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Decline Visual Novel Recomendation Thread

Jasede

Arcane
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24,793
Insert Title Here RPG Wokedex Codex Year of the Donut I'm very into cock and ball torture
That's fair. Don't take it as criticism in any way. They're just not for me but that doesn't make your taste or preference less valid.

I'm curious though, what do you get out of it? I've read people like them because it makes them feel closer to the characters or helps flesh them out. But personally I think you can do that with far less text and fewer events.
 

Lucumo

Educated
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May 9, 2021
Messages
915
But I need to reiterate, I wish every VN was just Saya no Uta. Short, to the point, no wasted scenes. I'm too old to care about spending time with "cute girls" and experiencing "slice of life" scenes. I don't care about that. I just don't care.
Eh, that makes no sense. There are enough VNs to go around, so there is generally enough for everyone. (Of course, there is tons of SoL stuff but even more fetish nonsense which I personally dislike.)
 

Jasede

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Insert Title Here RPG Wokedex Codex Year of the Donut I'm very into cock and ball torture
No, it's that often even the horror or sci-fi ones add a lot of SoL, is what I mean. It's like they're paid by word count!

See, the idea is that by juxtaposing SoL or social scenes, the horror or mystery hits harder, and this formula is quite common. I think it's called KEY? Because it's so common, I don't know many VNs that don't follow it.
 
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Lucumo

Educated
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May 9, 2021
Messages
915
No, it's that often even the horror or sci-fi ones add a lot of SoL, is what I mean. It's like they're paid by word count!
But...they are (or often are).

As for those specific genres...it depends on the type of company, I guess.
 

Sarathiour

Cipher
Joined
Jun 7, 2020
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No, it's that often even the horror or sci-fi ones add a lot of SoL, is what I mean. It's like they're paid by word count!

See, the idea is that by juxtaposing SoL or social scenes, the horror or mystery hits harder, and this formula is quite common. I think it's called KEY? Because it's so common, I don't know many VNs that don't follow it.
I mean, that's the basic of basic as far as writing is concerned. Give breathing room between high intensity time and use it to develop the setting and the characters, and capitalize on the heavy contrast when something fantastic/horrific happened.
 

Jasede

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Insert Title Here RPG Wokedex Codex Year of the Donut I'm very into cock and ball torture
That's not correct. I mean, obviously there's rising and falling tension, but I've noticed that in many of these games, 90% of the content could be cut out. I suppose this is because Japanese is a very contextual language, or maybe the Nips just really love uninteresting everyday scenarios so they can relive their childhood.
 

InD_ImaginE

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Pathfinder: Wrath
I'm curious though, what do you get out of it? I've read people like them because it makes them feel closer to the characters or helps flesh them out. But personally I think you can do that with far less text and fewer events.

Hmm not completely sure either. You can arguably say that it is just genre convention, but even before reading VN, when I was only reading manga/watch anime I've always enjoyed those omake or "beach/hotspring/winter" episode stuff where nothing basically happens in the plot and is just the cast hanging out. I guess you can say helping fleshing them out is one, but I just really enjoy the chill downtime of everyday life in these media. That it serve no plot whatsoever or not even developing character is kinda the point. It's just characters that I like, chilling around.

That being said for certain VN like Higurashi, etc, especially those that is handling the contrast of the "plot" vs daily life, these sections are actually serving as narrative tools. These games would be poorer without it as the heavy mood whiplash, starting small and getting bigger is the point.
 

Jasede

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Insert Title Here RPG Wokedex Codex Year of the Donut I'm very into cock and ball torture
Thank you for not taking offense and your response. I agree that they serve a purpose in things like Higurashi. And it was cool to see your perspective on it. As you can probably guess I'm your opposite and just skip the beach / onsen / matsuri episodes.
 
Joined
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I played Utawarerumono because I wanted a story about war in feudal fantasy Japan. The rampant SoL scenes spread across that 180 hour long trilogy wasted my time. I could stand one or two but then they kept coming. I played Aselia: the Spirit of Eternity Sword because I was promised a gritty fantasy war story where you get to conquer other nations. And then I get stuck in dozens of hours of slice of life scenes. If I wanted SoL, I would watch a specifically SoL show. If I am playing a game about war (or anything that isn't SoL), don't waste my time with SoL scenes.
 

Lucumo

Educated
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May 9, 2021
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Why did you play anything past the first (original) Utawarerumono in the first place? It's your own fault.
 
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Why did you play anything past the first (original) Utawarerumono in the first place?

I was told that the duology was really good, and I did like certain parts of the first game (the grounded intro arc, and then the war with the bunny empress, also the red goo reveal) so I was hoping that the duology would be worth it.
 

catfood

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Captur-de-ecran-din-2023-01-25-17-44-54.png
 

Elttharion

Learned
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Jan 10, 2023
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I just started reading Senren Banka, only a couple hours into the game and its pretty fun so far.

