[Partially NSFW] VNs 101

TL;DR? Free game 1, Free game 2, read the thread if that got you interested.

Judging by the comments on my part in fotixcember,it looks like alot of people never hear of vns,or have a confused view about them. So,I decided to create a short thread about it. If you found this useful,give me a hug :)

Small wall of text incoming. Some spoilers included. I'm not a native english speaker so expect some errors here and there.
A visual novel,vn for short,is a type of game with a strong emphasis on plot. How strong varies by game,some include rpg elements like leveling up,some puzzle like,well,solving puzzles,and some games marketed as visual novels are in the purest form of plot - text. Classic visual novels,and the one I'll mainly talk about in this thread,usually feature spirit graphics with occasional cgs and video clips,and some soundtracks. If you haven't realised it by now,at core,a visual novel is essentially a book played on a pc(/ds/ps/whatever) with some additional elements. But why not just read a book?
Well,here we get to the most notable(imo) feature of visual novels: They're not just a book with a good plot. They are a book where you directly effect the plot. Remember when in fable you had to decide whatever you save your sister,or kill her and get the almighty big sword of epicness? Well,a visual novel is a story where you get to make choices like that,but instead of the only thing changing being some old dude's comment about you,your choices change the entire plot. Example: choosing how much of your character's free time goes to hanging out and how much to studying can later turn out to whatever your character gets developed as a lifeless nerd,a waiter at a local restaurant,or a drug-addict dropout. Choosing whatever you try to stop the bank rubbery can make you the hero of the day and give you some connections with the bank manager,or make your left hand nonfunctional.

If you read all that and you're still not sure whatever you like it or not,just give one a try - it can't hurt.

A small note - as most visual novels are made in japan,you can expect anime-like drawing style for the spirits. If the japanese voices annoy you,it's possible for most games to mute the voice acting(if exists) via the in-game menu. Sometimes there are sliders for individual voices,so you can make it so you'll only hear your character's voice or no one's. All games suggested here have a full,decent quality english translation.

Here's a list of my personal recommendations. I wrote the descriptions myself so sorry if they're a bit messy. Everything is playable on windows,and has a full english patch available. I tried to pick only those who can be fully played without knowing anything about japan or it's culture,and only those which play more-or-less like a traditional visual novel.

Free(links are to download page):

don't take it personally, babe, it just ain't your story - Popularity: ranked #200. Bayesian rating: ranked #2812 with a rating of 6.43. Length: 2 - 10 hours.
This vn is about how your first year as a teacher works out. Poke into your student's social life and build or destroy their relationships. ~40mb,win/mac/linux.

True rememberance - EGS Score: 75 out of 100. Popularity: ranked #48. Bayesian rating: ranked #65 with a rating of 7.95. Length: 2 - 10 hours.
Urban magical-realism setting. You're a doctor specializing in curing terminal cases of pandemic depression. You live in a closed city made only for doctors of your kind and patients of this specific disease. You'll get to know some interesting patients and learn a bit about yourself. This one has a very good plot,but has a fixed path(you make no choices). ~67mb,windows only.

Narcissu - EGS Score: 82 out of 100. Popularity: ranked #23 and #72. Bayesian rating: ranked #100 with a rating of 7.76 and #97 with a rating of 7.77. Length: 2 - 10 hours each.
I can't say much about this without spoiling. Downloading this comes with Narcissu 1 and Narcissu side 2nd. Narcissu 2nd is a prequel to the first,but it's recommended you read the first one before it. ~240mb,win/mac/linux. Fixed path(you get no choices). One of the best visual novels to be ever created imo. Greenlit in 31 days. For the first Narcissu,there are two version you can choose when playing: a voiced and an unvoiced version. There are 3 different english translations for the first narcissu and 2 for the second one.

Katawa Shoujo - EGS Score: 67 out of 100. Popularity: ranked #11. Bayesian rating: ranked #72 with a rating of 7.92. Length: 10 - 30 hours.
Officially translated as "disability girls". One of the newest additions to the best visual novels list,with a number of different routes to try. spoiles the first chapter-> You're the average boy till it's discovered your have a heart disease. You're sent to a school for disabled teens like you where medical assistance is always available. /spoiler Possibly NSFW,depending on what choices you make. There's also an option to disable sex scenes and it doesn't feel like something is missing..~420 mb,win/mac/linux.

