There are currently three games in the series and two of them were ported to PC last year, as a remastered bundle called The Nonary Games, while Zero Time Dilemma currently stands on its own. This spine-tingling visual novel first hit the shelves back in 2009 with the Nintendo DS classic Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors. The Nonary Games (Zero Escape series) © Spike Chunsoft Steins Gate is a must play for those looking for a rollercoaster ride of thrills and chills. You can change the outcome of certain events simply by responding to phone calls or text messages, so you’ll get to see every character in a variety of ways. This time travel tale quickly takes a dark turn and all the characters are thrown into unforeseen situations that Okabe must desperately avoid. The rag-tag group eventually begin altering time through their various actions and they are plunged into tangled time loops and warped world lines. However, one day Okabe and his pals discover the means of changing the past via a rudimentary time machine. The story follows protagonist Rintaro Okabe, a self-proclaimed mad-scientist who spends his days conjuring up wacky inventions with his childhood friend and an otaku hacker. Steins Gate is one of the most successful visual novels to be released outside of Japan and it has all the twists and turns that you’d expect from a good sci-fi thriller. Note: We’re only including visual novels that are legally available and don’t rely on Japanese imports or fan patches. However, choosing which visual novels to read can be rather intimidating, so we’ve put together a handy list of the very best the medium has to offer. As a result, we’re starting to see popular titles and more niche novels getting officially licensed English releases.
Originally western audiences had to rely on fan patches or purchase sketchy bootleg copies to enjoy the best titles, but the medium has become increasingly popular overseas. The visual novel industry is huge in Japan and it’s now more accessible than ever. In fact, there are plenty of visual novels that deliver impactful stories without relying on fan service to keep its audience invested. Visual novels often get a bad rap as cliché anime games that feature scantily clad schoolgirls and steamy romance scenes, and while adult content is never far from this medium, it’s certainly not all it has to offer.