#VNStruck4 - 4 Visual Novels that had the biggest impact on you, you can always reread, or your favorites

[NowItsAngeTime]

If you don't get the hashtag, there's this trend on twitter for things like Games (#GameStruck4), Anime (#AnimeStruck4), Movies (#FilmStruck4), and likely others where people put 4 pictures and optional writeups of what either had the most impact or their favorites for that medium

VNs are niche so I figure it's best to ask on a place like this.

Anyway here's mine:

 

MajiKoi - One of few things I love almost everything about.

Sharin no Kuni - Solving girls' personal issues was super interesting/unique

Symphonic Rain - Mindblowing twists and feels

Konosora ReTL - First TL project of any medium (also loved the uplifting story)

What about you guys?

[VirginSmasher]

Pic 1 - Himawari

Pic 2 - Ever17

Pic 3 - Subahibi

Pic 4 - Dies Irae

[MaggieROBOT]

I picked only images of moments that made me cry somehow 

1) Fate Stay Night: my first VN so it'll forever have a place in my heart

2) Sekien no Inganock: Beautiful art, beautiful people, and THIS SCENE

3) Omerta ~Chinmoku no Okite~: This game had everything that I liked and it so enjoyable to read

4) Shingakkou ~Noli me Tangere~: This game is so so so good, if I could I would link 4 pictures just of this game, I also cried in a lot of endings, it's so fucking beautiful

 

[EXblaze21]

Rewrite was my first ever vn and I think I re-read every single route 8 times in total (don't judge me). I'm guessing I clocked about 700 hours in total on that game, way more than any other vn I've played.

Another VN that I haven't re-read but understand completely that it is a fucking masterpiece is Dies Irae, like c'mon everything in that VN is top notch from cgs to character development to fight scenes. 

Another favorite of my mine is Majikoi, as you can probably tell from the pfp XD

However Most might not agree with my last one, World End Economica (WEE) is an amazing trilogy that I feel is severely underrated. The economic jargon is explained through meaningful and interesting examples, the character development of the main cast might feel subtle to some but is honestly really well done, and the conflict and emotional attachment between members of the cast feel incredibly realistic. Most of all,

Spoiler

The rush that you feel as a reader when Hal makes risky transactions on the stock market is unbelievable.

 

Edited April 20, 2018 by EXblaze21

[Canicheslayer]

True Love : My very first VN  A cool and old-school Date-Sim with light elements of RPG (stats).

Kana imouto : When I discovered that porn games can have a solid (and depressing) story 

Steins;Gate : the visual novel that made me addicted 

G-senjou no Maou : My favorite (pure) VN  I will remain forever haunted by its sublime conclusion (true route) ^^

Edited April 20, 2018 by Canicheslayer

[Nandemonai]

I don't have nice pictures like everyone else.  But here goes.

* Steins;Gate.  A truly brilliant game, featuring a great plot, great characters, that interact with each other well.

* Nocturnal Illusion. Big surprise there, a game I retranslated is one of my favorites.  I'm sure there are better games out there, but this was both one of the first games I ever played, and one of the best (even if it is out-competed by much better recent games)

* Virtue's Last Reward.  As much as the third game was a letdown, VLR was brilliant.  It took the setup of 999 and amped up the stakes significantly.  It had a killer concept.  And it has a pretty cool cast.

* Koihime Musou.  The game has a cast of more than 25 characters, each of which actually has a distinct and memorable personality.  It's got an interesting main story and the routes are good too.  Sure, the ending is crap.  But this is still one of the best games in English (that I've played at least, I'm way behind because I'm a slow reader).  Again, not a surprise. I'm translediting SKM.

[Homufate]

Here goes

-Umineko no Naku Koro ni

-Fate/stay night

-Higurashi no Naku Koro ni

-Saya no Uta

Edited April 20, 2018 by Homufate

[Ranzo]

Galaxy Angel

It was the first Visual Novel I read and it still is my absolute favorite. I loved the characters already since I read the manga and watched the anime. It was so interesting playing through this VN and the ones following it and noting the differences between it and the manga. The anime of course was a gag anime so it comparatively was on a completely different planet. You always here how people talk about series they love with a ardent passion how they hold it as a pinnacle of literature, or filmmaking, or what have you. For example, you here a lot about how people talk about Star Wars the devotion they feel for the original trilogy. Well for me Galaxy Angel is my Star Wars.

Fate-Stay Night

Galaxy Angel might have drawn me into the medium to begin with but Fate cemented my love for it. There are countless scenes that I vividly remember from this singular Visual Novel. It tells such a amazing and unique story.

Delivers one of the best mysteries I have ever read and I was spellbound through the entirety of my first full play through. Even if it was a bit overloaded with chicken sandwiches, I of course knows the hacker.

One of the best mafia stories I have read and one of the best revenge stories I have read. G Senjou is a masterpiece and Usami Haru was a amazing character.

