The whole visual novel genre is incredibly Japanese to the extent that it makes up a large chunk of the Japanese market share in software sales. I can't find a good reference of that but there are a few reasons for that.
VNs require the bare minimum of actual gameplay and programming since it's really linear. So to make up, it is heavily reliant on the visual aspects and story which is why there are a few English VN making engines available on the internet and many doujin games available. It is not uncommon for doujin games to become popular and then be commercially released such as the MMORPG game Ragnorok Online and the TYPE-MOON doujin group is now a commercial company.
Because of the connection between the VN genre and the independence of the maker, demos and trials are available to download on the internet and sometimes at conventions (like the Comiket convention in Japan) the full product can be purchased.
Even though the VN genre may not be on par with the complex gameplay of most of today's games, I find the whole doujin aspect appealing to my project. It doesn't require too much programing yet when done well the replay and entertainment value is still there within the story, characters, artwork and music.
Just to clarify:
VN = Visual novel.
Doujin = Japanese term meaning fan made usually as a hobby or by hobbyist groups (circles) and made for fun rather than profit. Based on pre-existing material most of the time but there are original titles out there. Can apply to just about anything but mostly in comics and VN games.
MMORPG = Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game like World of Warcraft.
Oh I found it! Nearly 70% of Japanese PC games are visual novels.
lol love the picture from elite beat agents.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you found that quote as I knew I've reas that before but I've never been able to re-find it.
I never knew Ragnarok started life as a doujin game.
While visual novels are pretty unsuccessful as a whole in western countries the market for them especialy in recent years has increased. Games like Phoneix Wright have enjoyed huge success over here but these have a pretty good amount of interactivity in them, which I'm guessing is the sort of gameplay you're more going for?
Thanks, it was a random find and I thought it would be nice to finish off the blog with that haha!
ReplyDeleteIt has good interactivity mostly due to the DS capabilities. Shouting "OBJECTION!" is what makes it so fun especially the CSI type investigations like the use of the Aluminum Powder for finding finger prints etc. The Apollo Justice game exploited the DS capabilities a lot more than the previous games I've noticed (replaying it now).
Yeh kinda, although I'm not going to make use of the webcam/mic just yet. Incorporating them into Flash will be difficult especially to make it work properly, so I'm aiming for the basic "examine", "move" "talk" type gameplay. At the moment it's the inventory which I'm having trouble with, so many glitches!
Also, sorry for the late reply, I didn't realize you left a comment XD.
The original Phoneix wright games were made for the original game boy advance in Japan, thats why they don't really use the DS capabilities very much (save the 5th case on the first game which was an extra case for the DS release). You could say actually that its thanks to the DSs hardware that games like that our beggening to become more popular over here just because of how well suited it is.
ReplyDeleteOh yeh, the 2nd/3rd game were originally on the GBA right?
ReplyDeleteNot only that, it has a really simplistic gameplay which is what I really like. We need more simple and fun games like Phoenix Wright. Lux Pain would've made the cut if it weren't for the translational errors, it had some really nice narrative devices in there.