Well there are actual good kinetic(meaning linear) VNs out there, just aren’t many for the mobile market, but check out itch.io and other sites if you are interested. Also there are some good kinetic VNs being made with Patreon backing that are playable on mobile, but you may have to search through a lot of crap to find the good ones.
Edit: Yeah @LiliArch there some really well written Webcomics and Mango too, available on mobile.
And webcomics. Don’t forget webcomics.
Were you asking me? @TheOfficer
Yeah, I’ve played some from itch that I’ve liked and have backed a couple of upcoming ones that I’m pretty excited about. It’s the mobile ones that I dislike for their pricing schemes. The standalone, one time purchase ones are variable as a matter of taste, but the business model is fine.
I only play it for one of the horror series. The art and the story in those two books are great in my opinion.
But it’s really disapointing that survival relies heavily on diamond choices and such. I had to use a guide to get a ‘good ending’ without spending (too much)
I don’t really care much for the romance stories. I tried the mom one but the end got spoiled and it was such a let down that I didn’t continue.
I’m currently waiting for the third book in the horror series but right now they’re more focused on romance books 'cause those bring in more money. Oh well, it gives me more time to hoard diamonds with the daily log in 
I never bothered with them because it seems pretty clear that I as a straight male are not their target audience. I love the fact COG games are way more varied and distinctive for someone like me, and even when you get something specific that isn’t me like Guen, Pirates Pleasure or Never Dare Werewolves you get some quality writing and characterization regardless.
Yes, if you’re okay with it.
I don’t like getting ripped off (pricing scheme, as others have said) and a fair amount of (specifically) “Choices”/“Episode” type companies are a) not super inclusive and b) have a lot of games with blank slate female protagonists, which I’m not that into.
I exclusively play games with either more customizable protagonists (gender and orientation [if relevant] choice - preferably multiple genders of characters to romance), and mostly or completely set protagonists. I don’t like playing as blank-slate female protagonists in particular for two reasons. The first reason is that completely blank slate protagonists, especially women because of misogynistic tropes, can often come off as kind of dumb. Totally avoidable with good, thoughtful writing, of course. The second reason is personal and not relevant enough to cover here, I think.
I have had a lot of fun playing some indie VN titles like Arcade Spirits and Hustle Cat, though, for what it’s worth.
Yeah, I basically agree with Mara in that they generally suck a lot.
The Choices and Tales folks actually made a thread advertising on CYS once which caused a few of the members to check them out leading them to the same conclusion that after playing, they suck a lot. Lol.
Though I don’t really buy a lot of IF anyway, let alone visual novels. About the only one I ever bothered with was some weird one by a Spanish company.
You played as a Nazi protagonist on board a U-Boat which encounters some Cthulhu stuff. It actually had 8 different endings so they put some effort into it, but I don’t think it’s available anymore since I don’t think the company that put it out exists anymore.
I usually stick with Tinman Games though when it comes to IF, though Inkle put out a few good ones like the Sorcery! series and 80 Days.
It does have a lot of strictly female games.
Please do, I think that’d be interesting or rather if you’re okay with it, PM me about it because I am interested. I started playing Choices two years ago and I noticed that their quality has gone down, in my opinion. I would love to hear more about their crimes.
I’ve played almost all the ‘free’ ones on the apple store and have found that Choices is pretty much the leading one in my opinion. They dabble in a lot of genres, let you pick a romance regardless of gender, okay plots, and you don’t have to spend money to go for better routes if you collect the diamonds daily.
I love the ‘It Lives’ series they have and wish they did more like that, but Choices in general is the only one I found where everyone can be ‘mcsexual’.
I’d love to know if there’s more IF’s out there with more freedom and less judgement.
I’m curious as well.
I’ve tried most of the “free” apps, and Choices is probably the best one with the most well-written stories. The quality can be hit and miss (especially on some of the romance-focused stories), but there are some amazing stories in their archives if you like the format. It can be expensive if you want to see every scene, but you can save up for them through the daily rewards if you’re patient.
I will say their stories tend to pretty linear for the most part where the biggest “choice” you usually make is which romance option you’re interested in. Some of the older stories, especially in the adventure or horror genres, do have some branching and choices that matter. There’s definitely a lot less choice involved than you might be used to from COG books, but the artwork and music can be fun and it’s convenient to play.
A caveat is that app is very female-focused and a lot of stories only have female MCs. Character customization is also a lot more limited than you might be used to, even compared to other similar apps.
I’m interested in checking it out, but could you be more specific? “Originals” is way too broad of a search term.
i play choices and it’s pretty fun. unfortunately, you aren’t exactly given much of a free will when it comes to actual choices. customizations are preset, and the narrative is pretty linear. you’re unable to stray from the path laid out for you because the character you’re playing with is already pretty much preset.
some of the stories are pretty great though, and i have enjoyed some of them.
hi! i believe it’s called originals: interactive story series and is available on mobile. 
hope this helps!
Agreed. I miss the age of the It Lives series, Haunting of Braidwood Manor, The Elementalists, Veil of Secrets and Perfect Match. And now we have My Two First Loves, The Royal Heir and Witness.
They do have some good books, I really enjoyed Queen Bee and My Two First Loves has it’s highlights (mainly the hospital scene) but on the whole, Choices has gone right down in quality.
I swear they shut down 
they did! one of the posts in the thread talked about it and someone asked to clarify so i answered. not sure if anyone could still access the servers though!