Horror Visual Novels (Saya No Uta)

[VincentX3]

So I just played "Says No Uta" for the first time today and I must say...

I LOVED IT!
I saw all 3 endings which I won't spoil, but overall it was a great visual novel.

So the question is, what other visual novels does everyone recommend that are similar to Saya No Uta?

As in:

- Creepy, Interesting story
- Anime style characters
- Simple to play

I've been told that Muv-Luv is pretty cool so I'll probably try that next >
Either way, recommend me a few visual novels!

[HEADING=2]EDIT:[/HEADING]

I've also played "The witches house" and "Ao Oni" which aren't really novels, but the're great horror story games none-the-less.

 

[MammothBlade]

I'm glad you enjoyed it. It's one of my favourites too.

Muv Luv is... probably not the best thing to start with if you want horror. It only gets into that halfway through, and by that point the harem romance will probably have put you off.

Kara No Shoujo is a horror mystery, casting you as a private detective caught up in a bizarre murder case. It only gets more terrifying from there. Great story, excellent ensemble of characters, the only downside from your point of view is that it's very easy to get a bad end. It's possible to screw up if you don't make the right choices. But that's half the fun, you don't know what will happen next. It's available on mangagamer.com for a good price.

Tsukihime is also worth looking up.

 

[VincentX3]

I'm glad you enjoyed it. It's one of my favourites too.

Muv Luv is... probably not the best thing to start with if you want horror. It only gets into that halfway through, and by that point the harem romance will probably have put you off.

Kara No Shoujo is a horror mystery, casting you as a private detective caught up in a bizarre murder case. It only gets more terrifying from there. Great story, excellent ensemble of characters, the only downside from your point of view is that it's very easy to get a bad end. It's possible to screw up if you don't make the right choices. But that's half the fun, you don't know what will happen next. It's available on mangagamer.com for a good price.

Tsukihime is also worth looking up.

Hmmm... Yea..
I mean I don't mind romance, as long as it's not half the story and only romance, Saya No Uta did a fine job of giving romance in small doses ^^

I'll check out "Kara No shoujo" then It sounds like just my thing.
Tsukihime Is another I haven't heard of, I'll probably look it up.

 

[springheeljack]

I would recommind that you play G-senjou no Maou
It has all the things that you are looking for
a deep and complex story interesting characters

 

[The Wykydtron]

Ummmm Corpse Party I guess. It's a pretty awesome well written horror story with some great characters and amazingly gruesome Wrong Ends (if you're into that kind of thing.)

Putting the obvious stuff aside I think the few scenes with Morishige were more heartbreaking than all the other stuff combined.

Cry recently LP'd it and it was awesome. The True Ending makes me cry still T-T

I guess if you know how to emulate it you could play it. Maybe it actually was popular to come out in the West? I think it was a PSP game. Anyway, it was a super LP and Cry is still an amazing editor. He puts so much effort into his videos it's silly. Love how he manages to hit practically every Wrong End possible before he finished the game. Think he may have missed one in Chaper One though. His juking skills honed by Ao Oni have trained him well.

 

[ScrabbitRabbit]

I loved Saya No Uta as well, but does anyone know of any visual novels (preferably horror) that use a more painterly art style rather than an anime one? I have nothing against anime art, I just feel that a dark, painted art style would fit a good horror VN like a glove.

 

[VincentX3]

Ummmm Corpse Party I guess. It's a pretty awesome well written horror story with some great characters and amazingly gruesome Wrong Ends (if you're into that kind of thing.)

Putting the obvious stuff aside I think the few scenes with Morishige were more heartbreaking than all the other stuff combined.

Cry recently LP'd it and it was awesome. The True Ending makes me cry still T-T

I guess if you know how to emulate it you could play it. Maybe it actually was popular to come out in the West? I think it was a PSP game. Anyway, it was a super LP and Cry is still an amazing editor. He puts so much effort into his videos it's silly. Love how he manages to hit practically every Wrong End possible before he finished the game. Think he may have missed one in Chaper One though. His juking skills honed by Ao Oni have trained him well.

I'll probably watch it tomorrow since It's 3AM here, busy watching Muv-Luv Alternative: Total Eclipse
Not sure if I should play the games before watching the anime but ah well..

 

[MammothBlade]

Ummmm Corpse Party I guess. It's a pretty awesome well written horror story with some great characters and amazingly gruesome Wrong Ends (if you're into that kind of thing.)