[mitchhamilton]

if my heart had wings

majikoi

katawa shoujo

aaaaand.... hmm... kamidori?

[Yuuko]

Kirikoi

Kirikoi

Kirikoi

Kirikoi

[VirginSmasher]

1 minute ago, Kiriririri said:

Kirikoi

Kirikoi

Kirikoi

Kirikoi

Your shitposting is getting too predictable.

[Dergonu]

#1: ChuSinGura 46+1

The most amazing story I have ever read. (Not just the best VN, but in terms of books and everything else, too.) It's such an incredible story from start to finish. One of the few VNs I'd call a masterpiece.

#2: Chrono Box

Another masterpiece in my book. After I finished it I had no idea what to do with myself for a good week. I just wanted to play the game all over again, and felt like no story would ever be as good.

#3: Kimi e Okuru, Sora no Hana

Bit of a different game, compared to the other two above. This was the first ever medium sized VN, (10-30 hour,) I read in Japanese, and actually felt like I understood everything. It was such an amazing feeling, and as such, this VN will always have a special place in my heart.
It is a good nakige, with some interesting twists and turns, an amazing OST and great art. Definitely worth checking out.

#4: Grisaia no Kajitsu

One of the first VNs I ever played, and definitely one of the main reasons I fell in love with VNs as a whole. It was also one of the reasons I started learning Japanese, as I had no idea the other two games were being translated at the time, and I ended up reading the sequels in my broken Japanese instead. Had I not read Kajitsu, I might not have been as serious about my Japanese studies at the time, and it could have been just another hobby I gave up on.

[Yuuko]

5 minutes ago, VirginSmasher said:

Your shitposting is getting too predictable.

Honki desu kedo!!!!

[BookwormOtaku]

Okay, here's mine (numbers don't quite indicate rank):

1) Crescendo

While not my first eroge, this was my first story focused eroge and showed to me what potential this genre had to blend good story, characters and ero. I haven't played it in a while but it still holds a special place in my heart.

2) Tsukihime

My intro to the supernatural genre and the first of what got me hooked onto Type Moon and its insane, dark yet endearing mythos.

3) Fate/Stay Night

It may be unfair including this too, but F/SN took everything Tsukihime did and perfected it. Of any VN, this is the one that has me coming back to UBW and Heaven's Feel, their adaptations and their many spinoffs.

4) Kyonyuu/Funbag Fantasy

The first nukige to show me that such a genre can bring characters and story to go along with its massive ero content.

 

Honorable Mentions:

1) Phantom of Inferno

My introduction to Nitro+, didn't make the list because even when it came out the DVD format made it a pain in the ass to replay.

2) Sharin no Kuni, Himawari no Shoujo

One of the earliest eroge where the character centric stories really sucked me in...that and Norio Wakamoto's excellent performance as Hozuki.

 

 

[r0xm2n]

I ain't posting pictures.....

 

1) Grisaia no Kajitsu https://vndb.org/v5154

My first VN, and what got me hopelessly addicted.

* The protag's inner monologues are hilarious. The writing in general is great.

* Has everything from off the wall comedy skits ..... to heartrending backstories....

* First time I ever cried while playing a game (Michiru's route).

* Also the 2nd time I cried while playing a game (Sachi's ending, omg!).

* By far the most tragic flashback scene I've ever read. And it's music still haunts me....

* The music overall is really great.

* ChiruChiru is best girl ever!!

 

2) Kono Oozora https://vndb.org/v9093

My 2nd VN, and also a read I enjoyed.

* Music is quite quirky at times. And utterly relaxing at other times.

* Has some of the most beautiful sky backgrounds I've ever seen....

* A certain chase scene, was so awesome, and so utterly heroic, I cried big time!

* If you want some real jail bait sex scenes, check out the loli bi polar twins...

 

3) Clannad https://vndb.org/v4

This game packed an emotional wallop....

* Fuko is an adorable brat, lol! And has a great theme song.

* I loved it's themes of friendship and family.

* I cried more times reading this then I did in my entire life.....

* Shining in the Sky song is responsible for me crying a lot. Most powerful music piece ever....

 

4) Symphonic Rain https://vndb.org/v38

Probably the most unique VN I've read so far

* There's more to the setting, and the characters then meets the eye.

* Quite a few plot twists. Saying anymore would be too spoilerific...

 

Honourable mentions:

Nekopara Series

* Cuteness ramped upto 11. Lewdness ramped upto 11. Underaged cat harems. You know exactly why you're buying this

* From Vol2, you can click on their heads to make them purr...

 

Himawari https://vndb.org/v210

* Near future setting, with a lot of drama and plotwists. Tries to mess with your head sometimes too...

* Aries is friggin adorable ............. except when she's not?

 

Wagamama High Spec https://vndb.org/v17823

* Great artwork, cute music, manga and eroge references, and sex ........... lots of sex.

