Line #90 Main/VisualNovelTropes


1	{{Visual Novel}}s are a relatively new medium. They are sometimes categorized as a genre of VideoGames, as they are software-based, but given that the relationship ends here, they could also be considered another, independent medium of interactive fiction.
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3	Some of their tropes are shared with Anime, mostly because {{Visual Novel}}s are one of the three main adaptation sources for them, next to {{Manga}} and LightNovels. See also InteractiveStorytellingTropes.
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5	!Plot Tropes:
6	These are the unique cornerstones of VisualNovel storytelling that could theoretically happen in any medium, but for certain reasons, this format especially encourages them:
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8	[[index]]
9	* AllAnimeIsNaughtyTentacles \
10	A lot of people who aren't VN fans tend to assume that all visual novels are eroge. This was the case in the '00s, but more all-ages games and {{Self Censored Release}}s of adult games are now widely available on the retail market.[[note]]In the west, anyway. In Japan visual novels have always targeted a wide range of demographics.[[/note]]
11	* BottleEpisode \
12	Because [=VNs=] often lack the budget for a large number of sprites and backdrops, they tend to be contained to a relatively small geographic area, where the same places and characters can show up repeatedly.
13	* {{Doorstopper}} \
14	It is common for these games to be very long and complex. Normal time for these games are around a full day or two, but several games can go upwards of ''three days'' of straight playing.
15	* EarnYourHappyEnding \
16	The more grimdark some {{Bad End}}s can be, the more SugarWiki/{{WAFF}} you can expect from the ''True End''.
17	* {{Eroge}} \
18	The genre of {{Visual Novel}}s that have graphic sex scenes (regardless of their amount or significance in the work.)
19	* FauxSymbolism \
20	A common feature of [=VNs=] labelled as chuunige, or chuunibyou games.
21	* FeaturelessPlaneOfDisembodiedDialogue \
22	Often done deliberately, with passages displayed without context [[PaintingTheMedium and/or background graphics]] in order to add mystery or emphasise that a character is thinking deeply.
23	* FeaturelessProtagonist \
24	Not showing the protagonist's face is an old tradition in the medium, even in cases, where, unlike the rest of the trope's examples, he does have a personality.
25	* GoldenEnding \
26	From the MultipleEndings tradition. Usually known as 'Good End' or 'True End'. Many times it can only be achieved after [[EarnYourHappyEnding going through many Bad Ends.]]
27	* GroundhogDayLoop \
28	With StoryBranching being such a common aspect of gameplay, a number of visual novels [[GameplayAndStoryIntegration integrate it into the narrative]] by having events literally repeat themselves.
29	* HaremGenre \
30	This setup commonly happens, but it's less prominent than in HaremAnime, because you can focus on one girl early on. It has a higher chance of showing up in a GoldenEnding (to avoid FridgeHorror), or in sequels and adaptations (as a consequence of MergingTheBranches).
31	* HowWeGotHere \
32	An extremely common way of starting the story, a few days into the future.
33	* JigsawPuzzlePlot \
34	Known in the fandom as MultipleRouteMystery
35	* OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent \
36	The most common protagonist type.
37	* PornWithoutPlot \
38	This subgenre of trashy, plotless eroge exists, but they are less likely to get English fan translations.
39	* PornWithPlot \
40	These sort of eroge are more likely to get an English translation and get known outside Japan.
41	* ProlongedPrologue \
42	Many visual novels have a sedate first act which simply [[SliceOfLife establishes the protagonist's life before the main plot kicks off]]. Sometimes this also ties into a front-loaded version of StoryBranching, where [[BigFirstChoice innocuous choices during the prologue determine which route the player is placed on]]. On a larger scale, it's common for early routes (or even entire ''entries in a series'') to double as a way of setting the scene before a GenreShift.
43	* RenaiGame \
44	Romantic stories, one of the main genres.
45	* RomanticWingman \
46	A StockCharacter in romance [=VNs=] - a (usually male) classmate who befriends the protagonist at the start of the story and [[MisterExposition exposits about the various girls in school]]. May or may not be actually ''trying'' to help the protagonist find love, and even when described as a BestFriend will usually fade into the background once they run out of information to offer.
