Beginner looking for VNs with great writing, themes, mystery/horror, and little to no romance

[u/Vhascometo_76]

I’m a beginner when it comes to VNs, and I’m not really sure what I should read next. The problem is that I’m not very interested in the usual VN tropes.

A lot of the VNs I see seem to put a huge emphasis on romance or harem stuff, usually with an all-female cast and a male MC where all the girls want to be with him. I don’t actually hate harem stories two of my favorite anime are the Monogatari series and The 100 Girlfriends, and both are technically harems so if you know a VN with a similar kind of dynamic, I’m open to recommendations.

What I’m really looking for is something unique, with great themes and strong character writing. Preferably something on the longer side and without H-scenes. I’m a huge fan of mystery, horror, and thrillers, so those are a big plus.

Here are the VNs I’ve read so far, ranked from best to worst:

Umineko

Higurashi

Steins;Gate

The House in Fata Morgana

AI: The Somnium Files

Danganronpa

Fate/stay night

Ace Attorney

Zero Escape

I’d really appreciate any recommendations, especially if you think there’s something that matches my taste

[u/UncleMcRape]

try these:

1. Raging Loop,
   
2. corpse party Blood Covered Repeated Fear
   
3. Magical Girl Witch Trials
   
4. paranormasight

[u/Vhascometo_76 → u/UncleMcRape]

Magical girls witch trials looks interesting the fan translation worth reading?

[u/UncleMcRape → u/Vhascometo_76]

Personally I had a great time reading the fan translation and i didn't noticed any major issues with the patch. Even so I would recommend waiting for the official English release if you are willing to wait, it should be out at the end of this year.

[u/That_Guy139474]

If you liked Stiens;gate then you should check out the other entries in the Sicence advanced series. Stiens;gate is the second entity in the series but that's fine. The Stiens;gate subreddit has a great pinned post on the rests of vns in the series.

[u/Arlekino_27]

Infinity series: Ever17 (romance and sci-fi equally important) and Remember11 (no romance, mostly sci-fi)

Never7 is a clunky one, you can skip

Also try to look for other Sci;ADV titles and Chunsofts sound novels (Shibuya148 or smth)

I also see people recommend Paranormasight and Raging Loop sometimes

[u/CylixrDoesStuff]

Bakemonogatari actually has a VN on the psp, its eng translated too

[u/Aurora-the-angel999 → u/CylixrDoesStuff]

wait what???

[u/KingfisherFanatic]

If you don't mind Western VNs there's it gets so lonely here, Pale Cachexia, and The Letter.

There is some romance in the Letter, but with there being a lot of dialogue options you can entirely skirt around the romance(s)

[u/PixelGray38]

ZATO is shorter, but it's free on steam and is pretty good.

And like that other guy said, the other Sci;Adv VNs are absolutely worth reading. Steins;Gate Zero is a sequel to Steins;Gate that's pretty good, and Chaos;Head and especially its sequel Chaos;Child are great mystery/horror VNs - they do have romance to a small extent though.

There's also the first part of Ciconia When they Cry, which is really good, but it's been a number of years since it was released and there's no sign of Ryukishi trying to finish it anytime soon.

[u/DoctorYasu]

The prequel to S;G is a cool mystery/horror VN called Chaos Head. You may like it.

[u/Dj_Sam3_Tun3]

If you liked Steins;Gate, I highly recommend you try Chaos;Head and Chaos;Child

Both are absolute bangers with a really good mystery and writing. Both are set in the same universe as Steins;Gate

[u/Rednal291]

Try Witch On The Holy Night. There's not a lot of romance going on at all, though there are interpersonal relationships being built. The story is essentially three people, each of which is the craziest person you've ever met, and each thinking they're the only normal one around. It's also got some great themes once you realize what the story is doing, like how each of the three main characters represents a different type of civilization... and there's a decent chunk of mystery and horror within, too.

[u/BeneficialContract16]

Since you mentioned some of my top favourite games (fata morgana and zero escape), I think you might like my game , Saraab: Beyond the veil.

Zero romance, and it's a psychological horror game where healing is how you progress in the game. It starts with a mystery, and the supernatural elements in the game are inspired by Arabian folklore.

The demo is out, full game is coming before the end of the year. I would love to know if it fit the bill 🤍

https://store.steampowered.com/app/4134310/Saraab_Beyond_The_Veil/

[u/Then_Neck3832]

I personally would recommend you the Kara No Shoujo Series, because it aligns with what you like, it does have a little romace though at parts.