Not free(links are to vndb):

Planetarian ~ Dream of Little Star EGS score: 80 out of 100. Popularity: ranked #14. Bayesian rating: ranked #46 with a rating of 8.11. Length: 2 - 10 hours.
Futuristic post-apocalyptic setting. A short vn about finding a robot from before the world turned to it's apocalyptic state. Buyable for ~44$ at amajon.jp, ~70$ at amazon.com, Installation guide, English patch.

Swan Song EGS Score: 86 out of 100. Popularity: ranked #42. Bayesian rating: ranked #85 with a rating of 7.83. Length: 10-30 hours. NSFW.
A deep story about a post-apocalyptic world with alot of different options to choose(sometimes the wrong decision is a game over,sometimes it affects the plot)and human interactions/emotions in it. Recommended to those who have time and want a complex story. Available as digital download from DLsite.com or Getchu.com for ~10$. The group who did the translation is still recovering from their previous site being offline so there is no official page linking to the translation,but I managed to find the translation file,uploaded by the group's programmer. Mediafire clicky

Saya no Uta - Saya's song. Popularity: ranked #3 with a score of 80.18. Bayesian rating: ranked #28 with a rating of 8.37. Length: 2 - 10 hours. NSFW.
Magical-realism setting. A horror vn about a man trying to live after an accident makes his brain see the world in a twisted way. NSFW,Features bits of gore,rape,violence. Buy it english-prepatched for 25$ at JAST USA,digital download available.

Sekien no Inganock - What a beautiful people. EGS Score: 82 out of 100. Popularity: ranked #39. Bayesian rating: ranked #67 with a rating of 7.93. Length: 10 - 30 hours. NSFW.
Supernatural-realism setting. You live in what was once supposed to be utopia. A city fully independent on anything else. Something went wrong,and now people walk around with wings on their back or a snake for their body. It's not exceptional in any regards but if you love fiction you're bound to be sucked into this story. Available from JLIST for 70$. Translation patch available here - you want the Sekien no Inganock -what a beautiful people- Fullvoice ReBORN Patch. Direct link.

Steins;gate EGS Score: 90 out of 100. Popularity: ranked #18. Bayesian rating: ranked #2 with a rating of 8.98. Length: 30 - 50 hours.
One of the most known titles in the visual novel world,spawned several adoptions. A young mad aspiring to be a mad scientist slapped some stuff into a microwave then discovered it can effect time. Choices in this game are not made in traditional form but rather as you progress(by responding or not responding to calls,messages,etc). Explores physics of time and possible theories. Available from [JBOX for 55$]. An english patch is only available for iOS,and has been only partially ported to the windows version. Fuwan has a working full windows pre-patched version but the sources are not clear. An english version should be released by the end of the 2013-2014 winter and can be preordered for [40$].(http://www.jbox.com/product/SG001). A limited edition is available for 60$,also from JBOX.

Done with the list and want more? Here are some vns I haven't read yet,but planning to when I have time:

Dangan ronpa - Popularity: ranked #66. Bayesian rating: ranked #37 with a rating of 8.23. Length: 10 - 30 hours.
A gameplay-enhanced visual novel. 15 students who excel at different things get thrown into a game where they must kill someone to get a chance at getting out alive. A trial will be held after each death - if they are found guilty they will be executed and the game goes on. If the murderer is found innocent,he will be free to go and everyone else will die. Has no official windows release,but the psp version can be bought from [Amazon.com for 30$] and a detailed guide for applying the english translation and running the game on psp/emulating on windows is available here. A pre-patched version including the JCPSP emulator is available from fuwan.

