Despite being one of gaming’s most accessible genres, visual novels are still fairly niche. Some people don’t have the time to sit through 50 hours of reading, or have been turned off by the countless dating sims that make up much of the genre. However, there’s a lot more to visual novels than you may realize.
Whether you enjoy gritty crime thrillers, supernatural horror stories, or cozy slice-of-life dramas, these are the best visual novels for any newcomer to the genre.
10AI: The Somnium Files
Imagine if you could dive into someone’s subconscious, and explore all their deepest, darkest secrets. What would you find if you searched through the minds of your friends, your family, or maybe even a serial killer?AI: The Somnium Filesexplores those questions and more, all while taking you through an exciting murder mystery filled with twists, turns, and spontaneous dance numbers (yes, you read that right).
AI: The Somnium Filesfollows Special Agent Kaname Date, an amnesiac detective from a top-secret police unit tasked with investigating crimes by entering the dreams of potential suspects. After a string of gruesome serial killings breaks out, Date and his AI assistant, Aiba, are tasked with finding the elusive killer. As the duo delves further into the mystery, their investigation into the seemingly straightforward murders rapidly spirals into a complex web of elaborate cover-ups and conspiracies.
If you enjoy murder mysteries andpuzzle games,AI: The Somnium Filesdelivers a thrilling mashup of both. Most of your time will be spent gathering clues from crime scenes and interrogating people in a traditional visual novel format.
The main reason you should playAI: The Somnium Filesis its amazing characters and writing. The story regularly shifts tone, sometimes bouncing between being a gritty crime-drama and a wacky comedy within the same scene. If you end up enjoyingAI: The Somnium Files, you’ll be glad to hear that the game received asequel in 2022and has athird entryarriving later this year.
9428: Shibuya Scramble
Most visual novels are already long-winded and complicated enough with just one protagonist, but428: Shibuya Scramblepresents its convoluted tale through the lenses of five different people whose paths frequently collide in unexpected ways.
Trying to explain the plot of428would take a while, so let’s just introduce the game’s fiveunlikely heroes: Kano, a rookie detective racing against the clock to rescue a kidnapped girl; Achi, a gangleader-turned-environmentalist helping another girl flee from a mysterious assassin; Minorikawa, a freelance journalist battling deadlines and evading thugs to save his former boss from crippling debt; Osawa, a reclusive virologist who discovers a deadly conspiracy being carried out within his pharmaceutical company; and Tama, a part-timer struggling to reach the zipper on the back of her costume.
At any point, you can swap between the five protagonists to progress their individual stories, but you will have to frequently jump between each character to reach the best possible ending. As you advance through each of their plotlines, you’ll frequently make decisions that can influence future events for both your current character and any of the other protagonists. Even the most seemingly inconsequential choices can have severe consequences for the other characters. For example, Tama can end up indirectly responsible for other characters' deaths by simply handing out a free drink or choosing to fight a cockroach.
Each of the game’s five interconnected storylines are equally entertaining from start to finish, and the overarching plot they form is a captivating mystery that never takes itself too seriously. If you’re looking for a fast-paced visual novel with a consistently thrilling story, you should definitely check out428.
8The Silver Case
The Silver Casewon’t be the last murder mystery game to appear on this list, but it’s certainlythe most bizarre. Set in an alternate version of 1990s Japan,The Silver Casecontains two different stories centered around a terrifying serial killer named “Kamui.” The first story follows the Heinous Crimes Unit (HCU), a group of detectives assigned to track down and arrest Kamui, only to get involved in a deeper mystery involving a cryptic message: “Kill the Past.” The second story centers around Tokio Morishima, a struggling reporter whose investigations into Kamui’s history send him spiraling down a dark rabbit hole of paranoia and personal traumas.
Every aspect ofThe Silver Caseis drenched in a moody style and chilling atmosphere.UI elementssuch as the 90s computer-inspired menus and the detailed character portraits give the game a cold, often disconcerting tone. The dreary environments you explore throughout the game reflect the same feeling, frequently placing you in dark areas with total silence while you hunt for Kamui or the remains of his victims. However, the game is more than just doom and gloom, often mixing in other visual mediums such as live action footage and anime cutscenes for dramatic moments.
Make no mistake:The Silver Casehas plenty of substance to accompany its style. Nearly everyone in its large cast of characters feels like a real person, with many of them having subtle flaws and vulnerabilities that humanize even the harshest personalities.
The Silver Caseis only the first chapter in a trilogy and was followed byFlower, Sun, and RainandThe 25th Ward: The Silver Case. BothThe Silver CaseandThe 25th Wardhave been ported to modern platforms, thoughFlower, Sun, and Rainis still stuck on the Nintendo DS and a Japan-exclusive PlayStation 2 release.
