Codex Gamicus
Explore
Main Page
Discuss
All Pages
Interactive Maps
navigation
Main page
Community portal
Recent changes
Random page
Admin noticeboard
Forums
Company Index
Character Index
Hardware Index
In-Game Index
Ratings Index
Video Game Index
Fandom
Gamepedia support
Report a bad ad
Help Wiki
Contact us
FANDOM
Fan Central
BETA
Games
Anime
Movies
TV
Video
Wikis
Explore Wikis
Community Central
Start a Wiki
Don't have an account?
Register
Sign In
Sign In
Register
Fandom's centric source of video game knowledge
42,423
pages
Explore
Main Page
Discuss
All Pages
Interactive Maps
navigation
Main page
Community portal
Recent changes
Random page
Admin noticeboard
Forums
Company Index
Character Index
Hardware Index
In-Game Index
Ratings Index
Video Game Index
Fandom
Gamepedia support
Report a bad ad
Help Wiki
Contact us
Editing
Visual novel video games
(section)
Back to page
Edit
VisualEditor
View history
Talk (0)
Edit Page
Visual novel video games
Warning:
You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you
log in
or
create an account
, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.
Anti-spam check. Do
not
fill this in!
===Branching narratives=== [[Non-linear]] branching storylines are a common trend in visual novels, which frequently use multiple branching storylines to achieve [[multiple endings|multiple different endings]], allowing non-linear freedom of choice along the way. Decision points within a visual novel often present players with the option of altering the course of events during the game, leading to many different possible outcomes.<ref>[http://news.softpedia.com/news/The-First-Free-Visual-Novel-Engine-Released-30725.shtml The First Free Visual Novel Engine Released], [[Softpedia]]</ref><ref>{{Cite book | last1 = Cavallaro | first1 = Dani | title = Anime and the visual novel: narrative structure, design and play at the crossroads of animation and computer games | publisher = McFarland & Company | year = 2010 | pages = 78–79 | accessdate = 2012-02-05 | isbn = 0-7864-4427-4}}</ref> A recent acclaimed example is ''[[999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors]]'', where nearly every action and dialogue choice can lead to entirely new branching paths and endings. Each path only reveals certain aspects of the overall storyline and it is only after uncovering all the possible different paths and outcomes through multiple playthroughs that everything comes together to form a coherent well-written story.<ref>[http://uk.ds.ign.com/articles/114/1140602p1.html 999: 9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors Review], [[IGN]], 16 November 2010</ref> This branching narrative structure was largely popularized by ''[[YU-NO: A girl who chants love at the bound of this world]]'' (1996), and has since been used in many subsequent visual novels such as ''[[Clannad ]]'' and ''[[Zero Escape]]'' as well as [[adventure]] games such as ''[[Shadow of Memories]]''. Because visual novels revolve almost entirely around storytelling and character interactions, this allows the narratives to be much more [[non-linear]] than is usually possible in other genres. In [[RPG]]s, for example, the choices made often have a limited impact on the overall plot, whereas in visual novels, each choice can often have a big impact on the entire plot, leading to entirely different branches, which are often referred to as "routes" within the visual novel genre. Similarly in Western [[Point and Click Adventure|point & click adventure]] games, the plots are often quite linear due to their greater emphasis on puzzle-solving. The branching narratives found in visual novels represent an evolution of the ''Choose Your Own Adventure'' concept. The digital medium allows significant improvements, such as being able to fully explore multiple aspects and perspectives of a story. Another improvement is having hidden decision points that are automatically determined based on the player's past decisions. In ''[[Fate/stay night]]'', for example, the way the [[player character]] behaved towards [[non-player character]]s during the course of the game affects the way they react to the player character in later scenes, such as whether or not they choose to help in life-or-death situations. This would be far more difficult to track with physical books, in addition to other common visual novel features such as a large number of [[saved game|save]] slots and the ability to quickly skip through text that has already been read before to allow greater exploration of the different branching paths. More importantly, visual novels do not face the same length restrictions as a physical book. For example, the total word count of the English [[fan translation]] of ''Fate/stay night'', taking all the branching paths into account, exceeds that of ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' trilogy. This significant increase in length allows visual novels to tell stories as long and complex as those often found in traditional novels while still maintaining a branching path structure, and allow them to focus on deep stories with mature themes and consistent plots in a way which ''Choose Your Own Adventure'' books were unable to do due to physical limitations. Visual novels with non-branching plots, such as ''[[Higurashi: When They Cry]]'' and [[Christine Love (visual novelist)|Christine Love]]'s ''[[Digital: A Love Story]]'', are usually rare exceptions within the genre.