Visual Novels

[GenociderSyo]

The chaos head your talking about that is Chaos Head Noah on steam? Has a deal now for that and Chaos Child and want to make sure I'm grabbing the right games.

 

[wtfNeedSignUp]

Really nudging me hard to go into Uta there on a heavy discount on Steam right now, so might just go for it in the coming days. How long is it?, though before I bite...

Personally I'd recommend seeing the anime of the first game (which doesn't skip anything) and then play the two Mask games (which had lackluster adaptions). They are fantastic with some really emotional scenes.

Added Devil and Wonderful Everyday (It's the Down the Rabbit-Hole listed one on Steam, right?), Liar Soft I don't see on Steam so I gather I have to hunt for that one? Also, Opus, Echo of Starsong, before your other recommendations or possibly after?

I think I might be more in the mood for one that gets to the meat quick instead of a slow burn, which of the recommendations would fall into that?

Forest you need to hunt down (hopefully the old downloads are still there). Rabbit-Hole is basically the demo with the rest of the game being download patch due to being a nightmare to pass through the censors. Opus is good for an emotional experience if you want a solid character interaction, world building and some crying.

Out of all of there I think only Rabbit Hole takes a long time to get going, but when it does it's the equivalent of dropping off a cliff face.

 

[ShitLurker]

The chaos head your talking about that is Chaos Head Noah on steam? Has a deal now for that and Chaos Child and want to make sure I'm grabbing the right games.

Chaos;Head Noah is an enhanced version, I played the basic one with a fan translation, definitely play the enhanced one since I've heard it's the best way to play it.

Personally I'd recommend seeing the anime of the first game (which doesn't skip anything) and then play the two Mask games (which had lackluster adaptions). They are fantastic with some really emotional scenes.


Forest you need to hunt down (hopefully the old downloads are still there). Rabbit-Hole is basically the demo with the rest of the game being download patch due to being a nightmare to pass through the censors. Opus is good for an emotional experience if you want a solid character interaction, world building and some crying.

Out of all of there I think only Rabbit Hole takes a long time to get going, but when it does it's the equivalent of dropping off a cliff face.

I tend to favour the VN over the anime since it usually manages to get me more invested, so on the Uta front I'll stick with playing it unless I happen to loathe it's rythm.

Rabbit hole is honestly sounding like the most interesting of the bunch... is the patch that's needed to make it interesting linux compatible?

 

[Poop A Loop]

Chaos;Head Noah is an enhanced version, I played the basic one with a fan translation, definitely play the enhanced one since I've heard it's the best way to play it.

I tend to favour the VN over the anime since it usually manages to get me more invested, so on the Uta front I'll stick with playing it unless I happen to loathe it's rythm.

Rabbit hole is honestly sounding like the most interesting of the bunch... is the patch that's needed to make it interesting linux compatible?

I spent around 120 hours on the trilogy total. I've played through the trilogy twice. The first time I just watched the anime of the first game and it got the point across. The only thing you'll miss is some callbacks and plot details if you do this but nothing that lessens the weight of the twists and reveals in the last two games. I'd personally recommend playing the first game if you're not concerned about how long playing the trilogy will take, but you won't regret just watching the anime and going from there.

 

[wtfNeedSignUp]

I tend to favour the VN over the anime since it usually manages to get me more invested, so on the Uta front I'll stick with playing it unless I happen to loathe it's rythm.

Rabbit hole is honestly sounding like the most interesting of the bunch... is the patch that's needed to make it interesting linux compatible?

My issue with the first game is that the gameplay is a bit barebones (while the sequels have really fun tactic system where all characters feel unique), and, at least in the remake, there isn't any big changes like multiple waifus/routes. Cases in the anime where I thought the pacing was too fast were just as rushed in the game. It's not bad by any means, but it's one of the few cases where the anime is done very close to the source.

I'm not sure if the patch is linux compatible, but considering the main store page tells you to download the patch it probably works if the game runs on Linux.

 

[ShitLurker]

I spent around 120 hours on the trilogy total. I've played through the trilogy twice. The first time I just watched the anime of the first game and it got the point across. The only thing you'll miss is some callbacks and plot details if you do this but nothing that lessens the weight of the twists and reveals in the last two games. I'd personally recommend playing the first game if you're not concerned about how long playing the trilogy will take, but you won't regret just watching the anime and going from there.

My issue with the first game is that the gameplay is a bit barebones (while the sequels have really fun tactic system where all characters feel unique), and, at least in the remake, there isn't any big changes like multiple waifus/routes. Cases in the anime where I thought the pacing was too fast were just as rushed in the game. It's not bad by any means, but it's one of the few cases where the anime is done very close to the source.

