After I got so much feedback from the poll the other day, I'm thinking about making a video specifically for VNs avalible on the Nintendo Switch. I didn't realize a handful of you guys played VNs on the Switch! Let me know if you all want this~
I think you should, but also if you can broaden it out to console only VNs in general. There's a few Vita only visual novels that never got ported, as well as some unofficial fan patches.
I definitely think you should! I love the Switch for VNs since it's lighter compared to the Steam Deck if I want to play it up close, but I especially adore that the Switch gives me the option to play the games on my TV. They look so beautiful 😩 And, as you said, there are sooo many otome options, including VNs that were ported from the PS Vita or mobile. If we're talking about otomes made by big name developers like Otomate, Voltage, and HuneX, then having a Switch gives you access to every officially localized otome game except for 7, soon to be 6 because 7'scarlet will be getting a Switch release next year. The only otome games not available on Switch or Steam are Bad Apple Wars, Period Cube, and Sweet Fuse. 7'scarlet is currently on Steam, and so is London Detective Mysteria, Psychedelica of the Black Butterfly, and Psychedelica of the Ashen Hawk.
For VN where it's available the Switch is honestly the best support, if you're fine with DRM. The screen is just the right size, it's light (which is the main advantage over the Steamdeck), the battery life is quite good, and unlike a phone you still have physical buttons.
Switch is easily my preferred platform for VNs. While you won't get 18+ content there, and there are still a good chunk of essential titles not yet available, it is easily the most comfortable way to play VNs. There are also tons of VNs on Switch and many where 18+ content really doesn't matter such as the recent stuff from Type Moon, Spike Chunsoft (Danganronpa/Sci;Adv./AI etc.), the Ace Attorney series, Key, etc. Really the only things that I played on Switch that I probably would have been better off playing on PC are the Frontwing games (Grisaia/Hatsumira) but even with Frontwing Island, Phantom Trigger and ATRI are fine on Switch. Also, while I own Muv-Luv on Switch because I wanted a physical copy, PC is still the way to go.
@@zainiikhwan9405 True, but doesn’t Stay Night Rin really like money as well? I mean, it’s been a few years since I read Stay Night and Hollow Ataraxia, but I’m sure Carnival Phantasm and a number of doujins must’ve gotten that joke from somewhere, right?
hi, if anyone can answer me i would appreciate it (is jast usa games can be bought if im from a different continent? i am from SEA and i would love to buy the games there if possible)
I really appreciate the guides. They are extremely helpful and there are not a lot of VN youtubers who can talk about this so thank you! Video is very informative ^o^
New visual novel enjoyer here. First one I picked up was Kimi to Kanojo to Kanojo no Koi last week. Immediately hooked. Played it in one setting and went to bed at 4am lol. Just finished Saya no uta yesterday as well and currently going through Katawa Shoujo. Anyway, just wanted to say your channel has been very informative and a big help on my journey. Thanks for the content!
The general rule for consoles is: Don't buy anything Japanese or even just anime-themed on Playstation if you can help it. It's likely censored to heck because modern Sony has a clear bias. Get it on Switch
@@chaserseven2886 There are many, many people who still have console company bias to this day And it's easier for some people to get a console over a PC And Sony platforms generally look better than Nintendo ones
Persona 1 is cool but isn't the guy game not released because they accidentally had a minor showing her boobs? Or is that a similarly named game with a similar nude girls gimmick? Either way I'd probably stay away from it for that reason if it's the banned one for obvious reasons
2:19 steam doesn't really have any proper DRM, any actual DRM is all 3rd party. literally all that steam's DRM does is prevents someone from literally copying and pasting a game, and basically makes it so you can't use multiplayer or get achievements n whatever. don't blame steam for the DRM.
Thank you so much for this, I had to find out the hard way that vns on steam wasn't really the best idea and had no idea where to look for vns that weren't on steam and now I can actually get some vns I've been looking forward to play for some time now
This video singlehandedly helped me get 4 store fronts to start my VN journey, tysm ;w; I bought chaos;head noah, robotics;notes elite and steins;gate on steam since they were acclaimed and i was really interested in them but i always wondered why the most famous/heavy ones weren't on steam, your video is a godsend fr
I always tend to check GOG first. While their offerings is still somewhat lean, it is still my preferred store of choice. Also, that thumbnail with that sprite gave me PTSD from yet another exposition dump.
GOG also has the problem that some devs unfortunately don't care about their customers on that platform so they don't update their games on GOG. Still preferable to Steam due to no DRM.
Something to add that I just noticed, most visuals novels that require the purchase of a steam patch have their prices ajusted on steam accordingly! For example, buying Totono on Steam and buying the patch on jastUSA ends up VERY close to what the fullgame cost on JastUSA. I cant say if they ALL do this, but it is smth that I've seen quite a lot
THANK GOD THIS VIDEO GOT RECOMMENDED TO ME I needed a good guide for getting official sites, without the hurdle of troyans and dealing with them from piracy
Love your videos, recently getting into visual novels has been amazing and you’re the only channel I know of so far that covers a lot of stuff im curious about in this new and intriguing world. Thank you!!!
Steam's way of banning VNs is completely random and nonsensical. They will wait for a game to almost be released to ban them and then allow them on months later where no one notices. If the game has cute girls is a VN, it's subject to be taken down. Those are the only things are consistent for the bans.
milk inside's itch page being mentioned in the video totally jumpscared me, lmao. Gotta tell Nikita people still actually go there for some reason. edit: oh, wait, you've made a video about it, now it makes sense.
I'd always prioritize buying on Jast over Steam since they have better regional pricing. However, some VNs are only on Steam, like the Muv-luv series and Fate/Mahoyo.
steam keys for muv luv are usually sold each year or two on humble bundle, you should probably buy it there so no money goes to valve. that's how I did anyway
I heavily appreciate this guide, especially when Steam has archaic allowance of 18+ VNs, but straight up porn games are allowed. Additionally more VNs should just have the 18+ content or give the option to turn it off, if development allows for that option.
