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Slay the Princess is very good and having a large free update tomorrow.
Nonary games series
Ace Attorney
Pretty sure there's a third one that I played and liked but I don't remember so I'm gonna say Famicom detective club remake on switch was interesting cause it was very high quality in terms of visuals. Definitely felt like a next-gen VN. Unfortunately the story was a bit dated imo, nothing too special for what we're used to these days. Still worth checking out on a playthrough video or something if you want to see what they achieved.
9 hours 9 persons 9 doors and its sequel Virtue's Last Reward! (But not Zero Time Dilemma, that one sucks)
They're basically choose your own adventure books where holding your thumb on the previous page is central to the plot. If you can, play 999 on a physical DS. You really got have the console in your hands for the best experience, but emulation is mostly alright too. Just not the steam version because it absolutely butchers the story - it rewrites the entire script horrendously to adapt it to one screen.
CW: Lots of gore, either visually or audibly-- I don't rly do VNs unless they're super horror-heavy these days
- Higurashi (the top of the list for me, I've loved that VN since I was a middle schooler)
- Dramatical Murder (I count it as a VN at least; and I'm too gay to not recommend this one)
- Spirit Hunter: Death Mark
- Spirit Hunter: NG
Spirit Hunter: Death Mark Spirit Hunter: NG
I second this. These games (there is also a third one called Spirit Hunter: Death Mark 2) are amazing. If anyone wants to play them, the expected order is death mark -> NG -> Death Mark 2.
The gameplay mechanics have improved greatly this time around, plus the story is pretty great (not as good as NG imo). The monster designs have ... suffered. But yeah, DM 2 was a blast.
Kindred Spirits on the Roof is an absolutely cozy yuri VN! And for a more- interesting one I have to infinitely reccomend Seabed, which is a kinetic (linear) novel dealing with- mystery and grief to best explain it without spoilers (I think). Seabed is so absolutely lovely, I played it on the Switch and had to get it on Steam as well and- IDK, it just sticks with me even years later.
We Know the Devil is another wonderful, if short, queer VN.
Faerie's Bargain: The Price of Business is also peak goblin merchant energy and queer AF.
And Where the Water Tastes Like Wine is awesome as well, with working-class and (accurate history to what I recall? anyways touching on the ugly subjects so CW maybe) Americana IMO.
CWs
With major CWs as well for SA/misogyny/etc- I have to reccomend Analogue: a Hate Story.
Other than that have to agree with 999... played it literally over a decade back as a kid but it was fun. I have a few of the other games mentioned here on my to-do list or wishlist.
Others on my to-do list (good enough I already own no less) among many others would include: Amelie, Heaven Will Be Mine, Scarlet Hollow, Mamiya, I was a Teenage Exocolonist, Lay a Beauty to Rest: the Darkness Peach Blossom Spring, and Milk inside a bag of milk inside a bag of milk. And AI: the Somnium Files, which my partner really enjoyed from my library, though I've not played yet 😅
And while you probably also know them already, I gotta recommend the Ace Attorney and Monster Prom series. And while it's not quite a VN, I have to infinitely recommend Disco Elysium (but you've also probs heard of it)
Unironically, seriously, hear me out, Mice Tea.
It is a beautiful story about community, identity, self-discovery and what we decide to do with our lives... yes there are a couple dozen sex scenes across the eight or so story paths and yeah sure at its core it's about a tea that turns people into furries but it's GOOD. I cried!
While most erotic VNs are obnoxiously saturated in horny-ness Mice Tea avoids that by having a good sense of proper time and place for that kind of thing, it handles sex more like the way a romance novel would. Plus, the explicit content is meant to be optional and it gives you a chance to skip them entirely with a pop up containing warnings about kinks and potentially triggering stuff. Also everyone is in their mid twenties-mid thirties so yeah.
It's $20 on itch.io but it goes on sale on Steam occasionally. There is also a free demo version that can be found on either of those places.
House of Fata Morgana has cult status imho and the best rated Switch game the year it released
https://opencritic.com/game/2847/the-house-in-fata-morgana
It was actually the best rated switch game ever until Zelda:TOTK on metacritic
The House in Fata Morgana has been living rent free in my head for the past month if you are into heavier/darker themes. If you get it on Steam there is a massive free patch you can look up that adds a ton of content and improvements.
does it require a lot of smarts to understand it? I"m not very smart so I have trouble understanding deeper meaning
It wouldn't really consider it confusing or complicated no. There are twists in the story but it does it a pretty good job of explaining everything by the end and you will really only miss some subtlities at most.
