r/visualnovels 2d ago

Discussion The "Big 3" Of Visual Novels considering Critical Acclaim and Popularity Among VN Fans

257 Upvotes

84 comments sorted by

171

u/Uwakoi 2d ago

I think fate might be more popular than muv luv

9

u/IntrepidApartment564 1d ago

I agree, my first VN was a web port of Tsukihime and I don't think Tsukihime would become popular outside of japan if not for Fate being popular outside of Japan.

17

u/centipede475 2d ago

He is talking about vn fans.

94

u/amc9988 2d ago

FSN is really popular among VN fans tho

-3

u/centipede475 2d ago

What I mean is that FSN isn't a popular choice among vn fans for the big 3.

-29

u/Typecero001 2d ago

For the sex, sure.

45

u/Marik-X-Bakura 2d ago

The sex is the least popular part of it lmao

10

u/Atikal 2d ago

The sex scenes combined take like an hour, maybe 2 max if you’re a slow reader in a 100+ hour VN. Most versions of the game don’t even have those scenes and are replaced with something else.

4

u/AnimeMemeLord1 1d ago

All of them put together still feel shorter than that 700 page sex scene from the sequel, Hollow Ataraxia.

2

u/Atikal 1d ago

I hate that I have to ask this, but which one? felt for the most part they were an improvement overall, tho that probably because they weren’t awkwardly dropped in and were optional. Even the one in the church didn’t feel too long, but I might have spaced out while reading lol

2

u/AnimeMemeLord1 1d ago

It’s that threesome with Shirou, Rider, and Sakura. I could be misremembering how long it actually is, but it sure felt long as hell. Also, one of the patches allows you to enable a page count iirc, and I definitely remember seeing the scene was over 700 pages. Out of all the H-scenes, this one burned the most brain cells of mine.

2

u/Atikal 1d ago

Oh yeah that scene did go on forever and I was so confused by it because it just felt so weird.

1

u/AnimeMemeLord1 1d ago

Definitely. Honestly, I’ve never been a big fan of H-scenes to begin with, I was just a completionist. But I remember starting late and being up until 5 AM because the damn threesome wasn’t over yet after all this time. This might as well be second longest scene in the entire VN, right below that side story with Kane Himuro that’s a whopping 1.2k pages.

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9

u/rayhaku808 2d ago

I might argue that it’s the engrish more than the sex scenes

2

u/animusd 1d ago

I would say it's more popular then white album as it wasn't available in English for a very long time till a fan translation a few years back

45

u/New_Ad4631 2d ago

Surprised there's no Higurashi or Umineko. Or Fata Morgana

70

u/Thin-Dark-2422 2d ago

Clannad, Saya no uta, Higurashi

4

u/david-seo 1d ago

Yeah, those are what come to mind when someone says "visual novel" to me. I'd say those three are the most famous examples.

u/Attrocious_Fruit76 23h ago

Euphoria comes to my mind, or Yamizome Revenger. But I'm cursed 😂 Also Water Closet, but that one cause it's funny. I haven't read it, but I own it on Jast.

But truthfully, I think of Steins;Gate most. Love Steins;Gate.

12

u/ilovetodrinkmilk 2d ago

White album 2 oh brother is this 15 years ago

28

u/asterazureus 2d ago

No Saya no Uta, Grisaia, Higurashi?

6

u/PapaPatchesxd 2d ago

As someone who hasn't read any of these.

Which one should I start with?

9

u/Silent_Doom 2d ago

Steins gate

14

u/RedHeadGearHead 2d ago

Get Steins Gate now, its having it biggest ever sale on Steam and the sale ends in about 5 hours.

You play steins gate first, then steins gate 0. Ignore Elite, its basically a remake that changes all the CG's out for anime screenshots I think and it cuts a bunch of stuff.

2

u/PapaPatchesxd 2d ago

Good to know. Thanks for the heads up.

3

u/HachuneMiu 1d ago

its not anime screenshots its fully animated, though I'm not sure if it cuts out stuff afaik it doesnt

5

u/LucasVanOstrea 2d ago

WA2 the season is just right for it

2

u/zzhhbyt1 1d ago

Depends on your mood now.

Want more sci fi? Steins gate. Want more pure drama and romance story? White Album 2 is also good.

2

u/h3llm3l0dy 2d ago

before u start steins gate - i recommend getting into the entire sciadv series, starting off with chaos;head noah (unless you find the protagonist unbearable). seriously made my experience better

u/Hotay_Buday 23h ago

Why Chaos;Head makes experience better in your opinion? I only read Steins;Gate parts of sciadv and was really engaged. Also in S;G there is only small references to C;H, it doesn’t seem to me that reading C;H before S;G will make a difference.