For me, I usually check vndb for the games I want. Then check which platforms the game is available on. At the same time I know that either the game has a patch or not. Don't forget check the price too on each platform
Thanks for the tip, I prefer Steam for it’s low prices so just knowing where to download the patch so the games will give me the full experience it is fantastic!
Your recommendations are very great, they helped me alot in knowing which vn is rlly good and which are worth giving a try. However, I found myself wanting more higher quality products over time when I finished a great read which kinda resulted in me not reading as much vn nowadays. I hope there will be more high quality vn in the future. But nonetheless, getting bored with reading made me tried other not so visual novel games. Many are boring, some are great and I definitely had an unforgetable experience with Nier Automata thanks to myself willing to step out of my comfort zone and try other stuffs. Anyways very great vid, I hope you're doing well !
2:53 : Yes, till this day, Tenshi Souzou ReBoot still not up in STEAM. Despite I wishlisted it, then Nekonyan actually said there's problems with STEAM delisted Tenshi Souzou from the wishlist. Despite all the weirdest titles in there, why can't be Tenshi Souzou tho. It is almost a year now, and I am still waiting for Tenshi Souzou 😭
@@chaserseven2886 The gane is from popular Developer and the one who translate it's also popular. I recommend playing all of their game. The developer name is Yuzusoft, the one who publish is Nekonyan
Tenshi Souzou was banned from Steam because they had most likely a reviewer who dislikes VNs or had a Problem with one of the Characters being on the smaller side and so it was completely banned... They then gave it to Hikari Field who rework some stuff and try to send it in again, like they did with Clovers Day last year but it will take Time. But NekoNyan is not able to send in any sort of rework for Tenshi Souzou since Valve completely banned the Game at least for NN, but Hikari Field might have a Chance.
Im also not using Steam really for VNs, especially because since i live in Germany, Steam is even heavier with censorship and we never know what Ideas they might get next.. So i mostly buy VNs from Denpasoft, sometimes Jast or Mangagamer if they are only there available.. i also bought some Games on Johren but didnt know about the Code revoking thing so i now lost all access code chances for at least 1 game ^^ Also, i started with VNs i think end of 2018 or 2019, first Games were Nekopara 1 to 3 with the mini side route Games, back then you could get the 18+ patches or even the 18+ Game without a Problem on Steam but early 2022 i think it was, you suddenly couldnt find anything of the sort anymore. At least it was a good Decision that i got a Debit credit card specifically to buy VNs on sides like Denpasoft, Mangagamer etc 😅
Yeah dude, use GOG with an US IP, that'S pretty much the only thing that helps me if I don't want to use one of these shops. VPN is already mandatory if you want to acess dlsite, as it blocks German IPs.
My problem is that... There really is no reason to buy a VN other than on Steam and maybe GOG. The experience, to me, is identical to non-legally grabbing a VN. Worse, really, as an experienced torrenter. On Steam, I get cloud save and easy install on Linux (UMU might help eventually, but it is nowhere near as mature as the upstream ProtonGE which can deal with codec issues automatically). I have Steam running all the time, un/reinstalling the game is easy as a single-click, and I don't need to worry about my data. There is also the issue of cost. GOG, which you didn't mention, would be a viable alternative for me thanks to Heroic Launcher bringing features to parity and easily connecting with Steam. The problem is too expensive due to limited regional pricing, if they even release on GOG. Though, even JAST and Kagura Games usually have marginally higher price than Steam, likely due to different calculations of currency and taxes. I will only give exceptions to games I really want like Tenshi Souzou and AliceSoft games, but that's only if it's on GOG (or theoretically EGS). Aaaand I still haven't bought Evenicle 2 yet despite finishing it and holding on to the data for future cloud sync backup, because, to put into perspective, Evenicle 1 on Steam vs GOG for Indonesia is 3x as expensive and even more than I spend on TCGs in a month, an already expensive hobby for me. Personally, I will stick with Steam. Having halted progress on Rance series due to multiple time losing the data due to various reasons, it's just not worth it for me to spend the money and then potentially never progress/finish the title vs just downloading the game for free. At that point, I'd rather not spend money and just use it for something else.
Yeah, i usually buy my stuff from GoG since they have as much feature flexibility as steam. They even have a lot of payment options too. But that price tracking does sound pretty annoying
IMO as a converted-to-legal pirate, Steam is extremely convenient with Saves managing, multi devices for playing, and I feel tempted to purchase a Steam Deck in future just for even more convenience to enjoy gaming, AND Visual Novels, which honestly, isn’t rivaled by GoG. Just I need a Database or something like that of all censored VNs in Steam so I can patch these games and enjoy them as the developers originally intended to.
I recently bought Nukitashi because I didn't realize just how bad Steam was going to neuter that game. I had to look elsewhere to get the full game. Now I'm definitely going to be paying more attention to those other VN web stores so I don't end up with that happening again.
thank you for the recommended store i am a new visual novel reader, coming from competitive game like league, cs, valorant, have been reading ao kanata no four rhythm so far and its such breath of fresh air for me
Great vid and explanation, but there's one thing that you got wrong - Jast USA doesn't have regional pricing, it only converts usd to other currencies. Regional pricing = lowering game's price for a specific country, to match their prices. 10$ for Americans might equal to 30$ in other countries.
Based off of their Twitter posts years ago they do have regional pricing. "If it's not showing up while you're browsing the store, that's an error, but it will show up when you enter your payment information at the end." x.com/jastusa/status/1279157427217162240?t=UtPhDbC5xDWhte_vC6CQig&s=19
I'm a huge proponent for regional pricing. People in western regions don't realize how make-or-break they are for people outside those regions. That's why I like JAST. Bought many games that I wouldn't otherwise.
As someone who only reads vn’s in Japanese, my biggest gripe with stream is that they don’t have JP support 9/10 times. Idk why the OG games with censors even aren’t put on steam.
