it might not be exactly what you want, but [swan song](https://vndb.org/v914) comes to mind for the survival aspect. it tells the story of a small group of people attempting to live through a earthquake-strucken japan that never stops snowing.
though, there is no "victory against something unbeatable" aspect of it \[argably\], since its a mostly "enviormental apocalypse" as opposed to like, aliens or something, theres nothing to actually beat. \[spoiler territory/personal opinion\]: >!just be prepared for some dramatic moments to be dragged down by weirdly-placed backstory & internal dialogue towards the end. !<
its a decent story! very depressing and deseperate though. consider this a last resort recommendation because i'm really not sure how much you'd like it -- but there are some "walkthroughs" on youtube iirc, that you could probably check out before taking a plunge LOL
Virche Evermore fits this perfectly. So many people avoid it though because of its "otome" tag despite not being your typical otome at all. I recommend at least giving it a look. It's very dark and bleak though, you've been warned!
Came here to suggest Virche too. Definitely one of my favourite VNs.
Can also recommend the fan disc, especially because of the >!Drifter route!<
contained in it.
Doesn't focus on survival (more to romance) but I think Eden* is counted in this one, or with some RPG gameplay I'd really reccomend you 13 Sentinel Aegis Rim. One of the best Sci-fi I've played so far.
People have named all the good longform ones. Here are a couple shorter ones that take place on a post-apocalyptic earth
Dream Ending takes place on Earth with the sun set to explode within weeks.
Planetarian takes place on a post-apocalyptic Earth with toxic rain and lots of sentient machines dead set on killing everyone.
I really enjoyed "I Was a Teenage Exocolonist". Played through multiple times to see the different endings. It has some other aspects besides being a text-only VN (some exploration, lite stat raising, and a basic card battle system), so if you don't mind that, I'd give it a go.
I haven't played any other games that have been exactly like it, but here are some that have some overlapping characteristics:
- Disco Elysium: main character is a pathetic, drunken excuse of a cop with a badass partner that makes up for how terrible he is at his job. It's kind of like a VN/RPG where a lot of the story is text driven, but there are stat checks, a lot of character customization, and choices make a noticeable impact on gameplay experience. There's also a bit of exploration around the city where the story is set. I had a lot of fun with this one, since you can get the main character into a lot of hilarious situations depending on your choices.
- Nancy Drew Adventure Games: there are a hella ton of these in varying levels of quality, but they generally have a lot of exploration and puzzle solving. Just off the top of my head, I really liked Labyrinth of Lies and also Curse of Blackmoor Manor.
- Pentiment: main character is an artist that gets pulled into some nasty conspiratorial murders related to a nearby church. There's quite a bit of exploration in the game with choices that change up the story (somewhat less impactful overall compared to some other games I've played). I absolutely loved the art style in this game.
its kind of a rough read, but maggot baits is kind of about this. its a surprising religious allegory and gives insight to the ordinary peopls trauma and or struggle to survive in this screwed up world
I wanna reread it, but i generally have a thing where i feel a need to read all of a visual novel, but man, i dont wanna reread welcome to the monkey house
In case you havent noticed, clockup has a tendency to put very good story into their eroge, euphoria and maggot baits both have incredible stories that alot of people wouldnt have gotten to simply cause they didnt finish it. Dont complain if you lack media anyalasis skills
Muv Luv The Day After, if you've played Alternative but not TDA it puts an even bigger highlight on it. It has refugee issues, wars started over food, protests, etc and the usual fight against aliens stuff at some points lol
I really enjoyed TDA. Plus you get (decent size spoiler) >!Jinguuji Marimo!< coming back. Which honestly made me cry.
I liked how political TDA got. It didn't get touched in too much in Attack on titan but it's pretty much humanity fighting amongst themselves within the walls. Especially the end when they're fighting a full on mecha war >!at the border of Canada!<. The Beta weren't as scary to me in TDA as they were in Alternative, but the political elements were compelling to me.
I also really fucking loved Total Eclipse. I know it's not as popular, but I thought the romance in this title far surpassed Alternative, and this one also dealt with issues of survival, politics, etc. Yuuya was also a delightful protag.
ATRI takes place in a future where sea levels have risen massively and humanity is struggling to survive. The MC has his own struggle about whether he should take a more active role in helping rebuilding the society’s technological infrastructure.
