| Anime World Order wrote: | |
So no, none of those titles--Persona, Professor Layton, Phoenix Wright--is a visual novel. But, as I pointed out, each of those titles incorporates VN elements along with their gameplay, which makes them perfect supporting examples for my preceding proposition of "if you want this sort of thing to gain a larger footing in the US, then add more interactivity such that they're more like games." When taken in context with the bulleted list, the implication is that the titles I mentioned are, in fact, games.
The point has now been brought up--twice--that "lack of interactivity" is the primary defining trait of the VN such that my suggestion would effectively make the software cease to be a visual novel at all. But where do you draw the line? Do reflexes, timing, or the lack thereof factor into things? If the line between "visual novel" and "game" is a matter of user input/decision, is there a limit to the amount of inputs/decisions permitted? If so, then defining these limits is something nobody will ever reach a consensus on.
I'm reminded of the scene in Welcome to the NHK where two of the characters are discussing this very aspect of VNs when designing their own. I don't remember the details, but the conclusion they reached--which was meant for comedic effect--was something to the effect of "there is one single decision the user will make for the entirety of it: to either 'look left' or 'look right'." |
To answer the question about the line, some visual novels do have gameplay elements besides making decisions at certain points, such as the extremely simplified strategy sections of Koihime Musou. And there are a lot of games that are ostensibly visual novels, but also have certain other elements (Thunder Warrior Raidy which has RPG elements, Sengoku Rance which has strategy elements) built within, so the visual novel/game line is rather blurry. For all intents and purposes then, a visual novel in its purest form can basically be a literally a novel with pictures, animation and speech. While there are many games that are different, they don't usually stray from the format of making simple decisions. The level of interactivity basically amounts to the choices they make.
However, the games that you said that visual novels should be more like to be popular in the US aren't visual novels in themselves, but completely different. I'm wondering why you would put Persona, an game of a completely different genre to a visual novel, as an example of what visual novels need to be to appeal to the West. And if you're not looking to turn visual novels into action shooters, then what do you want from them? What kind of interactivity would you add to a game like Clannad or Planetarian, to gain this supposed foothold in the US?
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