@Rye
Never apologize for sharing knowledge. Rather we should thank you for your service in the trenches of the obscure and questionable.
As you suggest yourself, though, it doesn't sound like much of a recommendation, so I'd rather not put it on the list. For those interested your post will still give a proper evaluation of course

@icipher

Examples are in chronological order

OH my... If I had played that Demo I would have probably written it off myself. But who am I fooling? I'd still have played all of them even with a subpar translation.
I suppose all our thanks should go to dedicated fans that pulled through where corporations won't.

grading any of the FLOWERS volumes individually is tantamount to church schism

Hah. I am not fond of numerical ratings anyway. I do absolutely judge and analyse every volume of a novel series individually. It is important to take in a long series both on the micro and macro level in my opinion.

last edited at Apr 24, 2024 5:15PM

Personally I don't think Hiver deserve the amount of flak it seems to get. While certainly not without flaws and far from perfect, it's definitely not a disappointing disaster either.

In retrospect when looking through this thread it may appear like I'm on the negative side when it concerns Hiver, but I really do believe it's an amazing VN. I more or less agree with some people saying the mystery's resolution was lacking, but that wouldn't destroy all the emotional pay-off and character work it provides.

If I remember correctly @h3x rated Automne worse than Printemps, no? That is certainly... an opinion.

Yep :D Printemps was a good start of the series.

No offense, but the writing in Printemps is the weakest in the series by far. The writer clearly still didn't find their footing yet and the conclusion is unfathomably forced. While I understand that subjetive emotions will influence enjoyment a lot, it is also a fact that the majority of the fanbase considers Autumone the best written of the 4.

Your grievance with Automne seems to be with its mystery aspect, but that is by far its least important part. And even then, I'd consider these mysteries far more logically sound and interesting than Printemps', which all boiled down to forced character drama that in the end didn't really make any sense. The twins' plan in Printemps was basically non-existent. The mystery was written around the superficial idea of a Bloody Mary curse, but without actually giving the resolution any thought. All the deduction segments in Printemps require leaps of logic and brute forcing on the player's part too.

Even the long term mystery set-ups in Printemps make little sense. The game very clearly portrayed Mayuri's choice to leave as a result of the new rule of getting separated or expelled for romantic relationships between roommates. That is what triggered the whole situation. But it is never brought up again and this new rule doesn't exist in the sequels. Suoh immediately giving up on Mayuri the second she finds that message is beyond forced.
Mayuri's actions in Printemps don't make sense with Hiver's resolution but they are even more frustrating if you only played Printemps. It certainly left me infuriated to the point of nearly dropping the series right there.
The other long term set up without pay-off is Yuzuriha being attacked so the game could have some mystery that blames Mayuri for a crime. It is not actually resolved properly in Printemps and never gets a proper resolution anywhere else either.

Automne's strength lies in its character writing. It is by far the most thoughtful and self-contained in the series, with a very definitive conclusion that feels like the proper pay-off to a meticulously set-up arc. Even the alternate outcome where Yuzuriha dates Ringo has more depth than the usual tacked on alternate endings. Though admittedly the canonical twincest is a bit too tropey for my liking...

last edited at Apr 23, 2024 5:37AM

If I remember correctly @h3x rated Automne worse than Printemps, no? That is certainly... an opinion.

@icipher

after that fiasco with the original Printemps translation

I have only played Printemps years later, so I wasn't even aware of this scandal in the initial release. What exactly was the damage?

last edited at Apr 22, 2024 2:50PM

What's that about Aikawa? God dang what happened to her?

&

Ayo can someone explain to me what happened to Megumi? I don't play the game but i watch the translation of the game on YouTube.

In case both of you have not caught up since then and don't mind spoilers for some reason, at the end of Chapter 4 Part 1, Megumi leaves the military and goes into retirement in one of the Domes (temporarily). In Part 2 she returns. This doujin takes place in the gap between those chapters.

last edited at Apr 18, 2024 10:47AM

The drama CD in question will simply serve as the closing chapter in the eponymous “Flower Language” audio drama tetralogy.

