Summary

  • Visual novels are often overlooked during game of the year season despite reaching new heights in storytelling and character development.
  • Short on gameplay but rich in narrative, visual novels like Bury Me, My Love and Hatoful Boyfriend offer emotional and captivating experiences.
  • From murder mysteries like The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog to unique gameplay mechanics in Before Your Eyes, visual novels offer diverse storytelling.

As popular as 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:visual novels are, they always seem to be on the precipice of entering the zeitgeist and garnering mainstream appeal. The genre continues to reach new heights and evolves through games like 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles and The House in Fata Morg♑ana, but they often gꦚet overlooked when it comes to game of the year season.

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29꧂ Great Visual Novels You Can Play O꧋n PlayStation Right Now

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Visual novels might have one of the toughest barriers in video games. Some of the greatest entries in the genre contain hours of text with little action or gameplay, but make up for it with 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:compelling narratives about fascinating characters in incredibly intriguing scenarios. If you are either new to the genre or looking for something short to play between bigger adventures, these visual novels are some of the best around, and won't take more than a few sessions to finish.

Updated on March 22, 2024, by Kyle Chamaillard: With so many excellent visual novels to choose from across all platforms, we've decided to update this list to include even more games for anyone looking for a shorter experience.

10 ✱ Bury Me, My Love ꧂

A text conversation between Nour and Majd

Developer

The Pixel Hunt

Release Date

October 25, 2017

ESRB

E10+

Bury Me, My Love is one of the most interesting visual novels in recent memory. It follows Nour, a Syrian refugee on her journey to a new country. The game presents itself through an instant messaging app and allows you to play the role of her partner on the other line. It's an emotional journey that showcases the difficulties of fleeing a country on the brink of war.

There are two different ways to experience Bury Me, My Love. The best way to fully immersive yourself with it is to play the mobile versions. As Nour messages you about her dilemma, she will ask you for guidance, and you will help decide which of the nineteen endings she receives by influencing her decisions. After telling her to hold back or run, for example, you will have to wait in real time to find out if your advice was right. The Switch and PC versions circumvent the waiting process and allow you to finish the game in a couple of hours if you don't like anxiously waiting to hear back from someone.

9 𒊎 The Murder Of Sonic The Hedgehog

A group of sonic characters gather in a train

Developer

Sega Social Team

Release Date

March 31, 2023

ESRB

E for Everyone

Sonic has starred in many games, but nothing quite comes close to 2023's excellent Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog. Launching as an April Fool's Day joke, the actual game is surprisingly engaging and puts many iconic characters on a train for a murder-mystery party they'll never forget.

Supported by strong writing, eye-catching visuals, and a foot-tapping soundtrack, the game begins with the ominous death of the blue blur, then allows you to become Sega's Benoit Blanc as you investigate rooms and interrogate witnesses like Knuckles, Amy, Shadow, and more. It should take just over a couple of hours to finish, meaning you should hopefully close the case in a sitting or two.

8 ༺ Hatoful Boyfriend ꧟

Three pigeons with leather jackets and mohawks walk through the city at night

Developer

PigeoNation Inc.

Release Date

April 13, 2014

ESRB

E10+

Some visual novels like the 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Zero Escape series feature brutal games that pit mostly innocent people against each other, while others take place in a post-apocalyptic world in which birds have become the dominant species. Hatoful Boyfriend's 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:playful spin on the dating sim is on🃏e of the best examples of how silly this genre can get from time to time.

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You play as the only human in a school full of talented birds and must navigate your way through a semester of romance and twists. A single playthrough should take less than a couple of 🅘hours to complete but, like many other visual novels, there are certain decisions you can make that significantly affect the story. After you roll the credits the first time, you might want to hop back in immediately to see which other surprises await you in Hatoful Boyfriend.

7 ꦑ Overboard!

Veronica looks into a mirror and realizes an earring is missing

Developer

inkle Ltd

Release Date

June 2, 2021

ESRB

T for Teen

The murder-mystery genre has recently re-emerged in popularity thanks to excellent films like Knives Out, but video games have typically struggled to adapt this genre into an interactive medium. While Among Us will easily have you calling out your best friends for deceiving the rest of the group, Overboard is a single-player experience that turns the classic whodunit formula into an exhilarating adventure in which you're the one who committed the crime.

Overboard fuses elements of roguelikes with its narrative to create a run-based visual novel unlike anything else. After pushing her husband overboard, Veronica must lie, swindle, or worse to make sure no one else on the vessel knows the truth. Similar to 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Majora's Mask, all the NPCs have a routine and can be found doing the same things🤪▨ each run, and how you interact with them will lead you to one of many endings. Not only does Overboard feature compelling characters and outstanding writing, but it also has some of the best art direction as well.

