My Top 10 Favorite FVN
This is a spoiler-free top 10.
I’m doing this out of boredom tbh, but it should be fun. Please keep in mind that this is in no way supposed to be an objective look at these FNVs, this is purely just about my enjoyment from them.
Socially Awkward by Monchimutt
Socially Awkward is fun. That’s all I really got. It’s quirky and funny, and clearly has a lot of passion behind it. It can be a bit TOO quirky at times and delve into straight up cringe, but I think it’s part of the charm.
Shelter by Rausmutt
Shelter is also fun, but it carries a bit more punch and emotional weight. While nothing groundbreaking, it’s solid in it’s story and themes, and has some pretty good moments, Rune’s path in particular has some standout moments that got me hype as hell. I look forward to more from Shelter.
Lustful Desires by Hyao
I personally believe that Lustful Desires just barely counts as a FNV, it’s more an RPG with mainly humans, but fuck it, it’s a good game either way. For a self-proclaimed “beginner writer and coder” whose first language isn’t English, there sure is a lot of well-written and complex content. I personally am on Day 137, and it only now feels like I’m hitting the cut-off content-wise, and it gets frequent updates so there’s never a painful wanting for more. It certainly lives up to the name as this game is horny as all hell, which is a plus and minus. There’s something for everyone, which is good, but there’s even stuff that should probably be illegal to show, which is bad. Lustful Desires’ story and writing are backed by a combat that system that, while very generic, offers some variety from the reading. My number 8 pick for sure.
Rainoff Camp by ???
Okay, dropping the formal Watchmojo presenter shit for a second, did anyone else read this fucking book? No seriously, I need to know if this was a hallucination or not. Rainoff Camp is perhaps the most bizarre and off-putting FVN I’ve ever played. This book is the digital embodiment of the Uncanny Valley. Everything about it just feels off, the art, the writing, the characters, even the world itself just isn’t…right. It all feels like one big mindfuck designed to mess with you. And the worst part is, it’s such a good mindfuck, I have no idea if it was intentional or not. I have gone back and forth on this since the moment I picked it up, it’s either a god-tier mindfuck that was perfectly designed to get into the readers head and make them go insane, or it’s an incredibly amateurish shitpost with no real purpose. And I’m in love with it either way. I’ve never been so enthralled and bewildered by a VN, and it was a hell of a good read. I think. Unfortunately, it was cancelled awhile back and no answers will ever be given. It will forever remain a mystery. The best manipulations are the ones no one notices, and that very well may be true of Rainoff Camp. Or maybe it’s not, and I’m just an over analyzing loser. Edit: The Itch.io page doesn’t exist anymore, WAS THIS GAME EVER REAL???
Dawn Chorus by Dawn Chorus
Dawn Chorus is fucking beautiful. I cannot get over how enchanting the art is. I want a poster of every single CG. I could talk about the story and characters but Dawn Chorus gets this spot purely based on its art.
Burrows by CaptainNikko
Burrows is confusing, fucked up, hilarious, and heartwarming. I can’t even begin to describe it to the uninitiated. Time travel, ghosts, weird bunny men in leather masks, mental health issues, taboo sexual desires, gore, and so much more. It’s incredibly complex and I do recommend trying it out if you’re interested in something a bit more intense.
By Your Hands by ChellayTiger and Nemo
I know this one is super early on in development, but even the design and creative concepts are interesting to me. The entire book is centered around the subversion of the common tropes we expect to see in FVNs, such as the Love Interests we usually see (wolves, foxes, tigers, lions) being absent. Instead, there’s an orca, a chicken, a raven, a bull, and even an animal that I currently don’t know how to spell. I foresee great things from this VN.
Minotaur Hotel by Minoh Hotel
I grew up with Percy Jackson, I feel like that’s enough said. No but seriously, Minotaur Hotel scratches every single “modern mythology” itch that I could possibly have. I loved coming home from a long day of work, cuddling up in my bed, and reading for a couple hours. It’s my comfort book. And I feel like that’s all I need to say.
Echo by The Echo Project
I mean like… duh. Echo is great. When people ask me what my favorite book of all time is, I say “Echo”. Now, I’m separating favorite book and favorite FVN because it’s my list and I can do what I want. But Echo is fantastic. You want a reason? Just ask almost anyone here.
But as for my favorite FVN of all time…
Sileo: Tales Of New Dawn by Xevvy
I fucking LOVE Sileo. Everything about it just sparks joy within me. I cannot overstate how much I needed to read this book when I did. I have written actual academic papers that received grades on Sileo. I once wrote a multi-page paper on the character of Tai and why he’s one of my favorite characters of all time. Sileo just makes me happy. Happy that I’m able to read it, happy that something that strikes so many personal chords with me exists, happy that I was alive to experience it. I know I might sound crazy to some of you, but Sileo is just so important to me. I hold it so dear to my heart, and I await every update with joy.
I could talk about Sileo forever and ever (Don’t even get me started on Tai, I could probably move a mountain with how much I could talk about my favorite sexy tiger), but we’d be here all day.
Hope you had fun reading, let me know what you think!