47	* {{Utsuge}} \
48	A genre name, meaning "Depressing game", usually based on romantic plots.
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50	!Interactivity Tropes:
51	These are the tropes that the medium shares with video games, originating from the choices that the player can make during the story:
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53	* ButThouMust \
54	Things that look like choices but actually enforce a certain direction.
55	* CrueltyIsTheOnlyOption \
56	A side effect of the {{Utsuge}} [[HaremGenre Harem]] genre, where you must ignore the tragedies of every other heroine to solve the chosen route.
57	* CuttingOffTheBranches \
58	Usually sequels follow the ''True End'' of the original story (see below).
59	* DevelopersDesiredDate \
60	The game blatantly favors certain love interests.
61	* DialogueTree \
62	It's practically a staple, except for minor subversions and aversions.
63	* EarnYourBadEnding \
64	The BadEnd requires a surprising amount of extra effort to reach.
65	* EventFlag \
66	Without this, the game would be a KineticNovel. Many decisions are supposed to affect the outcome, but it is so infamous in the games that it is a MemeticMutation ("Whoops, he made the wrong choice! He set off a Death Flag!)
67	* GuideDangIt \
68	In some [=VNs=], reaching certain routes may require strange actions such as switching focus between two characters to catch the attention of a third, or playing through an already-completed route in order to access a choice which wasn't there the first time.
69	* MultipleEndings \
70	''BadEnd'', ''Good End'', ''True End'', and ''Normal End'' are most commonly used names for them.
71	* OptionalSexualEncounter \
72	The entire point of {{Eroge}} routes
73	* StoryBranching \
74	The story changes depending on the player's choices in a given playthrough. Usually this takes the form of a shared prologue followed by a split into three or more "routes" with completely divergent stories, some of which may even act as sequels to others. Most [=VNs=] allow the player to fast-forward or skip parts of the story they've already seen, in order to get to the branching points more quickly.
75	** StoryBranchFavoritism \
76	There are multiple story branches but one is better developed by the creator than others.
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78	!Multimedia Tropes:
79	These are common aspects of a visual novel's art and music:
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81	* ArtShift \
82	While regular scenes are created by placing sprites on top of a background, [[MoneyMakingShot Money-Making Shots]] receive "event [=CGs=]" which are drawn (or often ''painted'') as a single unit.
83	* BattleOfTheStillFrames \
84	Still images are used to depict action scenes with the aid of dramatic camera effects.
85	* ClipArtAnimation \
86	Prominent characters usually have [[POVCam portrait sprites placed on top of a background]] - these may be moved around to suggest actions, particularly in humorous scenes.
87	* ConceptArtGallery \
88	Many visual novels feature a gallery that fills up with event [=CGs=] (and [[PreRenderedGraphics videos]], if present) as you view them in-game, doubling as an indicator of the player's progress through the available content.
89	* PreRenderedGraphics \
90	Higher-budget visual novels sometimes include animated cutscenes at important moments or as opening sequences when the player enters a [[StoryBranching route]].
91	* TheGhost \
92	Due to time and budget limitations, minor characters tend not to show up in artwork. They may sometimes receive a proper character design in an UpdatedRerelease.
93	* GISSyndrome \
94	Low-budget visual novels (which is a lot of them) often use blurred photos as backgrounds.
95	* HitFlash \
96	Impacts are often depicted by making the screen flash.
97	* ImpairmentShot \
98	Using corrupted text or fading the screen in and out to indicate that the protagonist's consciousness is slipping.
99	* RealPlaceBackground \
100	When the backgrounds in a visual novel aren't just [[GISSyndrome blurred photos]], they'll often be based on a real place.
101	* ScreenShake \
102	One of the ways visual novels can [[PaintingTheMedium make a scene more dynamic]] - either shaking the whole screen for a moment, or shaking the background while keeping the text static.
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104	!Adaptation Tropes:
105	Due to their unique narrative structure, plot, and interactive nature, the adaptions of {{Visual Novel}}s also have their recognizable quirks:
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107	* AnimeOfTheGame \
108	Usually adaptions are focusing on one route, and importing minor parts of other routes into it.
109	* POVCam\
110	A visual clue about the nature of the original source, in an anime adaptation.
111	* SelfCensoredRelease \
112	Many anime adaptions can cut out not just the graphical sex scenes, but even the implication of sex, without heavily changing the plot. Also applies to many localized versions of the [=VNs=] themselves.
113	* Totally18 \
114	While most eroges don't point out the exact age of teenagers and younger-looking characters, localizations enforce this due to age of consent difference between Japan and other countries.
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