It would certainly be nice if someone could at least make a summary of these, even if not a line by line translation. Just like the other supplementary material (in particular the artbook), these are basically essential pieces of info for people who care about the post-game.

UPDATE: yuri goddesses have actually blessed this wretched reality with a Flowers concert that will take place next year

I love anything MANYO touches, so I look forward to it.

(Rant time.
Unfortunately, I can imagine that most of this rings hollow to people who can't understand spoken Japanese, as nothing indicates that any of the drama CDs will ever get official English releases.

They did not even bother translating the voice actress commentary that was already in the games. I don't blame the translators of course. They got paid peanuts.

The fascinating thing to me is that Wakaba, by any normal measure, is actually outstanding and gifted herself. She may lose to the godlike at everything girls trope, but she still sails far above most normal people. Incredible grades, high singing talent and unreal luck at Mahjong.

The fact that she doesnt realize her own special standing because Komaki is a little better than her is probably the crystallization of the story. She has the slightest flaws, which make her human, but she is just special enough to scratch the ceiling and almost reach Komaki. So she goes on her tip toes and tries to pull her down to human levels, even if she is more liable to lose her balance and fall.

Of course it's obvious that Komaki is romantically interested in Wakaba and sees no other way to get close to her than this underhanded tactic, but I also think she wants to be defeated. Losing on purpose is out of the question though, because it proves nothing. She has created a soft win-win scenario for herself, but it still clearly bothers her that she can't get real affection. Oh how twisted.

So this is an unexpected update to an older VN... Without a Voice was updated to the 2.0 version and now includes full voice acting for the characters! This is a VN I already made a recommendation post for here. It's a short but impactful work that had me in its thrall for a while years back.
The new voice acting is very theater, but it does indeed fit the tone of the story. Of course it is completely optional.

Actual new releases include Sakura Isekai Adventure, another short VN in a long line of Winged Cloud releases. A lot of them are het, but the studio also releases quite a few yuri works, including this. It is not uncommon to hear the claim that Sakura VNs are the fast food of the VN industry. And I agree. Fast food can be quite tasty nonetheless.
I think there will be a general recommendation post just on Winged Cloud releases down the line. In the worst case by me.

For the Touhou minded folks out there, I can (maybe) recommend this new release featuring Patchouli x Alice. I fear I'm not deep enough into Gensokyo lore to know if this is a fan favorite pairing. It's a point and click game more than a VN, but the lines blur these days.

Finally a short yuri mystery VN that is absolutely free. I couldn't remember it's title for the life of me, so thank copy-paste! Zeitz Machz √Rhapsody

I want to do a proper recommendation post again soon, but I'm still contemplating which VNs to pick.

Why would that VN be only "majorly yuri" instead of just "yuri". You seem to have some strong preconceptions about omegaverse stuff, but especially for Japanese works whenever the concept comes up you can basically just read it as "what if human sex pheromones were real for some people". I've never once read one with a caste system or breeding based on the ABO subtypes, it's such a relatively tame concept that there's even Chinese ABO comics published on Bilibili, lol. It's come a long way from Supernatural fanfics about werewolves going into heat.
Dynasty has already (rightly) established that physical variation on the girls involved does not negate something being yuri as long as those girls have gay feelings. So what about that VN is not yuri?

Whether you can even call anything in the Omegaverse the equivalent to a human woman is debatable. Alphas, Betas, Omegas, all of these are basically mutants. It certainly depends on the writer how far they are willing to take these concepts, but suffice it to say that futanari is not considered yuri, even on Dynasty. That is why the futanari and yuri tag are not used in tandem, no matter how gay the girls feelings may be. If hermaphrodites by principle are not treated as female, then they are not ellegible for yuri. I'm simply taking the function of these tags to their logical extreme.
From what I can see this VN does not go into any detail on the specifics, so I suppose it is all up to the reader. In that case I would prefer to be on the safer side of things. That is all.

