On this page, I thought it might be fun to highlight some more obscure games that have some similar elements to the DR series. Of course, everyone knows about murder trial games like Ace Attorney and death game scenerios like Zero Escape, but I wanted to take a moment and share a few that are rarely talked about!
Gnosia
Among Us with pretty anime people! (and a space whale)
You play as a blank-slate protagonist who is currently living on a space ship with up to 14 other crewmates. You quickly discover that you, alongside fellow crewmember Setsu, are trapped in a time loop, experiencing the same few days over and over. To make matters worse, the ship is currently invaded by the Gnosia, muderous beings posing as your crewmates.
One interesting aspect of the game is that nearly any info about the characters is considered a spoiler! You see, the object of the game is to fill out your file of facts about the crew. Unlocking each fact through various requiements grants the player a new character-focused scene to help flesh-out the storyline. This is the real fun of the game, and each scene unlocked brings a great sense of accomplishment. Over all, it's a fairly unique game, and it's very easy to find yourself saying 'Just one more loop...' before putting it down. I honestly find it very fun, despite the repetition of the loops.
As a bonus, the art is gorgeous and the characters are all very lovable in their own way. There is also some great lgbt rep in the form of two non-binary characters that are treated no different from the rest of the crew.
How is it like DR? At the start of each day, a debate is held over which character should be placed into 'cold sleep' in order to push back against the Gnosia. The debates only last about 5 minutes and are not nearly as robust as those in DR. They are vital to the gameplay, however little is usually revealed about the story or characters during these portions.
Yurukill
Six convicted prisoners are kidnapped and brought to the abandoned amusement park, Yurukill Land. Each prisoner soon finds that they are paired with an 'executioner', who just so happens to be someone who suffered as a result of the prisoner's alleged crimes. Each of the five teams (one team has two prisoners to one executioner) is tasked with completing various 'games' taking the form of point and click mystery scerios, in order to win their freedom and have their alleged crimes pardoned. However, although they are partners in theory, the executioners, should they chose not believe their partner, can carry out their execution at the press of a button.
Honestly, I'm shocked and baffled at the fact that most murder mystery/killing game VN fans seemed to pass this up. Instead of even having a small fandom, there is no trace of a fandom at all, and that's really a shame. I adored the characters, especially their designs which are very cosplay-worthy, and the plot set up and had a lot of fun solving the mystery games. If there was a fandom, I would absolutely take part in it.
How is it like DR? Rather than thrill rides, the games at Yurukill Land take the form of point and click mystery scenes, very much like the investigations in DR. There seems to be quite a bit of DR influence, especially in the character of Binko, a blonde woman with multiple personas who enjoys forcing the cast into situations. Final debates take the form of battles, much like in DR, however in YK, they conducted through a virtual reality games in which the characters must play a bullet-hell style game against each other. Now, don't let this turn you off. I do not play bullet-hell games, ever, at all, and yet I still loved Yurukill. The devs realize this, and have added an extra easy mode for people who are coming in as primarily VN players. I have very slow reaction speed due to disability and I'm still able to play.
Process of Elimination
As a side note before I get into this one, I just wanted to mention that personally I did not enjoy this one. I only made it about half way through, due to finding it hard to care about the cast (which is kind of vital to a visual novel) and the fact that the investigation puzzles are mostly impossible without constant use of a walkthrough. Your millage may vary, of course, so I'm tossing it up here as well, even if you just want to have the fun of judging it for the blatant rip-off of a few DR characters.
Aspiring Detective Wato wakes up to find himself stuffed inside of a locker, just like another protagonist we know, who also happens to be a detective. Yes, they copied V3's homework. No, no attempt was made to create an original looking character. Wato soon finds that he is trapped on an island with 13 other detectives, one of whom looks exactly like Kirigiri. Murders ensue as each detective is taken down one by one...
How is it like DR? Other than what I've already mentioned, this is primarily a visual novel, featuring a very large amount of dialog with some game-play portions sprinkled inbetween. Gameplay takes the form of investigating murders, however, rather than 'point and click' like DR, the crime scenes take place on a grid much like strategy rpgs.
Games That Are Not Like DR, But You Should Play Anyway Because I Have Amazing Taste
Yuppie Psycho
Hey, you! Yes, you! Do you like pixel graphic indie horror games? Looking for a lesser-known one to try, one that has an intriguing plot, a likable cast of characters (with enough dialog to flesh out personalities!), and super fun gameplay?
Yuppie Psycho follows Brian Pasternack during the first day at work from hell... literally. Follow Brian through a haunted office building set in a 1990s post-apocalyptic urban fantasy world as he is tasked to 'kill the witch' making daily life for his co-workers into a literal living hell.
Never before have a been so delighted and intrigued by a setting in a game. Choosing to take a post-apocalyptic urban fantasy world, and setting your game entirely within on office building with only hints as to what is going on outside was a genius move.
Also, I adore the cast of characters. For a shorter game, characters are given enough dialog and interaction with Brian to become instantly likable. Looking for an indie game in which most of the characters are adults? Brian's friends include: object head TV man, lesbian catlady, perky girl who is convinced that everything going on is perfectly normal, girl with face covered in scars who does not do any work and instead runs a horror video club inside the building, and more that you will meet soon enough. Quite possibly my favorite game of all time!
