I'm definitely a bit of a newbie when it comes to VNs, but here're my thoughts:
- Doki Doki Literature Club - Great VN to start off with if you don't mind some horror. It's especially effective if you've played a number of VNs already
- YOU and ME and HER - Where DDLC is more suited for a general (western) audience, YOU and ME and HER leans more heavily into being a visual novel. It's a pretty good time.
- STEINS;GATE - The absolute masterpiece that everyone recommends, and is one of my all-time favourite sci-fi stories featuring time travel and the realistic ramifications of such an ability. If you've already watched the anime, there's lots of content it glossed over so as to find in a 25 episode series, such as the entirety of Chapter 7, and an optional section of Chapter 9.
- STEINS;GATE 0 - Sequel* (not actually a sequel, but takes place during the true end of STEINS;GATE) to STEINS;GATE, and is one I've been making my way through. It's also a great time, and explores some pretty unique ideas for its time.
- Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy - The classic DS game remastered to a PC release, its humour still holds up to this day, and it's a really nice balance of visual novel style text after text, and actual gameplay mechanics. I would encourage the use of a guide if you struggle in some court cases, as it's not always obvious what you need to be doing.
I’d add to the same vein as others in this list
- the Danganronpa series. I found it surprisingly good and I even went and watched the tv series that bridges the second and third games. The plot starts off the same way in each game where a group of kids find themselves kidnapped with no recollection of how they arrived in their current situation and are forced to kill each other to survive the situation as they scramble to uncover the truth before they’re killed. Each VN can be played as a stand alone entry but it’s far more enjoyable to play them successively because the overarching story connecting them is woven into each. There are no branching paths in this game but it’s straight up a good story.
- the Ai: The Somnium Files series does have a branching path structure and is designed to pickup very easily from any scene in the tree to come back and explore later. Indeed you are invited to explore the timelines Because you’ll be prevented from progressing too far in one timeline if you don’t know the relevant information you need to continue that is explored in another path. I haven’t played the sequel titled The Nirvana Initiative but it was recently on sale on steam for a pittance so I had to pick it up.
Somnium files was excellent, and the sequel was also good.
Both are titles I’m very interested in picking up. Looking forward to expanding my VN repertoire
Your list is really good!
DDLC is so good, its such a smart and interesting game.
YES. Doki Doki Literature Club is a must if you're not familiar with it and can handle horror.
You may have come across Long Live the Queen by Hanako Games. I... Kinda don't recommend it, actually. It's more princess maker than VN, but it's still in the same vein. And I just want an excuse to shill them because they do a lot of good stuff, and self-publish. I do strongly recommend Frozen Essence by Unbroken Hours. I also recommend Princess of Ruin though I've only played the demo so far; I have bought it, but haven't actually got into it. If you don't mind ero, there's the timeless classic Katawa Shoujo by Four Leaf Studios. You can disable the ero portion but it's the sort of game where it's mostly fitting. There will never be a sequel ;_; Rei is good but short, IIRC it was a gamejam project. Evidently a veteran jammer because it doesn't feel lacking anywhere. Aoishiro is fun but a pain in the ass because you specifically have to ignore the obvious plot hook in order to get a good end. Also a bit of a pain to track down. Unless you know how magnets work... Oh and of course the kinetic novel that's bullshit-tier hard, 07th Expansion's Umineko no Naku Koro Ni. Strongly recommend not using the PC sprites, which may be difficult depending on where you get a copy of it. Alternately getting voices may be difficult. In any case, one of these sites will probably come in handy: 1, 2, 3. You really should have voices for it. Umineko just isn't the same without Kinzo's BEEEEEEAAAAAAATOOORIIIIIIIIIIIIIIICHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
The big names have been mentioned so I’ll mention others.
Amnesia: Memories - This is actually the visual novel that got me into playing them (and playing with my wife). Weird spirit shenanigans cause the main character to experience amnesia. She has to navigate already being in a relationship without anyone catching on and try really hard not to die.
VA11 Hall-A - A cyberpunk bartending simulator. Make drinks, talk to all the regulars and learn about the world, try to pay your bills. It’s kinda like playing as the bartender side character in a sci-fi while the heroes of the story are involved in the big events going on.
Arcade Spirits - Go from unemployed to finding your happy place in life working in a retro arcade. This one is just nice and casual and filled with nostalgia.
Surprised that nobody mentioned yet The House In Fata Morgana. It's one of the highest rated VNs for a reason. Wonderful story, the art style is unique and the OST is just amazing.
I thought that new digimon one was pretty good. Admittedly it is the only VN I've played but if you're a fan of digimon I'd give it a go.
13 Sentinels for me. It's like a combo of VN with Tactical RPG. The mech battles can get super interesting. It's one of the few games I finished without bouncing back and forth to any other game. I totally focused on just this game.