I'm not sure if the patch is linux compatible, but considering the main store page tells you to download the patch it probably works if the game runs on Linux.

Mmm, you two have me debating myself, 120 hours between all 3 games ain't that bad with how much I've spent on Legend of Heroes, but if the bits that I would expect the VN to take it's time it doesn't... I'll give the first episode or 2 of the anime a go and see if it grabs me enough to just plow through it.

As for VN, I'm between Devil on G String (cheapest right now) and Wondeful Everyday since it sounds the most intriguing, but first I need to confirm if I can set it up with patch on the deck without issues.

 

[Safir]

If you want to try a visual novel but don't want any weeb shit, then The House in Fata Morgana is pretty much the best you're gonna get. There's a point (about midway through?) where it seems like the writing might go to shit, but fortunately the issue in question is dealt with tactfully and ends up not ruining the story whatsoever. The way it gradually unpacks more and more of what's going on repeatedly gives you that satisfaction of revealing the truth behind a mystery, while all the while you find yourself caring more about the characters involved. Good shit.

Fata Morgana is bad with a ton of weeb shit.

• The interesting vignettes are Not Real. The real setting is some garbage dump that has the smell of a 12-year-old's bad crossover fanfiction, which it essentially is.
• After the tweeeest, the male "villain protagonist" characters are revealed/rewritten to be bland and ultimately innocent, though the dickless soyfaggot protagonist condemns them with sleep-inducing harangues which could've been taken straight from a British court record. Seriously, I'd rather read the crime section of the graun. The moral is, if you have a dick, you're guilty. Repent or face eternal torture.
• Women are treated even worse. The women in vignettes are complex characters, and three out of four stories are sparked by a woman trying to do something with a shitty lot in life she's drawn due to her sex. This never ever gets the slightest attention, the realistic suffering of these women due to circumstances beyond any character's control is completely ignored next to the author's designated pity puppy and oceans of lulzy gorn.
• An interesting female character from a vignette is turned into a whore, and a male character, into a pedo. Couldn't give a shit about any of the characters after the tweeeest.

Good music though.

 

[BananaSplit²]

Unfortunate news ahead:

Science Adventure Games Developer Mages Entered Insolvency​

Things are not looking too hot for Mages in Q4 2022, as the developer known for the Science Adventure series that features games like Steins;Gate is entering insolvency. Its final loss is around 613 million JPY, which rounds to about $4,611,095. It is unclear what the exact reason is for Mages’s huge losses for the fiscal year. However, the company may go bankrupt if things do not turn around. [Thanks, Game Biz!]
Here is a more precise breakdown of Mages’s gains and losses:

• Total Sales: 4.225 billion JPY
• Ordinary Loss: 565 million JPY
• Final Loss: 613 million JPY

Aside from acting as a developer and making games like Science Adventure series installments, Mages manages talents, as well as handles movies and music. Within this quarter, Mages released Alice Gear Aegis CS: Concerto of Simulatrix, Anonymous;Code, and the The Quintessential Quintuplets game. However, it seems that the sales for these properties were not enough to overcome the existing debts and losses that Mages had. Mages is a company under Colopl, which may shut it down if Mages cannot pay off its debts.
Mages has several games in development, as well as international releases. The English version of Alice Gear Aegis CS: Concerto of Simulatrix is set to come out in 2023. Meanwhile, Summer Time Rendering: Another Horizon will come out on January 26, 2023.
Mages announced its insolvency, and the future of the company is unclear.

Science Adventure Games Developer Mages Entered Insolvency

archived 29 Dec 2022 10:48:15 UTC

archive.md

 

[Rich Evans Ayypologist]

Wondeful Everyday since it sounds the most intriguing,

I hope you've got a thing for forced feminization, incest, bestiality, watersports, futanari-on-male, and more rape than you could stuff into a somalian airport.

I made the mistake of listening to the people pretending it's somehow "deep." The non-pornographic elements of the story are mildly interesting, but they're no more complicated or deep than something like Ace Attorney. It has what I like to call the Psycho Pass moment: several scenes in which characters loosely refer to just-read-the-wikipedia-level plot discussion of classical literature and philosophy. There are a small handful of interesting moments that tread on captivating horror, but they really get deflated by the excessively long porn intermissions and ultimately don't really go anywhere.

That said, it is perhaps the only game in existence to feature Nassim Taleb, so that might do it for you. Just be ready to skip the porn sequences - they last for genuine hours and there's no attempt made at character development through them. It's just a bunch of weird fetish shit that rapidly ceases being hilarious and quickly becomes tedious.

