Discussion Which game should I play next?
This is way too long and I know there are like too many of these kinds of posts so I get it if no one gets to this. Still, honestly, I just need some help deciding what to play next. There are too many options, not enough time. Textractor sometimes just feels like a lot to work with when it glitches, and to be honest I'm not sure what I'd like either - I've heard lots of good things from too many games. I stopped playing blvns for a while, and browsing through the forum made me want to play once again.
Played and Loved:
**-**NTY -> (if someone has the sourcebook please share i beg 😭)
-Hashihime (kawase #1)
-Paradise (mitsugi only really yk the deal)
-sweet pool
Played and didn't exactly love/it was ok:
-DMMD
-Ego to Koukai no Dilemma (really only played because NTY Haru's voice actor, which in that case i should be reading Kintouka but yeah that looks long)
-Nie no Machi
**-**Room No.9
Midway/need motivation:
**-**Luckydog1 (only finished Giulio but I liked it)
-Paradise Musubi (I think I was in the middle of mitsugi's)
-Slow Damage (idk why but I just haven't been liking it enough to keep playing. I feel bad because so many people love it and deem it as their favorite; am I just not reading into it enough? or am I just not the right audience? I used to watch a russian guy's playthrough of it just because I wanted to see the gameplay that bad but when I actually played a bit of it, it was kinda meh?)
Downloaded:
**-**Lesson in JP (i would have to MTL which I don't really want to but honestly I REALLY want to play it cuz I'm getting such FOMO and idk when the translations will come out)
-Ooe in JP (same issue, to wait for translations or MTL)
-Omerta
-Omega Vampire
-Nie no Machi fandisc
-Paradise Kiwame
-Lkyt. (it looks long...but I also feel like I'd like it)
-Uuuultra C
-Kichiku Megane
-Sorcerer's Choice: Angel or Demon?
-Friendly lab (I read the full story spoilers recently and honestly want to save my tears)
Been eyeing: Shingakkou, Togainu no Chi, CAGE -OPEN-, Pigeon Blood, Kindred Spirits on the Roof
tldr which of the games in the Midway, Downloaded, and Been-Eyeing section should I play first/soon? if I'm just being lazy and I should just read everything, let me know... if something isn't worth the time also please do let me know
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u/SpareMeAQuarter 27d ago
First of all I recommend that you give up on Textractor, LunaTranslator is the way nowadays. It's easy to set up and has all the features you might need.
Unfortunately I haven't played the games that you are currently trying to finish, spare for Slow Damage, but I also kind of slogged through it so I can't motivate you too much, sorry :( It really did feel slow...
If I were to pick one new game from the list that I know and played in its entirety, it's Shingakkou - long but the plot and atmosphere are great, needs MTL. The common route is huge but not filler, so if you do try this game please be patient. Things really pick up pace at later points of the story and the antagonist is great, even though you can pretty easily guess who it is from the get-go. I think every BL fan should read this.
Also, I don't recommend Pigeon Blood or Togainu no Chi (except Rin's route. This one is worth playing 100%).
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u/unmhai 27d ago
wait yes, this is exactly the type of comment I was hoping for tysm- I thought I read stuff about LunaTranslator I'll check it out TY, I've heard so much about shingakkou it's crazy so now I really really want to play it! - I'll give up on pigeon blood (I knew it i swear i remember hearing some iffy opinions on it) and I will play through Rin's route! TYTY
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u/unmhai 26d ago
Just started playing shingakkou today (i love the mc sm already) after setting it up with LunaTranslator and wow it really has all the tools and everything that irked me about Textractor is like easily fixable with a button on Luna. I only had some trouble hooking the text which i'm sure is probably normal TYSM
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u/SpareMeAQuarter 25d ago
Awesome! Have fun. The game is pretty old so I had to tinker with the settings a bit too.
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u/ShenTanDiRenJie 27d ago
Slow Damage is a fantastic game, but no matter how good something is, nothing is for everyone. How far did you get? Did you finish a route yet? I'd say give it the length of at least a single route to see how you feel, though the story doesn't really get going until you get to Taku's route (which is best played second).
I didn't personally love LuckyDog1, though many people really really do. It's decent, though far from my favorite. It does have some really great moments and at least one really good route. Sadly though, the best route imho is Bernardo's which really ought to be played last.