Putting the obvious stuff aside I think the few scenes with Morishige were more heartbreaking than all the other stuff combined.

Cry recently LP'd it and it was awesome. The True Ending makes me cry still T-T

I guess if you know how to emulate it you could play it. Maybe it actually was popular to come out in the West? I think it was a PSP game. Anyway, it was a super LP and Cry is still an amazing editor. He puts so much effort into his videos it's silly. Love how he manages to hit practically every Wrong End possible before he finished the game. Think he may have missed one in Chaper One though. His juking skills honed by Ao Oni have trained him well.

Seconding Corpse Party. It's very different to most visual novels - it's based on an 2D RPG format - but it's essentially all about the story, with some puzzles.

 

[Flight]

I'm just going to third Corpse Party. The story is amazing, the atmosphere is creepy, and many cliché character tropes are deconstructed very nicely. The bad ends tend to be just as engrossing as the proper chapter endings are. The sequel to Corpse Party, Book of Shadows, is also quite good.

 

[ChupathingyX]

I'll probably watch it tomorrow since It's 3AM here, busy watching Muv-Luv Alternative: Total Eclipse
Not sure if I should play the games before watching the anime but ah well..

You really shouldn't have.

ML Unlimited and Alternative do a much better job at introducing the universe and explaining important things.

Fortunately for you the anime so far hasn't featured any spoilers for MLU/A despite being a prequel. Also, I should warn you that the first ML VN, Extra, has the tendency to turn people off due to having a completely different tone and atmosphere to MLU/A. And even once you get to Alternative it isn't a horror, it's more like Starship Troppers but with more mechs and talking.

 

[Denamic]

Saya no Uta is sick, disgusting, fucking weird, and utterly amazing.
The entire game (no interest in arguing the definition of 'game') is... an experience. Aside from that, I haven't really played any horror-themed VNs.

The closest thing would be Swan Song, though rather than being scary or creepy, it's extremely unsettling as it delves deep, VERY DEEP, into human depravity and evil. It takes place in a small town beset by an earthquake that's apocalyptic in scale. For some reason, nothing is heard from the rest of the world, and no rescue is mounted, so the setting is essentially post-apocalyptic. The fact that there's continuous snowfall, far more than would have fallen in total over the course of years, doesn't help the situation either. It follows a small cast of more or less normal young adults as they try to survive while retaining their sanity to varying degrees of success. This game will make you feel physically sick, not because of disturbing imagery, but because you're drawn into the characters and their situation. When you think the situation couldn't get any worse, it gets fucking worse. Then it get more worse. Followed by worser still.

Play Swan Song.
If you don't feel anything, you're not human.

 

[VincentX3]

Saya no Uta is sick, disgusting, fucking weird, and utterly amazing.
The entire game (no interest in arguing the definition of 'game') is... an experience. Aside from that, I haven't really played any horror-themed VNs.

The closest thing would be Swan Song, though rather than being scary or creepy, it's extremely unsettling as it delves deep, VERY DEEP, into human depravity and evil. It takes place in a small town beset by an earthquake that's apocalyptic in scale. For some reason, nothing is heard from the rest of the world, and no rescue is mounted, so the setting is essentially post-apocalyptic. The fact that there's continuous snowfall, far more than would have fallen in total over the course of years, doesn't help the situation either. It follows a small cast of more or less normal young adults as they try to survive while retaining their sanity to varying degrees of success. This game will make you feel physically sick, not because of disturbing imagery, but because you're drawn into the characters and their situation. When you think the situation couldn't get any worse, it gets fucking worse. Then it get more worse. Followed by worser still.

Play Swan Song.
If you don't feel anything, you're not human.

Sounds amazing and just the type of thing I'm looking for
Not sure what I'll try first, Corpse Party, Swan Song, Muv-Luv?

The anime of Muv-Luv is pretty good so far (I'm at ep10 at the moment) the romance isn't that bad, so If the game is moreless the same I could get over it.

 

[springheeljack]

I loved Saya No Uta as well, but does anyone know of any visual novels (preferably horror) that use a more painterly art style rather than an anime one? I have nothing against anime art, I just feel that a dark, painted art style would fit a good horror VN like a glove.