@@anabang1251 it's very hard even if you're being positive about it it would take years, not worth it to me at this stage of life, especially kanji, romanji i would probably getl ike 15% of the context already. it's a slow process.not yet at this stage to try kanji though very hard.
my response after playing jast usa visual novel : I NEVER FORGIVE YOU JAST USA!!! note : one of the vn they translate is they removed the part of the section original opening of that vn, hence I pissed off and immediately give one star rating the moment I have the chance to do that
I'm a huge Steam fanboy, but I really wish they'd stop jerking Visual Novel fans around with the bans/de-listings and whatnot. It's even worse because a lot of devs these days seem to be avoiding the issue altogether by opting to release "all-ages" versions of their games without even attempting to get us the full product. Seriously, just mark your game as "Adult Only" or put a patch up somewhere, is it that hard?
While this is helpful I mainly have the Steam version for objectives. That said do remember that you can add games from other platforms to your Steam library. Side Note: I plan on getting external mods/patches when I get a gaming PC/Laptop rather than doing it now simply because I can treat it like a demo if the Steam version isn't the full game.
While I now buy most of my VNs from Jast but a thing to mention as I play on steam deck a slight advantage to steam is that steam game+patch requires far less tinkering than some of the games I have on Jast to make them run on the steam deck. (Overal still JAST is still great but can be a pain when playing on steam deck sometimes)
Such a shame that the damage has already been done by Steam and Sony. Practically every iconic visual novel has been remade or remastered with all of their 18+ content written out of the story for all versions, even the versions on other better sites. The excuse from defenders of this is that these scenes weren't good or that they weren't important to the story. Its fine to prefer All-Ages versions but its a problem when those scenes are 100% canon and part of the story as they were in all of them and yet get wiped from history. (Not to mention that remakes could simply remake those scenes like everything else if they were really as bad as people claim they were) Fate/Stay Night, Tsukihime, Kanon, Utawarerumono and even Kimi ga Nozomu Eien. Like are there even any more iconic classic VNs left to censor for remakes/remasters? lol. Next they'll somehow figure out how to make Monobeno completely sfw lol. That'll be funny.
Not only are the sex scenes in Fate Stay night and tsukihime awfully written, the author didnt even wanted to add them and only did it because they thought it wouldnt sell otherwise. And he didnt even wrote them himself. Apart from basically the heavens feel route, they have zero relevance for the story. I would also argue that Tsukihime remake still has 18+ content with a few of the gore scenes.
@@ludwig-alice Right on queue. Using the exact same argument I said you'd make. Also Takeuchi, wasn't some nobody he was a co-founder with Nasu and is the artist. Normally people have a tiny bit more respect for the artist of a franchise than what you are saying here. Nasu also didn't say he was forced or hated the scenes, he said they are hard to write for him. And here is quotes regarding a question of whether the H-scenes were necessary in an interview: Takeuchi- "...[T]he world of an 18+ game has its appeal in a lot of ways... fanservice etc. ...The work definitely originated from sort of a place of freedom of expression like that." Nasu responding to the same question- "Your premise is wrong to begin with. I mean, this is something we built on the foundation of being an 18+ bishoujo game. ... This is adult amusement, so its okay for it to have porn! Actually, maybe it SHOULD have it." He also talked about how the scenes do have love put into them and that he put his all into them. So yes this myth that he hated them and was against it was created by you Western guys who didn't like the scenes. Its fine to not like the scenes but why are you okay with no 18+ version being released at all when this is what the story was released as originally???? Why are you so against it that you guys always drop in to defend the change? Also Tsukihime had more originally which is the point since there are scenes that were cut and not remade.
In rare cases, VN makers would just slap on an R18 patch as a free update or something. Though I think this results in the game being marked as Adult Only, which could hurt its exposure or reach or w/e.
What I really like about VNs and the community is how no-DRM is the default and I really hope it stays that way and doesn't go the general gaming route. For that the community needs to be vigilant and buy games from no-DRM stores though!
Don't forget that buying on Jast USA is much cheaper then Steam. At least all vns I bought from Jast were much cheaper there then steam, and I am not talking sales prices, but normal as well.
I recommend Playnite. You can add games from all major libraries and anything on your system under it. Tracks playtime, and even has an extension for achievements.
That’s the best thing about Steam for ya. Tbh, if you’re not hardcore vn reader like me, sticking with Steam if fine. For me, most of vn that I’m interested can be bought on Steam, and I occasionally read vn so I don’t really mind getting the patches once in a while. But if you like to read more obscene type of vn then go for different sites. Tbh, even though I’m well aware of other stites, I’m still stick with Steam because it’s convenient.
@@komkitty6571 Yeah exactly. I tend to get the more obscene/steam denied VNs elsewhere and add them as non-steam games anyway. BUT if given the option I'll just use steam ^^
There are some (though rare) 18+ visual novels on Switch, but as far as I know they are fully in Japanese, and they are not sold online - as in, they are only distributed physically (or through piracy on modded consoles; take a wild guess how I found out)
Damn. The amount of censorship around VNs is actually insane. I run an anime/manga club, and literally no one knows a single thing about VNs. I myself only seen comments of it on Twitter tbh, but wow, corporations really are a pain sometime
Regarding DRM Steam has their own you mentioned limited Device Activation its from Denuvo not Steam the Publisher choose that if they want any DRM for example Cyberpunk 2077 has non on Steam.
When I heard about the drm free and 30 days money back guarantee, I was wondering. What's stopping bad actors from buying from JastUSA, copy it to their hard drive and use the return policy?
Given the hate I hate at epic store for trying to make me fragment my digital library (and I wouldn't mind if every person responsible for the idea met a certain anime meme that is smashing more girls than more people ever will according to Gigguk), you can probably guess how well I received the suggestion to use another platform.
I wanted to check if Jast, Mangagamer or Denpasoft have bilingual VN packages (like both English and Japanese like some VNs on Steam), but apparently non of those 3 stores are available in my region. And I believe that some of VNs are exclusive for steam anyway.
@@BQD_Central and I'm sure it is not a Steam fault, but those its western publishers fault. It is their decision not to publish a VN in the Steam 18+ section, so their new shiny VN would appear on Steam front page.
