Recommending Story-first games

[HogRocket]

I think I need to repeat this one here:
"It's not a valid complaint unless it comes from the Complaigne region of France. Otherwise, it's just a sparkly whine."

I am sooooo stealing that!

 

[Tulrek]

I think I need to repeat this one here:
"It's not a valid complaint unless it comes from the Complaigne region of France. Otherwise, it's just a sparkly whine."

Are you even french !? If so you'll know that is a very very bad joke.

 

[Dragon59]

Are you even french !? If so you'll know that is a very very bad joke.
View attachment 2679480 View attachment 2679480

I may not be French, but I am a "grand-père," so I can get away with bad "Abuelo Jokes."

 

[ostrogotihichun]

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[jufot]

Recommending Short Sad Stories.

It's a slice of life VN with an overarching narrative despite the name, with each chapter being from the POV of a different character.

There are three chapters so far, two here on F95 and one still

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.

It starts with Alice, a lonely girl with a vivid dream world, and her cynical musings. We get glimpses into her sadness as she narrates her life to the player. Her misery is part justified, part self-indulgent. Chapter two moves on to her brother Zach. He's a stark contrast to Alice, and is battling his own demons. Finally, chapter 3 (the latest so far) revolves around Martha and... I won't say anything about her lest I spoil things

It's generally a bleak story, despite its sweet moments. The game allows you to lean into the darkness and make bad choices, without a game over screen. The story moves on, and you get to live with the consequences. It's done impressively well.

I recommend giving it a shot. OP has been updated

 

[Éama]

Recommending Short Sad Stories.

It's a slice of life VN with an overarching narrative despite the name, with each chapter being from the POV of a different character.

There are three chapters so far, two here on F95 and one still

You must be registered to see the links

.

It starts with Alice, a lonely girl with a vivid dream world, and her cynical musings. We get glimpses into her sadness as she narrates her life to the player. Her misery is part justified, part self-indulgent. Chapter two moves on to her brother Zach. He's a stark contrast to Alice, and is battling his own demons. Finally, chapter 3 (the latest so far) revolves around Martha and... I won't say anything about her lest I spoil things

It's generally a bleak story, despite its sweet moments. The game allows you to lean into the darkness and make bad choices, without a game over screen. The story moves on, and you get to live with the consequences. It's done impressively well.

I recommend giving it a shot. OP has been updated

Pent Panda is a very underrated developer. He consistently finishes his games and they all are unique in some way or another, despite the obvious repetition when it comes to character models. I also found that the way he tells stories can be very touching, even in his less serious stories. Glad that he tries something serious now.

 

[realjitter]

Of Birds and Bees (What a fucking spoiler that title is btw after finishing reading it )

Someone mentioned it here recently, so here I am .

Anyhow, I took the "no old/fat creeps, no feminization/bimbo stuff for Ryan and Amy" route

This AVN already has a pretty hefty amount of content. Took me around 4 evening sessions to see the end of it's current content without skipping. A pretty awkward experience at first because, and i'm gonna be honest here, at the beginning I was about to delete it on more than one occasion. I was like "Yeah..., nice recommendation dude, wtf..." That's mainly because , at the start, it comes across like your typical, cookie cutter corruption game with lots of gross, disgusting, fat fucks trying to get into the MC's pants. I mean, just look at the screenshots, what are you supposed to think of it?.

Looking back at it now, I don't understand what the developer was going for here to be perfectly honest because the game changes so drastically and quickly. It feels like playing 2 different games in one. It actually goes even further in my mind by almost completely reversing what it's doing in the beginning. Granted, some of it certainly has something to do with how I "played" this game, but even then the "classic" AVN gameplay portion of it feels a little off and it's also inconsistent.

Here's the thing though, I don't feel like it's smart to write anything more about this game. I could go on and on about little things that I liked and didn't like. I could write about the Klaudia route who I took and why I thought it's a bit unsatisfying. The inconsistencies regarding her husband and lots of other things, but it would all just lead to spoilers... And I haven't even touched it's main attraction yet which is it's main story.. I wonder why=)

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Not gonna lie, I was kinda relieved when I read about that this game is based/inspired by 3 books who get mentioned at the end. Mainly because of it's overall quality which is far above average imo.

This is not your typical AVN like you would think it would be in the beginning. It's one of those "insane" projects like, for me at least, "Give me a sun" is, but for very, very different reasons. It's not a dating game AVN or whatever... It developes into a pure story AVN when dodging certain things.

