Give me some VNs.

[Elfgore]

After getting three routes into Katawa Shoujo, I now have a itch to play some more. I found a couple that look really fun but they have yet to be translated. The couple I have found that look fun and are in english are Rewrite, Yume Miru Kusuri - A Drug That Makes You Dream, My Girlfriend is the President, and Grisaia no Kajitsu.

If you guys have any others that you could recommend to a newbie to the LN genre feel free to lay them on me.

 

[ShinyCharizard]

Kira Kira is pretty good. That's about all I got.

Edit: Also Clannad.

 

[ChupathingyX]

This [http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120505153831/animu-mango/images/0/09/1336223611303.jpg] is a very good guide for starting out (though it's a bit outdated and some newly translated stuff is missing).

And this [http://vndb.org/] website is very good for finding VNs and looking up information.

 

[Specter Von Baren]

After getting three routes into Katawa Shoujo, I now have a itch to play some more. I found a couple that look really fun but they have yet to be translated. The couple I have found that look fun and are in english are Rewrite, Yume Miru Kusuri - A Drug That Makes You Dream, My Girlfriend is the President, and Grisaia no Kajitsu.

If you guys have any others that you could recommend to a newbie to the LN genre feel free to lay them on me.

Oh yeah, 'My Girlfriend Is The President' is funny, and can be surprisingly heartfelt too.

A recent VN that came out that has fantastic gameplay is 'Yumina the Ethereal'. Very interesting gameplay mechanic.

A short but very good kinetic VN that you should read is Juniper's Knot, it's completely free and very atmospheric and good.

Demonbane. Fantastically action packed. It just keeps getting bigger and bigger as the story goes and it's a story where you really see the hero come up from nothing to be an absolute badass.

And since this would just go on and on if I went into detail for all of them, I'll list the rest.

Galaxy Angel series.
Period.
Quartett!
Grisaia no Kajitsu
Hakuroi Otome
Princess Waltz (Has two of the best fight scenes I've seen before)
Crescendo

Also, go to a site called Fuwanovel. Tons of free VN's for download.
Canvas 2
Da Capo 2. (Highly recommend this one.)

 

[Rylee Fox]

Ace Attorney is technically a VN series. When I first learned of the VN, I wondered how that would be fun to play at all, until I realized I had already played a few of them in Ace Attorney and really liked them.

 

[mitchell271]

After getting three routes into Katawa Shoujo, I now have a itch to play some more. I found a couple that look really fun but they have yet to be translated. The couple I have found that look fun and are in english are Rewrite, Yume Miru Kusuri - A Drug That Makes You Dream, My Girlfriend is the President, and Grisaia no Kajitsu.

If you guys have any others that you could recommend to a newbie to the LN genre feel free to lay them on me.

If you have a DS, 9 hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors is great. It's eerie, it's scary and gripping. Ace Attorney and Ghost Trick are kind of VNs; even if they're not what you're looking for, they're funny and fun to play!

If you want another good horror VN, Saya no Uta is one of the scariest things I've seen in a very long time. Check it out!

Also, quick question Elfgore. Where's your avatar from? I've been looking for a goofy slice-of-life to watch lately.

 

[shrekfan246]

Steins;Gate, erryday, all day.

It doesn't have an official English translation yet, but there's a fan-patch that's pretty darn good anyway if you can get your hands on the Japanese version. It's a modern-day science-fiction story set in Japan about time travel. On PC (well, primarily; It's on many consoles as well, but I don't know how resourceful your importing skills would be and being a VN it'll practically run on a toaster). EDIT: To clarify a little though, there is an announced English version based off of the fan-translation slated for an early 2014 PC release. I hope it keeps the Japanese voice acting though, it'd just feel weird with English voice actors (not unlike the anime).

The BlazBlue series is also pretty fun, if you also like fighting games. Probably one of the few fighting games I'd recommend solely based on its story, as it lampoons and parodies many stereotypical anime tropes and has some pretty hilarious writing mixed in with the more heavy or ridiculous stuff. Also on multiple systems, primary being Playstation 3 I believe. The first game is on PC, both are on the Xbox 360/PS3/PS Vita/... other things. You don't really need the first game though, the second summarizes it fairly succinctly. Also, as per typical for console fighting games with multiple re-releases that are slightly tweaked, if you do get the second game, Continuum Shift, make sure you get the EXTEND edition.

And if you're a fan of puzzle games, there's 999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors and its series sequel Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward. The first is on the DS, and the second is on the 3DS and Vita.

All of them are ostensibly T-rated, by the way.

 

[G-Force]

I'd say you NEED to play Ever17. It's written by the same person who did Steins;Gate, 999, VLR and Dagon Roppa. I consider that title to be a must play experience.

