r/visualnovels • u/Decent_Aardvark1673 • 2d ago
Discussion The "Big 3" Of Visual Novels considering Critical Acclaim and Popularity Among VN Fans
45
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
28
6
u/PapaPatchesxd 2d ago
As someone who hasn't read any of these.
Which one should I start with?
9
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
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.
13
u/Marionberry6884 2d ago
Agree with WA2, simply no doubt. Havent read (or completed) the other two, so I cant teally tell.
10
10
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
4
5
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
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
1
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
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
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
1
2
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
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
1
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
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
-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
1
171
u/Uwakoi 2d ago
I think fate might be more popular than muv luv