So big respect for this project and a, in my mind, must read if you like horror themed stories, even with all it's flaws...


Some random things I really liked about this AVN:

Stoytelling - The developer does a great job of handling it's large cast. Most of the time the story is being told from multiple angles and the integration of all the, so called, side characters works out pretty good imo.

Story - The developer found a clever way to go about it. It's simple at it's core, but because the story focusses more on "spoiler" like, for example, a horror movie usually wouldn't, it becomes... spoiler..... It's pretty effective and, again, clever

Details - So many details and little things you have to/can pay attention to. Also, many creative setups and ideas for scenes in general. Probably one of the strongest points of the game. It never gets really boring or monotonous in it's approach. It's filled with creativity and style.

Characters - Albeit many of them coming across as being pretty awkward and cliché at first, I did end up liking most of them. The magician, Vera, Ryan, Klaudia, Trish, Rita, Amy & more.

Intensity - Again, great job here. When "meanies" are involved in a scene you pretty quickly develop a sense of some actual danger. This part of the game, the horror portion, is certainly not half assed and it only gets better as the game goes on.

 

[jellyjimgiant]

I'm new here but not to VNs and this is exactly what I have been looking for. OP gave a perfect description of what VNs are in dire need of. bookmarked this thread and I'm going to enjoy going down the list and trying these games out. thank you! if I find any outside the list I will suggest them here.

 

[EndlessNights]

Let me recommend the Strangers on Paper
The 100% story-based natural product, imho. Very well written, read it in one breath.

I got around to playing this one recently and really liked it. It definitely is well-written, particularly during the big moments, and I appreciate the author's willingness to tackle tough topics and portray complex emotions.

I would describe Strangers on Paper as being about three characters who find themselves in a similar place in their lives: they are all plagued by self-doubt and questioning some of their past choices. The MC (named Daniel by default) is a writer who is struggling to find his voice and barely eking out some semblance of a living. Becca (Daniel's best friend's sister and the MC's long-term crush) is trying to come to terms with past trauma any way she can, including by using drugs and verbally lashing out at whoever is nearby and happens to be named Daniel. Amy is a former cheerleader with a seemingly picture perfect life that she feels increasingly trapped by as the date of her wedding fast approaches.

What brings these three together is of course the bar where the MC is working temporarily...as bacienvu mentioned, that plotline does sound rather familiar at this point. AVNs do love their bars and I will freely admit they probably are overused as a setting. Still, it fits the story well in Strangers on Paper. In this case, the bar is owned by the MC's best friend so we can of course expect his sister Becca to be a frequent visitor and it also provides a natural way to introduce Amy to the story because she's seeking a drunken night out in order to live a little before the guillotine of marriage falls upon her neck.

As of chapter 1, I have to admit I'm more engaged in the personal development journeys of the three major characters than in the romances. To be perfectly honest, I'm not sure either Becca or Amy are really a good choice for the MC though I'm playing both paths (plus another one where I'm trying to mess things up with both). Becca is frequently dismissive and distant which doesn't seem like the ideal fit for a guy who struggles with his self-esteem and likely needs to be built up a little at this point. Amy is engaged so pursuing her is likely to lead to emotional infidelity at the very least, and it's not clear if the MC is really the type of person to do that sort of thing. I also haven't seen any particular reason for Amy to cheat so far beyond her feeling stuck and bored. That certainly can be reason enough for some people, though, and the genuine connection Amy and Daniel seem to form on her route might soon give her another.

I think the best writing in the game so far is to be found in the treehouse scene where Becca meets her little brother for (I believe) the first time and during the conversation the MC and Amy share during their walk and at the pool. Just great, highly emotional stuff in those two terrific scenes. If you happen to check out the game and find yourself not liking it, I strongly urge you to at least play through one of those scenes (depending on what route you are on) before passing final judgment.

A number of thread regulars may appreciate the limited, sharply defined nature of the game. There are only two guaranteed love interests and three chapters plus an epilogue planned. This seems likely to be a short, focused work. Me, I'm the type to want more story and more options, but I've certainly seen my fair share of VNs that have tried to do too much and failed miserably. There's certainly a place for games that aren't sprawling, multi-season epics.

I do have a few minor complaints to share, but don't read them until you play the game for yourself as spoilers will abound.

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[Éama]

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[EndlessNights]

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[jufot]

I got around to playing [Strangers on Paper] recently and really liked it.