Umineko no Naku Koro ni and Umineko no Naku Koro ni Chiru - Translates to "When Seagulls Cry"(parts 1-4) and "When Seagulls Cry: Breakdown"(parts 5-8). EGS Score: 80 out of 100 and 92 out of 100. Popularity: ranked #16 and #34. Bayesian rating: ranked #9 with a rating of 8.71 and ranked #19 with a rating of 8.50. Length: 50+ hours EACH.
Depending on your point of view,Supernatural-magical or realism setting. A series of murders is taking place in a mansion on a closed island. A women claims she did it through magic. You try to prove her wrong,solving a possible solution to those only with logic. I can't say more without spoiling it. It's a great game for all those who love mystery and believe in logic even when it seemed like reality just ignored physics. Parts 1-4 buyable for 25$ at Mangagame,and parts 5-8 for 31$. English patch for parts 1-4,English patch for parts 5-8. Also see Umineko Tweak,an extra patch to add voice acting and make the game much more pretty using ps3 graphics. Tweak for 1-4, Tweak for 5-8.

Fate/Stay Night - EGS Score: 90 out of 100. Popularity: ranked #1. Bayesian rating: ranked #4 with a rating of 8.86. Length: 50+ hours,the word count is more than the Lord of The Rings trilogy. (lightly)NSFW.
I've seen the anime adaption,and it was amazing. Didn't get around to reading this because I don't have enough time. Supernatural setting. A boy with a peace-at-any-price personality gets thrown into a mage's competition who want to win at any cost. Character development is a strong point in this one. English translation available here. Last copy can be bought from amazon for 4$,a little pricier copy can be bought here if you miss it. Are you laughing yet?

Extra titles(suggested by other people,I can't personally vouch for those - links to vndb,scores coming soon):

Clannad EGS Score: 90 out of 100. Popularity: ranked #7. Bayesian rating: ranked #3 with a rating of 8.88. Length: 50+ hours.
Buyable at JBOX for 75$. Translation patch - you want the full voice ddl. Direct link.

Never 7 the end of infinity EGS Score: 72 out of 100. Popularity: ranked #143. Bayesian rating: ranked #461 with a rating of 7.10. Length: 30 - 50 hours.
Grab the download edition for 10$ from gameliner.jp. Here's a translation of the buying process, and here is a guide for installing. English translation and some troubleshooting by tlwiki esp. note how to translate videos and how to re-add music to the game. Se fuwan troubleshooting if for extra help.

Remember 11 the age of infinity EGS Score: 80 out of 100. Popularity: ranked #63. Bayesian rating: ranked #73 with a rating of 7.90. Length: 30-50 hours.
Buy from gameliner.jp for 15$. English patch. Installation and purchase guide same as Never 7.

Ever 17 the out of infinity EGS Score: 90 out of 100. Popularity: ranked #4. Bayesian rating: ranked #5 with a rating of 8.82. Length: 30-50 hours.
Last copy,english translated,available at amazon for 1$. Here's a translation update.

Tsukihime EGS Score: 86 out of 100. Popularity: ranked #5. Bayesian rating: ranked #23 with a rating of 8.45. Length: 30-50 hours.
English patch,Buy it from amazon for 4$.

Cross Channel EGS Score: 90 out of 100 from 3407 votes. Popularity: ranked #13. Bayesian rating: ranked #51 with a rating of 8.06. Length: 10-30 hours.
Buyable at amazon.jp for 100$. There's a version at amazon.com for 70$,but there's no mentioning whatever it is the pc version. English patch.

Little Busters EGS Score: 85 out of 100. Popularity: ranked #9. Bayesian rating: ranked #8 with a rating of 8.75. Length: 50+ hours.
Buyable from JBOX for 115$. English patch avaiable here - you want the Little Busters! Version 6.0 Complete English Patch,and the Little Busters! EXperimental EXtra Version 1.0 patch afterwards to add voice acting to side characters and word wrap.

Rewrite - thanks to MrSteeel and TrickZter for making this appear here. EGS Score: 81 out of 100. Popularity: ranked #19. Bayesian rating: ranked #11 with a rating of 8.68. Length: 50+ hours.
Buyable at JBOX for 110$. English patch available here.

