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Your thoughts on Visual Novels?
- Thread starter adz2ka
- Start date
PS Vita introduced me to VNs and I spent many hours reading/ playing these games: 999, VLR, all three Danganronpas, Steinsgate and SG0. Apart from SG0, which went a bit over my head with all the timelines and so on, I can fully recommend all these games. And the Vita was the perfect system, as it is small, light and robust so I kept it in my backpack for commuting just like a book.
Since retiring my Vita, the only VN I've played was 428. Again a great game, but playing it on a big screen was just not as comfortable as on a portable system. So my next games will have to be on Switch or maybe iPad. House in Fata Morgana seems like the obvious choice when it gets ported to Switch, I've read nothing but praise about the game.
Since retiring my Vita, the only VN I've played was 428. Again a great game, but playing it on a big screen was just not as comfortable as on a portable system. So my next games will have to be on Switch or maybe iPad. House in Fata Morgana seems like the obvious choice when it gets ported to Switch, I've read nothing but praise about the game.
I love VN games, tho im partial to the pure text based ones, as in basically reading a book. Currently reading Death Mark, would give a shout out to the psycho pass one too.
Im in a kinda horror mood lately.
Im in a kinda horror mood lately.
If you're willing to work for it a little, streaming VNs from PC to Vita through the Moonlight homebrew app makes for really comfy reading, and the little bit of latency isn't an issue because of the genre. You can map buttons through Steam for games that don't have native controller support. Played through most of 428 and Higurashi like that. Very pleasant.
It's something to read in bed for me. They tend to be filled with tropes and fanservice (and if not filled, it's usually there in some form or another). I'm pretty much immune to that, but your mileage may vary.
There's not much to say other than I like the stories, you can get really engrossed in them and like I said; they're perfect for in bed, just read a bit until you fall asleep. As with most things in life: just try a bunch and see what works for you.
There's not much to say other than I like the stories, you can get really engrossed in them and like I said; they're perfect for in bed, just read a bit until you fall asleep. As with most things in life: just try a bunch and see what works for you.
Every so often I get a strong urge for VN but it's not a genre I actively play over others.
I feel I was way more into them on the Vita/3DS/DS since the portable aspect made all the difference; now they're on console I tend not to play as many (still played a lot compared to most people I guess).
Off the top of my head the ones I've played on console:
The Silver Case, 428, Death Mark, The 25th Ward, Danganronpa v3, Zero Time Dilemma, Raging Loop (which I never finished, wasn't a fan sadly), Root Letter (the live action version). Also bought Spirit Hunter NG which I need to install and play at some point, backlog goodness awaits.
House in Fata Morgana I'll play on Switch since it's perfect in that format. I have yet to pick up Death Come True (from the Danganronpa series writer, Kodaka). Also need to get Jake Hunter: Ghost of the Dusk for 3DS at some point.
I really like these kinds of games on handhelds, they were some of my favourites on the original DS:
There's also that short 3DS adventure/VN games from the artist/director of Hotel Dusk and Last Window. Never heard much about that either.
I'm anticipating Root Film out early next year. Cool art, good creative leads (Hifumi Kono) and good setting/backdrop (film setting).
Hideo Kojima's game Snatcher on Mega CD (played via emulation) was my gateway to visual novels and I've been a fan since. These kinds of games are sometimes the most immersive games around. When they hit the mark they're amazing.
I feel I was way more into them on the Vita/3DS/DS since the portable aspect made all the difference; now they're on console I tend not to play as many (still played a lot compared to most people I guess).
Off the top of my head the ones I've played on console:
The Silver Case, 428, Death Mark, The 25th Ward, Danganronpa v3, Zero Time Dilemma, Raging Loop (which I never finished, wasn't a fan sadly), Root Letter (the live action version). Also bought Spirit Hunter NG which I need to install and play at some point, backlog goodness awaits.
House in Fata Morgana I'll play on Switch since it's perfect in that format. I have yet to pick up Death Come True (from the Danganronpa series writer, Kodaka). Also need to get Jake Hunter: Ghost of the Dusk for 3DS at some point.
I really like these kinds of games on handhelds, they were some of my favourites on the original DS:
There's also that short 3DS adventure/VN games from the artist/director of Hotel Dusk and Last Window. Never heard much about that either.
I'm anticipating Root Film out early next year. Cool art, good creative leads (Hifumi Kono) and good setting/backdrop (film setting).