Good video, I would like to buy more game directly from the publisher. I've brought a few game from JAST already. But when I can I prefer to play VN on the Steamdeck and unfortunately, so far, I haven't managed to get any of their game to work on it. Whereas patching a Steam game is quite easy, I've done it more a few times with Kagura games and it worked just fine. So for now when a game is available on Steam (and there's a patch to restore the whole content) I buy it there rather than on the publisher site.
@@LoliconSamalik Yeah, technically that's a solution, but in reality Windows for handheld is kinda trash and you lose some of the deck functionalities, so for everything but reading the few JAST VN I own, it would make the experience worse. The best solution probably would have been a dual boot, but you need to completely redo your deck installation for that so now that I've configured everything and installed a bunch of games it's kind of too late.
You got it all wrong with DRM, Steam does not force any kind of DRM. The devs (editor most of the time) choose the DRM for the games. Steam DRM does exist but is pretty bad and is never required. Even steam api (for overlay/achievement etc..) is not mandatory, your game can just try to boot it to see if it work and if not just ignore it completly. AND there is also DRM on other store than steam... ._.
I think it's really weird that we, as a society, are comfortable with violence in games like Call of Duty, horror in games like The Bunker, but then if that shows in a visual novel it's a no-go.
Great video! Since I primarily play otome games I was only vaguely aware of PC stores. I purchased When They Cry from Manga Gamer directly, but I did buy Saya no Uta on Steam because I'm honestly not a fan of eroge and it's not something I want to see. I am aware that the sex is thematically relevant in Saya no Uta compared to a lot of primarily eroge games, but it's still something I'd rather go without. A large chunk of otome games on the Switch are still rated M for sexual themes among other things, but they were specifically made for the Switch (or originally phone games that were ported), and therefore were never explicit in the first place, even if sex is important to the story. That said, there was a LOT of disappointment in the otome community when the game Butterfly's Poison; Blood Chains got an English localization, but is ONLY available on the Switch and Steam, so the explicit scenes were never translated and are unattainable in English unless/until someone translates the scenes and makes a patch to add them.
What's interesting is that for Saya no Uta in particular, it could be argued that the Steam version is actually better narratively because it cuts out the physical sex dialogue and makes better pacing Of course, the act is mentioned in the Steam version but there’s nothing to be lost story-wise.
@@TheAugustHail The emotional weight in the scenes in itself isn't a loss? Showing what little humanity is left in our protagonists before [spoilers] watching it all dissipate and contort with the madness? These things don't matter to Saya no Uta? Sorry, but that just seems wrong to me.
Steam is really convenient also every vn I bought on steam has 18+ content right out in the open so censorship is not really a thing to my knowledge Granted i also live in Japan with steam Japan so maybe i have a different experience than most
i just like buying from Mangagamer and getting the raw install files from them so I can store them locally rather than have them on steam lol usually I run VNs from a tablet where I dont use steam so this works much better.
I don't think most of VN are "too spicy" for steam, because there are literally hentai games on steam. The problem is not the spice, but the dish, which is reasonable.
After I got so much feedback from the poll the other day, I'm thinking about making a video specifically for VNs avalible on the Nintendo Switch.
I didn't realize a handful of you guys played VNs on the Switch!
Let me know if you all want this~
I think you should, but also if you can broaden it out to console only VNs in general. There's a few Vita only visual novels that never got ported, as well as some unofficial fan patches.
I definitely think you should! I love the Switch for VNs since it's lighter compared to the Steam Deck if I want to play it up close, but I especially adore that the Switch gives me the option to play the games on my TV. They look so beautiful 😩 And, as you said, there are sooo many otome options, including VNs that were ported from the PS Vita or mobile. If we're talking about otomes made by big name developers like Otomate, Voltage, and HuneX, then having a Switch gives you access to every officially localized otome game except for 7, soon to be 6 because 7'scarlet will be getting a Switch release next year. The only otome games not available on Switch or Steam are Bad Apple Wars, Period Cube, and Sweet Fuse. 7'scarlet is currently on Steam, and so is London Detective Mysteria, Psychedelica of the Black Butterfly, and Psychedelica of the Ashen Hawk.
I should really get back into reading Otome games, it's been like years since I last read one. Been eyeing Jack Jeanne for a *long* while now.
For VN where it's available the Switch is honestly the best support, if you're fine with DRM.
The screen is just the right size, it's light (which is the main advantage over the Steamdeck), the battery life is quite good, and unlike a phone you still have physical buttons.
Switch is easily my preferred platform for VNs. While you won't get 18+ content there, and there are still a good chunk of essential titles not yet available, it is easily the most comfortable way to play VNs. There are also tons of VNs on Switch and many where 18+ content really doesn't matter such as the recent stuff from Type Moon, Spike Chunsoft (Danganronpa/Sci;Adv./AI etc.), the Ace Attorney series, Key, etc. Really the only things that I played on Switch that I probably would have been better off playing on PC are the Frontwing games (Grisaia/Hatsumira) but even with Frontwing Island, Phantom Trigger and ATRI are fine on Switch. Also, while I own Muv-Luv on Switch because I wanted a physical copy, PC is still the way to go.
There's some irony in the thumbnail with Tohsaka teaching me anything related to the Internet.
Or paying when there's a free alternative (yo-ho-ho). Rin is quite the penny pincher, after all.
This is Extra/CCC Rin :v
@@zainiikhwan9405 True, but doesn’t Stay Night Rin really like money as well? I mean, it’s been a few years since I read Stay Night and Hollow Ataraxia, but I’m sure Carnival Phantasm and a number of doujins must’ve gotten that joke from somewhere, right?
@@Wakame75 he meant the boomer tech cavemaness of Rin, not the greedy part
@@ShuSha-rh6fj LOL i thought the rin on the thumbnail makes sense but i remember she canonically is bad with tech stuff
JAST is probably the best western VN store. Have had a good experience with them.
Agreed
hi, if anyone can answer me i would appreciate it
(is jast usa games can be bought if im from a different continent? i am from SEA and i would love to buy the games there if possible)
JAST also had a regional price that sometime cheaper than steam. Quiet good deal for me.
@@saberbestgirl20 u can
@@saberbestgirl20 yes you can, as long as you have debit or credit card.