Also gotta love these settings.

settings.png


:shredder:

lol.png
 

Nostaljaded

Augur
Joined
Jun 4, 2015
Messages
380
The 12 Legendary VNs [12神器]

It has been on the Chinese net for quite some years regarding Jap Adult VNs.

地狱深渊 Hell in Abyss - *Okinawa Slave Island
You play the role of a man who is shipped off to Okinawa by his boss and takes advantage of the remoteness of one of the islands of Okinawa and builds a slave island, capturing men and chaining them up for his pleasure.


堕落震荡 Degenerate Shock - Sister Training Diary / Imouto Choukyou Nikki ~Konna Tsundere ga Ore no Imouto na Wakenai!~
Protagonist is an otaku who likes to play 'training' adult games. One day, he was confessed to by his younger sister's friend. In order to prevent him from dating her friend, his tsundere sister proposes that he can train her if he doesn't date her friend.

And so the life of training his sister begins.


伪娘枷锁 Cross-dress Shackles - *Tomgirls of the Mountains / Josou Sanmyaku
Following a string of heartbreaks, Ikuto Watarai decides to go into the mountains to clear his head and dump women for good.
He loses his way and wakes up finding himself in a small, aging village that the world has all but forgotten. His saviors are three girls and they are calling him their destined "messenger" who is to revitalize their village by giving birth to a new generation.

There's just one catch – these girls have a secret under their skirts...


圣启示录 Sacred Revelation - *Wonderful Everyday / Subarashiki Hibi ~Furenzoku Sonzai~
The story follows a group of several Tokyo high school students mostly through July of 2012 and each chapter is told from the perspective of one of its five main characters.

Because of the same timeframe coverage, certain events are overlapping from chapter to chapter but at the core of it all is a mystery revolving around the prophecy about the end of the world on July the 20th as well as the events that are following before the said date.


血池轮回 Bloodbath Reincarnation - *3days ~Till Death Do Us Apart~ / 3days ~Michiteyuku Toki no Kanata de~
The game revolves around the main character's 3 days repeating over and over again, where he is constantly being killed in the third day of the story (in various ways) but magically being brought back to life in the first day to repeat his 3 days. Your goal here is to solve the mystery behind the death of your senpai and also to find the identity of the murderer.


末日伪装 Apocalyptic Pretense - TV no Kieta Hi / Terebi no Kieta Hi
A comet of unprecedented proportions appeared in our Solar System. As it drew closer to Earth, it interrupted radio waves worldwide. That day was nicknamed "The Day Television Disappeared".
The day the world lost its signal, our protagonist, Mimasaka Shingo, lost his parents. At the heart of this incident is his father's former boss, Hosaka Kenichi, on whom our protagonist has sworn revenge.

Twelve years later, Shingo meets Hosaka Nanami, a high-school student. Forlorn memories connect and bind, cementing the truth. Hosaka Nanami is... Hosaka Kenichi's daughter.
Shingo thus decided to make her life a living hell. Perhaps, when his loved ones are ripped and ground to pieces, that man might know the misery he once taught others.


绝望爱恋 Desperate Love - *The Song of Saya / Saya no Uta
Fuminori Sakisaka had life-threatening injuries in an accident. He was rescued by experimental brain surgery that coincidentally altered his perception of the world dramatically, composing of slimy intestines and gore to him.

His desire to live dwindles. While he contemplates suicide, Saya appears before him. Compared to the horrible surroundings, she looks completely normal, if not downright gorgeous. Fuminori soon falls in love with Saya, and she becomes his raison d'être. And so, he sets off to find Saya...


次元囚笼 The Other Dimension Cage - *YOU and ME and HER: A Love Story / Kimi to Kanojo to Kanojo no Koi.
Shinichi wants nothing more than to lead a quiet life. Though he was once close friends with Miyuki, the most popular girl in school, his desire for normalcy now keeps them from being anything more than classmates.
However everything changes, when the class oddball, Aoi, intersects into their lives. With Shinichi wanting to help this friendless classmate, he enlists Miyuki's aid and, and thus, a trio is born.

Little by little, Aoi learns what it means to be friends. But at the same time, long-dormant feelings awaken in Miyuki's heart. As the distance between her and Shinichi shrinks, the hard-earned bonds the three share begin to fray.
Miyuki or Aoi-when the time comes, who will Shinichi choose?


百合猎杀 GirlxGirl Romance & Stalking - Who killed the Cock Robin? / Dare ga Koroshita Komadori o
Kotori is a reserved schoolgirl and is pretty much uninterested with anything around her. Weighed down by anxieties and insecurities caused by her home environment, she grows up unsociable, akin to being confined inside a shell.
Ran is an outgoing nurse-teacher; she lives her life like most other adults do. Kotori caught her attention and helps her in her own way.
Kakeru is Kotori's nerdy stalker who has tirelessly bore his unrequited love for a long time. He is persistent enough to approach her no matter how many times he is shot down.