6 𝐆 Slay The Princess 🌌

The Princess is split into two halves

Developer

Black Tabby Games

Release Date

October 23, 2023

ESRB

M17+

168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Slay the Princess is a deceptive visual novel that begins with familiar decision-based gameplay before revealing its true nature. Not for t💎he weakhearted, you must make important decisions on your journey that usually culminate in a final choice of "save" or "slay" the princess awaiting you at t𒐪he end of each loop. Each run is tense and some of the darkest endings might leave you on the edge of your seat.

It's best to hop into Slay the Princess with as little knowledge as possible and just embrace yourself for a wild and unpredictable ride. It's an immersive experience that uses a minimalist art style and creepy music to create an absorbing atmosphere that's hard to walk away from. It can take roughly three to ten hours to finish Slay the Princess, depending on how deep you want to dig into its world.

5 🤪 Coffee Talk

A woman with green hair waits for her coffee in a cafe

Developer

Toge Productions

Release Date

January 29, 2020

ESRB

M17+

Is there anything better than a cup of coffee and great conversation? 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Coffee Talk takes everyone's favorite social activity and turns it into an engrossing game set in a fantastical version of Seattle. You will need to serve delicious beverages to mermaids, elves, and more while also taking some time to know them a little better.

Most of your time in Coffee Talk will be spent hearing about your patron's problems and learning more about their lives outside your shop. Being a barista doesn't mean you get to just stand around and gossip with the locals, though. Making coffee is a great way to take a break from all the talking, but which drinks you make will also have an impact on the story. Coffee Talk should only take a few hours to complete, but it's better to take sips than drink the whole thing in one sitting.

4 Doki Doki Literature Club 🅺 🌌

Monika stares into the camera with a bright light behind her

Developer

Team Salvato

Release Date

September 22, 2017

ESRB

M17+

One of the most popular subgenres within visual novels is the dating simulator. These games typically focus on building relationships with incredibly attractive people — or birds — who are all dying to spend time with you. There is a plethora of dating sims available across all storefronts but few of them have gained the universal acclaim that 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Doki Doki Literature Club has.

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That's mostly because Doki Doki is more than it appears to be and subverts the genre in a series of shocking twists and turns. At first glance, it certainly seems to be another game about dating high schoolers, but it doesn't take long for a sense of dread to start lingering over the classroom. It shouldn't take more than a few hours to finish, but the time spent in the Literature Club should stick with you for a long time.

3 Paranormasight: The Seven Mysteri🅠es Of Honjo𝓀

Paranormasight - Harue using her Curse

Developer

Xeen

Release Date

March 8, 2023

ESRB

M17+

Like any good story, 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Paranormasight doesn't waste time before immediately gripping you with its fascinating world and characters. One night, a group of strangers are afflicted with curses that, if used correctly, can kill other people and use their souls to grant whatever wish they like. Each power is unique, and figuring out how to avoid triggering them is one of the many appealing aspects of this intriguing visual novel.

Taking just over ten hours to complete, Paranormasight is a bit longer than other games on this list, but you'll have a hard time putting it down once you start playing it. The way it slowly reveals plot details and character beats is masterful, and the pacing almost makes it feel like you're watching a TV show. Beyond its hypnotizing score and visuals, Paranormasight also has some clever gameplay mechanics that feel like they belong in a Hideo Kojima game.

2 🍨 ▨ Before Your Eyes

Chloe looks at you while she sits on the floor playing video games

Developer

GoodbyeWorld Games

Release Date

April 8, 2021

ESRB

T for Teen

The majority of visual novels don't require you to use more than a few buttons to interact with their worlds. You will spend most of your time tapping a single button to get through dialogue, with the occasional D-Pad movement to select an item or move around. 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Before Your Eyes is a riveting and emotional adventure that uses something besides a controller or mouse to make progꦺress — your eyes.

More specifically, the game moves forward whenever you blink. Whether it's intentional or not, your experience living life in someone else's shoes is determined by when you close your eyes. You play as someone who has just passed away and as you float towards your final destination, you reminisce on the greatest moments of your life. From playing video games with your neighbor to practicing for piano recitals, Before your Eyes is easily one of the most immersive visual novels available, and you only need to keep your eyes open for ninety minutes to enjoy all of it.

1 Florence

Florence floats through the air outside a building

Developer

Mountains

Release Date

February 14, 2018

ESRB

T for Teen

Unlike many visual novels, Florence doesn't require hours of your life to tell one of the most engaging and relatable stories in video games. Published by 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Annapurna Interactive for mobile devices in 2018, Florence follows a young woman going through the motions of her mid-20s and does a magnificent job highlighting the nuances of a pivotal stage in everyone's life.

You will witness Florence experience life, love, and everything in between across twenty chapters that takes less than an hour to complete. It uses mesmerizing aesthetic, clever puzzles, and very little dialogue to tell its hypnotic story, all accompanied by an astounding score that elevates every scene. It's rare for a game to resonate with someone with so little time, but Florence's beautiful story will win over anyone willing to give it an hour of their time.

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