Decline Visual Novel Recomendation Thread

[Elttharion]

Also released on Kagura and Mangagamer. IIRC it was only on Johren for a while and they released it on Denpa last month.

 

[HoboForEternity]

I highly recommend both Spirit Hunter: Death Mark and NG(best played in that order). They have this extremely unique artstyle that really lends it self to the creepy atmosphere they are going for and on top of that they are very creative with the narrative and ghost designs. They are quite literary a league of their own and really the only serious downside is that they are technically part of a trilogy that has yet to conclude.

I got spirit hunter death mark for cheap few years ago and finally got to play it.

Honeslt i have always want this kind of horror games like this since i watched the anime "ghost story" years ago. It was normally dubbed in my country, unlike the wack american dub, but basically investigating and solving puzzles to exorcise ghosts in a certain ways to find who and how they came to be.

The puzzles can be trial and error sometimes but you absolutely are rewarded with tenacity and dilligence in investigating. The translation is a bit wonky sometimes but the story and characters are fun.

 

[catfood]

 

[KafkaBot]

How good is Koikari? I almost bought it on JAST a while ago, but reviews for it are all over the place and most slice of life VNs tend to bore me to tears.

Won't lie, though, those screenshots of yours are making me want to open my wallet.

 

[catfood]

How good is Koikari? I almost bought it on JAST a while ago, but reviews for it are all over the place and most slice of life VNs tend to bore me to tears.

Won't lie, though, those screenshots of yours are making me want to open my wallet.

It's a moege. If you don't like them then this one won't change your opinion about them. I like them a lot because they are very relaxing.

 

[KafkaBot]

How good is Koikari? I almost bought it on JAST a while ago, but reviews for it are all over the place and most slice of life VNs tend to bore me to tears.

Won't lie, though, those screenshots of yours are making me want to open my wallet.

It's a moege. If you don't like them then this one won't change your opinion about them. I like them a lot because they are very relaxing.

I do like some of them. Sanoba Witch entertained me from beginning to end thanks to its competent writing, even though I could only enjoy it when I was in the right mood (as in, I wanted to relax and turn my brain off for a while).

Moeges that are solely about providing fluff and nothing else bore me, though. This one seems to be on the funnier end, however, which is why I'm considering it. Would you say the game is worth it for its comedy?

 

[catfood]

How good is Koikari? I almost bought it on JAST a while ago, but reviews for it are all over the place and most slice of life VNs tend to bore me to tears.

Won't lie, though, those screenshots of yours are making me want to open my wallet.

It's a moege. If you don't like them then this one won't change your opinion about them. I like them a lot because they are very relaxing.

I do like some of them. Sanoba Witch entertained me from beginning to end thanks to its competent writing, even though I could only enjoy it when I was in the right mood (as in, I wanted to relax and turn my brain off for a while).

Moeges that are solely about providing fluff and nothing else bore me, though. This one seems to be on the funnier end, however, which is why I'm considering it. Would you say the game is worth it for its comedy?

I haven't finished this one yet so I can't grade it just yet. I have only just finished the common route and started one of the girl's route. I would say that the one thing this VN does well is that you have a money grubbing tsundere-ish protagonist, hence the girls are usually the butt end of the jokes. Comedy is very subjective and you will probably agree that japanese comedy is sometimes very difficult to get across to a western audience. The game does have some funny moments though so I'd say it's worth it.

However if you are looking for a comedy VN specifically then I recommend Sankaku Renai also made by the same studio. That one is a bit more generic but the comedy was always on point, partly due to the very loose translation, though without too much current year cringe (I think there was once a joke about impeachment or something but that was about it). It's one of those cases where not sticking to a literal translation actually helped the end product.

 

[KafkaBot]

Thanks!

I would say that the one thing this VN does well is that you have a money grubbing tsundere-ish protagonist, hence the girls are usually the butt end of the jokes. Comedy is very subjective and you will probably agree that japanese comedy is sometimes very difficult to get across to a western audience.

Definitely. I tend to jive well with japanese humor, but it does sometimes become a bit formulaic for my tastes (especially with how overused Manzai dynamics tend to be). That said, the protagonist being a money grubber seems incredibly refreshing. Guess I'll pirate the thing so I can try it out in lieu of a demo; if I enjoy it, into my JAST account it goes.

