Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony 2017
Why it still holds upIf you play it now, it is for the investigate then argue structure, with the trial as the core system.
2010s visual novels that still hold up
Mostly reading, and living with what you chose
Games
Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony 2017
Why it still holds upIf you play it now, it is for the investigate then argue structure, with the trial as the core system.
Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward 2012
Why it still holds upRevisiting choices so that information from one route opens another still drives the game now.
VA-11 Hall-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action 2016
Why it still holds upA world told through confessions and small details, rather than exposition, still makes each shift a conversation worth listening to today.
Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair 2012
Why it still holds upA loop of investigating a scene and then matching evidence against testimony in a trial still keeps each case a puzzle of whose claim does not fit today.
Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc 2010
Why it still holds upThe reason to play it now is having to find the contradiction in the testimony yourself and fire the right evidence at it.
Gyakuten Kenji 2 2011
Also known as Ace Attorney Investigations 2: Prosecutor's Gambit
Why it still holds upCombining clues and pressing witnesses in turn makes each case a chain of deductions you work out yourself, which is still a pleasure.
Doki Doki Literature Club! 2017
AI: The Somnium Files 2019
Why it still holds upA six minute clock on every dream makes each puzzle a question of which object to try first, so the pressure is still there from the first dream.
The Great Ace Attorney: Adventures 2015
Why it still holds upEach case can still be argued from both sides, with a trial where several witnesses speak at once and a detective whose theories you correct.
Steins;Gate 0 2015
Why it still holds upToday, a story that turns on whether you answer a call gives small choices weight.
Last Window: The Secret of Cape West 2010
Why it still holds upQuestioning you can choose to skip, and a novel that fills in each chapter, still reward patience.
The House in Fata Morgana 2012
Why it still holds upA story told across several eras is a good fit for patient readers, today as before.
Zero Escape: Zero Time Dilemma 2016
Why it still holds upThe fragments are still a mystery whose order you choose, about people who have lost theirs.
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Spirit of Justice 2016
Why it still holds upCatching a witness in a contradiction is still the heart of each trial today.
Astrologaster 2019
Why it still holds upHistory told as comedy, one client at a time, still suits a short evening today.
Deadly games, courtrooms and murder mysteries fill much of this page, and the twists are the reason to be here. Go in knowing as little as possible: a lot of these are built around a surprise that is easy to spoil.