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Do you like tsundere girls? Kawaii or just annoying? Just trying to have a bit more of "Tsundere-Meilin" in my game and wanted to know your opinion...

Unlike many people, I've yet to encounter a character that I disliked simply for being a tsundere. So, I would personally err on the side of "kawaii", but I can certainly see why tsunderes are annoying to other people. If you go too far with their prickliness, your character will appear to be acting mean for the sake of acting mean, rather than as an outlet to hide their feelings. A tsundere girl calling her love interest a perv is one thing, her breaking his possessions is another.

Ultimately, like most tropes, the tsundere will be both loved and hated no matter what you do. Does this mean you should never use it in your stories? No.

For me this trope is a mixed bag. There are some characters I enjoy and some I don't. Like for many other trops it depents on how you execute it. Even if I find myself not liking this trope I will probably find enjoyment from the characters ambitions and other traits!

I guess you're both right: it depends. It's like salt in food: by itself no guarantee for a good meal, too much is even guarantee that it will be uneatable.
I tried to give my tsundere girl also a sweet side - and in a flash back some cute scenes from her childhood (see scnreenshot). But of course it's difficult as a creator to tell whether that worked...

thelastsecret wrote: ↑

Sat Mar 05, 2022 10:27 am

But of course it's difficult as a creator to tell whether that worked...

This is what beta testers are generally for. They've helped improve the writing in my game.

thelastsecret wrote: ↑

Sat Mar 05, 2022 10:27 am

I tried to give my tsundere girl also a sweet side - and in a flash back some cute scenes from her childhood (see scnreenshot). But of course it's difficult as a creator to tell whether that worked...

They key to a tsundere personality is being "bittersweet" - she "melts", when certain conditions are met, yet is quickly to get back into her protective stance once these conditions are passed.

As to whether they are "kawaii or annoying" - the thing is, good tsunderes are usually both. You need to balance these traits. Add too much "kawaii" - and she will not be a real tsundere anymore. Too much "annoying" - and she will become less likable (which is fine for a side character, but if she is one of the main cast - it would be a disaster).

The key thing about tsunderes that, IMHO, many of the VN devs - even experienced ones - overlook, is that "Tsundere" reads as Tsun-Dere, not Dere-Tsun. And that is for a reason - "tsun-tsun" is a defining quality for a tsundere, "dere-dere" is merely a secondary, "bonus" one, to be "unlocked".

When I build such characters, I aim for the player to be able to like the girl for her "tsun" personality alone, and only THEN they get her "dere" side as a bonus. Because otherwise, if you have other girl types in your VN, why would player choose a tsundere, when there are, for example, "girl next door" or "deredere" alternatives?

These are some good points! The balance is important, and considering the "sweet" as bonus is also an interesting idea.
I was smiling when I read about the "girl next door": in "The Last Secret" that's were the tsundere lives! Meilin is the childhood friend living in the next apartment, but at the same time quite an explosive mixture to be handled with care, otherwise... bad things may happen...
In any case, it's possible to "tame the beast" if the player does it well, but I won't spoiler whats happening on the way to that!

As an absolute tsundere ho, I'm practically guaranteed to love any and all tsunderes lmfao (this one is VERY cute, I like her). My partner, on the other hand, can take or leave male tsunderes and tends to actively dislike female tsunderes (to be more specific, they've told me that they don't have an issue with the concept in theory but find that female tsunderes are often written differently from male tsunderes, and in a way that they don't like).

Like people have said above, it's going to be helpful to get feedback from beta testers on how you characters are written (and not just the tsunderes lmao). I also think an important thing is to balance out their behavior - obviously, a tsundere is gonna start out cold, but it can be easy to stray into the territory of "really mean for no reason," and if they flip flop back and forth too extremely between being cold and being nice it can read as unrealistic or unhinged.