Branching Story, Unlocked Dialogue: Designing and Writing Visual Novels

253 Pages·2022·42.989 MB·English

by  Toiya Kristen Finley

Branching Story,
Unlocked Dialogue
This book covers the distinguishing characteristics and tropes of visual
novels (VNs) as choice-based games and analyzes VNs like 999: Nine
Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors; Hatoful Boyfriend; and Monster Prom,
some of the best examples of the genre as illustrations. The author covers
structuring branching narrative and plot, designing impactful and com-
pelling choices, writing entertaining relationships and character interac-
tions, understanding the importance of a VN’s prose, and planning a VN’s
overall narrative design and story delivery.
The book contains exercises at the end of chapters to practice the tech-
niques discussed. By the end of the book, if the reader finishes all the exer-
cises, they may have several portfolio pieces or a significant portion of
their own VN project designed.
Features:
• Discusses different aspects and genres of VNs, what makes them
enjoyable, and successful techniques developers can incorporate
into their own games
• Analyzes various VNs and choice-based games that use these
successful techniques
• Shares tips from developers on portfolio pieces, hiring a team to
work on VNs, and plotting and outlining VNs
Branching Story, Unlocked Dialogue: Designing and Writing Visual Novels
is a valuable resource for developers and narrative designers interested in
working on VNs. The book will show them how they can design their own
VN projects, design branching narratives, develop entertaining plots and
relationships, design impactful and compelling choices, and write prose
that’s a pleasure to read.

Branching Story,
Unlocked Dialogue
Designing and Writing Visual Novels
Toiya Kristen Finley, Ph.D.
Cover Image Credit – Character Art: Anna Strupol; Background Art: M. Azar
First Edition published 2023
by CRC Press
6000 Broken Sound Parkway NW, Suite 300, Boca Raton, FL 33487-2742
and by CRC Press
4 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN
CRC Press is an imprint of Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
© 2023 Toiya Kristen Finley
Reasonable efforts have been made to publish reliable data and information, but the author and
publisher cannot assume responsibility for the validity of all materials or the consequences of
their use. The authors and publishers have attempted to trace the copyright holders of all m aterial
reproduced in this publication and apologize to copyright holders if permission to publish in this
form has not been obtained. If any copyright material has not been acknowledged please write
and let us know so we may rectify in any future reprint.
Except as permitted under U.S. Copyright Law, no part of this book may be reprinted,
reproduced, transmitted, or utilized in any form by any electronic, mechanical, or other means,
now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying, microfilming, and recording, or in
any information storage or retrieval system, without written permission from the publishers.
For permission to photocopy or use material electronically from this work, access
www. copyright.com or contact the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc. (CCC), 222 Rosewood
Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, 978-750-8400. For works that are not available on CCC please
contact [email protected]
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks and
are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe.
Library of Congress Cataloging‑in‑Publication Data
Names: Finley, Toiya Kristen, author.
Title: Branching story, unlocked dialogue : designing and writing visual novels /
by Toiya Kristen Finley.
Description: Boca Raton : Taylor and Francis, 2022. |
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2022025092 (print) | LCCN 2022025093 (ebook) |
ISBN 9781032059006 (hardback) | ISBN 9781032058993 (paperback) |
ISBN 9781003199724 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Computer games–Programming. | Computer games–Design. |
Video games–Authorship. | Narration (Rhetoric) | Storytelling–Computer games.
Classification: LCC QA76.76.C672 F555 2022 (print) | LCC QA76.76.C672 (ebook) |
DDC 794.8/1536—dc23/eng/20220818
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022025092
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022025093
ISBN: 978-1-032-05900-6 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-032-05899-3 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-003-19972-4 (ebk)
DOI: 10.1201/9781003199724
Typeset in Minion
by codeMantra
It’s been a wild 2 years for too many reasons to count.
Thanks to Rob, Ran, Eleanor, Jules, Russell, JB, and
JT for going on this VN journey with me.

Contents
Acknowledgments, xv
Glossary, xvii
Chapter 1 ◾ In Less Than 10 Years… 1
NOTES 3
SeCtion i Visual Novels and the VN Audience
Chapter 2 ◾ Choice-Based Games and Visual Novels 7
WHAT ARE CHOICE-BASED GAMES? 7
Choice-Based Genres 8
THE RISE OF VISUAL NOVELS 10
A BRIEF HISTORY OF VISUAL NOVELS 11
The 1980s 11
The 1990s 11
The 2000s 11
The 2010s– 12
THE VERSATILITY OF VISUAL NOVELS 12
NOTES 13
Chapter 3 ◾ Visual Novel Genres and Platforms 15
KINETIC 15
HYBRID/GAMES WITH VN ELEMENTS 16
ROMANCE SUBGENRES 16
vii
viii ◾ Contents
Otome 16
Bishoujo 17
Boys’ Love/Yaoi 17
Yuri 18
Bara 19
STAT RAISING 19
DATING SIMS 20
MOBILE VNS 21
NOTES 22
Chapter 4 ◾ The Visual Novel Audience 25
READING IS GOOD! 25
THE ROLE OF METAGAMING IN THE PLAYER’S EXPERIENCE 26
Getting All of the Endings 27
Figuring Out Who the LIs Are 30
PERCEPTIONS OF THE WRITING AND WRITER 32
NONTRADITIONAL WAYS PLAYERS INTERACT WITH VNs 33
ENGAGE YOUR AUDIENCE! 34
NOTES 34
SeCtion ii Designing and Writing Visual Novels
Chapter 5 ◾ The Story Delivery of Visual Novels 37
WHAT IS STORY DELIVERY? 37
UI 39
Narration Text Box 39
Dialogue Text Box 40
Choice Text Boxes 41
CHARACTER SPRITES 41
BACKGROUND ART (ENVIRONMENTAL ART) 42
CGs 42
SOUND DESIGN AND SOUNDTRACK 43
Contents ◾ ix
SIMPLE ≠ PLAIN 43
NOTE 43
Chapter 6 ◾ The “Novel” Part of “Visual Novel”:
Perfecting Prose 45
PROSE FICTION CONVENTIONS 45
THE ROLE OF NARRATION 46
The Role of Character-As-Narrator 47
The Unreliable Narrator 48
SCENE SETTING AND ATMOSPHERE 48
CHARACTERIZATION 52
SENSORY DETAILS, SUBTEXT, AND ENGAGING
THE PLAYER’S IMAGINATION 54
Characteristics of “Okay” Writing 54
Surface vs. Subtext 56
Invite Players to Use Their Imaginations 57
Sensory Details in Interactive Stories 58
Sensory Details Engage the Player’s Imagination 59
Beyond Sight: All Five Senses 60
BEYOND ADJECTIVES AND NOUNS:
SENSORY PARTS OF SPEECH 60
THE IMPORTANCE OF WORD CHOICE 62
KEYS TO EFFECTIVE PROSE 63
EXERCISES 64
NOTES 64
Chapter 7 ◾ Designing Branching Narratives:
Choices, Variables, and Relationships 65
BRANCHING NARRATIVE STRUCTURES 66
Branching Structures with Fewer Endings 66
More Complex Branching 70
Branch Lengths 72