I’ll start this off with my own submission to get the ball rolling.
About a decade ago, I discovered Juniper’s Knot, a kinetic novel created for a game jam by Dischan Media, a small Canadian Indie development team, that are still making games from time to time. It’s very short (about 90 minutes or so) but the art style, the music and the charming story make it a comfort food when I’m having a bad day and need to cry manly tears. One of the core elements that keeps me coming back and recommending it to others would be how much of the greater world was told through a single location and two different perspectives. It won’t be for everyone, and I wear rose-colored glasses.
RE: Ask VN Den Week #1: What was your first Visual Novel?