Karifean's Top 10 Visual Novels
So now that I finally feel like I've read the absolute must-reads of the visual novel genre, I decided I might as well list my current Top 10 Visual Novels. I know there aren't many users around here that actually read visual novels, but if you have an open mind towards the genre or are looking for some recommendations, you might find something to your liking here.
It should come as no surprise that I adore visual novels. They often have some of the best soundtracks of all time, and story-wise they blow games out of the water. But visual novels are not only my favorite video game genre, but also my favorite storytelling medium in general. There's so much you can do with the perks of visual novels that you just can't really replicate in books or TV. I'll go further into details about why I love the medium so much as we go, because there are some very good examples of novels whose storytelling would really suffer if ported to another medium.
A few ground rules for this list. First off, I cannot read anything beyond basic Japanese so any visual novels without a translation patch are out by default. And of course, while I have read a good number of visual novels, there are far more I haven't read. Especially VNs that actually got a localization and a considerable western fanbase - I can tell you upfront that Danganronpa, 999 and Ghost Trick won't be on this list, as I just haven't had the chance to read them yet.
And with that, I hope you enjoy this list. I'll be posting #10 momentarily, then go on to post one entry per day....If you really don't want to wait you can just look me up on VNDB, which basically spoils the entire list. Your call.
Final List
#10 - Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
http://i.imgur.com/xF7VmvC.png
#10
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (Series)
Developer: Capcom
Availability: Fully Localized (iOS, Nintendo DS/3DS/Wii)
Adult Content: None
Length: Moderate (~25 hours per game)
The only time a lawyer can cry is when it's all over.
Starting off the list with what's most likely the most well-known visual novel series outside of Japan, we have Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, or Gyakuten Saiban (Turnabout Trial) in Japanese. I shouldn't even have to introduce it, but for people who have never heard of it before, you play as a defense attorney by the name of Phoenix Wright, and over the course of the series you take on many court cases trying hard to clear your clients' names. There's actual gameplay involved as you investigate areas, find clues and present your case in court sessions.
One of the series' main strong points lies in its lovable characters. Between Mia, Maya, Detective Gumshoe, Miles Edgeworth, the Judge, Larry Butz, Wendy Oldbag, Pearl and later on Apollo Justice, Trucy Wright, Kay Faraday and Athena Cykes, Ace Attorney's characters never disappoint. Phoenix makes for a great protagonist and his interactions with Maya make the first three games so much fun. Later games feature different protagonists but the script stays consistently good. And while the pacing suffers at times especially in each of the games' second and third cases, it always picks back up.
Easily my two favorite games in the series are the original first game and Trials and Tribulations, both for having a surprisingly engaging story with a great cast of characters and very memorable antagonists. I like them pretty much equally so even if you say putting an entire series on one spot is a cop-out, those two games would still share the #10 spot regardless. Although really, all the games in the series are worth reading. I haven't read Ace Attorney Investigations 2: Prosecutor's Path yet, but I definitely will, and I'm sure it won't disappoint either.
Finally, I have to mention the soundtrack. It's good. Like, very good. The Objection themes, the Pursuit themes, the Reminiscence themes, the "Won the Lawsuit!" themes... they're solid in just about all games. Tracks I find particularly notable are Objection 2001, Objection 2013, Pursuit Cornered, Won the Lawsuit! Another Victory, Reminiscence DL-6, Swimming Anyone? and Announce the Truth 2013.
An absolute classic series of visual novels that no fan of the genre should pass up on.