I really appreciate the guides. They are extremely helpful and there are not a lot of VN youtubers who can talk about this so thank you!
Video is very informative ^o^
New visual novel enjoyer here. First one I picked up was Kimi to Kanojo to Kanojo no Koi last week. Immediately hooked. Played it in one setting and went to bed at 4am lol. Just finished Saya no uta yesterday as well and currently going through Katawa Shoujo. Anyway, just wanted to say your channel has been very informative and a big help on my journey. Thanks for the content!
MORE VIDEOS LIKE THESE. I'M NEW TO VISUAL NOVELS AND THIS VIDEO HELPED A LOT.
The general rule for consoles is: Don't buy anything Japanese or even just anime-themed on Playstation if you can help it. It's likely censored to heck because modern Sony has a clear bias. Get it on Switch
I think it's absolutely wild that Nintendo consoles have become the best place to play Visual Novels instead of on PlayStation.
@@juice6521 who would play it on a PlayStation? the switch and pc sound like the better options
stellar blade says hello
@@chaserseven2886 There are many, many people who still have console company bias to this day And it's easier for some people to get a console over a PC And Sony platforms generally look better than Nintendo ones
@@chaserseven2886 stellar blade isn't japanese or anime-themed :D
Besides, ps5 currentrly is the only way to play it.
Internet Archive is another good one too for those old pc games that has never seen a modern digital release on pc like Persona 1 and ‘The Guy Game’
Persona 1 is cool but isn't the guy game not released because they accidentally had a minor showing her boobs? Or is that a similarly named game with a similar nude girls gimmick? Either way I'd probably stay away from it for that reason if it's the banned one for obvious reasons
2:19 steam doesn't really have any proper DRM, any actual DRM is all 3rd party. literally all that steam's DRM does is prevents someone from literally copying and pasting a game, and basically makes it so you can't use multiplayer or get achievements n whatever. don't blame steam for the DRM.
Thank you so much for this, I had to find out the hard way that vns on steam wasn't really the best idea and had no idea where to look for vns that weren't on steam and now I can actually get some vns I've been looking forward to play for some time now
Denpasoft is not the most reliable. Get it somewhere else if possible (which it usually is).
This video singlehandedly helped me get 4 store fronts to start my VN journey, tysm ;w;
I bought chaos;head noah, robotics;notes elite and steins;gate on steam since they were acclaimed and i was really interested in them but i always wondered why the most famous/heavy ones weren't on steam, your video is a godsend fr
I always tend to check GOG first. While their offerings is still somewhat lean, it is still my preferred store of choice.
Also, that thumbnail with that sprite gave me PTSD from yet another exposition dump.
GOG also has the problem that some devs unfortunately don't care about their customers on that platform so they don't update their games on GOG. Still preferable to Steam due to no DRM.
Right, GOG is also not a bad idea. Just remember to also "purchase" the Unrated patch... in almost all cases for free.
"buying"
I love visual novels and i appreciate you making a guide for it, im thinking about replaying some of them this year
in japan you can buy physical copies of dated titles for as low as 500 yen. I have seen white album for sale for 1000 yen before.
I love your videos so much! You need to do a video about KeroQ’s rise of 1999 Tsui No Sora ‘til his new work Tsui No Sora Remake
Something to add that I just noticed, most visuals novels that require the purchase of a steam patch have their prices ajusted on steam accordingly!
For example, buying Totono on Steam and buying the patch on jastUSA ends up VERY close to what the fullgame cost on JastUSA.
I cant say if they ALL do this, but it is smth that I've seen quite a lot
THANK GOD THIS VIDEO GOT RECOMMENDED TO ME
I needed a good guide for getting official sites, without the hurdle of troyans and dealing with them from piracy
remember DMM and DLsite exists to if you know Japanese. that's where I found most Visual novels these days
censors "spicy stuff"
wonderful everyday dog R scene 💀
Thank you for all the helpful tips!
Been thinking about trying some visual novels for a while now so thanks for the guide
i love you august, ur the best vn content creator
Love your videos, recently getting into visual novels has been amazing and you’re the only channel I know of so far that covers a lot of stuff im curious about in this new and intriguing world. Thank you!!!
Glad you like them!
Steam's way of banning VNs is completely random and nonsensical. They will wait for a game to almost be released to ban them and then allow them on months later where no one notices. If the game has cute girls is a VN, it's subject to be taken down. Those are the only things are consistent for the bans.
milk inside's itch page being mentioned in the video totally jumpscared me, lmao. Gotta tell Nikita people still actually go there for some reason.
edit: oh, wait, you've made a video about it, now it makes sense.
i dont understand how are they banned on steam there are literal porn games on steam
Enjoy the last moments of Tsukihime not being covered in video essays.
A visual novel I'd highly recommend for those looking for dark/psychological subjects is Slow Damage! It's R18, and available on JastUSA! : )
I'd always prioritize buying on Jast over Steam since they have better regional pricing. However, some VNs are only on Steam, like the Muv-luv series and Fate/Mahoyo.
steam keys for muv luv are usually sold each year or two on humble bundle, you should probably buy it there so no money goes to valve. that's how I did anyway
Applying those patches to the steam version feels like something people did trying to make pirated game playable a quarter ago
First time watcher, subbed right away!
I heavily appreciate this guide, especially when Steam has archaic allowance of 18+ VNs, but straight up porn games are allowed.
Additionally more VNs should just have the 18+ content or give the option to turn it off, if development allows for that option.
I love the MangaGamer site, very retro. The 00s are alive!
For me, I usually check vndb for the games I want. Then check which platforms the game is available on. At the same time I know that either the game has a patch or not. Don't forget check the price too on each platform
Thanks for the tip, I prefer Steam for it’s low prices so just knowing where to download the patch so the games will give me the full experience it is fantastic!
Your recommendations are very great, they helped me alot in knowing which vn is rlly good and which are worth giving a try. However, I found myself wanting more higher quality products over time when I finished a great read which kinda resulted in me not reading as much vn nowadays. I hope there will be more high quality vn in the future.
