Visual novel
As a visual novels ( ビジュアルノベル , bijuaru noberu , dt about. "Graphic novel") refers to the subcategory to Japanese Adventures in force for decades in Japan as a popular game genre and especially for inexperienced game developers or small groups (so-called "circle".) as entry into the game market, thanks to relatively easy to learn game engines such as Ren'Py , KiriKiri, TyranoBuilder and many more.
A visual novel is basically an interactive book with mostly erotic content in which the player has to make situation-related decisions in order to advance the story. This creates new routes and in most cases there are also different ways to end the game. The decisions you make as a player can steer the gaming experience in a completely different direction, resulting in both positive and negative endings for the player.
Japanese visual novel
Japanese visual novels are characteristically very static with a 2D anime look with recurring backgrounds and accompanied by situation music. You hardly ever see animations and it usually takes a long time to play them through. However, there are now a number of games in which almost the entire game is animated. Titles published after 2012 are especially full of animations. One of the most famous games also available on Steam is Nekopara .
Western visual novel
In addition to Japanese visual novels, there is now an up-and-coming community of so-called "western visual novels" that are being developed in the western world. These games differ significantly from the Japanese equivalent, as the environment in the game and the characters are largely generated on the computer ( CGI ) using software such as B. Daz3d from DAZ Studio . These games appear more realistic and interactive thanks to changing perspectives. Instead of a background, an entire room can be shown from various positions. These western visual novels are mostly financed by the support of individuals on platforms such as Patreon , Indiegogo , or Kickstarter . One of the best known on Patreon is WVM with currently (as of May 30, 2020) more than 1700 active supporters who invest a total of almost $ 15,000 per month in the current project.
But there are also game developers who try to combine both worlds and create a hybrid of western and traditional visual novels. As with western games, the graphics are mostly computer-generated, but have this typical anime style or are a mix of anime and reality. The most ambitious game is called Ecchi Sensei and is considered the longest visual novel of all time.
63% of all income generated on Patreon in the adult sector (NSFW) comes from computer games, but only very few game developers manage to finance their living with it, since most already have a job and only do this as a part-time job or see it as a kind of hobby. The bigger a project gets, the more employees you need who have to be paid and since the competition is so great and new games appear every day, the market is almost as competitive as it is in Japan.
In addition to income through monthly donations or a one-off campaign, there are also sites like Itch.io or gamejolt on which the games are sold, but unlike in Japan, the games are not sold in real stores, but are only available online.
Longest visual novels
This is a list of video games with the longest scripts, based on the number of text / dialogues in a game.
This list uses three methods to determine the length of a game:
- Number of lines
- Single words
- Script size (in kilobytes (KB))
| Game title | Number of lines
(thousand) |
Words
(thousand) |
Script size
(KB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ecchi sensei | 191 | 1500 | 8050 |
| France Shoujo ~ Une fille blanche ~ | 144 | 5650 | |
| WLO Sekai Renai Kiko | 148 | 4570 | |
| Hello, world | 85 | 4570 | |
| We Without Wings | 59 | 4330 | |
| Little Busters! Ecstasy | 110 | 1300 | 4200 |
| Rumbling Hearts: Latest Edition | 106 | 4150 | |
| Clannad | 101 | 1300 | 4010 |
| YU-NO: A Girl Who Chants Love at the Bound of this World | 99 | 1300 | 4000 |
| Fate / stay night | 95 | 1000 | 3950 |
| To Heart 2: XRATED | 3830 | ||
| The Fruit of Grisaia | 67 | 1000 | 3820 |
| Rewrite | 109 | 775 | 3650 |
| Steel | 113 | 3560 | |
| Little Busters! Memorial Edition | 105 | 3450 | |
| White Album 2 ~ closing chapter ~ | 61 | 3410 | |
| Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai | 45 | 3380 | |
| Umineko: When They Cry | 40 | 950 | 2820 |
| Tsukihime | 66 | 750 | 3170 |
| Maji de Watashi ni Koi Shinasai! | 86 | 3100 | |
| Little Busters! | 75 | 2850 | |
| Muv-Luv alternative | 54 | 2800 | |
| Umineko no Naku Koro ni Chiru | 40 | 2620 | |
| Muv-windward | 64 | 2550 | |
| Baldr Sky: Dive 2 "Recordare" | 48 | 2470 | |
| To Heart 2: Another Days | 2470 | ||
| Deus Machina Demonbane | 2410 | ||
| Fate / hollow ataraxia | 44 | 2300 | |
| Baldr Sky: Dive1 "Lost Memory" | 44 | 2260 | |
| Higurashi: When They Cry | 35 | 730 | 2270 |
| Chaos; Head Noah | 32 | 2170 | |
| Baldr Force EXE | 27 | 2040 | |
| To Heart PSE | 1850 | ||
| Steintor | 39 | 620 | 1830 |
| Chaos; head | 25th | 610 | 1800 |
| Katawa Shoujo | 33 | 490 | |
| Ever 17: The Out of Infinity | 25th | 420 | 1910 |
| Air | 50 | 1740 | |
| White Album 2 | 1660 | ||
| To heart | 1600 | ||
| canon | 39 | 1540 | |
| Sharin no Kuni, Himawari no Shōjo | 40 | 400 | 1570 |
| Sharin no Kuni, Yūkyū no Shōnenshōjo | 30th | 1120 | |
| Phantom of Inferno | 1100 | ||
| Tomoyo After: It's a Wonderful Life | 30th | 400 | 790 |
| Cross channel | 42 | 300 | 1360 |
| Kagetsu Tohya | 22nd | 1150 | |
| Kara no Shōjo | 25th | 1040 | |
| Kana: Little Sister | 700 | ||
| White Album 2 ~ introductory chapter ~ | 11 | 520 | |
| Kishin Hishou Demonbane | 450 | ||
| Clannad: The Past Path | 16 | 98 | |
| Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Rei | 5 | 330 | |
| Umineko no Naku Koro ni Tsubasa | 5 | 280 | |
| Analogue: A Hate Story | 59 | ||
| Xenosaga: A Missing Year | 50 | ||
| Depression Quest | 40 | ||
| Shin Koihime † Musou | 108 |
swell
- https://gamicus.gamepedia.com/List_of_longest_video_game_scripts
- https://vndb.org/v23387
- https://vndb.org/v26424
- https://graphtreon.com/patreon-creators