Slay the Princess – The Pristine Cut
Available on every platform under the sun (sans mobile).
Ooo, here’s one I can start gushing over off the bat. In Slay the Princess, you take on the role of a Princess Slayer. Your mission: slay the princess in the basement of this little shack in the middle of nowhere. Why are we here to slay this princess? Who is the princess? Who’d want to stab this beauty?! Well, that’s for you to find out—and look, a perfect VN just in time for the spooky scary season coming up.
AI: SOMNIUM FILES & AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES nirvanA Initiative
Available on PC and consoles.
These two aren’t actually my recommendations but from our fair Jesse—who reviewed this duology when they dropped on Game Pass back in 2022. I’ll get to ’em eventually—but anyone interested in what I can best describe as “avant-garde in mystery form” should have a gander at these games.
Chicken Police – Paint it RED!
Available on every device under the sun.
‘Chicken Police – Paint it RED!’ is a VN that blends that classic noir adventure with detective work that’ll have you take on two chicken heads’ weirdest case yet. Lots ‘a dialogue, lots of animals! There’s a demo up on mobile devices for you to check this one out.
CAFE 0 ~The Sleeping Beast~ REMASTERED
Available on every device under the sun.
CAFE 0 has players take on the role of a young maid who has been told she is dead—but she can go back a week in time to see what caused her untimely death. It’s up to you to help her investigate.
Paper Perjury
Available on Windows and Mac OS X.
Not on consoles, but still worth checking (VNs run on LeapFrogs, y’know)—Paper Perjury has players take on the role of Justina Smith as her first job as an assistant paper lady to a police station embroils her into a city-wide investigation that could lead to some terrible truths. I had reservations about the writing, but I ultimately did enjoy Paper Perjury and I do recommend you check it out! A free case is also slated to launch sometime in the future.
Hermitage: Strange Case Files
Available on PC & consoles.
‘Hermitage’ has players take on the role of a detective who’s got to get to the bottom of a series of horrific incidents inspired by Lovecraftian Horror in this mystery adventure VN.
One of these days, I’ll write up a proper VN recommendation list—promise!