Titles on Steam(links are to steam):
Dysfunctional Systems: Learning to Manage Chaos
Analogue: A Hate Story
Hate Plus
Narcissu
Cinders
Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (When the Cicadas Cry) on Steam Greenlight

Sites worth visiting:
Fuwanovel Is a new,growing site with the target of "making visual novels popular in the west". Browse the site to find new visual novels that might interest you or the homepage for news and just released/about-to-be-done translations. The [forums] are a great place to ask in english about anything related to visual novels. A visual novel's page contains a short description about each visual novel,a game walkthrough,troubleshooting help, as well as a link to a torrent for an english pre-patched or patch-ready game,which is useful if you're having problems making your legit game work in english,or if you want to pirate it(note: pirating visual novels is morally different from pirating your everyday game,at least according to me).

vndb is the largest database of visual novels. Search a title,and you can see a little summary,some technical details,and available translations in different languages/whatever someone is working on a translation. Sometimes a bit outdated - fuwan often has more updated info about english translations,but vndb covers alot more titles.

TL wiki Can help you find completed translations to games you downloaded in japanese,and sometimes offers a bit of troubleshooting or extra tweaks you can apply to the game.

VNTLS is where you go to see whatever anyone is working on translation and the translation's status. Updates every saturday.

F.A.Q (will expand as more questions are asked)

0. This post is awesome! How do express my gratitude?

• Bump! Every bump makes it so more people see this and helps this thread not fall into the abyss of forgotten posts.

• Discuss! What's your favorite visual novel? Ever heard of them before? Surprised they are not all about seducing little half-naked girls? Make the thread active.

• Suggest new visual novels that you think should be here. Make sure they have an english translation,do not contain any strong gameplay elements,do not require any knowledge of japan/the japanese culture,and are generally suitable for beginners.

• Some genres don't get a good representation in this thread. Here are some visual novels that caught my eye - Forest and Chaos;Head as a mystery mindscrew, True Blood,AKA Togainu no Chi as a candidate for action,Night of the forget me nots,AKA Wasurenagusa no Yoru as horror. Need opinions about those - I'd be grateful if anyone can read them and tell me whatever they're appropriate to be put here.

• Write descriptions for the visual novels on steam and the extra titles. I haven't read those myself and I want something shorter and more clear than the vndb descriptions.

• Tag the visual novels - I'm not really good at classifying anything into genres,so perhaps anyone who is can help?

`

2. Why are prices so high?
   At time of writing you can substitute 100¥ for 1$. Prices for most visual novels are actually really cheap. Taxes and importing fees are horrible. For example,take Swan song - Price: ¥ 9,240 (tax ¥ 8,800) meaning from the 90$ that you pay 5$ actually makes it to the company. How much of that gets to the dev? Take fate/stay night for an extreme example. Digital download editions usually do not warrant tax thus are usually much,much cheaper.

3. My game freezes,crashes,doesn't start,black screen,etc.
   See this page on fuwan. Also,if you downloaded it via a torrent that does not require installing - make sure your torrent client is not working,as it can make your saves disappear. I recommend copy-pasting it to another location and playing from there,as well as right clicking on the main folder and removing the read-only tag from everything possible. Solves 90% of all problems. If the problem persists,search fuwan for vn's page and known errors plus how to solve them will be at the bottom of the page.

4. It's too much just to get a game! Dead websites,broken links,and nothing in english. I'm used to steam doing everything.
   I've done my best finding the links for shops and translations,in english whenever possible,and with buying and installation guides when not. but if you can't do it yourself, I'd recommend to download a patch-ready or pre-patched version from fuwan. I've added notes to games that are particularly messy to get working. Please consider voting for other vns that are in greenlight to make the future better in this aspect.

5. What's with all those scores?
   Think of EGS as the user score from metacritic. Bayesian rating is a rating system allowing for more accurate score than a simple average. Popularity is how popular the vn is compared to others on vndb - this is not a definitive score so some visual novels share the same rating.

6. Why does the length vary so much?
   It depends on your reading speed,as well as how many times you choose to replay the novel to discover new routes.

7. What should I read for a first pick?
   I'd recommend Katawa Shoujo or Narcissu. If you prefer mystery/horror titles,go with Phenomeno. For a first purchase I'd recommend Swan Song because it offers great plot,length and is available for digital download for relatively cheap.

If you have anything good to add,just post it here,with a fuwan link if possible(vndb will do if you can't find it). I'll add it if it's awesome enough.

Oh,and for those of you who prefer their visual novels choices being whatever you fuck your little sister,your girlfriend,your girlfriend's little sister or all of them together,drink this. It makes your fapping up to 100% more efficient.