Hideo Kojima's game Snatcher on Mega CD (played via emulation) was my gateway to visual novels and I've been a fan since. These kinds of games are sometimes the most immersive games around. When they hit the mark they're amazing.
I love both VN with more gameplay content like Danganronpa, Phenix Wright and 999 series... and more "pure" VN like Steins Gate, Chaos Child, Hatoful Boyfriend... but these ones I prefer to play with a walktrought ready to get all the paths open on first try, like I was just reading a story more than playing it.
EDIT:
I add that I play these ONLY on mobile device/console. I find impossible to play these on a TV.
EDIT:
I add that I play these ONLY on mobile device/console. I find impossible to play these on a TV.
I like most of the VNs I play, some of the better ones have offered me with the most captivating stories and some of the most interesting characters told in the medium. If there is a good VN out there that gets high praise, I would normally never pass up on it!
Most of what I played seemed too long, badly paced, tropey... I guess that's part of the reason why I'm writing my own stuff.
Maybe I have too high standards, because I compare VNs to other works in film and literature and they usually don't stand a chance... But I still think that's possible to make the equivalent of a Michael Haneke film in visual novel form, for instance, but nobody has done it yet. The talent may be working elsewhere.
Maybe I have too high standards, because I compare VNs to other works in film and literature and they usually don't stand a chance... But I still think that's possible to make the equivalent of a Michael Haneke film in visual novel form, for instance, but nobody has done it yet. The talent may be working elsewhere.
I've played the mainstream ones everyone else probably has.
Phoenix Wright, Danganronpa, VLR, Hotel Dusk, and a couple others that slip my mind right now.
They are.......... fine? I guess?
I mean, I finished them, and they are sometimes quite long, so that's something I suppose.
But I think VLR was my last one, and after that I had little desire to return to them, apart from the obligatory play-through of Doki Doki Literature Club because, well, memes I guess.
My main problem is the writing style. It is incredibly repetitive, hammering every single point home over and over again, which results in me skim-reading a lot of the dialogue.
Like, in VLR they spend about 10 minutes going over a game of Rock-paper-scissors in the most tedious and drawn-out way possible, and I'm sitting there thinking "YES, I FUCKING GET IT, CAN WE MOVE ON PLEASE!". This isnt just a one-off either. Anything that's even remotely mysterious is gone over again and again and again until I'm sick of reading about it.
The Phoenix Wright games were similar, with some very drawn-out court cases. The 2 Danganronpa games I've played weren't too bad, though they still spent a bit too much time meandering around than I'd like. I still feel like returning to play the other Danganronpa games, though Ultra Despair Girls kinda killed my enthusiasm, as by that point they had bled the 'mystery' dry and I'm not sure I can be arsed to return to the formula.
Maybe one of these days.
Phoenix Wright, Danganronpa, VLR, Hotel Dusk, and a couple others that slip my mind right now.
They are.......... fine? I guess?
I mean, I finished them, and they are sometimes quite long, so that's something I suppose.
But I think VLR was my last one, and after that I had little desire to return to them, apart from the obligatory play-through of Doki Doki Literature Club because, well, memes I guess.
My main problem is the writing style. It is incredibly repetitive, hammering every single point home over and over again, which results in me skim-reading a lot of the dialogue.
Like, in VLR they spend about 10 minutes going over a game of Rock-paper-scissors in the most tedious and drawn-out way possible, and I'm sitting there thinking "YES, I FUCKING GET IT, CAN WE MOVE ON PLEASE!". This isnt just a one-off either. Anything that's even remotely mysterious is gone over again and again and again until I'm sick of reading about it.
The Phoenix Wright games were similar, with some very drawn-out court cases. The 2 Danganronpa games I've played weren't too bad, though they still spent a bit too much time meandering around than I'd like. I still feel like returning to play the other Danganronpa games, though Ultra Despair Girls kinda killed my enthusiasm, as by that point they had bled the 'mystery' dry and I'm not sure I can be arsed to return to the formula.
Maybe one of these days.
I haven't played that many, but I love them (except Psychedelica of the Black Butterfly).
I've noticed that most of them have two things in common: they basically stick to the critical path and only branch out a little bit to get a bad/different ending, 999 and VLR being the exception to that.
The other is that pretty much all of them seem to be slow burners. The House in Fata Morgana kinda avoids that due to it being basically composed of shorter and (seemingly) unrelated stories.
