Ha, apologies for the late reply! I overlooked it before.
I have to say i moved on form this game for what feels like ages ago. But thanks for the late reply regardless.
First, don't just assume that I'm some random n00b to VNs. I've been into visual novels since 2007, and I have read several dozen at this point.
This is fair. Sorry for making this mistake. I just had this happen here before many times at this point and now it is always in the back of my mind that the folks here in the forum are not into vns, but just porn. So i think that one is entirely on me.
I still would say it is valid to suggest reading more vns to get a better grasp on what is out there.
I mean, even many of the well-written VNs are formulaic and predictable once you take a closer look, you know?
I honestly could not disagree more with this and i think we will not see eye to eye on this one.
I think something that does stand out will pull through regardless of how you subjectively think about it, there is a reason we have stories that are timeless after all.
But that was not even my point with this game, the fact that it sets up side characters, the flashback with yuske
and nothing at all gets resolved or nobody even gets a satisfying ending, besides mitsuki. Because it got never completed, was my main issue and point with this series.
Now, formulaic doesn't have to mean bad - and I actually did like several VNs that I'd call formulaic (like Sakura no Mori Dreamers, or Crescendo for a much older example). I'm also aware that the use of common tropes and stock characters is a tried and true way to make it easier for people to get into the story.
I can not speak for crescendo, cause i never played that. I did find
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pretty damn average, though. The problem with that one was it found it a great idea to twist shit for the sake of a twist, not because it made sense anymore in the last third that was completely unnecessary and felt tagged on as a result, gave that a 6.5 if i remember correctly.
Back to the topic. Of course, it's always how it's done that should be the important factor, not that you have let's say a tsun- or yandere character or what ever flavor of the month you can think about. Still vns, even stories in as a whole should not just build upon those archetypes and if they do they should always have something to stand out form the see of other stuff that does it.
A western made vn i read last year which fell into this trap was:
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. A vn that wants so badly to be your average ecchi mecha anime - even though it's western made, it has no standout qualities as it's own, besides the english voiceacting, really. Plus it seemed have to been a kickstarter project and likely lacked funding towards the end, it feels rushed as a result.
But even so - stories that I'd call good have characters that aren't just running on common tropes. Characters that make you feel that they have personalities and motivations like real people.
I read something last year that gave me the same feeling i's called:
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Was written by the same studio that does the
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games, btw.
I don't really get that feeling with most visual novels.
I agree with this, but that is also why i do not commit to long games on a whim, just after informing myself. Thus i missed out on
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,
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and many other vns listed as long (over 50 hours) for example as of now. And only in the last months finally played
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, which was very cool, imo.
Another thing I value in stories is setting.
This honestly sounds like majikoi and Tsujidou ai road should be right up your alley, then.
Yeah I know, zombie fiction has been done to death (hell, I don't even like zombie stories most of the time). But what I mean with 'setting' here is, does the setting actually make you feel that there's something going on in the story outside of the main characters and the main plot?
I agree, in theory, as i said above. The execution after the first game was my problem. The idea of a protag not being a goody two shoes for example was what originally drew me into vol. 1 of this series. Now on the other hand i feel very conflicted in even recommending this to others, considering how it ends.
The I Walk Among Zombies series are among the VNs that made me think "hey, there's stuff going on in the background here". Sure, there's plenty of other VNs that also pull this off (like Tsukihime and Fate/stay night) - but there's also plenty of VNs that don't.
See above. You have to filter through a see of crap, yup. But anime and manga are no different in this regard, hell every type of media is, really. My resolution to those problems are user scores like vndb, mal and other sites of this sort have and of course talking about stuff with friends sometimes even discussing what we thought about a certain game.
I know that is a classic at this point, but why not bring it up again, here cause i recently finished the Elite Version (being more or less the anime artstyle with extra content and endings of the vn added) of it.
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is my go to example for a game that does both the setting / plot and the character writing to a masterful degree. Aside form
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the only vn i have near a 10, as in a 9,5 listed in my vndb profile. Btw those vndb profiles and even their new review system could be a good source of information regarding vns for you. ;-)
On a side note: even a story with a well-written setting can fall flat if it fails in other regards.
Naturally, it all depends how it's executed in the end there are vns that can pull through like afore mentioned ones and ones that do not. A game i played which did stick everything but the last twist was
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.
My go to example for something that fails in every regard and which made me very unpopular for voicing that a few months ago would be.
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. I tried liking that thing, played it for over a hundred hours, but gave up at a bit over the halfway point. I just can not stomach shit like this, actively working to make you hate or even infuriate you with every single character you come across and play as. Holy fuck just thinking about this again makes me agry..
Which is funny, because those two are on the surface and regarding their tags very similar vns, but Cartagra is executed well to good (7,5) and Higurashi is a pile of horseshit, that doesn't do anything well. Gave the Higurashi Ni chapters a 4,5 for "effort".
Just look at Myth (from Circletempo) - it's got one of the most cleverly written settings I've ever seen in a visual novel, and figuring out what's going on in the background is actually required if you want to find the links between the different characters' stories as well as the different worlds and get the true ending. But at the same time, Myth's characters were somewhat flat and unconvincing, and IMO it really hurts this VN.
I rarley play all ages vns, so i can not speak about that at all. It looks interesting form just the screenshots and tags, but that is all i can say about it, sorry. Maybe i should give that a go in the future and see for myself
I'll admit that I got burned out on the usual stuff with quirky brightly coloured schoolgirls and other stock tropes. And I kinda like dark, morbid stories in general. But even so, I'd still say that the I Walk Among Zombies series really is better than most VNs.
Didn't we all after years of this?