But nonetheless, getting bored with reading made me tried other not so visual novel games. Many are boring, some are great and I definitely had an unforgetable experience with Nier Automata thanks to myself willing to step out of my comfort zone and try other stuffs.
Anyways very great vid, I hope you're doing well !
Thanks~ If you want the best of the best for recommendations, try checking out my Highest-rated visual novel video or my Yearly Tier List Videos
Nier Automata is not a VN, just FYI.
@@BQD_Central What I meant is I've stepped out of my comfort zone of playing vns and moved on to other genres of games
This was very helpful. Thank you so much
2:53 : Yes, till this day, Tenshi Souzou ReBoot still not up in STEAM. Despite I wishlisted it, then Nekonyan actually said there's problems with STEAM delisted Tenshi Souzou from the wishlist. Despite all the weirdest titles in there, why can't be Tenshi Souzou tho. It is almost a year now, and I am still waiting for Tenshi Souzou 😭
Me too 😢😢
is it popular?
@@chaserseven2886 The gane is from popular Developer and the one who translate it's also popular. I recommend playing all of their game. The developer name is Yuzusoft, the one who publish is Nekonyan
Tenshi Souzou was banned from Steam because they had most likely a reviewer who dislikes VNs or had a Problem with one of the Characters being on the smaller side and so it was completely banned...
They then gave it to Hikari Field who rework some stuff and try to send it in again, like they did with Clovers Day last year but it will take Time. But NekoNyan is not able to send in any sort of rework for Tenshi Souzou since Valve completely banned the Game at least for NN, but Hikari Field might have a Chance.
they ended up getting the same person for that review so it was instantly shot down.
Im also not using Steam really for VNs, especially because since i live in Germany, Steam is even heavier with censorship and we never know what Ideas they might get next..
So i mostly buy VNs from Denpasoft, sometimes Jast or Mangagamer if they are only there available.. i also bought some Games on Johren but didnt know about the Code revoking thing so i now lost all access code chances for at least 1 game ^^
Also, i started with VNs i think end of 2018 or 2019, first Games were Nekopara 1 to 3 with the mini side route Games, back then you could get the 18+ patches or even the 18+ Game without a Problem on Steam but early 2022 i think it was, you suddenly couldnt find anything of the sort anymore.
At least it was a good Decision that i got a Debit credit card specifically to buy VNs on sides like Denpasoft, Mangagamer etc 😅
Yeah dude, use GOG with an US IP, that'S pretty much the only thing that helps me if I don't want to use one of these shops.
VPN is already mandatory if you want to acess dlsite, as it blocks German IPs.
My problem is that... There really is no reason to buy a VN other than on Steam and maybe GOG. The experience, to me, is identical to non-legally grabbing a VN. Worse, really, as an experienced torrenter.
On Steam, I get cloud save and easy install on Linux (UMU might help eventually, but it is nowhere near as mature as the upstream ProtonGE which can deal with codec issues automatically). I have Steam running all the time, un/reinstalling the game is easy as a single-click, and I don't need to worry about my data.
There is also the issue of cost. GOG, which you didn't mention, would be a viable alternative for me thanks to Heroic Launcher bringing features to parity and easily connecting with Steam. The problem is too expensive due to limited regional pricing, if they even release on GOG.
Though, even JAST and Kagura Games usually have marginally higher price than Steam, likely due to different calculations of currency and taxes. I will only give exceptions to games I really want like Tenshi Souzou and AliceSoft games, but that's only if it's on GOG (or theoretically EGS). Aaaand I still haven't bought Evenicle 2 yet despite finishing it and holding on to the data for future cloud sync backup, because, to put into perspective, Evenicle 1 on Steam vs GOG for Indonesia is 3x as expensive and even more than I spend on TCGs in a month, an already expensive hobby for me.
Personally, I will stick with Steam. Having halted progress on Rance series due to multiple time losing the data due to various reasons, it's just not worth it for me to spend the money and then potentially never progress/finish the title vs just downloading the game for free. At that point, I'd rather not spend money and just use it for something else.
Yeah, i usually buy my stuff from GoG since they have as much feature flexibility as steam. They even have a lot of payment options too.
But that price tracking does sound pretty annoying
IMO as a converted-to-legal pirate, Steam is extremely convenient with Saves managing, multi devices for playing, and I feel tempted to purchase a Steam Deck in future just for even more convenience to enjoy gaming, AND Visual Novels, which honestly, isn’t rivaled by GoG.
Just I need a Database or something like that of all censored VNs in Steam so I can patch these games and enjoy them as the developers originally intended to.
I recently bought Nukitashi because I didn't realize just how bad Steam was going to neuter that game. I had to look elsewhere to get the full game. Now I'm definitely going to be paying more attention to those other VN web stores so I don't end up with that happening again.
I truly love TH-cam recommendations ☺️☺️☺️ + that was so helpful . thanks , man😝😝
Happy to help!
thank you for the recommended store i am a new visual novel reader, coming from competitive game like league, cs, valorant, have been reading ao kanata no four rhythm so far and its such breath of fresh air for me
thanks alot for the guide i bought a couple of vns via steam not knowing that they got censored for the stuff i bought them for to begin with...
Great vid and explanation, but there's one thing that you got wrong - Jast USA doesn't have regional pricing, it only converts usd to other currencies. Regional pricing = lowering game's price for a specific country, to match their prices. 10$ for Americans might equal to 30$ in other countries.
Based off of their Twitter posts years ago they do have regional pricing. "If it's not showing up while you're browsing the store, that's an error, but it will show up when you enter your payment information at the end."
x.com/jastusa/status/1279157427217162240?t=UtPhDbC5xDWhte_vC6CQig&s=19
I'm a huge proponent for regional pricing. People in western regions don't realize how make-or-break they are for people outside those regions.
That's why I like JAST. Bought many games that I wouldn't otherwise.
en steam el precio de un juego BL me salia el triple, BENDITO SEA JAST
As someone who only reads vn’s in Japanese, my biggest gripe with stream is that they don’t have JP support 9/10 times. Idk why the OG games with censors even aren’t put on steam.
i wish i could read japanese man, so many sites with visual novels wll open up, or even physical editions of touhou 6+
@@poligrant5152 Then start now instead of next year or the year after that.