That was a wonderful recommendation, and I have yet again found myself agreeing with most of your thoughts.

Daniel: What, you're saying you're not a figment of my imagination?
Amy: Oh, you're taking credit for my existence now?
Amy: You're way more arrogant than I thought.

I like Amy. She is charming and is easy to sympathize with. But she's also too perfect. Effortlessly beautiful, popular, girl-next-door cheerleader desired by everyone, and yet so innocent, naive and "pure". She needs something to balance all that, though I'm not sure what.

I liked the pool scene and how Daniel challenged her. He didn't tell her what to do, like so many people stupidly do, but simply called her out. She needs to realize for herself that matrimonial drudgery doesn't have to be her fate. I don't think she ultimately needs him, though. She's witty and clearly smart, so I don't think he can tell her anything she doesn't already know. That leaves emotional support, which he is ill-equipped to provide. So yeah, I agree with you that they don't seem a great match together.

Becca is... interesting. So much of her story is told in subtext and it's done surprisingly well. Like you, I really liked the introduction of Collin and what that says about Becca's family history. What troubles me is the silence. She's extremely tight-lipped. Daniel knows as little about her as we do, and the slightest attempt to change that is blocked pretty fast:

Becca: Okay, stop.
Daniel: Like, pull over?
Becca: Just stop.
Becca: Stop talking to me like that.
Daniel: Like... what?
Becca: The way you always fucking have.
Becca: Like you actually know me.
Becca: And like I'm not a real person at the same time.

Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but that last line says a lot about how she sees Daniel. She thinks he thinks that she's some mysterious curio to be idolized and lusted after. She's not entirely wrong.

Still, under that cold exterior, we see glimpses of warmth. Like how, despite her attitude and appearance, she's a fan of both The Holiday and The Notebook

I also haven't seen any particular reason for Amy to cheat so far beyond her feeling stuck and bored. That certainly can be reason enough for some people, though, and the genuine connection Amy and Daniel seem to form on her route might soon give her another.

There are references to her fiancé being a douchebag, but that could very well be Daniel assuming things for his benefit.

Pursuing either LI ends up feeling a bit like cheating.

I personally don't see the moral hazard. I believe a relationship is solely the responsibility of the people in it. If someone being nice and affectionate to your fiancé for a few hours is enough for her to question the engagement, then your relationship was never on solid ground anyway. Genuine connection is rare and life is far too short to worry about whether someone is "taken" or not

Not pursuing a LI seems to have a really negative effect on her.

I'm conflicted about this. On one hand, I actually like that you have to make mutually exclusive choices with destructive effects. I don't like stories where the hero saves everyone. But I also agree with you that Amy and Becca being damsels in distress needing to be rescued doesn't feel right. It's a tough thing to balance.

Amy didn't need to be a forgotten childhood sweetheart.

Agreed. I'd much rather have her be this cheerleader he idolized but never talked to. It would allow him to meet the real woman behind the fantasy, and perhaps learn a lesson or two about himself in the process.

Anyway, I'll wait for one more update, but this game definitely seems destined for the list

 

[EndlessNights]

I like Amy. She is charming and is easy to sympathize with. But she's also too perfect. Effortlessly beautiful, popular, girl-next-door cheerleader desired by everyone, and yet so innocent, naive and "pure". She needs something to balance all that, though I'm not sure what.

I agree with your assessments of both Becca and Amy. I wonder if Becca is inevitably going to become the Cece of the game because her issues are so far more serious than anyone else's and the stakes in her storyline are seemingly higher. I can imagine people looking at Amy and thinking, "Oh, come on...just break up with your boyfriend already and live the life you want." It's definitely not that easy, but it's probably not as hard as Amy thinks either.

On the other hand, when I've felt lost in my life it usually hasn't been all that dramatic. I think the Amy storyline captures the feelings of uncertainty and detachment I felt in those moments quite well. It's less "I hate everything about my life" and more "I don't know if this is really the life I want and if this is really who I am." I can relate to Amy even without being a perfect cheerleader myself.

There are references to her fiancé being a douchebag, but that could very well be Daniel assuming things for his benefit.

I tend to discount those for now because Daniel's initial take on Amy is so completely wrong. Despite being a writer, our MC might not have been the keenest observer of human nature in high school. It certainly will be easier for the MC-Amy romance if the fiance does turn out to be a jerk, though, and the relationship obviously had problems before she ever stepped into that bar.

