The PlayStation 4 is a relatively powerful piece of tech, able to showcase graphics that still more than hold up to this day, even with the release of the PS5. However, great games are not always so complex. One genre that exemplifies this more than any other is the visual novel genre.
Visual novel games might not have next-generation motion capture or vast, open worlds, but they do have one thing going for them. More than any other genre, visual novels are based on choices the player makes. Despite the stereotypes associated with them, these games aren't all dating simulators. In fact, here are some great titles in the genre that anyone can enjoy on the PS4.
Updated June 4, 2022 by Erik Petrovich: Visual novels on PS4 vary wildly, from games that are just unplayably badly written to experiences that every PS4 owner should check out, even if they're not into visual novels. The best visual novels on PS4 include classics like the Ace Attorney series and Doki Doki Literature Club, but there are also a ton of less well-known visual novels that deserve more attention. Burly Men At Sea, for example, breaks the mold on the Anime-inspired visual novel genre and takes players to the ocean to play as a, well, burly man in a simple western art style. PS4 visual novels can sometimes have mature themes, though, so be sure to check out the description of each to see if it's suitable for all audiences or not.
15 WORLDEND SYNDROME
- Price: $39.99
WORLDEND SYNDROME is a PS4 Visual Novel that takes players into a story filled with romance, mystery, and adventure. After moving to a small town from the big city, the player meets a group of girls who become your friends. Sounds nice right?
Well, not quite everything is quaint in WORLDEND SYNDROME, as strange things start happening shortly after the prologue ends. The main drawback of the game is just how long this prologue is, but it's worth sticking through for one of the more satisfying Visual Novels PS4 owners can try.
14 Punch Line
- Price: $39.99
Punch Line is a very well-animated Visual Novel with a colorful, vibrant look and a ridiculous concept: the main character destroys the planet with an asteroid every time he sees women's underwear. It's a completely insane storyline, one that won't appeal to all Visual Novel fans, but it's nothing if not unique.
Punch Line is more than just the adult-oriented humor, though. It plays like a mystery as the main character tries to figure out how to get back into his own body - and of course, it also ties into the anime of the same name released in 2015. It's one of the best Visual Novels on PS4 for fans of ridiculous humor, and do keep in mind that it's not meant for kids.
13 Steins; Gate Elite
- Price: $59.99
Steins; Gate Elite is, of course, based on 2009's Steins; Gate visual novel and its anime adaptation following a group of friends who unintentionally alter the past and present. The PlayStation 4 version is a remaster of the original version of the game and comes packed with plenty of new polish and animations to make it worthwhile.
Compared to the old version of the game, Steins; Gate Elite looks almost identical to the anime, utilizing fully animated sequences during (and between) dialogue to bring the Steins; Gate world to life as close as possible to the show.
12 Psycho-Pass: Mandatory Happiness
- Price: $29.99
The anime Psycho-Pass has quite a unique concept: in the near future, people are assessed for their desires and likely behaviors in the future and are designated criminals long before any crime is committed. The visual novel game Mandatory Happiness takes players on a series of detective missions in this ethically questionable world.
It was first released on PS4 but made its way to PC in 2017, too. The game has a number of story beats that are totally affected by player decisions, making the experience of going through the game again feel as fresh as the first time.
11 VA-11 Hall-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action
- Price: $14.99
This visual novel is completely different from many games that put their focus on relationships, character development, or grand story sequences that the player influences over time. The title is a take on the word Valhalla (VA-11 Hall-A) and its main gameplay revolves around, well, working as a bartender in a non-traditional pixelated anime setting.
In VA-11 Hall-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action, players take the role of a bartender in a neo-futuristic cyberpunk world. There are drinks to serve, details about dystopia to uncover, and even patrons to talk to, support, and even hit on – though it usually doesn't go much further than friendly flirting.
10 Synergia
- Price: $14.99
Synergia is a thriller visual novel game with a hand-drawn, neon aesthetic. It takes place in the near future, in a world not unlike that in Cyberpunk 2077 (but much more playable). The player takes center stage in a story where, "at the end of the world, love is the ultimate crime."