@@anabang1251 it's very hard even if you're being positive about it it would take years, not worth it to me at this stage of life, especially kanji, romanji i would probably getl ike 15% of the context already. it's a slow process.not yet at this stage to try kanji though very hard.
Thx for this guide.
my response after playing jast usa visual novel :
I NEVER FORGIVE YOU JAST USA!!!
note : one of the vn they translate is they removed the part of the section original opening of that vn, hence I pissed off and immediately give one star rating the moment I have the chance to do that
which novel you're talking about?
@@AbcDefg-zt8xy onii kiss, the chorus section has been cut in one of the version
I wish there’s more otome games in the pc
Learn Japanese we have tons here in Japan
Like way too many
I'm a huge Steam fanboy, but I really wish they'd stop jerking Visual Novel fans around with the bans/de-listings and whatnot. It's even worse because a lot of devs these days seem to be avoiding the issue altogether by opting to release "all-ages" versions of their games without even attempting to get us the full product. Seriously, just mark your game as "Adult Only" or put a patch up somewhere, is it that hard?
While this is helpful I mainly have the Steam version for objectives. That said do remember that you can add games from other platforms to your Steam library. Side Note: I plan on getting external mods/patches when I get a gaming PC/Laptop rather than doing it now simply because I can treat it like a demo if the Steam version isn't the full game.
While I now buy most of my VNs from Jast but a thing to mention as I play on steam deck a slight advantage to steam is that steam game+patch requires far less tinkering than some of the games I have on Jast to make them run on the steam deck. (Overal still JAST is still great but can be a pain when playing on steam deck sometimes)
Such a shame that the damage has already been done by Steam and Sony.
Practically every iconic visual novel has been remade or remastered with all of their 18+ content written out of the story for all versions, even the versions on other better sites.
The excuse from defenders of this is that these scenes weren't good or that they weren't important to the story. Its fine to prefer All-Ages versions but its a problem when those scenes are 100% canon and part of the story as they were in all of them and yet get wiped from history.
(Not to mention that remakes could simply remake those scenes like everything else if they were really as bad as people claim they were)
Fate/Stay Night, Tsukihime, Kanon, Utawarerumono and even Kimi ga Nozomu Eien. Like are there even any more iconic classic VNs left to censor for remakes/remasters? lol.
Next they'll somehow figure out how to make Monobeno completely sfw lol. That'll be funny.
Not only are the sex scenes in Fate Stay night and tsukihime awfully written, the author didnt even wanted to add them and only did it because they thought it wouldnt sell otherwise. And he didnt even wrote them himself. Apart from basically the heavens feel route, they have zero relevance for the story. I would also argue that Tsukihime remake still has 18+ content with a few of the gore scenes.
@@ludwig-alice
Right on queue. Using the exact same argument I said you'd make.
Also Takeuchi, wasn't some nobody he was a co-founder with Nasu and is the artist.
Normally people have a tiny bit more respect for the artist of a franchise than what you are saying here. Nasu also didn't say he was forced or hated the scenes, he said they are hard to write for him.
And here is quotes regarding a question of whether the H-scenes were necessary in an interview:
Takeuchi- "...[T]he world of an 18+ game has its appeal in a lot of ways... fanservice etc. ...The work definitely originated from sort of a place of freedom of expression like that."
Nasu responding to the same question-
"Your premise is wrong to begin with. I mean, this is something we built on the foundation of being an 18+ bishoujo game. ... This is adult amusement, so its okay for it to have porn! Actually, maybe it SHOULD have it."
He also talked about how the scenes do have love put into them and that he put his all into them.
So yes this myth that he hated them and was against it was created by you Western guys who didn't like the scenes.
Its fine to not like the scenes but why are you okay with no 18+ version being released at all when this is what the story was released as originally???? Why are you so against it that you guys always drop in to defend the change?
Also Tsukihime had more originally which is the point since there are scenes that were cut and not remade.
@@ludwig-aliceye, nasu didn't want to add them sooooo much, that kohaku's rpute and heaven feel are both centered around r@be 🤡
Yeah don't bother, puritans will always have an excuse why they are unable to handle their own sexual urges.
holy gooner
In rare cases, VN makers would just slap on an R18 patch as a free update or something. Though I think this results in the game being marked as Adult Only, which could hurt its exposure or reach or w/e.
Class of '09 is my favorite visual novel
I can't simp for JAST when I want mosaics, and JAST has worked hard to make keeping mosaics more convoluted for Western consumers.
What I really like about VNs and the community is how no-DRM is the default and I really hope it stays that way and doesn't go the general gaming route. For that the community needs to be vigilant and buy games from no-DRM stores though!
I like Jast & Manga Gamer, good experiences with them.
Steam is a pain at times
Don't forget that buying on Jast USA is much cheaper then Steam. At least all vns I bought from Jast were much cheaper there then steam, and I am not talking sales prices, but normal as well.
Problem is I LOVE having my games in one library that will track playtime and achievements ;-;
I recommend Playnite. You can add games from all major libraries and anything on your system under it. Tracks playtime, and even has an extension for achievements.
That’s the best thing about Steam for ya. Tbh, if you’re not hardcore vn reader like me, sticking with Steam if fine. For me, most of vn that I’m interested can be bought on Steam, and I occasionally read vn so I don’t really mind getting the patches once in a while. But if you like to read more obscene type of vn then go for different sites. Tbh, even though I’m well aware of other stites, I’m still stick with Steam because it’s convenient.
@@komkitty6571 Yeah exactly. I tend to get the more obscene/steam denied VNs elsewhere and add them as non-steam games anyway. BUT if given the option I'll just use steam ^^
There are some (though rare) 18+ visual novels on Switch, but as far as I know they are fully in Japanese, and they are not sold online - as in, they are only distributed physically (or through piracy on modded consoles; take a wild guess how I found out)
Damn. The amount of censorship around VNs is actually insane. I run an anime/manga club, and literally no one knows a single thing about VNs. I myself only seen comments of it on Twitter tbh, but wow, corporations really are a pain sometime
Regarding DRM Steam has their own you mentioned limited Device Activation its from Denuvo not Steam the Publisher choose that if they want any DRM for example Cyberpunk 2077 has non on Steam.