 

[ShitLurker]

Unfortunate news ahead:

Science Adventure Games Developer Mages Entered Insolvency

archived 29 Dec 2022 10:48:15 UTC

archive.md

The Comittee of 300 has noticed our rebellion through anime and waifus and attempts to crush us. But fear not since this has all been contemplated by the Steins;Gate. Stay strong. El Psy Kongro.

Tism aside would be a downer if they go down.

I hope you've got a thing for forced feminization, incest, bestiality, watersports, futanari-on-male, and more rape than you could stuff into a somalian airport.

I made the mistake of listening to the people pretending it's somehow "deep." The non-pornographic elements of the story are mildly interesting, but they're no more complicated or deep than something like Ace Attorney. It has what I like to call the Psycho Pass moment: several scenes in which characters loosely refer to just-read-the-wikipedia-level plot discussion of classical literature and philosophy. There are a small handful of interesting moments that tread on captivating horror, but they really get deflated by the excessively long porn intermissions and ultimately don't really go anywhere.

That said, it is perhaps the only game in existence to feature Nassim Taleb, so that might do it for you. Just be ready to skip the porn sequences - they last for genuine hours and there's no attempt made at character development through them. It's just a bunch of weird fetish shit that rapidly ceases being hilarious and quickly becomes tedious.

And ... this is a strong against for Wonderful Everyday.... I wanted a bit of fucked up shit and some body horror here and there, not full rape the rapening. Not saying I'll pass outright but I need to be in the mindframe for that.

Also, tried watching episode 1 of Uta but on the back of my mind I wanted to be inmersed more as the main character (yes, I admit this is pure autism at work) so odds are I'll just go with that but still have all the other recomendations on my wishlist.

 

[SSj_Ness (Yiffed)]

Unfortunate news ahead:

Science Adventure Games Developer Mages Entered Insolvency

archived 29 Dec 2022 10:48:15 UTC

archive.md

That sucks, I literally just got into their games and was looking forward to their next Steins entry. Hopefully at least that still comes about somehow.

 

[wtfNeedSignUp]

Unfortunate news ahead:

Science Adventure Games Developer Mages Entered Insolvency

archived 29 Dec 2022 10:48:15 UTC

archive.md

Surprising, they made a ton of game the last few years but it might be the case of a studio overexpanding, especially during COVID.

The studio shouldn't even get to those levels of losses considering most of their games should require minimal UI, and a small group of writers, editors and artists. But the anime games they produced probably skyrocketed their expenditure, while not selling well because anime games are notoriously shit.

 

[BananaSplit²]

Surprising, they made a ton of game the last few years but it might be the case of a studio overexpanding, especially during COVID.

The studio shouldn't even get to those levels of losses considering most of their games should require minimal UI, and a small group of writers, editors and artists. But the anime games they produced probably skyrocketed their expenditure, while not selling well because anime games are notoriously shit.

Artist contributions do cost a lot of money and devs often don't have the budget for a lot of CGs. I recall Sprite went nearly bankrupt following the development of Aokana because they really went all out on the details and art.
You also forgot about voice-acting which is quite costly, even more so with renowned actors. There aren't much ADV/visual novels with voice-acting being absent, I can only think of the Death Mark & Shin Hayarigami series as most recent examples of this type.

But I believe it's mainly mismanagement that has been slowly killing MAGES, they've been too ambitious with numerous projects and failed to deliver properly (either with subpar quality, very long delays or outright cancelling them) thus losing faith from their customers in return. As far as I recall correctly, Anonymous;Code was rewritten several times over from scratch since its initial announcement in 2015. I've heard the Memories Off sequel (SINce Memories) was so-so too.

MAGES' contribution for the Famicom Detective remakes (with the backup of Nintendo) and the VN adaptations of the Quintuplets anime were successful, but only to delay the inevitable I guess.

I dug further info on MAGES and it's currently owned by COLOPL, a smartphone game studio (acquisition happened in 2020 - archive) which was the publisher of ShiroNeko Project, a mobile game where Nintendo sued them for violating their patents. Originally MAGES (formerly 5pb) was owned by Dwango, and Kadokawa by extension, but was bought by Chiyo St Inc. (Chiyomaru's own studio) in 2019 before being sold to COLOPL.

 

[Marissa Moira]

That sucks, I literally just got into their games and was looking forward to their next Steins entry. Hopefully at least that still comes about somehow.

The later Steins Gate entries are never as decent as the first one. The other SA spinoffs are also just as lacking, Robotics Notes wasn't anything special to write home about.

