- Mar 23, 2019
- 764
- 1,168
Yes, it is an unpopular opinion and there are very good reasons for that.
No.
A sandbox VN is just a glorified scene selector with a bunch of wasted clicking for zero gain.
You're clicking location icons on a map, most of which have nothing going on at any given point in the story, in stead of just making a decision that leads directly into the next scene like a normal VN does.
It is functionally the same as making a list of currently available scenes and letting the user click on them, except you waste time clicking around locations with nothing going on.
Then it goes worse when some idiot decides that not only should you click location icons but then also only at a specific time of day would a scene be available.
It only feels like a 'game' to people who lack critical thinking skills.
Wrong, you're confusing VN with KN.
VN is the digital version of a CYOA book with images that paint the scene behind the text.
KN is what you're describing, where you don't have choices, it's just a story with images.
There is nothing that a sandbox achieves that can't better be served by a standard VN choice/decision system.
There is a reason why sandboxes are universally unpopular.
You'll see many requests for a non-sandbox remake but you'll never see people wishing that a Vn was a sandbox, except as a joke.
Even in the best sandbox VNs, like Love of Magic, the sandbox is tolerated, not lauded.
Also even in a VN like that with loads of content and that is now finished, the majority of locations have nothing new going on most of the time.
No VN has ever been improved because it turned into a sandbox, the reverse is almost always true though.
The reason why sandboxes are insanely unpopular is because too many of them are grindy as fuck. Sandboxes done write are pretty popular which is why some of the msot popular games on this site are sandboxes. And no I'm not confusing visual novel with kinetic novel. Sandboxes often let you peruse any love interest you want in any order. Vn force you to sit through content your not interested in or characters your not that interested in just to get to ones you are. Your only option in most of those vns at best to avoid that content is to simply do something that cuts off all future content with that character instead of just not wanting a scene with them at that moment. Sandboxes feel more like an rpg with character quests and side quests.
As for clicking locations on that map. I really don't see what's wrong with that. Or really understand your points. Very and I mean very few sandboxes actually had moments where you click a location and nobody is there. Most sand box games always have a character that at a certain time and the map is basically just click to go to a persons house. Most games either tell you where a person is at a certain time and when somebody is there or rarely have the characters go more than like two locations(usually just their job and their home).
There has never been a time when I'm just looking around clicking trying to find something. And that goes back to what I was saying about having more freedom with perusing love interests. Map says that Cindy is in the part I'm going to click on the park and see if I can advance her storyline.
Really most of your complaints about sandboxes have never applied to most of the sandbox games I've played. Maybe one or two crappy ones but far from the majority. And honestly that complaint isn't even that bad. I hated the sandboxes that forced you to repeat content over and over again to get something new more than I have ever hated having to use a map to get around.