When I heard about the drm free and 30 days money back guarantee, I was wondering. What's stopping bad actors from buying from JastUSA, copy it to their hard drive and use the return policy?
thanks this helped but I got to say none of these sites even had a fate game even though the several references in the video
now I understand why having any VN back in the day was a pain in the ass, now is much simple.
Bruh i just want all School Days games on GOG.
Given the hate I hate at epic store for trying to make me fragment my digital library (and I wouldn't mind if every person responsible for the idea met a certain anime meme that is smashing more girls than more people ever will according to Gigguk), you can probably guess how well I received the suggestion to use another platform.
Nice, you picked a kara no shoujo OST for this video
Idk why steam forces you to use their client to launch VNs, which usually don't need Internet. (I mean we know why but it sucks)
GOG is a great option. Most of those stores aren't available in my region :(
THANK U SM I LITERALLUY HAD NO IDEA WGERE 2 BUY THEM..
How does steam allow nastiest prn games but not VN?
I played Kukorro Days and it was uncensored. am I missing somehing here?
I wanted to check if Jast, Mangagamer or Denpasoft have bilingual VN packages (like both English and Japanese like some VNs on Steam), but apparently non of those 3 stores are available in my region. And I believe that some of VNs are exclusive for steam anyway.
R18 novels are almost never exclusive for steam(I don't know a single one), and those who aren't R18 can be bought on Steam without a problem.
@@BQD_Central and I'm sure it is not a Steam fault, but those its western publishers fault. It is their decision not to publish a VN in the Steam 18+ section, so their new shiny VN would appear on Steam front page.
Good video, I would like to buy more game directly from the publisher. I've brought a few game from JAST already. But when I can I prefer to play VN on the Steamdeck and unfortunately, so far, I haven't managed to get any of their game to work on it. Whereas patching a Steam game is quite easy, I've done it more a few times with Kagura games and it worked just fine.
So for now when a game is available on Steam (and there's a patch to restore the whole content) I buy it there rather than on the publisher site.
You could always just change the OS of your steam deck to Windows. It should work out fine.
@@LoliconSamalik Yeah, technically that's a solution, but in reality Windows for handheld is kinda trash and you lose some of the deck functionalities, so for everything but reading the few JAST VN I own, it would make the experience worse.
The best solution probably would have been a dual boot, but you need to completely redo your deck installation for that so now that I've configured everything and installed a bunch of games it's kind of too late.
You got it all wrong with DRM, Steam does not force any kind of DRM.
The devs (editor most of the time) choose the DRM for the games.
Steam DRM does exist but is pretty bad and is never required.
Even steam api (for overlay/achievement etc..) is not mandatory, your game can just try to boot it to see if it work and if not just ignore it completly.
AND there is also DRM on other store than steam... ._.
what about gog?
Isn’t steam full of corn games now?
I think it's really weird that we, as a society, are comfortable with violence in games like Call of Duty, horror in games like The Bunker, but then if that shows in a visual novel it's a no-go.
I already buyed ATRI - My dear Moments - on STEAM, is there any problem ? 🤔
not with Atri no.
No issues with ATRI. It's an All-Ages title originally. You can buy it from JAST or Steam.
@@TheAugustHail Thanks ;)
All-Ages VNs are completly unproblematic on Steam.
Great video! Since I primarily play otome games I was only vaguely aware of PC stores. I purchased When They Cry from Manga Gamer directly, but I did buy Saya no Uta on Steam because I'm honestly not a fan of eroge and it's not something I want to see. I am aware that the sex is thematically relevant in Saya no Uta compared to a lot of primarily eroge games, but it's still something I'd rather go without. A large chunk of otome games on the Switch are still rated M for sexual themes among other things, but they were specifically made for the Switch (or originally phone games that were ported), and therefore were never explicit in the first place, even if sex is important to the story. That said, there was a LOT of disappointment in the otome community when the game Butterfly's Poison; Blood Chains got an English localization, but is ONLY available on the Switch and Steam, so the explicit scenes were never translated and are unattainable in English unless/until someone translates the scenes and makes a patch to add them.
What's interesting is that for Saya no Uta in particular, it could be argued that the Steam version is actually better narratively because it cuts out the physical sex dialogue and makes better pacing
Of course, the act is mentioned in the Steam version but there’s nothing to be lost story-wise.
@@TheAugustHail The emotional weight in the scenes in itself isn't a loss? Showing what little humanity is left in our protagonists before [spoilers]
watching it all dissipate and contort with the madness? These things don't matter to Saya no Uta? Sorry, but that just seems wrong to me.
fata morgana no yakata underrated
Steam is really convenient also every vn I bought on steam has 18+ content right out in the open so censorship is not really a thing to my knowledge
Granted i also live in Japan with steam Japan so maybe i have a different experience than most
I don't see Higurashi on JastUSA
whats the first song on the background?? its so good
It's a track from Meteor World Actor!
I’m ngl until I graduated high school I was sailing the seven seas or playing them though *insert TH-camr here*
Do they work on linux? Or more specifically steamos
JAST the GOAT
But outside USA apart of Jast USA and Steam is there more options?
What’s the clip at 2:10 from?
Fate Stay Night and then after that Full Metal Daemon Muramasa
i just like buying from Mangagamer and getting the raw install files from them so I can store them locally rather than have them on steam lol
usually I run VNs from a tablet where I dont use steam so this works much better.
interesting video for newbies
Do other store beside steam has discount? Like black friday or something? Ah forget that i dont use credit card lmao
Can i read them on a tablet ?
I don't think most of VN are "too spicy" for steam, because there are literally hentai games on steam. The problem is not the spice, but the dish, which is reasonable.
When I mean too spicy, I mean of the more extreme variety..
I'm not sure why this channel doesnt have at least a quadruple amount of subs.