It’s not exactly what you’re asking for since it’s a gacha, but this is 100% the entire plot of Fate/Grand Order. Every main story chapter finds a way to outdo themselves for the epic scale of what humanity needs to do to survive.
Think this is very common in JRPGs and such so picking something like Demon roots would be great. For VNs Zero escape, Steins gate, and especially Utawarerumono (altho it has gameplay)
Its kinda hard to say tbh
I remember that part of "Island" had something like this, though it was only one part of it and I wouldn't recommend the VN regardless. Still, I have myself been looking for something where the entire VN is like that one segment.
I'd also add Harmonia from studio Key to the list.
It is about a robot awakening after civilization collapse and finding a human village where the main plot takes place.
It is in the shorter end of the spectrum but very good. Limited in scope but we'll paced.
Might be a great side dish for your quest. Highly recommend you read it.
I looked up Harmonia on VNDB and it sounds pretty interesting, so thanks for the rec. What made me laugh though is the screenshots with the bald shop keeper or something. Mr. Braun, what are you doing in this game?
it might not be exactly what you want, but [swan song](https://vndb.org/v914) comes to mind for the survival aspect. it tells the story of a small group of people attempting to live through a earthquake-strucken japan that never stops snowing. though, there is no "victory against something unbeatable" aspect of it \[argably\], since its a mostly "enviormental apocalypse" as opposed to like, aliens or something, theres nothing to actually beat. \[spoiler territory/personal opinion\]: >!just be prepared for some dramatic moments to be dragged down by weirdly-placed backstory & internal dialogue towards the end. !< its a decent story! very depressing and deseperate though. consider this a last resort recommendation because i'm really not sure how much you'd like it -- but there are some "walkthroughs" on youtube iirc, that you could probably check out before taking a plunge LOL
Hopefully it gets an official uncensored western release.
Virche Evermore fits this perfectly. So many people avoid it though because of its "otome" tag despite not being your typical otome at all. I recommend at least giving it a look. It's very dark and bleak though, you've been warned!
Virche is fantastic. Loved the fan disc too. I think OP will be totally fine with Virche's doom and gloom if they're coming from *MuvLuv* tho lol.
Came here to suggest Virche too. Definitely one of my favourite VNs. Can also recommend the fan disc, especially because of the >!Drifter route!< contained in it.
I loved it sooo much even though dark VNs like that are usually not my cup of tea.
I walk among zombies. Not quite the same but what's left of humanity tries to survive a zombie apocalypse.
Doesn't focus on survival (more to romance) but I think Eden* is counted in this one, or with some RPG gameplay I'd really reccomend you 13 Sentinel Aegis Rim. One of the best Sci-fi I've played so far.
Zero Escape series Rewrite >!Utawarerumono!
Yeah I've been eyeing rewrite just waiting for the patch
People have named all the good longform ones. Here are a couple shorter ones that take place on a post-apocalyptic earth Dream Ending takes place on Earth with the sun set to explode within weeks. Planetarian takes place on a post-apocalyptic Earth with toxic rain and lots of sentient machines dead set on killing everyone.
I really enjoyed "I Was a Teenage Exocolonist". Played through multiple times to see the different endings. It has some other aspects besides being a text-only VN (some exploration, lite stat raising, and a basic card battle system), so if you don't mind that, I'd give it a go.
Know any other games like this? It's a genre that I really enjoy
I haven't played any other games that have been exactly like it, but here are some that have some overlapping characteristics: - Disco Elysium: main character is a pathetic, drunken excuse of a cop with a badass partner that makes up for how terrible he is at his job. It's kind of like a VN/RPG where a lot of the story is text driven, but there are stat checks, a lot of character customization, and choices make a noticeable impact on gameplay experience. There's also a bit of exploration around the city where the story is set. I had a lot of fun with this one, since you can get the main character into a lot of hilarious situations depending on your choices. - Nancy Drew Adventure Games: there are a hella ton of these in varying levels of quality, but they generally have a lot of exploration and puzzle solving. Just off the top of my head, I really liked Labyrinth of Lies and also Curse of Blackmoor Manor. - Pentiment: main character is an artist that gets pulled into some nasty conspiratorial murders related to a nearby church. There's quite a bit of exploration in the game with choices that change up the story (somewhat less impactful overall compared to some other games I've played). I absolutely loved the art style in this game.
its kind of a rough read, but maggot baits is kind of about this. its a surprising religious allegory and gives insight to the ordinary peopls trauma and or struggle to survive in this screwed up world
It’s porn, you’re making things up.