I don't mind the latter, but I'd like to know if there are any good VN on Vita (lol) or PS4 where the whole story isn't just the critical path (like the aforementioned 999 and VLR).
As for the ones I've played (and liked): Danganronpa, The Nonary Games, Steins;Gate, Chaos;Child, the Utawarerumono series, The House in Fata Morgana, Death Mark and Muv-Luv/Alternative.
Like every Experience game, it could do without the crappy fanservice.
I've noticed that most of them have two things in common: they basically stick to the critical path and only branch out a little bit to get a bad/different ending, 999 and VLR being the exception to that.
The other is that pretty much all of them seem to be slow burners. The House in Fata Morgana kinda avoids that due to it being basically composed of shorter and (seemingly) unrelated stories.
I don't mind the latter, but I'd like to know if there are any good VN on Vita (lol) or PS4 where the whole story isn't just the critical path (like the aforementioned 999 and VLR).
As for the ones I've played (and liked): Danganronpa, The Nonary Games, Steins;Gate, Chaos;Child, the Utawarerumono series, The House in Fata Morgana, Death Mark and Muv-Luv/Alternative.
I'd say it's solid/good. The story isn't anything special, but the art, music and overall atmosphere are pretty good. It has some really creepy moments.
Like every Experience game, it could do without the crappy fanservice.
They can be really engrossing and epic. When done well, I feel more invested in them than any other genre. And I'm really glad that people are now finally starting to realize it's possible to make Visual Novels that aren't porn games.
They aren't really games tbh but I love them
I'm going through Chaos Head for the first time currently
I'm going through Chaos Head for the first time currently
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I look forward to your VN interpretation of the best scene in 71 Fragments of a Chronology of Chance:
Really, really dislike them.
It's not the reading - I love to read. I hate:
- the terrible characters, filtered through the worst of anime excesses - I truly struggle to understand how people get past the awfulness of the protagonists in 5pb games and their menagerie of huge breasted stereotypes, for instance.
- the slooooooooooooooow text, often overly long-winded and tedious.
- the lack of interactivity beyond mashing buttons to make the text go faster (notable exceptions - the ones with actual gameplay in them like Danganronpa etc., and even then Phoenix Wright is painfully slow) or making choices that have an unpredictable outcome (it's not puzzle solving...)
I love flavour text, point and click adventures, all sorts of things that involve reading. I just don't get on with visual novels.
I wouldn't class 13 Sentinels as a visual novel, incidentally - not just because I loved it.
It's not the reading - I love to read. I hate:
- the terrible characters, filtered through the worst of anime excesses - I truly struggle to understand how people get past the awfulness of the protagonists in 5pb games and their menagerie of huge breasted stereotypes, for instance.
- the slooooooooooooooow text, often overly long-winded and tedious.
- the lack of interactivity beyond mashing buttons to make the text go faster (notable exceptions - the ones with actual gameplay in them like Danganronpa etc., and even then Phoenix Wright is painfully slow) or making choices that have an unpredictable outcome (it's not puzzle solving...)
I love flavour text, point and click adventures, all sorts of things that involve reading. I just don't get on with visual novels.
I wouldn't class 13 Sentinels as a visual novel, incidentally - not just because I loved it.
it's called arrogance, you should probably know that word if you claim to be a writer.
I want to try more of them but i want good, engrossing stories with no romance and minimal sexualisation, so as you can imagine it's difficult to browse the genre.
I did try AI Somnium Files but i started to feel bad deliberately failing the dives because i wanted to see all the funny dialogue. I really should give it another shot.
I did try AI Somnium Files but i started to feel bad deliberately failing the dives because i wanted to see all the funny dialogue. I really should give it another shot.
I have played one or two that have reached near the top of my favorite stories of all time for video games. But it seems there is a lot of junk also.
I think the VN is good if the story and presentation is good, or the main system or mechanic they are using for their gameplay (if that is the focus). It just depends. I haven't actually played that many to be honest. I would like to try Steins;Gate but I already saw the anime so I'm not sure I want to relive the story again.
Anyway, House in Fata Morgana is my favorite, and that's mostly just story and visual/musical design, with little actual gameplay. But I still love it because of the story, characters, and visuals/music.
I am personally making a VN myself in my spare time, and ideally, I think having a somewhat shorter, contained story with multiple story paths would be a great setup for a visual novel. That's kind of what I want to make.