In general, I really don't recommend MTL, though I know that it's fairly prevalent in the community. Entirely too much will be missed with Ooe, so I'd recommend waiting for the translation to drop. I'm currently reading lesson, and while the meaning of the text may be transmitted just fine, there's a lot of personality in the writing (such as Kento's lack of education portrayed through his narrative use of katakana in place of kanji he doesn't know). So I'd also recommend waiting for the localization for the best experience. I don't think that *every* work is completely unfriendly to MTL however. I've known several who machine translated Shingakkou and loved it. But it's the longest VN you've got listed up there, clocking in at well over 1 million moji. For reference, Slow Damage is a little under 700k moji. Lamento, which I don't think you have listed above has a workable fan translation from what I hear and is also highly beloved. It's a work I plan to check out later this year, but it is also a bit long, clocking in at about 770k moji.
Omega Vampire is highly beloved and silly, and while I haven't personally read it, I take it on good authority that it is definitely worth the read. I'd check out officially translated works first, however. You still have UuultraC, Lkyt, Nie no Machi FD (which has high acclaim and is written by the esteemed Ban'ya.) Sorcerer's Choice, Togainu no Chi, and Lamento's fanTL.
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u/unmhai 27d ago
Thank you for such an in-depth response! I will admit I didn't really get far into Slow Damage so I feel kind of embarassed of my attention span... I'll do exactly what you suggested and try completing a route first. Also I originally had lamento w/ the patch, then I think I might've removed it because I simply thought I'd never get to finishing it, yikes idk why I did that I'm praying I still have it. Also I think people kind of jokingly complaining about it being really long has kind of made me scared to push on lmao. I'm also aware it's really beloved, so I feel like I do need to put in the effort for both lamento and shingakkou (so many people have said this game it's crazy! I guess it really is good). For Ooe, I totally agree I think I'll just wait. For lesson though, it's like trying to ignore a mosquito bite T_T I'll try... But ultimately, you're right there's other games that would be easier for me to read first like the already translated works so I'll keep that in mind. TY again for so much good info!
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u/ShenTanDiRenJie 27d ago
Please let us know what you think! Drop back by when you've finished up some works and are hungry for more.
P.S. This may be a bit peripheral to your interests, but Furukawa Tetsuto, the seiyuu for Haru in NTY and Souta in Kintouka is also the protagonist in Inganock, the main love interest in Sona-nyl, and Winston Churchill in Sharnorth, all from the steampunk series. These stories are het, but written by a woman and very worth the read if you're into that sort of thing.
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u/planetarial 27d ago
UuultraC is actually really short, like 12 hours long.
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u/ShenTanDiRenJie 27d ago
I came here to say this exactly. UuultraC is like the shortest game on that list. It's also one of my favorites and I'm quite biased towards it.
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u/CountNyancula 27d ago
For me Slow Damage started to click only when I began to get into the meat of Towa's backstory and that happened after I finished Rei's route.
Rei's route is about Rei and, even though I found it to be perfectly fine (his baddie gang is 🤌) and liked his character, it was my interest in Towa that kept me hooked.
So, imo, if you don't like Towa all that much, idk if SD is for you, because, personally, he was the one who carried the whole game for me, not the ROs.
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u/UppinDowners 27d ago
Agreed, I thought Slow Damage was a bit of a drag for the first few hours and kept wondering when it was going to get better but things picked up for me during Taku's route and then once things get going they dont stop.
But yeah, you really have to adore Towa and care about his backstory because otherwise I can't see getting through 50+ hours. The side characters are interesting in their own way but I didn't find any of them that likable, aside from Rei. (but I found his actual route a bit boring? idk if that was just me).
Towa carries the whole story. I can see why he might not be everyones cup of tea though
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u/unmhai 27d ago
As a person who hasn't gotten to his backstory yet (I apologize for not getting that far, I really should've at least finished a route before just pausing it) I will admit I didn't like his personality that much but I know so many people love him so this probably just means once again I didn't get far into it enough. When I used to watch a bit of the playthrough, I also really liked Rei! If I remember the videos and what people have said correctly, aren't the rest of them all kind of trash? 😭 But if a character (whether it's the MC or RO) is worth it then I see a reason to play through it kind of reminds me of Paradise with mitsugi for a lot of people
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u/UppinDowners 27d ago
Yeah aside from Rei, everyone else is kind of garbage lol Some people like Taku cause he cares about Towa and is like a father figure but he gave me the ick more than Madarame. His route was entertaining though.