7VA-11 Hall-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action
VA-11 Hall-Ais set in a bleak cyberpunk future ruled by crime and corruption, taking place in a city where shootouts and political unrest are part of the daily routine. It’s a world full of biker gangs, armored police squads, and underground hackers, but they aren’t the focus of this story.
Instead,VA-11 Hall-Aplaces you in the role of an ordinary bartender in a not-so-special dive bar, where you’ll bemixing drinksand socializing with a colorful cast of memorable characters. Your clients include eccentric figures such as a sunglasses-sporting Shiba Inu, a flirtatious human brain in a jar, and a few guest appearances from another cyberpunk indie game. As you become more acquainted with these characters, you’ll learn more about their lives, their ongoing struggles, and—of course—their taste in drinks. You’ll also play a major part in their stories, as the drinks you serve will also affect your relationship with each character and potentially alter the outcome of their stories.
While it may not provide the same level of excitement or suspense as other games on this list,VA-11 Hall-Amakes up for its lack of action with its masterful writing. SometimesVA-11 Hall-Ais a wonderfullycozy experience, letting you relax with its charming cast as they indulge in their shared escapism. Other times, it’s an emotional tale about running from the past, facing your regrets, and finding a reason to move forward with your life. Across your many shifts inVA-11 Hall-A, you’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and you’ll probably need a drink by the end.
6Slay the Princess
You can probably tell by the name thatSlay the Princessis not your typical fairytale love story. You are a hero on a quest to save the world, but the only way to accomplish that is by entering an isolated cabin and killing the princess locked inside. Regardless of how this story ends—whether it’s with your death or hers—the world will reset, and you’ll find yourself back at the beginning. It soon becomes clear that you’re trapped in atime loop, and the only way to break free is to slay—or save—the princess once and for all.
Each loop will have you making moment-to-moment decisions as you pick what to say to the princess, when to attack, or possibly go against your mission and spare her—assuming she doesn’t kill you first. Along the way, you’ll also be accompanied by the narrator and a secondary voice—whose personality changes with each loop—and they will attempt to guide you towardscertain choices(though not always the best ones) when they’re not too busy bickering with each other.
Most routes inSlay the Princessbegin as adark comedybefore eventually morphing into full-fledged horror, yet the game manages to deliver a heartfelt story across each of its multiple endings. The game also received a free update titledThe Pristine Cut, adding new routes and endings to the story.
5Gnosia
Gnosiaplaces you in a spaceship alongside 15 colorful characters, only to learn that a few members of this eccentric cast aren’t who they claim to be. A few members within your group are “Gnosia,” a hostile alien species that blends in with the crew to wipe out humanity. The only way to stop the Gnosia is by sealing them in cryosleep, but that’s easier said than done when they’re almost indistinguishable from regular humans. With no other options, you and the crew vote to select one member of the crew to seal away.
Based on the premise, you probably won’t be surprised to hear thatGnosiais heavily inspired by games likeWerewolfandAmong Us, but that influence extends beyond its story.Gnosiais essentially asingle-playersocial deduction in which the other characters are controlled by the computer. That may sound odd, considering that the whole appeal of social deduction games comes from the “social"aspect, butGnosia’s solo reimagining of the genre is surprisingly addictive. Instead of finding clues to solve the murder, you’ll need to pay attention to each character’s subtle habits and personality quirks. Each character has different personality stats that determine how others respond to them during conversations.
Much like a certain princess-slaying adventure,Gnosiaalso takes place in a time loop. Across each loop, the number of crew members and their respective roles will change. Characters that appear as humans in one round may be Gnosia in the next. They may also appear in other roles that can help or hinder the human crew, but the Gnosia can also falsely assume these roles to blend in. You may also be thrown into one of these other roles, allowing you to scan characters as an engineer or work against the crew as one of the Gnosia.
4Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
TheAce Attorneyfranchise has been going strong since 2001, but it’s never been easier to jump in. Nearly every major mainline entry and spinoff is now available on modern platforms thanks torecent re-releases. All theAce Attorneygames are worth playing, but there’s still no better place to start than the very beginning.
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney—the first entry in theAce Attorneyfranchise—has you taking on the role and shiny badge of the eponymous defense attorney. Across multiple increasingly complex cases, you will need to defend your client by gathering evidence and presenting your findings in court. Each case is split into two sections: a point-and-click investigation period during which you gather clues and meet with an eccentric cast of characters connected to the case, and the dramatic courtroom trials that involve presenting your evidence while cross-examining witnesses on the stand.
Despite its age,Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorneyis a timeless murder mystery classic. Each of its five cases is packed with likable characters, engrossing storylines, and anamazing soundtrack. Even compared to later entries,Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorneyis one of the best installments in the franchise, and it’s still my personal favorite of the mainline entries.
