Most of my 10/10 voted games on VNDB have tragic/bad/merry bad endings. I tend to gravitate towards games that are pain™ but I do appreciate if these kind of games offer happy endings too, they can be cathartic after all the hardships the MC went through.
Seconding JackJeanne. But I was more hooked to Kisa (the MC)'s development and growth over the game. A bit biased because I'm really into theater and stageplays but the theater production and interaction between characters in the game are so good, it feels very immersive. Definitely game with...