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People used to refer to higher-quality paper books as “glossies,” while cheaper wood pulp paper books were “pulps.” While that era is now long gone, the term pulp is still around and is used to refer to heroic adventure tales or crime stories that aren’t quite on the same level as mainstream content out there.
10 Ballads at Midnight
Ballads at Midnight is an interactive fiction visual novel with elements of vampire pulp fiction. It’s a free-to-play game on Steam that has an Otome vibe. However, almost everyone can enjoy this one due to it having a wide array of unique characters and a story that isn’t all that complicated.
Ballads at Midnight is a dark fantasy romance story with original music. It has over forty thousand words, with dialogue that’s full of hidden meaning. The game also has three different endings, so there’s plenty of incentive for players to replay it multiple times.
9 Whisper Books
Whisper Books is a pulp visual novel containing multiple stories. It’s a collection of high-quality tales packed with amazing hand-drawn visuals and interactive gameplay elements. Whisper Books is a 2022 release and already boasts a very positive steam rating.
This visual novel game offers interesting stories like The Bee Effect and Circle of Nightmare. These pulp fiction genres range from time travel in ancient China to a mix of mythologies between Vikings and monks. Whisper Books is a must-try visual novel that is currently pretty inexpensive on Steam.
8 Will Die Alone
Will Die Alone is a text-based visual novel with a story-rich narrative, simulation, and pulp-like storytelling elements. The game came out in May 2022 and is quite cheap. However, it’s a lot better than its modest price tag might otherwise suggest. In the game, players will start their journey as an employee at Dewitt Corporation and fix people’s problems by erasing the past.
Players will have to tread lightly as every removed memory will drastically affect how the events unfold. Will Die Alone offers a great minimal art style and multiple stories of different customers that cover mature topics including bullying, depression, and addiction.
7 Blacksad: Under the Skin
Blacksad: Under the Skin is an old-school detective pulp visual novel set in a fictional version of New York City. The game shows the story of detective John Blacksad, who’s taken on a case involving the disappearance of a popular. The game is full of twists and turns and offers 3D visuals with full-motion animation.
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The 2019 game currently sits at a very positive review score from over two thousand players who think the story is worth experiencing. Unlike other visual novels that recommend bare minimum system steps, Blacksad: Under the Skin needs players to have an Nvidia GTX 1080 to enjoy it thoroughly.
6 Candlelight
Candlelight, also known as the Candlelight Puzzle, is a hybrid of 2d gameplay and hand-drawn illustration. It’s an adventure game with elements of a pulp visual novel. Candlelight also has a Lovecraftian vibe and an old-school black and white art style that is rarely found in games nowadays.
It’s a short game that allows players to take control of a grandfather investigating his granddaughter’s disappearance on a cold snowy night. With multiple endings and visuals that feel like they’ve been lifted right out of the 1970s, Candlelight is truly a one-of-a-kind game.
5 Do You See the Waving Cape
Do You See the Waving Cape is a unique visual novel with a children’s book art style and a deep storyline. It is a point & click adventure game that heavily emphasizes narrative gameplay. The graphic novel tells a tale about growth, dreams, and reality, as players experience emotional stories from the author’s childhood.
The game has close to 11 different chapters and 50 unique levels, and each one is full of interesting new gameplay elements. Do You See the Waving Cape is currently quite cheap on Steam and is a must-grab for anyone who likes healing stories.
4 Still Heroes
Still Heroes is a visual novel with linear gameplay, a straightforward story, and a charming comic book art style. This 2022 game is a refreshing new title in the domain of similar indie games and focuses more on the story than anything else.
In Still Heroes, players will experience the story of a girl named Emeline, who wants to be a superheroine after being inspired by her friends. This visual novel is close to one hour and fifteen minutes long, depending on the player’s reading speed and interactivity.
3 Dissent
Dissent is a unique pulp visual novel focusing on choices and narrative progression. This game was released on Steam in June 2022 and is a free-to-play title. In Dissent, players will experience the story of a corporate office, Moniker Innovation, where mysteries lie at every corner, and a disturbing truth awaits.
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The game features a black and white art style with hand-drawn anime-like characters and dark and creepy backgrounds. According to reviews, Dissent is a short game, but that’s all part of its charm. Many regard it as being one of the best pulp visual novels on Steam and so it’s well worth checking out for fans of the genre.
2 Mothmen 1966
Mothmen 1966 is the true definition of modern-day pulp visual novels, as it encapsulates everything that makes the genre so good. It’s a ‘Pixel Pulp’ game, which can be a call back to its art style which is exactly like the visuals found on the old home computers from the 80s.
Mothmen 1966’s main page describes it as a “mid-20th century pulp fiction” game that focuses on diverging narrative and brain-tickling riddles. This pulp novel came out in July 2022 and is already much loved in the community for its rich story and unique visual design.
1 Varney Lake
Varney Lake is a visual novel by LCB Game Studio, the same developer who made Mothmen 1966. The game is about three kids who went on an adventure near a lake in 1954 but found a vampire. Years later, a paranormal investigator tracked the trio down to learn about that day at Varney Lake.
The game shows the three friends trying to recall and reminiscence about their vampire encounter and reveal the mystery. Like Mothmen 1966, this game is full of interesting puzzles and features amazing pixel art and illustrations. As far as great pulp visual novels go, they don’t come much better than this.
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