Interactive Fiction (Visual novel)

As a novice exploring visual novel creation, I spent time doing research to understand how this format works. Below is a summary of my research, focusing on classic case studies and creative principles.

Origin and Definition: Visual Novel was officially established in 1996 by Leaf Entertainment with their game ‘Shizuku’. Its core characteristic is the combination of textual description and still images to ensure plot development. Unlike the choice-based instructions of traditional adventure games, it emphasizes the reading experience rather than gameplay.

Classic Works

‘Fate/stay night ‘ (Steam)

This work demonstrates the potential of visual novels to carry a grand worldview. Its three-pronged, progressive structure (Fate → Unlimited Blade Works → Heaven’s Feel) allows players to gain new information with each replay. Its core design is: daily life scenes lay the groundwork for future events, while the final battles use CG and special effects to ignite emotions. Characters are defined by life-or-death choices, rather than simply being labeled.

The dialogue box UI occupies the entire screen.

‘Amnesia Memories’ (Nintendo Switch)

My favourite game in NS which is a prime example of storytelling utilizing the medium’s characteristics. The protagonist’s initial amnesia, coupled with an atmosphere of suspense where no one can be trusted, ultimately reveals the truth through the unique multi-playthrough experience of visual novels—the underlying relationships remain unresolved until all routes are completed. It demonstrates a principle: the information gaps players gain through repeated playthroughs are themselves part of the narrative trick. This is a good reference for our games, such as designing an ending unlockable only after multiple playthroughs.

The dialogue box UI under the character and with the name of the speaker, which is more common nowdays.

I’ve summarized several creative principles:

1. Characters need to be defined through events. Avoid using characters as plot devices—forcing intelligent characters to become less intelligent and fall into traps. The correct logic is: give characters a personality, then observe the choices they inevitably make when faced with events.

2. Text should dominate the presentation; dialogue should account for over 80%. Environmental descriptions are handled by background images, facial expressions by character portrait variations, and emotional rendering by music and sound effects.

3. The advantage of visual novels lies in their reliance on information gap structures. Multiple playthroughs and multiple endings are difficult to achieve in novels but are a natural advantage of visual novels.

4. Either lay the groundwork for future developments (NPCs have different hobbies and preferred communication styles) or build emotional anchors (changes in friendship levels). Daily dialogues that don’t form a causal relationship with later events are redundant.

Therefore, when creating content, I pay special attention to:

1. Using ample dialogue to advance the plot, coupled with appropriate narration and psychological descriptions (especially from the protagonist’s perspective) to enhance immersion.

2. The descriptions of psychological activities must be consistent with character design and logic; otherwise, it will greatly weaken the player’s sense of immersion.