Risingson: Hey, I am not a diehard fan either but let people enjoy things.
Exactly. I'd be eaten alive if I did the same thing to a common genre Orkhepaj enjoys by oversimplifying everything in a vacuum. Let people enjoy whatever they like as long as no one is being hurt.
EDIT: though I agree that there is a huge need of critical analysis in this subgenre. The fans think that each and every one of them is a masterpiece and their analysis consists of enumeration. In any case, Murder by Numbers is fun and does not have a lot of text.
I don't believe this is true. If you take a look at any of the games on vndb.org, most of the ratings are quite reasonable and accurate when looking at the data spread and sample size. I'm sure it looks that way to you because some hardcore fans are very vocal about those nukige subgenre games (e.g., RPGMaker engines, Miel, Black Lilith, etc.) with < 2 hrs gameplay and all that hentai and extreme fetish content appealing to their wildest fantasies. Or maybe those reviews on Steam that were designed to be funny gives a misleading perception of how the game is received by the entire base.
However, there are some of us who actually enjoy non-sexual VNs and/or those with unique gameplay too.
Immersive stories include Umineko, Steins;Gate, Fata Morgana, Clannad, G-senjou no Maou (all-ages), etc.
Gameplay examples include Ace Attorney series, Master Magistrate, Eiyuu Senki (all-ages), Baldr Sky (all-ages), Danganronpa series, Utawarerumono series, Kamidori Alchemy Meister, Sunrider series, Vallhalla Cyberpunk Bartender Action, Coffee Talk, etc.