Finding games like Class of 09 is a total nightmare. Honestly. You finish playing that chaotic, nihilistic fever dream of a "rejection sim" and you immediately want more of that specific, sharp-tongued cruelty. But then you look at the Visual Novel market and it’s all... soft? Most VNs want you to fall in love. Nicole wants to ruin your life.
The reality is that SBN3 (the creator) tapped into a very specific, mid-2000s American misery that most developers are too scared to touch. It’s not just about being "edgy." It's about that specific brand of high school sociopathy where every interaction is a power struggle. You aren't looking for a dating sim; you're looking for a "disaster sim."
The Search for the "Anti-Visual Novel"
Most people start their search by looking for "mean" games. That’s a mistake. You don’t just want mean; you want articulate, fast-paced, and culturally observant. Class of 09 works because it understands the specific vernacular of 2007-2009—the flip phones, the casual bigotry of the era, and the absolute lack of a social safety net.
If you want something that hits that same "I can't believe they said that" energy, you have to look at Milk inside a bag of milk inside a bag of milk. It sounds weird. It is. But it captures that same sense of psychological claustrophobia. You aren't playing as a hero. You're playing as a witness to a mental breakdown. It’s shorter, sure, but it has that same "unfiltered" voice that makes Nicole’s internal monologue so addictive.
Then there is Danganronpa. Now, wait. Before you roll your eyes because it's a "death game," think about the dialogue. It’s stylized. It’s aggressive. It treats the characters like absolute garbage. The stakes are higher than just failing a chemistry test, but the vibe of "everyone here is a terrible person" definitely carries over.
Why 2000s Nostalgia Is the Secret Sauce
We have to talk about why games like Class of 09 feel so different from "normal" anime-style games. It’s the setting. Most VNs take place in a vague, ethereal version of Japan or a fantasy world. Class of 09 is aggressively American. It smells like a sterile hallway and cheap body spray.
If that’s what you’re craving, Night in the Woods actually scratches a similar itch, though the tone is much more melancholic than manic. It deals with the death of the American Dream in small towns. You play as Mae, a college dropout who is, frankly, kind of a jerk to her friends. It isn't as "mean" as Class of 09, but it's just as honest about how much it sucks to be young and aimless.
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The Voice Acting Factor:
One reason you’re struggling to find a replacement is the budget. Class of 09 has incredible voice acting (shoutout to Elsie Lovelock). Most indie VNs are silent. Reading text on a screen doesn't hit the same way as hearing a character call you a loser in high-definition audio.The Branching Paths:
Most games give you a "good" ending. In this sub-genre, the "good" ending is usually just the one where you don't end up in prison or dead. It’s subverting the genre.
The Problem With Modern "Edgy" Games
A lot of developers try to copy the shock value but miss the wit. There’s a game called Cooking Companions. On the surface, it’s a cute cooking game. Within an hour, it becomes a psychological horror fest that challenges your sanity. It works because, like Class of 09, it uses the Visual Novel format as a Trojan Horse. You think you're playing one thing, and the game spends its entire runtime laughing at you for that assumption.
Then you've got Needy Streamer Overload. This one is huge right now. You play as the manager/boyfriend of an aspiring camgirl who is deeply unstable. It’s stressful. It’s cynical. It mocks internet culture in the same way Nicole mocks high school culture. If you enjoyed the feeling of "managing a disaster," this is probably your best bet. It’s colorful and bright, which masks the fact that you are basically watching a train wreck in slow motion.
Breaking Down the "Mean Girl" Archetype
We need to be real: people love Nicole because she says the things you're not allowed to say. She is an anti-heroine in the truest sense. Most games like Class of 09 fail because the protagonist is too likable.
Take Scarlet Hollow. It’s a horror-mystery. The writing is top-tier. One of the best things about it is that you can choose to be an absolute nightmare to everyone you meet. You don’t have to be the nice person arriving for a funeral. You can be sarcastic, dismissive, and cruel. While the plot is about monsters and family secrets, the interpersonal drama is where it feels closest to the "09" vibe.
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- Monster Prom is another one to consider. It’s a multiplayer dating sim, which sounds like the opposite of what we’re talking about, but the writing is incredibly fast, irreverent, and often disgusting. It’s "mean" in a way that feels like a Saturday morning cartoon on Adult Swim.
The Philosophical Nihilism of the 2000s
There is a certain "post-9/11, pre-social media dominance" gloom that Class of 09 captures perfectly. It was a time when the internet was still the Wild West and "dark humor" was the default language of the youth.
