Mood whiplash?

[Ishikatsu]

Do you feel annoyed when the game suddenly shifts into different genre?

I've got this little idea for a short VN so that I can practice coding in Ren'Py and writing scripts in general. The setting is rather serious and I want to play it for drama, which means no comic reliefs and very small chance of actual happy ending for our unlucky protagonist. Everything was perfect; story planned itself almost instantly and my sadistic little heart was fluttering in delight. But after some thinking, I realized it may be too tragic even for me.

I am not going out of my way to pointlessly torture the protagonist; with the topic I chose, it's almost impossible to write plausible non-depressing ending, unless I'd enter the realm of parody. And then it occured to me; why not throw in a special joke ending accessible only to people who got all the other endings?

Now as a player, I wouldn't mind this kind of approach at all. What about you, though? Do you think one not-so-serious ending could ruin the impact of whole game? Or would you welcome some dead baby comedy?

(Not entirely sure if this belongs in the Asset Creation: Writing topic or here. Feel free to move it, admins )

[Victoria Jennings]

I wouldn't mind. The World Ends With You did something similar with Another Day (a chapter you get after you finish the game). Overall, TWEWY's pretty serious and quite intense at times (though it occasionally drifts away from that with casual dialogue), while Another Day is pretty much just one huge joke, the difference being, of course,

that TWEWY has a happy ending.

I think you could pull it off. :B

[DeeKay]

Fine with me as well. Unlocking this as an extra ending after getting all the others seems like a good bet ^^

[ThisIsNoName]

If you make it into a musical, I will love you forever.

[Sapphi]

Do you think one not-so-serious ending could ruin the impact of whole game? Or would you welcome some dead baby comedy?

Yes. Don't put it in the game proper.

A while ago, I asked the question "Would it be mood-whiplash to have silly extras after a serious story?" I think most people were in agreement than it would be fine... but as I've progressed with writing and plotting various stories, I think I would rather maintain the purity of the story and leave the silliness out.

Since I have a terrible and pervasive sense of humor, I do plan to draw numerous silly comics and parodies based on the adventures of my characters. I just think that those are better suited to living in a place that is different from the actual story. I like the mental separation it affords. I think of it as drawing my own doujinshi or writing my own fanfiction. With that in mind, I think it's in bad taste to put it so close to the original work... but YMMV.

[Maelstrom-Fenrir]

Do you feel annoyed when the game suddenly shifts into different genre?

Depends on if I knew the genre shift was coming. If I was not warned or it was not hinted at changing then, yes I would be annoyed. Or if a horror or suspense suddenly went into a silly not serious comedy all the time. It is all a matter of blending and finding the right mixture of both, in my opinion, and balancing it if you have lighthearted moments and also heavy serious moments.

I am not going out of my way to pointlessly torture the protagonist; with the topic I chose, it's almost impossible to write plausible non-depressing ending, unless I'd enter the realm of parody. And then it occured to me; why not throw in a special joke ending accessible only to people who got all the other endings?

This is fine, as others have said if it is an extra content piece, and the player gets rewarded with it after something and selects it themselves. If it was normally obtainable someone could accidentally get it the first play through, and then well they might think that this is your style and put down the vn and not pick up another by you. They might be afraid the set-up, won't reach a good pay-off.

[CheeryMoya]

Hatoful Boyfriend had mad amounts of mood whiplash between the first part of the game and the BBL route. The first portion of the game was light comedy with hints of mystery sprinkled about, but BBL went all the way and twisted everything you knew about the characters to reveal a darker truth. I think moa pulled that off successfully, and HB is very infamous now for tricking players.

I don't know how to avoid complete mood whiplash myself, because I like to (think that I) make my writing as realistic as possible assuming we're not writing fantasy or sci-fi. Silliness and drama is allowed, but once we start breaking the rules of gravity or something, that's when I stop. Life is really unpredictable so you can't expect everything to be fluff and rainbows all the time. Nor can you expect it to be forever gloomy, though there are some days that seem like that.

[HumbertTheHorse]

I ran into this with a Chinese movie and many anime which was comedy up until the last bit and then turned into a depression fest that in no way fit the atmosphere created. Pure incompetence on the writer's part.

On the flip side, take your loved one to see the japanese romatic comidy Audition.

[dramspringfeald]

I'm ok with it if happens after you Shoo out the clowns near the end but it does get annoying if it's like the game is bi-polar.

[Blane Doyle]

I don't mind so long as it is either foreshadowed in some way or goes through multiple small changes multiple times without overpowering the other tone, gradually of course.

A good example of the former is Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica. It was showcased as another cutesy girly anime but had foreshadowing of it being darker in the first two episodes. Then episode 3 ended. It was not cutesey girly anymore.

A good example of the later might be Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors. It is certainly a thriller and keeps up that tone, but throughout there are humorous moments to lighten the mood. This does not detract from the game and is understandable given the predicament they are in (you want to keep your spirits up after all), and the humor almost completely vanishes through the most tense scenes in the game.

Just my two cents.

[MysteriousArtistX]

It worked for Ghost Trick and that entire game vomits mood whiplash, its ridiculously amazing though.

[Stainless_Steel]

Mood whiplash can be fine, just look at the random humor that made Yo-Jin-Bo a great game one momment the characters are fighting to save the princess the next they're denying that MonMon is a capturable or singing Be Our Guest in gratuitus Engrish. Just make sure that there is a break between the funny and serious... might lead to Cerebus Syndrome though.

[Midi]

Hatoful Boyfriend had mad amounts of mood whiplash between the first part of the game and the BBL route. The first portion of the game was light comedy with hints of mystery sprinkled about, but BBL went all the way and twisted everything you knew about the characters to reveal a darker truth. I think moa pulled that off successfully, and HB is very infamous now for tricking players.

Fack, I just.

God, Hatoful Boyfriend. Worse mood whiplash, best mood whiplash.

[Gear]

Not entirely related, but Shakespeare's tragedies always included comic relief speckled throughout the story to avoid overly depressing the audience. It's not a huge shift to include something upbeat in your story so you don't make your audience suicidal.