ooe
japan, 1955. 10 men are invited by an unknown host to an uninhabited island, for a ceremony marking the 3rd anniversary of a young actress's death. one of the men sends oosaki, a young detective, to the island in his stead. i am serious when i say ooe is one of if not the Best in the blvn space. revel in the intrigue and perverse pleasure of being deceived by the people you trust the most!
9 hours 9 persons 9 doors
9 people wake up on a replica of the titanic that will sink in 9 hours. you can guess the number of doors they have to get through via solving escape rooms. but why are they there? who brought them there? and who is the protagonist, junpei, really? expands on what the visual novel format can do, how it can make you feel, and how you interact with the objects through which you play games.
the house in fata morgana
absolutely peak gothic fiction. exquisite visuals. haunting music. a fantastic structure. i don't think a game has ever made me cry this much. play it without knowing much about it. people think it's the best visual novel out there and i don't know how i would disagree with them.
disco elysium
come onnnnnn it's fucking disco man you the person reading this know what it's about and what people think about it
misericorde
episodic murder mystery glvn set in 1400s england -- a sister at the convent linbarrow abbey is dead. the only impartial figure able to investigate is anchoress hedwig, who must leave her cell for the first time in god knows how long to catch the killer. she's terrible at this, a lot of the women around her are equally terrible, it's a wonderful time.
paranormasight: the mermaid's curse
hilarious when it needs to be, emotional when it needs to be, tmc offers a sprawling mystery with a narrow enough scope that ends up feeling quite intimate. meta horror, horror-horror, ridiculous coming-of-age antics, poignant love stories, living forever... what can't paranormasight do?
koshotengai no hashihime
dogra magra-esque time loop taisho era yaoi kinetic vn. its five routes are of varying quality, but hashihime's highs reach pretty high. rōnin tamamori wants to become a famous author, regularly hallucinates, and loves busty women in their late 40s. from the developer of ooe, hashihime delivers an incredibly moving story about some of the worst dudes to ever do it.
persona 2 duology
games about developing adulthood that were essential to me as a teenager. the gameplay is literally fun and anyone who says otherwise is wrong! no one can appreciate a dungeon crawler these days... amazing character designs and really beautiful art with a wonderful soundtrack to boot. growing up is tough, but so is being a kid. let's kill our evil parents about it.
slow damage
did you know that part of this BL visual novel was developed in unreal engine 4? isn't that insane? pretty standard n+c fare except when it isn't. above and beyond visual presentation. really awesome gameplay mechanics. fantastic ensemble cast. i cried multiple times. the english localization is quite good when you don't have someone in your ear complaining about it.
hatoful boyfriend
if anyone ever calls hatoful a satire or a parody you can disregard their opinions on literally every other topic ever. this bird shit is serious from this game's first minute. you're a human girl in bird world going to bird school. win over the birds of your choosing (my favorite will always be nageki).
ai: the somnium files
neo-noir sci-fi crime thriller where you're stuck with the thoughts of a porn magazine-addicted middle aged loser. explore inside people's dreams to solve the mystery behind a mysterious string of murders, where all the victims are found missing one of their eyes. and then play the sequel too, it's not as bad as people say it is.
the great ace attorney chronicles
ryuunosuke naruhodo navigates life and defends his clients as a japanese lawyer in victorian england. the time-tested ace attorney format is at its best with tgaa's additions. the mysteries are great. the characters are great. the visual and musical storytelling are some of the best, point blank period ever. herlock sholmes is there.