 

[HoboForEternity]

I kinda traumatized my wife when fighting hanayome lol

chapter 3 spoiler

 

[Arthandas]

Is that the photo of your traumatized wife?

 

[Elttharion]

Today, or yesterday depending on your timezone, was Clannad's 20th Anniversary. Incidentally I decided to reread the novel for the first time in almost a decade, its still my favorite key work and a pretty easy recommendation. Go read it if you havent and if you want an emotional coming of age story.

 

[Val the Moofia Boss]

 

[catfood]

Today, or yesterday depending on your timezone, was Clannad's 20th Anniversary. Incidentally I decided to reread the novel for the first time in almost a decade, its still my favorite key work and a pretty easy recommendation. Go read it if you havent and if you want an emotional coming of age story.

Is it better than the anime? Cuz the anime was ass.

 

[catfood]

I really like this remix

 

[Lucumo]

Today, or yesterday depending on your timezone, was Clannad's 20th Anniversary. Incidentally I decided to reread the novel for the first time in almost a decade, its still my favorite key work and a pretty easy recommendation. Go read it if you havent and if you want an emotional coming of age story.

Is it better than the anime? Cuz the anime was ass.

Watched it (not the sequel though) like ten years ago and rated it 6/10. So, I don't think it was "ass" but "ok". Haven't played the game (only Kanon and Air), so I can't compare. IIRC, I remember reading about "Key magic" and them adding bs, so there can be happy endings. Needless to say, I'm not a fan of that and prefer it being more realistic.

 

[catfood]

Today, or yesterday depending on your timezone, was Clannad's 20th Anniversary. Incidentally I decided to reread the novel for the first time in almost a decade, its still my favorite key work and a pretty easy recommendation. Go read it if you havent and if you want an emotional coming of age story.

Is it better than the anime? Cuz the anime was ass.

Watched it (not the sequel though) like ten years ago and rated it 6/10. So, I don't think it was "ass" but "ok". Haven't played the game (only Kanon and Air), so I can't compare. IIRC, I remember reading about "Key magic" and them adding bs, so there can be happy endings. Needless to say, I'm not a fan of that and prefer it being more realistic.

I watched Kanon 2006 and found it alright. In fact the I loved the first 10 episodes. I read Air and it was ok, the middle chapter was by far the best, but otherwise it was quite average. The Clannad anime was very boring even by slice of life standards. After Story started bad with the gang war arc, then got a little bit better with the MILF hunter arc, and then of course come the best episodes in the latter third where we get a lot of character development from the MC, only to have it all thrown out the window in the last few episodes because SIKE! it was all a dream man or whatever. Peak garbage writing. Maeda is the most overrated writer in the medium. His musical scores are always good though. I think these Key anime are mostly carried by their production values. If you take away the stellar audio-visuals you are left with some very mediocre stories.

 

[Tyrr]

Is it better than the anime? Cuz the anime was ass.

It's misery porn.
Some people like it, I don't.

 

[Lucumo]

Today, or yesterday depending on your timezone, was Clannad's 20th Anniversary. Incidentally I decided to reread the novel for the first time in almost a decade, its still my favorite key work and a pretty easy recommendation. Go read it if you havent and if you want an emotional coming of age story.

Is it better than the anime? Cuz the anime was ass.

Watched it (not the sequel though) like ten years ago and rated it 6/10. So, I don't think it was "ass" but "ok". Haven't played the game (only Kanon and Air), so I can't compare. IIRC, I remember reading about "Key magic" and them adding bs, so there can be happy endings. Needless to say, I'm not a fan of that and prefer it being more realistic.

I watched Kanon 2006 and found it alright. In fact the I loved the first 10 episodes. I read Air and it was ok, the middle chapter was by far the best, but otherwise it was quite average. The Clannad anime was very boring even by slice of life standards. After Story started bad with the gang war arc, then got a little bit better with the MILF hunter arc, and then of course come the best episodes in the latter third where we get a lot of character development from the MC, only to have it all thrown out the window in the last few episodes because SIKE! it was all a dream man or whatever. Peak garbage writing. Maeda is the most overrated writer in the medium. His musical scores are always good though. I think these Key anime are mostly carried by their production values. If you take away the stellar audio-visuals you are left with some very mediocre stories.

