Help me choose my next VN from this long list
So currently I still have the last episode of Umineko (answers arc) to finish, and I'm also in the middle of Akane's route in Rewrite, after which I'll have the 2 final routes to go through.
Despite the fact that there's still plenty of reading ahead of me, I'm already eyeing the candidate for my next VN. And boy, there are a lot of them.
Here are the candidates:
1) Tokyo Babel - seems to have an epic modern fantasy story, just like I want, with an interesting post-apocalyptic + biblical flavor. I've got it recommended in the past when I asked for something in the general vein of Fate: Stay Night.
2) Utawarerumono - jeez, this is impossible to write without looking up the spelling... this one has several advantages. It's not very long, which would be a relief after reading two super long VNs. Also it will eventually lead me to reading one of the sequels, Mask of Truth, which seems to be one of the highest rated VNs on VNDB.
3) Dies Irae - heard excellent things about it, that it has an epic story and there's a lot of fighting (yes, please!). Also loved the visuals when googling it, about on par with Tokyo Babel. I've heard it characterized as chuuni though, which makes me worry. A bit of that is OK, a lot is not OK.
4) Fate/Hollow Ataraxia - Stay Night was my first visual novel, and it's been many years since I've read it, or anything by Type-Moon for that matter. Maybe it's time to revisit this world. I understand that it's very different from the first VN, but that's not necessarily a bad thing, right?
5) Tsukihime - back in the day I've tried jumping into it right after reading Fate: Stay Night, thinking the same company and author means I'll adapt easily, plus I love vampire stories. Didn't turn out that way though. I finished Arcueid's route, then found myself completely unable to continue. But hey, I've got a lot more VNs behind me now, and like I've said, I'd like to read something by Type-Moon again. If I do go for it, I'll start completely over, of course. On the other hand, both music and visuals in that game are so terribly dated...
6) Stein's Gate 0 - I really loved Stein's Gate and I already own its sequel on my PS4, after impulse buying it on a sale back when covid was just getting started. I've heard it's not as good as the first one though.
Less likely candidates:
7) Demonbane - I've tried it before, getting maybe 4-5 hours in. I didn't like how they bastardized the Cthulhu Mythos, and it was not taking itself seriously at all. On the other hand, now that I know what to expect I probably have a better chance of liking it, and the lighthearted slapstick schticks might be refreshing after the dead-serious heart wrenching VNs I'm going through right now (on the other hand Rewrite also started out lighthearted... I have no real idea what truly awaits me deeper into Demonbane).
8) Kamidori Alchemy Meister - It's a popular one I never tried before, and it has gameplay elements, for good or ill (but then again, so does Utawarerumono AFAIK). Also, fantasy and magic elements. I'm a bit afraid it's a nukige though. I don't have any problem with a bit of 18+ in my VN (a couple of scenes are OK, like in Fate: Stay Night, or Muv Luv Extra), but I don't want a Monster Girl Quest on my hands. I'm not really sure where on this scale Kamidori lies...
9) Muv Luv Alternative Chronicles (volumes 1/2) - Muv Luv Alternative was neat, so why not get another taste of this world? Each volume is also supposed to be pretty short, which is nice and convenient. On the other hand, not all volumes have been translated to English, and also even after ~2 years I'm not sure I'm ready to dive back into the depressing BETA-overrun world of Muv Luv again. Maybe I'll keep this one for next year or something, but it's still an option for my next VN too.
10) Sorcery Jokers - I've played it a bit in the past, the worldbuilding is neat, but I wasn't a huge fan of the characters (from what little I've seen), and it's rated pretty low on VNDB compared to most other VNs on my wishlist. I will definitely want to play it again sometime, it's just I'm not sure right now is the right time...
11) Raging Loop - Heard really good things about it, and the premise looks super interesting. On the other hand I'm just finishing up Umineko, and I feel like I've had my fill of the mystery genre for the next freaking 10 years.
I'll stop right here. I can probably keep going for a while more, but I believe I've covered the VNs that most interest me at the moment. Also, feel free to suggest something that's not on this list, although I'll caution that I will not read any slice of life VNs, without exceptions. Yes, not even Clannad or Katawa Shoujo.
So I'll shut up now and go back to working on finishing up the two VNs I'm in the middle of right now, and let you guys recommend what you will. :)
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MostlyWicked to
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