Best Western Visual Novel Games

For the longest time, visual novels have had a hard time breaking out of the East Asian market, but as the anime and manga fandom grew, so did these unique pieces of interactive fiction. Thus, it's no surprise that several Western developers have taken it upon themselves to put their own spin on the medium.

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Like their Japanese counterparts, most visual novels from the West are also dating sims, though that's not the only type out there. There are plenty of adventure games and visual novels with RPG elements. There are a few things that tie all of these games together though - a choice-and-consequence system and multiple endings depending on the player's choices.

7 Planet Stronghold

Steam Rating: Mostly Positive

Planet Stronghold is a visual novel that has it all: sci-fi themes, RPG elements, turn-based combat, romance, and multiple endings to boot. The player character is a rookie space cadet stationed on an interstellar outpost called Planet Stronghold. The game allows the player to choose a male or female protagonist (Joshua or Lisa) and their class (Soldier, Guardian, Scout, or Psionic).

RPG fans are likely to enjoy the game's combat system and crafting weapons, while visual novel fans may be turned off by all the level grinding involved. Still, it's a fun introduction to a lot of video game genres.

6 Our Life: Beginnings and Always

Steam Rating: Overwhelmingly Positive

While many romance visual novels have an entire harem of potential love interests to choose from, Our Life: Beginnings and Always has just one, the protagonist's childhood friend, Cove. The game's story goes through four phases - childhood, adolescence, early adulthood, and full adulthood, and the player's choices influence their and Cove's personalities, as well as how slow or fast the romance progresses.

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The player character is fully customizable, pronouns included. Pronouns can even be changed at any phase in the plot. All in all, Our Life is a heartwarming, feel-good read, and to top it all off, the game is completely free on Steam.

5 Analogue: A Hate Story

Steam Rating: Very Positive

Christine Love has created many visual novels, but Analogue: A Hate Story is perhaps her most well-known title. As a spiritual successor to Digital: A Love Story, Analogue similarly revolves around the internet and reading text logs, though this time, the player does it several centuries in the future.

Set in a society on a missing generation ship that has, for some reason, reverted to the Korean Joseon Dynasty, the player is tasked with solving the mystery of how the ship disappeared and what happened to the final generation by reading diary entries and letters that might provide some clues. The novel's interface and gameplay are as simple as it gets, but its intelligent commentary and dystopian sci-fi world setting more than make up for it.

4 Heart of the Woods

Steam Rating: Overwhelmingly Positive

Blending the yuri/girl's love genre with fantasy and supernatural elements, Heart of the Woods tells the story of vlogger Tara and her editor Maddie investigating paranormal activities in a remote village named Eysenfeld. They meet a girl named Abigail, a ghost who's bound to a forest near Eysenfeld, and she and Maddie form a special bond.

With gorgeous artwork and full English voice acting, this visual novel is a truly magical love story between two girls. If fans love mysteries, the paranormal, and lesbian ghosts, this visual novel will satisfy all their wants.

3 VA-11 Hall-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action

Steam Rating: Overwhelmingly Positive

Developed by the Venezuelan studio Sukeban Games, VA-11 Hall-A sees the player do some bartending in a cyberpunk-style dystopia. As a bartender, the player gets to mix drinks for some fascinating patrons while listening to their stories. The best part? There's no time limit or penalties for incorrectly mixing a drink, making the game stress-free.

That's not the only point of VA-11 Hall-A though: the game has an incredibly diverse cast to go along with its social commentary. To make things interesting, there are no dialogue options in the entire game. Instead, the storyline is influenced by the drinks the player prepares, making it one of the more unique visual novels on the market.

2 Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator

Steam Rating: Very Positive

There are plenty of dating sims on the market catering to straight men and women, but there's one very specific and ignored demographic that Dream Daddy does a stellar job of representing: gay, single fathers. The player can create and customize their own dad character, date seven unique dads, and play several mini-games in the process.

Created by Let's Play YouTubers Game Grumps, Dream Daddy has a light-hearted and humorous story that anybody can get into. The only thing that might deter players is the unfathomable amount of dad jokes.

1 Doki Doki Literature Club!

Steam Rating: Overwhelmingly Positive

It's hard to forget the time when this visual novel was all over every Let's Players' channel, surprising YouTubers with its shocking subversion of classic dating sim tropes. Much like Puella Magi Madoka Magica and Made in Abyss, Doki Doki Literature Club's cutesy art style does a good job of hiding its psychological horror themes.

With a plot focused on poetry, a beautiful soundtrack, lovable characters, and lovely artwork, Doki Doki has certainly cemented its place in the list of great visual novels, Japanese or otherwise. Players just need to prepare themselves for the shocking turn into horror the game takes about halfway through.

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