Summary

  • World of Horror: Blends multiple genres brilliantly, creating a goosebump-inducing horror experience you'll want to play with the lights on.
  • Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus & Butterfly: The perfect game to relax with, enchanting writing and a chill atmosphere make for a cozy experience.
  • The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog: Surprisingly one of the best games in the series, witty writing and a murder-mystery plot keep you engaged till the end.

2023 has been a year full of riveting and immersive new adventures, from the heights of 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Tears of the Kingdom to the terrors of 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Alan Wake 2. Keeping up with every new game was exhausting, but there were also many excellent 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:visual novels from 2023 t♈o relax with between the big tripleꦆ-A titles.

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Whether you enjoy sitting on the edge of your seat with a tense horror story or 168澳洲幸运5🎶开奖꧅网:snuggling under a blanket with something cozier, the year was full of interesꦜting visual novels that pushed the medium forward or subverted our expectations. Narrowing it down wasn't easy, but these are the best visual no🦹vels from 2023.

10 World Of Horror ♚

interaction with young heiress in world of horror

Platforms

PC, Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5

Released

October 19th, 2023

Genre

Horror, RPG

Developer

Paweł Koźmiński

168澳洲幸运5开奖网:World of Horror is an ambitious game that embraces multiple genres and executes them all brilliantly. Inspired by the works of Junji Ito and Lovecraftian horror, this adventure draws you into a tense world containing intriguing yet terrifyi♏ng mysteries.

Combining visual novel staples with a turn-based battle system and roguelike elements is a strange mix, but World of Horror cleverly brings them all together for one of the most goosebump-inducing games in the genre. This is one you might not want to 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:play before falling asleep.

9 💝 Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus & Butterfly ꦐ

Jorji and Lucas listen to Riona inside the cafe.

Platforms

PC, Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Ser🌱ies X/S

Released

April 20th, 2023

Genre

Casual, Adventure

Developer

Toge Productions

If you prefer to play something to help you relax, there is almost nothing better than the 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Coffee Talk series. You work as a barista in a world containing mermaids, vampires, and other mythical creatures, and it's up to you to listen to their stories and 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:serve them delicious drinks.

Coffee Talk 2 builds on the foundation of the original game with a few gameplay tweaks and a group of new characters for you to meet. It's harꦇd not to be absorbed by the wonderful writing and warm atmosphere of Coffee Talk 2, especially with its chill soundtrack playing on a loop in the background.

8 The Murder 🥂Of Sonic The Hedgehog

A group of sonic characters gather in a train

Platforms

PC

Released

March 31st, 2023

Genre

Point-and-Click Adventure

Developer

Sega Social Team

The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog launched as an April Fool's Day joke, but the funniest thing about it is that it's one of the bes💛t games in the long-running series. When everyone gathers for a murder-mystery-themed birthday party for Rose, it all goes wrong when someone takes it too far and actually kills Sonic.

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Even if you're not a big Sonic fan, you quickly understand each character's personality because of how well everything is written▨. You'll feel like a giddy Benoit Blanc reading through a Nancy Drew book for the first time, as the game does a fantastic job of hiding the real culprit until the end.

7 Harmony: Th🏅e Fall Of Reverie

A group of characters from Harmony Fall of Reverie

Platforms

PC, Nintendo Switch, PS5, Xbox Series X/S

Released

June 8th, 2023

Genre

Adventure

Developer

Don't Nod

Don't Nod has been experimenting with different storytelling techniques since 2013's Remember Me, and Harmony: Fall of Reverie is another excellent example of the developer finding new ways for you to experience their adv༺entures. Starring a colorful cast of characters and vibrant art style, it's easy to get lost in Harmony's eight to ten-hour saga.

If you enjoy games with critical decisions that affect the outco♌me, few titles did it as well as Fell of Reverie this year. Your character can use the power of clairvoyance to see into the future, which will help you determine which paths to take to get the ending that you think is best.

6 Mediterranea Inferno ൩♑

A clerk sits behind a counter with vinyl on it.

