort

Both have unique settings and the drama is definitely external from the romance

 

[r0xm2n]

I've only read a handful of VN's, and thus I'll only recommend those I've read...

Grisaia No Kajitsu https://vndb.org/v5154 . Has really colorful and quirky characters, sexual themes (quite a lot), and lol comedy (in the common route at least). The drama is mostly related to the dark and troubled circumstances each heroine has, the protag trying to understand each girl, and helping them move past it. The good endings are great though, and there definitely is romance. Yes it has a highschool setting, but it's an isolated school, and the characters pretty much have to be there for one reason or another. The protag .... well he's not your usual protag, trust me on that. Basically, a slice of life drama, that has excellent writing, and some scenes that can punch you in the feels (pretty hard), but overall isn't a depressing game. Highly recommended.

Kono Oozora ni, Tsubasa o Hirogete https://vndb.org/v9093 . More lighthearted, and has plenty of comedy. Drama is related around building a glider, and trying to fly it through a very rare weather event. Each character has their own reasons for doing so. Some of the scenes and music are breathtaking (I cried during one scene due to how heroic it was). Typical high school setting. I'd wait for the new fan patch to be completed before trying this VN.

 

If you want games with an exciting overaching plot, try Steins;Gate, G-Senjou no Maou, and MUV-LUV Alternate. Also, the 3rd game in the Grisaia trilogy was exciting too.

[Overlord87]

G-Senjou no Maou? Although you probably have already read it. Add a link to your VNDB profile if possible, so people know what VNs you have already read

[DarkZedge]

4 hours ago, Silvz said:

Kara no Shoujo is exactly what you are describing

I second this motion https://vndb.org/v810 

[Zidan209]

I'd say Sharin no Kuni. There is quite a bunch of problems you'll have to deal with, but they aren't route specific, because you kinda go through each of the heroines' stories in 1 playthrough, with some differences based on which of them you go with. Still has a school setting, but the circumstances make it more unique

Edited January 22, 2018 by Zidan209

[littleshogun]

As for recommendation, I seconded Sharin here. Other than that, there's both of Kanon and Air. Also maybe you could try HatsuKoi as well, although maybe you better skip Runa's route because it have triangle love drama, and the MC was quite dense at both of Yukino's and Runa's route. Hope those recommendations will be good.

[Thyndd]

8 hours ago, Silvz said:

Kara no Shoujo is exactly what you are describing

 

3 hours ago, DarkZedge said:

I second this motion https://vndb.org/v810 

I take note. It doesn't even have romance nor drama in the genre tags, so I would've definitely missed it.

8 hours ago, Nandemonai said:

I'll actually recommend Steins;Gate.  Sure, the romance in it isn't super deep.  But it is there, and boy does that game ever have drama.

 

5 hours ago, r0xm2n said:

Grisaia No Kajitsu

 

5 hours ago, Overlord87 said:

G-Senjou no Maou? Although you probably have already read it. Add a link to your VNDB profile if possible, so people know what VNs you have already read

I've already played Steins;Gate and Grisaia no Kajitsu, sorry, but great recommendations nontheless.

Yeah, you're right, I should create a VNDB profile. Since I haven't read that many VNs as of now I don't find the need to do it, but I will regret it within a few years when I can't remember all the stuff. 

I have not actually played G-Senjou no Maou, but I've heard great things about it. Again, the "romance and drama" tag is nowhere to be seen. Thank you.

5 hours ago, r0xm2n said:

Kono Oozora ni, Tsubasa o Hirogete https://vndb.org/v9093

Noted. Thanks!

 

49 minutes ago, Zidan209 said:

Sharin no Kuni

Sounds a little like Psycho-Pass, though the visual style and atmosphere seems completely different  Note taken. Thank you!

[Thyndd]

3 minutes ago, littleshogun said:

Other than that, there's both of Kanon and Air

Played! I love my KEY stories. 

6 minutes ago, littleshogun said:

Also maybe you could try HatsuKoi as well, although maybe you better skip Runa's route because it have triangle love drama, and the MC was quite dense at both of Yukino's and Runa's route. Hope those recommendations will be good.

Noted. It does sound a little lackluster, but as I said, I trust the good criteria of the forums 

[Thyndd]

 

8 hours ago, Ranzo said:

Ever 17 might be what you are looking for if you haven't already played it

Maybe Swan Song? There's romance of a sort

Going catastrophic, aren't we?  They do sound really interesting, I will surely check them out.

[-soraa]

You could try Princess Evangile. The Drama in Ayaka's and Ritsuko's comes from the outside.

I don't recommend you to play Rise's and Chiho's Route because of Lovetriangle and both Routes were boring.

Edited January 22, 2018 by -soraa

[littleshogun]

17 minutes ago, Thyndd said:

Sounds a little like Psycho-Pass, though the visual style and atmosphere seems completely different  Note taken. Thank you!

For more info here, Sharin MC was the inspiration of Yuuji from Grisaia. So maybe you'll going to have some deja vu when you play that. Have fun.

[Thyndd]

13 minutes ago, -soraa said:

You could try Princess Evangile. The Drama in Ayaka's and Ritsuko's comes from the outside.

I don't recommend you to play Rise's and Chiho's Route because of Lovetriangle and both Routes were boring.

Well, I've read quite a few hentai synopsis exactly like that lol. If you're sure it's worth it, then I'll have to give it a try. It's probably another one of those that I would've missed, because I tend to shun those kind of stories like the plague.

[Stormwolf]

I'm just gonna jump on the train and recommend sharin. It's honestly one of the best vn's i've read.

[-soraa]

55 minutes ago, Thyndd said:

Well, I've read quite a few hentai synopsis exactly like that lol. If you're sure it's worth it, then I'll have to give it a try. It's probably another one of those that I would've missed, because I tend to shun those kind of stories like the plague.

The common route is long, but not as long as in Rewrite or Grisaia no Kajitsu and the Drama in Ritsuko's and Ayaka's route start at Chapter 17 (?), when you have decided for a girl.

I liked the protagonist because he wasn't a "hetare" and and you can rely on him. 

However this game isn't a Grisaia no Kajitsu or a Nakige like most of the games from "Key"

Furthermore keep an eye on Trinoline and Hoshi Ori Yume Mirai (Tsurezure Scans is going to tranlate it into english after they finished Tsujidou-san no Jun'ai Road. Seriously this game is awesome! 1.000.000 times better than than Hatsukoi 1/1)

 

Edited January 22, 2018 by -soraa

[Plk_Lesiak]

Ace Academy have some light, amusing romance with all the drama coming from protagonist's family story/secrets - it's great if you're aiming for something a bit shorter and somewhat-cheerful. It's super-tame though, maybe beyond reasonable levels with a college-age cast.