I watched Kanon (2002) and Air. Funnily enough, I rated Kanon higher and Air lower than Clannad. But I also watched them 15+ years ago.
As for the games, I own and played the original (limited edition) Kanon and I quite liked it, apart from two instances of what was later then apparently coined "Key magic". The very beginning is awesome and, having played it during winter, it adds quite a bit. The music is great too, as the game is intended to be played without voices, so they paid more attention to that. Air is....ok'ish. I'm not a fan of how the game is built/the structure. In Kanon you have one single narrative and the different routes all fit into that one. In Air, you have the three different routes, two of which strictly serve as background, then one separate piece and then another which ties in with the main (and really, only) heroine. Sure, it's all connected but it's also convoluted and goes out there. Basically, there is no strong direction...neither from the story, nor the setting, nor the main characters. In Kanon, the narrative is king and you, the player, can try to influence a heroine's story. And that may or may not work which is great. There is no such thing in Air.

Is it better than the anime? Cuz the anime was ass.

It's misery porn.
Some people like it, I don't.

Nothing wrong with misery every now and then. It's bs if it ends with "and they lived happily ever after" though. Something like that is perfectly fine for a fairytale but less so for a VN which is probably not aimed at children. Sure, a somewhat happy ending can be fine but "and then a miracle happened and then they were all happy" is awful. It should range from "and they all died" to "and they carved out their own little happiness in all these bad circumstances". It kinda reminds me of what I read, that Korean dramas always have someone getting cancer. It's some cheap plot bs. Having a miracle ending heavily cheapens the struggle and suffering in the story.

 

[Fargus]

Is it better than the anime? Cuz the anime was ass.

Clannad? Never seen the anime, but i don't watch anime at all. And i'm not that much of a VN connoisseur, but i've played a handful and enjoyed most of them. So i bought into all the bullshit screeching how this was the one of the greatest VNs ever made and best thing since sliced bread and "played" it a couple years ago. Even Steins Gate referenced this garbage in some dialogue as the best shit ever.

Uninstalled it after a few hours. It's boring, with crapton of shitty filler, nasty looking deer-eyed character sprites even compared to your average animu. And the main character, Pomoya or something, was as dislikeable as they come. Seriously you wouldn't wish such cringy, apathic retard to be your friend even if there are no people left alive on earth besides you and him.

 

[Arthandas]

Uninstalled it after a few hours. It's boring, with crapton of shitty filler, nasty looking deer-eyed character sprites even compared to your average animu. And the main character, Pomoya or something, was as dislikeable as they come. Seriously you wouldn't wish such cringy, apathic retard to be your friend even if there are no people left alive on earth besides you and him.

This.
I gave up after finishing the first route.

 

[Elttharion]

 

[catfood]

Today, or yesterday depending on your timezone, was Clannad's 20th Anniversary. Incidentally I decided to reread the novel for the first time in almost a decade, its still my favorite key work and a pretty easy recommendation. Go read it if you havent and if you want an emotional coming of age story.

Is it better than the anime? Cuz the anime was ass.

Watched it (not the sequel though) like ten years ago and rated it 6/10. So, I don't think it was "ass" but "ok". Haven't played the game (only Kanon and Air), so I can't compare. IIRC, I remember reading about "Key magic" and them adding bs, so there can be happy endings. Needless to say, I'm not a fan of that and prefer it being more realistic.

I watched Kanon 2006 and found it alright. In fact the I loved the first 10 episodes. I read Air and it was ok, the middle chapter was by far the best, but otherwise it was quite average. The Clannad anime was very boring even by slice of life standards. After Story started bad with the gang war arc, then got a little bit better with the MILF hunter arc, and then of course come the best episodes in the latter third where we get a lot of character development from the MC, only to have it all thrown out the window in the last few episodes because SIKE! it was all a dream man or whatever. Peak garbage writing. Maeda is the most overrated writer in the medium. His musical scores are always good though. I think these Key anime are mostly carried by their production values. If you take away the stellar audio-visuals you are left with some very mediocre stories.

I watched Kanon (2002) and Air. Funnily enough, I rated Kanon higher and Air lower than Clannad. But I also watched them 15+ years ago.
As for the games, I own and played the original (limited edition) Kanon and I quite liked it, apart from two instances of what was later then apparently coined "Key magic". The very beginning is awesome and, having played it during winter, it adds quite a bit. The music is great too, as the game is intended to be played without voices, so they paid more attention to that. Air is....ok'ish. I'm not a fan of how the game is built/the structure. In Kanon you have one single narrative and the different routes all fit into that one. In Air, you have the three different routes, two of which strictly serve as background, then one separate piece and then another which ties in with the main (and really, only) heroine. Sure, it's all connected but it's also convoluted and goes out there. Basically, there is no strong direction...neither from the story, nor the setting, nor the main characters. In Kanon, the narrative is king and you, the player, can try to influence a heroine's story. And that may or may not work which is great. There is no such thing in Air.

