VNs like Princess Evangile? (Translated) and/or Drama+Mystery VNs

[Eclipsed]

Title. Mhmm. Thinking of picking up 2 VNs; a typical lighthearted school friendship funzies one and a more srs drama/mystery one.

~~

Ty folks!

Planned readings over the next few months:

• Funzies: Kira☆Kira -> Katawa Shoujo/Majikoi
• Mysteries: Kara no Shoujo -> Ever17/Danganronpa

(OLD) Brainstorming

-School slice of life group of friends lighthearted romance comedy drama <- genre pref in that order greatest to least.

-Fully english translated.

-Preferably modern visuals / no 800x600 or smaller resolution. (Sry I shallow)

Things I already read/acknowledge: Key novels, KonoSora, HoshiMemo, Da Capo, My GF President

Potential candidates:

• Harukoi Otome (cr. mitchhamilton) - Eyyy this looks fun Damn trolls
• Katawa Shoujo
• Kira☆Kira (cr. TexasDice )
• Majikoi
• Noble☆Works (cr. Fiddle) Yo bruh I already read this!

~~

If you can't think of anything for the above, help me choose a Drama/Mystery (no preferences, just post your thoughts on the following or suggest others)

• Amaranto (cr. Flutterz) "it's not bad, but you can tell there wasn't much of a budget behind it"
• Comyu - "Yo this ain't mystery it's more a G-Senjou drama btw I'm bad at judging drama" - AbyssalMonkey
• Danganronpa
• Ever17 - "Read this before you die" - Flutterz
• Kara no Shoujo (cr. Marie-hime) "the only actually good mystery VN tld" - Eyyy Marie-hime suggested it so now I'm obliged
• Shikkoku no Sharnoth

[Kaguya]

Go read the only actually good mystery VN tld at once (Kara no Shoujo). 

[Flutterz]

Amaranto isn't that great. It's not bad but you can tell that there's wasn't much of a budget behind it, and it wasn't a passion project like Katawa Shoujo.

Danganronpa is apparently pretty good, although I've only played the first chapter.

Ever17 is great, definitely read it (if not now, then eventually).

Comyu is apparently pretty good, although I've only played the first route.

No clue about SnS or KnS.

[TexasDice]

Let's drop the lighthearted and go with Kira☆Kira.

 

What about Majikoi? It's almost everything you ask for in dumb and pretty much the best thing ever.

[mitchhamilton]

Harukoi Otome!

[Abyssal Monkey]

I would hardly classify Comyu as a mystery.  It is for sure not a mystery story, as there is no real build up or dropping of hints in the story to allow you to piece together what the overall plot is, which is how I determine mystery.  Compared to something like DanganRonpa (as I gather, because I have not read it), which I would classify as a mystery because the main focus is about finding out what is going on and why, Comyu is more like Ayakashibito in the way that events unfold in an RPG-like fashion of slowly fighting your way to the final boss. 

 

The drama in Comyu is comparable to maybe G-Senjou. Don't hate me, I just suck at judging drama and tend to shy away from it.  

[mitchhamilton]

Shuffle and its fan disks.

 

https://vndb.org/v28

[Nimbus]

Katawa Shoujo

[Fiddle]

My personal recommendation is Katawa Shoujo, but I also know of a /index.php?/topic/6989-noble%E2%98%86works/">semi-translated newish VN with frequent comedy and an impoverished protagonist who attends a rich school through ridiculous circumstances, similar to Princess Evangile.

[Eclipsed]

Ty for all input folks! Especially Fiddle for the /index.php?/topic/6989-noble%E2%98%86works/" title="">semi-translated newish VN suggestion  -_- 

I've decided to go Harukoi Otome for my lighthearted funzies & Kara no Shoujo for my mysteries

 

Runner ups will be Katawa Shoujo / Majikoi & Ever17 if my 1 hour trial read period for the above doesn't go well.