3999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors
After being abducted by a masked figure named “Zero,” you and a group of eight other survivors wake up in a mysterious cruise ship with numbered bracelets strapped to your wrists and remote bombs implanted in your intestines. The only way to escape is by progressing through a series of elaborate escape rooms within the next nine hours. However, escaping the ship won’t be as simple as it sounds, and you will have to repeatedly die and try again to seek a way out.
This is the basic premise of999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors, but its story rapidly escalates across multiple playthroughs. In between solving puzzles and unlocking new areas of the ship, you’ll frequently make decisions that can drastically alter the events of the story and lead to different endings. With each story route, you’ll gradually learn more about the other survivors and their secretive ties to Zero’s true identity.
Even if you don’t enjoy escape rooms or puzzle games,999’s complex, twist-filled story makes it a must-play visual novel. Fair warning: expect to run into lots of math problems—I hope you know how to count inhexadecimal.
Although it was originally written to be a standalone story, the original success of999spawned the rest of theZero Escapetrilogy. The second game,Virtue’s Last Reward, continues the story with even more mind-blowing plot twists and some extremely challenging puzzles. The third game,Zero Time Dilemma, is considerably more divisive among fans, but it maintains thequality puzzlesand storytelling of the prior entries.
2Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
Among visual novels, theDanganronpaseries has always been one-of-a-kind. Even for stories with dramatic plot twists and constantly high stakes like428: Shibuya Scrambleand theZero Escape Series, reading a visual novel is usually a relaxing experience. Some horror visual novels will keep you on edge with their tense atmospheres, but even those are a lot calmer than most othergaming genres. The best parts ofDanganronpadeliver nerve-wracking, pulse-pounding thrills with their energetic twist on classic murder mysteries.
Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havocfollows Makoto Naegi, an ordinary high-schooler who wins a raffle to enroll in the prestigious Hope’s Peak Academy, and is consequentially dubbed the “Ultimate Lucky Student.” That luck soon runs out when Makoto and fourteen other students are captured by a robotic bear named Monokuma and forced to participate in a vicious killing game. What follows a series of shocking murder mysteries and a search for the sadistic mastermind behind the killing game.
Following a formula inspired by theAce Attorneyseries,Trigger Happy Havocfeatures multiple cases divided into investigation segments and “class trials.” The investigations are composed of the usual point-and-click format of searching for clues and gathering information from the surviving students, but the “Class Trials” are whereTrigger Happy Havoctruly shines, transforming the courtroom into an eclectic series ofminigames. Each class trial alternates between afirst-person shooterin which you fire “truth bullets” at contradictions, a game of hangman to uncover important answers to lingering mysteries, a climacticrhythm gameduel against the lead suspect, and a puzzle game finale in which you piece together the events of the murder.
Trigger Happy Havoc’s murder mysteries aren’t very difficult, and it doesn’t take long to figure out who’s the killer in each case. Despite this,Danganronpa’s energetic class trials and off-beat humor make every case incredibly fun to solve.
1The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy
The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academyis a true passion project; a behemoth of a visual novel that aims to fit every possible idea its creators concocted into a single, absurdly massive story. It’s a murder mystery, a strategy RPG, a horror story, adating sim, a sci-fi thriller, a slice-of-life drama, and so much more stuffed into a story with 100 unique endings.
The Hundred Linetells the story of a group of fifteen high-schoolers enrolled in the Last Defense Academy, a mysterious facility seemingly designed to prepare the students to battle against an invasive alien species. For 100 days, the students are tasked with training and defending the academy from the seemingly endless onslaught of invaders. Along the way, their daily lives in the academy head into a series of dangerous, shocking, or downright bizarre events, depending on your choices throughout the story.
Most of your time withThe Hundred Linewill be split betweenturn-based strategy battlesagainst the invaders, and free time segments wherein you may improve your relationships with the other students and train them to strengthen their combat skills. You can also use your free time to collect materials by exploring different areas through an elaborate board game.
The main appeal ofThe Hundred Lineis its expansive branching story. After a linear first playthrough—which mainly serves as a tutorial—the game opens up with the ability to make different choices that lead into a multitude of different story routes.TheHundred Lineregularly flies off into bizarre new directions and entire genre shifts, constantly finding new ways to blindside you with absurd and unpredictable scenarios.
If you’ve been avoiding visual novels for any reason, it may be time to give them a second chance. While the visual novels on this list are perfect for anyone who’s new to the genre, there are many more amazing games that are worth playing.
Mystery classics likeUmineko: When They CryandThe House in Fata Morganaare just as inventively mind-bending and engrossing as any of the games on this list. Horror visual novels likeThe Letterand theSpirit Hunterseries are similarly worthwhile for fans of tense, atmospheric experiences. Finally, some of the most famous games in the genre likeFate/stay nightandCLANNADare still fondly remembered for a reason.