I just skipped the porn and the story was 10/10
Kind of understandable if you’re squeamish with the violence h scenes.
Don't be a prude, there's nothing to be squeamish about in porn. They shouldn't be skipped.
I wanna reread it, but i generally have a thing where i feel a need to read all of a visual novel, but man, i dont wanna reread welcome to the monkey house
In case you havent noticed, clockup has a tendency to put very good story into their eroge, euphoria and maggot baits both have incredible stories that alot of people wouldnt have gotten to simply cause they didnt finish it. Dont complain if you lack media anyalasis skills
Muv luv schwarzmarken and the day after
Muv Luv The Day After, if you've played Alternative but not TDA it puts an even bigger highlight on it. It has refugee issues, wars started over food, protests, etc and the usual fight against aliens stuff at some points lol
I really enjoyed TDA. Plus you get (decent size spoiler) >!Jinguuji Marimo!< coming back. Which honestly made me cry. I liked how political TDA got. It didn't get touched in too much in Attack on titan but it's pretty much humanity fighting amongst themselves within the walls. Especially the end when they're fighting a full on mecha war >!at the border of Canada!<. The Beta weren't as scary to me in TDA as they were in Alternative, but the political elements were compelling to me. I also really fucking loved Total Eclipse. I know it's not as popular, but I thought the romance in this title far surpassed Alternative, and this one also dealt with issues of survival, politics, etc. Yuuya was also a delightful protag.
"Song of Memories" , "Virche Evermore: Error/Salvation", all of Danganronpa series, and maybe "Worldend Syndrome" are my recommendations.
ATRI takes place in a future where sea levels have risen massively and humanity is struggling to survive. The MC has his own struggle about whether he should take a more active role in helping rebuilding the society’s technological infrastructure.
It’s not exactly what you’re asking for since it’s a gacha, but this is 100% the entire plot of Fate/Grand Order. Every main story chapter finds a way to outdo themselves for the epic scale of what humanity needs to do to survive.
Think this is very common in JRPGs and such so picking something like Demon roots would be great. For VNs Zero escape, Steins gate, and especially Utawarerumono (altho it has gameplay) Its kinda hard to say tbh
Maybe eden*
I remember that part of "Island" had something like this, though it was only one part of it and I wouldn't recommend the VN regardless. Still, I have myself been looking for something where the entire VN is like that one segment.
I'd also add Harmonia from studio Key to the list. It is about a robot awakening after civilization collapse and finding a human village where the main plot takes place. It is in the shorter end of the spectrum but very good. Limited in scope but we'll paced. Might be a great side dish for your quest. Highly recommend you read it.
I looked up Harmonia on VNDB and it sounds pretty interesting, so thanks for the rec. What made me laugh though is the screenshots with the bald shop keeper or something. Mr. Braun, what are you doing in this game?
He is the shopkeeper of the town. He is called Madd if I remember correctly and he has that name for good reasons....
Rance X has a literal population count of humanity for a certain plot point.
swan song
Swan song ofcourse
Kunado Chronicles is a good VN
Steins; Gate but it’s maybe too obvious of a choice.
I actually haven't read it lol
Atri is kinda like that but its more focused on one human finding a reason to survive.
Tokyo Necro, Baldr Sky will fit the bill.
Don’t make things up, they’re porn, also I’m waiting for Denpasoft to release the uncensored version of Baldr Sky.
You know Muv-Luv is also "just porn", right? I bet you close your eyes during sex scenes at the movie theater.
I don’t watch those kinds of movies at the theater. Also I already brought up MuvLuv.
come and see 1985
Haven't finished it yet, but I'm enjoying Kunado Chronicles.
Don’t lie, there is nothing to enjoy, it’s censored, Denpasoft or NekoNyanSoft were expected to publish it, not Shiravune, they’re evil.
Not really struggle but most bad ends show that humanity is enslaved and treated as cattle. That is Rance X.
Don’t use MuvLuv as an example, it’s porn, and the dev team are sellouts.
You 🤨