Umineko When They Cry

The unbelievably compelling first half of the Umineko series. Forewarning for the interested: Be prepared for a lengthy read, at least 45 hours even for a speedy reader. Also, this is a doujin series, so despite the fact that it grapples with adult subjects like finance, inheritance, legacy, love, body image, and death, there's some otaku stuff in here.

The game features almost no interactivity, save for menus that allow you to confirm whether or not a character has died, as well as descriptions of those characters and other key information. You're essentially invited to either attempt to solve the mysteries using the clues the game gives you, or to simply enjoy the story as it happens, which is just as enjoyable considering how wonderfully written and detailed it is.

The game features a soundtrack arguably as jaw-dropping as its mysteries; if you didn't have an interest in trance music before playing this, you certainly will after it.

This VN made me trans fuck you Ryukishi you little shit I’m going to come over and show you what a real witch can look like

Great story, great writing and characters. Wonderful music, and mindblowing plot. Impossible not to recommend, but it's important to understand that there are no actual choices made by the player in this one. It's just a linear story - however, there are a lot of ways that the game uses its writing to make the player feel involved. Something like this really shows what the Visual Novel genre can do when in the right hands.