I think the VN is good if the story and presentation is good, or the main system or mechanic they are using for their gameplay (if that is the focus). It just depends. I haven't actually played that many to be honest. I would like to try Steins;Gate but I already saw the anime so I'm not sure I want to relive the story again.
Anyway, House in Fata Morgana is my favorite, and that's mostly just story and visual/musical design, with little actual gameplay. But I still love it because of the story, characters, and visuals/music.
I am personally making a VN myself in my spare time, and ideally, I think having a somewhat shorter, contained story with multiple story paths would be a great setup for a visual novel. That's kind of what I want to make.
Not for me in general, but every now and then one of them will get me hooked, so I keep trying them.
Came to the realization recently that for the most part, I'd rather just read a book.
VNs that make use of the medium I appreciate, I really enjoyed the Zero Escape series and I liked 13 Sentinels a fair bit, but the likes of Steins;Gate, despite enjoying it, better suited the Episodic Anime format. For me, the problem seems to be that outside of a select few, the story is often 'videogame good' and wouldn't really have much success if it was released in some other medium, and for a genre based almost entirely around the story, it's not often worth the time investment. For me, The House in Fata Morgana was like that, with it's linear narrative and little in the way of interaction, made for a rather uninteresting experience. It also didn't help that (despite what seems to be the popular consensus) I really did not like the story, which felt overlong, repetitive, full of meandering and unengaging dialogue, and some paper thin supporting characters. My opinion is that if it were written as a book instead of a VN, it wouldn't have nearly the same level of reverence it seems to have.
But hey, I don't wanna yuck someone else's yum, so if you enjoy it, more power to you.
VNs that make use of the medium I appreciate, I really enjoyed the Zero Escape series and I liked 13 Sentinels a fair bit, but the likes of Steins;Gate, despite enjoying it, better suited the Episodic Anime format. For me, the problem seems to be that outside of a select few, the story is often 'videogame good' and wouldn't really have much success if it was released in some other medium, and for a genre based almost entirely around the story, it's not often worth the time investment. For me, The House in Fata Morgana was like that, with it's linear narrative and little in the way of interaction, made for a rather uninteresting experience. It also didn't help that (despite what seems to be the popular consensus) I really did not like the story, which felt overlong, repetitive, full of meandering and unengaging dialogue, and some paper thin supporting characters. My opinion is that if it were written as a book instead of a VN, it wouldn't have nearly the same level of reverence it seems to have.
But hey, I don't wanna yuck someone else's yum, so if you enjoy it, more power to you.
That looks interesting, thanks for putting that on my radar.
I don't really understand. Why compare it to a book? It's not the same medium. You are using music and visuals to supplement dialogue and other things on screen. Also, whenever this comes up, I always am reminded that video game stories just aren't that good to begin with on a general level. But as for the books I've been reading, even some of those aren't as engaging as House in Fata Morgana, or even have as good of characters in that VN, and many being fairly popular and widely held current books. Being in book form doesn't make the story or characters good either. So it really depends on what in a story you like.
When I see this come up, I often see people comparing the VN or game to their "ideal" book, and not what are the actual quality of current books today. Just something to keep in mind. Tons of books today have paper thin characters or weak plot or meandering scenes. But chances are, it might also just not be your cup of tea. Of course, that's not to say there aren't "gamey" aspects or weaknesses to the story. But comparing the VN to the "ideal" of a good book doesn't really hold relevance, I think, especially when you look at the medium and audience it's written for.
For example, I also read some books from Tanith Lee, which the writer of House in Fata Morgana cited as an inspiration. Her stories are quite good, and have unique writing, but it's not like the themes or characters there are necessarily any deeper than what was written in HiFM, except for perhaps what goes along with the medium itself. I have found her books to be interesting, but none of them have I connected to the characters in the way they are portrayed in the VN. But for example, someone else might think the opposite also, and that's a fair opinion too.
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That's a fair assessment and perhaps I was a bit to sweeping with my argument. I guess what I was trying to convey is that often VNs are championed for their story, Fata Morgana in particular, so it's natural for me to contrast it with stories I've enjoyed recently. With that particular narrative, I see it having more in common with a book, due to the limited interaction or player agency. However, contrast this with say, 13 Sentinels, personally I'm more likely to compare the story in that with those of video-games, due to it's more interactive nature.
This is not to say that inherently books are a better medium to tell stories, and I agree that there are no doubt a lot of books, both new and old, that don't hold a candle to the story in a particular VN. It's just that through sheer quantity of books it's easier for me to discern the ones that I may enjoy, so I feel as though I'm more likely to enjoy consuming the story of a book then that of a VN.
