Visual novels are a pretty niche genre, at least for most Western markets. They’re very popular in their native Japan, and though still not a huge market over here, have been picking-up steam in recent years. Speaking of, Steam carries a ton of locali♑zed and amateur visual novels.
Lots of visual novels te♏nd to be part interactive story while incorporating some dating sim mechanics as well. While this is a bit of a played out formula, it’s one that’s employed by a lot of classic visual novels. On the other hand, there are some pretty interesting visual novels that either stay away from these tropes entirely or play with them in order to play on the player’s expectations. Here are some of the best visual novels you can get on Steam.
Updated by Gabrielle Huston on July 28, 2023: Visual novels are a diverse genre full of possibilities! Some stay true to the "novel" idea, offering you pages of text to click through, while others throw in puzzle or walking elements. Whatever your tastes are, you're sure to find a walking simulator below to enjoy.
The House In Fata Morgana
The House in Fata Morgana is a very popular visual novel that even won several awards and received a manga adaptation. Players start out as a spirit that awakens inside of a mansion with amnesia.
They then encounter one of the maids, who guides them back in time to separate time periods so that the player can slowly regain their memories and r♈emember what happened during the time before waking up. The hope is that the spirit may recognize them꧒selves as a person from one of the past lives.
Florence
Florence is a brief experience that tells an ordinary story. You may never have heard of it, 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:though it's an award-winner. It takes only 30 minutes to complete an🧜d follows the story of the titular character, Florence Yeoh, in her day-to-daౠy life.
The main feature of the story is Florence's blossoming romance with a cello player, Krish, who affects her life in many ways, bothℱ good and bad. The developers have managed to take an ordinary tale and turn it into something powerful, emotional, and resonant in this game.
Analogue: A Hate Story
This is a great visual novel for 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:people who enjoy science fiction and games like 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Nier Automata. The story revolves around a ship that was sent into space years before the novel begins to start the first interstellar space colony. Unfortunately, things don't go according to plan and the crew vanishes.
You're given the chance to read through the dead crew logs and see what happened to them while accompanied by an A.I. There are also several 🌞romantic options and multiple possible endings. It is one of the top-rated visual novels on Stea🌄m for its dark story and entrancing characters.
Everlasting Summer
Semyon is an ordinary guy with an ordinary life, until one day he falls asleep on a bus in the middle of winter and wakes up in the summer, at a pioneer camp. Everlasting Summer chronicles his journey at the camp as 𓂃he tries to figure out how he got there and how to get back -- or even if๊ he should go back.
In the process, he could even find romance if he's lucky. But amidst the summer heat, he'll need to solve the central mystery of the camp and its somewhat strange inhabitants.
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy
If you love solving puzzles or watching crime shows, then you should definitely try playing the 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney trilogy. Steam compiled all of the visual novels into one updated complete set and it's extremely addicting. Each episode gives you a case.
You'll need to find the clues and figure out what happened before going to court where you embark on a three-day trial and question your witness while trying to contradict their testimony with the evidence you find. It's fun, and the dialogue is often humorous. It will test your logic skills and keep you busy for hours at a time.
Island
Island is a story-rich visual novel that g𝐆ets very in-depth with multiple endings and different routes to take on each playthrough. The story revolves around Sanzenkai Setsuna, who wakes up on the myst⛄erious island of Urashima.
While there, he begins to explore the island's many mysteries along with his relationship between three girls named Rinne, Karen, and Sara. It is a picturesque paradise, but the island has a dark secret and hidden past that will need to be uncovered. Learning about each girl will help unlock t♏he key to saving Urashi♍ma.
Hatoful Boyfriend
First released in 2011, Hatoful Boyfriend got some recognition with western media outlets due to a fan translation of the original game. The game’s strange concept was enough to get people to try it out and many l⛄iked what they played.
The game is an “otome” visual novel, meaning that it’s aimed towards female audiences. But the setting and narrative are interesting enough that that really doesn’t matter. In any case, a dating sim where all the romantic interests are pigeons seems weird enough for anyone to enjoy.
Doki Doki Literature Club!
Even if you don’t follow visual novels there’s a pretty decent chance that you’ve heard of 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Doki Doki Literature Club! The game was first released in 2017 and quickly gained traction due to the exposure it received from let's plays.
But it wasn’t the cutesy anime setting that made this stand out. Though that certainly seemed like the case at first, the more you progress through Doki Doki’s story, the darker it gets. What on the surface seems like a standard school life dating sim turns into a shocking psychological horror title. For those looking 🐟for something different and well-thought-out, this iᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚs a must-try.
Higurashi: When They Cry
Initially released in 2002 as an independent (dōjin soft) game, Higurashi: When They Cry is yet another example of a visual novel that’s different from what it presents itself as. Unlike most of the visual novels on this list, Higurashi has little to no player interaction and instead presents them with a na𝔉rrative to read through. Kind of like a book with 𒆙pictures, music, and voice acting.
The game was released in various arcs, the first half being question arcs while the latter half served as answer arcs. Though the art style and character interactions make it seem innocent enough, Higurashi is really a mystery/horror experience at its core, with a really interesting narrative that draws you in with eac♑🥂h chapter.
VA-11 HALL-A
While visual novels were conceived in Japan, developers outside the country have been able to add their own spin on the genre. VA-11 HALL-A is best described as a sort of cyberpunk bartending simulator with visual novel aspects.
The game was developed by a Venezuelan studio called Sukeban Games and after its initially release on PC in 2016, was ported to the PS4, Vita and the Switch. Not only is VA-11 HALL-A a fun game, but it also looks fantastic and is a must-play for gamers looking for something a litt🍃le different.