The list is first and foremost trying to cater to the widest audience possible. This means it goes from purists to players who are fine with anything. Having these distinctions helps everyone sort out what is what. It's not to devalue the contents, it is compartmentalization. I want people of every opinion to be able to understand what they see and choose accordingly. Let's not forget that they are still within the yuri category anyway.

Recommendations, reviews and discussions such as this can help people get a better picture of what they are dealing with, which is exactly why I only put things I didn't play on the list if someone makes a recommendation post. This automatically means things I may not be partial to, such as Omegaverse, still get a fair shake from those who are.

@Akaii
I can't say I ever wanted to hear Laura Bailey or Troy Baker sing, but the game certainly seems lovely. I'll add it to the list.

Not gonna try to make you put it on the list or anything, it's your list after all. Just coming back to say played it, finished it, enjoyed it. shorter than i expected but a fun, smutty yuri romp of about 3hrs~

3 hours? That is rather on brand for this studio. Oshirabu was also on the shorter side. Even moreso its sequel.

I do have to be clear about this though, I don't consider it my list. This is a collaborative effort. That's why I add games to the list that I haven't played myself as long as the poster can make their own recommendation for it. I generally trust people to judge VNs well enough to tell me if they fit the loose criteria of the list. Believe me, if this was my list, Yurinate! would never have made it in. ^^;

Keeping in mind that the devs went out of their way to make sure it's not futanari or any of the other... extremes of the Omegaverse I suppose it is only fair to consider this game a proper yuri title. Albeit one I will never touch.
I will add it to the list. However due to the uncertainties of this particular universe I will still take the precaution of putting it into the "Majorly Yuri content" category. I hope that's not too petty of me.

To show my goodwill I want to make clear that talking about Omegaverse content isn't a problem at all. Even more uh... characteristic examples of it could technically be put into the "Yuri adjacent" category. It is rather barren since its inception anyway. Not an awful lot of imposed bisexual narratives or futanari VNs going around in these circles.

Almost everything in (yuri) omegaverse depends on the author

Indeed, that's the crux. While the core idea of Omegaverse unfortunately has countless issues, a talented author will bend and mold the setting to suit their preferences in a meaningful and sensible way. The pure yuri section of this fandom is drastically the smallest of all though, so one can never be too careful.

That being said even if it has pure yuri focus, I abhor it. On every level I cannot bother to invest myself in a silly over the top caste society with inborn dynamics and scent glands and whatever else this subsection of fiction has to uh... offer.

※This game is based in a general Omegaverse setting. There are no references to hermaphroditism.

I assumed as much. That wouldn't be this team's style.

As an aside, would you consider putting Stray Gods somewhere on the list? It's something between a visual novel and an interactive still image film with a pause, and two out of four romance options are yuri.

I have encountered Stray Gods, although I didn't find the time to play it yet. I had the impression it was mostly a mystery game with musical elements. If you vouch for the yuri routes in it then I can put it on the list. As usual, I need someone to make an actual recommendation post for things I didn't personally play.
So if you could give a short summary of the game and why you like it that would be splendid!

last edited at Feb 22, 2024 10:36AM

LipTrip ~My Boss Is My Heat Suppressant?!~ The new Omegaverse yuri VN by dev team SukeraSomero of OshiRabu fame, with character art by Chigusa Minori (Convenient Semi-friend, Shino and Ren) come out this week on the 22nd!

Omegaverse? Apologies, but that is definitely not for me. How unfortunate, because I very much like the artist's work.
I hope you enjoy it at least. It has been a while since this team released something yuri adjacent after all.

That does bring up the question whether I can even put it on the recommendation list however. Omegaverse is in most part not really yuri. I'm sure that at least in this game's case they avoid the hermaphrodite aspect. Oh well, maybe if someone plays it and makes a case for it we can come back to that.

