2019-07-01_PC_Gamer

VISUAL NOVELS

Immerse yourself in a different genre. By Malindy Hetfeld

STEINS;GATE

The many branching paths of a visual

novel are a great vehicle for time travel,

and Steins;Gate is the best example of

this. It offers a fairly standard yet

surprisingly dark narrative.

F

un, family-friendly and

stuffed with memorable

characters, Ace Attorney

is the series that put visual

novels on the map for many people.

It’s also one of the most interactive.

Attorney Phoenix Wright doesn’t give

up until he’s cracked the case, even if

he has to enlist ghosts and parrots as

his witnesses.

PHOENIX WRIGHT:

ACE ATTORNEY TRILOGY

DANGANRONPA:

TRIGGERHAPPYHAVOC

Danganronpa tells the story of 15

students trying to escape their

school by murdering each other. You

expose culprits in Ace Attorney-style

classroom trials.

HATOFUL BOYFRIEND

You’ve likely seen this visual novel which began its life as

n April Fool’s spoof on dating sims. In a future in which

irdsrule over mankind, you’re the only human at an all-bird

ighschool. If you get far enough before the premise loses

ppeal, you’ll uncover an intricate horror story. You should

tickwith it, because the end game is delightfully strange.

lso,who wouldn’t want to date all the birds?

J

ust like JRPGs, visual
novels can seem
inaccessible at first,
and have an unfair
reputation for
focusing on eroticism or just plain
strangeness. Visual novels come in

all shapes, and while it helps to like

anime tropes, the strength of these

games is in the characters and

storytelling. Visual novels are an

important narrative genre used by

developers around the world to

explore relationships in depth.

MAD SCIENCE

BATTLE ROYALE ORIGINALE

BAFFLING BIRD SIM

START HERE

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LEARNTOLOVEANEWGENRE

BEGINNER’S GUIDE