Steam has tens of thousands of games and has many hidden gems worth exploring. From cozy farming sims to action RPGs, the platform’s library covers a wide range of genres. However, one category is often overshadowed by fancier titles. However, if you like rich narratives filled with suspenseful twists and lovable characters, the adventure game genre has a lot to offer story-wise. So, let’s take a look at some compelling visual novels on Steam.
Doki Doki Literary Club!
At first glance, Doki Doki Literary Club! seems to meet every one of your dating sim criteria. This visual novel puts you in the role of a high school student who joins the school’s literary club, where you might flirt with the club’s cute members or push them into your friend zone. If romance in animated graphics isn’t your style, you might reject this game. You might be missing out on one of the most fascinating games in the Steam catalog, though.
Beneath the surface of this seemingly ordinary visual novel lies a more complex, if not unsettling, narrative. The storyline quickly takes a dark turn, departing from the initial light-hearted atmosphere and innocently flirtatious dialogue and diving straight into psychological horror. This mature visual novel subverts expectations in every way and is sure to linger in your mind long after you turn off your computer.
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy
It’s been over 20 years since rookie lawyer Phoenix Wright held his first trial on the Game Boy Advance. However, the courtroom adventures of the most popular lawyer in gaming history haven’t aged a day. The antics of eccentric prosecutors and witnesses also don’t make it any more difficult to solve cases and clear defendant clients’ names.
A port of the original Ace Attorney trilogy came to Steam in 2019, allowing new players to experience the first three games in the series with improved visuals and new quality-of-life features. If you want to see more legal drama, Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy will be released on January 25th. Switching to full 3D, this upcoming port looks even more luminous than its predecessor. In addition, Ace Attorney Chronicles takes you to 19th century Tokyo and London, giving you a whole new perspective.
Wolf Among Us
Based on the comic book series by Bill Willingham, The Wolf Among Us puts players in an alternate version of 1980s New York, with parts of Manhattan sheltering those fleeing the Magic Kingdom and hiding from a ruthless tyrant. Fairy tale characters. When a brutal murder occurs in the heart of Fabletown, the small community is plunged into chaos. Sheriff Bigby Wolfe must get to the bottom of these horrific events, and during his investigation he meets familiar faces like Snow White or Bluebeard.
This neo-noir point-and-click puzzle game is a bold take on the classic fairy tale that inspired many subversive reimaginings, such as the action-adventure platformer Alice: Madness Returns and the steampunk-inspired Lies. The games industry has also put its own spin on these timeless fairy tale characters, developing free-to-play games like Cinderella’s Palace or Snow White’s Magical Quest. Online slots for real money also reflect this whimsical theme. Therefore, fans of The Wolf Among Us can play fun online games with the big bad wolf while waiting for the release of the long-awaited sequel.
Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
Danganronpa is a visual novel that takes its anime tropes to an extreme. However, you don’t need to be an anime fan to enjoy this gripping, wild, and sometimes bloody ride outside of the battle royale genre. The game traps a series of larger-than-life characters in a mysteriously closed elite school, where a psychopathic robot bear forces them to kill each other for a chance at freedom.
Whenever a murder occurs, a collective trial is held to expose the culprit. These experimental stages are where the truth is revealed, but Hope’s Peak Academy hides many more dark secrets. The sequel to Goodbye Despair is also available on Steam, adding more layers to the captivating story, while the slasher game takes a new direction with the Danganronpa V3 chapter.