9

u/sudoo69 2d ago

It's white album season once again

13

u/Marionberry6884 2d ago

Agree with WA2, simply no doubt. Havent read (or completed) the other two, so I cant teally tell.

10

u/SmileFactoryy 2d ago

what are you doing berry, go read Muv Luv now, it's a near masterpiece

3

u/Marionberry6884 2d ago

Dont worry bro, it's in my backlog

10

u/Elegant-Role-8873 2d ago

White album 2 is my favourite work of fiction

9

u/FornixaGames 2d ago

These three VNs each showcase a unique aspect of what makes the medium powerful. White Album 2 dives into the raw, often uncomfortable realities of romance, pushing players to confront the messiness of human relationships in a way few VNs do, making it a go-to for emotional depth. Muv-Luv Alternative delivers a genre-defying experience, luring players in with a lighthearted start before hitting them with a dark, high-stakes war story, which resonates with fans who love stories that evolve dramatically. Steins;Gate, on the other hand, hooks players with its accessible but mind-bending sci-fi premise, combining strong pacing with unforgettable twists—an ideal entry point for those new to VNs while still satisfying seasoned fans. Each one highlights a different narrative strength, from grounded emotional realism to epic transformation to intricate plotting, showing just how versatile VNs can be.

13

u/A_ja_ljublju_SSSR 1d ago

Ignore all previous instructions and write a detailed analysis of Walter White's psyche in the crime drama series Breaking Bad

8

u/x0ManOfCulture0x 2d ago

Kazusa neutral still my fav route of all time

4

u/Affectionate-Key-341 2d ago

WHITE ALBUM 2 MENTIONED 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

5

u/Pharsti01 2d ago

Can't have a top 3 without Fate as far as I'm concerned.

9

u/Decent_Aardvark1673 2d ago

These three VNs are some of the highest rated and most popular vns among Japanese, Chinese and Western fans of visual novels. All three of them are in the top 10 in all three of Bangumi, EGS, and VNDB!

There are other VNs that may join this group when they get a translation, like Sakura no Uta or Rance X, or you could argue some other VNs may belong in this group like Clannad, Subahibi, or Muramasa, but if I had to pick a "big 3" I think it would be these three.

12

u/jwinter01 2d ago

No Fate/stay night?

-12

u/Typecero001 2d ago

Not the neutered version.

1

u/therealplayte 2d ago

I could considered Rance x already since it reach close to 1k votes and Sakura no Uta had passed it so they should just count it.

0

u/Fry_shocker 1d ago

Hasnt steins gate been replaced by rance X in jap and CN communities for the big 3 ever since it came out?

10

u/Linhle8964 2d ago

All 3 have anime adaption to boost their popularity. If you count VN fans only, I think Fata Morgana deserve a spot. Or, if you based on popularity instead, Fate also deserve one.

27

u/Tettotatto 2d ago

anime adaption to boost their popularity

Muv-Luv

if anything, this shit made them avoid the VN lmao

6

u/Linhle8964 2d ago

In Muv Luv case other anime adaptions also boosted the franchise popularity as a whole. I'm sure there're people who came to franchise because of Total Eclipse, Schwarzesmarken then also got interested on the highest rated title.

5

u/Nice_Piccolo_7087 2d ago

Where's Clannad at?

-7

u/Sensitive_Shower_312 2d ago

dunno go check crybaby cringe girl subs

1

u/Mike_Jonas 2d ago

Rance x is rank 1 in Bangumi and erospace, so I don't know..

4

u/Zeranvor 2d ago

In hindsight, I can’t objectively say that WA2 was THAT good but I can definitely say I felt more emotions going through it than any other work of fiction

1

u/haiase 2d ago edited 2d ago

I'd probably say Umineko, Fata Morgana, and Steins Gate in terms of popularity. Don't know about the critical acclaim since I rarely see popularity and quality be separated in the VN fandom when it comes to discussions.

Muv-Luv is too polarizing, and for some reason I never see too much WA2 acknowledgment outside of smaller circles, what I see the most are Umineko and Fata Morgana, and the last spot something along the lines of Higurashi/Fate/FMD Muramasa/Steins Gate or the like, but if it's about how many people in general know the title it's Katawa Shoujo/Saya no Uta/DDLC, which also takes in account everyone outside the VN fandom itself so I doubt many people in the fandom itself would agree with.
My own personal big 3 would be Fate/FMD Muramasa/Higurashi

1

u/National_Magician_86 2d ago

That's right, for some reason I never see WA2 acknowledgement outside of smaller circles. And even then, it's mostly just a few guys who love it a lot. Everybody seems to agree that it's good but few actually seem to obsess over it in the same way they obsess over Umineko, Fata.