[onorub]

The ones i find myself most willing to re-read are Fate/Stay Night, Umineko and Tsukihime.

Funnily enough, the VN that had a big impact on me was Code:Realize. I read it at a time where i was getting badly burnt out on the genre and just watching a story with no filler or fanservice, no linearity for story over choice-making, no message-hammering and just trying to be as fun as possible overall renewed my liking for the genre. 

[Yuuko]

OK time for serious list

Irotoridori no Hikari - A story about a blonde girl and death

 

Kin'iro Loveriche - A story about blonde girls and death

 

Nora to Oujo to Noraneko Heart - A story about blonde girl who is already dead

 

Amatsutsumi - A story about a girl and death but this time the girl is not blonde but has short hair

[snowbell55]

3 minutes ago, Kiriririri said:

OK time for serious list

Irotoridori no Hikari - A story about a blonde girl and death

 

Kin'iro Loveriche - A story about blonde girls and death

 

Nora to Oujo to Noraneko Heart - A story about blonde girl who is already dead

 

Amatsutsumi - A story about a girl and death but this time the girl is not blonde but has short hair

It might just be me but I sense a bit of a trend here :P.

[Yuuko]

Just now, snowbell55 said:

It might just be me but I sense a bit of a trend here :P.

Nah man that ain't possible 

[DarkZedge]

In no particular order: 

 

 

Steins:Gate

 

 

Kara no Shoujo

 

 

Coμ - Kuroi Ryuu to Yasashii Oukoku 

 

 

DearDrops

 

[Turnip Sensei]

Shiei no Sona-Nyl (and the rest of Steampunk-series as well)

Sakurai Hikaru is pretty much the only writer I don't mind calling my favorite and the reason I bothered to properly study japanese. Her unique style resonates with me, from the slightly poetic expressions, theatrical mannerisms, to how the characters and stories are presented. Sakurai's stories are full of emotion, wonderful ideas and something profoundly beautiful, at least for me.
Plus, if you go deep enough, the Steampunk-series is one the most fascinating and expansive alt-history/Steampunk/cosmic-horror settings out there.

 

     

SeaBed is just the kind of curious and unusual story that entices me, refuses to leave my thoughts.
Definitely not for everyone, but so much for me!

 

Looking back, there's a big bunch of really good VNs I've read. Yet, at the same time I mostly remember just liking them back then, while the actual feelings have long gone.
But there are some exceptions, like Kindred Spirits on the Roof. Just thinking about it makes me smile and feel warm and fuzzy! And that if anything is important.

I don't have any good picks for fourth right now...

[Inorin]

MLA, Ever17, Dies Irae, Rewrite

Edited October 27, 2020 by Inorin

[Dreamysyu]

Well, it's easy.

Umineko, Muv Luv Alternative, Subahibi, Fata Morgana.

I can't say the later two had that much of an impact on me, but they are still my favorites.

[littleshogun]

Well at first I didn't find easy answer. But after thinking this for a while, I find it. Here's my answer for the thread title here.

I admit that I completed the first two VNs using the MTL patch. As for Flyable Heart, while admittely the routes itself was repetitive I like the opening movie and that's the sole reason of why I play this despite the infamy of the patch. While for Soukoku, I like Yugioh and seeing that there's a VN with card battle element was interesting to me, and my first post at this community is a tips for Soukoku no Arterial so this VN is kind of influential to me.

For Kira Kira, it's the first high rated VN (Above 7.00) that I was played and the normal ending was quite out there, also enjoyed the non sex part. Also in Kira Kira I even surprised by the sudden sex scenes, because back then I didn't expected that there'll be one. For Sengoku, the gameplay was quite fun and hard - at least until I saw some LP, and following the LP make the game easier. The ways to conquer Sengoku is quite numerous, so some people probably have different stratedy with one another. Too bad though that Rance itself is one big continuity VNs, but at least it's still good as standalone VN.

Edited May 10, 2018 by littleshogun

[TexasDice]

 -> Because it's "the first" and because everyone who thinks you could get something better for literally free, is completely delusional. (ahoy mateys)

 -> Because it's just plain fun. Not surprised that every other post mentions Majikoi (though everyone who does so is a mainstream fag)

 -> Enjoyable, relatable and very depressing. Overdrive (and Mangagamer) need to do this justice with a remaster (and better english). Fuck.

 -> Gets the reread pick for both favorite and worst route. I love Komomo's route so much, I revisit it regularly and I hate Aoi's route so much, that I read it at least six times for analytic purposes because of how bad it is. 

 

3 hours ago, DarkZedge said:

Spoiler

 

Coμ - Kuroi Ryuu to Yasashii Oukoku 

 

 

Reminding me that Mayuki's and Haru's outfits from the CG are nowhere within the actual VN. Sadness.

 

Edited April 20, 2018 by Dergonu
Dude, come on...