 

[Razentsu]

True Remembrance is a good starter VN. It's short and sweet, and it's got a lovely soundtrack. Keep in mind that there are no choices to be made in that game, though.

I'd say Saya no Uta is another good VN to start with, but man, this game demands that you have a strong stomach. Like True Remembrance, it's on the short side when it comes to play length. Short and uh... sweet? Anyway, you have to be ready for this game.

Tsukihime was my second visual novel; I played it right after Katawa Shoujo. I wouldn't recommend it to newcomers since it's so long, but rest assured it is a good VN. In fact, it's my personal favourite VN. Give it a try if you don't mind committing a few dozen hours of time to this game. Also, if you like fighting games, you'll want to give Melty Blood a try after getting to know Tsukihime's cast.


Now, this one is for when you're more comfortable with VNs:

If you don't mind spending over a hundred hours on a series, play the Muv-Luv games. Seriously, Muv-Luv Alternative is fantastic. "Rich" and "epic" are the first words that come to mind when I think about this game. Alternative explores many themes such as sacrifice, resolve, and trust with unparalleled confidence and mastery.

But of course, before you play Muv-Luv Alternative you have to play the first game(s?) first. You would have to spend around 40 hours of playtime to get to Alternative, the 60+ hours-long epic of the series. Muv-Luv Extra/Unlimited might not look or sound all that interesting, but they are absolutely necessary if you want to get the most out of Alternative. Anyway, I wouldn't regret having spent the 40 hours even if Alternative didn't exist. Muv-Luv Extra/Unlimited are enjoyable stories.

 

[Maeshone]

Yume Miru Kusuri is really good, as is My Girlfriend is the President. They're incredibly separate in tone though, both from Katawa Shoujo and each other. Yume Miru Kusuri is probably the stronger story-wise, but it also made me feel realy horrible and really angry at some parts, but I suppose that is kind of the point of it. My Girlfriend is the President is just straight up comedy for the most part, but it can be pretty damn funny actually.

Also, quick question Elfgore. Where's your avatar from? I've been looking for a goofy slice-of-life to watch lately.

If I'm not mistaken that's Kirino Kousaka from My Little Sister Can't Possibly Be This Cute (shortened OreImo for easier searching). It's well worth a watch, at least the first season. The second kind of dropped the ball IMO, especially if you don't like incest plotlines.

 

[Lovely Mixture]

Maji de Watashi no Koishinasai (Majikoi)

For beginners, the three I suggest as test runs are Yume Miru Kusuri (which you've played), Tsukihime, and Saya no Uta (both of which have already been suggested).

If you want ones with actual gameplay: Anything by Alicesoft that's been translated (Sengoku Rance and Daibanchou in particular), Kamidori Alchemy Meister.

 

[StormShaun]

It sounds like many of mine have already been suggested.
Oh well ... let me give you some more/confirm it.

- Little Busters. (My highest VN for characters and gameplay. Sadness, less then Clannad ... but you know what KEY can do.)
- Clannad. (My highest VN for story and the setting/style. Sadness can punch you in the gut.)
- Galaxy Angel series. (Okay it is an RTS with lovable characters. My highest graded series)
- Kira*Kira. (DAMN good music + good characters.)
- Da Capo series. (A good beginner series)
- Fate/Stay Night. (Better then the anime, has a intense mood and story)
- Muv-Luv (Alternative too). (This takes VN themes to a WHOLE new level)
- Edelweiss. (Basic VN but done by the same guys as Kira*Kira. I still think it is worth it for the comedy and characters)

As others have said ...
- The Escapist has a Visual Novel group.
- Visual Novel Database is a great way to look.
- Fuwanovel has a great list of already translated VNs.

Hope you have good luck in finding what suits ya!
But in all seriousness Little Busters and Clannad come with my full 10/10 recommendation!

 

[hazabaza1]

999 and Virtue's Last Reward are decent VN/puzzle games. Well the puzzles in VLR are pretty bad and boring and the pacing can get kinda bad, (especially in VLR, having to replay most of the early game stuff like 5 times over because of alternate paths) but if you spend like an hour a day then it works well enough.

