The PlayStation 4 is a relatively powerful piece of tech, able to showcase incredible graphics throughout vast, detailed worlds. However, great games are not always so complex. One genre that exemplifies this more than any other is the Visual Novel genre.
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Visual Novels might not have next-generation motion capture or vast, open worlds, but they do have one thing going for them. More than any other genre, Visual Novels are based on choices the player makes. Despite the stereotypes associated with them, these games aren't all dating simulators. In fact, here are some great titles in the genre that anyone can enjoy on the PS4.
10 Synergia
Synergia is a thriller Visual Novel with a hand-drawl, neon aesthetic. It takes place in the near-future, in a world not unlike that in Cyberpunk 2077 (but much more playable). The player takes center stage in a story where, "at the end of the world, love is the ultimate crime."
It's a game geared towards older audiences for its aesthetics and its complex narrative. However, it doesn't have any outright nudity or explicit content, and anyone can give it a go.
9 Chicken Police – Paint it RED!
Chicken Police: Paint it RED! is a noir-esque Visual Novel with the same heart of a classic buddy cop movie. It's an absurd game that features cutouts of animals pasted onto photographs of real people for its characters – all wrapped up in a mystery with more than 8 hours of recorded dialogue.
It's a game for someone who wants to try the Visual Novel genre, but can't get into the dating or romance aspect of most popular titles. Chicken Police throws convention out of the window and asks the player to strap in for a wholly unique experience.
8 Milky Way Prince – The Vampire Star
Milky Way Prince: The Vampire Star is a relationship-based Visual Novel whose story goes in a different direction than typical feel-good games of the genre. It features themes of abuse, idealization, dysfunction, and mental illness throughout.
It's an interesting Visual Novel that takes some of the genre's stereotypes and uses them in less conventional ways. It explores darker subjects, making it a satisfying journey.
7 Zero Escape: The Nonary Games
Zero Escape: The Nonary Games is as close as a player can get to experiencing the movie Saw in the Visual Novel setting. The game's story revolves around nine people who are forced to partake in a series of games where contestants regularly "go missing".
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There are elements of relationship-building here, but the main draw of the game is its many different branching choices and narrative events surrounding ongoing deaths. No two playthroughs will be the same in The Nonary Games.
6 Vampire: The Masquerade – Coteries of New York
The Vampire: The Masquerade series started as a hugely popular role-playing game. Further down the line, it received multiple spin-off video games. Vampire: The Masquerade – Coteries of New York is the first Visual Novel game in the series.
This title follows the Vampire factions the Camarilla and the Anarchs in the backdrop of New York. A lot of the game is directly inspired by the Vampire: The Masquerade tabletop RPG's fifth edition rules and settings.
5 Hatoful Boyfriend
Hatoful Boyfriend is a relationship-based Visual Novel with a simple, but important, twist: every datable character is a pigeon. The game features "1080p Pigeons" in its Avian love story, and though it doesn't add much to the genre, it's quite a unique experience.
The game is constantly absurd, throwing the player into ridiculous situations that only make sense in Hatoful Boyfriend. It's worth sticking with, though, for its numerous hilarious endings.
4 Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy
The Phoenix Wright series is one of the most legendary Visual Novels ever made, even though it plays differently from most Visual Novels out there. Instead of focusing on progressing a narrative and building relationships, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney is best known for the fast-paced court sequences.
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Almost everyone has seen the "OBJECTION!" meme somewhere on the internet, an image that came from one of the features of the game's court system. Luckily, all three games in the trilogy are available as a bundle on the PlayStation store.
3 Danganronpa 1+2 Reload
At Danganronpa's Hope's Peak Academy, the player is thrust into a world of confusion and competition as the school's students are forced into slaying each other. The game's iconic characters are well-known by many gamers, but that's not all it has to offer.
The PlayStation 4 exclusive Danganronpa 1+2 Reload combines the first two games in the series in one bundle. In these games, players solve mysteries in a brutally absurd setting where the cute visuals take a turn for the worse.
2 Doki Doki Literature Club!
On the subject of games that aren't quite what they seem on the surface, Doki Doki Literature Club fits this mold perfectly. The game is a relationship-building Visual Novel with an underlying creepy tone that slowly envelops the player in a horrific world.
The game's multiple endings are each as scary as the last. Any players who go into this game expecting a typical Visual Novel are in for a horrifying surprise.
1 Burly Men At Sea
One of the things that many unique Visual Novels have going for them is their unique art styles. Burly Men At Sea uses minimalist modern art and a simple coastal setting to tell a tale of misadventure and folklore.
The game has a huge number of choices for the player to make that drive mini-narratives. Although playthroughs tend to be on the short side, there's a lot of variation and different "endings" to find, which keep players intrigued in this washed-out world.
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