Linear vs Nonlinear Storytelling

[Happiness+]

I was reading Clpehas's blog and he said

"this game actually needed locked paths or a true ending."

 

Why would a visual novel need locked paths in the first place? Wouldn't be better to not lock paths.

Also, why do VNs need a true ending anyway if the whole goal of a visual novel is to have endings. Having a true end just means that all the other endings are just irrelevant.

Wouldn't be better if the reader can just decide what ending they like from the route they just happened to go along with?

[Clephas]

To answer your question, since you quoted me in the blog... it is the simple reality of a VN where one heroine is rather blatantly thrust at you by the writers than the others.  In a case like this, so you will go through the other heroines' routes, they tend to lock this path as the 'true heroine' path.  I generally don't approve of over-emphasizing a single heroine in a charage like the one you are quoting my blog from, because it leaves you feeling cheated if your favorite heroine is the one with the weaker path.  Unfortunately, when you can't avoid this, it is best to lock that true/main route so that the reader can at least enjoy the routes he is more interested in without being prejudiced by the quality and level of detail of the main heroine's route.  To be frank, I wouldn't have been able to enjoy any of the other paths in that particular VN (Yakusoku no Natsu) if I hadn't had the sense to play Rinka's path last, and an inexperienced reader probably would have just played Rinka first and felt cheated when and if they played the other paths. 

Also, there is no absolute standard... I was judging based on my experience of that particular VN and the handling of its structure by the production team.  The degree to which Rinka's path exceeded the quality of the other paths meant that playing it first inevitably ruins the experience of the others, which is probably why it is getting such mediocre ratings for a Windmill charage so far. 

[Norleas]

Sometimes routes needed to be locked cause they need knowledge of facts from other routes or could spoil them hard, so playing them first could drastically drop the enjoyment and quality of the work. Another case is when in a multi route plot, one route resolve the big problem, making him "the most satisfying end", in terms of the main history of course.

True ends are (most of the time) exactly that, they wrap all the problems and questions of the main plot and give the sense of a "proper closure", generally are more longer and have more quality, so obviously the other routes look a little "irrelevant" close to them, but some histories work better in that structure and simply will be bad if giving all the routes the same importance.

[Funyarinpa]

Easier to understand when playing VNs that aren't structured around wooing/bedding/kissing different girls.

With a visual novel that branches into routes depending on your choices (not a girl), guiding the player down different paths creates suspense, mystery and excitement. In almost all VNs though, something just has to give. There need to be answers, there needs to be resolution. And that often means that the game designers will make the audience experience that catharsis as the last part in a playthrough (because the truth kills the suspense), which leads to locked paths. Some justify this through the plot, some don't.

As for the "some VNs push one girl blatantly over another" idea, I think that's more of a fault of the "girls get routes, make choices to try and get into the route of the girl you like" story archetype.

Edited June 15, 2018 by Funyarinpa

[Guest]

"Having a true end just means that all the other endings are just irrelevant."
Geez when will people drop that, like seriously, per example, having a "True End" (I don't believe in the concept of canon so I use the term "True" very loosely but that is besides the point) in 999 didn't make me feel like the other ends were any less relevant or awesome.

Also like other users said, in multi-route mysteries sometimes paths need to be locked, like just imagine playing Phi's path in VLR without the knowledge from the other routes? You wouldn't understand a thing. None of the plot twits would make sense. Actually nothing would make sense.

Edited June 16, 2018 by Guest