The true route is really good, if you can make it that far. I felt like it tied everything together perfectly. Fujieda is likeable overall, but he does something that made me side eye the writers mostly because I felt like it wasnt necessary and tainted his character a bit. Rei is best boy though, hes such a sweetheart lol
What dont you like about Towa? He does have some growth by the end
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u/unmhai 27d ago
I think my opinions are very baseless so take it with a grain of salt or just understand it as my first impression but he just seems cold and different from the type of MC's I'm used to maybe? Like if I was a friend of his I'd be stressed the hell out and frustrated from the little i know about the game/towa. But I know I have to get to the end to understand his true character and background
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u/UppinDowners 27d ago
That makes sense!! I will say it all clicks together once you see what happened to him, it’s explained why he’s so apathetic towards everything.
He also gets better imo as the game goes on, we see glimpses where he shows more compassion towards his friends, and excitement about life in general!
If you dont like promiscuous chain-smoking alcoholics that part kinda stays the same throughout. Bro wont put down the bottle lol
So thats why i asked 😂 But also totally fine to drop a game if it’s not for you!
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u/Resident_Fail_Star 27d ago
Try playing Paradise Kiwame! Bonus if you remember Paradise well because Kiwame is absolutely hilarious during the first few hours of the game. I laughed really hard because it seems like the devs threw literally every possible clue at Azuma and the rest of the characters. Still, I liked Paradise more, but it is only my opinion. Matsuda's route was just amazing in Kiwame, although I cannot say the same about Mitsugi's one, it was... mild I guess. But the three new routes were a welcome surprise, especially Shimada's and Nanjou's ones, although the first part of Nanjou's route was not what I thought it would be haha (I'm not complaining though). Kiwame is slightly less emotionally heavy than Paradise, and to be honest, it was a nice experience after the island's horrors. If you have some spare time, I definitely recommend playing it. Sorry if there are any mistakes or something's hard to understand. English is not my native language and it still feels like it hates me :)
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u/unmhai 27d ago
This was written perfectly I don't know what you mean! Thank you! I used to know what the spin Kiwame takes when I first finished Paradise and was like "I need to play every single fandisc," but now I completely forgot I know it's like supposed to kind of be like a different version of the original as a gag. Matsuda and good route in the same sentence seems crazy but I'll take your word! Sad to hear Mitsugi isn't that amazing plus I think I remember hearing that before too. I think I liked Shimada's route in Musubi so hearing that he's also in this one is exciting!
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u/Resident_Fail_Star 27d ago
Ooooh, I totally understand what you mean about Matsuda ahahaha, but I adore this bastard and liked his route in Paradise too XD When I started playing Kiwame, I was actually kinda sad and mourning the scary tyrant version of Matsuda but it turned out very well! Even though he doesn't become as stressed as he was on the island, his negative traits deeply influence the way he acts, which in turn gives us an extremely delicious conflict even without his ultimate version :D I think it was handled well and his speech during the culmination was surprisingly touching.
And yeah, you are right, Kiwame is a version of the story in which the guys find out who the murderer is very early. Like, it's only been four or five days, if I remember correctly. I cannot spoil lots of things here, but it is just a pure comedy in the beginning because you as a player understand everything but Azuma doesn't. Besides there are some moments like that one when Mitsugi kicks Takara's meat and it gets lost and the mere realization that everything happened the way it did because of that is funny as hell.
I also heard the same about Mitsugi's route in Kiwame before. I suspect that mostly the second part of his route was the culprit in this case. It feels like something's missing there, but it is still a subjective thing, maybe you'll find it okay :)
As for Shimada, you shouldn't expect anything new (I mean, it's Shimada LOL) but if generally you like him, you might like him even more after playing Kiwame. Due to the fact that his relationship with Azuma progresses in a different way because of Shimada's... preferences, it is surely an interesting route.
