Visual Novel Research

Visual novels are an interesting way of telling a story, including the possibilities of different endings and stories based on the player's input. This kind of interactivity makes visual novels a very immersive medium, which could be very interesting to explore. Something I enjoy the most, however, is that the (often) lack of animation and re-use of images means that a great deal of time can be spent designing and creating some of the imagery in these games. They are usually highly detailed, often to a higher standard of many animations or short films, which is definitely something I would like to think about considering that my main concern is filling up my portfolio with design work.

One thing I enjoy about Persona 4's design is the use of shapes and colours with the dialogue boxes, and getting around issues such as a character on the phone talking. I feel that it is quite clear in the image above who is talking, but also the fact that they are not present. The colours and shapes used show that the game is very bright, upbeat, and not that serious/gloomy, which adds to the atmosphere as you are playing.

Fire Emblem: Awakening is much more toned down, and earthy colours to go with the fantasy setting of the game, with the box colour almost that of old parchment. The name box is a little more fancy and decorative, which also tells us a little bit more of the setting of the game.

Virtue's Last Reward and Professor Layton Vs Phoenix Wright both use the game's 3D characters and backgrounds rather than still art as you talk to characters. Though this may not look as nice, it allows the use of animation which can add a lot to the scene; you may find out more about a character's thoughts, feelings and reactions through how they move and what they do, as opposed to still images. Some still image visual novels use limited 2D animation for expressions etc, but it isn't always effective as seeing a character move and react in real time.

Most visual novel games come from the East (primarily Japan), despite their growing popularity in the West. The reasons for this may be a lack of knowledge of the market for this genre, and a lack of funding and interest from publishers who have earned success from CGI games. There are many indie games out there that create for this genre in the West, but with a lack of funding for marketing/advertising, art of and voice acting (where applicable), they don't often get that big.