I feel as though that if it had been released as book instead and presented with the same enthusiasm as it is right now, I still would have come away disappointed. It's more so that I took the crème de la crème of narrative VNs and compared it to the crème de la crème narratives of books, and in my opinion, it fell short. Obviously, not everyone will agree, it is an opinion after all. Funnily enough, the parts I did enjoy about it were the Artwork and the Music, which obviously wouldn't be present in a book adaption.
I guess that's why I compare it to a book.
I'd highly recommend The Silver Case as a VN that came out in the late 90s, but got a modern remake. It feels more in line with stuff of that period. The remake's composer also worked on sound design in Snatcher.
I made a similar post to yours and basically deleted half of it because I felt like I was being too critical of contemporary anime, when I've basically seen none of it.
The two VNs that I most adored seem the furthest from 2020s anime, being The Silver Case and 428. When you expand out to JP adventure stuff, then yeah I also loved Snatcher, Hotel Dusk, Cobra, Phoenix Wright and a few others. I definitely should try Policenauts eventually. I feel like that one fanservice mechanic is why I've always put it in the backlog.
But yeah, I'd like to know what VNs to play for people who aren't that into contemporary anime, or stories about having a large number of twists.
I see, that makes sense. Sorry if my post came off a bit aggressive. But in a sense, you can compare the best of video games to the best of books, but you have to understand that storytelling has existed in that form for hundreds of years, with video game storytelling only being around for decades. Of course, this doesn't mean you can write off issues. But for example, Novectacle is a very small group of people who are making games at the indie level. This would be like comparing instead the game to a well-liked self-published book or small-publisher book. Just something to think about.
But yes, if you try and compare the story to like, the best books in history, it's kind of hard to equate it. The VN medium is often written for a particular audience, for people who like anime and Japanese games, for example. There are good stories and characters in those mediums, but it becomes clear. A small budget game like House in Fata Morgana wowed people because it's a hidden gem of a game that is much better than what it had any right to be, covering deeper themes and fleshed out main characters that transcend even many of the better video games today, I would say. But of course the format is a barrier for entry, and the style of writing will put people off. It's not for everyone, and I remember this topic came up with someone who didn't like it and was comparing it to, for example, classic fairytales and The Witcher 3. Classic fairytales being an established medium based on folklore in history... and the Witcher 3 being based on a book. Even then I would say it comes down to preference. I prefer Fata Morgana's story and characters to Witcher 3, for example, even if the writing might seem more "adult" or in-line with what people expect from good writing in W3.
Anyway. Of course, you can compare to books, but it's important to understand some points. Visual Novels also tend to have long meandering conversations in scenes, and I can understand if people don't like that style. But that is actually a common way these games work. And when I tried to play another VN with the same format, but one that didn't interest me, I couldn't really keep playing because the story progression is too slow to enjoy when you aren't interested. This is, perhaps, one of the downsides of trying to get interested in a VN.
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I would agree with this. I think it'll come in time as the medium gets more and more accepted and mainstream, but as of now I don't quite think it's quite there.
First point is solved playing VN's with good characters (there's plenty), and every VN I played has options for text speed.
Lack of interactivy is just taste, I love "slow paced" things and kinda hate puzzles, so I'm glad when they aren't present.
Yeah, I'm not really into the pure conversation type of visual novels. The ones with some actual gameplay are more interesting and engaging, but they seem to be few and far between, and it's honestly more common to see things like anime tie-in games use VN style story presentation for quick bits of story between levels.
LOL. When I made that example I was thinking of something more along the lines of Code Unknown, Caché or The White Ribbon.
First of all, I don't claim to be anything, I'm just another user in a video game forum. And I wouldn't call that arrogance, it's just that my spare time is scarce and my expectations are high. I apply that same filter to films, books, tv series and all sorts of fiction. Of course I'm sorry if you felt that my post could be read as "all those games you love, I think they suck", that was not my intention. It's just a matter of preferences and taste, everyone has its own and of course I respect yours.
Having said that, it would be nice if someone could recommend me some games (not only VN games, but all sort of narrative ones). Off the top of my head, some things I like: Dead Ringers (David Cronenberg), My Winnipeg (Guy Maddin), Elle (Paul Verhoeven), The Wire (and most of David Simon's other work), Still Walking (and mostly the rest of Hirokazu Koreeda's filmography). I could go on, but I think these examples may be enough to paint a picture of the sort of stuff I'm looking for. Thanks, and sorry again if I seemed arrogant.