<ref name="klug_194-7">{{Cite book|title=Interactive Storytelling for Video Games: A Player-Centered Approach to Creating Memorable Characters and Stories|year=2011|publisher=[[Focal Press]]|location=Burlington, MA|isbn=0-240-81717-6|url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=QUrarEcvaO8C&pg=PA194|author=Chris Klug|coauthors=Josiah Lebowitz|accessdate=20 February 2012|pages=194–7|month=March}}</ref> Many visual novels often revolve almost entirely around character interactions and [[Dialog tree|dialogue choices]], such as ''[[Ace Attorney]]'' and ''[[Tokimeki Memorial]]'', usually featuring complex branching dialogues and often presenting the player's possible responses word-for-word as the [[player character]] would say them. Such titles revolving around relationship-building, including visual novels as well as dating sims such as ''Tokimeki Memorial'' and some [[role-playing video game]]s such as ''[[Shin Megami Tensei: Persona]]'', often give choices that have a different number of associated "mood points" which influence a player character's relationship and future conversations with a non-player character. These games often feature a [[Persistent world|day-night cycle]] with a time scheduling system that provides context and relevance to character interactions, allowing players to choose when and if to interact with certain characters, which in turn influences their responses during later conversations.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Defining Dialogue Systems|author=Brent Ellison|date=8 July 2008|publisher=[[Gamasutra]]|url=http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/3719/defining_dialogue_systems.php|accessdate=2011-03-30}}</ref> In certain visual novels, the dialogue choices have a strict time limit to respond to a certain dialogue or certain situation (much like a [[quick-time event]]), a mechanic that largely originated from ''[[Sakura Wars]]'' (1996) and has in recent years been adopted by a few Western story-based games such as ''[[Alpha Protocol]]'' and ''[[The Walking Dead]]''. As early as 1983, ''[[Portopia Renzoku Satsujin Jiken|Portopia Serial Murder Case]]'' featured non-linear elements, which includes travelling between different areas in a generally [[open world]], a branching dialogue conversation system where the story develops through entering commands and receiving responses from other characters, and making choices that determine the dialogues and order of events as well as alternate outcomes, though there is only one true culprit while the others are [[red herring]]s. It also features a phone that could be used to dial any number to contact several [[non-player character]]s.<ref name="Retro-85">{{Cite web|title=Portopia Renzoku Satsujin Jiken|work=[[Retro Gamer]]|issue=85|author=John Szczepaniak|date=February 2011|url=http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_kGAOBLrWIr4/TUgMtkSB28I/AAAAAAAACyk/oj3PBRY70HM/s1600/DSC01599.jpg|accessdate=16 March 2011}} Reprinted at {{Cite web|title=Retro Gamer 85|author=John Szczepaniak|publisher=Hardcore Gaming 101|url=http://blog.hardcoregaming101.net/2011/02/retro-gamer-85.html|accessdate=16 March 2011}}.</ref> The game was well received in Japan for its well-told storyline and surprising [[twist ending]], and for allowing multiple ways to achieve objectives.<ref name=Retro>{{Cite web|author=John Szczepaniak|url=http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/JPNcomputers/Japanesecomputers3.htm|title=Retro Japanese Computers: Gaming's Final Frontier|page=3|publisher=Hardcore Gaming 101|accessdate=16 March 2011}} Reprinted from {{Cite document|title=Retro Japanese Computers: Gaming's Final Frontier|work=[[Retro Gamer]]|issue=67|year=2009|postscript=<!-- Bot inserted parameter. Either remove it; or change its value to "." for the cite to end in a ".", as necessary. -->{{inconsistent citations}}}}.</ref> Another more non-linear early example was ''Mirrors'', released by Soft Studio Wing for the PC-8801 and [[FM Towns]] computers in 1990; it featured a branching narrative, multiple endings, and [[Red Book (CD standard)|audio CD]] music.