I’m a huge fan of otome visual novels, but I don’t think it’s something that many here would appreciate lol, so I’d rather talk about a different subgenre that I like, Danganronpa-esque VNs. Basically, these are crime novels involving a quickly shrinking group of characters with interactive elements. For me the entertaining part is that actually thinking about cases matters to progress the story. I love to guess “whodunit” based on clues and my own intuition.

Of these, there are 3 Danganronpa games (there’s a spin-off, but it has a vastly different gameplay). These are great to check out VNs in general if you don’t know if that’s your thing. They are very well-made, although their aesthetics may not be for everyone. The second one is my favourite, mainly because of its catchy tunes.

Zero Escape games - also a staple of this subgenre. They are half VN, half puzzle games. It’s a great sci-fi story involving time shenanigans, you’ll probably like it if you enjoyed Steins;Gate.

Kimi ga Shine - I really, really love this game! It’s a Japanese indie game made by one person, Nankidai. It’s available for free and also has a Steam version. It’s not complete yet, but it’s absolutely worth it to check out the content that already exists. What makes it stand out is that your choices have a great impact on the following story. An atmospheric, psychological game that feels very authentic. It has plenty of interaction, it’s not long and it’s fun to replay to make other choices.

I also love Ryukishi07’s VNs, “When They Cry” series. The art is admittedly ugly, but the stories are very intricate and convoluted in the best sense of the word.