Added more games to the recommendation list and changed up one of the categories to include VN hybrids. This will perhaps make it easier to justify some of the games on the list. I even added Little Goody Two Shoes in that category, though it may be a bit of a stretch.

last edited at Feb 22, 2024 9:30AM

Ooohhh, Ever Maiden finally getting an English Release! Let's goooo~

https://twitter.com/lovelabjapan/status/1735665028752191574

Oh my, I thought it would never happen. This year starts off with good news.

-Didn't like how reliant on the no vision gimmick the puzzles ended up being, especially the "ram yourself against the walls until you make it"

There are basically no such gimmicks outside of a single puzzle though? And even within that "Weeping Angels" statues puzzle you are allowed to turn on your lantern. You just can't move while it is on. That way you can get your bearings, plan a route and then turn the lantern off to follow it. Whenever you feel lost, turn it back on. The whole area is full of matches exactly for that reason.

When it comes to this game I rather often see people misinterpret their struggles for bad game design, when in reality they just didn't figure out the gimmick and then brute forced it. Which in itself is almost praiseworthy, as the game lets you get away with such methods.

Getting Lebkuchen's good ending is worth the entire experience. It is truly the best.

I hear you, Leb is a good~ For me personally Freya is best girl though :D

To me this is less of an evaluation of which girl I like best (though that would probably still be Lebkuchen), but rather who I believe is most compatible with Elise. Her relationship with Lebkuchen is simply the most supported by the game I suppose. Childhood friends, Elise admitting that the only reason she stayed in Kieferberg is because Lebkuchen is there and so on. Even her bad ending is the only one where Elise gets some kind of closure. Even though Lebkuchen felt the most betrayed out of the three heroines and accused Elise the most, she still forgave her beyond the grave.

Rozenmarine despite her plot connection, simply doesn't sell the relationship well. They first met at the start of this game and despite all this insistence on fate I cannot bring myself to buy that their connection became this strong in 7 days.

Freya is very sweet and the most straight(hah)forward of the three. She is quite incredible in her own way and I definitely believe the love between her and Elise. Unfortunately she has very little presence in the game unless you go out of your way to pursue her, which makes her feel like more of an outsider.

That reminds me, since VN hybrids are fine, I'm gonna put out a recommendation for Little Goody Two Shoes, by AstralShift!

I apologize for my late response, I was busy playing CCC.

Little Goody Two Shoes is a game that I actually have finished myself. I bought it on release and got all 10 endings. Would I consider it a VN hybrid? If I were to be put on the spot my answer would be no. It is very much an RPGmaker horror game inspired affair, but not one of the visual novel types. However, it is a very good and polished game that is worth playing.

When it comes to atmosphere and visuals it outclasses all its contemporaries. Following a lesbian protagonist who can date three incredibly well written girls is unique as well, although due to the plot and genre there are a lot of bad endings and caveats for this as well.

Getting Lebkuchen's good ending is worth the entire experience. It is truly the best.

last edited at Dec 14, 2023 11:33PM

After 10 long years Fate/Extra CCC the sequel to Fate/Extra has finally been translated by the awesome people on https://iwakuraproductions.wordpress.com/2023/12/08/fate-extra-ccc-english-patch-released/

As you may be aware, I have put the Extra games on the list on page 1, though once again this is an RPG/VN hybrid game. Fate/Extra is an amazing game with several options of Servants and heroines, most of which will lead to yuri should you pick a female protagonist.
They have huge amounts of content and replay value and thanks to emulators like PPSSPP can be played comfortably on your PC and Adnroid even if you do not own a PSP.

If you have not tried Fate/Extra yet, I highly recommend it. For everyone who has played it, CCC is more than worth your time and a brilliant sequel that ups the ante in every aspect. Even if you have no interest in any other Type-Moon property, these games are perfectly standalone (CCC requires Extra to make sense, obviously), so there is no need to feel overwhelmed.

it's very well written, to the point that i can't think of any other VN that handles these subjects better than UsoNatsu does.

