Oh, well, you should have started off by saying you're a man of culture and would like to avoid the slop!
You've probably heard of Snatcher; imo it counts as a visual novel, same with Policenauts. (both are available in english)
On June 6, 1996 , a chemical weapon known as Lucifer-Alpha under development in Chernoton, Russia, is released into the atmosphere, resulting in the death of 80% of the Eurasian and Eastern European population which in turn results in the death of half of the world's population. The contaminated...
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The game centers on Jonathan Ingram, one of the five "Policenauts", astronauts with police training, assigned to ensure the safety of Beyond Coast, mankind's first fully-functional space colony in the year 2013. A freak accident occurs while testing a new space walking suit and Jonathan is...
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You can check out Dead of the Brain 1 and 2, both got english patches at this point.
First part of the Nightmare Collection with Marine Philt and Dead of the Brain 2. A survival horror adventure game. You take the role of a young man named Kohl who must survive a nightmarish zombie infestation thanks in no small part to his old friend Doctor Cooger. When facing the zombie...
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Third part of the Nightmare Collection with Dead of the Brain and Marine Philt. The events of the game take place shortly after the ending of the first game. The devastating zombie invasion, caused by the scientist Dr. Cooger and his resurrection medicine, was finally stopped, and the young...
vndb.org
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(just wanted to post this gif)
Jesus ~Kyoufu no Bio Monster~ is a VN for the NES; sci-fi space adventure.
In the year 2061, a manned space mission was planned for Halley’s Comet, which would once again be nearing Earth. A team was assembled from eight countries around the world, and split into two spaceships for the mission, dubbed the “Comet” and the “Corona.” They would depart from the Space...
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Metal Slader Glory is another sci-fi adventure for the NES. This one is probably one of the most aesthetically pleasing games for the console. Both have english patches.
The game takes place 8 years after a great war was waged between colonies in outer space, and peace has finally settled back onto the Earth. The main character, a 17-year-old war orphan named Tadashi Himukai, purchases a used worker-mech in order to start a construction business with his...
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As they're both on the NES, don't expect the writing to change your life.
Demonbane is a fun one, but only if you like mecha and Lovecraft. Official english translation works fine. It's newer than most of the stuff I posted and even has voice acting, if you're into that.
Arkham city is a bustling hub of commerce and industry, however Arkham is also a center of eldrich lore: home to Miskatonic University, an institution of higher learning with one of the most complete libraries of arcane literature in the world. In the span of two generations the town was built...
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The Silver Case counts as a visual novel. It's an early game by Suda51 (guy who made Killer7). It's about detectiving a series of murders. I won't go into greater detail though.
1999 - the "24 Wards". A string of mysterious serial killings plagues the city. The detectives of the 24 Wards Heinous Crimes Unit have their eyes on one man: Kamui Uehara, legendary serial killer and assassin of a number of government officials 20 years prior in the now-famous "Silver Case"...
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Yu-no is a VN and a bit of an adventure-quest (you have to figure out where to go next and what to interact with). It might be a bit hard to beat for some, but it's worth it. It's probably got the best story out of all the ones I listed so far (probably the only vn I could call 'an epic journey'). In terms of time-travel stories it completely blows Steins;gate out of the water. The timetravel mechanics also tie into the 'gameplay' pretty well. It's in the repo, get the windows version. Ignore the uncultured narrow-minded swine complaining about certain segments of the plot, you can tell these people have never set foot in a theater.
Takuya Arima is a young student whose father, a historian who has conducted various researches, disappeared recently. During a summer vacation Takuya receives a peculiar package from his missing father, along with a letter containing information about the existence of various parallel worlds. At...