I personally don't see the moral hazard. I believe a relationship is solely the responsibility of the people in it. If someone being nice and affectionate to your fiancé for a few hours is enough for her to question the engagement, then your relationship was never on solid ground anyway. Genuine connection is rare and life is far too short to worry about whether someone is "taken" or not

I tend to approach it from the standpoint that I'd rather not be a part of someone else's pain if I don't have to be even if the relationship is clearly on its last legs and that pain is likely inevitable. If you are in a relationship that is falling apart, the kindest thing you can do is tell the other person it's over. Consider it a final act of love and devotion after which you'll be free to connect to someone better for you. Genuine connection definitely is rare and something to be treasured, but I'd aim for friendship rather than romance if a woman is already in a relationship.

That said, I could personally justify being party to infidelity if the other person was being abused or cheated on in her relationship. It's far from an ideal situation and I'd want to help her escape the relationship as soon as possible, but, yeah, I could justify it hypothetically speaking.

While cheating tends to make fictional characters less sympathetic in my eyes, I am always interested in their reasons for straying. It's a shame NTR tends to be so formulaic and the characters stock because the dramatic and psychological potential is off the charts.

 

[jufot]

On the other hand, when I've felt lost in my life it usually hasn't been all that dramatic. I think the Amy storyline captures the feelings of uncertainty and detachment I felt in those moments quite well. It's less "I hate everything about my life" and more "I don't know if this is really the life I want and if this is really who I am." I can relate to Amy even without being a perfect cheerleader myself.

Agreed. It doesn't sound like her life is bad by any real metric, it's perhaps just... boring. You can feel the ennui emanating from her.

It certainly will be easier for the MC-Amy romance if the fiance does turn out to be a jerk, though, and the relationship obviously had problems before she ever stepped into that bar.

That would be such a cheap cop-out, I hope that's not the case. I'd much rather have the fiancé be a genuinely good guy who is just too bland and passionless. At least then she'd have a real dilemma about leaving him.

I tend to approach it from the standpoint that I'd rather not be a part of someone else's pain if I don't have to be even if the relationship is clearly on its last legs and that pain is likely inevitable. If you are in a relationship that is falling apart, the kindest thing you can do is tell the other person it's over. Consider it a final act of love and devotion after which you'll be free to connect to someone better for you. Genuine connection definitely is rare and something to be treasured, but I'd aim for friendship rather than romance if a woman is already in a relationship.

That's all good and well for what Amy should do (and I do agree), but I disagree with the friendship vs relationship bit, at least for the specific case here. Or perhaps you are just a better person than I am

While cheating tends to make fictional characters less sympathetic in my eyes, I am always interested in their reasons for straying. It's a shame NTR tends to be so formulaic and the characters stock because the dramatic and psychological potential is off the charts.

Indeed. There is an entire world of drama to be explored with infidelity. Shame the audience is so allergic to it

 

[realjitter]

That would be such a cheap cop-out, I hope that's not the case. I'd much rather have the fiancé be a genuinely good guy who is just too bland and passionless. At least then she'd have a real dilemma about leaving him.

Yeah, but isn't that both kinda the same thing?. Is there a difference for you if the MC and the girl become a thing whether because the MC "rescues"" her from a jerk or from a passionless bore?. The latter would also entail that the MC is the opposite and.... yeah. Both sounds equally cringe to me. I haven't played that game yet, so maybe the MC is like that cool written, interesting, "epitome of passion" type of guy who comes to the rescue . Or, well, you know, maybe he's just the MC of an AVN..... That's the problem for me in AVN's when it comes to these kind of stories. There would have to be a route in which you can actually fail at "conquering" the girl in order to make me care about it....

 

[jufot]

Yeah, but isn't that both kinda the same thing?

Not really. Have you seen

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? In that film, Rachel leaves her fiancé (and later husband) Heck for a woman named Luce after barely spending a few hours with her. By any real definition, Heck is a catch. He's handsome, smart, funny, affectionate. Rachel's whole family loves him. Yet she still leaves him because her connection to Luce is so much more than what she has with Heck. That's the kind of example I had in mind.

Or, well, you know, maybe he's just the MC of an AVN..... That's the problem for me in AVN's when it comes to these kind of stories. There would have to be a route in which you can actually fail at "conquering" the girl in order to make me care about it....

I'd love it too, but that's definitely wishful thinking

 

[jufot]

I swear, if this woman's questions were knives flying through the air at me, I would die before I ever saw one coming.