I wish i understood enough Japanese to listen to the voice drama, def sounds like it'd enhance the experience. Though to be fair, the why and how of Kaoru falling for Mirei is touched upon in the main game, so at least one doesn't miss out completely by skipping it~

From what I can recall watching it months ago it mostly focuses on how Kaoru ran from home due to her family situation, was picked up by her middle school teacher and sought refuge at her home. Although this sensei acted a bit cold, Kaoru fell in love with her kindness and even after returning home kept coming to visit her and confessed her love eventually... but was rejected.

There is also this short about the teacher and another woman I don't know interacting at a bar.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruuBBN6tLVI

The next game of the Fatal Twelve devs, UsoNatsu ~The Summer Romance Bloomed From A Lie~, is out now~

Been looking forward to playing this one since i heard about it, can't wait for the download to finish!

OH my god that was so GOOD???? introspective and raw and well paced and oh my lord.

def mind the content warnings bc woof. it's not over the top or indulgently dramatic at all, which makes it hit so much closer to home with how candid it is and doesn't gloss over things. woof

i want to gush but i also don't want to talk more about it, so i'm just gonna leave a big recommendation to play it xD

(https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images//44431254/18056d5005bca8afdaef9db707354b485687ca4d.png)

I have bought it on release myself, but still have to work through some of my backlog (Crymachina is taking most of my time). I am looking forward to it because I was a big fan of Fatal Twelve.

Until you pointed it out I had not paid attention to the content warnings. I expected some mild nudity and mentions of tobacco due to the teacher, but those warnings are a lot more sinister than that. I can only wonder where and how tags like "Self-harm" and "Suicide attempts" will be implemented...

That being said, I have already listened to the voice dramas which tell the events before the game on the developer's Youtube channel. I think this will be quite interesting for anyone who likes this VN, although there are no translations to speak of.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7uWsiMnhUU
This is an hour long prequel that details how Kaoru met her teacher and how she fell in love with her.
The channel has several more smaller voice dramas involving the cast.

last edited at Nov 7, 2023 9:22AM

Finally had some time to catch up.
Chapter 28: Tsubasa did always strike me as a late bloomer, but it is rare to see the tomboy sport-brain archetype to be the one with a overinflated sex drive. On the other hand it was not the least bit surprising that she never masturbated before. Love potions seem to have the strangest varying effects. That school nurse was really just waiting for any excuse to do that, hm?

Chapter 29: Unbelievable to see someone who is even more scummy than Toudou herself, but leave it to a family member to surpass her high standards. It was glossed over a little, but to think that her miserable family life was orchestrated by her little sister, it was rather heartbreaking. Of course this does not acquit her parents from their actions as they are adults who should know better. Still, Toudou herself is/was an undeniable scumbag, so I suppose there is some level of karmic balance maintained. Good on her for having absolutely zero attraction to the little evil empress, but this breaks every law of probability for a Mocchi work! No incest even with so much set-up. What a shock.

Aphrodisiac being used as some sort of truth serum is a new one, but I suppose Mocchi has decided to hard railroad Toudou on the Rin route after all. I did not expect it to be this aggressive to be frank. I assumed at first that she was simply so horny that she confused desire with love, but the punchline never came.

Chapter 30: Honestly, just a very humorous chapter all around and it really had a strong flow. I know the contest in Volume 4 was controversial, but I believe dodgdeball will be a rather different kind of competition to that madness. I noticed that Yanagi is on Prez's team, so I am interested to see her return, especially because she doesn't even come to school. Prez and Banryuu have a great dynamic as usual. If Mocchi truly decides to shift away from a harem ending, then I suppose these two might get together as Sachie is giving huge bottom signals for Prez.

The excuse to have Rin involved again felt somewhat forced this time around, but at this point I should not be surprised. It will be somewhat interesting to see all of Toudou's alleged harem members/sexual partners in the same team this time (aside from Kamisada). Prez, Kuroshiro, Rin, Iwagaki and Yanagi would create some interesting tension.