Is it better than the anime? Cuz the anime was ass.

It's misery porn.
Some people like it, I don't.

Nothing wrong with misery every now and then. It's bs if it ends with "and they lived happily ever after" though. Something like that is perfectly fine for a fairytale but less so for a VN which is probably not aimed at children. Sure, a somewhat happy ending can be fine but "and then a miracle happened and then they were all happy" is awful. It should range from "and they all died" to "and they carved out their own little happiness in all these bad circumstances". It kinda reminds me of what I read, that Korean dramas always have someone getting cancer. It's some cheap plot bs. Having a miracle ending heavily cheapens the struggle and suffering in the story.

I've only watched the anime so I can't comment on the VN, but Kanon 2006 is a masterpiece when it comes to the audio visuals. It simply owned its setting. There are very few works that manage to create a sense of place as well as it did. They nailed the sleepy mountain town atmosphere perfectly, and the bright blues during the day coupled with the hot oranges during the evening scenes painted a visual masterpiece. Of course the music just amplified the whole effect to another level.

The miracle ending was the one thing that pissed me off about the After Story anime. They built up all this character development for the MC and it was all for nothing when time was reset or whatever bullshit happened. I hate it when writers cop out like that and it's a trend that is unfortunately plaguing the anime world. I wish it would just die already.

Is it better than the anime? Cuz the anime was ass.

Clannad? Never seen the anime, but i don't watch anime at all. And i'm not that much of a VN connoisseur, but i've played a handful and enjoyed most of them. So i bought into all the bullshit screeching how this was the one of the greatest VNs ever made and best thing since sliced bread and "played" it a couple years ago. Even Steins Gate referenced this garbage in some dialogue as the best shit ever.

Uninstalled it after a few hours. It's boring, with crapton of shitty filler, nasty looking deer-eyed character sprites even compared to your average animu. And the main character, Pomoya or something, was as dislikeable as they come. Seriously you wouldn't wish such cringy, apathic retard to be your friend even if there are no people left alive on earth besides you and him.

Yeah, the MC in Clannad is utterly insufferable. I guess the author wanted to try something different from Kanon and Air since in those stories the MC is much better. They were very quippy and sarcastic and it's always fun to see him making fun of his waifus. Bad MC's are unfortunately very common in this medium.

 

[Kuruwin]

I didn't really care about the first season of Clannad either but After Story is great. The ending is bit of a letdown, but it doesn't ruin the whole show.

 

[Lucumo]

Is it better than the anime? Cuz the anime was ass.

Clannad? Never seen the anime, but i don't watch anime at all. And i'm not that much of a VN connoisseur, but i've played a handful and enjoyed most of them. So i bought into all the bullshit screeching how this was the one of the greatest VNs ever made and best thing since sliced bread and "played" it a couple years ago. Even Steins Gate referenced this garbage in some dialogue as the best shit ever.

Uninstalled it after a few hours. It's boring, with crapton of shitty filler, nasty looking deer-eyed character sprites even compared to your average animu. And the main character, Pomoya or something, was as dislikeable as they come. Seriously you wouldn't wish such cringy, apathic retard to be your friend even if there are no people left alive on earth besides you and him.

Yeah, the MC in Clannad is utterly insufferable. I guess the author wanted to try something different from Kanon and Air since in those stories the MC is much better. They were very quippy and sarcastic and it's always fun to see him making fun of his waifus. Bad MC's are unfortunately very common in this medium.

But isn't the MC in Air (the VN, don't remember the anime too clearly) basically the same? Highly apathetic and even downright mean. Gets bought a free drink, tries it and then empties it on the floor because he doesn't like the taste. Or, after freeloading for days, simply walking off because it's "time to move on".

 

[Elttharion]

Tomoyo after has a more 'realistic ending' as the MC dies and Tomoyo spends the rest of her life helping other people. They did add some endings that you can interpret as him surviving his surgery when they removed the h scenes in the all ages version IIRC. No key magic to resurrect him, tho its implied they meet again in the afterlife.