Again Kara no Shoujo is just the game for you it has a very beautiful art style that can be excruciatingly grim
Also a developer called Liarsoft has released several games with some really unique artwork

 

[StormShaun]

Aww God I remember that VN all too well. I may be the lover of innocent visual novels like Clannad or Little Busters but I didn't mind this one. Sure it was dark as hell but it gave me a satisfying ending. It was dark, mysterious and plenty of horror.

It really reminded me of Swan Song which is also dark but set in a post apocalyptic world. That one was scary as well.

... Yeah I'm bad with horror unless I watch someone else play it like Cry with Corpse Party. (Good times)

G-senjou no Maou was awesome, a really great visual novel. Really love the music in that one.
Muv Luv is a great series to get stuck into.

But my choices lay with Clannad and Little Busters. Those visual novels spent so much of my time that I didn't know until I finished them.

 

[Black Reaper]

I'm not in much of a position to give you advice on visual novels(since i have a fucking mac),but you could try another Nitroplus game,or try the Heaven's feel route in Fate/Stay Night,which is pretty creepy at times,and radiates badassness and moral ambiguity

On another note,Fate/Stay Night is a pretty good VN,even if you have to finish the Fate route(which is ok),to move onto the other,much more interesting routes

 

[VincentX3]

Aww God I remember that VN all too well. I may be the lover of innocent visual novels like Clannad or Little Busters but I didn't mind this one. Sure it was dark as hell but it gave me a satisfying ending. It was dark, mysterious and plenty of horror.

It really reminded me of Swan Song which is also dark but set in a post apocalyptic world. That one was scary as well.

... Yeah I'm bad with horror unless I watch someone else play it like Cry with Corpse Party. (Good times)

G-senjou no Maou was awesome, a really great visual novel. Really love the music in that one.
Muv Luv is a great series to get stuck into.

But my choices lay with Clannad and Little Busters. Those visual novels spent so much of my time that I didn't know until I finished them.

But D: I already saw the anime of Clannad and After story
....So many man tears

Unless there's a PC version, can't play Corpse Party, So I'll just watch the let's play.
Swan Song is also high on my list to play

 

[TilMorrow]

Ummmm Corpse Party I guess. It's a pretty awesome well written horror story with some great characters and amazingly gruesome Wrong Ends (if you're into that kind of thing.)

Putting the obvious stuff aside I think the few scenes with Morishige were more heartbreaking than all the other stuff combined.

Cry recently LP'd it and it was awesome. The True Ending makes me cry still T-T

I guess if you know how to emulate it you could play it. Maybe it actually was popular to come out in the West? I think it was a PSP game. Anyway, it was a super LP and Cry is still an amazing editor. He puts so much effort into his videos it's silly. Love how he manages to hit practically every Wrong End possible before he finished the game. Think he may have missed one in Chaper One though. His juking skills honed by Ao Oni have trained him well.

[insert relevant number here]th this game as well. Great horror story. I already watched someone else apart from Cry play through it but after seeing his LP of Desert Nightmare and Schuld, I'm thinking of watching it all over again. Oh and it was a PSP game the one he played.

Unless there's a PC version, can't play Corpse Party, So I'll just watch the let's play.

Well there are multiple Corpse Party games actually, one that seems particularly old and not as scary or good as the one that Cry played. But if you want to play Corpse Party on the PC you could do what Cry did or alternatively get it off the PSN network. I saw it being sold there for PSP.

 

[Gigano]

Well, as far as I'm concerned, Saya no Uta's the best visual novel in existence, so I can't really recommend anything on par with it. Though there are others which are still excellent, I'll add my recommendation [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.301706-Visual-Novel-review-Swan-Song] for Swan Song, and the developers previous game Cross+Channel [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.266586-Deskimus-Prime-Dives-into-Cross-Channel]. Or any of the Nitro+ titles except Demonbane, though none are comparable to Saya when it comes to artistic and literary merit.

 

[VincentX3]

Well, as far as I'm concerned, Saya no Uta's the best visual novel in existence, so I can't really recommend anything on par with it. Though there are others which are excellent, I'll add my recommendation [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.301706-Visual-Novel-review-Swan-Song] for Swan Song, and the developers previous game Cross+Channel [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.266586-Deskimus-Prime-Dives-into-Cross-Channel]. Or any other Nitro+ title except Demonbane, though none are comparable to Saya when it comes to artistic and literary merit.

Well that's a shame D:
I mean, I thought the're were more obscure horror visual novels like Saya No Uta.

I'm currently watching Cry's lets plays of Corpse Party! Really great so far