<ref>{{Cite web|author=John Szczepaniak|url=http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/JPNcomputers/Japanesecomputers4.htm|title=Retro Japanese Computers: Gaming's Final Frontier|page=4|publisher=Hardcore Gaming 101|accessdate=16 March 2011}} Reprinted from {{Cite document|title=Retro Japanese Computers: Gaming's Final Frontier|work=[[Retro Gamer]]|issue=67|year=2009|postscript=<!-- Bot inserted parameter. Either remove it; or change its value to "." for the cite to end in a ".", as necessary. -->{{inconsistent citations}}}}.</ref> It is not uncommon for visual novels to have morality systems. A well known example is the 2005 title ''[[School Days (visual novel)|School Days]]'', an animated visual novel that [[Kotaku]] describes as going well beyond the usual "black and white choice systems" (referring to video games such as ''[[Mass Effect]]'', ''[[Fallout 3]]'' and ''[[BioShock]]'') where you "pick a side and stick with it" while leaving "the expansive middle area between unexplored." ''School Days'' instead encourages players to explore the grey, neutral middle-ground in order to view the more interesting, "bad" endings.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Eisenbeis|first=Richard|title=How A Visual Novel Made Me Question Morality Systems in Games|url=http://kotaku.com/5938370/how-a-visual-novel-made-me-question-morality-systems-in-games|publisher=[[Kotaku]]|accessdate=28 August 2012|date=28 August 2012}}</ref> A common feature used in visual novels is having multiple protagonists giving different perspectives on the story. [[C's Ware]]'s ''[[Eve Burst Error|EVE Burst Error]]'' (1995) introduced a unique twist to the system by allowing the player to switch between both protagonists at any time during the game, instead of finishing one protagonist's scenario before playing the other. ''EVE Burst Error'' often requires the player to have both protagonists co-operate with each other at various points during the game, with choices in one scenario affecting the other.<ref>{{Cite web|title=EVE Burst Error|url=http://www.rpgfan.com/reviews/evebursterror/Eve_Burst_Error.html|work=RPGFan|accessdate=3 September 2011|author=Commodore Wheeler}}</ref> ''Fate/stay night'' is another example that features multiple perspectives.<ref name="klug_194-7"/> [[Chunsoft]] sound novels such as ''[[Machi (video game)|Machi]]'' (1998) and ''[[428: Fūsa Sareta Shibuya de]]'' (2008) develop this concept further, by allowing the player to alternate between the perspectives of several or more different characters, making choices with one character that have consequences for other characters.<ref name="1up_novel"/><ref name="destructoid428">{{Cite web|title=428 – The greatest experiment in non-linear story telling|url=http://www.destructoid.com/blogs/ParaParaKing/428-the-greatest-experiment-in-non-linear-story-telling-158147.phtml|publisher=[[Destructoid]]|accessdate=27 August 2012|date=17 December 2009}}</ref> ''428'' in particular features up to 85 different possible endings.<ref name="destructoid428"/> [[ELF Corporation|ELF]]'s most famous visual novel, ''[[YU-NO: A girl who chants love at the bound of this world]]'' (1996), in addition to establishing the branching narrative structure used in many subsequent visual novels, featured a science fiction plot revolving around [[time travel]] and [[Parallel universe (fiction)|parallel universes]]. The player travels between parallel worlds using a Reflector device, which employs a limited number of stones to mark a certain position as a returning location, so that if the player decides to retrace steps, they can go to an alternate universe to the time they've used a Reflector stone. The game also implemented an original system called ADMS, or Automatic Diverge Mapping System, which displays a screen that the player can check at anytime to see the direction in which they are heading along the branching plot lines.<ref>{{Cite web|title=YU-NO|url=http://www.rpgfan.com/reviews/yuno/Yuno.html|work=RPGFan|accessdate=3 September 2011|author=WooJin Lee}}</ref> Similar systems have later been employed in more recent role-playing games such as ''[[Radiant Historia]]''<ref name=Radiant-Historia>[http://www.1up.com/previews/radiant-historia-distinct-chrono-trigger Radiant Historia Gives Off a Distinct Chrono Trigger Vibe], [[1UP.com|1UP]]</ref><ref>[http://www.destructoid.com/to-those-of-you-that-asked-about-radiant-historia-191310.phtml To those of you that asked about Radiant Historia], [[Destructoid]]</ref> and the [[PlayStation Portable|PSP]] version of ''[[Tactics Ogre]]''.<ref>[http://www.gamesradar.com/psp/tactics-ogre-let-us-cling-together/review/tactics-ogre-let-us-cling-together-review/a-2011021515943267079/g-20100722113014352012 Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together], [[GamesRadar]], 15 February 2011</ref>
Summary:
Please note that all contributions to the Codex Gamicus are considered to be released under the CC BY-SA 3.0
Cancel
Editing help
(opens in new window)
Follow on IG
TikTok
Join Fan Lab