Strongly recommending The Artist.

I don't think I've ever gone from "Huh, what's this? The artwork looks interesting" to "Holy shit, I hope the dev has a Patreon!" quite that fast. And yes, I'm recommending it on the strength of chapter 1 alone.

The MC, Michael, is a depressed and successful lawyer. He has very little will to do anything, and what little that comes out of his mouth is dripping with cynicism. By some divine luck, he meets Ava at a bar while trying to avoid his well-meaning loved ones.

Ava is perhaps the most interesting LI for me since Corporate Culture's Elsa. She's smart, charming, confident, and always toying with Michael. Unlike Elsa, though, Ava is warm and her mind games are amusing and affectionate. She is in control at all times, never hesitates or stutters, and always manages to put Michael on the back foot. On the rare occasion he pulls up his big boy pants and acts confident and decisive, she one-ups him still.

What makes her different than most LIs for me is that she doesn't do what one is supposed to. To her, that's boring and inauthentic. She doesn't want Michael to take her on a romantic walk for a date because that's what one does on a date, and she'd rather know what he wants. Unfortunately, Michael doesn't know himself very well, let alone her, so he flounders a lot.

Ava: You see a beautiful woman before you. One who is here for you, one who wants to spend time with you... and all you have is words?
[...]
Ava: I'm going to leave. You will call me in exactly three minutes... and you will say the last words you have for me tonight, and then I will decide whether I will come back or not.

Michael is completely spellbound by Ava. A woman he has had barely a few hours of interaction with can somehow see and reach deep into his soul so effortlessly, which leaves him confused and scared. The mismatched power dynamic gives her tremendous control over him. Control that he's more than willing to surrender.

I was already impressed halfway through the chapter, but by the end I knew I wanted to support this developer. I'd love to see if anyone else feels as strongly about it as I do

 

[Hildegardt]

That would be such a cheap cop-out, I hope that's not the case. I'd much rather have the fiancé be a genuinely good guy who is just too bland and passionless. At least then she'd have a real dilemma about leaving him.

This would make the game genuinely great.
For now Amy's and Becca's characterizations are a little too formulaic, like intentional thirst traps for nerdy guys. Becca the troubled goth/alt girl, who's mysterious and frightening, but if you crack her shell just a little, you'd realize that you always had a chance with her, because you're the only guy with enough empathy to help her out. And Amy the prom queen, the Stacy to her Chad, who's actually a huge pop culture nerd just like you and who doesn't really fit in with her crowd, who are all assholes btw.
There's nothing really wrong with this, especially for an AVN and I honestly kinda like these tropes in particular. But it would be pretty awesome if the game manages to subvert the expectations it established in the first release.

I wonder if Becca is inevitably going to become the Cece of the game because her issues are so far more serious than anyone else's and the stakes in her storyline are seemingly higher.

My gripe with Leap Of Faith has always been that it's essentially "Male Gaze™ The Game", but desperately tried to be "deep" by occasionally abusing heavy themes. To me it seems like Strangers On Paper is grounded and focused enough to not fall into that trap.

 

[realjitter]

Not really. Have you seen

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?

I did indeed, a long time ago. Solid movie, it's supposed to be a "when real love strikes" type of story, but the connection of the 2 women, as you've already mentioned, was way too rushed.., could've been more. So in this case the IMDB rating is actually somewhat accurate. But going back to AVN's, Love, Honor, Betray also comes to mind because Lacey, as of now, also doesn't have much of a reason to cheat on her husband.

I'd love it too, but that's definitely wishful thinking

A..a..are you saying that we never get to see that, like ever? =) Well, i'd do that in "my" AVN. A dating game, winning and failing included...... What a shocking concept .

 

[bacienvu88]

Strongly recommending The Artist.

Equally strongly agree. This is a great game!

The MC, Michael, is a depressed and successful lawyer. He has very little will to do anything, and what little that comes out of his mouth is dripping with cynicism.

I'm honestly rather tired of the "depressed man wants a girlfriend" MC. But I'll forgive it, because it is so good storytelling.

I was already impressed halfway through the chapter, but by the end I knew I wanted to support this developer. I'd love to see if anyone else feels as strongly about it as I do

Spoiler: Yes, really, this is very spoilery

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Apart from that I also want to give a shout out to a well written family for MC. They have their problems with each other, but you can still feel the great love between them.