This is their story, the story of these three individuals, the story of their intertwining fate told from each of their perspectives.


寝取舞会 NTR Dance Party - Biniku no Kaori ~Netori Netorare Yari Yarare~ / 媚肉の香り~ネトリネトラレヤリヤラレ~
Takuya is a university student. He plans to earn money so that he can go traveling with his girlfriend, Yuki. He starts working as a live-in home tutor at Otoha's house.
One day, he finds a hole in the wall. He looks into it and sees Kaori, Otoha's mother, doing her hair. It seems to be Otoha's parents' bedroom. Who made this hole? What for?


纯爱酷刑 Love Tribulation - Dark Blue
"I'll save you right away!" I try to open the door, but I can't.... I try again, but nothing happens....
"Do I need a key to open this door?" But I don't have enough time to look for it. I can't open it.... I can't open.... I can't....
"Noooooooooooooo!!" I hear your scream from inside.... I can do nothing.... You'll never come back... never....


虚拟终点 Fictitious End - *euphoria
When Takatou Keisuke came to, he found himself in a white room that he didn't recognize... He was locked in a white, closed room with six other women. All of them were confused by this abnormal situation when a "mysterious voice" suddenly announced to them:
"The game will now begin."
Keisuke must become an "Unlocker" and select one of the women as a "Keyhole," then perform a specified act with her to "open the lock" so that they can all escape from the white rooms.

Will Keisuke be able to escape unharmed and return to his everyday life? Or will his very desires consume him...?

-------
*English translation available (as indicated on VNDB).
The 4-char Chinese literal translations may not be representative for some VNs as I've only completed 1.

These VNs are more for those with niche/heavy taste in Adult VNs.
Only upon reaching their True End (if there is), can one (subjectively) determines whether a particular VN is worthy of such a label; skip text if some scenes are simply too overwhelming.

The list also has 'the 12 Demonic VNs' which cater to even more niche palates/ordeals.
Probably collated later to make an equal-number pairing (due to their very uneven quality and some are not Chinese-translated), the 12 Demonic VNs are intentionally wholly-omitted here.

Worth a mention that the 12 Legendary VNs are all pre-2014 works, so less likely to be blindsided by the fresh &/or shiny.
This could serve as a reference list for non-mainstream Jap Adult VNs.


Edit:
The above-mentioned titles do not mean they are all great adult VNs.

What's common is they all contain some elements that may make newcomers uncomfortable/to deter them from wadding deeper into adult VNs:
The 12 Legendary VNs transcend ethics boundary, while the 12 Demonic VNs transcend species boundary.
 
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Morenatsu.

Liturgist
Joined
May 6, 2016
Messages
2,842
Location
The Centre of the World
My biggest problem with VNs is the endless slice of life garbage they cram into them, or sex scenes added only because the publisher (correctly) reasoned that they would sell more that way.

I'm currently reading Higurashi and just began chapter 2. Just like Umineko (which is incredible) it has endless exposition and filler - but because of the unsettling mood and the way the writer drops hints about the mystery even in the most mundane scenes it's still engaging.

After that I'll give SubaHibi and Fata Morgana a try.

But I need to reiterate, I wish every VN was just Saya no Uta. Short, to the point, no wasted scenes. I'm too old to care about spending time with "cute girls" and experiencing "slice of life" scenes. I don't care about that. I just don't care.
wah wah vns too long, too much sex, i hate waifus just like i hate mai laifu!! how about instead being too old to care about your time being wasted, like me. you need reeducation (in the morenatsu rape shed)
 

Sarathiour

Cipher
Joined
Jun 7, 2020
Messages
3,276
I've finished full metal daemon murasama lately, and found it pretty edgy, especially the uncensored version.

Posting it on this page to admit how outflexed I am by the two first post.
 
Joined
Oct 9, 2015
Messages
2,095
Location
DFW, Texas
My biggest problem with VNs is the endless slice of life garbage they cram into them, or sex scenes added only because the publisher (correctly) reasoned that they would sell more that way.

I'm currently reading Higurashi and just began chapter 2. Just like Umineko (which is incredible) it has endless exposition and filler - but because of the unsettling mood and the way the writer drops hints about the mystery even in the most mundane scenes it's still engaging.

After that I'll give SubaHibi and Fata Morgana a try.

But I need to reiterate, I wish every VN was just Saya no Uta. Short, to the point, no wasted scenes. I'm too old to care about spending time with "cute girls" and experiencing "slice of life" scenes. I don't care about that. I just don't care.
wah wah vns too long, too much sex, i hate waifus just like i hate mai laifu!! how about instead being too old to care about your time being wasted, like me. you need reeducation (in the morenatsu rape shed)
Brevity is the soul of wit. Also any elements of a story that only become interesting when the viewer projects his pathetic existence into one of the characters are cancer and should be rewritten so that they can stand on their own.
 

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