It's a game geared towards older audiences for its aesthetics and its complex narrative. However, it doesn't have any outright nudity or explicit content, and anyone can give it a go.
9 Chicken Police – Paint it RED!
- Price: $19.99
Chicken Police: Paint it RED! is a noir-esque visual novel with the same heart as a classic buddy cop movie. It's an absurd game that features cutouts of animals pasted onto photographs of real people for its characters – all wrapped up in a mystery with more than 8 hours of recorded dialogue.
Chicken Police – Paint it RED! is for someone who wants to try some visual novel games but can't get into the dating or romance aspect of most popular titles. Chicken Police throws convention out of the window and asks the player to strap in for a wholly unique experience.
8 Milky Way Prince – The Vampire Star
- Price: $14.99
Milky Way Prince: The Vampire Star is a relationship-based visual novel whose story goes in a different direction than typical feel-good games of the genre. It features themes of abuse, idealization, dysfunction, and mental illness throughout.
It's an interesting visual novel game that takes some of the genre's stereotypes and uses them in less conventional ways. It explores darker subjects, making it a satisfying journey.
7 Zero Escape: The Nonary Games
- Price: $29.99
Zero Escape: The Nonary Games is as close as a player can get to experiencing the movie Saw in the visual novel games setting. The game's story revolves around nine people who are forced to partake in a series of games where contestants regularly "go missing".
There are elements of relationship-building here, but the main draw of the game is its many different branching choices and narrative events surrounding ongoing deaths. No two playthroughs will be the same in The Nonary Games.
6 Vampire: The Masquerade – Coteries of New York
- Price: $19.99
The Vampire: The Masquerade series started as a hugely popular role-playing game. Further down the line, it received multiple spin-off video games. Vampire: The Masquerade – Coteries of New York is the first visual novel game in the series.
This title follows the Vampire factions the Camarilla and the Anarchs in the backdrop of New York. A lot of the game is directly inspired by the Vampire: The Masquerade tabletop RPG's fifth edition rules and settings.
5 Hatoful Boyfriend
- Price: $9.99
Hatoful Boyfriend is a relationship-based visual novel game with a simple, but important, twist: every datable character is a pigeon. The game features "1080p Pigeons" in its Avian love story, and though it doesn't add much to the genre, it's quite a unique experience.
The game is constantly absurd, throwing the player into ridiculous situations that only make sense in Hatoful Boyfriend. It's worth sticking with, though, for its numerous hilarious endings.
4 Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy
- Price: $29.99
The Phoenix Wright series is one of the most legendary visual novel games ever made, even though it plays differently from most visual novel games out there. Instead of focusing on progressing a narrative and building relationships, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney is best known for the fast-paced court sequences.
Almost everyone has seen the "OBJECTION!" meme somewhere on the internet, an image that came from one of the features of the game's court system. Luckily, all three games in the trilogy are available as a bundle on the PlayStation store.
3 Danganronpa 1+2 Reload
- Price: $39.99
At Danganronpa's Hope's Peak Academy, the player is thrust into a world of confusion and competition as the school's students are forced into slaying each other. The game's iconic characters are well-known by many gamers, but that's not all it has to offer.
The PlayStation 4 exclusive Danganronpa 1+2 Reload combines the first two games in the series in one bundle. In these games, players solve mysteries in a brutally absurd setting where the cute visuals take a turn for the worse.
2 Doki Doki Literature Club Plus!
- Price: $14.99
On the subject of games that aren't quite what they seem on the surface, Doki Doki Literature Club fits this mold perfectly. The game is a relationship-building visual novel with an underlying creepy tone that slowly envelops the player in its horrific world.
The game's multiple endings are each as scary as the last. Any players who go into this game expecting a typical visual novel are in for a horrifying surprise.
1 Burly Men At Sea
Price: $9.99
One of the things that many unique visual novel games have going for them is their unique art styles. Burly Men At Sea uses minimalist modern art and a simple coastal setting to tell a tale of misadventure and folklore.
The game has a huge number of choices for the player to make that drive mini-narratives. Although playthroughs tend to be on the short side, there's a lot of variation and different "endings" to find, which keep players intrigued in this washed-out world.
