Pie VN List - Mystery / Scifi

-- GOOD MYSTERY / SCIFI VNs --

* Higurashi - No Choices, No Voices - http://store.steampowered.com/bundle/709/Higurashi_When_They_Cry_Hou/
Mystery / Horror VN about life in a small japanese town. Murders happen, it's rumored that the local god's curse is causing them.
Lots of points for speculation on culprits / motives / or whether the crimes are even being committed by humans...
Chapters 7 and 8 have official translations already, but are being retranslated for steam at a snail's pace. You can easily find the original translations for those two chapters and they're not bad.

* Umineko - No Choices, No Voices - http://store.steampowered.com/app/406550/Umineko_When_They_Cry_Question_Arc/
Mystery VN loosely based around "And When There Were None". Goes off the rails in a good way as you continue to read.
This is written by the same guy who did Higurashi, and builds on some of the concepts from that series.
The story takes place on a closed off island where a rich family meets to discuss business every year. However, this year, they receive a letter from a supposed witch, who claims that she's come to take back their lives as payment for a contract she made with the patriarch of the family. Needless to say, people start dying, and things spiral out of control...

* 999 / VLR / ZTD - Choices, Voices - http://store.steampowered.com/bundle/2638/Zero_Escape_Trilogy/
Pie's playing this now, no real need for a description at this point.

* Danganronpa 1 / 2 / v3 - Gameplay, Voices - http://store.steampowered.com/bundle/361/Danganronpa_1__2/
DR1 is like a super anime Ace Attorney. Though, in DR1 the cases are pretty weak, in my opinion.
However, DR2 has a much better story, better characters, and *ACTUALLY GOOD* murder cases, it makes the series worthwhile.
DRv3 comes out in August, and people who've played it in Japanese say it's the best one yet by far.

* Root Double - Choices, J Voices - http://store.steampowered.com/app/438130/Root_Double_Before_Crime__After_Days_Xtend_Edition/
An action / mystery VN. An explosion has taken place in a nuclear research facility, and you're a rescue worker sent in to rescue anyone trapped inside as well as stop the reactor from melting down. Has a very unique choice system where you have to make your choices by deciding your relative trust of various characters (http://i.imgur.com/F41KZ1v.jpg is an example of what it looks like).
There's separate routes (called Roots, hence the name) that explain different aspects of the story, and things get complex.

* Steins;Gate / Steins;Gate 0 - Choices, J Voices - http://store.steampowered.com/app/412830/STEINSGATE/
Scifi VN involving time travel. Very tightly wound plot with fun characters and a cool setting. Eventually made into a really popular anime. Don't want to say too much about the actual VN, as it would spoil too much of the plot, but it's very well written and paced.
Steins;Gate 0, a direct sequel to the true end, is currently on PS4 / PS Vita, but I think they might be porting it to PC later?
A bit of warning here: The true ending can be rather difficult to get without a guide. I'd almost recommend playing it through until you get to a (non-bad) ending, then use a guide to put you on the true path.

* Ever17 / Remember11 - Choices, J Voices - Older PC games, will almost certainly have to pirate
Scifi VNs written by the guy who did 999 and the guy who did Root Double, long before those existed.
Ever17 is very, very dated, a slow moving VN with waifu routes but a crazy ride for the last few hours. You might be able to skip this if you've read 999/VLR, since they cover some of the same ground. Remember11 does reference it pretty directly, though, especially in concept / playing with player expectations.
Remember11 is much more tightly paced, with 2 characters who seem to be switching places with each other at regular intervals. One's trapped in a mountain cabin after a plane crash, the other is stuck in a mental institution. This is one of my favorite VNs, though the ending requires a looot of putting the pieces together (though discussing with others / http://remember11.wikia.com/wiki/Analysis_of_Remember_11 should help)