an incomplete list of indie romance visual novel recommendations
‣ these are all indie titles, many of them made by a single person or a small team, and several were put out there for free (or quite cheap). if you choose to play them, do so with an open mind and consider supporting indie devs financially whenever possible.
‣ most of these feature gender neutral or gender selectable player characters, and predominantly male or nonbinary romantic options. i've specified per game for convenience.
Blooming Panic by robobarbie
free*
4 routes, gender selectable PC, male & nb ROs
fave route: nakedtoaster, but xyx gets an honourable mention
the GOAT, honestly. i think most people who play games in this niche (especially in the chatsim subgenre) have come across bloomic at some point, and it's loved enough that other games reference it pretty frequently. what i love about bloomic is that it doesn't shy away from telling interesting and emotional stories while also delivering on the cutie romance aspects. i return to bloomic often as a comfort game, and it gets me in my feelings as a creator.
Rewritten by Weird Little Beasties
free (pay what you want)
5 routes, gender neutral PC, male ROs
fave route: nightshade
inkheart if it was a really cute dating sim. the art and music are super nice, the routes are all short and sweet, and there's a little bit of something for everyone. ironically, it really did feel like sinking into a cozy book. this is one i got a little unwell about (positive), so i have to recommend it.
(more below!)
A Date With Death by Two and a Half Studios
free, with purchasable expansions
1 route, gender selectable PC, male RO
legally required to rec this one because 1) it basically introduced me to chatsims, and 2) i own merch for it (say hi to azrael for me when you see him). it's just really good and fun. grim is so lame (complimentary) and i love a kind of loser boyfriend in games like this, so he delivers for sure. plus the CGs are just stupid good. i haven't played the expansion (yet), but i still recommend it for the base game content alone.
Ace in Space by Cadaver Carnival Studios
CDN $7.99
5 routes, nb PC, male and nb ROs
fave route: forge is my favourite, but zipper is the best route
this one's a little different on this list for reasons that are difficult to get into without turning this into a novel. it's structured like a dating sim so it makes the list, but the story is more about the player character, and you can choose to pursue romantic or platonic relationships as part of their journey. this one made me cry a few times, but that's sort of inevitable when the main themes so heavily involve grief and illness. proceed with caution, but i do urge you to proceed. if it helps sweeten the pot, most of the ROs are robots, and i'd like it a lot if you supported this game because it's from a somewhat local-to-me dev duo.
Fledgling Manor by In Secret Places
CDN $15.18
3 routes, male PC, male/nb/female ROs
fave route: stefan (but eight i love you please call me back)
y'all didn't think you were getting out of this list without an FM mention, did you? i'm obsessed with this game. i'm going to shill this game until the day i die. reality tv + sexy vampires? how could i resist. i was waiting for this game waaay before it came out and i was not disappointed. plus, usually predetermined protags are a turn off for me in these games but rocky is my ride or die (and my profile picture). i went over this game with a fine-tooth comb and i'm still hungry for more. play fledgling manor.
SeekL by robobarbie
free*
1 route, gender neutral PC, nb RO
another chatsim, and so, so good. odxyny is a really interesting RO that i think resonates with a lot of people, and the other server members are super fun to hang out with. also, the gameplay of the coding as part of the story is so fun and innovative while never being an obstacle. really makes it stand out, and it's another one that hits emotionally.
Hustle Cat by Date Nighto
CDN $22.79
6 routes, gender selectable PC, male & female ROs
fave route: graves bc i can't resist an older goth 😔
this one's cute. cats and coffee and magic, with a villain and everything. each of the routes resolves more or less the same story with different twists along the way, and you learn a little more every time. i could talk a lot about this game, but this isn't meant to be a review. why don't you play it and tell me what you think?
Pirated Code: Admin Edition by Hollowmend
CDN $14.99 (a version with less content is available as pay-what-you-want here)
1 route (lots of endings!), nb PC, male RO
i like this one a lot (enough to painstakingly 100% it myself). It's not as heavy on the relationship (which can be romantic or platonic) as some of the other entries on this list, but it's definitely there and extremely cute, and the story happening around it is really good too. it definitely sucked me in and got me really invested in finding answers to the mystery of your PC's past, and dex, the RO, is an absolute sweetheart.
*robobarbie has requested that those who wish to financially support their games donate to charity, instead.
