#19
Post
by Lyra Lacrimosa » Mon Jun 13, 2011 1:59 pm
For me, the story comes before anything else; good characterization and worldbuilding, as well as a good grasp of storytelling technique (that means a blend of narrative, description, and dialogue, not just the latter). It's one reason why I enjoy complex VNs like Umineko, or even simple and poignant ones like TCAST, much more than just another dating sim. The latter can be good too though, as long as that's not all there is to it; I've been keeping an eye on Machina Jewel for some time, since it looks very promising.
After that, I would say the music is definitely important; I usually end up turning the music off for most VNs because I find it annoying and repetitive. In fact, my own VN project (in the really early stages), is what you might call a "sound novel", relying heavily on music and some background art to set the mood. It's an all-classical soundtrack (don't look at me like that. I like rock music too, but...some classical composers can outwrite anyone and anything, even hundreds of years later), and also a kinetic novel, which is something I happen to love. Really, all those choices can get cumbersome if used too often, or unrealistic if not often enough; and who decides if they like a girl (or guy) based on the order he talks to people at the bar?
Last comes the art; I generally prefer games with good art, but I don't mind and even like art in different styles. Anime-style is good for some games, but not all; I've seen hand-drawn, a digitally colored "sketched" style (Fantasia <3 ), watercolor, comics, minimalistic.... The art used should complement the game, not just something that looks pretty. (Again, my own game uses, or more correctly will use if I ever manage to get past the "obsessive backstory" phase, mostly "painterly" backgrounds, if that makes any sense.) Oh, and I don't think it's always necessary for a game to have sprites, either. (Blasphemy! :P)
But then, even "last" is pretty subjective, since I think all the elements of a VN are extremely important; moreso because people will have different things that they look for. Some like art, some like story, etc. If a VN is lacking in any of those elements, it's possible for that to hurt it a lot. Let's say a game has bad or ill-fitted graphics; those who prize it probably won't be drawn to the game and it'll lose readers, and even for those who can get over the art, it's still a major distraction and takes away from the game's overall enjoyment.
