> Every book/game that's been placed in this list is put into a certain tier based on my opinions and preferences, so please do not expect the given tier rank to be objective. I also add a content material rating for each one as well.
> There are many elements to a visual novel/role-playing game/et cetera. A simplified list of these would be:
> And my tiering is based on a summary of all said categories. From whether or not they are included in the said experience to how well it is utilized. Here are the existing tiers in the tier list:
[S] Tier = [Masterpiece] Truly a magnificent masterpiece waiting for you to get right into it. An adventure that'll last in your memories for years to come.
[A] Tier = [Great] An absolutely amazing work that'll surely entertain you throughout the entirety of your read/play and also stick on your mind for a while after completion. An experience that you won't regret getting into.
[B] Tier = [Good] A well done work that'll entertain you throughout your gameplay. But it may not stick on your mind like [A] Tier does. It's for an enjoyable time.
[C] Tier = [Neutral] A book/game that has its ups and downs. You enjoy it at times, you get bored of it at times and in the end, you'll have no strong opinions of it. (This tier is a highly risky one. It's recommended that you test the books/games on this tier yourself and give a value of your own because a lot of personal preferences are involved.)
[D] Tier = [Dislike] A book/game that was pretty much made on a whim with unstable fundamentals, lack of passion and planning, poor programming and writing. It may be enjoyable at times but possibly, you will be bored or confused for the majority of the time.
> On top of this, I include content material rating for every experience. I also add snippets of information regarding rating of the majority of the book/game. There are three categories for this:
[SAFE] = This book/game contains very little to no explicit or suggestive material.
[QUESTIONABLE] = This book/game contains an amount of suggestive material that may make some audiences uncomfortable yet does not contain any outright explicit material.
[EXPLICIT] = This book/game contains explicit and suggestive material that are aimed for adult audiences.
> Hopefully you find this collection to be useful and may you find your own favorites amongst it. Have a great day!
DISCLAIMER: Just because a visual novel you expected to be here isn't here does not mean that I dislike it. It's highly possible that I haven't read it. And even if I did dislike it, those are only my opinions. Never back down from your own opinions because of me and do not get defensive of your own opinions against me.
[S Tier] [EXPLICIT (majority is safe/questionable)] [FINISHED] It is a masterpiece of a novel that's been made by the one and only Grizz. A month of vacation at a mansion with friends turns traumatic as things take a sinister turn. Now you, Dave will try to figure out who or what is behind this murder mystery as you'll unfold layers of mysteries and reveal untold pasts with the unknown vault that requires a password in the basement, which seems to be your only lifeline.
It is certainly a novel that'll keep you at the edge of your seat at all times, it will shock you at times where you least AND most expect yet can't be prepared for. It'll make you go through such an experience that will linger on your mind for months. It also, unlike other novels, introduces a mechanic that is the core of the novel itself. (Not about the previous statement) There are 6 routes and 4 paths for each route. For the public beta version only Path A (true path) for each route is released. For the rest of the paths, you will need the Patreon version.
The writing is spot-on, each character conveys their personality through their sentences perfectly and doesn't break character, which is regretfully a hard thing to find in most visual novels. However, Password has one of the most awful pacing I've ever come across. It plays around the same topic for so long until moving on and doing the same to another. It takes too long for it to progress, but, that heavily adds to the immersion and realisticity of the story.
There necessarily isn't any background art other than CGs, however, there are stock pictures that give a rough idea of the environment the author wanted the reader to visualize. The foreground art was hard to warm up, at least for me. I was used to seeing extremely detailed and shaded or exaggerated cartoony sprites so it took me some time, but then later I warmed up to the characters as if they were my real friends. The sprites convey the characters' feelings very well as well.
The majority of the BGM are composed by Civ Valian(ily). Every single track is sure to be engraved on your mind for years. I genuinely can't put it into words how much I adore it, I've been trying for minutes, so I'll just leave it at that, sorry.
UI design is basekit Ren'Py UI, I'm pretty sure that it isn't altered much and there is no additional art for the buttons or menus. There aren't any visual effects either.
Overall, Password is a visual novel that I would do anything to read for the first time once again. Thank you to everyone involved or supported in the making of Password!
[B Tier] [SAFE (so far)] An adventure with a mysterious wolf soon to reveal that there is more to him than what could be seen. It's a rather new visual novel so not much could be said but the characters are very interesting and the story is promising. (will update later)