Finding that specific flavor is rare. Life is Strange tried to do the "teen talk" thing, but it often felt like adults trying to guess how kids spoke. "Hella" this, "mosh pit" that. It felt forced. Class of 09 felt like someone found a diary from 2008 and just started reading it.
If you want that authentic, gritty teen experience without the supernatural elements, look into Goodbye Volcano High. Okay, they are dinosaurs. I know. But the social dynamics—the feeling of the world ending and not knowing what to do with your feelings—it's there. It’s a bit more "earnest" than most fans of Nicole would like, but the quality of the character writing is undeniable.
What About the Comedy?
If you're here for the laughs specifically, the options change. Class of 09 is a comedy first, tragedy second.
Hatoful Boyfriend looks like a meme game about dating birds. It is. But if you actually play the "Bad Boys Love" route (which requires finishing the main game), it turns into a dark, gritty, existential thriller that makes no sense and yet is completely gripping. It’s that same "switch-up" that makes the Class of 09 Re-Up so effective.
Real Steps to Finding Your Next Obsession
Don't just look at the Steam "Visual Novel" tag. That’s a graveyard of generic romance. Instead, look for the "Psychological" and "Satire" tags.
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- Look for "Denpa" games: This is a Japanese term for games that feel "disconnected" or "glitchy" in their reality. They often deal with madness and social alienation. SAYONARA Zetsubou-Sensei (though more of an anime/manga) is the spiritual ancestor of this kind of cynical classroom humor.
- Follow the Writers: In the VN world, the writer is king. SBN3 has a specific voice. If you like his stuff, you might actually find more luck looking at "Abridged" series on YouTube or early 2010s Newgrounds animations than you would playing a standard game from a big publisher.
- Check out "Paradise Killer": It’s a detective game, but the characters are all stylish, arrogant, and weird. It has that "everyone is cool and hates you" vibe down to a science.
The truth is, games like Class of 09 are a lightning-in-a-bottle situation. It’s a combination of nostalgia, voice acting, and a complete lack of a moral compass. Most studios are worried about Twitter threads calling them "problematic." Class of 09 leans into being problematic because it knows that high school actually was problematic.
If you want something that doesn't pull punches, you have to go indie. You have to go weird. You have to look for the games that were made by one or two people with a grudge and a microphone.
Final Recommendations for the Nicole-Starved
- Needy Streamer Overload: For the "toxic girlhood" and internet-brain rot.
- Milk inside a bag of milk...: For the raw, uncomfortable internal monologue.
- Cooking Companions: For the "this is not what I signed up for" shock value.
- Scarlet Hollow: For the ability to be a high-quality jerk in a well-written world.
Stop looking for "dating sims" and start looking for "social simulations" where the goal is just to survive the day without losing your mind. The genre is growing, but for now, these are the only titles that come close to that specific 2009 toxicity.
To get the most out of these, play them in the dark, turn the volume up, and remind yourself that at least you aren't in high school anymore. That's the real win. Focus on the developers who prioritize "voice" over "mechanics." In a world of polished, safe gaming, the jagged edges of games like these are what make them worth playing. Don't settle for the "safe" version of a visual novel; look for the ones that feel like they might actually be a little bit dangerous to your mental health. Those are the ones that stick with you.
Go find a game that makes you feel a little bit worse about humanity. It’s strangely cathartic. That is the true legacy of the Class of 09 experience. It isn't about the choices; it's about the attitude. Find the attitude, find the game. It's that simple. Just don't expect a happy ending, because those are for people who haven't been paying attention.
To find more titles as they drop, keep an eye on the "Experimental" and "Surreal" tags on itch.io. That’s where the real successors to the throne are currently being built by developers who don't care about the rules. Itch.io is the wild west of the VN world, and it's where the next Nicole is currently being written. Look for the "cult" hits before they go mainstream. That’s how you stay ahead of the curve in this niche.
Immediate Next Steps
- Check out the "Trashy" tag on itch.io: Seriously, some of the best satirical writing is hidden under labels that sound self-deprecating.
- Listen to the OSTs: Often, games with this vibe have a specific lo-fi or aggressive electronic soundtrack. Use that to find similar vibes on Spotify or Bandcamp.
- Join the Discord communities: Small, aggressive fanbases usually orbit these games. They are the ones who will point you to the "unlisted" gems that haven't hit the Steam front page yet.