[Decay]

While Majikoi isn't very thematically similar to PE, it is pretty good light hearted fun. Of the three translated Overdrive VNs, Edelweiss is the most lighthearted and ridiculous, and also takes place in a former all-girls school, but it's also kind of bad. Kira Kira is just good fun (for most of it), Deardrops also isn't bad. 

 

For mystery, Umineko is rather good, traditional style murder mystery. I liked Kara no Shoujo too if you want something much darker and more like a detective thriller. There are some character moments in KnS that are better if you read Cartagra first but it's not required if you only care about understanding the story. The Phoenix Wright games are also decent mystery adventure games, that also happen to be pretty lighthearted!

 

 

• Harukoi Otome (cr. mitchhamilton) - Eyyy this looks fun

[mitchhamilton]

OH CRAP!!! YOU TOOK ME SERIOUSLY?!?!?!?! i'm so sorry Eclipsed. if i knew you would actually read that vn, i would never have even thought about suggesting it. well if you already started it, i doubt youre gonna turn back now. god speed to you.

[Eclipsed]

Ohh

That bad huh? >.>

I started with Kara no Shoujo first so didn't check out Harukoi yet xD

I might just do Katawa Shoujo as my second then.

[mitchhamilton]

its the kind of vn that starts light hearted in the common route and is nice in the first part of the girls route, but then later they take a dark turn. dont want to mention one specifically but there is one thats just................. kill me.

[Decay]

Harukoi Otome is extremely bad. I'm pretty sure MangaGamer localized it with the sole intent to punish us. For what, I do not know. It is easily among the worst VNs ever translated, the true definition of kusoge.

 

Give it a shot!

[mitchhamilton]

Harukoi Otome is extremely bad. I'm pretty sure MangaGamer localized it with the sole intent to punish us. For what, I do not know. It is easily among the worst VNs ever translated, the true definition of kusoge.

 

Give it a shot!

[Eclipsed]

LOL understood!!

Aight, thoughts on Katawa Shoujo, then? Forget about being similar to PE's wealthy all-girl school; something that's enjoyable and school life and group of friends oriented is good enough. 

Oh right, Majikoi.

Majikoi or Katawa Shoujo?!

[TexasDice]

Kira☆Kira!

 

As much as I love KS, Majikoi is just too much fun not to read. Imagine the Little Busters common route in ridiculously over the top and self aware.

[Flutterz]

KS is great. It's not light-hearted through and through, though (it's a story about crippled girls, what did you expect?). I can't say if it's better or worse than Majikoi because I haven't read the latter.

[mitchhamilton]

definitely read Majikoi! it is one of the bestest translated vn's out there. long, but great. top 3 of my favorite vn's Katawa Shoujo, Maji de Watashini Koi Shinasai, and if my heart had wings. im a slice of life guy. what can i say?

 

plus majikoi has Mayuzami Yukie

 

what more reason do you need?

[Thomas]

definitely read Majikoi! it is one of the bestest translated vn's out there. long, but great. top 3 of my favorite vn's Katawa Shoujo, Maji de Watashini Koi Shinasai, and if my heart had wings. im a slice of life guy. what can i say?

 

plus majikoi has Mayuzami Yukie

 

what more reason do you need?

[FinalChaos]

MAJIKOI

[mitchhamilton]

have you seriously not read majikoi? i figured at least 99% of people on this forum have read it. i suggested shuffle earlier and i remember learning that the voice for Mayumayu also had a role in Shuffle.

[starlessn1ght]

its the kind of vn that starts light hearted in the common route and is nice in the first part of the girls route, but then later they take a dark turn.

 

Why is that bad?

[Wonderfullyevil]

For Sharnoth, I wouldn't really call it a mystery. It's not like a crime thing, but it does have a good mysterious atmosphere with you asking questions from beginning to end. It's more of a survival horror. The drama's good though.

I second Umineko. The mystery aspect may not be as good as a mystery with good planning, but as it's an unorthodox one it ends up being rather good. It also has good characters and story, so even if the mystery falls it manages to hold up.