Mocchi really has been giving the extras from the class a lot of focus lately which is nice. Vice-prez in particular needs more love. I cannot fathom what the mask girl and the ghost/alien one are about or why we suddenly see them interact like old friends we should be familiar with, but I trust the plan.

No matter which side wins this contest, it only seems like a tropical vacation would be done with the entire class. Perhaps no matter who wins, the winner will be gracious to invite the rest too. If it is Prez I can well imagine her dragging Sachie with her as a personal maid.

last edited at Oct 13, 2023 2:07PM

Incredible. A doujin settled between Chapter 4 Part 1 and Part 2 of the main story that is not afraid to address the hard and spoiler heavy topics that make Heaven Burns Red so fascinating and philosophical, while still retaining the humorous and absurd moments that make it endearing.

Indeed if Ruka needs to etch a strong memory of Yukki into her soul so she can never forget her... this would certainly be one way. At the beginning I was immediately reminded of Ichiko Oshima's event story which also revolved around memory loss, but the author had already thought of that and brought it up directly. Fortunately it did not take such a dramatic and dangerous trigger to recover her memories as it did in that event.

I have no doubt in my heart that Ruka and Yukki will eventually reach this point naturally in the canon. Memory loss aside, this felt completely in character already. As expected of the main couple I suppose.

Today marks the release of the free story DLC for Synergia: Sunrise

A very short and succinct epilogue taking place 1 year after the events of the main story. I will avoid spoilers, but it is both depressing and hopeful, much like the main game. The writer has a knack for making incredibly immersive and interesting tales that always leave you wanting for more. So I end up at the same conclusion as the first time I finished Synergia - please give me more!

PS: As usual I have added more VNs to the recommendation list.

last edited at Oct 3, 2023 1:47PM

Momo and social cues do not get along. However Shamiko and being honest about her feelings for her "nemesis" do not work together at all either, so I wonder whether she would have been able to deliver these cookies in a way that would have clued Momo in. She most likely would have said that she made some for practice and was testing them on her nemesis! Only for her to cave in and add that they are definitetely good though and that Momo can eat them without worries.

Neko Tarou is building up to be one of the all time greats.

Today I come not with a recommendation, but rather a topic of discussion that pertains to how I deal with the recommendation list.

AI generated art

A contentious thing to be sure, but one that will become harder to avoid as time goes on. It has come to my attention over the past year that some Visual Novel devs (and of course any other kind of game dev) are starting to rely more on this tool than they perhaps should or are capable of. I will not name any particular groups or studios, but there has been a flood of yuri visual novels and games that use AI art quite liberally, both for characters sprites/CGs and even backgrounds.

The issue with AI art has been and will continue to be heavy uncanny valley, basic mistakes that even an amateur can spot and bad anatomy. In many cases these mistakes are so obvious that it seems outrageous they are not at least touched up in post. Bent bones, extra fingers, hair fusing with skin, impossible clothes, inhuman writing etc. Devs who do not even care to hide these flaws in their screenshots or trailers exist now.

I do see AI as a double-edged sword and as long as it is of good enough quality I may even be accepting of its use. As long as the writing is human and interesting, perhaps art is a secondary concern.
But these are after all in the majority products that cost money. Money that rewards the use of what in some cases can only be considered art theft (most AIs are fed with existing art to remix it).

So frankly, is it even permissable for me to add such VNs to the list?
Should I make a separate section that specifically lists these AI riddled products? But in that case would I not simply create a contamination zone so to speak rather than a recommendation?
And in cases of devs who are much more adept at altering the AI base and make seamless transitions into handcrafted works, must I make a distinction?

I would appreciate some insight from other users so that I may figure out how to deal with the recommendation list going forward. Thank you.

EDIT: It appears the topic is not that important to people, so for now I just chose not to include AI generated art VNs on the list. Ultimately anyone can still just recommend them normally in here anyway.

last edited at Oct 3, 2023 1:29PM