I think you're entirely correct in this statement. Truthfully, it seems that VNs with limited interaction and the aforementioned meandering conversations just really aren't my cup of tea. I'll always give them a shot, as I'm always interested in new media and the like, but I'll try to take it with a grain of salt from now on. Perhaps part of my problem with FM was the sunk cost fallacy. I find it much harder to put down a VN I'm not enjoying that I've paid a premium for (as is the nature of the medium) then a book that I've been able to purchase relatively inexpensively, which may have compounded my dislike of the title.
No worries about the tone of you post either, I just saw it as someone who was passionate about the medium. I'm glad the story touched you, more power to you! I'm quite envious actually, as I wish it did the same to me.
This is an extremely dumb and nonsensical reaction to what I said, and doesn't even make sense comparatively. A VN primarily offers a story and visuals to accompany it, and does not have to offer much else to BE a VN. 99 percent of the things it adds does absolutely nothing for it's primary offering. A comic book, manga, manhwa, etc., offer the exact same thing. And contrary to what the guy above you said, there was literally nothing spectacular about the puzzles in Ghost Trick and is a prime example of what I mean by "lackluster gameplay"...
But speaking of imagination...
Where was the bolded implied? Comics do offer superior writing, and provide visuals. That's the basis for comparison. There is no "elitist" mentality, Visual Novels just fail to provide anything new or exciting over what's already there, based on the reality that I have years of experience with each. The fact that there are people mentioning Ace Attorney here as a VN despite the director being very implicit that it's not speaks volumes about the fanbase's desperation to put the genre in a more agreeable light...
"Limited by lack of interactivity" is the biggest reach I've read from you yet. Exactly how is descriptive literature LIMITED because they don't have someone deciding the looks of things for you? And what would interactivity even bring to the table (despite the fact that Choose Your Own Adventure books have existed for DECADES longer than Visual Novels)? Audiobooks literally have voice acting as well. If animated visuals, voice acting and a soundtrack were the draw, I could literally get a much better experience watching an anime...
You seem extremely desperate to justify your obsession. I didn't knock you for liking what you like. Go argue with somebody goofy enough to take you seriously...
I like them. Some of my favorite are unfortunately hard to recommend due to pornographic nature of it (Kikokugai, Saya no Uta, Swan song). Though for mainstream VN, i really like 428 Shibuya scramble. So much fun characters and great mix of comedy and thriller.
I haven't made up my mind about VNs but I've played more than a couple:
Favorites
- 9 Hours 9 Persons 9 Doors
- Ace Attorney series
- Danganronpa series
- Fruit of Grisaia
Also great
- Virtue's Last Reward
- Hotel Dusk / Last Window
- Death Mark
- Spirit Hunter NG
- Raging Loop
Pretty good
- 428 Shibuya Scramble
- Root Letter
- Stein's;Gate
- Code Realize
- (VA-11 HALL-A)
- (Coffee Talk)
Didn't enjoy as much
- Parascientific Escape series
- Clannad (I'm still playing this one, it's just that it's too damn slow for my taste and the humor doesn't stick with me)
- (Murder by Numbers)
Favorites
- 9 Hours 9 Persons 9 Doors
- Ace Attorney series
- Danganronpa series
- Fruit of Grisaia
Also great
- Virtue's Last Reward
- Hotel Dusk / Last Window
- Death Mark
- Spirit Hunter NG
- Raging Loop
Pretty good
- 428 Shibuya Scramble
- Root Letter
- Stein's;Gate
- Code Realize
- (VA-11 HALL-A)
- (Coffee Talk)
Didn't enjoy as much
- Parascientific Escape series
- Clannad (I'm still playing this one, it's just that it's too damn slow for my taste and the humor doesn't stick with me)
- (Murder by Numbers)
They're not for me. I don't mind text heavy games generally, but I do need gameplay to break it up; Phoenix Wright and Zero Escape strike a great balance.
I've readed many books and comics/mangas that don't stand a chance to Fata Morgana.
I don't know why people always use this 'argument' to why VN's are bad.
Oh, I forgot. There's one other series of VNs you could try. If you like Vampire: The Masquerade, there are some newer short story VNs released recently that are pretty good. They have pretty decent writing and are better than I expected them to be. I would recommend checking them out, and they don't seem to meander nearly as long as others do. They also have pretty great art and music.
