5. Doki Doki Literature Club!

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Under those pretty little cute faces are lots of things that you wouldn't want to discover

Doki Doki Literature Club! is a visual novel made by  Team Salvato, an American developer, despite its anime graphics style. At first sight, the game looks like a normal wholesome dating sim visual novel, but it will give you a pretty big (unpleasant) surprise halfway through the game. It is actually categorized as a Psychological Horror on Steam even though it really doesn't look like one no matter how you look at it.

You will be playing as the main character who is invited to join a literature club that is full of beautiful girls in the school. In the club, you will decide who you will spend time with the most by making poems that they like. Until... one day, something strange happens and then you realize that strange things have been going on since the day you join that club. Now that is all can tell you so far or else it would be a spoiler.

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Making poems to please the girl you like

Doki Doki Literature Club! is now available on Steam for PC for free, infinitive times cheaper than it should have costed you. So if you have finished the game and love it, make sure to buy the DLC "Doki Doki Literature Club Fan Pack" and support the developer.

4. The Silver Case

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The Silver Case is a visual novel for people who love solving crime mysteries

The Silver Case is a visual novel made by Grasshopper Manufacture in 1999 for Play Station. You will be put in the shoes of a member of "Republic," a Special Forces unit. A serial murder occurs in the Tokyo city, which forces the Police Department to send 2 detectives out to solve the case. Evidence eventually lead to Kamui Uehara, a serial killer who died a few years ago. Is this serial killer really Kamui or someone else? What is his final goal? You will discover all of them gradually as you talk to people in the city and solve puzzles in the game in text-based situations through point and click mechanics. The Silver Case is inspired by classic hardboiled detective movies. Along with revolutionary gameplay, it is a game that all crime mysteries fan should take a look at.

The Silver Case is now available on Steam for PC for $7.99 now with a 60% discount.

3. Danganronpa Series

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What if a Teddy Bear is the headmaster of your school? What if it starts making students killing each other

The Danganronpa series is a Japanese visual novel series made by Spike Chunsoft about high school murder. You will be playing as a highschool teenage detective, who is trapped in a school that forces students to kill each other. The protagonist and their friends must discover who is the killer among them before all of them get killed.

Each game in the series has its own memorable cast of characters with noir's visual style and an interesting mystery that built up by various murder cases and dramas. In the end, they all give players a satisfying ending that even the most experienced players can't predict.

There are 3 games in the series in total, Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havocm, Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair, and Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony. You can buy a bundle with all three of them on Steam with a price of $32.97 and save 59%. If you just want to start slowly, I recommend you to start with Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havocm first which is $7.99 now on Steam with a 60% discount.

2. Steins;Gate

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Every action has a reation. What you change in the past might alter the future in a way that you might not like

If you are a fan of time traveling and films such as The Butterfly Effect, Back To The Future,... then I have something just for you right here. Steins;Gate is a time travel visual novel created by MAGE. Inc and is considered as one of the best visual novels of all time. The game just has simply done right on almost every aspect. You will join the adventure of a group of students who form a “Future Gadget Research Laboratory,”  to create futuristic gadgets. That being said, the only thing that actually works is a Phone Microwave, which turns bananas into a green gel. But somehow, they also found out that it is not the only thing this machine does. It can also send text messages to the past which can alter the present and create consequences that are out of their control.

The game has multiple endings that based on you choose throughout the game. You will be able to get the taste of the consequences for your actions times after times and maybe learn a lesson for yourself.  For a curious fan such as myself, it has taken me around 30 hours to find out about every possibility I want to discover.

The game is now available on Steam for Pc with a price of $11.99

1. Zero Escape Trilogy

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Zero Escape put you in a life and death game with 8 other people

Zero Escape Trilogy tells a story about a group of 9 people, who are abducted and locked by a person called Zero. They are forced to play a deathly game so they can escape. The game has 2 parts, the Novel part where you get to see the story of the game are showed and the Escape part where you solve puzzles in different rooms to get out. The game has multiple ending and your actions will determine the final outcome.

The most special aspect of this game is its characters. You can understand more about them and grow a real relationship with them as you play. And these characters are not one dimensional at all, their personality will grow and change throughout the series. The narrative and dialogues are also very well-written with a good mix of darkness and humor.

The Zero Escape Trilogy is now available on Steam for a price of $39.98 with a 20% discount.