If they're entering insolvency it's going to probably follow what happened to Telltale Games, the IPs will still exist but the company won't.

 

[IDanceonTrannyGraves]

My copies of My Girlfriend is a Mermaid and Aviary Attorney arrived from Japan today. ^^

 

[ShitLurker]

The later Steins Gate entries are never as decent as the first one. The other SA spinoffs are also just as lacking, Robotics Notes wasn't anything special to write home about.

If they're entering insolvency it's going to probably follow what happened to Telltale Games, the IPs will still exist but the company won't.

I would be sad to just see them go, but I won't deny that Steins;Gate was the only real high from what I've played of their stuff. Everything was from fine to meh, Robotics;Notes being my most recent and I am very meh on that tale... And while I'm at it, I fucking HATE that fad in VN to have shitty polygon models instead of CG art, same deal happened with the second No Escape game and they both are so much worse visually by going with that...

Anyway, I'd rather have the possibility of knowing that sooner or later I will reach a narrative climax to the whole conspiracy instead of just ending on ice.

Artist contributions do cost a lot of money and devs often don't have the budget for a lot of CGs. I recall Sprite went nearly bankrupt following the development of Aokana because they really went all out on the details and art.

Now that you mention Aokana, how is that one?

 

[Viscious Seviper]

Surprising, they made a ton of game the last few years but it might be the case of a studio overexpanding, especially during COVID.

The studio shouldn't even get to those levels of losses considering most of their games should require minimal UI, and a small group of writers, editors and artists. But the anime games they produced probably skyrocketed their expenditure, while not selling well because anime games are notoriously shit.

It will never not piss me off how much more those artists could do with their beautiful work, just to be yet another forgettable throwaway waifu hentai game rushed out in under a year. Or another copy paste dungeon crawler set in high school. As if those are the only possible games on the planet and life is never ever enjoyable outside of high school and drawing sex is the apex of human achievement that totally hasn’t already been done by millions throughout history.

George Lucas really was right. They only let you make very specific kinds of games/movies in the Industry if you arent funding out of pocket. Though most of these VN’s are made by Japanese hobbyists in their spare time.

As pozzed as monika after story is now; the original idea of an ongoing virtual waifu experience really hasn’t been done since and is a lot better than the discordnigger flood of VN’s that don’t care to understand the 4th wall breaking trend, “well itz a game fuck your immersion! Lets pull the rug out from the audience LOL! DID YOU KNOW THIS IS A GAAAAAAMMMMEEEEE HUUHHHHHH? Dont go out and shoot any of us assholes mmkay?”

I just skipped all of these “VN’s” that have released over the last decade or so. Don’t care to get the band aid ripped off every fucking time when some VN’s like Planetarian have some really emotional and gripping writing. But they are actually respectful to the reader and take themselves seriously,

>inb4 someone posts silly moments or Yumemi’s autism around the junk bouquet because its anime.

 

[SSj_Ness (Yiffed)]

The later Steins Gate entries are never as decent as the first one. The other SA spinoffs are also just as lacking, Robotics Notes wasn't anything special to write home about.

If they're entering insolvency it's going to probably follow what happened to Telltale Games, the IPs will still exist but the company won't.

SG and SG0 were good. The spinoffs seem to differ in quality, I have very little interest in the romance one but there's a neatc8-bit game I'd like to get around to. I haven't played anything in the series yet aside from the main two SGs though.

If the IPs still exist that's fine, especially if core team members find their way back to them.

 

[Nobody In Particular]

I would be sad to just see them go, but I won't deny that Steins;Gate was the only real high from what I've played of their stuff. Everything was from fine to meh, Robotics;Notes being my most recent and I am very meh on that tale... And while I'm at it, I fucking HATE that fad in VN to have shitty polygon models instead of CG art, same deal happened with the second No Escape game and they both are so much worse visually by going with that...

Anyway, I'd rather have the possibility of knowing that sooner or later I will reach a narrative climax to the whole conspiracy instead of just ending on ice.

Now that you mention Aokana, how is that one?

Aokana is half standard fluffy moege and half sports anime. I personally like it. But, I know vn's with a ton of character interaction and filler dialogue aren't everyone's thing.

 

[ShitLurker]

Aokana is half standard fluffy moege and half sports anime. I personally like it. But, I know vn's with a ton of character interaction and filler dialogue aren't everyone's thing.

I'm kind of a sucker for sports manga, as long as I like the characters I can go through a lot of slice of life. So sounds like something I could go into if I want something comfy.