They are Vampire: The Masquerade - Coteries of New York, and Vampire: The Masquerade - Shadows of New York (Shadows being a sequel to the first, and is loosely connected, so it's good to play Coteries first).
Of course, they won't blow you away, but they do manage to touch on some interesting themes, and even if, for example, the first game leaves a little bit too much untied, the story experience is still pretty good.
All I can say is that I hope Draw Distance makes a third VN, perhaps even one that's longer than the 8-10 hours these games are, as I would buy it on day one.
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I tried Steins Gate but gave up and instead watched the anime. I don't really have the patience for them because they seem to combine the worst bits of both worlds for me.
There's not enough visuals (i.e. it's not like an anime/movie), and the novel bit is considerably slower than the speed I'd be reading at if it was purely a novel (yes I know I can forward text but I don't want to click a button to advance text every 5-10 seconds).
There's not enough visuals (i.e. it's not like an anime/movie), and the novel bit is considerably slower than the speed I'd be reading at if it was purely a novel (yes I know I can forward text but I don't want to click a button to advance text every 5-10 seconds).
All Star Superman, The Killing Joke, Watchmen, damn near anything Donny Cates writes for the Thor books, Siege, etc., IMO are much better than Fata Morgana, which is REALLY good writing itself...
Me saying I'd prefer to do something else isn't an argument for why VNs are bad. You're just defensive about something it benefits you in no way to be that defensive over...
Excellent, thanks for the recommendation. I enjoy vampire fiction, so I'll have a look!
Typically love Uchikoshi stuff (we don't talk about ZTD) & surprisingly loved Steins;Gate & 0. Also think The Silver Case & The 25th Ward are fucking amazing. Most of those have their flaws (mostly representation issues in TSC & S;G), but I still enjoyed them a great deal. Still desperately want to get through Fatamoru, but I have promised someone to read it together with her & I don't wanna break that promise. :( Also still want to get into Umineko as so many of my friends love it, but the length of it is just so overwhelming? I did start it once & loved what I read in those few hours.
Oh, also really liked the first 3 Ace Attorney games I've played. Hope they release another collection with the rest of them at some point.
Raging Loop was honestly.. kinda awful. I looked up the rest of the story after getting one or two endings & not feeling either of those & just ended up laughing about how bad it is & dropped it lmao
Oh, also really liked the first 3 Ace Attorney games I've played. Hope they release another collection with the rest of them at some point.
Raging Loop was honestly.. kinda awful. I looked up the rest of the story after getting one or two endings & not feeling either of those & just ended up laughing about how bad it is & dropped it lmao
I like very few like Ace Attorney, Hotel Dusk and Snatcher but I see those more as light adventure games than visual novels really. I feel like a lot of the time they are just a minefield of creepy tropes and overcomplicated stories. If I'm going to read I'd rather read an actual book, the few games above that I like I enjoy as much for the vibes as for the stories themselves.
"Dumb and non-sensical" it's not because you can't properly offer a counter-argument that it means what I said was dumb or non-sensical.
If anything, I gave you arguments:
Soundtrack. Yeah, a soundtrack matters to the mood and setting. This doesn't exist in a comic or a book.
Voice acting. You're telling me about audio books, which means you already needs to find a new medium (which is rather ironic, to discount visuals novels, to resort on audio novels).
As for comics offering better writing... What kind of non-sense is that ? Since when does writing is tied to the medium ?
Because someone makes a comic, their writing will automatically be better ?
What have you read as visual novels ? What have you read as comics ?
Heck, I could just tell you "Well, I readed Fata Morgana and I readed Bouncing Boy, therefore I can tell VNs offer far superior writing than comics".
And yes, you reek of elitism out of sheer ignorance. Visual novels fails to provide anything new ? I listed many exemples which cant exist in comics or books, which is the combination of voice acting, soundtrack, visuals and choices. Yes, there are books where you are the hero but those are more akin to paper RPGs, which means they cant feature twists based on choices and routes. Unless there's a book which features in itself its own routes with far different stories, I'm sorry to call bullshit on that.
For the last paragraph about watching anime... It's the same thing here. An anime has its own set of limitations and often has to deal with the fact that, as opposed to a visual novel, it cant take time or feature lenghty inner monologues.
For the rest, I'll just ignore your little rant which sounds more of a agressive way to hide your ignorance and lack of arguments than anything else.
