Multiple Playable Characters

[Amecha]

So I was considering on how a VN might go with multiple playable characters. Like for example a game featuring only two or three named characters and the ability to chose which character you'd like to play as from the onset. I understand this doubles, or triples the script since each character's story is in essence it's own game but I was mostly wondering if this would make player choices seem pointless?

If for example, character A and B get into an argument and while playing as character A you have the option to stop being stubborn and end the argument, but while playing as character B, A doesn't make that choice and continues to argue. I feel like, while making for an interesting game that might let you fully experience the entire story from all angles, it might result in the player feeling like none of their choices matter in the scheme of things. Or when playing as a secondary character they may feel like they have to make certain choices because the character made those choices when they were an NPC?

On the flip side, each of the characters a pretty driven by their positive and negative traits, with the character's negative traits being rather glaring from the onset. Like A is very stubborn, B is very weak willed and over the course of the story they're working to overcome their negative traits and be better people. The NPC character will mostly be acting on their negative traits while your behavior can either drive them to be more or less stubborn/weak willed and also drive your character to be more or less stubborn/weak willed so I feel like it would work specifically for that, as it makes sense for the other characters to be making the choices they make without the guidance of the player.

Would you like playing a game like that? Even watching the character you were just playing making choices you didn't necessarily make or would you just rather have a game with a single main character?

Or even having a VN that just switches perspective from time to time, allowing you to play multiple characters in a single play through with the perspective settling on whoever is making the choices in that scene/chapter?

[Mammon]

Last year's NaNoRenO project 'the Photographer' did something like that: A husband and wife on a trip to Venice getting in a fight and you could choose whether to see it from his or her perspective.

That story worked, and I think that from what you've described here your story can work too. It can certainly be an interesting way to read a story and then read the same story again only for the other character to be more relateable because you're reading their motivations, doubts and rationalities this time.

[Amecha]

It can certainly be an interesting way to read a story and then read the same story again only for the other character to be more relateable because you're reading their motivations, doubts and rationalities this time.

This is mainly my reasoning why I was thinking about doing it, since one of the character's behavior and choices seem a bit weird from an outside perspective and I think it would be interesting to see each of the character's motivations from their point of view. Each of the characters are vastly different, as are their motivations and fears and why their negative traits are so pronounced and I feel like the story I want to tell can be told best through any of the characters and picking just one as a playable character seems like a disservice and most of the choices that have weight in the plot are interpersonal decisions.

It's good to know that it's been done before though! I'll check that game out so I can see it in action though.

[banannasquid]

I personally love it when games switch view points, I remember danganronpa 2 did that where you played the game from nagitos pov for a while and it worked great

It All depends on the story and situation though, if you're writing a story centered around a single character and their growth, it wouldn't be a good idea to constantly switch around all the time. If you're making a survival/horror story though, it could work out really well. I think corpse party pulled it off pretty well where you got to know all the characters well by switching vetween them and it just makes it more brutal when the characters get killed

[wyverngem]

What is that saying something about it takes five people to know the story? I think that it's an art form to actually be able to write about multiple character experiencing the game events. The story becomes less about the characters and more about event itself.

[Katy133]

There's actually a 1990s video game series I remember playing called TKKG (by Tivola games). It had a really clever game mechanic for using multiple playable characters.

In it, you play as four different characters (the title "TKKG" is basically each of their initials). The goal is to solve a mystery by questioning suspects and finding clues. To complete each game, you'll have to switch between characters multiple times to solve problems.


Characters left to right: Tiger, Katy, Grunter, and Kevin.

The twist is that you don't play as all the characters at the same time. You have to switch between each character[/url] (in your home base), and non-playable characters react to each of the playable characters in different ways.

Here are a list of some examples this video game series used:
- If you visit Kevin's father (a professor) while playing as Kevin, he's very kind and helpful to the player. However, if you play as Tiger, the father acts very hostile and clearly doesn't like Tiger (probably because Tiger is a jock), even going as far as saying, "I wish you wouldn't hang around my son so much."
- One woman (who lives in an apartment that requires you to be "buzzed in" to enter it) outright won't speak to you unless you play as Grunter. It's later revealed that she's his aunt.
- Katy is the only character who will pick up cigarettes on the ground as evidence (other characters will ignore them if you click on the cigarettes). Katy can also show these cigarettes to a newspaper seller she knows, who can identify what brand the cigarette is (giving you more clues).
- Tiger is the most athletic, so he can perform more strength-based tasks than the other characters. He also resorts to violence more so than the other characters.
- Katy owns a dog, so she is able to get on well with characters who are dog owners.

This video trailer/demo illustrates more examples:

[trooper6]

This sort of playing with perspective is done a lot in art.

Video Games I can think of off the top of my head include Indigo Prophecy and Still Life.
The famous play Roshomon is all about this.
In terms of novels, LeGuin's Beginning Place, but also Game of Thrones in a more subtle way.

This is a well used narrative tactic. You should be able to do it if you want to.