15 Gripping Visual Novels You Definitely Shouldn't Miss

Hakouki: Demon of the Fleeting Blossom - PSP, PS VITA

Hakouki has a bit of a different setting from most visual novels, and ends up being quite a bit more violent and mature as well. It takes place in feudal age Japan, and like many other visual novels, is also a romance game. You play from the first person perspective of Chizuru Yukimura, a young girl who interacts with five different Shinsengumi captains in five different scenarios. For players to get a full understanding of the game's setting and events, they'll need to play through each scenario and learn about all five characters.

Hatoful Boyfriend - PC, PS VITA, iOS

This ridiculous game is half visual novel, half dating sim, with a whole lot of birds. Hatoful Boyfriend puts you in the role of a student attending St. PigeoNation's Institute, a university where the student body is made up of pigeons and a myriad of other birds. While attending the school, you can choose which avian classmate you'd prefer to date. It's an incredibly strange game, that comes packed with some surprisingly good writing and one heck of a twist.

The Fruit of Grisaia - PC

Like many other visual novels, Grisaia has subsequently been turned into both an anime and manga series. It has branching storylines and five scenarios each based on the five girls attending Mihama Academy. You take the role of Yuji Kazami, a hit man working for a Japanese government agency who decides he wants to live a normal high school life. He enrolls at Mihama Academy as "an exchange student from Canada," and you can imagine how this might factor in later on.

Rewrite - PC

Rewrite is the ninth game created by Key, the same company responsible for Clannad. Like that series, Rewrite features branching paths, romance, and has strong characters, that are easy to get invested in. The story revolves around Kotarou Tennouji, a high school student that possesses superhuman abilities. These abilities land him in the middle of a war between summoners and superhumans, and he has to solve mysteries along with five girls from his school, in the fictional city of Kazamatsuri.

Fate/Stay Night - PC

Fate/Stay Night is a popular visual novel series, that launched an even more popular manga and anime series. The story of the series revolves around something called the Holy Grail War, where combatants use magic and heroes from throughout history to fight for a chance to have their wishes granted. The series' protagonist, Shiro Emiya, is a high school student who unwittingly gets entered into the tournament.

Hotel Dusk: Room 215 - Nintendo DS

Hotel Dusk's most striking feature is its unique visual style that makes the entire game look like it was sketched by pencil. Kyle Hyde, a former New York City detective, arrives at the small Hotel Dusk in search of his former partner Brian Bradley. He's given the key to Room 215, a room that's rumored to grant wishes. A dark story with plenty of surprises plays out over Hotel Dusk, and the personalities of the people staying at the hotel really stand out as you search for clues.

Ace Attorney Series - DS, 3DS, iOS

The Ace Attorney series provides one of the most unique twists on the visual novel genre that gaming has seen, putting you in the shoes of a defense attorney. The characters of the series are almost always crazy and colorful, with the cases matching the tone. Phoenix always has an innocent soul to defend, and has to overcome wildly opposing odds. Each game has you interacting with character to learn clues about the murder or crime, investigating the crime scenes, and then finding contradictions in court testimony to prove your client innocent. It's a weird and wonderful series, that keeps thing interesting with its unique cases and situations.

Clannad - PC

Clannad is a high school-based visual novel, that has multiple branching paths and story options. Tomoya Okazaki is a high school delinquent who encounters multiple people during his last year of school, including five girls who are also the main characters, and ends up helping them resolve their individual issues. The dramatic story also weaves in elements of a dating simulator, and Clannad has also been adapted into both an anime and manga series.

Umineko When They Cry - PC

Umineko is another visual novel series that was eventually turned into a manga and 26-part anime, and even a fighting game. The murder mystery series is describe as a "sound novel," focusing on building its atmosphere through music, sound, and its story than through visuals. Umineko takes place during the year of 1986, on a small secluded island called Rokkenjima. The Ushiromiya family arrives on the island for their annual family conference, and ends up getting trapped by a typhoon. Strange things begin to happen, and members of the family begin dying.

Muv-Luv - PC

Muv-Luv has an interesting setup, being divided into two distinctly different parts known as Extra and Unlimited. The first part is mostly standard, with protagonist Takeru Shirogane waking up with a strange girl in his bed who ends up being an heiress to a financially powerful family and is determined to be his bride. The second part flips things on its head with Takeru waking up alone, leaving his house and finding his entire neighborhood destroyed by a mecha. He's in an alternate dimension where aliens known as BETA have invaded Earth, and mankind uses mecha known as Senjutsuki to fight back.

Trace Memory - Nintendo DS

Trace Memory was another game released in the wave of visual novel style titles on the DS. Ashley Mizuki Robbins is the daughter of two researchers of human memory. In 1994, her parents mysteriously disappear and she's then raised by her father's sister. Right before her 14th birthday, Ashley receives a package and mysterious device tuned to her biometrics that says her father is alive and waiting for her on Blood Edward Island. Ashley then sets out on a strange and mysterious journey to find her parents.

Zero Escape Series - DS, 3DS, PS VITA

Each of the Zero Escape games puts nine characters into a desperate situation, where they're forced to play a game of life and death. 999 and Virtue's Last Reward match the visual novel style while the latest game, Zero Time Dilemma, replaces that with cutscenes. The story sections are interspersed with puzzles that force you to escape a room, oftentimes using real mathematical or scientific theories/formula. The biggest highlight of the series though are the complex stories and interesting characters, that require multiple playthroughs to truly understand.

Danganronpa Series - PS VITA, PC

Similarly to Zero Escape, Danganronpa puts a group of characters in a desperate life or death situation. Everything is orchestrated by a mysterious black and white bear named Monokuma. Every year, the elite Hope's Peak Academy selects a number of "ultimate" students, all gifted in some way, and traps them inside the school. The only way to escape is to murder another student and get away with it. Varied and interesting characters, each with their own backstory helps add weight to these dark and twisted games.

Professor Layton Series - DS, 3DS

Professor Layton is another hybrid series that combines visual novel stylings with some serious puzzle solving elements. The Sherlock Holmes-esque Professor Layton and his assistant Luke always have a new mystery to uncover in every game, filled with fascinating and colorful characters. The puzzles of the series are impeccably designed and can really be head scratchers. Layton even crossed over with the famed attorney Phoenix Wright for a game.

Steins;Gate - PS Vita, PC

Steins;Gate is exactly what you'd want from a good visual novel, vibrant art, interesting characters, and a twisting story full of surpises. Players assume the role of Okabe Rintaro, an eccentric individual and self proclaimed mad scientist. Rintaro, along with the help of his friends at the "Future Gadget Laboratory," accidentally discover the secret to time travel. Cause and effect, consequence, friendship and more themes all pop up across this dramatic time traveling story. SteinsGate was also turned into a successful 24 episode anime series.

15 Gripping Visual Novels You Definitely Shouldn’t Miss