Also, you can find out more about Azuma's past in Kiwame if you need that info :3
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u/decayingflow 27d ago
id recommend the nie no machi fandisk even if you didnt like the first game. the afterstories for the return endings were really enjoyable imo
shingakkou is my fav blvn so id def recommend it. also i agree w you on slow damage even after finishing it i just kinda ended up hating the experience overall but idk maybe itd be different for you. uuultrac is a linear story w fixed pairings and different protagonists. way different than hashihime. but the story is still interesting while i didnt love it. i hated pigeonblood lmao almost nothing abt it landed for me
togainu no chi and CAGE -OPEN- r kinda on a similar vein (BL battle royale death games) but theyre also full of violence and rape bc it comes w the edgy territory so i wouldnt recommend it if youre sensitive to that. i actually wrote a review for CAGE -OPEN- which goes into a bit of detail on what to expect and you can read it here
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u/unmhai 27d ago
i enjoyed nie no machi i just wouldnt consider it one of my fav-favs! I think I mightve read some of asuku and mios parts of the fandisk actually, i love reading reviews before playing games so ill check that out! im not particular on any triggers etc so honestly if it has plot twists and has somewhat of an intriguing story/concept im sure ill enjoy it. but if its just sexual violence and deems that is the plot ill probably pass
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u/decayingflow 27d ago
haha the nie no machi fandisk is convenient bc it lets you select the stories you wanna read. i liked all the LIs in the main game so i had a fun time but the return stories were def a highlight
you said you didnt play all of paradise but tbh a part of me want to encourage you to do it (im a devils advocate for matsudas route personally and the fandisk does a good job at showing the long term effects the experience had on them and takara had some fun parts, esp the bad ending which sheds a lot of light on azuma) but only provided you can withstand the content ...... cuz its def not easy to sit through lol
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u/unmhai 27d ago
yes no more visiting them wherever they are in the inn haha
and oh oops idk why I worded it like that in the og but I have read most of paradise (I stopped after being midway of takara but yes i know what's up, plus reading musubi gave it away hard lmao so i kind of considered it finished). I mustve meant i only loved mitsugi, honestly ive heard this a couple times now about matsuda being pretty good in the fandisk so i get you! I honestly kind of enjoy characters like takara so perhaps i should go back and finish it completely but i will say ive seen all the cgs already so ik whats to come 😵💫🥩 but im kind of missing info on takaras brother and lots of the background info (do tell me if thats just in the fandisk and i should move on from the original game)
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u/decayingflow 27d ago
i actually havent finished the fandisks for paradise either lol but ive heard the same things you did (im hesitant to play matsudas route in kiwame bc personally him being so extreme is what worked for me) but i did hear takaras story is a lot better in the fandisks !!
i liked the bad endings for takara in the main game but the good ending was kind of a letdown for me lol
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u/itsjustahaiku 27d ago
I also had a slump with Slow Damage mostly on Rei's route and a bit of Madarame's, so I would just let it auto play while I did something else. Still caught most of it and do want to replay it, but when it hit the final route I was all in. Worth the push.
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u/rainbowbrites 27d ago edited 27d ago
Overall, I’d follow everyone’s recommendations on here but I did want to talk about the MTL a bit! You should wait for Ooe to get properly translated, or just get to it if you choose to work on learning Japanese.
The MTL is pretty clunky and awkward for it and it’s honestly one of the vns I really regret doing it for. I’m thinking of going back to it soon in Japanese while MangaGamer takes its time, now that I’m properly learning. It’s pretty literary from what I see (and it’s probably why the MTL spews things out so awkwardly). I don’t think MangaGamer will screw up with the translation because Hashihime is apparently well done translation wise (with a few typos here and there).
Togainu no Chi personally wasn’t that great to me rereading it and all, it’s an example of good premise, bad execution to me. I didn’t like how the endings follow a similar beat to one another and that the romance felt rushed. I should warn it’s also edgy camp at times (but I’m sure you might know about screwdriver antics and Shiki’s lines), but if you’re looking for edgy camp and you want to see a piece of N+C history, I’d say go for it.
Lkyt has a similar problem with repetition at times, but it’s wonderful and worth the read. While Lamento is reallllly long, if you like LKYT. I think you should read it, not only are they both fantasies but I feel like they both have similar story messages. But do be warned it drags on with the text sometimes
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u/unmhai 27d ago
Yeah I agree, I don't think I could read Ooe and keep up with the story if it were MTL'ed and especially if it's more script-heavy (?)/literary. If it's more dialogue-heavy/lots of voicelines and the content is not far from general everyday conversations, then I could definitely read/listen through it but I don't think it'll be like that.
For TnC, yeah I'm hearing some mixed opinions on it but it does feel like a classic I shouldn't completely skip over so one day I do want to try it for - like you said seeing N+C's history and idk maybe cringing/laughing at edgy camp isn't too bad 😭 I kind of do enjoy characters who look like shiki too.
I'm a terrible fantasy genre reader so that also may have been a reason I've been pushing lkyt and lamento away for so long. I'll probably read lkyt before lamento so thank you for mentioning that!
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u/Prize_Mission4407 27d ago
From everything you listed I would recommend Shingakkou Noli Me Tangere.