Platforms

PC

Released

August 24th, 2023

Genre

Adventure

Developer

Eyeguys, Lorenzo Redaelli

For anyone who prefers the avant-garde and unusual over straightforward and predictable stories, Mediterranea Inferno deserve💟s your attention. The dreamlike story of three friends who travel for a vacation together quickly unravels into something else you'll need to see to believe.

Everything from the animations to the dialogue and music works like a metronome to hypnotize you into a zone of comfort before pulling the couch from beneath you. It should only take about five hours to finish the gam🤡e, and each minute in Mediterranea Inferno is wort🅠h remembering.

5 ཧ Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood

Patrice leans against a counter with a folder in front of her

Platforms

PC, Nintendo Switch

Released

August 16th, 2023

Genre

Adventure

Developer

Deconstructeam

There are plenty of visual novels, but none are quite like The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood. It features a fantastic story with♐ memorable ch💞aracters, but it's the inclusion of a tarot deck system that helps the game stand out in a very crowded genre.

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Beyond the tarot card system, C♓osmic Wheel Sisterhood presents a relatable narrative about isolation and self-discoveryꦚ. The writing lures you into an enchanting world and will have you emotionally invested in the captivating story before the end of the first hour.

4 ♏ Slay ﷽The Princess

The Princess is split into two halves.

Released
October 23, 2023 𓃲
Platform(s)
PC

It's hard to understand why Slay the Princess is one of the best visual novels of the year without picking it up and playing it for a bit. The art style might turn you away, but it's an essential element to theဣ game's charm - and horror. Like many on this list, once you start playing it, you won't want to stop.

Each run requires you to make impꦗortant decisions that lead you to one ultimate dilemma - will you save or slay the princess? There is a lot of body horror and gore in Slay the Princess, making it one of the more unique ꦯand exciting visual novels of 2023.

3 Goodbye Volc💟ano High

Fang, Reed, Rose, and Trish pose for a photo together

168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Goodbye Volcano High is an interactive visual novel set during the age of the dinosaurs, but instead of eating leaves and stuff, they li♐ve normal lives and stay busy by playing wonderful music or board games. Things become much less fun once they all realize that an incoming meteor could wipe out the whole planet and everything they lovไe.

Full of fantastic characters, funny writing, and one of the best alt-rock albums of the year, Goodbye Volcano High is a bold statement about the importan🤡ce of staying true to yourself until the very end. The visuals are fantastic as well and make you feel like you're playing throu♒gh an animated series or cartoon.

2 Venba

The family from Venba gathers in the kitchen

Platforms

PC, Nintendo Switch,𝔍 PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S

Released

July 31st, 2023

Genre

Cooking, Puzzle

Developer

Visai Games

Veಞnba is one of the shortest games on this list, but it squeezes so much love and attention to detail in its short runtime that it manages to leave one of the biggest impacts. It follows a 𝕴family that immigrates to Canada and highlights the difficulties of embracing heritage while adapting to a new culture.

Aside ✤from reading about t💙he family's journey, you'll spend some time in the kitchen preparing delicious-looking foods to help bring everyone together. If you're looking for something short and sweet to enjoy, Venba can be completed in less than a couple of hours.

1 Paranormasight: The Seven Mysterඣies Of Honjo

Yoko Fukunaga stands in a park in the dark

Platforms

PC, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android

Released

March 8th, 2023

Genre

Adventure, Horror

Developer

Xeen

Not only does 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Paranormasight contain one of the most riveting and suspenseful stories of the year, but it continuously keeps 🐬you invested by slowly peeling back the layers of its horrific tale. Once you think you know what's happening, a subtle clue suddenꦇly disproves it and leaves you wondering what's going to happen next.

With a fantastic visual style, hauntingly pleasant soundtrack, 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:and iconic characters, Paranormasight is a game you play and never forget. It's coꦅnsistently subverting your expectatio🌱ns and includes some amazing puzzles that require you to think outside the box.

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