同人ing / Doujing
Sekina Kouhei has been eliminated in the first round of a light novel contest he entered. After throwing his manuscript in the library trash in frustration, a classmate of his, Kominato Iori, picks it up and reads it. Moved by his work, she asks him: "Would you like to make a doujin game?"

This was my first doujin vn, so I wasn't sure what to expect in terms of writing quality - but I was pleasantly surprised. It tells the story of a group of students that form a doujin circle with the goal of earning 1,350,000 yen from selling their doujin games. It follows your standard creator-story plot beats - low sales, writer's block, rejection from family members etc. - but a charming cast and the writer's passion for game creation keep things feeling fresh and exciting. I had a lot of fun accompanying the characters on their journey and watching them grow, be saved by and save others with their creations. Unfortunately the circle has since closed, but I hope the author is still writing in some form. I'd like to read more of their stories one day.

I would've liked to own a physical copy as a memento, but collecting all 4 volumes will cost you over $600 on the second-hand market. Pretty sad considering they originally went for 1000 yen each and the creator won't see a cent of that money...

アザナエル / Axanael
Great comedy, characters, voice acting, art, and enshutsu come together to feel like you're watching an anime instead of reading a novel. Plus it's 95% voiced, so I'd honestly recommend just putting it on auto and enjoying the ride. My only complaint was with the kagome asobi mechanic - you can't choose which ending you get to see next (though you can kind of point the game in the general direction) and auto-save only means you're locked into a route until you finish it. This meant that instead of getting to end the game on a high-note with the true route, I saw it somewhere in the middle and had to spend the rest of my time collecting bad ends, which soured the mood a little.

あにめショップへいこう！/ Anime Shop e Ikou!
I like it when old games go off the rails and add absurd secret routes to their otherwise normal stories. This one has zombies, living dolls and a true route that takes up half the game and touches on illness, death, revenge... and a religion that farms human clones for body parts and biological weapons. Did I mention this is a game about working part-time at an anime store?