 

[Exhuminator]

A lot of good/great mentions already, I'm impressed. I hope that those of you who recommend Ever 17 know that it is part of a five entry series:

Ever 17 is the second game of the Infinity series by KID, preceded by Never 7: The End of Infinity, and followed by Remember 11: The Age of Infinity, 12Riven, and Code 18, all of which (with the exception of Code_18) take place within the same universe.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ever_17:_The_Out_of_Infinity

-

I want to recommend a VN that wasn't released on PC though, but rather on a console years ago. It has been fan translated into English, and very professionally at that:

Famicom Tantei Club Part II: Ushiro ni Tatsu Shoujo

The second game in the Famicom Tantei Club franchise is a prequel to the original game. In this game, the player takes on the role of a young detective involved in two murder cases each relating to a myth called "The Girl in Back."

http://www.giantbomb.com/famicom-tantei-club-part-ii-ushiro-ni-tatsu-shoujo/3030-5758/
(An indepth overview of the game, but it contains spoilers so beware!)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Famicom_Tantei_Club_Part_II:_Ushiro_ni_Tatsu_Sh%C5%8Djo
(Lots of information on the game.)

http://www.romhacking.net/translations/850/‎
(Here is where you can download the English patch.)

-

I also want to give a special mention to a VN that came out on PSP this year:

http://sweet-fuse.com/

It's a VN by Keiji Inafune [http://storage.siliconera.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/inafune_thumb.jpg] of all people! It kind of flew under most people's radar what with being a PSP game in 2013. But it was officially localized into English, you can buy it off Amazon and everything.

 

[EyeReaper]

If we're talking vns there's only one real answer. For a pittance of four dollars, a spectacle to behold, the one novel that, since it's release in 2011 has been the number one seller at DLsite and isn't losing it's throne anytime soon. I am of course talking about what is possibly the greatest VN, nay, greatest game of all time.

Spoiler: Hatoful Boyfriend

http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120723101217/hatoful/images/e/e0/Start_menu.png

all joking aside, this game is brilliant, and really is a shining example of how goodvns can be

 

[NeutralDrow]

*glances at the rest of the thread*

...I'm almost happy enough to cry, right now, and I'm not sure why.

If you guys have any others that you could recommend to a newbie to the LN genre feel free to lay them on me.

Anyway, of my trinity of favorites, you already have Yume Miru Kusuri in your list, and someone else has recommended Tsukihime (my first VN)...I guess I feel comfortable giving <url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.163769-Neutral-Drow-reviews-Kanon>Kanon a recommendation. If you liked Katawa Shoujo, the genre is similar enough that it could be worth a shot.

Same with <url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.308335-Neutral-Drow-reviews-Symphonic-Rain>Symphonic Rain. It's cute-looking, but surprisingly heavy, and it's got a rhythm game aspect to boot.

<url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.206764-Neutral-Drow-reviews-Kana-Little-Sister>Kana: Little Sister is a bit of a difficult game to play; if you don't like it, it'll be hard to slog through, if you do like it...well, in a way, it's even harder to slog through. But it's well-known and influential enough that I'd almost call it required reading for the genre.

I had my problems with the game, but you might give <url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.237875-Neutral-Drow-reviews-Crescendo>Crescendo a shot. The design is pretty interesting, and it's fairly short, but it can get kind of angsty.

Da Capo 2. (Highly recommend this one.)

How does it compare to the first one, out of curiosity? I'm one route away from completing the original Da Capo (Miharu's route), and I've enjoyed it quite a lot.

 

[Specter Von Baren]

How does it compare to the first one, out of curiosity? I'm one route away from completing the original Da Capo (Miharu's route), and I've enjoyed it quite a lot.

I wouldn't know as I've only played the second game but I will say that I have many good things to say about it. It has a cast of characters that are the kind of characters you'd (Or at least I) would enjoy to have as your actual friends. It also has a surprising aspect in that the male characters are actually good characters too. The relationships do not just end at becoming a couple. And holey crap can it be funny, sad, and heartwarming. And the game is actually rather long, so you're getting a lot of content out of this one.

And keep in mind this... I've only ever gone down one route in Da Capo 2 (Anzu's, to the curious). I can safely say all of this from experiencing roughly 1/5th of the content. It's one of my personal favorites,

 

[Murahk]

G-Senjou no Maou is amazing. I've only followed the "True Ending" route, but it was pretty fantastic.

I'm definitely going to have to bookmark this page. There's so many good suggestions here!

Thank you Escapists.

 

[icemasteryeti]

The Muv Luv trilogy.

Don't give up on this 2 hours into the first game like I did. The reason you read this is for the finale, but it can't stand on its own so unless you absolutely hate it give it a chance.

The story is amazing with plenty of twists, some obvious and others definitely not. While the characters can seem cliché at first they are developed far beyond their archetype by the end.

Its strongest point however is solving a problem that I have with a lot of VNs, it makes you sympathise with the main character. In so many stories I've thought "why the hell would you do that?" or "why didn't you do this instead?" and it makes it hard to relate to the protagonist, but here that doesn't happen. When the main character makes a bad decision or even does something horrible you can sympathise because you know you might have done the same thing.