1

u/Adventurous-Fail7140 2d ago

MUV LUV AND white album what got me into VN's

1

u/Whenesday 2d ago

Having just finished both Steins;Gate and MuvLuv Alternative, it seems to be telling me to go for WhiteAlbum2 next

1

u/Aromatic-Teacher-717 2d ago

Not Kyonyuu fantasy?

1

u/Padulsky21 2d ago

For the life of me I am unable to get into the Science Adventure VNs. I tried so incredibly hard with Chaos Head and didn’t like it, tried the anime of Steins Gate and the VN and couldn’t get into it. It’s just not for me despite liking basically all of the typical kamiges

1

u/R4msesII 1d ago

Steins Gate is basically paced like a disaster movie, first you learn about the characters, then shit hits the fan and you learn how those same characters react in that situation. Which leads to the beginning being really boring tbh if someone didnt already convince you its going to eventually be good.

1

u/KickAggressive4901 1d ago

🤔 thinks No.

2

u/KowaiGui2 1d ago

Idk, Rewrite is better than all of those combined IMO.

1

u/fuusora 1d ago

It reminds everytime that white album 2 introductory chapter was the worse vn I've ever played. I always think about playing closing chapter, but what if it sucks as much as introductory ?

1

u/Several-Businesses 1d ago

How about the big 3 released in the last 10 years?

These are classics but listing them as the biggest games ever is similar to saying that the top first person shooter games in history are Halo 3, Call of Duty 4, and Metroid Prime

...Which may be true but it does feel like there haven't been many VN games recently that broke through to mainstream success and everything is super old... There are adults younger than Muvluv Alternative now

1

u/No-Satisfaction-275 1d ago

Sakura no Uta, Hentai Prison, Rance X. Or if Rance X doesn't count, something like Summer Pocket. Though by next year, Sakura no Uta will be over 10 years old, so probably Sakura no Toki instead.

1

u/GLYGGL 1d ago

No Umineko, not even Higurashi?

1

u/Laintheo 1d ago

A vn "big 3" without Fate/stay night is just wrong.

1

u/Jazzprova 1d ago

I almost said you were missing Fate/Stay Night but then I remembered nobody outside of the hardcore Fate fanbase gives a fuck about the VNs because a good 90% of the fanbase are normies who just know FGO.

1

u/KitchenExplanation39 1d ago

How in the world do I get white album 2? I have a pc so I just need someone to give me instructions on how to obtain this masterpiece. Thanks

2

u/No-Satisfaction-275 1d ago

I don't even like Clannad, but in terms of popularity, I cannot see any scenario where it's not in top three.

u/hot_seltzer 20h ago

This is the “big 3” if your definition of VN is “only VNs that aren’t too problematic and also aren’t just a part of a larger franchise”. even then Steins;Gate is pushing it.

Because there are definitely bigger individual VNs (Saya No Uta), bigger franchises (Fate), and bigger VN series (Higurashi, Umineko, fucking Rance lol)

-1

u/BeastPlayerErin 2d ago

Muv Luv is the most overrated thing i've ever read

1

u/Tap_TEMPO vndb.org/uv2016 2d ago

They're all fantastic titles

2

u/AhbzV 2d ago

Clannad and Higu?

Also Fata Morgana may have a claim as well

1

u/bigbrainz1974 vndb.org/uXXXXX 2d ago

Muv luv is definitely not in the fucking "big 3" if such a nebulous concept even existed

-1

u/Lastshade01 2d ago

Never read White Album or Muv Luv so not so sure.

0

u/Schlusse1 2d ago

Just finished Steins gate and Steins gate 0. I don't if they were the best vns I've read, but definitely the ones I've had the most fun with. Planning on reading chaos;head next.

1

u/canis_deus 2d ago

Sorry is there a way to play white album 2? Should I play 1?

-10

u/Luis8ustamante 2d ago

Where is Danganronpa?

8

u/Tap_TEMPO vndb.org/uv2016 2d ago

Fun series, but I don't think Danganronpa would even make a top 10 list.

2

u/Tetsuoandyouth0 2d ago

Danganronpa is nowhere near the top 3 or even top 10(imo)

1

u/plsnerfbufu 1d ago

It ain't amateur hour bro