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Eve burst error is by the same dudes who did Yu-no. Just as good, 'mystery' VN. Don't play the windows version, as it is censored and some of the translation is a bit off. An english patch is expected for the pc98 version. Save this one for later. (both yu-no and eve are the rare kind of visual novel where the censor-worthy content is plot-relevant; since yu-no never got an official release, it has a full fan-translation)
A Bizarre Serial Murder Mystery. There's A Serial Killer Close By. A Prohibited Psychothriller. The Multi-Sight System Reveals Surprising Truth! In this game there are two heroes, Kojiroh and Marina, who are each called to solve their own cases. This game allows you to switch characters at any...
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Chaos;head is one of the last interesting vns to come out. You can kind of consider the entire genre almost dead after this game. If I recall correctly the original writer passed away half way into writing it, and it kind of shows. The issues with the initial release of the english translation patch also helped bury this game...
Also, Steins;gate is its spiritual sequel, but at that point Nitro Plus kind of lost their edge.
Takumi is a high school student. He is withdrawn and is not interested in 3D things. In his town, a mysterious serial murder case happens and people get panicked. One day, when he chats on the internet, a man suddenly contacts him and gives him a URL. He goes to the website and finds a blog...
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Wonderful Everyday (Subarashiki Hibi) came out two years later, it's part of the reason I said 'almost dead' in the previous paragraph. It's an interesting one, but kind of has that anime weirdness thing going on that you mentioned. If the first several hours of it don't turn you away, then you might enjoy it. (two of the girls are named Kagami and Tsukasa, if that doesn't mean anything to you, maybe you should avoid it) It also gets 'weird' in other ways that I'm not going to get into.
One day, Minakami Yuki witnesses a stuffed toy falling through the air. Battered and worn, how many times has this doll fluttered downwards, released as an attempted offering to the sky? An offering made to find the "day we return to the sky"—a ritual passed down in this town since times gone...
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Possessioner for the PC98 looks to be fun, but the english patch isn't out yet. A little bit of something to look forward to...
The year is 2035. A series of mysterious incidents began to occur in Tokyo. Young women disappeared under strange circumstances, and returned brainwashed, commanding armies of bionic monsters and assaulting human settlements. Such women were called "Possessioners". A special all-female squad was...
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There's a bunch of good looking ones that are japan only. They all look fun... maybe one day... Here's some examples:
In the near future, Japan became involved in a war against the most powerful states of the world. As a result, it was nearly devastated. 30% of its population became immigrants. Tokyo became center of military organizations at war with each other. In such a world lives a highly trained Japanese...
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In 2080, Tokyo, the capital of Japan, became a center for daring scientific experiments, newest research in space ship technology, and organized crime. A new deadly drug was developed, that enhanced sexual experiences of human beings, eventually subduing their will and turning them into slaves...
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Main character is a science teacher with a weak constitution. He was working on a medicine to fortify constitution and accidentally got a substance to grant invisibility. To complete the original medicine he needs to collect women fluids, but as a side mission he's going to have a revenge on...
vndb.org
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pure AESTHETIC...
THE SCREAMER (1986) (Yes, in ALL CAPS) is not 'purely' a VN, a little bit more of an RPG, but it's
cool. It has an english translation, but it's a PC-88 game, with lots of
bleep-bloops, you'll need to draw maps and generally isn't for the faint of heart.
edit:
You can always try the original Tsukihime. Somehow it is the most noteworthy vn out there. Try finishing one route. If you don't enjoy your time, visual novels probably aren't your thing.
Same goes for Fate/Stay Night (by the same dudes). Notice how they're both among the very first entries in vndb.
This story is about a young boy named Toono Shiki who, after experiencing a traumatic accident, wakes up in the hospital with the ability to see lines and cracks in every surface and being. These lines, when traced with any sharp or blunt edge, will be permanently cut. As he is forced to see...
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In the bustling city of Fuyuki, a secret battle rages in the shadows. The Holy Grail War, a brutal battle royale, pits seven mages, known as Masters, against each other. Each Master summons a formidable warrior from various eras as their Servant, all vying for the ultimate prize: the Holy Grail...
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