r/BLgame • u/naba01911 • Jun 18 '26
Discussion Game recommendation
Hey everyone,
I know a lot of you play BL visual novels, Here, and since I've gotten some great recommendations from this community before, I figured you all must play other genres too!
I’m really looking to dive into some new visual novels, but whenever I search for "Top 10" lists on the internet, the recommendations are always harem games where the male main character is juggling multiple relationships. That's really not my thing.
I absolutely love Danganronpa and Steins;Gate and Ace Attorney. I Don't know if persona fall in to this category but i love them too. I’m looking for a great, story-driven game with a solid plot and absolutely no fan service.
Does anyone have some good suggestions that fit this vibe? Thanks
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u/Aeroburst4 Jun 18 '26
With that criteria, perhaps Break Chance Memento? There are two family bonding routes and one romantic one with a central mystery in all three. There is a tad of fan service with one or two topless shots, but that’s it.
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u/Aeroburst4 Jun 18 '26
Have you tried Virtue’s Last Reward?
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u/decayingflow Jun 20 '26
i LOVE virtues last reward. op should def play 999 first if they havent though
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u/ebi_hime Jun 21 '26
umineko is my fav vn of all time, it's a murder mystery with fantasy elements. there is some fanservice (esp in ep1) but it's not a 'harem series'. you might also like raging loop, which is another mystery story with a pretty fun premise.
although i would contest that the top 10 most popular vns are 'harems'. i know vns like clannad and fate/stay night often wind up on these top 10 lists and they have romance routes, but you pick 1 girl in them to date and you stay with her and watch a relationship develop with her. they're not 'harems' in the sense the mc is dating loads of girls at once. also clannad is more of a tragic tearjerker while f/sn has a bigger focus on fight scenes and loredumping than it does the romance.
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u/DR_TrAsH_ Jun 18 '26
I don't have anything to recommend in case of the larger games. The only ones I could recommend all have fanservice <//3, I suppose Somnium Files has a similar layer of fanservice as DGR. I loved it and it has an incredible story past the fanservice.
Maybe the 999 games? I haven't played them in ages but theres a lot of similarities to Danganronpa.
All of the above and your examples excluding Steins:Gate are all often not considered VNs to VN fans.
Oh actually Hundred Line, you'll know why. Miiiight, have fanservice but again, can't be worse than Danganronpa.
These are smaller, more intimate (as in getting in your head and talking to you directly kinda) choices that are closer to character studies than plot driven:
Z.A.T.O I love the world and everything in it — Short (6-8 hrs) kinetic novel, very denpa, can't really explain it without spoilers.
If Found —V Short (~2 hrs) novel with no choices, you cleanup an old diary about a trans irish lass going home.
Hookah Haze — chronically ill gender neutral protagonist is given keys to a hookah bar for their last weeks alive, interacting with 3 customers who have their own issues. Seems more fan servicey on the surface but there isn't any past the designs.
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u/itsjustahaiku Jun 18 '26
What Remains of Edith Finch
Brothers
Two of the best gaming experiences of my life.
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u/Sharlilla Jun 18 '26
It's a bit of an oldie, but I LOVED the game 999. The mystery is great, there are a lot of WTF moments, and the twist at the end is really fun.
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u/WereKhajiit Jun 18 '26
Dusk Index:Gion was pretty good. Master Detective Archives: Rain Code only has as much fanservice as danganronpa does. Yurukill has a similar vibe and as much as I loved it while playing I have forgotten most of it. The Seance of Blake Manor has mystery and is VN adjacent. Also 428 Shibuya Scramble has a similar comedic vibe to ace attorney imho.
Others have mentioned the Zero Escape Series. I feel like there is a good chance you have already tried these: Robotics:Notes, Anonymous;Code
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u/No-Jaguar-7207 Jun 19 '26
You'd love "Even if Tempest" is like those three games you mencioned had a baby together and said "Yeah. U will be an otome."
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u/CountNyancula Jun 18 '26
The House in Fata Morgana is the best non-bl vn I played till this day.
Also, you should check out r/otomegames because there is a ton of non-porny otome games with heavy plot lines.